LENT 2

March 4/5, 2012

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Genesis 28:10-17

“WHEN YOU’VE MADE YOUR OWN BED…”

1. You may have to lie in it.

2. God’s grace still covers you.

3. You won’t be alone.

Genesis 28:10-17 (NIV1984) “Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

“You made your bed, now you’ve got to lie in it.” I don’t know if the etymology of that phrase comes from this account of Jacob but it sure could have. “You made your bed now you’ve got to lie in it,” is what is said when someone’s words or actions have set in motion a consequence that is uncomfortable for them and boy does that fit Jacob to a T! Let me explain. If you recall, Jacob was one of the two sons of Isaac and Rebekah, twin sons. Rebekah favored Jacob. Isaac favored Esau. When Isaac was going to give the birthright that God said should go to Jacob to Esau, Rebekah and Jacob hatched a plot to “help God out.” You know this is going to end badly. It involved deceiving Isaac and cheating Esau. Great plan! When all is said and done, no one is happy and Esau is nursing a grudge, such a strong grudge it includes plans to kill Jacob as soon as daddy Isaac dies. So Rebekah and Jacob come up with another plan. Run away. Jacob will run away to Haran where Rebekah’s family still lives.

So Jacob did. He ran away from Esau, stopped for the night, lay down to sleep on the bed of the ground with a stone for a pillow. Someone could rightly have come to Jacob and said, “You made your bed. Now you’ve got to lie in it.” Jacob’s predicament was his own fault. But the rock hard pillow wasn’t the worst of what he would face. He would find out when he got to Rebekah’s family that Uncle Laban was a schnook, cheating and deceiving Jacob. What goes around comes around and it wasn’t so much fun when the shoe was on the other foot. His family was fractured. Jacob would live about 20 years away from them. Later he would face a fearful reunion with Esau after Jacob ran away from Laban. Are we seeing a pattern here? Jacob made his bed and he had to lie in it. He had to face earthly consequences for his sins.

Sometimes that happens with us too. Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that there are not earthly consequences for every sin we do. But there are some. Guilt and fear over certain sins being exposed. Some sins have civil consequences like jail time or fines. Sins of the mouth can damage relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and schoolmates. Some sins end marriages. Lies can make you lose jobs and credibility. Sexual sinning can bring physical diseases that last a lifetime, a not so subtle reminder that God means what He says about sex reserved for marriage of one man and one woman. Brothers and sisters, sometimes when you make your bed you do have to lie in it.

Do you find yourself lying in one of those beds today? Do you waver back and forth between wanting to kick yourself (why did I do that?) and wanting to kick someone else (it’s not my fault) in your frustration and hurt? Don’t give up. Don’t despair. There is hope and help. Jacob’s story goes on. “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Let’s get this straight. Jacob has made his own bed. He lied. He deceived. And he gets a special dream from the Lord? What gives? And look at the content. It’s all blessing. It’s an announcement of Gospel promises of physical blessings of land and descendants and the Savior, Jesus, to come from Jacob’s line. The One through Whom all the world would be blessed. Why does Jacob get that? He didn’t deserve it. It’s grace my friends. God’s undeserved love. One of the reasons God has included this awesome story has to be to highlight God’s ongoing grace in the face of man’s continual sinning. Even though Jacob sinned and deserved every hardship he was enduring, God’s grace covered him.

Brothers and sisters, do you see from this how we are living the dream? We are living Jacob’s dream. Because God’s grace covers us too! We don’t deserve God’s physical blessings. Like Jacob we deserve punishment for our sins. Instead God’s grace covers us. He doesn’t give us the punishment we deserve and He does give us blessings we have not earned. Remember that when you are enduring some earthly consequences of sins. God’s grace still covers you. You are not getting the punishment you deserve. You are not suffering Hell. Jesus took that for you. God will still be gracious to you. He will still give you blessings you don’t deserve. Oftentimes though it seems we care more about getting out of earthly consequences than we do about being freed from the eternal consequence of sin in Hell. We’re just like our kids. You know. They do something wrong. They get caught. They cry. They say they are sorry. Then they wonder why they still get a spanking or timeout when they have said they are sorry. They don’t understand that the consequence helps them learn. When, in God’s wisdom, there is an earthly consequence for your sin remember that God’s grace still covers you and try to value the forgiveness Jesus gives you more than escape from an earthly consequence.

