Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church

FIRST LOVE EXCITEMENT

2012-01-25T14:19:00.002-05:00

Is your Christian faith exciting to you? Or has it become boring like putting on your socks in the morning? You know it shouldn't be that way. Our Christian faith should put a smile on our face, give us an invincible spirit, and a confident hope that will not fade.

How can we get that fresh "first love" excitement back in our Christian lives? By becoming aware of the devastating consequences sin causes to our relationship with God, by becoming aware of our immediate need for forgiveness, by recognizing that only God can help, and that He has helped us by having His one and only Son to be made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Each morning we should be thrilled that we have been redeemed, that we are God's children through faith in Christ, that our life has purpose and hope. Then our Christian faith will be exciting and worth sharing.

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:21;

WITHOUT CHRIST

2012-01-18T14:43:00.002-05:00

It is calculated that every minute of every day more than a hundred people die without Christ. But it seems that very few people are disturbed by it.

Jesus said very clearly, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." For some God's Word is the authority. But for many others, reason is. What does reason tell us? "People don't need Jesus Christ because God will not condemn them." Because of that kind of reasoning, people have denied the purpose of Christ's death and have denied the redemption He has earned. They have also denied His command, "Go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them." There is a purpose behind Christ's command too, namely, that people everywhere might know that "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life."

Please understand: Without Christ there is no salvation. More than a hundred people died without Christ this past minute. Believe in Jesus Christ so that it will not happen to you.

Read: John 14:6; Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:16; Acts 16:31;

A NEW LIFE

2012-01-11T15:03:00.002-05:00

Have you ever carefully examined yourself only to discover how terribly self-centered you are? It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves, to be angry at someone else, to think that we are being mistreated.

We become so preoccupied with ourselves that we leave no room for Christ to come into our lives. To live only for ourselves is to set our minds for bitterness, resentment, greed, lust, and all forms of selfishness, and thus to sink into a self-made pit of despair.

If we want to laugh, have hope, and know confidence, we need to get outside of ourselves. But that is impossible unless God creates a new heart and renews a right spirit within us. That is the rebirth Christ talks about. That's why our ears ought to be open and our eyes fixed on Jesus because He is the one who calls us by the Gospel to believe in Him.

For after all He is the one who has redeemed us from all of our sins. He lived and died that we might live. So let us forget about ourselves, trust Him, and look forward to a whole new life in Christ Jesus.

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

2012-01-04T15:00:00.002-05:00

What is Baptism? It is a sacred act instituted by Christ. Through simple water connected with God's Word, Christ Jesus offers, gives, and seals to us the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation. As the Apostle Peter says, "Baptism now saves you also."

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." So you see, Baptism is not simple water only, but it is water used by God's command and connected with God's Word.

Some ask, "Why should I be baptized?" The answer is that to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit means to be received into fellowship with the Triune God, to become a member of His family, and an heir of everlasting life.

God intended Baptism for salvation and as a source of comfort for "all nations" which includes all people, as the Apostle Peter also says, "The promise is to you, and to your children." How gracious our God is through Christ Jesus, our Lord!

Read: Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-39; 1 Peter 3:21;

A NEW AND HAPPY YEAR

2011-12-27T12:11:00.002-05:00

How often during the past weeks have you said, "Merry Christmas"? Most likely, you will also be saying "Happy New Year" quite often in the next few days. These are not wishes that we Christians take lightly. In fact, as God's children, we give them a very special meaning. We speak them "in Christ." We have learned that any merriment without Christ is shallow, at best. And real happiness can be found only "in Christ" because Christ came to give us real meaning and purpose for this life and eternal life with Him in heaven. It is only as we embrace Christ's promises by faith that a year can be both new and happy. I hope that you had a merry Christmas in the true sense and I pray that you will also have a new and happy year. No doubt there will be mountains to climb in your life in 2012 and deep valleys to cross, perhaps even the valley of death, but in each and every hour Christ is willing to reveal Himself to you as your Lord for this life and your Savior for eternity.

A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU!

2011-12-21T16:56:00.002-05:00

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

LIKE A BITTER PILL

2011-12-13T15:20:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wanted to get your own way no matter what the cost, only to find out that you paid a high price for nothing? Have you ever cheated yourself? Many of us have cheated ourselves many times trying to please ourselves. Things aren't always what they seem. When we finally get our way, it often isn't what we wanted at all! A bitter pill!

It is really hard to accept the idea that someone else knows what is good for us even better than we do. It is hard to trust someone else's judgment over our own. For most of us, the Christian life is a constant struggle to "let go and let God" do His thing instead of our own. We say, "I know Your Word says it this way, Lord, but I want ------- ."

The Apostle Paul had the same problem. Even a person like Paul with all of his learning and all of his experience, had to resist the desire to do it his own way. Paul got help. So can you and me.

Read: Proverbs 1:20-33;

LET IT SHINE

2011-12-06T16:37:00.002-05:00

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Children love to sing it. We adults love to hear it. Sometimes, however, that Gospel Light may flicker. In Gethsemane Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, knowing the agony He would soon endure. This is true for many of us too. The sorrow gets so heavy it is hard to breathe. Even though your light may flicker, don't let it go out.

Jesus' sorrow was greater than any of ours will ever be, but He never gave in. His hope was in His heavenly Father, to whom He prayed. He didn't demand that His suffering be removed. He submitted to His Father's will. As ugly as His death was going to be, He looked at what He would accomplish for us and for His Father's glory. He endured it all for us. He is our Light. We, too, will want to submit to His will.

We, too, will want to look beyond this world to our life in heaven. We don't want the Gospel Light to go out. Let it ever shine.

Read: Matthew 26:36-42; John 12:35-36; 1 Peter 2:9;

SPIRITUAL VITALITY

2011-11-29T15:06:00.002-05:00

The definition of death has been hotly debated for years. Is death when the vital signs are gone, or when the brain waves are flat?

Even more important is correctly determining the death of a Christian congregation. Is the church dying when the congregation shrinks, or if it doesn't have all the social outlets you want, or if the pastor doesn't have the charisma of a Joel Osteen? To judge a Christian congregation dead or dying by such signs would be like determining the death of a person by the type of clothes he or she wore. Believers in Christ gather together to be nourished with the life giving Gospel and also share it with others. When a congregation is no longer concerned or interested in the souls of unbelievers, then it is either dead or dying. The real vital sign of the church is the determination of the congregation to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins through Jesus worldwide, beginning at home and spreading to every nation.

THANKSGIVING

2011-11-22T14:10:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is a good time to ask ourselves what our way of life is doing to us. Whether we have a lot or a little, it is doing something to all of us. And God is concerned about what these things are doing to us. On Thanksgiving people will be feasting in the happiest of holiday moods, while only a small fraction will find their way into a House of God for the giving of thanks. Some will not be thanking God at all. Some will be thankful only for the good things they have, as they worship at the altar of the dinner table, before the shrine of the golden turkey and stuffed goose. Don't get me wrong, we should enjoy and appreciate these things. We shouldn't scorn them. For after all, we have received them from God. We, of course, do not begin to deserve them. Therefore let us humbly and sincerely thank God that we have these things, but above all, let us learn the secret of contentment. Once and for all, let us realize that contentment cannot be found in the things of this world, it can only be found in Christ who strengthens us and supplies us with all we need. Happy Thanksgiving!

Read: Philippians 4:10-13; 1 Timothy 6:6-10;

TOO LATE

2011-11-16T14:11:00.002-05:00

Friends passed by his casket viewing the late sky diver who had plunged to his death. He had been excited about his 200th jump, but now he was dead. There was no church service. There were no comforting words for the survivors. And, of course, it was too late for words of spiritual hope for the sky diver.

No one had the courage to ask what his destiny was. The empty hope of many is that there is a second chance. But God makes it very clear that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

Many had the opportunity to share a living Savior with the sky diver, but they delayed waiting for a better time. How often haven't you and I had the opportunity to share the hope of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus, but we didn't?

We never will want to pass by a person's casket and say, "I should have." Because then it will be too late.

Read: Hebrews 9:27;

SPIRITUAL CHILD ABUSE

2011-11-09T12:38:00.002-05:00

Child abuse! Children are burned, beaten, and abandoned by their parents. Why does this happen? Because parents lose their self-control. Like every other sin, there is no excuse for it. Even though we may understand how it can happen, it cannot be tolerated. The Bible says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." The Bible also says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." Children are gifts from God to be loved and cared for. Train up a child in Jesus Christ and when he/she is old, he/she will not forget his/her Savior's love. When both parents and children build their lives around Christ, then they will also grow in loving respect for each other. When we recognize our God-given responsibilities both as parents and children, and then also seek to carry them out, then happiness follows instead of child abuse and court cases, both of which mocks our loving God. The greatest child abuse of all is this: to deprive your child of God's love in Christ Jesus.

Read: Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 13:24;

C H A N G E

2011-11-01T17:04:00.002-04:00

You can't miss the change going on in our country. It used to be that pornographic books and magazines were read while hid inside other reading materials. Today there is no "cover-up" of what people read no matter how hard core it might be.

In fact, today, it's the other way around. I saw a young man reading the Bible, but it was "covered up" by another book.

What has happened? Why are we possessed by such an appetite that feeds on self-destructive materials? Remember, the more we eat of that garbage, the hungrier we become. Have we lost control of ourselves? Anything out of control not only loses its purpose, but it also becomes self-destructive.

Aren't we living to search after God, to know Him, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent? In order to control our appetite, we must control our eating. In order to control the raging lust inside us, we must control our reading.

Why not read the most exciting book in the world, the Bible? In it you will find Christ, hope, and eternal life.

Read: John 17:3;

P R I C E L E S S

2011-10-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

Is there something wrong with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why, you ask? Because of the way so many handle the merchandise. They pick up the Gospel, take a look at it on Sunday, and then put it aside for the week. Some put it aside altogether.

So something must be wrong with the Gospel. Perhaps it reflects the "supply and demand" theory of economics. There is just too much Gospel around. As a result, people think that it is cheap.

It is true that the Gospel is free, but it certainly is never cheap. The price of the Gospel cannot be measured in dollars and cents, but rather in the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed for us sinners.

It also costs us. It costs us our pride, our self-righteousness, even our reputations when our sins are confessed, and it may even cost us our friends of this world as well.

There is nothing wrong with the Gospel, and it isn't cheap. The saving truth of Christ's Gospel is priceless. Invest in it now. It is available for a limited time only.

Read: 1 Peter 1:18-19;

A N X I E T Y

2011-10-19T13:27:00.002-04:00

Many more dollars were required for taxes, insurance premiums had doubled, an outstanding bill had arrived in the mail, not to mention a rush to the emergency room that same morning. Coming back home there was a threatening call from a collection agency. When troubles comes, they seem to come in bunches and in many different ways.

Before one problem is resolved, another one hits home, and we suffer an emotional overload. Our objectivity is scrambled and our ability to solve problems logically is lost. Discussing the dilemma with family can cause emotions to erupt, making matters even worse.

So where do we turn? Turning to the world only increases our anxiety level. But by turning to our almighty, all-caring God, the same God who sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins, on Him we can cast our cares and relieve ourselves of untold stress.

Because we are burdened daily, we need to daily turn to Jesus. He cares for us. He alone has the power to set us on a Rock above the turbulent waters of life.

Read: 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 40:1-5;

P E A C E

2011-10-12T13:14:00.003-04:00

With his high polling numbers, he was the front runner for the political office. But then a skeleton came out of the closet and his hopes were destroyed. It was a sexual affair of many years ago. Unfortunately, this scenario is played out before us voters far too many times.

Do you have any skeletons in your closet waiting to jump out? What painful event would you like to erase from your past? Have you successfully covered your tracks?

Perhaps you feel at peace because you think your past is deeply buried. However, we cannot hide our sins from God. He knows what we have done and He also knows the motivation of our hearts. Many suffer from the self-delusion that time reconciles. But there is no peace when our sins separate us from God.

True peace is established when sin is removed. That's why Jesus died. He carried our sins to the cross. Through Him we are reconciled to God.

Do you have the peace that transcends all understanding? It is found only through Christ Jesus.

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18, 21; Philippians 4:7;

A WORD IN BEHALF OF HELL

2011-10-05T11:42:00.002-04:00

For those who dislike Christianity, there is something to be said for hell. Too many hypocrites in church? Be assured, there will be no hypocrites in hell. And hypocrites who go there, will not be hypocrites anymore.

People who dislike being invited to worship, won't have to worry anymore either. There will be no churches in hell. There will be no more preaching of the Gospel either. And words that irritate them, words such as: repentance, forgiveness, salvation, joy, and Jesus, they will never be heard again either.

They will never have to listen to Christians sharing their faith and hope in Christ ever again either. In fact, they will not be bothered by the Bible, because it will not be there.

In case they are disturbed about noise pollution on earth, it can't compare to the weeping and wailing in hell. And concerning overpopulation, did you know that they had to enlarge hell? Okay, I made that up.

But for Jesus to come and die to keep us out of hell, it must be absolutely horrible.

MAKING JUDGMENTS

2011-09-28T13:16:00.002-04:00

Many people are troubled by the fact that the dishonest and the deceitful seem to prosper so well and so often. Isn't it proof, they ask, that God's justice is a joke? I think it is time to set the record straight. To begin with, God does not promise that righteousness will lead to material rewards, to the contrary, Jesus warned that it is very difficult for the rich and powerful to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then there is the idea that God punishes the wicked before the eyes of men, but again Scripture says that God allows the sun and the rain to fall on everyone alike. I want you to recognize God's attitude toward worldly affairs so that you do not make judgments about your own faith based on the faiths and fortunes of others.

Read: Matthew 5:45; 19:23-24;

YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE

2011-09-21T13:57:00.002-04:00

How's your Christian life? "Wow, it's fantastic! I sing in the choir. I work with the youth. I teach Sunday School. I'm on the Evangelism Committee." Friend, I didn't ask you about your church life. I asked, "How's your Christian life?"

Too often the church is guilty of making its members so busy just for the sake of busyness, and as a result, they forget about the business of the Father.

The business of the Father is the mission of Jesus Christ, the redemption of mankind from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Christ Jesus accomplished this redemption for us on the cross. This redemption is ours when by the power of the Gospel we make Jesus our Savior.

A Christian is a Christian not by what He does, but by receiving what Christ has done for him. Therefore search the Scriptures. Learn of Jesus and trust Him for everything.

Read: John 5:39;

TRUE WISDOM

2011-09-14T18:12:00.002-04:00

Ryan's Christian parents had taught him to respect girls and to be aware of raging hormones. But the University instructor for Freshman orientation advised that sexual intimacy would give release and help students to focus better on their studies.

Why not, Ryan thought. It made sense, didn't it? And so he got involved. He got release, but no peace. He violated his conscience and shame shrouded his conscience. He had no focus, only confusion. Again, he was advised not to be foolishly hung up on his parent's values. Just do it and your conscience will get use to it. Is that good advice? No! Pregnancy followed. Worldly wisdom was bankrupt. Listen to true wisdom.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And "Christ is the wisdom of God."

In His wisdom God established a holy relationship between a man and a woman. Sex is a gift from Him. It is not to be abused. God's wisdom is Christ. In Him we find forgiveness and peace.

Read: Proverbs 9:10; 1 Corinthians 1:24;

WORDS HAVE MEANINGS

2011-09-06T15:07:00.002-04:00

"Say what you mean and mean what you say." These are familiar words and words by which we all should live.

Venomous slander, violent curses, and vitriolic commentaries have destroyed reputations, ruined friendships and marriages, terminated employment, and shortened lives. Words have caused much grief. From loveless hearts Satan spawns bitter words.

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Even as words can destroy so they can also heal and encourage. Words have power.

The ability to communicate with words is God's blessing to us and is to be used to His glory. Scripture expresses it well when it says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Too often we make nasty remarks and say, "Oh, you knew what I meant." "Say what you mean and mean what you say."

On Judgment Day remember we will have to give an account to God for every careless word spoken. Words have meanings. Use them wisely.

Read: Proverbs 15:1; Matthew 12:36; 15:19;

REAL LOVE

2011-08-31T14:34:00.002-04:00

What ever happened to righteousness, goodness, and morality? Where has our society stuck the Ten Commandments? Why is that loudmouths can dictate against God's Word and common sense?

Why is it that so many of our young people are not being taught that sexual relations outside of marriage is sin, but are taught only how to avoid pregnancy, or how not to contract VD? How come is today's perversion "in" and morality is "out"?

Why are we ignoring the obvious, that we are sinners, and that we must give an answer to an almighty and holy God, even for our silence? Have we really lost our moral and spiritual marbles to permit the blind to lead us into a ditch?

We are a moral mess! God knows it too. God sent His Son to make atonement for our sins. His name is Jesus Christ. He died that we might live. That's real love. Jesus tells us, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15) Let's respond with some real love of our own.

Read: Matthew 15:14;

F E A R

2011-08-24T13:06:00.002-04:00

Bright lightning bolts and deafening thunder will scare little children right into their parents' beds. Fear of a mean bully will knot up the stomach. Financial ruin will squeeze the heart to death. FEAR steals away our joy and paralyzes life. Panic replaces logic.

There is also a FEAR that gives hope, not despair. This FEAR is knowing our saving God. Listen: "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."

Slavish fear petrifies us. Child-like fear offers confidence. This kind of fear recognizes God's power to carry out His every threat and to fulfill His every promise. Hell is for impenitent sinners. Life with God is for all who trust His power to save through His Son, Christ Jesus, who carried our sins to the cross.

So out with slavish fear! In with the Fountain of Life! Trust Christ Jesus! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Read: Proverbs 14:27; John 14:6;

DISCIPLINE ABANDONED

2011-08-17T13:54:00.002-04:00

Homes are breaking up. Parents are separating and families are torn apart and wounded, some so deeply that they will not recover.

