Sunday, March 28, 2010

Palm Sunday Sermon-Luke 19:22-40

March 28, 2010
Luke 19:28-40
Pastor Waldschmidt
Blessed Is The King
I. Peace In Heaven. II. Glory In The Highest.

In the name of Jesus, our King, dear fellow redeemed Children of God;
When the Carthaginian General Hannibal attacked the Roman Empire, he used elephants as one of his weapons. This was pretty amazing because he attacked from the north of Italy through the Alps. I know that he didn’t have snow tires on the elephants and I’m not sure about any really big elephant sweaters. Still, he brought the elephants through the snow covered mountains. When it came time to cross one of the wide rivers, he build large rafts and covered the rafts with dirt so that the elephants would think they were still on the ground. Can you imagine the surprise when Hannibal’s army entered the cities of Italy with elephants? Today in God’s Word we see a king come riding into the city of Jerusalem riding on a surprising animal. It wasn’t a huge elephant or a fierce lion. Our King Jesus came into Jerusalem to do battle with sin and Satan to win our freedom riding on a little colt, the foal of a donkey. The sight in Scripture leads us to say with the disciples and children along the road, “Blessed Is The King.” I. Peace In Heaven and II. Glory In The Highest.
Remember what the angels sang on the night Jesus was born? They sang "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." So we heard about peace on earth and glory to Go when the rescue mission began and now peace in heaven and glory to God on Palm Sunday as that rescue mission neared the finish line. The Lord used Luke to record both those songs and it’s almost like he put book ends on each side of the mission. Today we look at the Palm Sunday book end of peace in heaven and glory to God. As we begin we see Jesus looking very much like a man but yet it is clear He came from heaven. “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
Have you ever had the experience of having someone send you to look for something, telling you exactly where it is, but then when you got there, it wasn’t right there where they said and so you have to look all over for it? Notice that this is not what happens here. 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34They replied, "The Lord needs it." The donkey and the colt are tied right there where Jesus said they would be. Jesus who brought peace made it clear that He came from heaven.
The peace in heaven was broken long ago when some of the angels God had created good rebelled against him. One gets the feeling it this is a sore subject with God because He doesn’t tell us many of the details, but God does say, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.” The devil and his followers were tossed out of heaven. Since that war in heaven, Satan tried to get back at God by sneaking into the garden and tempting Adam and Eve to sin. They foolishly listened. So sin and death tumbled into the world.
Some might listen to those verses and think that it’s all just some kind of medieval fairy tale. But you still feel the effects of what happened back there every day. When confronted about something we have done wrong, the very first words to leap to our lips are words of denial and blame. Terrible thoughts jump into our minds and hearts. Martin Luther said that we can find more sin in ourselves than in any other person because we are with ourselves everyday. We know that sin washes down into our lives. That sin does not sit well with God. One day we are going to die and stand before the Holy One enthroned in heaven. If we stand in heaven in God’s presence with our sins, there would be no peace for us in heaven, because of the burning sting of God’s justice.
But the One enthroned in heaven decided to send a substitute. He Himself would come and pay the penalty. Since the Exodus from Egypt that coming substitute was pictured as a Lamb whose blood would save the people. Now as the people of Jerusalem get ready to celebrate that Passover, God works it out that the real substitute comes into the city. This King came in the name of the Lord. Everything is happening according to God’s plan. Matthew brings that out. “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “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.”
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.” There were no limousine caravans bringing Jesus into the city on that first Palm Sunday. Though legions of angels were at his beckon call, a donkey was chosen to carry Jesus into Jerusalem for the rescue mission for all of mankind. “As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! The crowd shouted, “Peace in Heaven!" As the prophets had said would happen, Jesus the mighty King- God from all eternity, came riding into Jerusalem, not in a sleek chariot but on a lowly donkey. The other Gospels tell us that the people shouted Hosanna. Hosanna is a Hebrew prayer which asks the Lord to “save us.” It was also used as a way of praising God for being the Savior of his people-for bringing peace in heaven and earth. The people who carpeted the road with palm branches and coats were honoring Jesus as the promised Savior. They welcomed Jesus the Great King who brings peace.
Blessed is the king who brings peace for us in heaven. Whether our death comes today or next year or 50 years from now we don’t have to worry. This king has brought peace in heaven for us. When our last hour is close at hand we can cry out to the King with the people on the fist Palm Sunday, Hosanna, O Lord Save us!” Jesus calmly whispers in his word, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Blessed is the King! He brings peace in heaven for us.
The crowd shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Usually when we think of kings, we think of people who are so used to glory that they lose track of the people they serve-people who eat the finest of fair while their people starve to death. What a different attitude we see in our Lord Jesus who “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking upon himself the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death- even death on a cross.” Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” His glory really is the highest glory.
The Pharisees were sure Jesus was taking too much glory for himself. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Jesus knew that suffering and a shameful death on a cross were waiting for him in Jerusalem. In true humility, the master of all became the servant of all by dying on the cross for the sins of all people. What Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem was so great that if the people had kept quiet on that first Palm Sunday the stones would have cried out! Blessed is the King Jesus. While He deserves the greatest glory as King of heaven and earth takes time to listen to our prayers. He truly cares about how things are going in our lives. He left His throne to suffer and die for us. He’s preparing a place for us right now in heaven. We are blessed because of our blessed King!
Hannibal’s attack against the Romans didn’t go so great. Many of his troops and most of his elephants died. King Jesus achieved His mission. He rescued you and me. Come this week and hear again about that rescue mission. On the pages of God’s Word let’s see the Lamb lay down His life. Let’s run again to the empty tomb and say again “Blessed is the King!” Amen.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

March 24, 2010 sermon on Mark 15:16-20 by Pastor Paul Eckert

March 24, 2010, 6th Wednesday Lenten Service
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Mark 15:16-20
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.