But even there God is gracious to us and with those earthly consequences we bring on ourselves God is with us. Jacob discovered that. “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Jacob understood what God had done for him. God was with him now and God would be with him wherever he would go. He would be with him on the journey. He would be with him while dealing with Uncle Laban. He would be with him when he faced Esau. Jacob had made his bed. The results would not always be easy or pleasant but the Lord would be with him.

The Lord is with you too, no matter what you are going through or will go through. Sin has consequences. If you’ve made your bed and found yourself lying in it the Lord is with you and will help you. If a consequence is less money right now the Lord will still provide. If the consequence is a ruined relationship with others the Lord maintains His relationship with you through forgiveness in Jesus. Even if the consequence is jail time there too the Lord will be with you.

And another good thing. Earthly consequences don’t last forever. Jacob found that out. It took twenty years for him to return to his family. But when he did he found a forgiving Esau. People aren’t like God. Often they need time to get over sin and hurt. But it worked out. And it worked out even better for Jacob. When God’s time was right he was carried up that stairway to heaven where there is no sin, no consequences but a Savior to serve forever. That’s waiting for you and me too. Earthly consequences for sin will not last forever. But the glory and joy of heaven will. Jesus has made a bed that we will get to lie in. He has prepared a place for us too. How awesome to have the same God Jacob does, the God who works on the basis of grace and mercy and because of Jesus does not treat us as our sins deserve. Amen.

