Monday, August 23, 2010

August 22/23, 2010 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

August 22/23, 2010, Pentecost 13 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Hebrews 12:1-13
LIVE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE
I WITH PERSEVERANCE.
II WITH STRUGGLING
III WITH SUBMISSION.
IV WITH ANTICIPATION.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your
feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so
that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
+++++++
LIVE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE is today’s sermon theme. Thinking of school starting (registration for our school is this week and starting time is next week) let’s first change that theme to LIVE YOUR SCHOOL LIFE and apply the four parts into which I have divided today’s sermon to the school scene.
I - Live your school life WITH PERSEVERANCE. Don’t be a drop-out. Hang in there so that you can reach graduation time. II - Live your school life WITH STRUGGLING. Learning isn’t always easy. Work faithfully to keep your grades up. Struggle against what would distract you, including the many temptations that can come to you not only from the outside but also from your classmates. III - Live your school life WITH SUBMISSION. Schools do have rules. Teachers properly do have authority. Submit and show respect for what is intended for your good. And IV - Live your school life WITH ANTICIPATION. Look forward to what comes after graduation, to a job, to moving on with the rest of your life.
Now let us move on from LIVE YOUR SCHOOL LIFE and return to our sermon theme of LIVE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE, and hear the message from God’s Word that encourages us to do that with perseverance, struggling, submission, and anticipation.
LIVE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE
I WITH PERSEVERANCE (1-3)
1. We have a cloud of Old Testament witnesses for this (1)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
a) in Hebrews chapter 11, just before our text, we are given the
names of many O.T. people who persevered, such as Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Rahab, David
b) these people had to deal with all kinds of difficulties, had to
deal with their own sinfulness, but they persevered - read that
chapter at home, and read about these people in the O.T.
2. Now consider the greatest New Testament witness (2-3a)
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, ---.
a) Jesus is more than a witness or example; He is our Savior who
wanted the joy of saving us from the hell we sinners deserve
b) what if Jesus when coming to Thursday evening in
Gethsemane and to Good Friday with its cross would have quit,
would have said that He as the innocent one shouldn’t have to
go through torture and pain and forsakenness by God? - but
Jesus did not do that, did not quit! for us He persevered!
3. May our Christian life show perseverance (1-3)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
a) don’t grow weary, lose heart, be drop-outs after confirmation
b) don’t let opposition from the world and your own sinful nature
make it easy to fall away, to think hearing God’s Word isn’t
important, to feel that worshiping God regularly in church takes
too much time when other things are more appealing to you
c) instead live your Christian life with perseverance
II WITH STRUGGLING (4-6)
1. Struggling might lead to bloodshed (4)
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
a) it had not yet reached this point for the recipients of this letter
to the Hebrews; but the bloody persecution of Christians had
already started (remember that only one of the original disciples
died of old age); and right now in 2010 physical persecution is
taking place from fanatic radicalism in some parts of the world
b) our country’s laws still protect us today; but let’s face it, we
will somehow get persecuted if we stand up for God’s truth
2. Our main struggling may be with God and ourselves (5)
You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses
you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ---."
a) with God: because our natural sinful nature wants to follow sin
and not God, is drawn to the world’s tempting presentations
