Tuesday, March 29, 2011

March 27/28, 2011 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert on John 9:1-7,13-17.34-39

March 27/28, 2011 - Lent 3 - sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert Sermon text - John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. 17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." 34 To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." 38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Moses - we should know him well. He led the nation of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt and on a 40 year journey up to the promised land. There Moses died, and we are told of him in Deuteronomy 34, "Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone." Since our sermon text today speaks of blindness, what strikes me about Moses is that at age 120 "his eyes were not weak." In our day people don’t reach 120 years anymore. I also think it is safe to say that way before 120 years our eyes become weak. Why do we here in church make available large print pew Bibles and copies of our orders of service and hymns? At what age do we start holding a book farther from our eyes because we can’t see decently anymore? At what age do we get contact lenses or glasses? At what age do we think of improving our eyesight with some kind of laser or cataract surgery? All of this is because our eyesight can be weak instead of strong. Recognizing this, what we want to do is improve our vision. And the vision I am talking about especially now is our spiritual vision. So let’s talk first about No Vision, then about Partial Vision, and finally about Perfect Vision, as we consider the theme: IS YOUR VISION IMPROVING? I NO VISION (1-7) 1. The man in our text had no physical vision (1) As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. a) what medical help was available for him 2000 years ago? b) certainly not what we have today; he had never been able to see anything around him; his eyes did not work at all 2. Here "why" questions can easily come up (2-3) His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." a) why am I sick and others are not; why do I get cancer and others don’t; why can’t I make a decent living and others can; why are some people good looking and popular and I am not? b) sometimes we have a part in this; but if there are things not under our control, as with the blind man in our text, let’s accept Jesus’ answer: God has a purpose that will serve God’s loving plans for us, a purpose we often may not understand, as the blind man in our text most likely up to this point did not 3. But there is other blindness a) there is blindness to sin; this affected Israel, as we heard God faulting Israel in the Old Testament reading (Is. 42:18-20) "Look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD? You have seen many things, but have paid no attention." - Could God say the same thing to us? "You have heard my Word; you children have learned it in St. Jacobi School; you have all been reminded of it in church services. But are you blind? Do you do things wrong because you don’t see sin as sin anymore? You are influenced by the language and behavior of the world around you and on TV and you see it as okay. You go along with it. After learning so much, are you as blind as Israel was?" b) and then there is a blindness to the Savior, joining the world’s thinking that there are many ways to heaven and surely Jesus is not the only way; thinking there can be many truths - pick what you like best - and Jesus is not the only way and truth and life 4. Jesus is the only real answer (4-7) "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. a) clearly Jesus was the answer here for physical blindness b) in a similar way truly seeing Jesus, His truth, His saving work, is the answer to spiritual blindness c) what grace that He does not forsake us sinners, as He did not forsake Israel but carried out His plan to be our Savior; listen to the promise He gave in our OT reading (Is. 42:16) "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." II PARTIAL VISION (13-17) 1. Some still did not see (13-16a) They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." a) the blind man was totally healed and no longer physically blind b) but opposition to Jesus did not change; while the Pharisees could see the fact of the miracle, they didn’t have even partial spiritual vision but were still in spiritual blindness 2. Others began to see (16b) But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. a) some at least recognized and saw this was something special b) it still was only partial seeing, but at least it was not rejecting 3. The healed man also began to really see (17) Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." a) here we might think of two other incidents of vision gradually improving: in one case Jesus physically healed a blind man in stages so that first with partial vision he saw people looking like trees, and then he was given 20/20 vision; the other case is that of a spiritually blind Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well who, before she saw Jesus as the Savior, gradually recognized that Jesus had to be at least a great prophet b) so in our text, a physically healed man at least had partial spiritual vision and recognized Jesus as a prophet from God 4. Is our vision only partial? (17b) The man replied, "He is a prophet." a) many people will recognize Jesus to be a great teacher, or a good example to follow as to behavior, or as an important person and influence in history; but if that is all, they have only partial vision, like seeing Jesus only as a prophet b) what does our treatment of Jesus say about our vision if we think He is important, but not enough to worship Him in church regularly; not enough to serve Him with our lives and offerings when we have many other things we can do with our time and money; not enough to know that He weeps over our sins and has done something about that for us? c) if so, do we have only partial vision, or are we totally blind? III PERFECT VISION (34-39) 1. Some continue to choose blindness (34,39) To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. a) the Pharisees rejected the healed man’s words which gave glory to Jesus; they chose to stay blind to the truth b) we can easily understand what Jesus said about that here Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." 2. Jesus continues to reach out (35-37) Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." a) Jesus reached out so that partial vision could become perfect b) "Tell me" the man said, and Jesus told Him: He was the Son of God who had humbled Himself to become the Son of Man, fully human yet without sin, so that on the cross He could be the innocent sacrifice that would atone for the sins of the world 3. Now the blind man could really see (38) Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. a) this man went from partial to perfect vision when he, like the woman at Jacob’s well, saw Jesus not only as a prophet or important person, but as God’s Promised Savior b) and do you notice what he did? - he worshiped his Savior, as surely as you and I should want to worship Him regularly too 4. Into what category do we fit? (39) Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." a) trust in your own vision, your thinking, your brains, and though you think you see, instead you are spiritually blind b) what about partial vision? - don’t let it stay partial without improving; don’t stay away from regular worship, from using God’s Means of Grace in Word and Sacraments c) instead trust in Jesus, see Him as the Son of God and Son of Man, rejoice in Him as your Savior from sin and sure hope of true life Is Our Vision Improving? Let’s be like Moses when it comes to our eyes of faith. Of him it was said that "his eyes were not weak." May God’s Holy Spirit keep our eyes of faith strong as we continue to worship our Savior, as we grow in knowledge and in strength of faith and spiritual sight. Then we can joyfully sing, "I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see." And then, even if we would be totally physically blind, when we see Jesus we have perfect vision and will surely see the glories of heaven.       