Couples live together, enjoying the privilege of marriage without commitment, without regard to responsibility, ignoring the feelings of parents and running roughshod over the requirements of society.

Students indulge in drugs and drink to abandon any reference to moral responsibility.

Parents wring their hands bankrupt of any ideas as to how to bring the home together.

Little children boss their parents, talk back, and demand to have their own way without so much as a stern rebuke from Mom or Dad.

Discipline is a virtue we cannot live without, but which appears to have been abandoned by too many, even the church.

What ever has happened to the command, "Honor your father and your mother?" Remember, parents and children, both of you are accountable to God.

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:10;

ARE YOU GAMBLING TOO?

2011-08-10T15:39:00.002-04:00

Here is a confession of a nominal Christian: "I am a gambler. Oh, not the kind that goes to places behind closed doors in some nightclub. I'm not that kind of gambler. Such gambling is peanuts compared to the gambling that I do. You see, I gamble with my soul as the stake."

"I am betting that I can live a life of do-nothing indifference, a life of neglect of those things of God, and still go to heaven."

"I am also gambling with the souls of my children as stakes. I am betting their souls that they can miss Sunday School and Worship and that I can learn enough without attending Bible classes that my church offers. I am also betting that I can remain indifferent to the teachings of Christ about being generous, that I can fail to give as I have been prospered, and yet Christ will still bless me. I am also betting that I can ignore the lost around, wink at sin, and still somehow drift into heaven. I am gambling against impossible odds with my soul and the souls of my children at stake."

Are you gambling too?

OUR SALVATION IS NOT LUCK

2011-08-02T11:13:00.002-04:00

Our soul's salvation is not a matter of luck.

When we were born, where we were born, is not a matter of luck either. God determined our birth. Our parents may have said that we were an "accident" or a "surprise," but to God we were neither.

God is still in control. His will WILL be done. From eternity God chose us to be His children through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

This has real comfort for us. Perhaps our money doesn't go as far as it once did. Around us we see society drowning in its own immorality. There is trouble everywhere. All of this sorrow tells us that this world will never be heaven. But we can rejoice in spite of it all. God still has total control. And we know that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.

We are forgiven. God is our loving, gracious, and patient Father in heaven. Our salvation is not a matter of luck.

Read: Acts 17:24-31; Romans 8:31-39;

DO YOU FEEL UNLOVABLE?

2011-06-29T14:39:00.002-04:00

We all have had our difficult days when whatever we say meets with disapproval, when we can't seem to do anything right, and when whatever we pick up seems to self-destruct. The mirror reflects an unhappy image. The sparkle is gone. We hate the world, and we hate ourselves. Did you know that as many as 25,000 people each year find themselves so unlovable that they take their own life?

If we don't have any love for ourselves, if our personal love bank is bankrupt, where will we find the love to share with our spouse and family?

It is time for a love deposit, time to turn to the Scriptures and hear God say to us loud and clear, "I love you." He never stops inviting us to receive His love in Christ Jesus. He says, "Come to Me --- I have loved you with an everlasting love --- Continue in My love."

When we have His love, we have more than enough love to share with our spouse and our family, even with those who don't like themselves and are angry with the world.

Read: Matthew 11:28-30; Jeremiah 31:3;

FIND GOD

2011-06-22T14:05:00.002-04:00

What is the purpose of life? Thousands, if not millions, of hopeless, hapless souls ask that question every day. They are tossed from one crisis to another on a most erratic course in life, seeing no reason for existence except for staying alive. That's sad, isn't it?

Why? Is there more to life than just living? Yes, there most certainly is! God has given us this life for the single purpose of searching after Him, to find Him.

It will make no difference how much money we have accumulated, or how important our name might be in society, if we haven't found God before we die. Without God, our life would be a failure.

But how can we find God? In order to find God, we must know His Son, Christ Jesus, whom God gave for our salvation. As Jesus Himself once said, "No one comes to Father except through Me." (John 14:6b)

Read: Acts 17:26-27;

ETERNAL LIFE - A GIFT!

2011-06-15T13:38:00.002-04:00

Let's pretend for a moment. It is one minute after your death, and you are standing before the Lord. He asks you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" What would you answer? Many answer, "Because I'm a good person and try to do what is good and right. That's what God wants, isn't it?"

If having eternal life in heaven depended upon what we did, we would be in trouble. For you see, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There are no exceptions! You and I cannot earn eternal life, it is a gift!

St. Paul wrote to the Romans, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord." (6:23)

We cannot earn it! God gives eternal life to all who believe in Jesus as their Savior who took all of their sins away. Friends, I pray that you are sure that you have the gift of eternal life.

Read: Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23;

BEING A CHRISTIAN IS MORE THAN JUST BEING RELIGIOUS

2011-06-01T13:09:00.002-04:00

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? "Well, I hope so," you say, "I do go to church!" Going to church and singing hymns don't make you a Christian. For after all, hypocrites do the same. On the street you can look just like anyone else.

Being a Christian, you see, is a way of life, not just a teaching. There is a hope in a Christian that gives a joy to life, a hope that can be seen by those who know you, a hope that doesn't give way under pressure, a hope that is built on Christ Jesus and His resurrection.

Oh, yes, we Christians are to be well-mannered, a decent kind of people. But we are still sinners who need the assurance of forgiveness. And that assurance is based on Jesus and His resurrection. Let the devil and the world do their worst! Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Be happy! Jesus lives!

A PSALM OF SUMMER

2011-05-25T14:08:00.002-04:00

Now it came to pass that spring turned to summer again,
God's people raised their voices and said:
"Recreation is my shepherd, I shall not stay home;
He maketh me to lie down in a sleeping bag;
He leadeth me down the interstate each weekend.
He restoreth my suntan;
He leadeth me to state parks for comfort's sake.
Even though I stray on the Lord's Day, I will fear no reprimand,
for thou art with me, my rod and reel they comfort me.
I anointest my skin with oil, my gas tank runneth dry;
Surely my trailer shall follow me all the weekends this summer,
and I shall return to the House of the Lord this fall."
But then it is hunting season and that's another psalm.

CHRIST'S RESURRECTION OFFERS HOPE

2011-05-18T14:18:00.002-04:00

What sorrow when they lifted Jesus off that ugly cross, carried the lifeless, limp body of the God / Man, and laid Him in Joseph's tomb. No survivors knew greater pain! But Easter morning the news, "He is risen!" lifted the weary hearts to shout "Alleluia!"

Today, when a loved one dies, we wonder how sorrow can be any greater. First, there is shocking sorrow of death. Then follows the funeral home, the lying in state, the church service, then the procession to the cemetery, standing at the grave, the committal. It is so real, so final! That final wound is so slow to heal.

Wouldn't it be better that the burial follow death immediately? And then three days later, a memorial service would follow where Christ's resurrection could offer hope, strength, and direction to our sorrowing heart. Not only would this be practical, but it would also very positive, with the last thought being hope in our living Savior.

OUR FAITH IS A GIFT

2011-05-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

If you were to walk through a valley of dry bones, bones of dead human beings, bleached by the sun, and there was one set of bones taking on flesh, tendon tied to tendon, bone to bone, until finally a living human being stood before you! To say the least, you would be amazed! You would say that you had seen a miracle.

Let me tell you of another miracle equally as impressive. That miracle is you, that is, if you are a Christian. By nature all of us are spiritually dead, having no power of our own to come alive. If this is true, how is it then that you believe in Jesus Christ and trust in Him for your salvation? Was it because of something you were able to do?No! Physical dead people and spiritual dead people can do nothing. How, then, is it possible? Here is the answer: "By grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Our faith in Christ Jesus is a gift. Cherish it and nourish it!

Read: Ezekiel 37;

CHRIST IS RISEN!

2011-04-27T13:40:00.002-04:00

Christ is risen! Christians everywhere sing forth their praises and rightly so. The resurrection of Christ dare not be placed into a historical pigeon hole equaling it to other great events, or even worse, to be glossed over as something insignificant.

The resurrection of Christ has a personal comforting application for everyone today. For example, stand beside the death bed of someone you love. How do you comfort? What words do you say to the dying person? Your loved one will not be comforted by reciting all that he did during his life here on earth. There are just too many failures to go along with that.

And how foolish it would be to deny reality and say, "Don't worry, you'll be ok." Hollow, meaningless words offer nothing to the dying.

It is far better to offer the assurance that Jesus gives, "Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19) "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Jesus can say that because He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS

2011-04-19T16:54:00.002-04:00

The Seventh of Jesus' Seven Words from the Cross
"Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46)

When Jesus died, the earth shook, the rocks split, the sun hid its face, and the world was covered with darkness. The graves broke open, and the bodies of believers came out after His resurrection. The temple curtain, inches thick, which separated the people from the Most Holy Place, was torn from top to bottom. Yes, the work of redemption was finished. The Scriptures were fulfilled. All sinners were washed and cleansed as promised, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) With everything accomplished, Jesus gave His final cry, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

As our Savior died, so shall we. It was not a simple thing for the God-Man to submit to death, but He did. It is not easy for us to think about death either. But now we can confidently commit our souls into the Father's hands, because death no longer has a hold on us. Because Jesus lives, so shall we!

IT IS FINISHED

2011-04-12T15:43:00.002-04:00

The Sixth Word Of Jesus From The Cross (John 19:30)

After Jesus received the vinegar, He cried out, "It is finished." This was not a statement of defeat. It was something the devil never wanted to hear. Because it was a victory cry!

Jesus had told His disciples during His ministry, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work." (John 4:34) God's will is to have all people saved, and Christ's work is to take away all sin so that all people might be saved.

And it is finished! Our redemption is complete. Our sin had grown like a wall, so high, so great, that it was insurmountable, separating us from God. But the wall is now down, sin is gone. We have a Mediator between God and us, the man, Christ Jesus. There truly is no other name under heaven given to mankind for us to be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Who can add anything to our redemption? It is finished. Christ did it all. Let us therefore repent of our sins and firmly cling to this good news, namely, that we are forgiven for the sake of Jesus.

I THIRST

2011-04-05T17:58:00.002-04:00

The Fifth Word of Jesus from the Cross (John 19:28)

Many people have endured excruciating pain to the point of death: mothers in childbirth; men with limbs torn off in war; men, women, and children burned alive; bodies tortured beyond sensible endurance; so much so that minds are destroyed and bodies are left unable to function.

But the pain that our Savior endured cannot be compared, comprehended, or appreciated to the degree that He suffered. Because His pain was magnified many times over by the sins of all people. All was now fulfilled. So now Christ Jesus cries out, "I thirst."

Our bodies feel pain, but our souls do not feel the hurt when they are wounded by sin, neglected, or mistreated. Yet our souls suffer too. They also cry out, "I thirst." The soul of every person in the world is parched for Living Water. Jesus Christ is our Living Water. Let all thirsty souls come to Him. Come to Christ Jesus and thirst no more!

MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY --- ?

2011-03-29T14:29:00.002-04:00

The Fourth Statement of Jesus from the Cross
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)

Joseph was sold into slavery, but yet he had God. Job was abandoned by all, but yet he had God. But when Jesus was abandoned by all and lifted up on the cross, He was forsaken by God. Why? He cried! The answer, of course, is that it was for you and me He endured the terrible wrath of God because He hates sin and has declared that the soul who sins shall die. Jesus was our Substitute when He endured the raging fury of God against all unrighteousness. Jesus was judged so that we might be set free. It's like the little boy frightened by an angry bee who ran to his mother clinging to her for protection. The bee stung her. The mother comforted her son by saying, "The bee can only sting once, and he has stung me. Even though he is flying around, don't be afraid, he can't harm you any more." We don't have to be afraid any more either. God's righteous anger has been satisfied through Jesus. We can now be confident that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

DEAR WOMAN, HERE IS ---

2011-03-22T18:02:00.002-04:00

The Third of Jesus' Seven Words from the Cross
"Dear woman, here is your son; here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)

What great compassion Jesus showed! There, in the midst of pain and anguish, enduring the mockery and shame, Jesus did not think of Himself, but instead He thought about His mother. He understood the pain she was suffering watching Him endure the agony and the injustice, for He was not only her son, but He was also the Son of God and her Savior too. Jesus knew what was piercing her heart. Therefore in full compliance with the Law, He repaid His mother; He honored His parent. He provided for her even from the cross.

No matter who we are, we are the child of a father and a mother. God could have multiplied people like bacteria, I suppose, or had them grow like mushrooms. But He didn't. Instead He gave us fathers and mothers, requiring us to honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect. If Jesus, being fully God, honored His human mother, then we, too, should have compassion on our parents and walk in Jesus' footsteps.

TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME

2011-03-15T17:39:00.002-04:00

Jesus' Second Word From the Cross:
"Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)

By his own confession the thief on the cross was getting what he deserved. He was a criminal, a social outcast, unfit for society. Next to this contemptible thief hung the King of kings. The soldiers did not recognize Him as King, and the chief priests would not have Him as King. With His body marred by stripes, His hands and feet pierced with nails, His head bruised and bleeding with thorns, who would have been attracted to Him or known Him as King? Humbled and weakened as He was, He still remembered who He was. So when the thief who saw Him as Lord of lords cried out, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom," Jesus did not turn away, but gave him full assurance that He would be with him in Paradise.

As Jesus remembered the thief, He remembers all those who call upon Him. He remembers you and me. Lord, receive us also into Your kingdom.

FATHER, FORGIVE THEM

2011-03-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
- The First of Jesus' Seven Words from the Cross

It wasn't the pain, even though it was excruciating. It wasn't the shame, even though there was none greater. It wasn't that He was numbered with the transgressors, even though He was. It was their ignorance and unbelief that was the most abominable act of all. They crucified God's one and only Son. God's wrath already was kindled, but now it was a consuming fire against those who would commit such an atrocity. For the Roman soldiers, for the frenzied mob, for the leaders of the church, for Pilate, for us, too; for all who because of sin nailed Him to the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Now we have the comfort of knowing that God's Son, the Lamb of God, has taken away the sin of the world. He is our Advocate before the Father and therefore there is no condemnation for all who believe in Jesus. What joy is ours! Good Friday was a good day for us!

Read: Romans 5;

L O V E

2011-02-23T14:59:00.002-05:00

Love makes the world go round, the song says. How true! How wonderfully true! But sometimes love only half understood and only half committed can lead to misery and regret.

Wise old King Solomon warned about fixing our affections too soon. What we love in life determines the kind of life we live. What a tragedy to make a commitment we regret later on. And how commonly done!

Countless young lives have been stifled and shortchanged because the most important of all life decisions, who and what to love, was made too quickly and with too little thought.

Read: Proverbs 4:23-27

R E A S O N

2011-02-16T15:19:00.002-05:00

Our reason is a gift of God. Reason teaches us that it is better to tie our shoe laces rather than trip over them. Reason teaches us to treat one another with respect in order to enjoy a peaceful life. Reason teaches us to pay our bills to show that we are trustworthy. Yes, reason is a gift of God.

Unfortunately, our reason has been corrupted by sin. Sin causes our reason to focus on satisfying our appetites at any price. The world likes to tease us to think that we can spend and spend without accountability, that sex has no consequences, that bankruptcy and family breakups are reasonable and acceptable to God. This, of course, is not so.

It is written, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) Our reason must be subject to God's Word to know the Way to Life, to Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

G O A L S

2011-02-09T16:51:00.002-05:00

It is a proven fact that people who set goals for themselves accomplish much more than those who do not. When we do not organize our time, it seems that we never have enough time.

Our God, who wants all things to be done in a fitting and orderly way, expects us to set goals in our lives. We are encouraged to be very careful how we live, to make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Too much of our time is "fussed" away when we don't establish goals from day to day. We know that we must give an account to God for all that we do. Therefore, we will want to know what God's will is, and then try to do it.

Our most important goal will be to know God and His Son better each day. And once we do, our next goal is to share them with others. Because without God and His Son, there are no worthwhile goals. But with them all things are possible.

Read: 1 Corinthians 14:40; Ephesians 4:15-20;

D E S P A I R

2011-02-01T16:20:00.003-05:00

Her boyfriend broke up with her. Her mother caught her shoplifting. Life was not worth living as far as she was concerned. She climbed to the top of the fire escape and jumped. But her suicide attempt failed. She lives with a broken body.

Despair overwhelms. Disappointment and shame extinguishes hope. Alcohol and drugs are not able to remove the problem, they only magnify it. How about running away? We cannot escape from our problems. Despair takes on many forms of self-destruction.

Is there help? Kind people are hard to find who support the wounded. Few are so fortunate to have merciful friends. But there is a Friend. He is near, merciful, and able to help. We would be fools if we didn't call on Him. This Friend is Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son. He knows humiliation! He carried our sins to the cross so that we would not have to suffer despair. Christ is our hope, our life, and our salvation.

In this sinful world, despair happens, but with Jesus we can handle it. The girl who tried to commit suicide now knows Jesus and has hope. I pray that you do too!

Read: Psalm 27; Psalm 46;

I LOVE YOU

2011-01-26T16:02:00.002-05:00

"I love you!" is a common expression. But what does it mean? People marry because they say that they love each other. Their love, however, is often like soda under pressure. A few days after the wedding, not only has the fizz gone out of their love, but the marriage is also stale. Too often their "love" was nothing more than fascination.

God's Word gives us a definition of what real love is. "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful."

Now let's see if we measure up to God's definition of love by substituting "I" for the word love. "I am patient and kind; I am not jealous or boastful; I am not arrogant or rude; I do not insist on my own way; I am not irritable or resentful."

This is the kind of love Christ Jesus has for us. For a good marriage, a husband and wife will build on Christ's love and mean it when they say to each other, "I love you."