on the misuse of sex and alcohol and who knows what else
b) with ourselves: because our consciences will bother us if we
are God’s children, and we have to struggle there too
3. But remember God’s part in this (5-6)
You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
a) parents may often say they discipline because they love you
b) that definitely applies to God’s dealings with us; He loves us!
c) so keep on living your Christian lives with struggling to do
God’s will, the will of our God who loves us
III WITH SUBMISSION (7-10)
1. Consider how family and discipline go together (7-8)
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
a) why would I not go to a neighbor’s house and correct the
children for not picking up their toys before bed time?
b) it’s because they are not my children, not my family
2. What is God telling us with His discipline? (7-9)
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
a) God is telling us we are His children, His family, and that He
cares about how we grow up and what the future for us will be
b) how do we feel about parents who really love us, have our
best interests in mind? - that is how we should feel about God
3. Let willing submission be how we live (9-10)
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and
we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the
Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a
little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
a) let’s face it, parents don’t always do things as they should
b) but God always does, in all areas; that includes the
commandments He gives us not to keep us from having fun
but to keep us from getting hurt; that includes things like
sickness and disappointments and terrible losses He permits
c) so let us live our Christian lives with submission, knowing
God’s intent is always our good, for us to share in His holiness
IV WITH ANTICIPATION (10b-13,2-3)
1. Anticipation means it still is coming (10b-11)
God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
a) how wonderful already to share in God’s holiness, to know
there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
b) but some of the harvest still needs to be anticipated as we
grow in our knowledge and faith, as we grow in righteous
living, and grow in appreciation of what God’s peace really
means as we travel on the way to complete fulfillment in glory
2. Jesus made possible what is anticipated (2-3)
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
a) Jesus endured, persevered for the joy of saving us
b) to Jesus we look as the source and content of our faith, and as
the one who will perfect it, keep us safe until we get to the last
chapter of the book of life, a chapter that includes our names,
the names of all who believe in God’s Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, a chapter about the wonderful heaven we anticipate
3. As we await this, stay in training (11-13)
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on,
however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your
feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so
that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
a) stay in training, be strengthened by the faithful use of God’s
Word that makes level paths, showing us the safe way to go
b) do that out of concern also for others, like fellow members
here in St. Jacobi, who are lame, weak in their faith and need
strengthening, need the support of their fellow believers so that
they can be helped and not become totally disabled and lost
c) in this way let us run the race God has marked out for each of
us, as our text again says: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What is ahead of you? Is it going to school? Is it dealing with a problem, a disappointment? Is the race marked out for you a specially difficult one? Whatever it is as we travel on this earth, knowing that you are a child of God, God who proved His love in His Son, LIVE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE: With Perseverance, not falling away; With Struggling, because sin is always tempting us; With Submission to the will and Word of God who loves us; and With Anticipation of the crown of life when our earthly race is finished.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