February 26th Worship

Genesis 22:1-18 WHAT IS GOD DOING? I. Pulling you Closer. II. Pointing you to the Substitute. 1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." 6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. 9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." 15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." In the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, dear Christian Friends, Things were going well for Abraham. A peace treaty had just been worked out with some pesky neighbors. No more problems for the servants out on the back 40. Abraham was a mature father- well into his 100’s Sarah was 90 when the baby was born but that boy named Isaac or laughter had brought much joy to the house. God had kept his promise. Abraham and Sarah had a son. Everything seemed to be going well. Now a thunderbolt comes out of the blue. “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” The Hebrew word translated here as "burnt offering" is Olah. An Olah offering is one you burn up completely to show your whole-hearted devotion to the Lord. When we hear the Lord’s words we wonder, “what will Abraham do?” What to do doesn’t seem to be the question on Abraham’s mind though. Immediately Abraham starts gets ready to do what God asked. “Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” What to do doesn’t seem to have been on Abraham’s mind, but I wonder if another question was on Abraham’s heart, “What was God doing?” We might wonder that same thing because sometimes we wonder about that in our lives when things happen that we don’t understand. Now I can’t pretend to know the mind of God and all the good things God was working out for good here for Abraham, but maybe we can think of a few things God was doing. I won’t pretend to know all of the good things God has in mind for you when things happen that you don’t understand but let’s try to see that the Lord is I. Pulling you closer and II. Pointing you to the Substitute. Moriah was the area of Israel where Jerusalem would one day stand and Mt. Moriah was were Solomon built the temple. It was about a 3 day journey from where Abraham and Isaac were living. So there would be time to think as they walked along. As Abraham’s heart was aching there would be time to think through the truths of God and His promises. Scripture gives us a look into one of the truths Abraham was settling his heart on. The Book of Hebrews says, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” So you see Abraham was reviewing the promises of the Lord. God was pulling him closer. As Abraham mulled the truths that God is all power and is even stronger than death, he was thinking that if he sacrificed Isaac on the altar, that God the Lord of life would resurrect him from the dead. As we read on we hear that Abraham had a chance to exercise and to show his faith in God’s promises as the time arrives for Abraham and Isaac to separate from the servants. “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Do you hear that? We will come back to you-not I will come back to you. Abraham didn’t know how but he knew God would take keep his promise. God was pulling Abraham closer. As they walked along Abraham also had a chance to run through his mind God’s promises that He would provide. God was giving strength to Abraham’s legs and to his heart. Abraham had a chance again to show his faith when Isaac saw that the wood was there for making the sacrifice but there was no sacrifice. “Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." God was pulling Abraham closer. Did you hear the words earlier “God tested Abraham?” When teachers give tests, are they trying to make life difficult for their students? No, they care about their students and want to find out what they know and what needs to be taught differently or again. If that is true of earthly teachers, how much more isn’t it true of our great God and Father in heaven. James says that when God tests his children he has in mind to bless them. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This week a member of the flying Wallenda family secured permission to tight rope walk across Niagara Falls. Apparently he has been tight rope walking since he was 2 years old. He will be the first person to ever cross directly over the falls. Past attempts took place further down the gorge. He says he will be “walking through the mist thrown off by the falls." Someone seeing him walking across the tightrope might ask “What is that guy doing?” It is actually very well choreographed in everything from the thickness of the wire right down to the suede wire-walking shoes which actually grip better when wet. Someone coming onto the scene on Mt. Moriah seeing Abraham with the knife raised might wonder what was Abraham doing? Or might What was God doing? Or looking around our lives this morning we might ask, “What Is God doing?” Have you been wondering what God is doing in your