Vimeo Link To Our Woship Service On April 25th

http://vimeo.com/11296096

Click on the link above to watch our April 25th worship service.

Sermon – Sunday April 25th, 2010
4th Sunday of Easter WLHS Sunday
Revelation 7:9-17 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
THE LAMB AT THE CENTER WILL BE OUR SHEPHERD
I. The Lamb Washed Us.
II. The Shepherd Cares For Us.

In the name of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, dear friends washed in the blood of the Lamb,
On September 25th, 2004 Wallace, Idaho declared itself to be the center of the Universe. Actually the mayor of the town declared that a man hole cover, slightly off-center on one of their streets was indeed the center of the universe. In his proclamation declaring Wallace to be the center of the universe the mayor declared, “After a search of the literature, our government-contracted scientists in Moscow, Boise and Seattle have, after years of diligence, been unable to unearth one scintilla of proof that Wallace is NOT the Center of the Universe. In the absence of such proof, we are compelled to conclude that Wallace must therefore BE the Center of the Universe.” The town even elects a “Miss Center Of The Universe” and invites people to be married at the “center of the universe.” Apparently the whole thing started over a government decision which the town did not agree with. The EPA offered as proof the rule that if something cannot be disproven, it is therefore proven. Well the town responded by declaring a man hole cover in their town to be the center of the universe. Many people today really do view themselves as being the center of the universe. Today on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we get a look at the real center of the universe- the Lamb at the center of the throne in heaven. He is the one our lives revolve around. The Lamb At The Center Will Be Our Shepherd. I. The Lamb washed us. II. The Shepherd Cares For Us.
Some might look at the Book of Revelation and think that it is a dark shadowy book that it hard to understand. But if we keep on mind a principle from our childhood imaginary playing days, it helps us to understand- the good guy always wins. When you are eight years old and imagining yourself at the free throw line with 1 second left in the double overtime game of the NBA finals the shot never rims out, just like the touchdown catch never dribbles off the finger tips and the 9th inning long ball clears the fence every time. The good guy wins every time. That’s the theme of the book of Revelation. The good guy wins. In a series of seven visions we see all this bad stuff happen but the “good guy” Jesus wins every time. In the picture language of a vision the Lord gave John and the early Christians an encouragement to hang in there because Jesus always wins. Along the way there are little snapshots of heaven to encourage them and us. Today we are looking at one of those little clips of heaven where we see the Lamb at the center of the throne being the Shepherd.
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Talk about a sight for sore eyes! This is the first time in his vision that John had seen the church-that huge throng of people who believed in Jesus and were now home in heaven. Included in the group were his friends who had been killed for preaching about the Savior, his family who taught him about the Messiah, the people he had read about in the Old Testament Scriptures and the people from all over the world whom God had brought to faith by reading the Gospel he had written. Over the years John had probably wondered if it was all worth it as friends were hauled out of their homes and thrown into prison. He might have wondered if God really knew what he was doing as John sat there in exile on some island while the bad guys seemed to be winning. But there before him was this huge group of believers enjoying heaven.
Recently I saw an art display by students at Martin Luther College. One of the pictures was of a lamb that was slaughtered and the blood from the Lamb formed on the ground the outline of the continents of the world. Jesus the Lamb of God shed His blood to pay for the sins of people from every nation, tribe, people and language.” Now the results of the work of Jesus the Lamb of God can be seen in the “great multitude that no one could count.” The multitude gave credit to the Lamb who had washed them. “And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
Normally when we talk about powerful and smart animals we think of lions and tigers and bears and not sheep. One of the elders explains why the Lamb deserves all glory and honor as he explains how this crowd got to where they were. “Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They didn’t get there by doing good things. They didn’t get there by being better than the next guy. They didn’t get there by making up for the things they had done wrong by the things they did right. The blood of the Lamb washed them.
John’s vision was meant for you too. Did you see yourself with one of those white robes on standing around the throne of the Lamb in heaven? You and I will not be there because of the good things we have done. One sin brings God’s wrath and we have sinned more times than we can count. It doesn’t do any good for us to look around the world or the neighborhood and think, “Well at least I’m better than him!” We can’t make up for even one sin. But the blood of Jesus the Lamb of God washes us clean. Those are the truths taught in the Bible. These truths are taught at home and those truths are taught at Wisconsin Lutheran High School.
I never liked the party game “musical chairs.” I was always a little nervous about being the one left standing without a place. No one feels too comfortable about that. Imagine the pain of being left without a place on judgment day. Imagine not being part of that “host arrayed in white.” It’s too painful to think about! When it comes down to it there is only one thing that matters, being part of that gathering in heaven. That’s why we teach our children about the Lamb of God. That’s why we as a church family work hard at Christian education and mission work so that more and more people join us the crowd of believers in heaven. That’s why we work with other church families at Wisconsin Lutheran High School. Our homes and our schools are not perfect, but Jesus who washed us is at the center.
“Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
What a striking statement, the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. Jesus is the shepherd who cares for us as we journey home to heaven. We still going through the tribulation of living in this world messed up by sin. We get sick. Our families get sick- sometimes with little one day viruses other times with illnesses that threaten lives and last for years. We give in to the devil’s temptations that sound so good and deliver only pain. Yet in this world of sin and pain, the Shepherd is with us. He brings us back to the truths of his word. The 23rd Psalm assures us that Jesus will keep us safe until we join him in heaven.
The home of the Good Shepherd is a beautiful place-so beautiful that if the Bible were to describe it to us in detail we wouldn’t be able to understand. So the Bible tells us what will not be there. No one will be hungry there. No one will be thirsty. No one will wilt away in the afternoon heat. No one will cry there and no one will die there.
Over the last week football fans have been treated to all kinds of information about strengths of their teams draft choices. One of the Packers’ draft choices can bench press over 500 lbs. The Shepherd who cares for us is even stronger. He will bring you safely home to heaven.
May that shepherd remain at the center of our homes, our schools, St Jacobi Lutheran School and Wisconsin Lutheran High School. Let’s always keep the Lamb who is our Shepherd at the center of our lives. Amen.