PENTECOST 12
August 15/16, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 12:32-40

“DO NOT BE AFRAID!”
With your eyes on the kingdom…
1. You’ll keep your heart in focus.
2. You’ll always stand ready.

Luke 12:32-40 (NIV) "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

I don’t mean to be an alarmist but there are some pretty scary things going on right about now. We could start on the national scene. Some economists are predicting, almost promising, that the second dip of a double dip recession is coming for sure. Some recent economic data seems to support that. What will this mean for jobs and retirement income? While we all understand what it means to have freedom of religion in our country and we know that the laws that protect our right to worship as we want also protect the rights of false religions, it sure seems like the Muslim population is growing exponentially and they are getting more aggressive, willing to do the kind of in your face activities like putting a mosque at ground zero. Where is this headed? Is it a sign of things to come? Politically some see our government on the move to a more socialist approach which effects things like health care, education and business. What will this mean? It’s all a little scary. Individually some of you are still dealing with or facing job loss, some health issues and some family turmoil, some all of that and more. Your potential future may look a little, well, scary.
And to every group of believers gathered at any point in time, yes to you, the Lord Jesus says, "Do not be afraid, little flock.” It’s true. We are not the only group of believers to face scary situations. Jesus spoke to people who were hoping to earn a day’s wage each day so they could have food for their family the next. He spoke to people who were under the authority of the brutal Roman government and whose spiritual leaders were spiritually bankrupt. To them and to us and to every group of believers in between the loving Lord Jesus calmly says, "Do not be afraid, little flock. Why? Why does He say this? How can it be? “For your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Brothers and sisters, it’s very important when we are reading our Bibles to look at the tense of the verbs that the Lord chooses to use. The tense is the when, past, present or future. Look at the tense of the verb. Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. It’s a done deal. We have the kingdom of heaven waiting for us with all its joys, all its happiness, all its eternity. It does not matter what happens to us as a nation, a congregation, a person. It has pleased the Father to give us the kingdom and no one can take that away from us. Never forget who you are and what you have waiting for you. Keep your eyes on the kingdom.
And now look at how that simple fact allows us to live our lives. Jesus says, 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Keeping our eyes on the fact we have the kingdom enables us to keep our hearts focused on our heavenly goal. Let’s face it. That’s not always easy. We have needs. We have wants. Jesus used the example of possessions. His command is not a command to sell all that we have and give to the poor but rather to cut our heart strings that are attached to our possessions. His command is an invitation to live the “Do not be afraid” life. I don’t need to hoard for myself. I have the kingdom. I don’t need to try to become rich. I am rich for my Father has been pleased to give me the kingdom. Things in my possessions simply become tools to use to gain treasures in heaven. Now I see that people are God’s true treasure and taking care of them, helping them, wanting them in the kingdom, that’s what it’s all about. With my eyes on the kingdom my possessions won’t be the focus of my heart. Neither will my favorite football team, or my favorite pastime, nor my problems, nor my fears. Jesus will be. The one who comes to believers of every time and circumstance and says, “Do not be afraid.”
With our eyes on the kingdom we will also always stand ready. Jesus told us of the importance of that when He went on to say, "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Jesus uses the picture of servants whose master went to a wedding banquet. His return time unknown. The faithful servants wait for His return. They stand ready to serve. This makes sense. That’s what servants ought to do. What doesn’t make sense is the master in the picture. “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” What? Are you kidding me? When the master gets back he dresses to serve, has his servants recline at the table and he waits on them? What kind of a master is this? It’s our loving master Jesus who makes us want to stand ready for Him to return at any moment by promising the kingdom to us. How great it will be if our Lord can compare it to a master serving his servants.
How great it will be to be found ready when He comes. Now you can’t read this word of God or hear this word of God without wanting to stand ready. It makes you do a little self examination. Am I ready? Are you standing ready? Some other questions can help us answer that. What is your heart focused on? Is it partying or possessions or your Savior? Who is your master? Who gets to call the shots in your life? You? Your fears? Another person? Or Jesus who gave Himself for you to win you for the kingdom? An honest examination will reveal times when our hearts have been focused on other things with Jesus as a lower priority. It will reveal times when we have rejected Jesus as master and willingly served others, even sin. How thankful we get to be to have a master who takes us back. Who comforts us with His love and forgiveness and lets us recommit to faithful service. Who comes at every time and in every circumstance and says, "Do not be afraid, little flock.”
How can we do that? As we started today I listed off a number of pretty scary situations. Maybe they were on your radar screen, maybe not. Maybe they are scary to you. Maybe not. But in all of the situations I named let’s face it, we are a little flock. Surveys show the number of Christians in our country shrinking, especially the kind that stands up for Jesus. As a congregation we may be large as churches go but really we are a little flock. All of us in our stations in life may like to think we are big stuff but in the eyes of the world, we’re little people. What about all those scary things we face? Little flock. Big Shepherd. Jesus. He is all powerful, all wise, all knowing and always faithful. And He will do exactly as He promised and work all things for our good. That’s why we need not be afraid. Amen.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

PENTECOST 10
August 1/2, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Genesis 18:20-32

“YOUR PRAYERS GO TO THE GOD WHO IS…”
1. Accessible.
2. Patient.
3. Merciful.

Genesis 18:20-32 (NIV) “Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?"He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