Not too long ago waterboarding was in the news quite often. I have seen drawings of what apparently took place and reports about waterboarded people after the procedure was finished. No doubt being waterboarded was by no means fun. But in what I have seen I noticed no evidence of bruise marks or cuts or crippling or other visible physical results that waterboarding would have caused, nor have I heard of anyone being killed by this.
I need to leave up to the government some decisions as to what is proper and legal in order to protect people. I respect and am glad for the government’s responsibility of protecting its people. I as a citizen would be happy if information could be obtained so that our country could be spared from a 9-11 tragedy or other such horror. Again, I’ll have to leave decisions in this area up to people who have facts I don’t have and who have the responsibility to deal with them.
But now let’s move on to what can surely be spoken of as horrible physical abuse that led to visible scarring and to death, a horrible abuse that had to do not with saving maybe up to 3000 lives as on 9-11, but with saving a whole world full of lives. That brings us to today’s sixth and last portrait of our Wednesday Lenten services. What we see is
A PORTRAIT OF OUR SAVIOR
SUFFERING HORRIBLE ABUSE
I WHO WAS ABUSED? (16a,18,20b)
1. It was a man named Jesus (16a)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace ---.
a) He had grown up and looked like any other human being
b) we in faith know He was also more, the Son of God
2. It was someone charged as a criminal (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) crucifixion was not for minor infractions
b) this form of execution was carried out by Roman officials
and was reserved for the category of major crime
3. It was someone mocked as a king (18)
And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" a) this was a charge picked up by the soldiers who had heard
the people bring this accusation against Jesus to Pontius Pilate
b) it makes you wonder: what if Pilate would have listened to Jesus when He said, "My kingdom is not of this world";
what if he would have researched this and found out that Jesus
was foretold as a descendant of David who would have an
eternal reign, not an earthly reign that threatened the Roman
Caesar?
4. Was what was happening valid?
a) any human court should have thrown this out
b) but is there another court that was involved?
c) before going on with that thought, let’s go from "who was
abused?" to "who did the abusing?"
II WHO DID THE ABUSING? (16-20)
1. At this point it was the soldiers (16-20)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) look at this scene; it clearly shows uncalled-for brutality
b) can you imagine what our evening news would do with this?
2. Before this it was the people
a) it had reached mob mentality dimensions, even total
unreasonableness in releasing Barabbas, a known criminal
b) and who was behind this? the real instigators were the
church leaders, religious people who should have been
proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah, not rejecting Him
3. It still is the world
a) yes, Jesus seems to be popular to many as a teacher, a model
b) but speak of Him as the only Savior and hope for heaven,
then slaps of rejection are clear: "How can you say that?!"
4. But was there more behind this?
a) we believe in God almighty
b) if He is in charge of all things - and we believe that He is
c) then could God Himself somehow be involved in all of this?
III WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED? (17-19,20b)
1. A quick answer is the crucifixion (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) this was horrible physical abuse
b) while that is a fact, the Bible really downplays the physical
side of this, in contrast to the portrayal in "The Passion Of The
Christ," a 2004 movie by Mel Gibson many may remember
2. What really was accomplished was fulfillment
a) fulfillment of Scripture prophecy that said the Savior would
be pierced, no bone broken, forsaken because of our sins
(here was the real torture for Jesus), would die on a tree
b) fulfillment of a sacrifice, like the Passover lamb, that would
spare from death those who looked to the Lamb in faith
3. Here God’s love shone brightly
a) prophecy said, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
b) on Jesus our iniquities were placed; for us He was forsaken
and suffered the hell we deserved; for us He said His mission
to save us was finished, completed, fulfilled, done
4. And our salvation was accomplished (17-19)
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) Jesus was robed in mockery and abused and mocked as a king b) now He has robed us with His righteousness
c) now we sinners can stand before God and know that because
of what His Son accomplished "Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
IV WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE? (19b-20 )
1. The soldiers mocked and abused and crucified (19b-20)
Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) ignorance and "just doing my job" no doubt involved here
b) do you sometimes wonder what a later response was after
they heard Jesus pray for them and say, "Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing"?
2. Is our response always what it should be?
a) do we who have been forgiven really show love because God
first loved us, loved us so much that He gave His Son for us?
b) or do we abuse our Savior by slapping Him in the face with
some language we use, with some of our behavior and actions;
do we abuse Him by neglecting His invitations to His special
meal, the Lord’s Supper, and by not making time to worship
Him; do we abuse Him by hearing Him say He wants children
brought to Him, but then we don’t train them in regular church
attendance because sports and entertainment and other
activities are put first?
3. Let our response be thanks for what has happened
a) thanks to God for planning our salvation
b) thanks to His son for being stricken, smitten, afflicted and
horribly abused for us
4. And let our response be sincere worship (l9b)
Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) the worship of the soldiers here was mockery and abuse
b) may ours never be that, never be outward only
c) instead may we worship in spirit, in truth, and in sincere
joy because Jesus willingly suffered horrible abuse so that
we might experience fullness of joy in glory in

Monday, March 22, 2010

LENT 5
March 21/22, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Philippians 3:7-14

“IT’S SPRINGTIME IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!”
1. Time for Spring Cleaning.
2. Time for Spring Training.

Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV) “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Happy Spring everyone! In case you missed it Spring officially began Saturday at 12:32 PM. Really, it’s spring! Oh come on, we were seeing the signs. Remember the sun and warmth? We were seeing new growth. The daffodils peeking up. Buds are on some trees. There are other signs. Spring Training has begun. For baseball fans spring training brings excitement and anticipation. No matter what happened last year, it’s a new season. Everyone starts out 0-0. Spring cleaning has also begun. For some it’s a necessary evil, for others a chance for a fresh start to get rid of all the clutter that accumulated when it was too cold to do anything about it.
Brothers and sisters it’s also springtime in the Kingdom of God. By God’s grace through faith in Jesus, we are members of the Kingdom of God. We never want to sit on our hands in complacency with our spiritual lives. There too we look for new growth. The Word of God before us challenges us to examine our spiritual lives and as we do that we can see it’s time for Spring Cleaning.
Have you ever noticed in your homes how easy it is for clutter to gather? It’s an aspect of the Second Law of Thermodynamics that everything in the universe goes from a state of order to disorder with no energy put in. More than once Chris has remarked how the kitchen counter is a clutter magnet. No sooner does she have that counter cleared off than someone’s placed something on it. Those girls of mine! You know our spiritual lives, our relationship with the Lord Jesus goes the same way. If no energy from the Holy Spirit goes in that relationship gets filled with clutter.
Paul talked about the way it used to be with himself when he said, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Paul talks of things that he used to consider profit in his relationship with God. If you look in your Bibles at the verses right before our text you’ll find what he meant. He talked about the time before he knew Jesus as Savior when he thought his right standing with God was determined by what he did. So he worked very hard to follow the Old Testament laws. He became the best Pharisee he could be. He persecuted those who followed Jesus because he thought that would make God happy. He basically was saying, “Look at me God. Look at me. Look at all I am doing for you. This should make you happy with me.” But then God took a hold of Paul. The Holy Spirit converted Paul to faith in Jesus. He understood his own righteous acts weren’t good enough. He understood that only Jesus’ righteousness would do and he that through faith in Jesus. So he did some Spring cleaning. He took out the trash. He looked at all those things he did and considered them rubbish. Worthless. Only Jesus mattered.
Is it time for Spring Cleaning in your relationship with Jesus? If you are new to faith in Jesus you can probably relate to Paul. Before you knew of free forgiveness and righteousness from Christ you probably thought your efforts to do good got you right with God too. If you’ve been in the faith a long time some clutter might have gathered on your faith counter. Think about this. How would you answer this question? Why do you think you will go to heaven? Did thoughts of, “I go to church. I try to do what’s right. I’m a member of a church,” flit through your mind? It’s time for Spring Cleaning! While all those things are good and right ways for someone who is righteous through faith in Christ to act, they don’t make you righteous. Only Jesus does! Time for Spring Cleaning. Take out the trash of your deeds and let only Jesus rest on your faith counter. He’s a beautiful centerpiece because He gives you 100% confidence you are righteous in the eyes of God. All sins forgiven and you can count on your Heavenly Father to help with every need. It’s Springtime in God’s Kingdom! It’s time for Spring Cleaning.
It’s also time for Spring Training. For those who are not so interested in baseball Spring Training can be a little confusing. You have your Cactus League and your Grapefruit League. The seemingly meaningless games are played away from the fan bases. Why do they do that? It’s training time. It’s time to get ready for the big games of the regular season.
The Apostle Paul urges us to do that kind of spiritual training as he explains his own training plan. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Did you notice how Paul’s training plan involved diet and exercise? Energy needs to come in. Paul put it this way, “I want to know Christ.” Brothers and sisters is there any doubt about what Paul’s passion is? It’s Christ. It’s Jesus. It’s a desire to know Jesus, follow Jesus, be like Jesus, suffer for Jesus. That was his diet—to take in as much Jesus as he possibly could. And then to exercise his faith in Jesus by pressing on to heaven. The Holy Spirit enabled Paul to see life the way it really is for all who believe, it’s a journey, a race to heaven. So you live that way and you talk that way and your goals are that way. You forget what’s behind. Who cares that Paul used to be a persecutor, that he was all mixed up in his way to be right with God? Each day every day his sins were no longer in the rear view mirror. They were forgotten because of Jesus, Paul’s passion.
What’s your passion? If it’s not Jesus it’s time for Spring training. Check your diet. Do you want to know Christ? What are you doing about it? Would you really be content to eat just once a week? I don’t think so! What are your goals? How are you running that race to heaven? Do you forget what is behind or are you letting your past control you, define who you are? What do you live for? Is it to see Jesus at the finish line of heaven and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Or is it just money that makes you tick? It’s time for spring training where we check our focus, reset our goals if need be and then press on toward that goal of an eternity living with Jesus. It’s Springtime in the Kingdom of God so it’s time for Spring Training.
I saw an interesting article recently about baseball’s spring training. Apparently some player is giving the inside scoop as the MLB Insider. In the article I read he pointed out that for some baseball players spring training is kind of a joke and a chance to party. But, the insider said, “You can tell the real pros though. They are in training all the time.” Now whether it feels like it or not it is Springtime in this part of God’s kingdom. And if the Lord wills the world to continue seasons will come and seasons will go. Wouldn’t it be great if the insiders and outsiders could look at us and say, “They are the real pros. They’re in training all the time.” Amen.

Midweek Lenten Service 3-17-2010

Mark 14:43-52
Pastor Waldschmidt

Portrait of the Savior-Submitting To Arrest
I. An Arrest By A Mob.
II. An Arrest Arranged By A Friend.
III. An Arrest That Left Him Alone.
In the name of Jesus, our Savior, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
Have you ever glanced at the face of someone who has been pulled over by the police? To say the least their face is usually downcast. You see very few people who are smiling in that situation. Or think of the mug shots we see on the TV news of those who have been arrested. IT usually is not a great hair day. It would seem to be one of life’s most embarrassing moments for most people. So, in our sin twisted society, what do we decide to do with these moments that are so painful for people? We make a TV show out of it. “Bad boys, bad boys whatch you gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” Tonight in the portrait of the Savior Scripture paints for us we see an arrest- the arrest of the complete innocent one, Jesus. As we look at what He did when they came for Him, we see a picture of love and sacrifice as Jesus submits to arrest. I. An Arrest By A Mob. II. An Arrest Arranged By A Friend. III. An Arrest That Left Him Alone.
Normally when a person is going to be arrested the police do not send out an invitation or a time and date for their arrival. But Jesus knew when Judas and the mob would be there. In the verse just before our text Jesus is talking with His disciples and He says, “The hour has come! Look the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hand of sinners. Rise! Let us go. Here comes my betrayer.”
The Garden of Gethsemane was quiet enough that night that Peter, James and John could fall asleep several times as Jesus was praying a little distance away. Now that quiet is broken by the sound of soldiers’ boots, the clanking of swords and angry shouts as the mob approaches Jesus. “Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.” Jesus enemies had seen him slip through their clutches several times before and so they thought that they should be extra sure that he wasn’t getting away this time. This time they sent soldiers along with some representatives of the religious leaders. Like a snowball it seems this mob picked up people along the way because some of them are armed with clubs rather than with swords.
Jesus even asked them, “Am I leading a rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Amid the chaos here was a reminder that these things were happening in accordance with God’s careful plan to sacrifice the Savior which he talked about in the Scriptures.
Peter saw himself as the defender of the Lord and pulled out his sword. “Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” In the midst of all of the hate and chaos, what does Jesus do? He doesn’t stomp on Malchus’ ear. Instead he tells Peter to put his sword away and gently touches the man’s ear and heals it with a miracle.
How well do we react to chaos or opposition? Do we lose our temper? Do we lash out with our tongues chopping off someone’s ears with sharp words? How often don’t we say and do things brashly and end up looking foolish. Sometimes we act that way when we are threatened and sometimes we act that way when everything is calm around us. How we react in those situations shows us indicate how badly we need a Savior. We have a Savior who submitted himself to arrest by this scary mob.
This was an arrest arranged by a friend. It seems a little strange for us to call Judas, “Jesus’ enemy.” Though by betraying Jesus, Judas made himself an enemy of Jesus, still Jesus thought of Judas as a friend. Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus doesn’t call Judas a “rotten snake” or a “no good so and so.” Instead Jesus says, “Friend, do what you came for.” There is a Psalm that prophecies, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” So what happened to bring Judas from being a close friend of Jesus to being the betrayer of Jesus and to the events of that Good Friday morning? There we hear, “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse...” What happened? Sin happened! I’m not a big fan of bats. They say that bats can slip their way through even a tiny little hole in the attic. They just sort of work their way in. Satan too had sort of worked his way Judas and Jesus and little by little was able to convince Judas that money was more important than Jesus. He was able to convince Judas that having those 30 pieces of silver would bring more happiness, more comfort and more peace than Jesus could.
That brings us to the first thing we can learn from Judas. Sin never delivers on what it promises. It offers everything but delivers nothing but disappointment and death. Think of the Garden of Eden. The devil said that sinning against God offered the opportunity to be like God but sinning against God brought only separation from God. Think of getting drunk. The devil says that it offers relief from the problems of this world. But what it delivers is a hangover and a whole host of physically and spiritually deadly consequences. Think of sex outside of marriage. Satan says that sex outside of marriage offers fun and happiness but it delivers only shame and guilt and again a whole bunch of awful consequences. If Satan is dangling a sin in front of you in your life right now, promising all kinds of happiness and fun, beware! Satan is betraying you.
The Bible says that when Jesus saw that Jesus was condemned he was seized with remorse. The procession now begins to form around Jesus the condemned man and the chief priests and elders march off to Pontius Pilate’s house. You see legally they needed the approval of the Romans to carry out the death sentence and the religious leaders of Jesus days would be all too eager to pin the guilt for Jesus’ death on someone else. Judas now sees what his actions did. Jesus was condemned to die.
When we hear the name Judas, we think of Betrayal. Perhaps we might say that the easiest lesson we can learn from Judas is “Don’t betray your friends.” Yet haven’t there been times when we have betrayed someone who has trusted us? Maybe there have been times when things that someone told us in confidence burned a hole in our lips and we passed on that secret. Maybe there have been times when we have only pretended to be a friend. I’m sure that there have been times when we have not acted very much like a friend to our friends much less treating our enemies with love like Jesus asks. Just before Leonardo da Vinci commenced work on his “Last Supper” he had a violent quarrel with a friend. Leonardo was so enraged and bitter that he decided to paint the face of his friend as the face of Judas,getting his revenge and venting his spleen. The face of Judas was therefore one of the first that he finished, and everyone could easily recognize it as the face of the painter with whom he had quarreled. Then it came time to paint the face of Jesus, he had trouble doing that. Finally he came to the conclusion that the thing which was checking and frustrating him was the fact that he had painted his enemy into the face of Judas. He therefore painted out the face of Judas and commenced anew on the face of Jesus, and the result was the painting we are all so familiar with. Have we sent a confusing message as followers of Jesus but yet holding onto grudges and betraying friends because we were angry with them? Yes, I’m afraid that God could have painted my face and your face onto Judas in Leonardo’s painting because we’ve betrayed our friend Jesus many times.
Usually the producers of “Cops” are hoping that the person arrested will do something outrageous for the camera- something that they can show on the commercials to get everyone’s attention. Jesus did something amazing-something extraordinary. It wasn’t recorded on film. It was recorded in God’s Word. In His great love., Jesus submitted to arrest. That arrest lead to his death on a cross because of his great love for you. Amen.