Read: 1 Corinthians 13;

SPIRITUAL CHILD ABUSE

2011-01-12T15:00:00.002-05:00

Child abuse! Children are burned, beaten, and abandoned by their parents. Why does this happen? Because parents lose their self-control. Like every other sin, there is no excuse for it. Even though we understand how it can happen, it cannot be tolerated. God's Word says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4) It also says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." (Proverbs 13:24) Children are gifts of God to be loved and cared for. Train up a child in Jesus Christ and when he is old, he will not forget his Savior's love. When parents and children build their lives around Christ, then they will also grow in loving respect for each other. When we recognize our God-given responsibilities both as parents and children, and then also seek to do them, then happiness follows instead of child abuse and court cases, both of which mocks our saving God. The greatest child abuse is this: to deprive your child of God's love in Christ Jesus.

Read: Proverbs 22:6;

THE FUTURE

2011-01-05T10:53:00.002-05:00

The "Buck Rogers" comics of years ago gave a glimpse into the future. Who would have thought that yesterday's dreams of radio controlled cars, shuttle runs to planets, television, satellite communication, computers, and laser weapons would be current history?

Today we have the X-files, genetic engineering, virtual reality, new energies, new drugs, and medical treatments. We have access to information that is limited only by our imagination. Comics can't keep up with current technological advances.

What will the future be for us in the new year? Technological advances don't capture our attention as much as the "unknowns." Such as, in the new year, what will happen to my family? My spouse? My job? My health? My finances? Will our nation know political calm? Will terrorism and war destroy my security? These are the "unknowns."

Do not worry about what tomorrow will bring, but rather rejoice in the certainty of Christ's glorious return. Our future is not in this new year, but rather in Paradise with Jesus eternally.

Read: Matthew 6:19-34;

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-12-29T13:24:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! These are not wishes that we Christians take lightly. In fact, we give them a very special meaning. We speak them "in Christ." We have learned that any merriment without Christ is shallow, at best. And real joy and happiness can be found only "in Christ" because Christ came to give us real meaning and purpose for this life and eternal life with Him in heaven.

It is only as we embrace Christ's promises by faith that a year can be both new and happy. I pray that you will have a new and happy year. No doubt there will be mountains to climb in your life in 2011 and deep valleys to cross, perhaps even the valley of death, but in each and every hour Christ is willing to reveal Himself as your Brother and Lord for this life and your Savior for eternity.

Happy New Year!

A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU

2010-12-22T12:31:00.002-05:00

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." (Luke 2:8-14)

A very blessed Christmas to you all!

PEACE ON EARTH

2010-12-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

Mothers were screaming. Children were being ripped from their arms. They watched with paralyzing horror as soldiers threw their infants to the ground and ran their swords through their little bodies.

Why? When not so long ago angels were singing to the shepherds, "Peace on earth!" An evil Roman leader feared a newborn King of the Jews and ordered that all infant boy children in Bethlehem two and under be slaughtered.

But I thought Jesus came to bring peace to this earth, you might be thinking. No! As long as man's mind is twisted by sin, peace is replaced by war, violence, intimidation, and anxiety.

Why, then, did Jesus come? He came to create peace between God and man, to remove the barrier of sin that was between us. He did this by carrying all of our sins to the cross, suffering and dying for each and everyone of them.

That's why Jesus can say to you and me, "My peace I give you." May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

A Merry Christmas to you all in Christ Jesus!

Read: Matthew 10:34; John 14:27;

MARRIAGE, AN HOLY ESTATE

2010-12-08T12:47:00.002-05:00

Marriage is probably the most abused institution today. Instead of cherishing marriage and holding it in the highest regard, it is despised, mocked, and ridiculed at every level, so much so that every marriage is at risk at best.

God instituted marriage to be a haven of happiness, a harbor of security, and a source of strength apart from a cold, merciless world.

Marriage is to be respected for several reasons: First, God instituted marriage and regulates it; Second, God blesses marriage and often with the gift of children; Third, God offers companionship through marriage; Fourth, God instituted marriage so that we could avoid a sinfully immoral life. God wants each man to have his own wife, and He wants each woman to have her own husband.

We should not think of marriage merely as a legal convenience. Marriage is an holy estate, God blessed, the union of one man and one woman living together as husband and wife for a lifetime.

Love is what moved God to establish marriage. Love in Christ sustains it. What God has joined together, let man not separate.

Read: Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 7;

LOVE YOUR CHILDREN

2010-12-01T12:02:00.002-05:00

It's an ugly sight to see a child's face swollen from a beating, or the pain he or she must endure when breathing because ribs have been broken.

Listen to what it says in the Book of Psalms: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." (127:3) Parents will want to recognize that their children are gifts from God. It is a sheer tragedy when God's gifts are despised, when parents cruelly beat their children to satisfy their own anger, or neglect feeding them to support their drinking or drug habits, or deprive them of love and security to gratify their own selfish desires.

For parents who are insensitive to their God-given responsibilities, listen carefully: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:7)

Children are an heritage of the Lord! They need more than just bread and milk, meat and potatoes. They also need to be fed the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, and become secure in His love.

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-23T19:11:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving! None of us gives thanks as we should. Less people gather to worship on Thanksgiving than on an average Sunday. Our generation is greedy and does not like to give thanks to anyone, let alone God. We who are the most blessed of all tend to feel sorry for ourselves rather than to be filled with thanksgiving.

Let's not forget that we Americans still have more than most other nations or any other people in history. Best of all, we have God's holy Word. Count your blessings!

Let's use God's name not for cursing but for thanksgiving. Count those near and dear to you, and thank God for them. Consider WHO you are, and thank God. Know WHERE you are, and thank God. Don't forget WHY you are, and thank God. And then think WHAT YOU ARE! You are God's own child with the certain hope of everlasting life through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Always give thanks to the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Read: Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6; i Thessalonians 5:18;

NO TV PASTORS

2010-11-17T14:06:00.002-05:00

Robert Schuller, pastor emeritus of the Crystal Cathedral in L.A., made a very interesting observation some time ago. He said, "There are no TV pastors." Sad to say, too many have substituted the "electronic church" for membership in a Christian congregation and a personal pastor.

A bona-fide Christian pastor is one whom the Christian congregation has called to preach the Gospel in all of its truth and purity and to administer the Sacraments as God's Word teaches. They are to tend to the personal needs of their congregation, to admonish, to comfort, to direct, and to strengthen their flock with the whole counsel of God's Word. They will baptize, administer the Lord's Supper, bury those whom the Lord calls to their eternal rest in Christ, and to comfort the survivors with the certain hope of eternal life.

A "TV Pastor" can never be a real pastor. There's no substitute for the real thing.

Read: Ephesians 4:1-16;

THE PERSON WITHIN

2010-11-10T14:39:00.002-05:00

It is so easy to be deceived by appearances. The old saying is so true, "Never judge a book by its cover."

A young woman, very attractive, blessed with a beautiful body, apparently was not able to cope with all the attention she received. She said to her boyfriend, who obviously was quite taken by her beauty, "Don't you know that there is a person inside of this body?" She thought she had a problem.

A greater problem, it would seem, is having a body that is not attractive. Perhaps it is crippled with disease. Or the beauty has been worn away by age. People like that don't say it out loud, but cry silently within, "Don't you know that there is a person inside this body?"

Many of our parents and grandparents pray with the Psalmist, "Do not forsake me in the time of old age." Inside those wearied bodies burdened with age is a precious soul redeemed by the blood of Christ. Let us remember our parents and our grandparents and return to them the love they first gave us.

Read: Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 23:22; 1 Timothy 5:4;

SPECIAL, BUT NOT BETTER

2010-11-02T17:39:00.002-04:00

Christians are special people. I don't mean that they are any better than anyone else, because we are all sinners. But we also are all forgiven through the redemption earned by Christ Jesus, who died on a cross for the sins of all.

Christians are special people because they are confident of their forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Not everyone is a Christian, of course, but Christians are special because they have been chosen by God to know His love in Christ Jesus.

This makes them even more than special! This makes them the sons and daughters of the King of kings. They are royal blood. They make up a holy nation. They carry with them the credentials of their citizenship which is love and faith in Christ Jesus.

The apostle Peter writes this about Christians, "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people belonging to God; that you should declare the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light: who once were not a people, but now are the people of God."

Read: Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:9-10a;

VOTE ON TUESDAY

2010-10-27T16:26:00.002-04:00

Do you think your vote will be meaningless on Tuesday? I read some startling statistics. I want to share them with you. Remember, this could be your vote on Tuesday.

The article went like this: "Remember it was one vote that gave Oliver Cromwell control of England in 1656. It was one vote that gave America the English language instead of the German language in 1776. It was one vote that changed France from a monarchy into a republic in 1875. It was one vote that gave the Presidency of the United States to Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. And it was one vote that gave Adolf Hitler the leadership of the Nazi Party in Germany in 1923. Never underestimate the power of one vote or of one witness."

Remember that it is God who ordains the powers that be. In America God works through the people to govern our nation.

Our heritage, including the freedom of worship, is too great to take for granted. Vote on Tuesday to the glory of God.

Read: Romans 13; i Corinthians 10:31;

O R D E R

2010-10-20T19:37:00.002-04:00

God is a God of order. We set our watches on the basis of the earth's precise rotation. We navigate by the unchangeableness of the stars. The genetic make-up of the plants is so orderly that new strains can be engineered with unwavering predictability. And who can ever cease to be amazed at God's orderly creation of our whole person?!

Yes, God is a God of order. If we want to accomplish something ourselves, we must adopt this divine attribute of order.

Confusion is the devil's device to frustrate God's work. It is written, "Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." Our relationship with God is no exception.

In order to be certain of eternal life with God, confusion must give way to confidence, the guilt of sin must give way to God's forgiveness in Christ. Put order in your life. Christ Jesus is that order. Trust in Him.

Read: 1 Corinthians 14:40; John 3:36;

Happiness

2010-10-13T19:09:00.003-04:00

Where can we find happiness in our sad world? I remember seeing a cartoon which portrayed a little girl meditating with the caption, "Happiness begins within you."

If this were true, this world would be perpetual bliss. But it isn't true. Because in me, in you, in everyone, "is no good thing," as the Bible teaches. God didn't create the first humans sinful, but after they fell into sin, all following generations inherited their sinful nature.

If we look inside ourselves honestly, we will not find happiness. Instead, we will find evil thoughts, slander, sexual immortality, all of which leads to murder and adultery. This inborn sin cancels happiness and spawns sadness.

If we are to find true happiness, security, contentment, and hope, we need to move outside ourselves. But to what, to whom? Jesus says, "Come to Me." Only if Jesus rules in our hearts, can we find true happiness within.

Read: Matthew 11:28-30; Matthew 15:19; Romans 3:9-20;

Temptation

2010-10-05T14:53:00.000-04:00

Temptation, in and of itself is not a sin, but to give in to temptation is. Here is an interesting definition of temptation. Temptation is the product of a sinister packaging industry used by God's enemies, who are the devil, the unbelieving world, and our own sinful flesh. They produce the attractive inducement to lead you and me into sin.

If we really hated evil and wanted no part of sin, such temptations would have little effect upon us, but our thoughts are evil from young on.

Those who deny that the enemies of God exist or that they are ineffective, they, themselves are already the victims of them. God's enemies seek to lead us into unbelief, despair, shame, and other evils. May we learn to pray as Jesus taught us, "Lead us not into temptation!"

Read: Genesis 8:21; James 1:13-15;

The Devil is a Liar!

2010-09-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

The devil made me do it! Oh, really? Isn't that just a clever way to pass the responsibility on to someone else other than yourself? Do you remember Eve in the Garden of Eden? She tried to do the same thing after she had eaten of the forbidden fruit. She said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." It is true that Satan tempted her, but Eve, herself, did the sinning.

Satan will tempt you and me too. He even tempted the Son of God, Christ Jesus. Today Satan tempts us in a special way. He tempts us to raise questions about the validity and the inerrancy of God's Word. He did it to Eve in the Garden as well. He asked her, "Did God really say that you must not eat from any of the trees in the Garden?" By that very question, he introduced doubt.

Today there are a legion of devil advocates who question God's Word, His love, His justice, His power. Satan is indeed alive and well! We need to wake up and stay alert! Because that old serpent, called the devil, alias Satan, seeks to deceive the whole world.

Read Genesis 3; Matthew 4; 1 Peter 5:8;

Life Without Meaning

2010-09-22T14:51:00.000-04:00

When I was in grade school, the dearest thing to my heart was softball. Then in high school it was football. It followed quite naturally, lakes, beaches, and girls. There's a time for everything. But none of these heart-captivating joys were an end in themselves.

Eventually, I had to put away my childhood and begin to think and act as a God-fearing man and a God-loving man. So whether it be sports, girls, a career, or the whole scenario of life, nothing makes sense unless it is related to Jesus Christ.

To know Jesus Christ is to know that He loves me and all people, that He was sacrificed as the Lamb of God to redeem me and the whole world from sin, so that by trusting in Him alone salvation is mine.

The dearest thing to the heart of Jesus is the salvation of souls. If Jesus is my dearest possession, then His mission must be the dearest thing to my heart. To know Him is to love Him is to serve Him. Yes, without Jesus, life is quite meaningless.

If it Feels Good, Do it? Part 3

2010-08-22T16:52:00.000-04:00

We left Chris last week looking as if she had everything going for her Why was that? Well, because she wasn't tied down by any obligations to anyone. She was free, free to feel good and do what made her feel good. Her conscience didn't bother her anymore. She simply did what made her feel good. That is, until yesterday. Yesterday Chris got hit by a truck. She never imagined that anything like that would happen to her. It was a drunk driver who had been doing what made him feel good. He swerved into her lane and hit her head on. I wonder how Chris is feeling now. She's dead. Only she and God know where she is at. As God's Word puts it, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," that is, when you have been living only for what makes you feel good. Feelings can be so misleading. We can feel that we are doing right, but all the while be doing wrong. The only way to really know what is right and what is wrong is to check with God, and then confess the wrong, and cling to the forgiveness Christ has earned to cover all the wrong that we have done.

If it Feels Good, Do it? Part 2

2010-08-22T16:46:00.000-04:00

We left Chris last week serving her feelings and doing what made her feel good, without asking if it was right or wrong. In fact, she even refused to do anything that didn't make her feel good. For example, church wasn't any fun for her, so she stopped going. Reading was too much work, so she shelved her Bible. Visiting grandma at the nursing home was a bore, so she didn't go anymore. She hung around with her friends instead. She was so wrapped up in feeling good, that she ignored people who were feeling bad. She even used people to make her feel good, but she didn't love them. She was a mess, a spiritual, moral mess! But it didn't show. You would have never known it looking at Chris. When you saw her on the street, she looked like walking proof that "doing what feels good" is the only way to go! She looked happy. Other kids wished that they were having as much fun as Chris. It looked as if she had everything going for her.

But did she? Check your Redeemer Reflection next week and see if she really did.

If it Feels Good, Do it? Part 1

2010-07-15T09:49:00.000-04:00

If it feels good, do it! Go ahead! Come on! Try it, you'll like it! Chris was a girl who did and as a result will never be the same. Chris was surrounded by friends who had the idea that if it feels good, do it. Parents might say no, the law might say that it is illegal, and God's Word might say that it is not right, but that doesn't make any difference. Chris' friends didn't care. They figured that they knew better than their parents, the law, and God's Word. They promised Chris that it would feel good. They told her how much she would like it. They laughed at her because her conscience bothered her. They called her chicken for not doing it. So, finally, Chris did it! And you know what, it did feel good! In fact, it felt so good that she did it again and again. She did it so often and it felt so good that soon her conscience didn't bother her any more. It didn't matter to her any more if God approved of it or not. Her feelings became her god.

Read more next week about Chris and what she did.

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

2010-07-15T09:44:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Luke 10:1-12, 16-20

Sermon Theme: “Travel Light!”

Permit me to begin by taking a survey. How many of you have lived in the same house for at least ten years? How about twenty years? Thirty years? Forty years ? Fifty years? More than fifty years?

If you had to move from your house, what would you dread the most? Let me guess. You would dread moving all the stuff you have accumulated over the years, right? Don’t you ask yourself once in awhile, how have I accumulated so much stuff? Most of us have way too much stuff. But we always seem to need more.

You don’t have to move to be reminded of all the stuff you have. Going on vacation can do it too, if your suitcases are anything like ours. Or if you have a summer place, I can imagine hauling and lugging all of your stuff back and forth can get old real quickly.

Our much stuff is more than a moving problem, however. All of our stuff can make it difficult for us to focus on Jesus and what He has called us to do, namely, to share the good news of salvation with others. The more stuff we have, the more it demands our attention. The more attached we get to our stuff the more difficult it is to hear Jesus’ call to go and tell the wonderful Gospel message to others.

The solution would seem to be, don’t accumulate so much stuff. Travel more lightly. Jesus also seems to be saying that in our text for today as He sends out the 72. Jesus seems to be saying, Travel Light.

Let us focus on that thought this morning: “Travel Light!”

1. For our own spiritual welfare; 2. For the spiritual welfare of others.

Last Sunday you might recall we heard that being a follower of Jesus demands our full attention, our total commitment. We must give it our top priority. Being a follower of Jesus, then, is not easy.

As Jesus continued to make His way toward Jerusalem to suffer and die toward the end of His ministry, it became more and more painfully obvious that there were vast numbers of people who were outside the kingdom of God. At the same time, the workers to proclaim God’s message of salvation were few. Jesus compared the mission field with a harvest field. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” Jesus said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” He also said that we should continue to pray to God, the owner of the harvest, to provide more workers. That’s the first assignment Jesus gives to all of us. PRAY!

I know that I should pray more, especially for more workers to spread the kingdom of the Lord. I’m sure you will say the same thing. What gets in the way? Some of you might say, I’m so busy. I’ve got so many irons in the fire, I don’t know where to turn next. Others of you might say, it’s summer time, it’s time to sit back and relax and have a good time. Do you think there might be some priorities that need to be changed in our lives. Martin Luther once said, “I’m so busy I can’t afford not to pray several hours each day.”