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Midweek Lent 2
March 23, 2011
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: John 19:38-42

“NICODEMUS”

John 19:38-42 (NIV) “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

People watching. That’s what we’ve been doing for our Wednesday services in Lent. We’ve been watching the people who played a part in the Passion History of our Lord. Today’s person is Nicodemus. As you heard in the reading, the part he played came at the end of Jesus’ passion when it came time for Jesus’ body to be buried. In truth the story of Nicodemus began well before the day of Jesus’ death. If you recall, Jesus began His public ministry as Savior at age 30 and then for 3 years preached and taught and did miracles and ministered as He prepared to lay down His life on the cross. At some point early on in this public ministry of Jesus we are told this in John 3.
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” This is why Nicodemus was called the “Night Disciple.” He was a Pharisee and not just any Pharisee. He was a member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin. His words are very revealing and I believe will be used as testimony on the Last Day against the Pharisees and teachers of the law who continued to reject Jesus. He said, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God.” We know. That makes the rejection willful. It’s a horrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God whose Son you have rejected. Woe to them!
Back to Nicodemus. The Night Disciple came to Jesus at night. Can you guess why? He was afraid. Perhaps he was afraid that his buddies on the Sanhedrin would see him and treat him differently or mock him for going to Jesus. Perhaps he was afraid that the people would see him going to Jesus and give credit then to Jesus’ words. Clearly he did not want to be seen with Jesus. But he did want to hear what Jesus had to say about how to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus told him. And the night disciple sneaked away, back to his regular life.
The word of God Jesus spoke was not without effect. The next time we see Nicodemus is perhaps a couple of years later. Jesus has been preaching and teaching as only the true Messiah can. He was doing the miracles only the Son of God can do. The Pharisees and teachers of the law who know, who know, that Jesus has come from God, are getting more and more upset with Jesus and His popularity with the people. They have heard the people are actually thinking Jesus must be the Messiah. They send temple soldiers to arrest Him. The soldiers come back empty handed. When questioned as to why they respond they have never heard anyone like Jesus before. As expected the chief priests and teachers of the law are very upset. They mock the soldiers. “Have you become his followers too?” Nicodemus speaks up.
“Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.” Point of order. Nicodemus did not exactly give Jesus a ringing endorsement does he? He seizes on protocol, constitution, the law as a way to defend Jesus without defending Jesus. But at least he spoke up, kind of. And what did he get for it? Mockery too!
Scripture is silent about Nicodemus until the words of our text. Jesus has died. Who will bury Him? Bold Peter who will never deny? James and John who want to sit at Jesus right and left in His glory? No, it’s Nicodemus. The one who comes to Jesus at night. The one who’s not quite strong enough to stand up, stand up for Jesus.
Now, what can we learn from this? Can you relate to Nicodemus at all? Do you think of times when sin has been happening but you sat in its midst and kept quiet? Then later you think about it and kick yourself, ashamed that you didn’t have the guts to speak up. Or maybe it’s that conversation about religion and everyone is talking about God and how there’s only one God and all religions are just different ways to get to that God and you couldn’t quite get yourself to confess Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus as the way to heaven. If that’s you, take heart. Look at what the Lord did in time with Nicodemus. He built him up and strengthened him to be a bold disciple. He’ll do it with you too. Keep listening to Jesus in His word. Be patient. Cheer up. There will be more opportunities for you to speak up in service to your Savior.
And remember as we are looking at the people of the Passion we must remember to keep our focus on the Person of the Passion, to keep our eyes fixed on Him on Jesus. What a beautiful Savior. That bruised reed, that weak disciple He does not despise. In fact it is to Nicodemus that Jesus spoke probably the most famous passage of Scripture. You know it. It’s the Gospel in a nutshell. John 3:16. Say it with me. “For 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.” Nicodemus heard that Gospel. It took root in his heart. God loved him. God gave Jesus for him. He would have eternal life. He would serve that Savior.
God loves you too. He gave Jesus for you too. You believe. You will have eternal life. You get to serve that Savior. Whether you feel more like the weak silent Nicodemus or the bold burying Nicodemus who gave to serve you too are included in God’s Gospel promise. And so are your brothers and sisters. You see, we don’t just do people watching with the people of the Passion. We watch each other too. When you see a brother or a sister who seems to be a night disciple, one who exhibits weakness in one area of sanctification or another, let’s not despise them or mock them or look down on them but as Jesus did, give ‘em the Gospel. The Gospel is God’s power to save and God’s power to change us. It reminds me of a t-shirt I have seen several times. It pleads, “Be patient with me. God’s not finished with me yet!” How true. Amen.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

March 16, 2011 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

March 16, 2011 - Lent Midweek 2 - Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - John 11:43-53
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
 
