Tuesday, July 27, 2010

PENTECOST 9
July 25/26, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 10:38-42

A TEST OF PRIORITIES
1. One thing is needed.
2. Jesus blesses those who choose it.
3. So be choosy!

Luke 10:38-42 (NIV) “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

It always comes down to priorities, doesn’t it? I mean, we are not God. We cannot be in two places at the same time and as much as we like to boast about multi-tasking, if it’s something important, you can’t pay full attention to both. Sorry guys, we really can’t listen to the sportscast and our wives at the same time. It comes down to priorities.
That truth was brought into focus by Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha. Let’s put some flesh on these sisters. They were both fine Christian women, believers in Jesus as Savior. If you recall they had a brother named Lazarus who served the Lord by dying so Jesus could raise him from the dead, prove yet again His divinity and set into motion the events that would lead to the cross. In that instance both Mary and Martha gave fine testimonies of faith. Both confessed, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.” Martha gave that beautiful confession of faith in Christ and the resurrection. Martha provided for Jesus’ needs by opening her home to Him. Mary was the one who poured the pint of nard, very expensive perfume on Jesus. Remember how she was criticized by the disciples who thought it would have been put to better use by selling it and using the money for the poor.
Getting criticized for showing love to Jesus was nothing new for Mary. That happened here too. You get the feeling that Martha was the more responsible sister, at least she thought she was. She seems to be kind of the take charge gal, the one who makes sure necessary things get done, at least the ones she thought was necessary. And that brings us to the point Jesus made for the sisters and for us in this visit to their home. Just what is necessary? What is it that needs to be done?
If you were to ask Martha she would say, “Jesus needs to feel welcome. The house needs to be clean and orderly. The meal needs to be prepared and it needs to be prepared right. We will not offer Jesus our leftovers!” Now if you have a sister or siblings and you feel yourself to be the more responsible one you can pretty well guess how Martha was feeling. Martha herself lets us see. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Can you imagine the burning that was going on in Martha’s heart? Don’t you picture her finding reasons to walk past Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, shooting her the look, making sure the pots and utensils made plenty of noise? Maybe an extra clearing of the throat. Martha did everything but scream, “That’s not fair!”
Actually what’s not fair, just or right is for the created to tell the Creator what is needed. It’s not fair for the saved to tell the Savior how to do His job. But in the gentle way that Jesus deals with his disciples He set the matter straight. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus says only one thing is needed. It is His teaching, His word, that which Mary had chosen.
And Jesus blesses those who choose it. He blessed Mary here. He firmly defended her to her sister. But that’s not where His blessing ends. Let’s spend a few minutes just thinking about some of the blessings God has promised to give through His word. Can you think of some? How about where God tells us the Bible makes us wise unto salvation or that faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Or that the Gospel is God’s power to save. How about in the Psalm that we sang that God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path? How about how the Lord combines His word with simple things like bread and wine, or water, to forgive us our sins? Or when He says His word is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training us in righteousness? The one thing needed is the word of the Lord and Jesus blesses those who choose it.
Let me give you some examples how. In His wisdom God did not destroy the Devil when he rebelled. Neither did He remove Adam and Eve and their descendants from living in a sinful world immediately. That means that we, their descendants, have to live in a world that hurts. Sometimes it’s our own sins that cause us problems. We defy God’s holy will for our lives and sometimes have to live the consequences for a lifetime. Sometimes it’s the sins of others. When someone is caught up in a sin that has addictive qualities it makes everyone’s life miserable who has to be around them. Sometimes it’s just that life in general in a sin ruined world is just plain unfair, especially for those who strive to follow Christ. I think of divorce and how painful that is for everyone involved. How do you get the strength to go on? How can you forgive and let go of the hurt? How can you keep doing the right thing especially if you think or know another is doing you wrong? One thing is needed. It is the word through which the Lord promises to keep our faith strong, to empower us to forgive, to give us peace in conflicted times. Now that’s just one example and you can plug in your own pain or problem or cross and I tell you the truth that whatever it is you are dealing with, it is much easier with Jesus than without Him and you will find peace and comfort when your spiritual tank is full and not when you are running on fumes. One thing is needed. Jesus blesses those who choose it.
So be choosy, brothers and sisters, be choosy. If our Lord Jesus were to use the in your face style of communication which seems popular today would He say, “What part of ‘one thing is needed’ don’t you understand?” I doubt there is a person here who doesn’t understand what Jesus is saying or disagrees. Martha wanted to welcome Jesus into her home and tried to do that by doing things for Him. In fact it was Mary who really welcomed Jesus by placing a priority on His word. This Scripture talks to us not about what we do on a Sunday morning or a Monday evening but on every day of the week. Is Jesus welcome in our homes? Do we need to learn like Martha did that you cannot do something for Jesus until He has done something for you?
And do you know why it is so hard on a daily basis to get that done, to actually listen to Jesus by reading His word or a devotional? The Devil knows what the one thing needed is too. So he tries to get us to put other necessary things as higher priorities than the one thing needed. But he doesn’t have to win. I have a suggestion. Make an appointment each day with Jesus. It seems today that an appointment trumps everything! You know how it goes, a friend calls, asks you to do something. You say, “Sounds great. Oh, oh. I have an appointment. I can’t.” Would you consider making an appointment with Jesus each day? Could He be important enough to be placed on your calendar, yes even into your smartphone? When the kids are clamoring for attention you can say, “Not now. I have an appointment.” And when the phone rings during your devotional time you can let it go to voicemail because, you have an appointment. And when someone asks you to do something that would bump Jesus out. “Sorry. I have an appointment—with Jesus.”
Now if you looked at the theme of this sermon you noticed that it is A little test of priorities you may be wondering just where the test is and when it will come. But the test does not come today. It happens each day starting tomorrow. We’re not God. We can’t be in two places at once. We can’t truly multitask for things that are important. We have to make choices. One thing is needed. Jesus blesses those who choose it. So be choosy, brothers and sisters, be choosy. And good luck on your test. Amen.