Because the work of harvesting souls is such a big job, Jesus appointed more than just the 12 to do it. He appointed 72 others in addition to the 12 apostles to go two by two into the towns through which He later would pass. They were to bring the good news of God’s kingdom. Whether they were welcomed with open arms or not, they were to let the people know that the kingdom of God was near in the person of Jesus Christ. They were also to show God’s coming judgment against those who refused to hear God’s message of grace. They were to show it by wiping or shaking the dust off of their feet from that place.

Jesus didn’t tell the 72 that what they would be doing was going to be easy either. Don’t waste your time chit-chatting with the people as you go from town to town, Jesus told them. Don’t waste your time just casually talking about the weather or about the Tigers. Why not? Because what they were about to do was just too important and urgent.

Jesus also gave these interesting instructions. “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals.” In other words, travel light. Try to picture with me the typically dressed Jew in Palestine at the time of Jesus. He or she would have five articles of clothing: Two tunics, one was an inner garment, the other, an outer garment used as a cloak by day and as a blanket by night. Then there was also a girdle, a kind of waistband worn over the two tunics, and a head covering, and sandals. A wallet or a traveler’s bag was carried for food and money and slung over the shoulder. Jesus, however, told them to leave most of that behind. He said, travel light so that you can concentrate on what I want you to do, namely, to bring the good news of salvation which I will accomplish to these people.

There is a message here for you and me. We often get so bogged down with stuff, with burdens, with activities, that we become so preoccupied with all of this, if we are not careful, we can harm our own spiritual life. We see what the summer does to our worship attendance, the summer which is supposed to be a more carefree time. For some reason, worship is not given a very high priority during the summer. Worship has to compete with so many more things during the summer. And usually worship gets the short end of the stick.

If worship loses out, how much of a chance does Bible study have? We will have another Summer Bible Study in a week in a half. The last one maybe six or seven attended. I am always happy about those who come, but as Jesus asked when He healed the ten lepers, and only one returned to thank Him, where are the other nine? I, too, ask, where are all the other people who could attend and grow in their faith. That’s what happens when we study God’s Word together. We grow in our faith. Our spiritual life becomes stronger. And that’s a good thing.

We seem to live at a time when our lives have become so complicated. Everyone is running in different directions, always frantically busy, never stopping even to catch our breath. This kind of life will weaken our faith. How do we expect God to get a hold of us if we never stand still and find time for Him? Think about that for a moment.

If you are carrying around too much stuff, if you find yourself busy all the time, if you find that your life is just too complicated, I encourage you to follow Jesus’ advice and shed the excess and travel lighter so that you can follow Jesus again and fall in love again with your spiritual life.

Not only does the excess baggage that we carry around bog us down and harm our own spiritual life, it also harms the spiritual welfare of others, both your brothers and sisters in Christ and those who don’t yet know Jesus.

When we come here to worship and study the Bible together, it not only strengthens our own spiritual life, it also encourages our brothers and sisters in Christ. It follows then, if we are not here, especially for prolonged periods of time, it discourages them.

Jesus has called all of us to be missionaries, to share God’s message of grace with others all over the world. If we have accumulated too much stuff or if too much stuff is going on in our lives so that we do not hear our Lord’s voice and we fail to be His missionaries, we will want to unpack the things that weigh us down. We need to travel more lightly. We need to travel more lightly for our own spiritual welfare as well as the spiritual welfare of others.

May the Lord direct us as we seek to follow His call. AMEN.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-07-15T09:37:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Galatians 5:1-6

Sermon Theme: “Don’t Give Up Your Freedom In Christ!”

I think we Americans treasure our freedom more than anything else. For that reason, today is a very special day for us, July 4^th, Independence Day. “Let freedom ring,” we sing. And yet it wasn’t all that long before when not everyone in this country enjoyed the freedom we treasure so much. It wasn’t that long ago when people of color couldn’t eat in certain restaurants, couldn’t go to certain schools, and were told to give up their seats on the bus. Growing up in a small rural village in Wisconsin, I don’t think I even knew that people were being oppressed in this way.

As surprising as it might be to think that freedom was withheld in our country from certain people because of the color of their skin, it is even more surprising to read that after the Civil War after the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect which outlawed slavery, there still were many former slaves who went back to their former masters willing to put themselves back under the yoke of slavery. They had been told, “You are free. You are no longer slaves.” But they said, “I don’t want to be free. I want to be a slave again.”

You and I may scratch our heads at this. We ask, “How could anyone want to lose their freedom? How could anyone want to be a slave again?” But when you think about it, it really isn’t that hard to understand. That’s all these people knew. Going off on their own was just too scary for them.

So far we’ve been talking about earthly freedom. As important as earthly freedom is, there is another kind of freedom which far surpasses earthly freedom, and that is spiritual freedom, the freedom we have through our Savior, Jesus Christ. To be free from a guilty conscience is a far greater blessing than taxation with representation. Maybe I should have picked a better earthly blessing. But it wouldn’t have made any difference. Our spiritual freedom is far greater than our earthly freedom.

On this Independence Day, 2010, I want to talk to you about the freedom we have in Christ. It’s freedom we want to hold on to. It’s freedom we don’t want to give up. That’s why I say to you, don’t give up the freedom you have in Christ!

The Galatian Christians to whom St. Paul was writing were being pressured to give up the freedom they had in Christ. A Jewish group known as the Judaizers were doing the pressuring. We need to remember that these Galatian Christians were brand new Christians. Most of them had been converted from the Jewish faith. The Jewish faith consisted of following the Old Testament ceremonial laws which dealt with their diet, their dress, their social customs, their public life, their worship, almost everything.

This Jewish group, the Judaizers, told the Galatian Christians, “It’s ok to believe in Jesus, but that’s not enough. You need to continue to follow the Old Testament ceremonial laws. Your males need to continue to be circumcised. If you don’t, you can’t be saved and go to heaven.”

A number of Galatian Christians had already caved in to the pressure. They had put themselves under the Old Testament ceremonial laws again. That’s why earlier in this letter, Paul called them “foolish Galatians.” He told them, if anyone, even he himself or an angel from heaven were to tell them a different Gospel from the one he had originally brought to them, he said, let them be eternally condemned. What did he do then? He said it again! Paul was being so forceful about this, because if they gave up the freedom they had in Christ, they would be eternally condemned.

That’s true when it comes to you and me too. If we believe that we are saved by grace and works, we lose our freedom too. No matter what the work might be, no matter how insignificant it might be, we lose our freedom in Christ if we add anything to our salvation.

We are reminded in our text, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Whenever our salvation is put into our own hands, even the slightest bit, we become burdened with the question, have I done enough? Am I good enough? The focus shifts to us, and it goes off of Christ.

That’s why Paul goes to say, “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.” If these Galatians were to begin to view circumcision or any of the other ceremonial laws as necessary for salvation, they would be giving up Christ as their Savior. Everything He had done for them, His perfect life, His innocent suffering and death, His triumphant resurrection, all of that would be of no value to them.

Do we understand that too? Do we understand that if we look to ourselves in any way for our salvation, we, too, would be giving up Christ as our Savior. We would be giving up everything He did for us.

The apostle continues, “Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.” What Paul is saying is, if you think that circumcision is necessary for your salvation, then you are obligated to obey the whole law. Not just the circumcision part, but the whole law with all of its rules and regulations. You are obligated to keep it all. If you want to earn heaven that way, then you are going to have to obey it all perfectly, not one slip up, and not just with your actions, but with your thoughts and words too.

Finally, St. Paul says, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” In other words, Paul was saying, you are on your own. You’re going it alone. You have deprived yourself of God’s grace. You are no longer connected to God by faith and as a result you lose out on all of His gifts. On Judgment Day you will have to take your own chance with your own righteousness and see how it measures up to what God requires and demands. I think you know how that is going to come out, don’t you?

Do you see the burden you place on yourself when you look anywhere else for your salvation other than to Christ alone? I certainly do not want to face Judgment Day on my own taking my chances with my own righteousness. I know how my righteousness measures up to what God requires and demands. I know that my righteousness doesn’t even come close to what God demands and requires. Even on a good day, it doesn’t. I don’t want to say bad things about you, but your righteousness doesn’t measure up either. It doesn’t come close either. Therefore you don’t want to face Judgment Day on your own taking your chances either. You don’t want to be on “The Merit Plan” for salvation. I don’t either. You and I know where we would land up then.

It is by faith in Jesus that we eagerly await Judgment Day. Because we know that the faith we have received from the Holy Spirit to believe in Jesus has also given us the righteousness we need to be accepted by God. It is the righteousness of Christ which is ours by faith in Him that makes us acceptable before God, that makes us fit for heaven.

We don’t do anything to merit or earn any of God’s blessings. Our Savior, Jesus, merited and earned them all for us. They become ours by faith in Him, faith given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.

This message of God’s grace through faith in Jesus is a message we want to share with the world.

May we continue to stand firm in this freedom we have in Christ and with the help of God never give it up. AMEN.

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

2010-06-29T13:12:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Genesis 13:8-9

Sermon Theme: “Be Generous!”

Introduction:

We would have to say that Abraham was a very generous man. You might recall that the Lord had told Abraham to leave his homeland and go to a land that He would direct him. Abraham willingly obeyed, and the Lord led him to the land of Canaan. God repeatedly reassured him that this land would someday be his and his descendants. For the time being, Abraham could live in it and use it for the grazing of his flocks and herds, and use the streams of water. Through this land the Lord blessed Abraham and made him very rich.

Traveling with Abraham was his nephew, Lot, who shared in the blessings that the Lord was heaping upon Abraham, so much so, that Lot, too, was becoming a rich and prosperous man.

As happens often when two families try to live under the same roof, and in this case, where the cattle and flocks of the two families had to graze in the same fields, trouble arose. The trouble was not between Abraham and Lot, but rather between their hired help. There wasn’t enough grazing land and water for the large flocks of both families. If nothing had been done about this situation, human nature being what it is, undoubtedly, trouble would have also arisen between Abraham and Lot.

Abraham, however, seemed to be the kind of a person who wouldn’t allow something like this to fester. He immediately did something about it. He didn’t do what we might expect him to do however. If you or I would have been Abraham, we probably would have told Lot where to go. For after all, the land was Abraham’s. God had given it to him. Abraham certainly had the right to tell his nephew Lot, “Look, the land isn’t big enough for the both of us. God gave me this land. Therefore you will have to move on. We still can be friends, but you’re going to have to find some other land in order to take care of your cattle and sheep.” Abraham, however, didn’t say anything like that. Instead, he gave Lot first choice. Abraham told him, “Go ahead, make your choice. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. If you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Abraham couldn’t have been any more generous than that.

If we are serious in trying to keep the full meaning and importance of the Seventh Commandment, then we, too, will want to BE GENEROUS!

The Seventh Commandment says, “You shall not steal.” Its meaning is, “We should fear and love God that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property, or get it by dishonest dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and means of income.”

If we are generous, we will not take from our neighbor what rightfully belongs to him.

When it comes to earthly wealth and property, all of us need to remember that we don’t own anything. Every good and perfect gift comes from God above. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” God is the one who gives each of us a certain amount of earthly wealth and possessions. First, He does it by giving us a mind, a will, ambition, and health to obtain these things. He makes us His managers, His stewards. Therefore we will want to manage wisely and carefully whatever earthly goods He chooses to place into our hands.

We know just by looking around us as well as from the Scriptures that God does not divide earthly wealth equally. To some He gives more, to others He gives less. Since everything belongs to Him, He has the right to do this. God doesn’t owe us anything. Therefore whatever He chooses to give us, is up to Him. Whatever He gives us is because of His grace and mercy. He does, however, tell us that those He gives more, He expects more from them.

Whatever God gives to our neighbor, He wants us to respect it as something that belongs to our neighbor. We are not to take it away from him by force or fraud or deception. If we are generous, we will not take from our neighbor what rightfully belongs to him. Rather we will be happy for our neighbor and help him to keep what God has given him.

If we are generous, we will not want to withhold what rightfully belongs to God.

God has made it clear to us that some of the earthly wealth and possessions He gives to us is to be returned to Him. Some of it is to be used for the work of His Church. Through the apostle Paul, He has said, “On the first day of the week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.” He even told the Children of Israel, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me, --- in tithes and offerings --- you are robbing Me.”

We need to ask ourselves, “Am I stealing from God? Is there money that I have that rightfully belongs to Him, money that I should be returning to Him, but I haven’t. Instead, I have been keeping it for myself. Do I have any money like that?”

If we are generous, we will not be keeping money that rightfully belongs to God. We will give to God what He asks us to return to Him.

The great barrier to being generous is selfishness.

But we become so concerned about ourselves. We get all wrapped up in ourselves and we don’t want to be bothered about the welfare of others.

We all have the spirit of “get” within us. All of us, to one degree or another, are like Lot. When Abraham gave him the opportunity to choose the land he wanted, he was interested in only one thing, and that was what was best for him. And so he picked the best for himself. He knew that the valleys of the Jordan were green and fresh, excellent pasture lands for his herds, while the land away from the river was more dry and unproductive. Here was his chance to take advantage of his uncle’s generosity. Here was his chance to enrich himself, to get wealth, and get it fast and easy.

That’s the attitude that motivates many today. If you can advance yourself at the expense of somebody else’s generosity, go ahead and do it. Your gain is their loss. Some will even gloat and brag about it, that they pulled the wool over someone. This attitude keeps many from being generous and ready to help.

Another thing that keeps people from being generous is the fear of losing out. We see what Lot did to Abraham and we say to ourselves, “That’s not going to happen to me! I’m not going to be as foolish as Abraham was and let someone take advantage of me like Lot did.” But was Abraham the loser here? Was his generosity as foolish as it might first appear? No. Actually Lot turned out to be the loser. Lot took the good pasture land, that’s true, but where was it located? Near the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. You know what happened to Lot and his family, don’t you? If it wouldn’t have been for Abraham coming to his rescue, Lot would have lost everything he had. Abraham’s wealth didn’t decrease either with the blessing of the Lord. It continued to increase. Abraham’s generosity didn’t cost him anything, instead it brought him a whole lot more.

It can work the same way for us. Just because we are generous with our neighbor and with God, that doesn’t mean that we are going to be losers because of it. No, God can bless us so much more and often does. When it comes to giving to Him, this is what God tells us, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this, ‘says the Lord Almighty,’ and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” When it comes to giving to our neighbor, He says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.” That doesn’t sound to me as if we will lose out because we are generous. We will never be able to get ahead of our Lord when it comes to being generous. The more we give, the more He gives us.

It takes faith to see things like this.

Our sinful human reason, however, tells us just the opposite. It tells us that the more we give to God and to our neighbor, the less we will have for ourselves. That’s good math, good logic, and it’s human nature. But it’s poor faith! Faith takes God at His Word. Faith believes God when He says that He will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings we will not have room enough for them.

Abraham had that kind of faith. He took God at His Word. Above all, He had faith in God’s wonderful covenant with him. Abraham loved the land the Lord had led him to, but not so much for the earthly riches it gave him, but rather for the spiritual riches it provided. This was the land where the Messiah, his Savior from sin would come. Life was more than grass and water and sheep and property to Abraham. The more important things were the spiritual blessings he was enjoying, like the forgiveness of sins and salvation through the Messiah who would be born in this land.

If we all could have a faith like Abraham! May we take God at His Word and remember that there are far greater things in life than earthly wealth and possessions, that the greater blessings are spiritual ones, like forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus, the Messiah. If we have that kind of an attitude, we can be just as generous as Abraham was. We can be generous with our neighbor and with our God.

AMEN.

The Rat Race of Life - Part 2

2010-06-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the man I mentioned last week, the one who rejected the rat race because he didn't want to become the number one rat. I said he was lucky, because apparently he had found something that gave him satisfaction that money cannot buy. No, he didn't quit his job or sail away to the South Seas. So what was his secret? All of us who have the same needs he had would like to know. I think the answer is very simple. And that is we have to have a meaning and a purpose for existing. Something or someone larger than ourselves, that lifts us out of bed in the morning and carries us through the day and that doesn't abandon us in the middle of the night like an evaporating dream. I know of only one reliable unfailing source for that kind of motivation and positive power. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ can stop the merry-go-round. He can fill in the rut. He can call off the rat race.

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost - June 20, 2010

2010-06-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Luke 9:18-24

Sermon Theme: “Are You Giving A Clear Confession?”

Introduction:

I still remember when an old neighbor of ours from down the block here below the church put me on the spot. She said that an old friend of hers who is Lutheran told her that our church only permitted members to receive Communion. “Is that true,” she asked me. She went on to say, “What if I came up to your altar to receive the Sacrament, what would you do? Would you give it to me?” If I remember correctly, she was an Episcopalian. I told her, “No, I wouldn’t, because only those who share a common faith with us are to take the Sacrament at our altar.” As you might expect, she thought that was just awful. I also told her that the Lord’s Supper also can harm a person spiritually if that person is not properly prepared to receive it. I could tell, though, that what I was telling her was not at all what she wanted to hear.

More importantly, however, is, did I give a clear confession? Yes, I did. As I think back on it, I wish I would have said a few other things, maybe skipped some other things, but that’s normal. When you have time to think about it, you usually are able to say it in a better way. But no matter what I said, I don’t think she would have been satisfied.

More recently, one of our members asked me why he couldn’t take Communion in another Lutheran Church. I told him that Salem wouldn’t be a problem because they share the same confession of faith with us, but Trinity on Stadium or Zion on Liberty or St. Paul’s on Liberty is another thing, because they do not share the same confession of faith as we do. That’s why we’re not in fellowship with them. We, then, would not be giving or making a clear confession of what we believe and teach if we were to take Communion at their altars.

This morning we hear Jesus asking us to give a clear confession about Him. Who do you say Jesus is? What kind of a confession about Jesus are you giving, both in your words and in your actions? Are you giving a clear confession?