The theme for this week, as we continue with our Lenten series on People of the Passion, is "Caiaphas, the Schemer." Caiaphas was high priest of the Jewish people and also the chairman of the Jewish 70 member Sanhedrin or council that dealt with religious, political and national matters. But this Sanhedrin was not in total control of the nation. Rome was in control, had its soldiers there, its own governor, and that at this time was a man named Pontius Pilate. That means that Caiaphas could be a schemer, but really was not totally in charge - and let’s add that Rome and Pontius Pilate were not either. God was.
Before continuing with Caiaphas, can you think of an Old Testament incident when there was scheming for evil against someone, scheming that seemed to work, but it turned out that the schemers definitely were not in charge? Think just a bit. Did any of you think of Joseph, think of Joseph’s brothers who were jealous of him, who when they had an opportunity schemed to get rid of him by selling him into slavery into the land of Egypt, who then lied to their father Jacob and told him Joseph had been killed by an animal? They schemed and thought they were in control, didn’t they. But they were not. God was. And that is what we see also in our text as we now look at
CAIAPHAS, THE SCHEMER
I JESUS HAD ACTED (43-44)
1. Jesus had planned but not schemed (43)
When he had said this ---.
a) if you recall, after hearing Lazarus was sick Jesus deliberately
planned to stay away for a while
b) His purpose was to prepare for a wonderful miracle
2. Then He acted (43-44)
Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
a) this wasn’t a case of acting within a few minutes window of
opportunity after somebody’s heart stopping
b) Lazarus came to life after having been buried for four days
3. Here indeed was proof of who Jesus was
a) in His ministry Jesus had been giving all kinds of proof that
He was the one Old Testament Scripture foretold as the
Christ, the promised Savior; that included the healing of many
many people who were sick or blind or couldn’t hear
b) but here was a healing of a dead man, of a dead man who
came walking out of his grave after four days, alive and well c) don’t you think this called for headlines in the newspapers;
don’t you think this would bring crowds to accept Jesus as the
promised one of God for whom the people had been waiting?
II UNBELIEF REACTED (45-48)
1. There was a mixed reaction (45-46)
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
a) if we had something bad and found a doctor who helped and
healed us, I am sure we would put our faith in that doctor the
way some people here put their faith in Jesus who gave life
b) but not all did that; instead some reported to the Sanhedrin
2. Unbelief could not deny the fact (47)
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs."
a) what they had been trying to accomplish was to get rid of this
man from Nazareth, this man named Jesus who was going
around saying the kingdom of heaven was at hand, who talked
about God’s Old Testament promises and said He had come to
fulfill them, who talked about forgiveness of sins, who said He
had come to seek and to save the lost
b) now this man had raised somebody from the dead; they could
not deny this; they had to acknowledge,
"Here is this man performing many miraculous signs."
3. Yet it held to its own thinking (48)
"If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
a) they had no evidence whatsoever about Jesus causing trouble
for them with the government of Rome
b) they assumed many followers of Jesus would lead to trouble
c) they assumed that because they wanted to get rid of Jesus
III CAIAPHAS SCHEMED (49-50,53)
1. Caiaphas took strong leadership (49)
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all!"
a) I wonder how the other members of the Sanhedrin felt when
Caiaphas said they knew nothing at all - would the president of