Monday, July 19, 2010

July 18/19, 2010 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

July 18/19, 2010 - Pentecost 8
Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Luke 10:23-37
"WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?"
I SOME GOOD QUESTIONS
II A TEACHING TOOL SITUATION
III DO YOU SEE THE CORRECT ANSWER?
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27 He answered: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
There is a saying to this effect that there is nothing more sure than death and taxes. With regard to taxes some might question that. Not too long ago a news report stated that well over 40% of people because of their income level do not pay taxes, and even some very wealthy people avoid taxes because of tax provisions or loopholes in the system. Yet, because of so many indirect taxes we aren’t even aware of, it may be correct that all pay taxes in that way, and when we buy something we are in fact paying the manufacturer’s taxes because he has added them to what he charges us.
But what about death? Even if we could avoid taxes, can we avoid death? Here there are no loopholes. Unless the final Judgment Day comes first, without an exception every one of us will die. The question is not whether we will die, but when that will happen.
Knowing death is inevitable, then what? In one way or another all will have to ask what the expert in the law in our sermon text asked.
"WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?"
I SOME GOOD QUESTIONS (25-29)
1. A good question, but also bad (25)
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
a) "inherit" might make this sound like a good question - after
all, isn’t an inheritance something we did not earn, something
someone else wills to a person who has not paid for it?
b) but "what must I do" changes the thought, doesn’t it, even
with an inheritance: "I’ll be super nice to someone rich even if
I don’t like him; I’ll do things for him, and maybe he’ll put me
in his will" - and what sticks out here but "what must I do"?
2. A good question and a good answer (26-27)
"What is written in the Law?" [Jesus] replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
a) when it comes to doing, Jesus asked a good question, pointing
the man to God’s Law, to what God demands that we do
b) the expert in the law showed he knew the law, knew that God
demanded love for God above all and for your neighbor as
yourself; and we know that too, don’t we? our children in
confirmation class would give that correct answer - but is that
answer really understood, or is it just head knowledge?
3. Jesus now stated what the Law said and meant (28)
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
a) the answer is simple: don’t just know the law, but do it; and if
you actually do all of it perfectly, you will earn eternal life
b) here let’s think of baseball: what if baseball law said that in
order to make the team you had to get a hit every time you
came to bat? that would tell you that you had better not strike
out or fly out or ground out even one time; and now apply this
to God’s law: if you want to get to heaven by what you do, you
better do, obey God’s law every time and not slip even once
4. The expert tried to justify himself (29)
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
a) this man tried to justify himself, to find a loophole to excuse
himself: "sure I’ll love my neighbor, help him if he needs help,
but it has to be convenient for me and he has to be the right
nationality, doesn’t he? - sure I’ll love God above all, but
obviously that shouldn’t get in the way of some things I really
like and want to do, right?"
b) how might we try to justify ourselves? "sure I’ll respect my
government as God wants, but surely that does not apply to
speed laws and stop signs, does it? - sure I’ll love my wife or
husband, but if they aren’t nice to me surely I don’t have to be
nice, do I? - sure I’ll listen to what Mom or Dad tell me to do,
but surely it’s okay to get away with something now and then"
c) do we, like the man in our text, try to justify ourselves? - you
know the answer; so what Jesus does next is also for us
II A TEACHING TOOL SITUATION (29-37a)
1. First think of a similar OT example (2 Samuel 12:1-7a)
a) as we heard four weeks ago, King David had committed
adultery, had the woman’s husband killed, then took her as his
wife, and obviously had justified himself, excused himself that
what he had done was okay - after all, wasn’t he the king!
The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said,