Three men came to visit Abraham and Sarah. Only they weren’t men. It was the Lord Himself and two angels appearing in human form. They had come to do the work of God which we often summarize in the two main teachings of the law and the Gospel. You heard the first part of the story last week in the Old Testament lesson. The Gospel was proclaimed as the Lord revealed His timeline. Isaac would be born in one year’s time. That was the Gospel work of the Lord as Isaac is a direct ancestor of the Savior Jesus Christ that all people need. Now it was time for some law work of the Lord. Sodom and Gomorrah would be dealt with. The people there had rejected God persistently. The sign of their rejection was their indulgence in the perversion and unnatural relations of homosexual activity. These weren’t people struggling with sinful desires. They demanded their right to sin and forced their sin on others.
In this part of God’s word though the camera of Scripture focuses our attention on an interesting parley between the Lord and Abraham, an interplay that teaches us things we need to know about prayer just as was emphasized by our Savior in the Gospel lesson. While we could focus on Abraham and how he prayed let’s instead focus on what enabled Abraham to pray, the nature of God. So that we are encouraged to be steadfast and faithful in our prayer lives let’s look at the one to whom we pray.
First we find that He is a God who makes Himself accessible to us. “Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.” Now remember the nature of God. If we use those big words we learned in the catechism we described God as omnipresent—everywhere all the time. He doesn’t need to go down from heaven to see anything. Also we know that God is omniscient. He knows everything. He doesn’t need to check anything out to see what’s happening. He already knows! So why the words? Did you notice who was standing right there? These words were for Abraham’s benefit. We don’t know if Abraham had become weak in his prayer life. Maybe while waiting so long for the son he had been promised to be born he had grown lax or discouraged. But the Lord here gave Abraham an opportunity to pray and was showing just how accessible He is.
He is just as accessible to us too. We don’t have to climb some mountain in Tibet. We don’t have to go through some sci-fi cleansing ritual like the Scientologists offer. We serve a God who is accessible to us 24/7. He doesn’t have office hours. He doesn’t sleep. At every moment of every day He stands ready to hear our prayers. Maybe that’s why we grow weak and lax in prayer. When you have something so easy we tend to take it for granted. Think for a moment on your average day. How many minutes are really spent in prayer? They can be as many as you want for the God we pray to is accessible.
He is also very patient. Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." OK! If this was us with one of our children at what point would we have snapped, “Enough already! I told you what I would do.” First Abraham asks for what he has no right to ask for. Then he keeps asking, multiplying the request as he goes for the sake of just five more until it’s down to ten. From a human perspective Abraham was being a pest. God had the right to shut him down.
But he didn’t. God is not like human parents. He is patient beyond understanding. Now kids, you need to remember that. Your parents are not God so you need to learn that fine line between proper child like asking and pestering when you go to them. You don’t have to learn that with your God. You can’t pester your God. Just like He loved it when Abraham kept coming to Him in prayer, just like Jesus taught with His parable on persistence, God loves it when you keep coming to Him in prayer. Don’t worry about coming too often or even about what you are asking. That’s just the Devil who knows the power of prayer trying to dissuade you. The God we pray to is ultimately patient.
And ultimately merciful. Abraham was praying for people who had rejected God and showed it by rejecting God’s will for sex as a blessing reserved only for husband and wife within the boundary of marriage. Abraham asked for all to be spared for the sake of the righteous, a Bible term for those with faith in the Savior God. Abraham’s rapid reduction reveals he knew the true state of affairs in Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet what was God’s response? "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.""If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." "I will not do it if I find thirty there." "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." Law and Gospel. God is just and must punish sin. God is love and it breaks His heart to punish people. He wants to forgive and to spare. God’s nature is Gospel dominated. That’s why Jesus came. God’s one and only Son volunteered to be punished so His Father could spare the people who sinned. That’s a type of mercy that does not exist amongst us but is most certainly enjoyed by us.
The God you pray to is that merciful and desires to help and bless you. The Devil is right when he pokes and prods you and reminds you that because of your sins you don’t deserve to pray and God shouldn’t listen to you or help you. But you still get to pray because God is merciful. Your right to pray does not depend on you but on Him. Your answer to prayer is not dependent on your nature but on God’s. He is merciful.
So pray, Christian, pray. You know the rest of the story, how God was not able to spare Sodom and Gomorrah because there weren’t even ten believers between the two cities. Yet God did answer Abraham’s prayer in a better way. He spared Abraham’s nephew Lot and as much of Lot’s family that would listen. He wiped the evil off the face of the map so it would not spread. That’s the God you get to pray to. The one who is always accessible, ever patient and filled with mercy. May these truths encourage you to be more steadfast and faithful in prayer than you were when you came in. Amen.