our congregation, Ralph Engelhardt, at a Voters’ Meeting tell
those present that they didn’t know anything at all? - I am sure
he would not, he’s not that kind of a man
b) but obviously Caiaphas was that kind of a man
2. Behind his scheming was self-preservation (50)
"You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
a) mister know-it-all wanted no trouble with Rome, trouble that
might lead to power being taken away from the Sanhedrin
b) his scheming solution: get rid of Jesus
3. And the plot for Jesus’ death was put into motion (53)
So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
a) here were the leaders, under Rome, of the Jewish nation
b) here were the spiritual leaders, the ones who should have
been pointing to Jesus as the promised Christ, the Savior
c) but Caiaphas’ scheming led them to plot death for Jesus
IV BUT GOD FULFILLED (51-52)
1. Unwittingly Caiaphas spoke the truth (51-52)
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
a) Caiaphas thought Jesus’ death would spare the nation of
Israel, save his job and position of importance
b) but God’s plan was not only for the Jewish people but for all
people, not only for an earthly peace but for an eternal peace
2. So Caiaphas schemed, but God could laugh
a) listen to these words from Psalm 2:1-6
"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break
their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying ‘I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.’"
b) Caiaphas schemed; God laughed, and fulfilled His purposes
3. He had done that also with Joseph
a) Joseph’s brothers, as we said at the beginning of this
sermon, schemed to get rid of Joseph
b) but God was in charge, using what the brothers did to Joseph
to bring the nation of Israel to the safety of Egypt until God
was ready to bring them out of Egypt and into the promised
land where His promised Savior would be born in Bethlehem
c) that was God’s plan; there Jesus died to pay the wages of our
sins that we might be forgiven, and there Jesus, like Lazarus,
came out of the grave alive to prove He is our Savior, our
resurrection and our life
V WHAT ABOUT US? (53)
1. We still face scheming
a) it comes from the devil; listen to this warning in Eph. 6:10
"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."
b) it comes from the world around us, the devil using its many
temptations to draw us into sin and away from God’s will, as
the Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Cor. 2:11 to be on guard that
"Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
2. How do we react?
a) sad to say it often is in weakness; what the devil and the
world offer often seems so appealing, and we fall into sin
b) sometimes we even become schemers ourselves, trying to
figure out how we can get away with things, do things wrong
without getting caught - you children in school, all of us, we
know we often are guilty, aren’t we; Caiphas is not the only
schemer
3. But rejoice in God’s planning fulfilled (53)
So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
a) they plotted, schemed to take Jesus’ life; but God laughed
b) God’s plan was to use that life that was taken as the payment
for our sins, all of our sins, including our scheming sins
c) fellow sinners, fellow schemers, rejoice; when Jesus died He
was not the loser but the winner, and He has made all of us
winners with Him
Many people followed Caiaphas the schemer. May God’s Holy Spirit strengthen us through Word and sacrament always to follow God the Planner who in His Son carried out His plan for our eternal salvation.
As penitent believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, flee the world’s scheming and trust God’s planning. Keep that in mind when we come to the closing hymn of this service and sing confidently, "I leave all things to God’s direction."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, March 14, 2011