"There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other
poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had
bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!"
b) the story helped David, who had justified himself, to see his sin
2. Here Jesus also used an illustration (29-36)
But [the expert in the law] wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’"
a) the church workers here, like King David, probably justified,
excused themselves for passing by
b) but they, like the robbers or muggers, were guilty too
3. Like David, the expert saw the point (36-37a)
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man
who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law
replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
a) just knowing what the law says is not enough
b) knowing, but not doing, makes you guilty, just as knowing
you should get a hit, but not getting a hit, means you’re out
4. How do we fare when we look at ourselves? (37b)
"The one who had mercy on him."
a) yes, we have to be wisely careful with all of the solicitations and appeals we receive in the mail and in other ways; there are
plenty of crooks and deceiving people ready to scam us
b) but if God places a genuine need before us, do we pass by; or
will we try to be like the Samaritan, as God enables us?
c) and here please don’t forget the greatest genuine need: the
world needs the Gospel, the message of the world’s Savior;
will we (and here I’m thinking of all of us) be like those who
pass by, who see no need to use for example our offering
envelopes to enable our congregation and our synod to share
the Good News of salvation? - the priest and the Levite did not give help and probably justified themselves; in contrast the
Samaritan gave much help; whose example do we follow?
III DO YOU SEE THE CORRECT ANSWER? (36-37,23-24)
1. You don’t if you see only the Law (37b)
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
a) the Law does show us God’s holy will, but it cannot justify us
b) instead the Law, like an umpire, has to call us out because we
don’t, we can’t, get a hit every time; our failures strike us out
2. But more than the Law has been revealed (23-24)
Then [Jesus] turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
a) the people of the Old Testament did not see Jesus in person,
hear His voice in person, see His body on the cross where He
paid for our sins, or His body risen and alive and victorious the
way the disciples of Jesus’ time saw this
b) but they had the same Gospel promise of what this all meant,
as we do today: Jesus died because we could not and do not
keep God’s law perfectly; Jesus atoned for our sins because we
could not pay for even one; Jesus proclaims forgiveness and
promises life in glory to all who believe
3. Now do we see what should motivate us? (37b)
Jesus told [the expert in the law], "Go and do likewise."
a) "Go and do likewise." would drive us to despair because we
cannot keep God’s law perfectly, as little as the Good
Samaritan was able to be perfect always - and that is what the
expert in the law should have learned and what we should see
b) where we need to start is with God’s Gospel, with God’s
mercy to us; and, knowing His merciful forgiveness, we then
will strive to love, to show mercy not to save ourselves or to
earn an inheritance, but because God first showed mercy and
loved us, loved us so much that we can live in His forgiveness
and there receive strength to want to do God’s will
4. Will we now show that we know the answer?
a) we are not told what the expert in the law did after he asked
the question "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" - but
each of us knows what we are doing
b) may we answer that question by asking and saying, "What
must I do? Jesus did it for me! Jesus saved me! Jesus
forgives me!"
c) let that mercy and love of God motivate us to love and serve
God with all of our heart and soul and strength and mind, and
to let that be evident in loving our neighbors as ourselves
Is there something more sure than death and taxes? Definitely! It is God Himself. It is His Son’s victory on the cross and over the grave, His proclamation of forgiveness to sinners like you and me who in our weakness don’t always "Go and do likewise." It is His Spirit’s working in our hearts through Word and Sacraments to make and keep us His own, and to strengthen us to serve Him and follow His will out of love and gratitude for His mercy to us.
Knowing this, Jesus can say to us too, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see."
 