In our words concerning His person and work

The disciples had just come back from their first missionary experience on their own. This also was the time when many of Jesus’ followers were giving up on Jesus and no longer following Him. This might explain why Jesus asked His disciples at this time to make a confession about Him.

Jesus and His disciples were alone together praying. It was at this time Jesus asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” What have you been hearing others say about Me? Had they been hearing other people’s opinions about Jesus? They sure had. And they were willing to share them with Jesus. “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” Jesus didn’t say anything about these opinions that people had about Him. He didn’t discuss them any further. But you’d have to say that it certainly revealed the people’s lack of knowledge and understanding about who Jesus was. It also showed that it was possible to have a very high opinion of Jesus and yet fail to have a correct understanding of who He was and what He had come to do. That was true back then, and it is also certainly true today.

“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Jesus wanted to hear their confession from their own lips.

Can you guess who answered first? I’m sure you can. It was Peter, as usual. He confessed, “You are the Christ of God.” The Christ means the Messiah, the Anointed One. It’s the title Jesus received from His Father when God anointed Him at His Baptism. Even though most of the people refused to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, there was no doubt in Peter’s mind. That’s why he answered so quickly and so clearly. So did the rest of the disciples. He was their spokesman. Even though the word Christ had been recorded in the Gospels before this and had been connected to Jesus, this was the first time that human lips had expressed it.

As soon as Peter made this clear confession about who Jesus was, namely, “the Christ of God,” Jesus talked about His mission in very plain and unmistakable words. The two go together, His person, who He is, and His mission, His work of redeeming the world. This was also the first time He spoke about it in such a direct way. Jesus wanted to get rid of the false idea and hope that the Messiah’s work was to establish an earthly political kingdom. That’s why Jesus often warned the disciples not to tell the people that He was the Messiah. If they didn’t know what His true mission was, it wouldn’t help them to know that He was the Messiah either.

What kind of a confession are you giving about who Jesus is and His mission? The first thing you need to come to grips with is that it does make a difference who Jesus is and what He did to save you as well as the rest of the world. Once that is established, then I need to ask you, what kind of a confession are you making about Jesus, who He is, what He has done for you, and what He is still doing for you? Do the people who know you know that you confess Jesus to be fully God, equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit in every way? Do they know that you confess Jesus to be your one and only Savior from sin, death, and hell? Do they know that you confess that it is only through Jesus that anyone can have eternal life in heaven? How clear is your confession about Jesus, who He is and what He has done for you?

Jesus not only expects a clear confession coming from your mouths in the form of words, He also expects a clear confession coming from the rest of your body as well in the form of your actions.

In our actions as you live for Him and not for yourselves

Being a Christian does involve sacrifice on your part. Jesus reminds us of the kind of sacrifice you need to be willing to make. If you want to be a follower of Mine, Jesus said, you must be willing to deny yourself. That means we must be willing to deny our natural, sinful self, that evil nature within us which is dead in sin, who follows Satan, and which is under the wrath of God. This old self is a slave to sin and therefore must be crucified. You just can’t let your old sinful self rule over you. You can’t and still be a follower of Jesus and make a clear confession about Him.

Jesus also said that a follower of His must “take up his cross.” Jesus, of course, died on a cross. That’s how the Romans put criminals to death. To take up your cross means to be willing to suffer. All suffering, however, is not carrying a cross. When the wicked suffer, they are not carrying a cross. What Jesus meant here is all suffering that is done for His sake as one of His disciples. For example, denying yourself some sinful pleasure because you are a follower of Jesus is not carrying a cross. Being laughed and ridiculed because you are a serious follower of Jesus, that’s carrying a cross. If you were persecuted because you are a Christian, that would be carrying a cross. You don’t have to go looking for these crosses to carry, no, they will just happen to you as a part of your Christian life. So when they come to you, don’t be surprised.

Jesus finished up this thought by saying, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.” That might sound a little confusing or even contradictory to you if you don’t put all of Jesus’ words together here. What Jesus is saying here is this, anyone who wants to save his life by not denying himself and by not taking up his cross, that person will lose it. However, whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Because as you and I know, not even death can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

What Jesus is talking about here is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. Because living these words of Jesus is what separates your so-called Sunday morning Christians with your 24 / 7 Christians, your 24 hours, 7 days a week Christians, living for Christ, living as a Christian, all the time, wherever you are. If it makes a difference to you who Jesus is and what He has done for you, then confessing your faith in this Savior is going to have a special significance for you in your entire life.

That’s why living as a Christian all the time is also a confession on your part, both in word and in action, in church on Sunday morning, in the fitness center on Monday night, at Kroger’s on Thursday night, at the Pizza House on Friday night, or the Washtenaw Dairy on Saturday afternoon. I think you get the point, right?

If it makes a difference to you who Jesus is and what He did for you, then you will also want to make a clear confession about Him in your words and in your actions, 24 / 7.

AMEN.

The Rat Race of Life

2010-06-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

Someone once told me that he gave up the rat race when he realized that even if he won, it would only make him the number one rat. That person was lucky. Let me tell you why. One evening when Thomas Edison came home from work, his wife said to him, "You've worked long enough without a rest, you must take a vacation." "But where would I go," asked Edison. "Just decide where you'd rather be than anywhere else on earth," his wife replied. He hesitated for a few moments and then finally said, "Very well, then, I will leave tomorrow." The next morning he was back to work. It's a great feeling to love life and enjoy what we are doing. Thomas Edison was one of a rare breed of people who never seemed to feel trapped by their environment or stifled in their endeavors. I don't know about you, my friend, but I haven't been as fortunate as Mr. Edison. Life has been a merry-go-round and a deep rut for me more than once. I'd wake up in the morning and dread the thought of getting out of bed. I'd go through the day and despise every minute of it. I'd come home at night feeling frustrated and ugly because I didn't think I had done anything worthwhile.

Have you ever felt that way? Come back next week and hear more about this.

Third Sunday After Pentecost

2010-06-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Luke 7:11-17

Sermon Theme: “Don’t Cry!”

Introduction:

Do you cry rather easily? It doesn’t take much for me to cry. I guess I take after my Mom. She cried rather easily too. On the other hand, I don’t think I ever saw my Dad cry. I’m sure it’s pretty much the same in all of your families. Some in your family cry rather easily, others don’t.

Even Jesus cried when His friend, Lazarus, died. Jesus cried even though He raised him back to life only a short time later. So Jesus teaches us that there is a time to cry, even as wise old King Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

But what about weeping bitterly and uncontrollably? That’s what Jesus encountered in our text for today. How did Jesus respond to this? First of all, Jesus’ heart went out to the woman who was weeping bitterly and uncontrollably, and then He said to her, “Don’t Cry!” Let’s examine these words of Jesus this morning.

1) Who spoke these words?

A day or so after Jesus had healed the servant of this Roman captain in Capernaum, He, His disciples, and a large crowd traveled about 25 miles south to a beautiful little town called Nain. It was located on the slope of a mountain looking out toward a valley. It must have been a gorgeous little place. Nain, by the way, was also just a few miles southwest of Nazareth, the town where Jesus had lived with Mary and Joseph.

Picture this now. We have one procession with Jesus, His disciples, and a large crowd heading for the entrance of the town, and we have another procession, a funeral procession, leaving the entrance of the town. The one to be buried was the only son of his widowed mother.

A very important event was about to take place. Two processions were about to meet at the entrance of the town. Was this taking place by accident, these two processions meeting at this place and at this time? No, Jesus had arranged this, He knew that this meeting would take place just this way.

When Jesus told the mother, “Don’t cry!” we need to realize who is speaking these words. This was the Lord, as Luke would call Him later. This was the Lord who had the authority to forgive sins. This was the Lord who was the Lord of the Sabbath. This was the Lord who was the Lord even of death itself as we again shall see.

Now you and I may also say to someone, “Don’t cry!” But that certainly is not the same as when Jesus said it. You might ask, when has Jesus ever said these words to you or me? Jesus says these words to us through His Word and through our fellow Christians. When we are hurting, Jesus says to us through His Word, “Don’t cry!” There is so much in His Word that is so comforting and so consoling, but if we don’t take the time to read and study His Word, we’re not going to hear these words from Him. We can’t comfort or console others either when they are hurting if we don’t know where to go to find these comforting and consoling words of Jesus to share with others.

2) When did Jesus speak these words?

The two processions met. Just by way of explanation, burials took place outside of town. In fact, graves have been found in recent archeological digs southeast of Nain. The body of the dead young man was being carried on what would look like a stretcher. It was an open coffin. Following the coffin was the widowed mother and people from the town who were trying to give her support at this time of her great need. She was weeping bitterly and uncontrollably. Without Jesus she really didn’t have any comfort as she faced the death of her son, her only son. Nothing could take away her grief. Not the beautiful place where she lived, not the pleasant memories that she had of her son, not the words of support and sympathy from her friends and neighbors, no, nothing could. She had not only lost her son, she also had lost her only means of support. She was in a very helpless and hopeless situation.

As soon as Jesus saw her in this helpless and hopeless situation, Luke wrote, “His heart went out to her.” Jesus was moved by feelings of deep sympathy. The word that Luke used here indicated that His whole inner being went out to this widow. He was moved with deep compassion towards her.

You and I also know the power and sting of death. We know that it will strike our loved ones and us sooner or later. We also know that nothing in this world can take away the grief which accompanies death, not all the riches and pleasures of this world, not all the fond memories of the one who died, not the sympathetic and supporting words of our friends. These are the ways that the unbelieving people of this world try to cope with death. But these ways just do not work. Knowing Jesus Christ and believing and trusting in Him is the only way to deal with death. Knowing that His heart goes out to us, knowing that He has compassion for us, knowing that He comforts and consoles us as we deal with our loved ones’ deaths as well as our own, this is how we deal with death.

3) How did Jesus mean these words?

When Jesus told the woman, “Don’t cry!” or “Stop crying!,” how did Jesus mean these words? Was Jesus scolding her for crying? Did Jesus speak these words in a harsh tone? No, not at all! Jesus spoke these words very sympathetically. “Dry your tears,” is how some contemporary translations put it. Dry your tears, because I am about to remove the reason for your crying. Jesus’ words were followed by quick, dramatic, and decisive action.

4) Why can Jesus speak that way?

Immediately after Jesus told the widowed mother not to cry, He went up to the coffin and touched it. As soon as Jesus did that, the pallbearers stopped. Jesus’ control of the situation and His authority was so evident that no one asked Him, “Hey, what are You doing?” After He touched the coffin, Jesus addressed the dead young man as if he were just asleep. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The people watching must have been scratching their heads thinking to themselves, ‘What are You doing, Jesus? Remember, You are speaking to a corpse!’

What happened after Jesus told the young man to get up? He immediately sat up and began to talk. I wonder what he said. We don’t know because we’re not told. What did Jesus do then? Jesus, the Lord of life and death, gave the young man back to his mother. As you can imagine, everyone who witnessed this miracle was filled with awe and praised God.

We, too, can say what Jesus said, “Don’t cry!” We also can speak comforting and consoling words from Scripture to people who need to hear it. But we can’t reinforce our words as Jesus did here. After Jesus told the grieving mother not to cry, through the almighty power of His Word, Jesus brought her son back to life. You don’t have to cry anymore, because I’m going to give your son back to you. Only Jesus can do that. Only He can do that, because He is God.

There are times when it is good for us to cry. I think it’s good for our bodies and for our souls. Big boys and big girls do cry!

But we don’t need to cry as those who have no hope, as those who are helpless. We don’t need to, because we have Someone who cares, Someone who showed that He cared, Someone who conquered death for us and took away the fear of death. That Someone, of course, is our Lord Jesus, who also tells us not to cry when we have to deal with death, the death of our loved ones as well as our own. AMEN.

Pernicious Guilt

2010-06-03T23:13:00.000-04:00

A little girl was diagnosed with pernicious leukemia which meant that it was fatal. In less than a year, she died. Pernicious guilt is more deadly than any physical disease. The woman who aborted her child, the addict, the adulterer, the alcoholic, the betrayer, the divorcee, the thief, yes, every sinner, every transgressor, who tries to live up to God's law to win His favor suffers from pernicious guilt, a disease more deadly than pernicious leukemia. But what can be more fatal than death? Being judged to eternal misery without hope!

Forgiveness is free. However, if we labor under the assumption that we first must be accredited by living up to God's standard, we are denying Jesus' atoning sacrifice. We are not judged on our behavior, but on our faith in Jesus who carried the guilt of our sins to the cross. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we have been cleansed from all our sins. "Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven."

Matthew 9:2; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 John 2:2;

A Psalm of Summer

2010-05-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

Now it came to pass that Spring turned to Summer again.

God's people raised their voices and said:
"Recreation is my shepherd, I shall not stay at home;
He maketh me to lie down in a sleeping bag;
He leadeth me down the interstate each weekend.
He restoreth my suntan;
He leadeth me to state parks for comfort's sake.
Even though I stray on the Lord's Day, I will fear no reprimand,
for thou art with me, my rod and reel they comfort me.
I anointest my skin with oil, my gas tank runneth dry;
Surely my trailer shall follow me all the weekends this summer,
and I shall return to the House of the Lord this Fall.
But then it is hunting season and that's another Psalm."

+ The Day of Pentecost +

2010-05-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: John 15:26-27; 16:5-11

Sermon Theme: “We Have What It Takes Because Of The Holy Spirit!”

Do I have what it takes? All of us ask that question in one way or another every day. Do I have what it takes to pass the test, to finish the course, to do the job, to convince someone of my position, to get the hit to win the game. The list can go on and on. Life is a series of situations that keep on making us wonder, “Do I have what it takes to do this?” That can wear us down at times.

It’s not any easier being a Christian either. We live at a time when the worldview is so opposed to our Christian view. One of the worldviews that has been pounded into us through our educational system for years is that all truth is relative, and therefore you can’t know anything for sure. For that reason, people today, more than at any other time in history think that their opinion is just as good as anyone else’s. So when you say, “This is what God says in His Word,” they will say, “Well, that’s your opinion. My opinion is this, and it is just as good as yours.” Another worldview that we have to battle against is scientism. People who subscribe to scientism prefer the rationalistic, humanistic approach to life. They are the people who think that the idea of God is for small children and the feeble-minded. If you are a healthy well adjusted person, they say, you don’t need God. You can solve your own problems and get your own answers to the questions that face you. With hearts being transplanted almost as fast as geraniums, with men and women in outer space, with cancer almost conquered, with science making more progress today than at any other time in history, it’s not hard to understand why some people feel that their god is science and their great high priest is the computer.

And so we tremble a little bit as we look around and see a world that considers our views about God to be everything from quaint to strange. It’s not hard to understand why we might wonder if we really have what it takes and if it makes any sense at all to tell other people what we believe.

And so you will see some Christians who will go at it tooth and nail with the sheer force of personality and militant zeal like knights charging into battle. Some of them are very successful. They will get from their victims decisions of various kinds. You will often hear them say that they are praising the Lord because they have now converted their 89th or 122nd person to the Lord. Then you have those who are discouraged which might be the more common attitude. Those who are seemingly successful don’t help matters any either for the discouraged. They have decided that they don’t have what it takes. They can’t talk very well or very cleverly. At just the crucial moment they forget the Bible verses they’ve learned. If the truth be told, they are just afraid to bring up the subject of Christ and religion to their unchurched friends, neighbors, and relatives.
Both these attitudes, however, the attitude of zealous pride and the attitude of discouragement completely miss the mark. They both fail to take into account the Lord’s promise in our text. Whenever anyone tells someone about Jesus, they never witness alone.

It must have been puzzling to the disciples to keep hearing Jesus say to them that it would be better for them if He would go away. It didn’t seem to add up. He had told them that they needed to remain in Him. But now it would be better if He left them. Why? Because in His humility as a man, even though He was also God, He was limited. He could only be in one place at one time, for example. But His Gospel was not to be limited to a comfortable clique of Galilean fishermen. No, that Gospel was meant for the world. That’s why Jesus was telling them that Jesus, the Man, would have to leave them. But He would send them the Holy Spirit, who would help them take that Gospel to the world.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit a Paraclete in the Greek which we translate Counselor or Comforter. It simply means One who stands beside. He can stand beside us drying our tears, comforting when we need it and counseling us, pointing certain things out to us, convincing us of certain truths.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Convincing the world of sin is such a crucial one. It is because unless a person realizes that he is a sinner, he will not sense a need for the Savior. If he doesn’t know that he is guilty, he won’t feel the need for a pardon. Unless he realizes that he is lost, he will not be interested in being found. This is what the Holy Spirit does. We don’t. We don’t have to convince anyone of anything. We just speak the words. The Holy Spirit will do the convincing. Once we get this through our heads, it takes the pressure off of us. We don’t convert anyone. The Holy Spirit does. We are merely His instruments.

Can you think of some situations where the pressure was off of you and on someone else? Let’s see. You’re driving with a friend and he is stopped for speeding. There’s no pressure on you. You can sit there and listen to the officer lecture to your friend and hopefully only receive a warning instead of a ticket. But suppose you switched places with your friend before the officer came up to the car because your friend didn’t have a driver’s license and you did. Would there be pressure on you then? Yeah, there would. Your stomach would most likely feel like a butterfly convention, right? There are many examples like that. Athletes know what it is like to have the outcome of the game in their hands as they step to the free throw line, or step up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, or get ready to kick that all important field goal to win the game with a second remaining on the clock. Although many of them may not be willing to admit it, they are glad when these plays have to be made by a teammate and not by themselves.

The point is, the job of converting someone, of actually changing his mind and heart is not ours. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. When we let the Holy Spirit do His work, we can relax and feel more at ease.