March 6th, 2011 Worship Service

Mar 6, 2011 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

LENT 1
March 13/14, 2011
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17, 3:1-7, 15

“ONE FOR ALL!”
1. One Command.
2. One Enemy.
3. One Sin.
4. One Savior.

Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17, 3:1-7, 15 (NIV) “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

As you can tell from the change of altar cloths, paraments and banners we are in a new season of the Church year. Lent. We have special services on Wednesdays. The focus of the Wednesday services is the Passion of Jesus. The Scriptures we hear, the hymns we sing with their often plaintive melodies help us to have appropriate sorrow over our sin. Plan on being there! The Sundays of Lent are quite different. There actually called “Little Easters” because they show us Jesus triumphing for us. Think of today’s Gospel lesson where the Savior masterfully wielded the Sword of the Spirit to defeat Satan’s temptations. The need for Jesus is what is proclaimed to us in the Old Testament lesson. It shows us several one for alls.
First we find one command for all. “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” If you want to know how highly God values people, visit the Garden of Eden. If you ever doubt how special you are to God, go back to the Beginning. People, both Adam and Eve were created in a special way, formed by God. For people God creates a special garden with all kinds of trees that are pleasing to the eye and good to eat. To people God gave the special job of taking care of the Garden and to people God gave one command. “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Think of it. God gave Adam and Eve the whole world except for one tree. One command. Do not eat. Why? Love. People need a way to thank the God who treats them so specially. And the most meaningful way to show love to God is obedience to His commands. Willing obedience. God did not create robots. Adam and Even had the ability to never sin, to perfect obey, if they wanted to. One command for all commands.
But there was one enemy of all. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” Snakes were animals created by the Lord. They are clever and cunning predators. It is fitting then that the enemy of God and His people used a snake when he attacked God’s people. We know who this really is. It’s Satan. The one the Bible tells us was a created angel who led a rebellion against God some time after creation. He was defeated along with the other rebelling angels and punished by being banished from heaven. His goal from that time on has been to cause hurt, pain, evil, sin of all kinds. He is the real enemy of all. Sometimes, especially when there is conflict going on we like to see other people as our enemies. Just look at what’s going on in our state politically. Those same things can happen when there are differences of opinion in our families, in our churches. We need to remember that the one enemy of all doesn’t have skin on. It’s the Devil.
His goal is sin. One sin for all. “He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” There is a pattern for us to note in this familiar account of the fall into sin. Maybe you want to jot it down because you’ll see it again, and again, and again. Here it is. Doubt. Defense. Lie. Sin looks fun! Sin. Consequence. It’s a pattern we all know too well. Doubt. Did God really say? Is it wrong for me to lie in this case? Does it really apply with my circumstances? Defense. The conscience speaks. It’s wrong. God says so. Like Eve did. But the Devil doesn’t give up. He comes back at you with the Lie. You will not die. That’s not wrong. That’s not a big sin. You won’t get caught. Nobody is watching. It’s not hurting anyone. In fact, pattern point four. God’s holding out on you. God doesn’t want you to have any fun. And this sin is fun. Sexual sinning is fun. Underage drinking is fun. Gossiping, tearing others down. That’s fun. And then the sin happens. Eve eats. Adam eats. We lie. We cheat. We are selfish. We are so their children! And then there is consequence. The eyes were opened. Guilt. Separation from God. The same guilt and separation from God that we feel. And the reason we keep falling for this pattern even though we know it so well is that the sin was one for all. You heard about that in the Romans reading. One disobedience to one command prompted by one enemy doomed all people to life of sin in world filled with the consequences of sin and sinning.
What is a God who is love to do? People are His true treasure. God values you. He sends a Savior. One Savior for all. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Living in New Testament times as we do the meaning of the promise is obvious. There are hard feelings, enmity, between those who follow evil and those who believe in Jesus. Jesus is the offspring, the descendant of Eve, who crushed the Devil, refusing every temptation and offering Himself for sinners on the cross. The cross did hurt Him. We think of His anguished cries. And yet by the innocent suffering and death Jesus became the Savior of all. He paid for all sins. And everyone who believes this is saved. One Savior for all.
Now anyone who grew up at a time when you didn’t have 3,421 different television channels to watch remembers the one for all phrase, that it comes from the Three Musketeers. And that it has a partner. One for all, and all for one. What a beautiful way for us to respond to the Gospel message. One for all. One Savior for all of us. Jesus. How about we leave here as all for one. All of us, each one of us dedicated to giving Him glory. He is the only Savior. We will not let fake gods and fake saviors have His place. We will proclaim Him as the only Savior even if the one enemy uses other people to mock us or pressure us. We know what pleases our only Savior. Willing obedience to His commands. As Jesus gave His life for us, may we live our lives for Him. One for all and all for one. Amen.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