 

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sermon July 11th, 2010

St. Jacobi Worship Service July 11th, 2010 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.



Grace, mercy and peace are yours form God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Galatians 6:14
DOES MY BOAST MAKE ME LOOK GOOD? OR JESUS?

In the name of Jesus, our crucified and risen Savior, dear fellow redeemed children of God:
This week the pro basketball world was held in suspense as one of its very good players made his decision about where he was going to play next year. I’m sure it was good for the NBA for people to be talking about basketball in July but the whole story seemed to get really old. Six or seven teams arranged for him to visit their cities while they made their pitch to him. After much publicity LaBron James made his decision to leave his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign with the Miami Heat on orchestrated nationally televised show on ESPN. The whole thing may have made a whole bunch of money for LaBron, the NBA and the Miami Heat but it sure didn’t make LaBron James look very good in the eyes of many people.
How about the things we do in our lives? Believe it or not I’ve never been courted by a single NBA team, despite my great height. Still this part of God’s word gives me a chance to look at my life too- the things I take pride in, the things I boast about and the things the world sees when they look at me. It gives you the same opportunity. So let’s ask ourselves, “Does my boasting make me look good? Does it make Jesus look good?
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is the first book in the New Testament that a young man studies in depth at the Seminary when he is studying to be a pastor. In that course, a whole class period can be spent studying just one or two verses. Paul’s letter to the Galatians takes such a high place in our Seminary curriculum because it warns us against an error which God’s people fall into quite easily, that of putting their trust in their own good works they have done rather than in the cross of Christ-in other words boasting about themselves rather than boasting only in what Jesus has done for us.
Paul is writing the words of our text to the Galatians who for the moment were under the influence of some MVB’s- Most Valuable Boasters. These men were called the Judaizers. These Judaizers were constantly bragging about the fact that had been circumcised that they had a physical mark on their bodies that at time indicated that they were physical descendants of Abraham. They even went so far as to let their hope of eternal life rest on the fact that they had been circumcised. These Judaizers were so good at boasting that they had talked the Galatian Christians into believing that circumcision and observing the Old Testament ceremonial law was just as important if not more important than believing in Jesus. God through the Apostle Paul, set the Galatians straight on what they could and could not boast about. Paul writes, “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.”
Paul makes it abundantly clear that when you boast in the cross of Christ, you are going to look at everything in a very different light. Boasting in the cross of Christ means that the world has been crucified to me and to you. In other words things like neat possessions and the cool things we can do or have done mean nothing. When it comes to looking at everything in a whole new light, the Apostle Paul had firsthand experience. Remember that Paul was one of the best players in the NPA, the National Pharisee Association. He had been a feared Christian killer. So he took pride in the fact that he was a descendant of Abraham, a Pharisee of the top rank and he killed Christians who put their trust in Jesus. On the way to kill more Christians in Damascus, the Lord he was fighting against brought that new light to his eyes when he struck Paul down in a blinding light. The Holy Spirit then brought this Christian killer to be a Christian himself. He stopped boasting about himself and began to cling to the cross of Christ. God worked this switch in St, Paul from boasting in himself to boasting in the cross of Christ in a very sudden and dramatic way. For most of us that switch came in a less dramatic way, but it was still a miracle. Some of us started boasting in the cross of Christ when we were baptized„ when before we could lift our heads on our own, God turned our eyes of faith and fixed them firmly of the cross of Jesus. For others, God worked that change with his powerful word, bringing us to see that the thing which rescued us from a wretched death in hell forever was the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross in our place.