life lately? While God certainly doesn’t want evil to happen in anyone’s life, when bad things come our way in life God is strong and smart enough to choreograph everything. There is a safety net. God’s Word says, “When you are tempted God will always provide a way out.” Nothing happens without God’s permission. Remember Job? God limited Satan in what how he was able to tempt Job. Like the tight walker’s shoes grip tighter when it’s wet so God draws us closer to him – holds us tighter when troubles come. Difficult and challenging times give us a chance to paint God’s promises on our hearts. Abraham and Sarah had waited so long for a child. It would have been so easy for Abraham to put Isaac #1 in his life and moved his relationship with God somewhere down the list. When everything is going well for us in our lives it is easy for us to talk about trusting God’s promises. When things are going well at home, when we have money in the bank it's easy to talk about trusting in God's goodness and his promises. But what if God takes those things away from us? What if he asks us to give up the earthly things that hold near and dear? What would we do? This account of Abraham and Isaac is very difficult to listen to because I know that I would not do very well on a test like and maybe you do too. We question God’s ways when it comes to little things that go wrong in our lives. We question God’s love for us when things don’t go the way that we would like. During Lent the readings here in church are set up so that we hear about the events of Holy Week and Jesus’ sufferings and death on Wednesdays in the Midweek services. On Sunday we don’t use the Passion readings because the Sunday readings are set up to bring to mind Christ’s victories for us in His ministry. Did you notice Christ’s victory for us in the Gospel Lesson today as Jesus’ won the victory over the devil and his temptations in the wilderness. If this account ended right here it would not bring to mind a victory for me. If the account ended here we would be left to compare ourselves to the Abraham and I would fall far short and would imagine that you would too. And Abraham is not the standard God demands. God says, “Be perfect therefore as your Father in heaven in perfect.” Abraham was far from perfect in his trust in the Lord. That’s why what happened next is so important for us. What is God doing? II. Pointing us to the Substitute. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." Abraham never did put that knife into Isaac's heart. The Lord stopped him and directed him the the bushes. Now usually when we talk about something getting caught in the bushes, it not a very good thing. Maybe you’ve had the experience of getting caught in the thorn bush. But can you imagine how happy Abraham was when the Lord called to him, told him not to harm his son and then to look in the bushes where the ram was caught for the burnt offering. Many years later Jesus told us about how Abraham felt when he saw the one the ram in the bushes was pointing his eyes to. Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." The angel of the Lord is one of the ways the Old Testament talks about Jesus before He took on flesh and blood. We know this is no ordinary angel talking but is God Himself because He says the first time He spoke, “you have not withheld from me.” And in the formal language of the covenant agreement God was renewing with Abraham God swears by Himself.” In that one sided covenant where God would do all the work, the Lord comes again with the promises of his mercy. Abraham’s family would soon be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Already at the time the children of Israel left Egypt it is thought they numbered into the millions. Abraham’s descendants would not live in tents like their wandering ancestor Abraham. The Lord would give the children of Israel a home in the land of Palestine to await the birth of the Savior of the world who would come from Abraham’s family. “All nations on earth would be blessed through Abraham” because that promised Savior would perfectly live His life as a Substitute for you and me and the world. He never told a lie or even a half truth because he was afraid. He never thought that God wasn’t working fast enough. He never doubted God’s plans for His life. According to the plan for His life, Jesus would now present Himself as the lamb who would offer Hi s life in payment for the sins of the world. Through Isaac who was spared and the Lamb who took his place, God points you to that substitute. Some of you may know Pastor Greg Schultz. In his book, The Problem of Suffering Pastor Schultz writes that on God’s test there is only one question. It is a true false question. God loves you- true or false. Of course the answer is true but sometimes it seems like it is false. Times when we might ask, “what is God doing?” He is pulling you closer and pointing you to the Substitute. Amen