Monday, March 15, 2010

March 14/15 sermon on Isaiah 12 by Pastor Eckert

March 14/15, 2010 Lent 4
Sermon on Isaiah 12 by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Isaiah 12:1-6
1 In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
"SURELY IT IS GOD WHO SAVES ME" - PRAISE HIM:
I FOR TURNING HIS ANGER AWAY (1)
II FOR GIVING US SALVATION (1-2)
III FOR BEING OUR CONTINUING STRENGTH (2-3)
IV BY MAKING KNOWN WHAT HE HAS DONE (4-6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The second book of the Bible, Exodus, begins with these words in chapter 15: "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: ‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’"
Later in that same chapter we have the words, "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them." And then these words of promise, "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."
I hope your knowledge of Old Testament history tells you right away for what the people were praising God. It was for their deliverance from slavery in the land of Egypt, a deliverance that would lead not only to an earthly promised land, but in that land to the birth of the Savior, and through Him to heaven as our eternal promised land.
Today’s sermon text from Isaiah was written about 700 years later, about halfway between the time of the exodus from Egypt and the time of the birth of Jesus. It includes some words very much like Moses’ words and reminds us of our deliverance too, a deliverance for which we have every reason to praise our gracious God and say,
"SURELY IT IS GOD WHO SAVES ME" - PRAISE HIM:
I FOR TURNING HIS ANGER AWAY (1)
1. Let me start out with a jury case from this past December
a) on the basis of evidence a guilty charge was brought, and
sentencing in February was for years in prison with follow-up
b) that sentence was deserved and the person could do nothing
about it; the anger of justice could not be avoided
2. God has every reason to charge and sentence us
a) we are all sinful and sinners by nature
b) not a single person can say he is innocent, that his words and
thoughts and deeds meet God’s standard of being righteous;
whether sin by commission or omission, we all deserve the
wages of sin, a charge that brings a terrible sentence: hell
3. But God promises comfort instead (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) that comfort is that not a single charge stands against us
b) that means no judge is going to sentence us for our sins
4. Praise God (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) definitely God has every reason to be angry: we are sinners
b) but He has turned His anger away
c) now why and how could He do that? - praise Him!
II FOR GIVING US SALVATION (1-2)
1. Note that this is giving
a) Israel didn’t earn or work out its deliverance from Egypt
b) God’s power did it: He used 10 plagues, He parted the
Red Sea so they could escape, He destroyed the pursuing
Egyptian army ("The horse and its rider he has hurled into
the sea."), He provided for the often ungrateful people for 40
years in the desert, He led them into the promised land
2. This giving we celebrate for us too (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) "In that day" referred to God in His love keeping His
promise of deliverance, His love that preserved the nation of
Israel so that His promise of a Savior would be fulfilled b) we in Lent celebrate this deliverance too, celebrate the fact
that God sentenced His Son in our place, that God so loved the
world that He gave His Son, His Son who atoned for our sins
on the cross with an innocent sacrifice for us the guilty, His
Son who arose from the dead to prove His victory so that we
instead of perishing might have eternal life
3. This removes our fear (2a)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid."
a) trust in self? - that brings fear: have I done enough?
b) but instead of fear we have trust in our Savior who did
everything for us, who says, "Fear not, Peace be with you!"
4. Praise Him for giving us His salvation (2)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
a) let’s do that praising in song right now
b) please turn to Psalm 31 on page 77 in the hymnal
c) let us now bring our praise as Moses did, as Isaiah did
III FOR BEING OUR CONTINUING STRENGTH (2-3)
1. God’s Word is the source of that strength (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) how does God come to us? it is by His means of grace,
by His means of bringing His grace to us, by His Word as
it is read or heard or proclaimed, by His Word that comes
in the washing of Baptism and in the meal of the Lord’s Supper
b) thereby faith is given; thereby joy is given when we know that
our sins are forgiven and cannot be used to charge or condemn
us; thereby strength is given to live a Christian life
2. Do we neglect that source? (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) many don’t come to the well of God’s Word, for example
in our church services; many have time to draw from the
world’s well on TV for hours on end, but no time to open
their Bibles for the strengthening God’s Word gives
b) and some, instead of drawing water from the wells of salvation
with joy, maybe reluctantly go to church only because it’s a
custom, or because parents or teachers are pushing
3. Instead draw water with joy (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) at Jacob’s well one time Jesus talked with a Samaritan
woman who came for regular water and told her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
b) what joy was hers when she understood that Jesus truly was
living water, the source of true life; and what joy is ours!
4. Praise Him for His strengthening Word (2-3)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become
my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
a) regular drinking water satisfies for a while
b) living water from the wells of salvation has eternal value
c) praise God! - and now how also can we do that?
IV BY MAKING KNOWN WHAT HE HAS DONE (4-6)
1. The purpose of the exodus from Egypt was for all
a) it led to the birth of the Savior who was the glory of Israel
b) but that Savior also was for revelation to the Gentiles
2. So with us; we aren’t here just for us (4)
In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted."
a) it is easy to think of supporting ourselves here, maintaining our
church and having a school that we support for our children
b) but if we truly believe in God’s salvation and recognize others
need it as much as we do, then we want to share that with all
3. That means making it known (5)
"Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world."
a) the world starts here, but it does not end here
b) so work here and support here; but do that for others too
4. In this way praise God in all ways for His greatness (6)
"Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
a) in closing now, let’s do that praising in song again
b) please stand and turn to Psalm 73 on page 94 in the hymnal
c) let’s sing that together now, keeping in mind our Isaiah
sermon text and thinking especially of these words, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