March 6/7, 2011, Transfiguration, sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Matthew 17:1-9
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don’t be afraid."
8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How bright was the Transfiguration scene? Let’s think of car headlights. When I drive to church in the evening and come up Grange to Forest Home Avenue, some lights can be blinding because of the incline of the road. Actually, facing oncoming traffic anywhere can be blinding if drivers don’t use their dimmer switches.
How bright was the Mount of Transfiguration scene? As we are not sure of this mount’s exact location, so I am not sure of the degree of brightness there. But I like to think Jesus must have used His dimmer at least a bit on the Mount of Transfiguration. Why? Because sinful people are not equipped yet to see the full glory of God. That is what God told Moses once, as recorded in Exodus 24:20, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Seeing God’s full glory has to wait until the time when we are in glory with Him. But for now let us look at the glory that Jesus has given us to see in our text.
JESUS’ TRANSFIGURATION SCENE
I THE PARTICIPANTS (1-3)
1. Jesus took three with Him (1)
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
a) the main participant here is Jesus, God’s eternal and glorious
Son who had humbled Himself for the world God loved, who
had done that so that He could suffer and die for us sinners
b) the others were Peter and two brothers, James and John; these
had been with Jesus when He raised Jairus’ daughter from the
dead and would be with Him later again in Gethsemane; - here
is an interesting fact about them: John was the last of Jesus’
disciples to die, whereas James was the first of Jesus’ disciples
to be killed by persecution because he followed Jesus
2. Then Jesus’ transfiguration took place (2)
There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
a) think of a car headlight, and then think of it being turned on
b) so see Jesus here first looking just like you and me, but then
being "turned on" with a tremendous brightness - but probably
dimmed enough so the disciples could see and still live
3. Then two more people appeared (3)
Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking
with Jesus.
a) one was Moses, through whom God had given the Law at Mt.
Sinai; Moses had led the Israelites up to the Promised Land but
died before entering and had been buried by God Himself;
the other was Elijah who was a prophet whom God chose to
take into heaven directly in a whirlwind without first dying
b) both of these men had left the earth long before the time of the
transfiguration; but here they were, alive, talking with Jesus
4. Can we be participants in glory?
a) many people may think when life ends, when our time on earth
comes to its conclusion, when we die, then that is all there is
b) Moses and Elijah didn’t agree with that at all, and God doesn’t
either; God clearly teaches a life after this life: heaven or hell
c) we surely don’t want hell though we deserve it, and we do
want heaven though we don’t deserve it; but can we have it?
can we, after our life here, talk with Jesus, with Moses and
Elijah, with Peter and James and John? the answer is yes; Jesus
came so that we could be participants too - but let’s continue
now with what happened at the Mount of Transfiguration
II THE REACTION (4)
1. Peter was eager to be with Jesus (4)
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
a) sometimes people ask if we are going to know each other in
heaven - please note that Peter here, without an introduction at
all, knew who Moses and Elijah were; that should be good
news for some of us who have more trouble with names as we
get older; I figure that should be great when I get to heaven
b) but the main point here is how excited Peter was, but then also
how impractical in thinking about staying there in shelters
2. But how quickly that could change
a) later Jesus warned Peter not about staying but about leaving,
denying Him, and Peter said that would not happen - but it did
b) thankfully Peter repented, turned again to Jesus for His
forgiving love, and then stayed with and served his Savior
3. How eager are we to stay with Jesus? (4a)
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here."
a) good to spend time with Jesus? - do we sometimes instead say
that about this world and not about Jesus, loving what this
world has to offer more than we love God and what God