February 29, 2012 Wednesday sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

February 29, 2012 Wednesday Lenten Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert.
Sermon text - John 18:19-24
18:19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.
21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.
23 "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"
24 Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Our Wednesday Lenten series’ theme is "SEE THE CROSS!" That’s not hard to do. Look up to the front chancel wall over the altar. You can see a large cross there. It goes back to 1979 when this church building was dedicated. You can see a small cross on the altar, a gold cross with Jesus pictured on it. That, with the candles, goes back to our old church on Forest Home and Mitchell. I know that was there in the 1950s already, and it could well go back many years before that. We can see crosses elsewhere in our church, like on the front banners, or in our school, and in our homes.
So it is easy to see a cross. But is it really seen? Or is its meaning a secret? Let’s look at today’s sermon theme about the cross.
IT’S NO SECRET!
I BUT FIRST WE ASK: IS IT A SECRET?
1. A cross itself is not a secret.
a) You can often see a cross as a decoration on a wall or a piece
of furniture as referred to before, or as a piece of jewelry,
perhaps on a suit lapel or on a woman’s necklace.
b) But it was not always seen as good. Historically it was seen
as a torture instrument on which people died agonizing deaths.
2. But the cross’s real meaning is a secret.
a) How many looking up at Jesus on the cross saw its real
meaning, understood what was taking place there?
b) Scripture’s answer in 1 Corinthians 1:18 is: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." And in
the next chapter it says the rulers did not understand, "for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
3. And it is a secret to us too.
a) These words from 1 Corinthians 2 apply also to us: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
b) Our little human minds would never come up with God’s plan
involving a cross to save a lost world.
c) So is the cross a secret, a mystery? Yes. But also No.
II IT’S NO SECRET! LISTEN TO OT SCRIPTURE.
1. Scripture starts with the record of the beginning.
a) In the beginning there was no need for a cross, no need for
a saving sacrifice on a cross.
b) When God completed His creating work, including mankind,
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." No need!
2. But that beginning did not stay good.
a) After God’s creation of a perfect world that included perfect
angels to carry out His will, there was a rebellion among the
angels, and sin entered the world under the leadership of a
fallen angel whom we know as the devil or Satan.
b) Then in the Garden of Eden he came to Eve and Adam and
tempted and persuaded them to join him and his crew in sin.
3. At that point God revealed what was secret.
a) He immediately revealed and promised that someone would
come, born of a woman, who would defeat the devil and be
the answer to our problem of sin.
b) And as the years went by God revealed more and more details
about this Savior: a virgin woman would be the mother; the
child would be born in Bethlehem; He would fulfill the
message of the many OT sacrifices showing that the blood of a
spotless death was needed to atone for sins; He would bear the
iniquity of all; His altar of death would be a tree, a cross; He
would be victorious; He would be our forgiveness, our Savior.
c) Yes, from the beginning the secret was revealed.
III IT’S NO SECRET! LISTEN TO JESUS.
1. Jesus had spoken openly. (19-20)
Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret."
a) For three years Jesus spoke publicly about why He had come
and who He was: that He was the Way and the Truth and the
Life; that He would die and that He would arise from the dead
victorious; and He proved His authority by many miracles.
b) He did that all around the country, out in the open, in their
synagogue meeting places, in the temple in Jerusalem.
2. Large crowds, many people heard Him. (20b-21)
"I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
a) We might think of crowds of over 4,000 and over 5,000 who
were fed by Jesus not only with food but with His message.
b) And those who arranged His arrest, here maneuvering Him
to death on a cross, they certainly had heard Him.
3. And surely Jesus is heard today.
a) Many may not believe in who He is and what He did.
b) That’s no different from Jesus’ time.
c) But not hear about Him? That’s not too likely.
IV IT’S NO SECRET! LISTEN TO NT SCRIPTURE.
1. The Gospels and Acts give the history.
a) The details are there, connecting the promises of the Old
Testament with the fulfillment of the New, connecting a Savior
promised with God’s Son come to be that Savior.
b) The Acts of the Apostles shows how sharing that message
began, starting from Jerusalem and spreading far and wide.
2. The Epistles, letters, show the revealed secret going out.
a) Paul had said, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
Then he went on to say about this secret, "But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit."
b) That revealed secret Paul spread far and wide in his travels.
3. And listen to the last book of the Bible.
a) It begins with the words, "The revelation of Jesus Christ."
b) It pictures for us the wonderfulness of what God has waiting
for us, and ends with Jesus saying, "Yes, I am coming soon."
c) And His Church responds, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
V IT’S NO SECRET! BUT IT IS REJECTED.
1. There is the rejection of denial on either side of our text.
a) Three times Peter rejected Jesus by denying he knew Jesus.
b) Our text is sandwiched between the first and the last two.
2. Here too we see Jesus and the truth rejected.(22-24)
When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
a) I like Jesus’ response here. He did nothing to stop what He
knew had to take place. But I like how He spoke up here.
b) The response of Annas? Keep on pushing Jesus to the cross.
3. Rejection continues to this day.
a) Jesus may be very acceptable as a teacher or an example.
b) Or He is acceptable as one way of many to reach heaven.
c) But the truth that He is God’s only Way, that is rejected.
VI IT’S NO SECRET! BELIEVE AND REJOICE.
1. The world will call the cross foolishness. (1 Cor. 1:20ff.)
a) By itself the world can’t figure it out. Scripture says, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"
b) Then Scripture goes on to say, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."
2. Yes, Christ the crucified is God’s wisdom revealed.
a) There, on the cross, God placed on His innocent Son all of
our sins, made Him pay the wages of our sins.
b) Yes, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
3. In this we rejoice. (1 Cor. 1:30)
a) At the crucifixion Jesus’ enemies rejoiced.
b) But you would not want to be in their shoes now.
c) May we rejoice and join the Apostle Paul in saying, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
VII IT’S NO SECRET! KEEP IT AND SHARE IT.
1. It’s a revealed secret to keep.
a) It has been revealed to us.
b) Don’t let go of it. Be faithful. Glory in the cross of Christ!
2. It’s a revealed secret to share.
a) You may not want to share a cross necklace with others.
b) But please, use opportunities to share Jesus’ cross, its real
meaning, why He was crucified and what that means.
3. It’s a revealed secret that means life.
a) Today, February 29, is called Leap Day. Calendar makers
many years ago added that day every 4th year with some
exceptions.
b) God from eternity planned to give us not just an occasional
extra day, but to give us eternal days in glory.
c) SEE THE CROSS of Christ. IT’S NO SECRET! There
see God’s answer to sin. There see God’s love for you. There
see your Savior and eternal life!

February 12th, 2012 Martin Luther College Wind Symphony

ASH WEDNESDAY

February 22, 2012

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 18:4-11

SURPRISING WORDS FROM OUR SAVIOR’S PASSION

“PUT YOUR SWORD AWAY!”