The Holy Spirit is our source of power. He is our power supply. The Holy Spirit not only does the work of convincing the world of sin, and of God’s righteousness and of judgment, He also guides us into all truth. So don’t cut off or dim the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Because if we do, we will become spiritually weak and we will not have what it takes.

On this Day of Pentecost, the day we honor the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, let’s remember that we Christians have what it takes but only because of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

New Life - May 17, 2010

2010-05-26T08:36:00.000-04:00

Viagra, the impotence remedy, promises a new life. Ponce de Leon searched for his viagra, the Fountain of Youth. For a better and longer life, our cabinets spill over with herbs, minerals, and vitamins. But in the end, our bodies succumb to the effects of sin, which is death.

God's divine wisdom has introduced a means to a new life able to reform us both within and without. God's new life gift has no downside effects, only positive, soul uplifting, confidence-giving benefits. And God's gift is free!

Often those who already have God's new life gift ignore the benefits. While those who don't have it, can't understand why peace is so elusive. The fact is that all the food supplements in the world cannot remove the decaying infection of sin.

Jesus instituted Baptism to give us new life. This simple washing with water by the Word is the life-changing, soul-generating power of God. Baptism is God's gift to us. Treasure it!

Ephesians 5:26

The Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 16, 2010

2010-05-26T08:19:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: John 17:11b-19
Sermon Theme: “Your High Priest Is Praying For You!”

INTRODUCTION:

If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, what would you pray for? If you knew that God would answer your prayer, no matter what it was, wouldn’t you pray for your life to be spared? You would pray for your life, wouldn’t you? It most likely would be the most heartfelt, the most sincere prayer you ever prayed in your entire life!

On the night before His suffering and death, Jesus knew that He was going to die the next day. And yet in the Upper Room on the night before His death we hear Jesus pray not for Himself, but for His followers, for you and for me. Later in the Garden, He would pray for Himself. But here in our text we hear Jesus praying for His Church. What did He pray? He prayed for our protection from evil and He prayed for our sanctification.

Jesus’ prayer takes up all of chapter 17 of John’s Gospel. It is known as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. It’s called that because Jesus was functioning as our High Priest when He prayed this prayer. He was setting Himself apart for us in order to serve us. That’s what a High Priest was suppose to do. He did things on behalf of others. In this case, here in our text, Jesus, our High Priest, was praying for us.

We will focus on the second part of His High Priestly Prayer this morning. We will center our thoughts using as our theme:

“Jesus, Our High Priest Is Praying For Us!”

1.That His Word will Protect us

In the second part of His prayer, Jesus is praying for His disciples as He prepares to leave them. Even though Jesus was praying this prayer on the night before His suffering and death on the cross, He was able to look ahead to the time when He would ascend back into heaven. His disciples, of course, would remain in the world even though they were not of this world. That’s also true of you and me and all Christians. We live in this world, but we are not of this world. Like our Lord, we are different from this world. Our values and our priorities are different. Also the new nature which has been created within us by God’s grace, has put up a wall between us and the world. That’s why the world despises us and hates us.

Jesus prayed that His disciples would be protected from the evil forces of the world as well as the devil. What could protect them from this? The same thing which was protecting them and keeping them safe while He was there with them. What was that? The power of God’s name. Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name – the name You gave Me.” Then Jesus said, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name You gave Me.”

What is meant by the power of God’s name? Let’s start with God’s name. What is God’s name? God’s name stands for everything we know about Him, everything that God has revealed to us about Himself in His Word. So that means that every time we hear about God in His Word, every time we are reminded of what He did for us, we receive power, we are strengthened. That’s what protects us from evil. That’s what protected the disciples from evil and the hatred of the world.

Jesus, our High Priest, was praying that the disciples would continue to remember the words He had spoken to them while He was with them. This alone would protect them from the evil of the devil and the hatred of the world. Jesus used the example of Judas as a warning to them. Judas at this very time was carrying out the plans to have Jesus arrested. I don’t believe that the disciples understood what Jesus was saying at the time, but they would later. While what happened to Judas happened “that the Scriptures would be fulfilled,” his sin and damnation was his own fault.

Do we appreciate this prayer of protection our High Priest, Jesus, prayed for us? We do, if we are aware of how hard the devil works to try to make us fall. We do, if we are aware of how much the world hates us. What concerns me, though, is that I don’t think we are alert enough to the devil and what he is trying to do to us. The devil will do everything to try to make us lose our faith. He will promise us the world, that is as much fun, success, and pleasure there is, or he will try to confuse us, cause us to doubt, make us suffer, whatever he can do to try to make us lose our faith. I think we also often try to make friends with the world and try to be like the world so that the world doesn’t hate us and in the process our faith is weakened to such an extent that it won’t take that much for it to be lost entirely.

There is no question about it, we need protection from the evil of the devil and the world. God provides that protection to us through the power of His Word, the power which created faith in Jesus in our hearts and which continues to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Let’s continue to make regular use of God’s powerful Word for our protection as well as for the protection of others.

Perhaps you have wondered, once we became believers in Jesus Christ, why didn’t God just take us out of this world to heaven right away? Then we wouldn’t have to fight and struggle against the devil and the world, right? God didn’t do that, because we have a “Great Commission” to fulfill. We have a race to run before we are called home.

2.That His Word will Lead us into Service

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth.” What was Jesus, our High Priest, asking His Father to do? What did He mean when He said, “Sanctify them”? He meant, set them apart, consecrate them, keep them separate as they do the work I give them to do. How were they to accomplish the work God gave them? By using the Word, the Word of truth. The Word is everything. It protects us as we make our journey through this world. It is also what we use as we serve God and our fellowman.

When Jesus said, “Your Word is truth,” He wasn’t just saying that it was true. No, the Word is the truth, it equals truth. The Bible is not just true, it is truth, it is the ultimate standard for our faith and life.

Jesus had received a “Great Commission” from His Father which He was about to complete. He was now about to give a “Great Commission” to the small group of men He had been with for the past three years. He was about to send them out to proclaim the message of truth, the story of God’s amazing grace, namely that Christ Jesus had come to save a world that would hate them for it. And yet God’s grace in Christ would be proclaimed “to save the world through Him.” (John 3:17)

Once you and I became Christians, we, too, were set apart and consecrated to be used for God’s service. Jesus was set apart by God to do His work of redeeming the world. You and I have been set apart by God to proclaim to the world the redemption Jesus won for them. This isn’t optional on our part. In other words, it is not something we can choose to do or choose not to do. As Christians, as believers in Jesus Christ, this is something we want to do. Serving the Lord, no matter what it is, gives us tremendous joy. Telling someone that Jesus is their Savior and Redeemer, that gives us indescribable joy!

Jesus, our High Priest, is praying for us. Even though He has ascended back into heaven, He is at God’s right hand praying for you and me. He is praying that His Word will protect us and that His Word will lead us into service.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus, our High Priest, is praying for us! AMEN.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

2010-05-10T15:46:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Philippians 4:8
Sermon Theme: “Think About Purity!”

INTRODUCTION:

All of us break each and every one of the Ten Commandments. But it would appear that the Commandment we have the most trouble with is the Sixth Commandment. God has given us the Sixth Commandment to protect the holy estate of marriage and to encourage all of us, married and unmarried, to live pure and decent lives in thoughts, words, and actions.

It seems that most of the jokes that people tell, most of the jokes you hear on radio and TV, and are spread around cyberspace have to do with putting down marriage and mocking leading a pure and decent life. And pornography has run rampant since the start of the internet and was flourishing before that in the magazine industry all because of the weakness of our old sinful nature. Nations and cities have been destroyed and wiped out because people didn’t pay any attention to the Sixth Commandment. They participated in such sickening and perverted stuff, such impurity and sexual abuses, so shameful that you don’t want to hear about it and I don’t want to talk to you about it.

We have the example of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people there were so immoral that when a stranger came to town, the first thing they expected him to do was to give in to their sinful desires. We know that homosexuality was also running rampant there. We know what happened to these two cities. God wiped them off the face of the earth.

The same thing happened to the ancient city of Babylon because of their sexual abuses. It, too, was destroyed. The ancient Roman Empire is another example. Because of their shameful sexual abuses, Rome was also destroyed.

So not only is it important for our own individual physical health and wellbeing that we live pure and decent lives, but it is also important for the wellbeing of our homes, our cities, and our nation. History has shown that every nation that has lost its morality, has soon found itself in a weakened condition, so weak that it has fallen prey to the attacks of other nations.

As we focus on the Sixth Commandment today, we hear God say, “You shall not commit adultery.” Through the apostle Paul we hear, “Whatever is pure, think about such things.”

How Purity can be upheld in Marriage

This does not mean that we can never talk about sex, that we can never think about it, that it is always sinful to have sexual desires. No, there is nothing wrong with sex itself. Our sexual organs and our sexual desires are not impure in themselves. In fact, they are gifts of God. They were placed into our bodies when God created us. Therefore, our sexual parts are just as clean, just as good, just as pure, in God’s eyes, as any other part of our body. God placed these desires and these functions into our bodies so that His earth might become populated and He might be glorified as a result. Our sexual desires, therefore, are just as natural as our desire for food when we’re hungry or the desire for water when we’re thirsty.

It’s when these desires are under the influence of our old sinful nature, that’s when they become sinful. Jesus Himself pointed out, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, etc.” It is our sinful heart that causes us to abuse and misuse those good things God has given us, to make unclean that which He has made clean. It is also our sinful heart which causes us to cater to our sexual appetites and to satisfy them in one way or another outside of the guidelines God has established, and as a result, we become guilty of impure thoughts, words, and actions.

God wants us to satisfy our sexual desires but within the order He has established, and that means within marriage. God, of course, is the One who established marriage. He also has said, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure.” Marriage, therefore is not a social development, developed by man over time. Therefore we don’t have the authority to say, “Let’s do away with marriage, it doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Everyone seems to be living together outside of marriage anyway.” No, God established marriage in the very beginning even before sin entered the world, before there was evil in the heart of man. It was holy and pure. From the very beginning it was God’s will that marriage should be the union of one man and one woman, not more than one wife or one husband, and not two men or two women either. God established a monogamous relationship, between one man and one woman.

God established marriage for a very worthwhile purpose. “It is not good that the man should be alone.” These are God’s own words. In other words, God made us in such a way that we need companionship. That’s why we don’t like to be alone. We like to be with people. And we want one person who is especially close to us, who will stand by us and sympathize with us and help us when we are sick and troubled. That’s God’s first purpose in establishing marriage.

Another purpose is to propagate the earth. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Again, that’s what the Lord said. It is according to His plan that children be born through the intimate relationship of a husband and a wife so that they may have a home and grow up under the influence of their father and mother which is the best environment in which a child could possibly be brought up.

Since the fall into sin, there is also a third purpose for marriage, and that is to avoid immorality. In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes, “To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”

Which is better, to be married or unmarried? One isn’t better than the other, it all depends on the individual. If you’re not married, just be aware that you may be exposing yourself to many temptations. You are only human and therefore have desires. If they are not satisfied in the right way, they can be, of course, satisfied in the wrong way. There may be times or situations when a person feels that he or she should remain unmarried. We think of the apostle Paul. He traveled a lot. He thought he could serve his Lord better unmarried. But never did he consider himself to be better or more holy because he wasn’t married.

How long does God want a marriage to last? Lifelong is the answer. The Bible says, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” God is the One who brought you together, and you promised to each other that it was till death. As far as the kind of relationship you should have, God says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” And to wives, He says, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” That’s the relationship that is suppose to exist between a husband and a wife, the same relationship that exists between Christ and His Church. The husband is to be the head in the same way as Christ is the Head of the Church, not a Master / Slave relationship, but a relationship of love, kindness, and consideration. Wives are to submit themselves to their husbands not out of slavish fear, but in the same way the Church submits to Christ, with humble and loving submission. Marriages would be a whole lot better if we were to follow that pattern, that model.

But sinners that we are, we don’t always follow what God says, and as a result, not all marriages are lifelong. They fall apart. The Bible does give two grounds for divorce. The grounds are unfaithfulness and desertion. If reconciliation is not possible, then the innocent party may get a divorce since the guilty party has already broken the marriage because of unfaithfulness or desertion.

Impure living is a violation of Marriage and is Adultery

Sexual relations outside of marriage are always sinful. It is adultery whether it is done before marriage which is called premarital sex or during marriage which is called extramarital sex. Even just thinking about having sex with someone not your spouse is considered adultery in the eyes of God. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Since that’s true, what are we doing if we’re looking at pornographic material, or watching R-rated movies or worse, or weakening our self-control with alcohol? What does the Sixth Commandment say? “We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.” Or again as Paul puts it in our text, “Whatever is pure, think about such things.”

As we examine our hearts and our lives according to this Commandment, none of us look too pure, do we? We have broken this Commandment many times. We haven’t always thought about pure things. But thank God there is forgiveness through Jesus. He forgave the woman caught in adultery. He can also forgive you and me. It is also for these sins against the Sixth Commandment that our Savior gave His life on the cross and shed His holy precious blood.

May the love and forgiveness of our Savior move all of us to look at marriage as sacred and live clean and pure lives in our thoughts, words, and actions. May you who are not married always conduct yourselves in a pure and decent way while those of us who are married always remember how we are to treat our spouse. May we love each other dearly, always remembering that when we took our marriage vows, we promised to stay together according to God’s holy institution, “until death do us part.”

And may we all “think about purity!” AMEN.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

2010-05-04T12:32:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13

Sermon Theme: “Love Makes The Difference!”

INTRODUCTION

“The end justifies the means.” You’ve all heard that before, I am sure. Do you know what it means, “the end justifies the means”? What it means, is, the means, the methods used to accomplish something good, don’t matter as long as the good thing has been accomplished. What do you think? Is that Scriptural? Is that philosophy pleasing to God?

Let me give you an example. Our church is raising money for the Lord’s work, a good thing, right? “The end justifies the means” philosophy would be that it makes no difference how the money is raised, as long as the money is raised, for after all, the money is being used to do the Lord’s work which is a good thing, right?

Again, this philosophy, “the end justifies the means,” is it Scriptural? Is it in line with what God says in His Word? No, it isn’t. “The end justifies the means” is not Scriptural and therefore is not pleasing to God either.

Doing the right thing, doing what pleases God, is important to us Christians. There are so many places in Scripture where God says to you and to me, “Do what I say, do what pleases Me, do the right thing.”

But there is something as important, if not more important, than doing the right thing. Do you know what it is? Do you give up? It is doing the right thing for the right reason. Doing the right thing isn’t what makes us Christians, doing the right thing for the right reason does. In other words, knowing why you are doing what you are doing. Why is that important? Because if the why, your motivation, is not right, then what you do, even if it is the right thing, is not pleasing to God. And if you and I are not pleasing God, we have lost heaven. Heaven is not our home.

Since this is so important, we need to ask, what is the right reason, what is the proper motivation for doing the right thing? The answer is: LOVE

Love is the proper motivation for doing the right thing.

“LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!”

What Kind of Love Makes the Difference?

We are not talking about emotional, romantic, sentimental kind of love, that warm fuzzy feeling, when we say that love makes the difference. It’s not that kind of love. I think you knew that, but I had to make sure.

As I said in the children’s message just before, the love that makes a difference, the love that Jesus was asking for, is agape love, the kind of love God demonstrated when He gave us His Son, Jesus. It all starts with God’s love for us. It doesn’t end with God’s love for us, but it starts there.

God loved you and me and the whole world so much that He gave us His one and only Son. For what purpose? To rescue us. We were drowning in sin. We were sentenced to everlasting death because of our sin. We were lost under the power of the devil. God saw us in this hopeless, helpless situation, and out of love, not because we deserved it, God sent His Son into this world to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. God did this so that we could start living for Him and with Him. When? After we die? No! Right now! So that we could start living for Him and with Him right now and then also forever in heaven, imperfectly now, perfectly in heaven.

What should your motive be living for God and with Him? Well, what if you were drowning and someone rescued you, how would you feel toward that person who rescued you? Wouldn’t you be grateful to that person? What if you were sentenced to die, but then someone took your place, how would you feel toward that person who took your place? Again, wouldn’t you be grateful to that person? When someone shows so much love toward you, you want to respond with love of your own, right?

So our motivation, the why we do what we do is LOVE. It starts with God’s love for us, and it ends with our response of love for Him and those He loves, in other words, everyone. Because as John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world.” The kind of love that makes the difference is the kind of love that flows out of faith, faith in God’s love for us which He demonstrated through His Son, our Savior, Jesus.

What Do I Mean, Love Makes The Difference?

What I mean by this is that only love that flows out of faith in Jesus, only that is what pleases God, only that is what saves you and me for heaven. That’s what I mean when I say, Love makes the difference.

For example, a little old lady who does good things all of her life, who shows a lot of patience and who is very kind, but who did all these nice things because it made her feel good, and that’s the only reason, she did not please God even though she did the right things. If she didn’t believe in Jesus as her Savior, she will not go to heaven when she dies. She will go to hell.

“Without faith, the Bible says, “it is impossible to please God.” Without faith in Jesus as your Savior and therefore without faith as the motivating force in your life for what you do, it is impossible to please God and go to heaven. The kind of love that flows out of faith is what makes the difference between pleasing God in this life and going to heaven for all eternity.

CONCLUSION

As Christians we know that the end does not justify the means and we also know that doing the right thing isn’t enough either. Our motivation for doing the right thing is just as important, if not even more important. Doing the right thing for the right reason is what separates us from all other religions.

LOVE, God’s love for us and then our response of love for Him and those He loves, that’s what makes all the difference! AMEN.

The Greatest Blood Donor

2010-04-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

During World War II, there was a desperate need for blood. To recruit blood donors, a large department store displayed a two-story image of Christ with one arm exposed, in which a tube was inserted draining His blood into a huge pint bottle. Blood was a gift that money could not buy. And, truly, for our wounded servicemen, "the life was in the blood." The message was obvious. Christ have His blood for us. Now we should give our blood for the wounded.