What kinds of things might we boast about? We might boast that we were not a Christian killer like Paul. But chances are we would not boast as much about not being a Christian killer as we would about not being as bad as someone else. We might think things like, “There is a neighbor down my street. He never goes to church.” Or we might think, “My attendance record at church is perfect- Much better than some of those who say that they are members.” Then there are all the boasts that churn down inside of us that we would never let vomit out of our mouths but they are still there. God sees them. God hears the unsaid sinful boast. Does that kind of boasting make me look good? Does it make Jesus look good?
How do you react when you hear someone boast? Doesn’t it sort of grind on your ears? Do you remember Haman from the account of how God saved His people through Queen Esther? Remember how his boasts about his belly and hatred of Mordecai so filled his belly that the story ended with him dead on a gallows he meant for Mordecai? Isn’t it true that boasting about ourselves has an inverse effect on what people think us? If we hear someone boasting his great big boat or his new fast car, does that make us want to hang around that person and ride in his new care or boat? No, when boasts are spewed out into the air it usually sends people running in the opposite direction. If prideful boasts have that effect on people imagine that effect that sinful boasting has on our holy God. My sinful boasts don’t make me look good at all. Before a just and holy God we can’t even eek out a little boast about what a good life we’ve led. God’s word says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet offends at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” Paul points out earlier in Galatians, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
God saw right through the sinful boasts of the people who were trying to pull the Galatian Christians away from Jesus. “Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.” So they wanted to avoid having people persecute them for believing that forgiveness and eternal life come to us only because of what Jesus has done and they wanted to boast about what a good job they were doing in winning over converts to their work righteousness. Their work- their boasting didn’t make Jesus look good either.
What kind of actions bring honor to our Savior? Actions that bring honor to Jesus are actions that come from thankfulness for all that Jesus has done for us. God talks about those actions in the verses in the reading from Galatians. “Brothers if someone is caught in a sin you who are spiritual should restore him gently…Bear each other’s burdens… Let us not become weary in doing good… therefore as we have opportunity let us do good to all people especially to those who belong to family of believers.” Those are the kind of words from our mouth and actions that let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Boasting in the cross of Christ will not bring the CNN reporters on the run nor will we be featured on an ESPN special entitled “Christian brings honor to His Savior.” “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.” Those who boast in the cross of Christ are crucified to the world. The world might look at us the same way that people looked at Jesus on the cross. Many looked with scorn on Jesus as he was carrying out the greatest rescue mission of love the world has ever seen. So also the world may think we are foolish for “turning away wrath with a kind word” and not “repaying evil with evil.”
Brothers and sisters can have a way of bringing us back to reality. Mine had sort of a unique way of humbling me. They would see me carrying a box or something and they would say, “Oh you are strong”…my chest and my head would start to swell…”strong smelling that is.” As Christians we have something far better to brag about than our strength We have Jesus. On the cross he took away the things we’ve done wrong. Because of him we don’t have to be afraid of dying. It is the door to heaven. May all of our boasting always be about Jesus and His cross through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Amen.

Video Of Our July 4th, 2010 Worship Service

Worship Service July 4th, 2010 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.