MIDWEEK LENT 3
March 10, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 14:32-36

“PRAYING THE PERFECT PRAYER”

Mark 14:32-36 (NIV) “They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." 35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

“Help!” I’ve often thought of that as the perfect prayer to pray. Help! Think about it. It’s short. It’s to the point. It goes right to God which confesses trust in His ability to help. It does not try to tell Him what to do or how to help. It’s a good prayer. The word of God I just read to you painted a portrait of Jesus praying the perfect prayer. We know it’s perfect because it is prayed by the perfect Lord Jesus. As we look at this portrait of our Savior we’ll see that Jesus’ perfect prayer is a prayer that is about us. And it is a prayer that empowers us.
At first it might seem that Jesus’ prayer was not about us, but it is. We are told the details. After the Upper Room Jesus took His disciples up the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. He left most of the disciples in one place and took Peter, James and John with Him a little ways away. Then He left Peter, James and John and went further to pray. Perhaps you have seen the famous portrait of Jesus praying in the Garden. Perhaps you have one of the ceramic sculptures at home. Jesus at rock, praying, the sweat like drops of blood, praying the perfect prayer. Let’s look at the content though. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Jesus prays the perfect prayer. First, it’s directed to His heavenly father, the only true God. Secondly, it’s addressed within the framework of love. “Abba.” That’s not originally the name of a popular Swedish rock group. It’s Aramaic for “Father” and while “Daddy” probably isn’t the best English counterpart it is a term of endearment and makes us think of Luther’s explanation to the Lord’s Prayer where in the Address he reminds us to pray as dear children would pray to their dear father. Thirdly, it expresses confidence in the God’s power. “Everything is possible for you. There is no doubt here. He boldly prays for another way. Can we blame Him? He is true God Himself. He knows what’s coming. He will pay for the sins of the world. He can’t put it on a credit card. He must pay it Himself. Not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood and His innocent sufferings and death. He literally has Hell to pay. Hell is something we dread and we don’t even know bad it is.
That being said, listen to how He prays. “Yet not what I will, but what you will." See it’s a prayer about us. He does not demand what is best for Himself but submits Himself to His Father’s plans. He lives the adage, “Father knows best.” And it’s a prayer about us. He is willing for God’s answer to be in our best interest, not his. As we look at the portrait of our Savior praying the perfect prayer do you see His great love for you. Truly you are always on His mind. Remember that when the Lord allows a hardship or trial in your life and the Devil is tempting you to question Jesus’ love for you. In His hour of anguish He prays a prayer about us.
And He prays a prayer that empowers us. I have to confess I have some mixed feelings about the hymn verse we sang before this sermon began. “Go to dark Gethsemane all who feel the tempter’s power. Your Redeemer’s conflict see. Watch with Him one bitter hour. Turn not from His griefs away. Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.” My mixed feelings come from the fact that Jesus’ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane was not done first and foremost to teach us how to pray. Rather it is a portrait of our Savior’s love. It shows another aspect of the lengths He is willing to go to save us. At the same time you can’t help but be amazed at this perfect prayer.
It’s a prayer that empowers us to Christ-like trust in our own prayer lives. When you are a young man or woman and you have your heart set on a certain someone and you pray to the Lord to bless that relationship, make it work, it can be hard to say, “Nevertheless your will be done,” and mean it. When someone you love has a potentially life changing or life ending medical problem and you take that problem to the Lord in prayer it can be hard to pray, ”Your will be done,” and actually mean it. When you have no work and a job offer is pending and you are convinced that job is an answer to your prayer it can be hard and scary to pray to the Lord, “Your will be done.” If you have your heart set on a certain thing happening or getting something as small as a game to as big as a house it is challenging to take that to the Lord and add “Your will be done,” and mean it. Jesus’ perfect prayer empowers us to pray the same way by showing us we can trust the Lord, to place decisions in His hands and mean it. How did things work out for Jesus? Well He suffered physically at the hands of the chief priests and the Roman soldiers. He suffered Hell which wasn’t fun. He died. But then He rose again. And now God has given Him the name that is above every name and at His name every knee will bow. He is seated at the right hand of God with all authority and power and honor. That turned out pretty well for Him.
And it will turn out well for you too. Jesus’ prayer empowers us to trust our heavenly Father in all things. Even though submitting to God’s will might mean some suffering for a time we can count on the Father to make things right. Even though His answer to our prayers may not be what we were seeking or what we had our hearts set on, we too can pray, “Your will be done” and actually mean it. The Father does love us. He really does know best and when His answer appears to be a “No” like it appeared with Jesus it is actually the answer of “I have a better way.” Jesus’ perfect prayer empowers us.
Most artist’s depiction of Jesus’ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane have Him seated or kneeling with hands folded on a rock looking up to heaven. Actually in Matthew’s Gospel account we are told Jesus prayed with His face to the ground. All the Biblical accounts though show us a portrait of our Savior praying the perfect prayer. How thankful we are that it was a prayer about us. May His quiet trust also empower us. Amen.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Seminary Senior Ben Sadler
3rd Sunday of Lent
March 7,8, 2010
John 3:14-21