1. Because Jesus must go to the cross.

2. Because we must too!

John 18:4-11 (NIV 1984) “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” ⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” ¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) ¹¹ Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

The cross is central. It is the central message of the Bible. It is the central focus of our church architecture. God’s word and the building are designed to keep our eyes on Jesus’ cross. It’s no surprise that our Lenten series this year strives to do the same. The Wednesdays of Lent have been traditionally used in the Christian Church to follow the Passion History of Jesus—to see His cross. This year we do that by looking at some surprising sayings of Jesus. Now it is not unusual to hear someone say something surprising, is it? For instance once when walking downstairs by our preschoolers one of them said, “Um, pastor, um, where’s your dress?” That’s surprising. I’m not sure where that was coming from. Or take this one. Whenever the pastor who supervised me for my vicar year visits our congregation he says, “Well, you’re looking good. Although there seems to be more of you.” That’s surprising. I don’t know why he would say that. I’m worried about his eyesight. Jesus’ surprising sayings have to do with our salvation. Our one for today is, “Put your sword away!” Why would Jesus say that?

We join Jesus and the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas had left them in the Upper Room to get the chief priests and their soldiers in accordance with his betrayal agreement. Jesus took the other disciples up the Mount of Olives to the Garden. He had prayed fervently to His Father. Now it was time for the next step. Notice what John tells us. “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him.” Jesus knows! How could He not? He is the Son of God. He knows and He goes anyway. But there’s more. Look at what happens.

Picture it, if you can. There is Jesus with the 11 disciples following behind. They meet Judas leading some of the chief priests and a detachment of soldiers. They have torches, lanterns, weapons. If you are one of the disciples watching you are thinking. What is this? What is Judas doing with them? What’s going on here?

Jesus asks a question. “Who is it you want?” ⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” You know what was going on there, right? Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples and His arresters that soldiers and weapons could not force Him to do anything. Jesus would go by His choice. Jesus asked again, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” Again Jesus shows His love. He’s more concerned about what would happen to the disciples then to him.

That’s when it happened. Peter stepped forward. “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) His Lord, His Master needed help. Peter stepped forward to defend Him. And then Jesus said it, “Put your sword away!” Why? Peter was standing up for Jesus. That’s what we are supposed to do. Peter was zealous for the safety of Jesus. What’s wrong with that? At this point, everything. Jesus needed to go to the cross. He knew that. He said, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” The cross was the Father’s plan, not the chief priests’, not Pilate’s, not Satan’s. God’s plan. Only on the cross could God punish sin without punishing us. Only through the cross could sinners be freed from their slavery and could death be made the path to heaven. Jesus said “Put your sword away!” because He needed to go to the cross.

We must go there too. Actually we have already been to the cross. Actually we have all already been on the cross. We were there with Jesus. He was there as our substitute. He did His job. No one kept Jesus from the cross. The Devil does try to keep us from focusing the cross. He likes to do that like He did with Peter, even using our good intentions. You saw how Peter got in trouble, right? He felt he had to help Jesus. Jesus couldn’t get by without Peter’s help. Wrong. Just as wrong when we do it. For every time we try we need to hear Jesus say, “Put your sword away.” For instance Jesus does tell us to live Godly lives and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables us to. But that doesn’t make us better than anyone else or more worthy of salvation. So when we are smugly feeling we are in some way better than other sinners or tempted to despise others we need to hear “Put your sword away.” Jesus does give us the privilege of being His witnesses. He does tell us to spread the word. But when our witnessing is met with rejection and we are tempted to rely on something other than the Gospel message of Jesus crucified to pay for sin, we need to hear, “Put your sword away.” And when we have sinned and in repentance hear Jesus announce forgiveness in His word, the Sacrament of through another believer we don’t need to mope around for several days to prove who sorry we are. Put your sword away. Jesus doesn’t need our help in paying for our sins either. You get to live the joy of salvation.