Blessed Is the Nation Whose God is the Lord. May Your Unfailing Love Rest Upon Us O Lord, Even As We Put Our Hope In You. Amen.
I Kings 19:14-18
Just When You Think…
I. You are all alone, God encourages you.
II. Things are out of control, God has a plan.
In the name of Jesus dear friends set free by the Savior,
This weekend there will be thousands of fireworks displays across our country. If the prophet Elijah would hear the bangs and see the pops and flashes I suppose it would remind him of a fireworks display that God put many years ago on a mountain. It declared that God was indeed the true God. God lit up the altar of sacrifice with fire from heaven while the altar to the false God Baal remained cold with even less fire than when I try to start my grill with charcoal I left in the rain. God’s fireworks burned up not only the sacrifice but also the water in the trench and even the stones of the altar. It was quite a grand finale. God’s prophet Elijah called for the people to put to death the 450 despicable prophets of the idol Baal. Just when a person might have thought that the Israelites would never again run after an idol, Queen Jezebel raised her head. She wasn’t happy about the prophets of her idol being killed so she made a vow that she would kill Elijah. Elijah ran for his life. He stopped by a cave feeling like He was all alone and that things were out of control. On some days we can feel that way, even living in this beautiful country the Lord has blessed us with. We can feel like we are all alone with wickedness all around and at times seem very much out of control. But just when you think … I. You are all alone, God encourages you. II. Things are out of control, God has a plan.
Some years ago my wife’s aunt had a stroke. She had a winsome personality so going to visit her was always very interesting but after she had a stroke it was even more so. You see, the stroke damaged the area of the brain that processes what we see. In effect she had a hole in what she was able to see in her side vision. The brain would fill in that hole. Sometimes her brain would fill it in right and other times it would fill it in wrong. She might say, “Come and sit down on this chair over here and be right or she might say, “Careful not to sit on that pumpkin there” and be wrong. As Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel, his brain and his heart were filling in the picture around him all wrong. He thought he was all alone.
With shoulders slumped, Elijah left his servant in Beersheba and journeyed out into the desert. He sat down under a broom tree and pouted, “I’ve had enough Lord, take my life. The Lord sent angels to strengthen Elijah and he was able to journey on to a cave on Mt. Horeb. In that dark and dingy cave God had a message of warmth and comfort for Elijah. Just when he thought he was all alone God encouraged him.
God asked Elijah, “What are you doing here Elijah?” And Elijah just poured out his heart to God, “I have been very zealous for the Lord Almighty. The Israelites have broken down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too!” Elijah wasn’t seeing things right. He wasn’t alone. The Lord was with him. God would be with him in his struggles, and if God is with you, nothing else really matters. God says in Psalm 1, “The wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away . . . The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
The Lord told Elijah to go outside because the Lord was about to pass by. The Bible tells us this amazing account, “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out to the mouth of the cave. Then the still small voice said to Elijah, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Notice that the Lord didn’t cuff Elijah on the back of his head with a lightning bolt as a reminder that he was big and powerful and He was with Elijah. He didn’t huff and puff with his power and say, “Elijah, what are you thinking! Don’t you remember how I poured down fire from heaven and won the contest with Baal? Don’t you think that I can protect you from that wicked queen Jezebel?” No, instead the Lord Almighty assured Elijah in a still small voice that he was not alone. In that gentle whisper God asked again, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
You can almost wring the self pity and the self righteousness out of words and he repeats his “woe is me” speech to His Creator and loving Father. “I have been very zealous for the Lord Almighty. The Israelites have broken down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too!” Elijah had left a trail of self pity up the mountain side that day and in the mouth of the cave. He thought that he was all alone. But he was seeing things wrong. Elijah had been concentrating so much on those who had rejected the Lord that he had forgotten about all those who had remained faithful to the true God and who still needed his guidance as a prophet from the Lord. There were not just two or three of them. God told Elijah, “Yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
And then there was some self righteousness there too. “I’m the only good one left.” He wasn’t realizing that it was only because of God’s grace that He used him on there in that showdown with the prophets of Baal and it was only because of God’s grace that a sinner like him was not consumed in that fireball of God’s holiness.