It pains him, but the father knows he must. He places his hands on his son’s arms, and he holds him tight. This son needs a spinal tap. The doctor circles around the table, pulling the long syringe from its sheath. Right before he pricks his patient, the young boy looks into his father’s eyes. The boy’s eyes are welling up with tears. And he says, “Why dad?! Why are you letting them prick me?!!!” The father knows his son doesn’t understand, but he whispers back, “It’s because I love you.” The doctor pricks his patient and the boy screams. “Why!” That scream reverberates all the way here, all the way to our hearts. And we echo his words to our Father in heaven, “Why do you let the evil prick me?!! Why does life have to hurt me Father?!” Our Heavenly Father knows that we don’t always understand, but he still whispers back through his Word, “Because I love you.”
God loves you. This isn’t a new teaching. God has always loved his people. Do you remember the first verse in our reading? Jesus mentions Moses and the Israelites who lived in the desert. God showed his love to them even 3000 years ago. I wish I had a time machine so that I could go back 3000 years ago to see all that the Lord did for Israel. To walk with Moses and God’s people. To see God parting the Red sea. To taste the daily manna, the bread that God gave them. To drink fresh water in the middle of the desert that came from that rock. When we think about how the Lord provided for hundreds of thousands up his people in the desert, we realized God’s love is not a new idea. God loves his people.
Yet, there are parts of Israel’s history that just plain sad. If you could go back and walk with the people of Israel you would see what the Bible says: “the people grew impatient on the way” You would hear the people say to Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There’s no bread! There’s no water! And we detest this miserable food!” The irony is, they did have food. They had manna. They did have water… from the rock. Yet, like a spoiled child they whined and complained, even while they were enjoying the goodness of God.
The people didn’t see their sin. They couldn’t see their complaints as sinning against God, so the Lord allowed snakes to crawl into their camp. The snakes bit them. And many of them died. They had told God, “You aren’t taking care of us. You don’t know what you are doing.” So God let them see what life was like with out him. He pulled back his protecting hand. In love, God let them experience a prick of pain, so that they would see their sin.
We don’t live in a desert, but the blessings we enjoy are no less miraculous. Israel got daily bread from heaven and fresh water from a rock. Yesterday, I got fresh pancakes and a cold glass of milk. It is still crazy to me that we can adjust the temperature in our homes. It’s 72 degrees. Well, I’d rather have it be 71 degrees. I think I’ll change the temperature. I think it is safe to say, we live the most comfortable lifestyle in the history of the world. Look around. God loves his people. God loves this world.
Yet, what is the world’s overwhelming response? Just read the front page of the news paper. Doesn’t sound an awful a lot like Israel’s complaints? There’s no bread! There’s no water! And we detest this miserable food! Those complaints don’t just happen out there, do they? They happen in here. What comes out of our mouths sounds all too similar to Israel, except we say: There’s no money! There’s no jobs! And we detest the houses we live in! Maybe you disagree with me. Maybe you think we are much different than ancient Israel. But what do you often talk about at work? I’m not getting paid enough for my job. What do we talk about at school? School is boring and my teacher stinks. When I read how Israel complained to Moses about their situation, I was ashamed because it sounds like me. And worse of all is that Israel wasn’t just complaining about Moses, they were complaining about God. When we complain about our lives, we are complaining about God. It is as we were saying, “God, you don’t care about me! God, you aren’t given me the kind of life that I want! God, you don’t know what you are doing!”
Even worse we don’t even realize we are doing this. And so some times the Lord has to get our attention. Some times he allows us to suffer. He sent snakes to Israel. He sends hardships to us. It hurts to be hurting for money. It hurts when our health takes a turn for the worse. We can’t say we always know why God lets us suffer. But some times he lets us hurt so that we can hear our own complaints, so that we can wake up to see our own sin.
When the LORD sent those snakes to Israel, they realized how wicked they had become. God had been more than loving to them, but they spit in his faith. And they realized it. So they said, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And in love, the Lord sent them a solution. He had Moses make a bronze snake, and everyone who looked at that bronze snake would be healed. God loved them enough to let them suffer. God loved them enough to send them a solution. God loved them enough to lead them to repentance. God loved them enough to restore them with his forgiveness.
That’s really what Jesus is talking about in our reading from John 3: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” One reason that the Lord allows us to suffer hardships, the job loss, the heath issues, and those difficult days, is so that we would look to Jesus who was lifted up. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, Jesus was lifted up on a cross. God has been working in your life so that we would look at Jesus lifted up on that cross.
Why did Jesus do that? Why did he let himself be lifted up? That brings us to the verse we have all been waiting for John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve heard this verse. Even if it is, let’s think about what it says. Let’s think about what it means for you. God so loved the world. God loved this world. The world. All people of all time. The people that make the news and the headlines, even the people that fill the history books, the Peter’s and Judases, the Hitlers and Stalins. God loved the world. And he even loved you. Yes, you. If you think, God couldn’t love me. You don’t know what I have done. Then listen to this verse. God loved the world. Are apart of this world? Then God loved you.
He gave his one and only Son. God is serious about sin. He hates sin. You can see how serious he is about sin, when you look at Jesus suffering on the cross. But God the Father gave up his Son for you. Jesus, God the Son, gave up his life for you. He gave his one and only Son.
Whoever believes in him. We believe in Jesus. This is not just some “faith” or any type of faith. This is not Oprah’s view of faith. We trust in Jesus as our Savior. We believe in Jesus who was lifted up.
Because Jesus says, we Shall not perish but have eternal life. Have you ever been afraid to die? You shall not perish. Have you ever wondered what will happen on judgment day? You shall not perish. If you wonder what the whole point of Lent, Good Friday, and Easter are, listen to me. You shall not perish.
You who are young, let me say something that has always helped me picture death. Have you ever fallen asleep in one room, but then in the morning you woke up in your bed? I remember that happening to me when I was younger. I would fall asleep in the living room and wake up in the morning in my room. While I was sleeping my parents carried me to my room. That is what death will be like. At the end of your life, it will be like you fall asleep in this world, but you will be woken up by Jesus. You will pass away in this world, but the angels will carry you to Jesus, and you will wake up in heaven and see Jesus. That is a fact. Do you know why? John 3:16 says, you shall not perish but have eternal life.
But maybe there is still someone here who was like that girl in my catechism class. She was scared about Judgment Day. She wondered if she was going to have to stand before God, and if so, would she say the right answer. I wish I would have had this next verse on my mind: John 3:17. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” As serious as our sins are we don’t have to worry about judgment Day. Jesus was judged, you are not. You are innocent before God in Jesus.
God so loved the world, and we see it. I know that because of how you carry yourself during those difficult days. When you lose that loved one, you won’t grief like the rest of the world. When money gets tight, you won’t worry like the rest of the world. And why? Why do we look at suffering differently? It’s because as Jesus says, We come into the light of God’s Word, and see that what is being done in our lives has been done through God. “We come into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what is being done in our lives is done through God.” With God’s help, God working in us we will not complain like the rest of the world, but rejoice in his love. God loves us. I know it. Because he is on a cross. God loves us. I know it. He rose from the dead. God loves us. I know it. He is working all things out for my ultimate good. What do I have to complain about?
Whenever this world sees pain, many people ask Christians, “Why would you believe in a God who would allow people to suffer?” Now, we have to be clear, we don’t always know why God allows people to suffer. But the Bible tells us one reason why the Lord allows us to suffer. It really has to do with how we answer this question: What is our greatest need? Is our greatest need to be without pain? Is our greatest need to be financially free and always emotionally happy? If that is true, then we have a cruel and unloving Father because look around God doesn’t always give us those things. But isn’t our greatest need bigger than those earthly issues? Isn’t our greatest need forgiveness? Yes. Our greatest need is forgiveness. Well then, you really do have a good Father in Heaven. Because your Father is willing to do anything to take our eyes off ourselves, so that we might look to the cross. I don’t know why God would allowing each specific hardship to come into you life. But I know what he says in his Word: I so love you that I gave my one and only Son, and through believing in him you shall not perish but you will have eternal life. Amen