“Put your sword away!” was the surprising thing Jesus said to Peter who was simply trying to help Him. But Jesus doesn’t need Peter’s help or yours or mine. It’s a privilege to serve Him. Perhaps though there is one more surprising saying in this part of the Passion History. It’s surprising because of who said it. When the chief priests and detachment of soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He asked them, “Who is it you want?” Surprisingly they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Who is it you want? Who do you want ruling your life? Who do you want to serve? Who do you want with you every day? Whose approval do you desired the most? Today and every day let there be no surprise about our answer. Jesus of Nazareth! Amen.

TRANSFIGURATION

February 19/20, 2012

Seminary Student Nate Buchner

2 Cor. 4:3-6

WE BASK IN THE GLORY OF HIS LIGHT!

1. The god of this age tries to blind our hearts.

2. God makes His light shine in our hearts.

I’m not a huge fan of the darkness. As a kid, I even had a fear of it. I didn’t like that feeling where I couldn’t see. I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t know what was around the corner, that there may be something really bad next to me. I even remember when I was down in the basement at night, I would run up the stairs after turning off the lights so I didn’t have to be in the darkness for very long. In life though, there is a darkness that is actually worth being scared about. Actually, it’s downright terrifying. You see, without Christ, we are lost in the absolute darkness of sin. But God does not leave us alone. Thus, we bask in glory of his light. The god of this age tries to blind our hearts. But God makes his light shine in our hearts.

Corinth, the city to whom Paul wrote, had a problem. They lived in a culture which was saturated with logic. Because of this, they sometimes evaluated the Christian preachers, like Paul, based on their oratory skills. Earlier, Paul had written them a letter in which he addressed this issue. However, at the time of our letter, 2 Corinthians, many of the people still had not learned. Instead of following the teaching of Paul, who in reality taught in Jesus’ name, some were tempted to follow men called the “Super Apostles.”

These “Super Apostles” didn’t put the truth forth plainly, but used deception and trickery to make their points. They then began to judge Paul because he didn’t use tremendous logic to get his points across. For, in the verse before our lesson, Paul says, “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” This type of attitude did not mesh with the teaching of those “Super Apostles.” They chose to add to the gospel, while Paul spoke the truth plainly.

At this point the Corinthians may have been wondering, “Paul, this setting forth the truth plainly doesn’t always seem to work! There are still a lot of people who don’t ‘get it.’” You yourselves may even be asking this question. Well, Paul then answers this question for them and for you in the next few verses. In verse 3 he says, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.” This is quite a powerful statement made by Paul. He is reassuring the Corinthians that it is not because of his or the other Christian leaders’ preaching that the gospel is veiled.

He then further answers the question why it seems that the gospel doesn’t seem to work in verse 4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” What Paul tells us here is that the gospel is always powerful, and it does work. The problem does not lie within the gospel, but instead is found within the god of this age.

So then, who is the god of this age? Satan is this god. In another part of Scripture, Jesus had referred to the devil as the prince of the world. Here, however, Paul chooses god. Both the name “prince” and “god” are associated with someone powerful. But, the name “god” is even more powerful. Also, when you think of a god, it is something or someone which people follow. These are the reasons why Paul calls Satan “The god of this age.”

Secondly, Satan understands that he can’t change the fact that Jesus died to win salvation. Thus, he has to revert to “Plan B.” This is when Satan blinds men so that they can’t see the light of the gospel. And, sadly, Paul tells us that when people are blinded, they are perishing. Now, this blinding tricks people into thinking that the gospel is not sufficient enough to save us. This blinding can also deceive some into thinking the gospel is downright worthless.

For a moment, just take a look at the Gospel of our God. Think about it; what sane person wouldn’t think something more is needed? Think about how illogical the object of our faith seems to be. We believe in a God who became man. A man who lived 2000 years ago in a Roman providence in the Middle East, who came to this earth to teach us and to save us. What he said was that we can do nothing for our salvation, a teaching which goes completely against our culture where we must work in order to earn. On top of this all, since this man died, I can put my trust in him in order to get away from a bad place after life. And instead of going to this bad place, I will go to a different place where nothing bad happens? Finally, when you think about it, we have to admit that we can’t understand the logic in God’s plan. But when people try and find that logic, they begin to doubt and think that something else is needed, or they won’t even trust in God’s message at all.