As wonderful as our country is there are times when we look around see the way that people act, we might be tempted to think that, like Elijah, we are the only ones left. Christians might look around at the world and think they are the only ones left who believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong, that you should be careful about the music that goes into your ears or the TV shows you watch or that we should pray for the authorities God has established in government. When we see the way that the unbelieving world acts, we dare not pat ourselves on the back and say, “Well I’ve done a pretty good job of resisting this or that sin.” No, all of us have sinned and bowed the knee to sin and Satan with our thoughts and words and actions. We deserve nothing but punishment from God. But God sent His Son Jesus and punished him in our place, so that we would not spend eternity alone in the agony of hell, but rather that we would live with Him forever in heaven. It is God’s great love for us shown in Jesus that gives us the strength to continue to resist temptation while the world goes on worshiping its idols.
When we feel alone in our fight against sin, let’s remember that Jesus has not only paid for all our sins, but also promised to be with us wherever we go. Our God is with us. Our God is the one who put himself between the advancing enemies and His people in a pillar of fire on the shores of the Red Sea. Jesus put himself in between God’s righteous anger over sin and us. He paid the penalty we deserved. God is an ever-present help in times of trouble and we will never be alone in our battles.
When we feel like we are the only ones left, let’s not lose sight of our fellow believers. Many of these Christians are faced with the same problems and temptations as we are. They need our support and encouragement as much as we need their help. As Children of God we are a family. As St. Paul says, “You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and member’s of God’s household.” Let’s pray for one another, encourage one another from God’s Word and provide for each other during times of need. Just when you think you are all alone, God encourages you. On this 4th of July weekend let’s thank God for the country we live in where we are free to gather together as believers to encourage one another.
Ever feel life your life can’t get any more complicated and then it does? Christian, you can take heart because God has a plan for your complicated life. In fact, God is so wonderful and great that he can take the jumbled mess we make of our lives and work a wonderful blessing for us. Just like Elijah learned that he was not alone in a hostile, heathen world, God also assured him that He had a plan. Just when you think things are out of control God has a plan.
God told Elijah, “Go back the way you came and go to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah, to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.” At a time when Elijah thought that God’s church was dead, God had a plan to rescue his church from the prophets of Baal and the wicked leaders of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. According to his plan, God would use the king of Aram to destroy Ahab. God’s judgment fell upon Ahab when he was killed in battle and the dogs licked up his blood. God used Jehu as an instrument of His judgment on Jezebel. Remember that at Jehu’s order, wicked Jezebel, who was trying to kill Elijah, was thrown down from the tower of her palace. God’s plan for the relief of Elijah also included anointing Elisha as Elijah’s successor. God had granted Elisha a double portion of the spiritual eagerness and wisdom of Elijah. Under the leadership of Elisha and Jehu, the temples of Baal were destroyed.
Although Satan tries to blind us to this fact, God has a plan for our lives. In Jeremiah God says, “I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future.” The fact that God has a plan for our relief gives us reason to take heart when those annoying little things happen in our lives, such as the car not starting or needing a new brake job, or our children falling down and hurting themselves, or when we are sick with a cold or the stomach flu. God’s planning for our relief also gives us reason to take heart when the major catastrophes of life come along like the death of a spouse, a fire, a disaster in our homes or financial ruin.
That’s not to say that God’s plan always goes the way we expect. Sometimes God brings blessings on paths where we would not expect blessings. In the 1780's, part of Wrentham, Massachusetts was a brand new city and had very little money and no bell in their church. They used the church building in their city as the center of their life. With no bell in the church, there was no way to summon the farmers for services or for emergencies such as fire. As a result, they came up with a clever plan. They named their new town "Franklin", and wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin asking him to donate a bell. However, Dr. Franklin was not so inclined. "Sense being preferable to sound," Dr. Franklin sent the good farmers a crate of books instead, and suggested they start a library. They did. It's still operating. It is the oldest public library in the United States. That’s an important lesson for us to remember about God’s plan for our lives. God always has in mind to bless us even when things seem out of control. God’s plan for Elijah’s relief also included the day when the Lord would take him up to heaven in the flaming chariot. God’s plan for our relief also includes the day when the Lord will relieve us of all our troubles and takes us home to heaven where nothing is out of control.
Let’s thank God that as part of his wonderful plan for us is that he has us living at this time in this wonderful and blessed country. Elijah did not enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. Yet there is much we can learn from how God treated Elijah when he was on the run from Queen Jezebel. Just when you think you are all alone, God encourages you. Just when you think things are out of control God has a plan. Amen.