Thursday, March 4, 2010

March 3, 2010 Sermon on Mark 14:27-31

March 3, 2010 Third Wednesday Lenten Sermon
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text: Mark 14:27-31
Mark 14:27-31
27 "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
29 Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not."
30 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today -yes, tonight - before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.
In our Wednesday Lenten services we have to this point looked at two portraits of our Savior. The first portrait showed our Savior cleansing God’s house, throwing out the abuse taking place in the temple in Jerusalem. The second portrait showed Him contemplating true devotion as He looked at a poor widow showing her trusting devotion in the offering she brought.
Today’s portrait makes me think of an artist’s drawing showing Jesus at the time of His early Friday morning trial. This was the trial before the church leaders. As He was being taken away He passed near where Peter was. The drawing or portrait shows Jesus looking at Peter who had just denied Jesus, denied that he had any connection with our Savior. At that point Luke’s Gospel tells us, "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter."
What we now want to consider in this service is not only that Jesus saw what Peter did after he had done it, but that He even had declared in advance what would happen. In other words, what we see here is
A PORTRAIT OF OUR SAVIOR DECLARING DENIAL
I A DENIAL JESUS FORETOLD (27,30)
1. His foretelling included what would happen to Him (27)
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’"
a) Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd who cared
for His sheep so much that He had come to deliver them
b) but something would happen to that Shepherd: He would be
attacked; He would be struck; He would be hit
2. He also foretold the disciples’ action, and a denial (27,30)
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’" --- "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today - yes, tonight - before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."
a) when the Shepherd was struck, all of them would run off
b) and one of them, Peter, would actually deny, disown Him
3. His source for this information was the Word (27)
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’"
a) Jesus here referred to the second last book of the O.T., Zechariah chapter 13: "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the LORD
Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered."
b) God’s Word of the O.T. had foretold the Good Shepherd’s
virgin birth, Bethlehem as His birthplace, and also this
c) God’s Word is truth; the brush of God’s O.T. Word painted
this portrait of our Savior many years in advance
II A DENIAL THAT WAS DENIED (29,31)
1. Peter had previously denied (Matthew 16:21-22)
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
a) this happened in the past, before the time of today’s text
b) Peter just did not understand why the Good Shepherd had
come; he did not deny Jesus at this point, but he did deny what
Jesus and Scripture said had to happen
2. Here he again denied, denied that he would deny (29, 31a)
Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." --- But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."
a) we’re not going to question Peter’s love and intentions here
b) but we can see that trust in self can go before the fall
3. What a warning for us (31b)
And all the others said the same.
a) all of them joined in denying that they would deny, as I am
sure all of us here would want to say we would not deny
b) but how many of us here have been like the disciples? how
many of us here have trusted in ourselves and placed
ourselves in danger’s way, in dangerous places and situations,
with the cocky attitude that nothing would happen, that we are
strong enough to disregard warnings from God’s Word?
c) listen to these warning words from 1 Corinthians 10: "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!"
III A DENIAL THAT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE (27,30)
1. Lent celebrates fulfillment for Jesus (27)
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’"
a) the disciples all scattered, ran away, when Jesus was arrested
b) and the Shepherd was struck, wasn’t He! think of the soldiers
mocking Him, striking Him on the face and taunting Him to
tell them who had done it; and think of the striking blows of a
hammer driving in nails for the crucifixion
2. Lent also shows the fulfillment of denial (30)
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today - yes, tonight - before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."
a) after scattering, John and Peter disregarded Jesus’ warning
and came to the trial location
b) there what Jesus warned about happened: Peter denied Jesus
3. To what should this move us?
a) first, let us listen to warnings
b) second, if we don’t and when we fall, let us quickly repent of
our sin, as we know Peter did; Luke 22:61-62 tells us, "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly."
c) remember, fellow sinners, when we fall Jesus looks at us too;
repent; and remember He was heading to the cross for us too
IV A DENIAL WHOSE SOLUTION ALSO WAS FORETOLD 1. Jesus would be struck for our sins (27) /(27-28)
" --- for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, ---’."
a) human hands struck Jesus, we know that
b) but the real striking was God’s hand, God’s justice that
demanded that the wages of sin be paid, that the innocent
Lamb of God be sacrificed to atone for the sins of the world,
because God so loved the world that He gave His Son so that
whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life
2. Jesus would also rise to prove His victory (28)
"But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
a) God’s Word foretold this too: the promised Savior would
indeed die a real death; but death would not hold Him; our
Redeemer would come to life, would live to reign forever
b) and this also happened; after the events we hear about in
the season of Lent, how joyfully we can celebrate Easter
3. And now the Shepherd still is with His sheep
a) what happened to sinner Peter? the Good Shepherd did
not forget about him; He came to Peter and reinstated him as
one of His disciples, His apostles, to serve his Savior
b) what Jesus did for sinner Peter He does also for each and
every one of us sinners, giving to us the benefits of
everything He accomplished for us: forgiveness now, and
the promise of life in glory
c) so be warned about putting yourself into danger - don’t be
like Peter and deny your Savior; but if you fall, do be like
Peter and turn back to your Savior who died for you, and who
lives so that we can be with Him forever
Take this portrait of your Savior home with you. The brush of God’s Word has painted for us a dreadful picture of the price He had to pay to save us from our sins. But it also has painted a beautiful picture, a picture of Jesus having accomplished His mission on earth to save us from our sins. May we keep this portrait of our Savior in our hearts!
 