Although Satan blinds unbelievers, he also attempts to blind the hearts of believers once again. He knows what both we and Paul preach, which is Christ crucified. For this reason, he tries to get our focus off of Christ and onto something else. The god of this world tempts us to try and harmonize God’s plan with our human reason. And since he can’t blind the Christ, he is forced to try and re-blind us. He asks us that nagging question, “Do you really want to believe in Christ for salvation? Shouldn’t you be doing something for your salvation?” Instead of basking in the glory of God’s light, the god of this age wants to make sure he has blinded our hearts.

However, although Satan wishes to blind us, God is working also. Thus we bask in the light that God causes to shine in our hearts. And this would not happen if God would not lead some men to say, 'For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Can you imagine what Satan would do if we would begin to preach ourselves instead of Christ? Whenever preaching begins to focus on something else, the devil can jump in to attack. If the power didn’t come through the word of Christ and rather depended on those who speak to you, we’d all be in big time trouble. Satan can’t stand up to Christ, but he can sure go toe-to-toe with us. We are simply jars of clay, but yet, God has given us his precious message of his glorious light.

But God doesn’t stop there; he doesn’t just tell us what not to preach. But he himself, makes his light shine in our hearts. Paul makes this conclusion when he says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Think back to Genesis chapter one and what God says about the beginning of time. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.” Picture that. Absolute darkness. Absolute nothingness. And then, God spoke, “Let there be light. God’s voice roared out…and there was light. He, in his power, took the darkness, and he filled it with his light.

Again, imagine that utter darkness. That’s what kind of state we were in before God filled our hearts with light. And when God did this, he created light in our hearts. A light which allows us to see the glory of God. We know that although we are sinful, God chose his Son to save us. We deserved nothing, but God gave us everything. He gave, “us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” So, yes, now we have light. A light which is our Christ, the image of God. Our Christ, who showed a glimpse of his glorious light on the mountain of his Transfiguration, who laid waste to the power of Satan when he died for your and my sins on Calvary, and who showed his complete strength by dominating death and rising from the grave. And now, since God has opened our eyes with his light, we see that we are just jars of clay, that nothing special lies within us. Rather, we acknowledge the fact that our power lies in the crucified and risen Lord.

In the past, we were blinded with darkness. But, God worked in our hearts and gave us the knowledge of Christ, so that now we have his light and can see. However, this does not mean that we are on our own by any means. God continues to work within our hearts. Just as the god of this age constantly is trying to blind our hearts, so our God continually brings light into our hearts. Satan still tempts us to doubt God’s plan of salvation. But yet, every time that we hear the gospel of Christ, or partake in his sacraments, we can be sure that God is within us, strengthening the light of the knowledge of his glory. You see, in baptism Christ marked us as his own. Every day we can wake up and be reminded of Christ’s light just by thinking of our baptism. In his Holy Supper, we get to taste and see the light of Christ’s salvation. We get to partake in the body and blood of our Lord, a showing of the forgiveness of our sins. And finally, in his word, we can hear of how Christ won for us our light by dying on the cross for our sins. So then, when Satan comes around to tempt you, realize that you are not alone. He will try and veil the gospel and blind you, but God will be there also. And God will continue to let his light shine in your lives.

Without Christ in our lives, we would still be lost in our blindness, and the god of this age would love for nothing better for this to be the case. However, it is not. God has made his light shine in our hearts. He has given us the light of his Son, who has saved us from the darkness of our sins. But, this does not mean that the devil will stop from trying to re-blind us. At times like this, we see the strength of our God. We see our God who protects us to this very day and continues to give us his light, who is none other than our Christ. Our Christ, who vanquished the foe by his death, so that we may have the light of life. Therefore, we bask in the glory of his light.