There is a truth here more important than just having Christ as our example. He is so much more. He came to give us life. He is our Redeemer. The price He paid was His own blood which was sufficient for all. At the foot of the image the caption read: "The greatest gift of all."

If no one would have given blood, our wounded would have perished. If Christ would not have shed His blood, we would have been pawns of the devil to suffer eternal death.

Remember, it is the blood of Christ Jesus that purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

Good Shepherd Sunday

2010-04-26T16:02:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16
Sermon Theme: “I Will Look After My Sheep!”

A large ocean liner on its way to New York was crowded with passengers. During the early morning hours a violent storm overtook the ship. It looked as if the ship would never reach port. Both the passengers and the crew were learning once again how to pray. While everyone was so filled with fear, a little girl was playing. Suddenly, she began to sing, apparently unaware of the danger.

A surprised passenger asked her, “How can you sing while we are in this storm? Aren’t you afraid?” The little girl answered, “Afraid? No, I’m not afraid. You see, my father is at the wheel steering the ship. He will bring us home safely.”

It’s no wonder that Jesus tells us to have the faith and trust of a little child. My father is at the wheel steering the ship. He will bring us home safely.

Isn’t that a wonderful picture of life? God is at the controls, making everything work out as it should as well as for our good, as we travel on the road of life each day closer to our heavenly goal.

This morning, on Good Shepherd Sunday, we will focus our attention on another beautiful picture from Scripture, the beautiful picture of a shepherd and his sheep.

We hear the Lord say, “I Will Look After My Sheep!” On the basis of our text from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, let’s see what the Lord means when He says, “I Will Look After My Sheep!”

The Prophet Ezekiel was doing the work of a prophet during the days of the Babylonian Captivity. Ezekiel, along with many others from the Kingdom of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, had been deported to Babylon. Ezekiel, therefore, was serving the people as God’s prophet in a foreign land.

This whole 34th chapter of Ezekiel is about “Shepherds and Sheep.” I will read to you from the verses before our text, verses 2 to 6, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one looked or searched for them.” Because the shepherds of Israel were looking out only for themselves and were not taking care of their flocks, this is what God told Ezekiel to tell these so-called shepherds: “I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for My flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. (Verse 10)

Even as there were false shepherds back in the days of Ezekiel, there are plenty of them around today. They are just as dangerous to our souls as they have always been. The warning our Lord sounds here in our text about false shepherds, therefore, we need to take to heart. The Lord has preserved the truth of His Word to us. Don’t take that truth for granted. Make sure that I am always bringing you the truth of God’s Word. Because that truth could be taken away from us if we treat it as if it’s not important, as if a church that is friendly and warm and full of programs is more important than the truth of God’s Word.

The Lord says, “I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after My sheep.” (Verse 11-12a) The Lord used this beautiful picture of a shepherd looking after his sheep because the people of Israel could identify with that. The Middle Eastern shepherd was an excellent example of what a shepherd was to be like. We think of Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. One out of a 100 sheep was missing, was lost. The shepherd searched and searched until he found the one lost missing sheep. This is the kind of shepherd the Lord is. He is concerned about each one of His sheep. He loves each one of His sheep. He shows His love and concern for us by the way He looks after us, His sheep.

This is also how the Lord describes how He looks after us. He says, “I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.” (Verse 12b) When our sinful human hearts lead us astray, aided by the devil and the unbelieving world, it is the Lord, our Good Shepherd, who rescues us and brings us back into the fold. Unfortunately, we will have to admit that there have been many days of clouds and darkness in our spiritual lives over the years, and each time it was the Lord working through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, who led us back to the bright sunshine of His grace.

In the next words of our text the Lord foretells the return of the People of Israel from Babylon to their homeland once again. This would not happen, however, for at least another fifty years. The Lord says, “I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I Myself will tend My sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Verses 14-15) What stands out here for me in these verses apart from the specific references about their return to their homeland some day is how the Lord looks out for the nourishment of His sheep. He makes sure that all His sheep are richly fed.

That’s why you have come here this morning, isn’t it? You’ve come here this morning to be fed, to be richly fed with your Good Shepherd’s Bread of Life, which comes to us through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. There are some other things that bring us here, too, to be sure, but the number one thing, the one that surpasses all the others, is to be spiritually fed with our Good Shepherd’s Gospel, the Gospel both in Word and Sacrament. False shepherds try to spoil our appetites by trying to fill us with a bunch of junk food, the thoughts and ideas of the unbelieving world. When we fill ourselves with that junk, we just nibble and pick at what the Good Shepherd has to offer. Rather we will want to eat everything He puts on our spiritual plates and then ask for a second helping too. That’s how I like to look at what we do on Sunday mornings. Our worship is one plate full and Sunday School is another. There is no reason for any of us to be on a strict diet when it comes to eating our Good Shepherd’s food. This doesn’t apply to just Sunday either. It applies to the rest of the week too. Why starve ourselves spiritually during the week? The Lord, our Good Shepherd, wants to feed us every day of the week, not just on Sunday. What do you think would happen to our bodies if we ate only one meal a week and just one helping at that? I don’t think we would last very long, do you?

In fact, the Lord, our Good Shepherd, issues a warning to all those who become fat on other things other than His food. The Lord, our Good Shepherd, says, “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” (Verse 16) The Lord, our Good Shepherd, is the Leader. We, His sheep, are the followers. The sleek and the strong are those who refuse to follow the lead of their Shepherd. They have become sleek and strong or fat as another version puts it, because they have not fed themselves on the pastures of their Good Shepherd, but instead have eaten and filled themselves up on the junk food of this world. As a result, the Lord, our Good Shepherd, says, “They will be destroyed.” In other words, they will go to hell and spend an eternity there. But how can a God of love do that? The Lord answers that by saying, “I will shepherd the flock with justice.” Yes, God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice. Therefore those who refuse to follow Him and refuse to be fed by Him will have to bear the consequences. What consequences they are, to say the least!

The Lord, our Good Shepherd, has promised to look after us, His sheep. He always keeps His Word. Let’s trust Him, like that little girl on the ocean liner. My father, my heavenly Father, is at the wheel steering the ship. He will bring us home safely. AMEN.

There's a Tiger Loose

2010-04-21T19:55:00.000-04:00

There's a tiger loose in our hearts. A tiger is like sin. Let me tell you a story to show you what I mean.

Back in the 1800's a man in India shot a mother tiger leaving behind a cub. The man raised the cub with much affection. When the cub was nearly grown, the cub began to lick his master's hand while he was sleeping. On his hand was a small cut which enlarged from the rough tongue licking it. As the tiger continued to lick it, it tasted blood. Soon the man awoke to face the blazing, blood-crazed eyes of the beast. Having tasted blood, it was bent on killing his master. The man reached for his rifle. Just in time, he killed it.

That's a true story. And so is sin. There are sins which we tend to nurse, and which turn into a raging beast within us. The man was able to kill the tiger. But what can we do with our sin within, sin which seeks not only our blood, but our souls as well?

What can we do? Unless we repent and turn to Jesus, we shall all perish.

Acts 2:37-39;

The Third Sunday of Easter

2010-04-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Theme: “LOVE TAKES TIME --- TO SEEK GOD”

Sometimes God seems so hidden and so distant, but that’s not the way it was in the beginning. When God created the first two humans, Adam and Eve, we’re told that they walked together in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. They were that close. Sin, however, ripped us apart from that close relationship with God. We struggle now to see God and to know what He is thinking. But that doesn’t mean that we have to stay in the dark. God wants us to seek Him, to learn as much as we can about Him, and to have a close intimate relationship with Him. But that takes TIME. It takes TIME to seek God. Out of love for God who loved us first, we want to take the TIME to seek God because LOVE TAKES TIME TO SEEK GOD.

Paul took the TIME to seek out God in prayer. After his conversion Paul was constantly pursuing God to know Him and to understand Him better. In our text he reveals how often he talked to God. Let’s look again at what he says in our text: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” Paul “kneels before” God. He knew his place and therefore humbly came before God. He knew God’s holiness and his sinfulness. He knew God’s justice and his guilt. Do we know this? Do we know God’s supreme glory and majesty?

When we kneel before God we show that we recognize what God deserves as well as what He demands, and that is first place in our lives. God should be the first one we turn to and the first one we depend on. As Luther puts it in his explanation of the First Commandment, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” It ought to make us tremble when we see where we really put God in our lives. If God isn’t first in our hearts, in our lives, in our thoughts and decisions, everything else crowds in to take His place. Again, it ought to make us tremble when we see where we really put God in our lives. But we have a God who continually seeks to bring us back after we fall away from Him.

You notice that Paul called Him Father even as we call Him Father in the Lord’s Prayer. He is our Father. We are His beloved children. He wants us to be close to Him. He wants us to seek Him, to seek His mercy, to seek His advice, to seek His power.

What about the time we spend before God in prayer? Does it reflect our close relationship with Him or a lack of closeness? Does it show how much we honor God or how much we ignore Him? Does it reveal how much we depend on God or how much we depend on ourselves? Take a look at your prayer time. It’s special time, don’t neglect it!

Paul understood that it was the Father who made us family. We don’t always act as family, but relationships are gifts from God and none is greater or more important than the relationship we have with our heavenly Father. God created us for that kind of a relationship in the beginning and re-established it through Jesus’ loving work of reconciliation. Jesus brought us together again through the perfect relationship He had with His Father and through His loving sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the whole world. NOTHING is more important than knowing our God and His Son. As Jesus said on the night before His death, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). It is purely a gift of God’s grace that we have been adopted into God’s family, that we are God’s children

What did Paul pray for on behalf of this family of believers? Did he pray for physical health or for worldly success? Did he pray that they would be more active in helping around church? Did he pray that they would give more? Did he pray for global peace or elimination of poverty? As important as those may be, there is something even more important.

This is what Paul prayed for. “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Paul really cared for what was at the core for God’s people. It’s therefore not about what you DO but what you BECOME in Christ. It’s not about the outward things but the inner self. That’s at the foundation for everything. Unfortunately we spend way too much TIME on outward, earthly things, what we achieve, the busy work we get involved with. As a result, there seems to be very little time for anything else. As important as all these things are, they are only secondary. What Paul was praying for was strength in their inner being. When we feel weak, this is what will count. If everything else is taken away from us, it is this inner strength that will remain safe.

Where do we get this inner strength? It is something only God can give. It doesn’t come from within ourselves. It is not something that is natural to us. God supplies this inner strength to us as a part of His grace. He has an endless supply of it. And we need it, all the time. There are so many dangers lurking out there working against us, starting with the devil and going on to the cares, the disappointments, and the distractions of this world.

This strengthening is Christ dwelling in our hearts worked in us by the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God. The Holy Spirit works faith to believe in Jesus through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament which we call the means of grace. The Bible therefore is not just a book written by men, no, this is God, the Holy Spirit, speaking to you, creating and strengthening faith to believe in Jesus, so that Christ is dwelling in your hearts by faith. My friends, that’s why Bible study and your personal devotional life is so important so that God can speak to you, even dwell in you, in your inner being, in the seconds, minutes, and hours of each day. That’s how faith is built, that’s how trust in God for forgiveness, trust in God for direction in life and for eternal life is strengthened.

Paul went on to say, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,”

In other words, he did not want these people just to be surface Christians withered by the frantic pace of life and the struggles and distractions of this world, but that they would really know Christ’s love, that their love would be sunk deep, like roots of a tree sunk deeply into love in order to stay green in drought and strong through storms, like a firm foundation below the frostline which can’t be moved and on which a person can build his life.

Paul prayed that our time in God’s Word will lead us to see God in our world so we “may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” We need to be assured at every turn that God loves us. We need to understand that He loves sinners of every kind. We need for Him to lift our eyes to Calvary and see His Son, whom He sacrificed for you, for me, for everyone. There is no greater love than this. It’s a love we ought to re-live each day and which ought to relieve us each day.

God does not want us to be swallowed up by the world. He wants our hearts, all of them, so that we can have all of Him. He wants us to see all the spiritual blessings we have. So now is the TIME to make a commitment to build our relationship with God. It starts with regular faithful worship and frequent partaking of the Sacrament. It continues with group Bible study here at church and personal Bible study and prayer at home. Starting the day with God gives Him first place in our schedules and can set the direction and attitude for the rest of the day. Ending the day with God renews the spirit. Let it start as a discipline and let it grow into a desire.

Paul ends his prayer, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” Wow! What does that mean? What does God promise when we understand His love and are drawn to Him by that love? God promises to give us an inner power to accomplish what seems impossible in a sinful and fallen world. God has every capability to fill Paul’s request and ours too and then has plenty left over.

Let’s get serious about spending TIME seeking God. “To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever. Amen.” AMEN.

Jesus is True God

2010-04-15T16:36:00.000-04:00

Our Christian faith is built upon the truth that Jesus Christ is true God. Can this truth be supported?

The Bible teaches that the Son was with the Father from eternity. That makes Him eternal and therefore true God. The Bible also teaches that all power has been given to Jesus. Only God has all power, therefore Jesus is God. Jesus knows what is in the hearts of people. Only God knows that, therefore Jesus is God.

Jesus turned water into wine, healed the sick, calmed the violent seas, and raised the dead. Only God can work outside the laws of nature. Jesus did, and therefore is God. The greatest miracle ever was Christ's resurrection. He overcame death. Truly, He has all power.

It is true that because He lives, all those who believe in Him shall also live. Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. Yes, Jesus is the true God and eternal life, as the Bible teaches.

John 1:1-14; Matthew 28:18; Romans 1:4; John 14:19; 1 John 5:20

The Second Sunday of Easter

2010-04-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: John 20:19-31
Sermon Theme: “It’s Time To Unlock The Doors!”

Can you still remember when you didn’t lock your doors? My one uncle and aunt never locked their doors. I don’t think they even had locks on their doors. They were farmers living in the country. My parents who lived in town would lock their front door, but their side door they would either leave open or they would lock it but then hang the key on a hook right by the door. We wouldn’t think of doing that today, would we?

Jesus’ disciples wouldn’t either. They were very confused on the evening of the first Easter. They were still trying to make sense out of all that had happened. They were also afraid. For that reason they had their doors locked. They had heard the rumor spreading around that they had stolen the body of Jesus. So every time they heard a noise outside, they thought that someone was coming to arrest them and take them to prison. If Jesus could be murdered in the way He was, who was to say that it couldn’t happen to them as well?
But it was time for them to unlock the doors of fear and doubt and to replace their fear with peace and to replace their doubt with faith. The only one who could do that for them, of course, was Jesus, their Savior and Lord. As always, He was there for them.

What a week it had been for the disciples! Everything had happened so fast. One moment the crowds had welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. Several days later, He was arrested. The next day He had died on a cross. The disciples were so shell-shocked they didn’t know what to do next. They were terrified and therefore kept a very low profile. Early on Sunday morning some of the women found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Peter and John went racing to the tomb. Jesus’ body wasn’t there as the women had said. Even more surprising, Mary reported that she had seen and talked to the risen Christ.

On Easter Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors not knowing what was going to happen next. They were still very afraid. When, suddenly, out of nowhere, Jesus appeared to them. He said to them, “Peace be with you.” I’m sure this must have startled them, perhaps made them even more afraid. But when Jesus showed them His hands and His side, we are told that they were overjoyed. Jesus really was alive! Mary had told them the truth. They could see Him with their own eyes. This was the best news they could have ever imagined.

They had been in hiding. They had been frightened, listening for footsteps. But Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Jesus had unlocked the doors of fear from their hearts and replaced the fear with peace.

But notice what Jesus did next. He was not through yet. He repeated His greeting of peace to them and then said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” The disciples were now apostles. An apostle is one who is sent directly by God. And that’s exactly what Jesus was doing. He was sending them out. No longer were they just learners, now they were messengers, responsible for carrying the message of salvation to the far corners of the world. The disciples, now apostles, were to carry on the ministry of Jesus. They were to become His voice, His hands, His legs.

Then Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was His way of commissioning them for the work He was giving them to do. They needed the Holy Spirit to do the work He was giving them to do. On Pentecost, 50 days later, the Holy Spirit would be poured out on them.
Yes, Jesus came to them on that first Easter Sunday evening and unlocked the doors of fear in their lives. He replaced the fear with peace. And He was sending them out into the world to unlock those doors of fear for others too. The only way they could do it was with the Holy Spirit.

What locks you up with fear? Is it death? Are you afraid to die? Or do you fear the death of your loved ones? Or are there other challenges in your life that lock you up with fear? The only way those doors of fear can be unlocked in your life is through Jesus. It is only through His message of peace that the doors can be opened. Is there someone you know who needs the door of fear unlocked in their life? Take Jesus’ message of peace to them and give them the peace the world cannot give them.

For some unknown reason, one of the Twelve, Thomas, was not with the rest of the group when Jesus appeared to them that first Easter Sunday evening. And so he hadn’t seen the risen Lord as the others had. When the rest of the disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas was not convinced. I don’t think that he thought they were lying, but he just couldn’t bring himself to believe it. In fact, he demanded proof. He wanted to see Jesus for himself. That’s why he said, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.”

Thomas had been hurt and disappointed like the rest of them. He had expected so much from Jesus. Then, to watch Him die on a cross, like a criminal, that was too much for Thomas to bear. His hopes had been dashed. So now he wanted to be careful, he didn’t want to set himself up for another letdown. He just wasn’t going to believe without seeing Jesus for himself.

We all go through moments of doubt, don’t we? Often our faith can be so fragile. The worst thing to do at a time like that is to pretend that we are confident. There is nothing wrong with asking questions and admitting doubt. Searching the Scriptures and talking honestly with other Christians is a good way to build up and strengthen our faith.