Monday, March 1, 2010

LENT 2
February 28/March 1, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 13:31-35

“WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE PUSHING JESUS AWAY…”
1. Think about why He came.
2. Think about His great love.
3. Think about the consequences.
Luke 13:31-35 (NIV) “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 35Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Why would anyone want Jesus to leave, to go away, to be out of their life? As we gather together as believers in Jesus to worship Him and listen to His word that question can seem a little strange to our ears. Yet the fact remains that there are people who want Jesus to leave, to go away. You heard about some of them a minute ago. They were Pharisees who lived in the area known as Perea, north and west of Judea where Jerusalem was. Herod was ruling that area. They came and told Jesus to leave, to go away. They wanted to push Him away. Why? Well one reason may have been that Herod really did want to kill Jesus. He saw Jesus as a threat and so sinfully wanted to kill Him. It’s also possible that the Pharisees did not want Jesus in the area of Perea where He was popular and thought to drive Him to Jerusalem so plots could sinfully be hatched to get rid of Jesus. Perhaps they sinfully resented Jesus’ popularity. The exact reason we are not told. But all the possible reasons have one thing in common. Did you pick it out? Sin. Sin is the reason people want Jesus to leave them, to go away.
Sin is the reason we sometimes want Jesus to leave us, to go away to be absent in our lives. Sometimes it’s because we want to sin. When you are about to pull up the porn on the computer you don’t want Jesus there. When you are in a huddle of ladies gossiping you don’t want Jesus there. When the teens go to drinking parties or climb into bed you don’t want Jesus there. So you push Him away. Pretend He is not. So you can sin. And then it’s sin on the other side that leads you to push Jesus away. When the Devil leaves you after tempting you and laughs at your fall and you realize your disloyalty, your betrayal of Jesus, there too you want Jesus away. When you feel like pushing Jesus away there are some things you need to think about. God’s Word in Luke helps us talk about them.
When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about why He came. The Pharisees found out about that. “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Think about why Jesus came. He stated His firm conviction to march on to Jerusalem. His reply to Herod, “Go tell that fox,” indicates Jesus would not be pushed or bullied into anything. He was going to Jerusalem on His own terms to accomplish His own mission. He would die on the cross. He would lay down His life of His own accord. No one would take it from Him. Jesus came to take care of sin, to take it away, to pay for it all.
Think about that when you feel like pushing Jesus away. If you want Jesus gone because you are planning on sinning, meeting someone for an affair, heading out to get drunk or indulging your sinful desire for the latest juicy gossip, think about why Jesus came. It was to pay for your sin, to be punished instead of you. Do you really want to indulge in sin? Do you really want to tell the one who took your hell that sin is no big deal, just go away? If you want Jesus gone because you are ashamed of your sins, disappointed with yourself for what you have done, think about why Jesus came. It was to take away your sins and He did not fail. They are gone. There’s no need to drag them along with you. When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about why He came.
Think about His great love. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Here Jesus expresses His great love for the people of Jerusalem. They had a pretty bad track record of rebellion against God. They killed the prophets of God who faithfully spoke God’s Word to them. They stoned those God sent to warn them. These were the people, the fickle people, Jesus knew, He knew, were going to hail Him as the Son of David on Palm Sunday and then cry out for His blood on Good Friday. Crucify Him! Crucify Him. Who would blame Jesus if He had said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Good bye and Good riddance. And getting to heaven, yeah, good luck with that.” But that’s not Jesus. Look at His great love. He wanted those people close to Him. He wanted to protect them and save them like a mother hen with her chicks. His love is so great that He paid in full on the cross even for the sins of those who rejected Him. That’s great love.
When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about His great love. It’s His great love for us that compels us to want to obey Him. We love Him because He loved us. Jesus once said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Since that’s true what do we have to say is true about our willing disobedience? If you don’t love me, if you hate me, disobey my commandments. When your desire to sin is urging you to push Jesus away, to set Him aside for awhile, think about His great love. Is it really your desire to respond to it with hatred? Is underage drinking worth saying “I hate you, Jesus.” Think about His great love!
Think about His great love when it’s guilt and shame over your sins that is your reason to push Jesus away. He loves you in spite of your sin. There’s no waiting period for running to Jesus to say, “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry!” There’s no probation period. He doesn’t want you away from Him but clinging to Him in repentant faith. He loves you! Think about that love when you feel like pushing Jesus away.
Think about the consequences of pushing Jesus away. There were consequences for Jerusalem. “Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Your house is left desolate. It’s hard to pin down exactly what Jesus meant here. He could be referring to the fact that spiritually Jerusalem was desolate. Temple worship with no Messiah is meaningless and leads to Hell. He could be referring to the time when Jerusalem the city was totally destroyed. In any case, it’s bad to have your house desolate. It’s just as hard to figure out exactly what Jesus meant by “You will not see me again.” Did that mean until He rode triumphantly in on Palm Sunday? Does it refer to His coming again at the end of the world? If so, those who won’t see Him again are the ones in Hell. There are consequences for pushing Jesus away. You have no Savior.
Think about that when you feel like pushing Jesus away. The kids were right that if your house is burning you do not push the fireman away. You run to him. If someone is trying to kill you, don’t push the policemen away. Run to them. When it comes to sin, don’t push Jesus away, run to Him. When you feel like you want to sin, when you are tempted, run to Him in prayer and meditation. He will give you strength. When you are ashamed of your sin and you feel like you let Him down, run to Him. He will forgive you always. He has already paid for your sins and wants you to know that.
It’s clear that Jesus wants to be actively a part of every sinner’s life. He wants us as close to Him as possible. Sadly the history for the people Jesus spoke to in our text is already written and it is not pretty. Those who kept pushing Jesus away are suffering now in Hell. Your history is not done. This word was written that you may believe in Jesus and have life in His name. May the history of this people be one that records a people who know why Jesus came, recognize His great love, properly fear a life without Jesus and so cling to Him forever. Amen.