offers; loving the things of this world, loving money and what it
can buy to satisfy our cravings for things that often are not at
all necessary, loving that more than God who is necessary?
b) do we say we would like to talk with Jesus, hear from Him,
but then stay away from church where we could hear His
Word, leave our Bibles shut where we could hear from Him?
4. What can we learn from Peter? (4)
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
a) he wanted to listen, was ready to do work putting up shelters
b) listening, serving - that surely we can learn from Peter
c) and when we are weak, as we all often are, again like Peter let
us also learn to be ready to repent and to listen to our Savior
III THE MESSAGE (5-9)
1. The Father also became a participant (5-6)
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
a) God broke into Peter’s talking, interrupted him
b) and now notice the change of feeling from "it is good" to
terror - would we feel much different if God interrupted us?
2. Listen to His message (5)
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
a) it was about His Son; as at Jesus’ Baptism God spoke and
endorsed His Son for His ministry, so here as Jesus was near to
completing His mission on earth God again endorsed Him as
His Son, positively identified Him as the promised Savior
b) and it was about what we should do with His Son: "Listen to
him!", open our ears to what God’s Son has to say to us
3. Now the Son spoke (7-8)
But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don’t be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
a) "Don’t be afraid." - but in a short while they would be again;
when Jesus was arrested they all forsook Him and fled
b) but after Easter, His mission completed, again Jesus told the
disciples not to fear; He had fulfilled His Father’s assignment
4. Full understanding was not yet there (9)
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
a) why keep quiet? - I’m sure they did not fully understand
b) and sometimes we don’t understand either, do we, when God
in His wisdom sends some things into our lives, such as
sickness or difficulties, that limit us as to what we want to do
c) so what should we do until God is ready to reveal more of His
plan for us? wait, and do what our God says: Listen to Jesus!
IV THE FULFILLMENT (9b)
1. A great victory was to come (9b)
"Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
a) was the Transfiguration glorious? more glory was to come,
the glory of Jesus’ resurrection; but first also more darkness
b) in a matter of months Jesus would be rejected, tortured,
crucified; but that wasn’t all; yes, Jesus would die; but He
would come alive again; He would prove His mission
completed by not staying dead in the grave
2. This fulfillment we consider in the next weeks
a) this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the first of our six
Wednesday Lenten services, and then comes Holy Week
leading up to Easter which announces the fulfillment: "the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
b) while "Don’t tell until" applied right after the Transfiguration
until the first Easter arrived, it no longer applied after that
3. Since the first Easter, fulfillment is to be proclaimed
a) Peter, one of the three, clearly did that, as we heard earlier in the epistle reading from the lectern: "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying,
‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." (2 Peter 1:16-18)
b) Peter and James and John heard and told, heard and told the
same message we too are privileged to hear and proclaim today
4. It is a message of our participation in glory too
a) Jesus was raised from the dead, and He has promised us, "Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19)
b) and we too will be transfigured, as God’s Word promises, "By the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, [the Lord Jesus Christ] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:21)
c) then, when our transfiguration happens, not only Peter and
James and John will be in glory talking with Jesus and with
each other; we will join them, join Moses and Elijah and all of
God’s people in a glory that will never fade away
The Transfiguration scene faded away. Car headlights can burn out and be dimmed completely. But heaven’s glory, our transfiguration, will never end. With Peter we too can say as he said in his first letter (1 Peter 1:3-4), "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you."