A week after Easter, Jesus once again appeared to the apostles and this time Thomas was there too. Jesus, of course, knew that Thomas had doubted. That is why Jesus immediately went to him and said, “Put your finger here, see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” That was all that it took. Thomas made one of the greatest confessions recorded in the Bible. He cried out, “My Lord and my God!” From that day on, Thomas went risking his life for the Gospel he had doubted.

It was then that Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus, of course, was referring to all those who have not been able to see Him with their physical eyes. That means you and me too. How is possible to believe without seeing? The power to believe comes from the powerful message of the Gospel. As John wrote when he concluded this chapter, “These are written that you may believe.” God had the Scriptures written not just to give information, but above all, to create and to strengthen faith in Jesus as the Savior. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

The Word of Christ which gives us the message of salvation unlocks the door of doubt. Thomas saw his risen Lord with his own eyes and heard Him speak and cried out, “My Lord and my God!” We, on the other hand, see our risen Lord with the eyes of faith and hear Him through His Word and we also cry out, “My Lord and my God!”

My Lord and my God, thank You for unlocking the doors of fear and doubt, and replacing them with peace and faith. Thank You for having the Scriptures written and for giving us the Sacrament so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life, eternal life, in His name. AMEN.

All Our Eggs in One Basket

2010-04-06T18:04:00.000-04:00

In the after-glow of Easter, when the crescendo of victorious Easter hymns fade, Satan is back taunting us saying, "What if Christ didn't rise from the dead?" Perish the thought! If Christ did not rise, then our faith is worthless. Our hopes would be like egg shells. If this were true, we would be the most pitiful people around. Think of the time spent, the money invested, the lives wasted in missions proclaiming a lie. A lie? Yes, a lie! For if Christ did not rise, we are still in our sins. If Christ did not rise, none of the dead will rise either. But thanks be to God who has given us the victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is risen! We really can put all our eggs in that one basket. Christ is risen! That is not fantasy. That's a fact, on which we build, and hope, and live. We live because He lives. 1 Corinthians 15; John 14:19;

EASTER - The Resurrection of our Lord

2010-04-05T21:44:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Luke 24:13-16, 28-32

Sermon Theme: “Stay With Us, Lord!”

He's Risen! He's Risen, Indeed!
“When the women came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” What do you mean, risen? Don’t talk so foolishly! We saw Him die. We watched Him being buried in Joseph’s Garden tomb.

Whatever else can be said of that first Easter day, one thing is clear. The disciples never expected to see Jesus alive again. Their eyes were filled with tears because Jesus was gone! Because Jesus was dead! They were sure that Jesus was out of their lives for good.

But it wasn’t to stay that way for long. Soon He would be with them again as He had promised. And for two of them, especially, their lives would never be the same again. For on that first Easter, as they walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they found to their surprise and delight Jesus walking with them. (Read vv. 13-16)

Who of us can even imagine the confusion of that first Easter Sunday? The women coming back from their early morning trip out to the tomb, claiming that the tomb was empty and that they had seen some angels who told them that Jesus was alive. The disciples can’t believe it, so Peter and John went running out to the tomb. They didn’t see any angels, but they didn’t find Jesus’ body either. All they saw was the burial cloths lying there undisturbed and the napkin that had covered His face neatly folded and set aside.

“But it can’t be! Dead people don’t rise! There has to be some other explanation.” Then Mary Magdalene came with the news that she actually had seen Jesus alive and talked with Him. “At first, I thought He was the Gardener, but then when He spoke my name, I knew, I knew it was Jesus!” “But remember, guys, she’s been under quite a strain lately. Who can blame her if she gets a little mixed up and confuses a gardener for Jesus?”

Whatever the truth was, it was pretty confusing for these disciples. They weren’t sure what exactly had happened, but one thing they knew, a rumor was already spreading that they had come by night and stole the body away. And so now they were not only confused but also afraid. And so they locked themselves behind closed doors.

Two of them, though, decided that they needed to get out of town instead. They needed to get away from it all. They couldn’t believe it. A week ago the people had paved the streets with palm branches welcoming Jesus as their King, shouting words of praise to Him. That seemed so long ago, actually, more like a dream. They had welcomed Him as a King on Sunday and crucified Him on Friday. And now, when His body was barely cool in the grave, somebody dishonors Him by stealing His body away. They had beat Him in life, spit on Him, planted a crown of thorns on His head, whipped Him within an inch of His life, and then crucified Him. I guess there was no reason to believe that they would be kinder to Him in death. And so with their hearts weighed down with grief and broken, and their hopes shattered, the two of them thought that a change in scenery might help. So Cleopas and another disciple start off for their home in Emmaus.

And yet, they couldn’t stop talking about all that had happened the past few days. As they were talking and trying to figure it out, a stranger joins them. At first they thought they wanted to be alone. For after all, this stranger doesn’t even know what has taken place in Jerusalem the last few days. But before long, they find themselves pouring out their hearts to Him. “We had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

If only they knew that He HAD redeemed Israel! On Good Friday it all had been completed. They just didn’t know it yet. And that’s what made their situation so pitiful. Here they were all downcast and dejected, disappointed and bitter, and all without reason. Jesus had not let them down. They just didn’t understand what had happened, because they failed to understand ALL that the Scriptures had said. They were living in gloomy fear, not because Jesus had failed then but because of their own failure to live by faith.

Much of the world today has the same problem. Jesus’ redemption of the world is complete, but they just don’t know it, or they act as if it doesn’t make any difference. And so they walk aimlessly through life with no vision at all of eternity. The car grows old and dies, the house needs repairs, clothes wear out, banks fail, even the body grows old and weak. And if that’s all there is, if there is no life beyond the grave, if there is nothing better to look forward to, then indeed life can be pretty disappointing, if not miserable.

Of course, such problems are not unique to the unbelieving world. We face them too. We live our lives in the same disappointing world, where things break and decay, grow old, and die. We, too, have to deal with the death of a spouse, a crippling disease, and other tragedies. And if we look only at these disappointments, then our faces become downcast too, our eyes filled with tears, our hearts filled with doubts and confusion.

Like these two Emmaus disciples, people today, too, need their eyes opened to see things as they really are, to realize that Jesus isn’t just long on promises, but short on delivery, no, we need to realize that in even in our darkest hours, Jesus never disappoints, that He always keeps His promises, that He is the One who HAS redeemed, not only Israel, but the whole world, including you and me too. We need to see Easter in the same way as these disciples needed to see Easter. We need to see that Easter is far more than the coming of Spring, far more than the Easter bunny, far more than candy and jelly beans. Easter is salvation, won, and accomplished. Easter is what brings meaning to life now and hope for eternity to come.

Jesus wants us to see things as they really are, to understand that nothing can separate us from the love of God and so He comes to those two dejected souls walking the dusty road of their own misery and lifts them up from their disappointment and drives away their doubts. (Read vv. 28-32)

We can hardly imagine what those final miles to Emmaus must have been like for these disciples. As Jesus explained to them the Scriptures, as He opened the Bible to their understanding, they felt their hearts burning within them. After all of the grief and sorrow of the past few days, suddenly they found themselves to be filled with great joy and inner peace. Finally, they understood that the cross was all part of the Father’s plan, that only through the shedding of blood could their redemption be won. And what is more, the women’s report of a risen Christ began to make sense. It was what the Bible had been saying all along, and they should have realized it!

It was now starting to get dark as they came to the outskirts of their little village. It was time to get home, time to have a good meal, time to get a good night’s rest after all they had been through the last few days. But all that seemed unimportant now. Even though they still didn’t recognize Him, they didn’t want Jesus to leave. “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.”

Do you think Jesus would have really continued on His way if they hadn’t urged Him to stay? Sure, He would have! Jesus doesn’t stay where He isn’t wanted. But, oh, the blessings these disciples would have missed, if He had! “Stay with us, Lord,” they said. “Your words bring life and hope and peace. We don’t want You to leave.”

Every faithful child of God feels that way. That’s why we continue to pray, “Stay with us, Lord!” We have such a great advantage over these Emmaus disciples. They didn’t know who this Stranger was; we do. We know that He is the Good Shepherd who forever seeks the lost and the straying, the hurt and the grieving, the doubting and the disappointed. He still loves to catch up with people today who are traveling a dark and troubled road. And He is still the most friendly and considerate, the most understanding and sympathetic, the kindest and gentlest, and most helpful.

Do you continue to invite Him into your home? Does He sit at your table every day as you pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest?” Do you invite Him to stay? Do you turn to Him in time of trouble? Do you talk to Him about your problems? What would you say, is Jesus only an occasional guest, or is He an honored member of the family?

A long time ago two distraught disciples couldn’t bear to see Jesus leave them. They said, “Stay with us, Lord!” Living in this dark and dreary, cruel and painful world, we join them in their prayer, “Stay with us, Lord!” AMEN.

What's Good About Friday?

2010-03-31T16:25:00.000-04:00

The weather was threatening. Fearsome awe gripped hearts. The feet and hands of God's Son were impaled on iron spikes, gravity hauled against raw flesh, and this intense agony was multiplied by all the sins of the human race. It was a soul-crushing burden.

Already Jesus had suffered mockery and rejection by His own. He had been bullied and beaten by the Roman government, He had been spit upon and crowned with thorns. It is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Cursed, indeed, by God Himself!

What's good about this Friday? Without this Friday, there never would be a good Friday, a good Sunday, or any other day. For if the Lamb of God had not been sacrificed on the altar of the cross as our substitute, we would be heading to eternal damnation in a burning fiery hell.

Redemption has been completed for everyone! And "whoever believes in Him (Jesus), shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

"Good Friday" is good for all of us.

Read Mark 15

Palm Sunday

2010-03-29T18:51:00.000-04:00

Sermon Text: Zechariah 9:9
Sermon Theme: “Our King Is Coming!”

Introduction:
Everyone seems to like a parade. I know I do. I remember when I was growing up in Theresa, a little village in Wisconsin, the volunteer Fire Department would put on a big parade every summer with a picnic. It was their major fundraiser. The parade would start on one side of town and go all the way through the village up to Firemen’s Park. Crowds would gather over an hour before the parade would start to get a good seat and a good view of the parade. The parade would begin with a big fire truck and the American Legion color guard. The Fire Departments from all the neighboring villages would also be represented, also a couple high school bands would play. Different businesses and organizations would have a float, and in Wisconsin you could always count on having a polka band playing on the platform of a truck. I have many fond memories of these parades as you can tell.

It was quite a parade Jesus was involved in on that first Palm Sunday. As He rode into Jerusalem, the people didn’t let the donkey’s feet touch the ground. “It’s the King!,” they cried. They cut palm branches from the nearest trees; they unwound their outer garments; they covered the narrow streets into the city with the palm branches and their clothes. The people were having a good time just like at a parade. They cheered Jesus as He passed by. They shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” What an exciting day for them! What an exciting day for Jesus!

The praise continues for Jesus today. He is our King too. We want to add our voices again today in praising Him. We join together with those who were at the first Palm Sunday parade and we also say, “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” On this Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, let’s remember that “OUR KING IS COMING!”

1.The Reason for His Coming When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, He could see the cross and His death. He knew that by the end of the week He would be on the cross, suffering and dying for the sins of the world. What an act of supreme courage on His part to come to Jerusalem that day.

It was the raising of Lazarus from the dead that was the last straw as far as the Jewish leaders were concerned. It seemed to them as if everyone was now turning to Jesus and putting their trust in Him. Therefore they thought, “He has to be stopped, and He has to be stopped now!” His coming to Jerusalem at this time, they thought, was playing right into their plans.

The word spread quickly that Jesus was back in the area. As a result, a big crowd showed up in Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. On Sunday morning the crowd in Bethany was bigger than ever. When Jesus got ready to travel the last few miles to Jerusalem, the crowd gathered around Him. Very quickly the news spread into the city, “He’s coming!”

Why was He coming? What did the people think? Why did they think He was coming? It would appear that they thought that He was coming to declare Himself to be the King of Israel. Perhaps they were even thinking of this prophecy from the Prophet Zechariah which is our text for today. They thought that with Jesus as their King, it would be just like heaven here on earth. He would be able to satisfy their every need.

Jesus, of course, knew what these people were thinking. He knew that they would reject Him as soon as they realized that He had not come to set up an earthly kingdom. In fact, that’s why He wept over Jerusalem just before He entered Jerusalem that day. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” He cried, “How often I wanted to gather you together just as a hen gathers her little chicks under her wings, but you didn’t want to.” They had refused Him, His own people had refused Him. Why? Because they didn’t recognize what their greatest need was. Therefore that first Palm Sunday parade wasn’t as jubilant as it might have appeared on the surface.

I suppose it is pretty easy for us on this side of Calvary and the empty tomb to second guess those people in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. Instead of doing that, what we will want to do is to examine ourselves and our own faith. Here are some test questions for us, the followers of Jesus today. These are questions we should be asking ourselves all the time.

1)Do you believe that you are a sinner?
2)Do you believe that you will go to hell unless you repent and believe?
3)Do you believe in God, the Father, as your Creator and Preserver?
4)Do you believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as your Savior and Lord?
5)Do you believe in God, the Holy Spirit, as your Sanctifier?
6)Do you understand what it means to be a follower of Christ?
7)Do you understand what the mission of the church is?
8)Do you know what it means to be a servant and a witness to the world?

Knowing the answers to these questions are vital to your soul and vital to the kingdom of God. If after examining ourselves and our faith, we find that we do understand why Jesus came, both as the Son of God and the Son of Man, to bring salvation, not to set up a temporary earthly kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom that will last forever. When we have that kind of an understanding, then and only then are we ready to look at the kind of welcome we will want to give Him.

2.The kind of Welcome we will want to give Him As Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, a large crowd was following Him, and a large crowd was waiting for Him in Jerusalem. As the two crowds came together, they joined together in this shout of praise: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” These words are from the 118th Psalm. They were used by the priests in the Passover procession. We sing these words today in our celebration of the Holy Communion when Jesus comes to us in His body and blood in the Sacrament. The most meaningful word in this shout of praise is the word “Hosanna” which means “Grant salvation, save now.”

They also cut off branches from the palm trees that lined the road and spread them on the road as He passed by. The palm tree was a symbol of life because of its long life. Jesus had recently raised His friend, Lazarus, from the dead, how fitting it was for the people to welcome Him waving palm branches, a symbol of life. Little did they know that only a week later, on the following Sunday, Jesus would raise Himself from the dead.

What kind of welcome do we want to give our King, Jesus? Remember why He came. He came to save us from our sins, He came to enter our hearts and homes, He came to make His light shine on all our problems and troubles. He came to open heaven’s doors for us through His life, death, and resurrection. Why, then, would we hesitate to give ourselves to Him? What are we afraid of? Why do we have such a hard time letting Jesus be our King? Do we have such a problem with control, that is, giving up our control of our lives to Him? We want to be able to do what we want to do, don’t we? We’re afraid with Jesus as our King in charge of our lives, we’re not going to be able to do everything that we want to do.

We don’t want to give Him the kind of welcome so many give Him either. We don’t want to shout our hosannas today and then forget all about Him on Thursday and Friday. We don’t want to call Him Savior and King of kings and Lord of lords today and then forget all about Him the rest of the week. We don’t want to promise Him our faithfulness like we did at our Confirmation and then not mean it.

Long ago, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, He cleansed the Temple. Today He wants to enter another Temple, the temple of our hearts. He is speaking to all of us when He says, “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with Me.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, open the door, open the door of your hearts, and you will not join that fickle Palm Sunday crowd of long ago, instead, you will join the redeemed who with palms in their hands, will sing: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” AMEN.

My Kind of King

2010-03-24T20:36:00.000-04:00

"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " (Matthew 21:5)

Can you envision the president of the United States tooling around D.C. in a 1982 Ford Escort? Without a chauffeur! Doesn't sound possible, does it? Or consider this: when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip paid a royal visit to Australia many years ago, the queen took 47 staff members with her, including her private secretary and the secretary's deputy, the mistress of the robes and the lady of the bedchamber, the royal chef and 3 senior cooks, a deputy sergeant footman and 3 assistant footmen and the list goes on and on. She also took one of the 20 diamond tiaras plus necklaces and pins from the largest jewelry collection in the world.

Contrast all that pomp and circumstance with what we are told about the King of Kings when He made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The Bible says, "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Doesn't sound very impressive, does it? Jesus wanted to make a statement about Himself to help us understand the kind of king He is. He is not your usual kind of king, but a king, nevertheless; one who rules, not with laws, but with love, not from a throne, but in people's hearts, not to make a name for Himself, but to make a place for us in God's family. You and I can feel close to this kind of king. He is our kind of king.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to be the King of our hearts and lives. Teach us, who put our trust in You, to live humbly, following Your example. Amen.

Finished

2010-03-16T20:28:00.000-04:00

"Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' A jar of wine vinegar was there so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, He bowed His head and

gave up His spirit." (John 19:28-30)

"He's finished," may mean that someone is done for, or, with a slightly different inflection of the voice, he's done, he really accomplished something. On the cross Jesus said, "It is finished."

Was Jesus done for, or was He just done when He said, "It is finished?" Was He admitting a defeat or announcing a victory? A lot hangs on the answer to that question. In fact, your eternal destiny hangs on it. If Jesus suffered a defeat, so have we. But if He achieved a victory, then so did you. Jesus had an inhumanly big job to do. He was responsible for getting the whole world back on the good side of God again. To accomplish that He had to live a perfect life in our place, and then He also had to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world, including yours and mine. When the job was done, Jesus called out with a loud voice and said, "It is finished." He wanted everyone to know that He wasn't done in or done for. He was simply done, done doing what He came to do. Now you have a Savior. Let Him know you appreciate all that He has done for you, especially for the fact that He has done it all.

Dear Savior, thank You for finishing the job of saving me and all people, which Your heavenly Father sent You to do. Fill my heart with a sense of joy, appreciation, and thankfulness for Your accomplishing my salvation. Amen.

Isaiah 53, especially verses 4-6.