Monday, April 30, 2012

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY
April 29/30,  2012
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: John 10:11-18

“YOU HAVE THE GOOD SHEPHERD!”
1.     Who lays down His life for you.
2.     Who knows you inside and out. (and still loves you!)
3.     Who loves His other sheep too.

John 10:11-18 (NIV 1984) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

          Jesus had just healed a man who had been born blind. This man’s pastors, his shepherds, who should have been watching out for his soul were the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.  These shepherds had been teaching that to be born with a handicap like blindness was because this man or his parents had done some great sin. God was punishing. When Jesus healed the man, his pastors, his shepherds accused him of lying to them about the miracle, deceiving them. Then since Jesus had done this miracle on the Sabbath day these so called shepherds who would not have hesitated to do whatever necessary to put out a fire in their grain field or rescue their bull who was stuck in a pit objected at this kindness shown to a person. It’s at this point that Jesus stepped in and provided His people with a picture that has provided such great comfort and meaning to God’s people that they named a Sunday of the church year for it. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” with emphasis on the good. Let’s join together then in rejoicing over what this means for you and me. God’s Word proclaims, “You have the GOOD Shepherd.”
          Those who cling to the lie of evolution really have a hard time with sheep. In evolution’s nonsense it is survival of the fittest, right? The problem with sheep is that they are not fit to survive on their own. They aren’t equipped to find sources of good food and water on their own. They are apt to stray. They’re pretty much defenseless against enemies. I mean, think about it. What are they going to do? Smother a wolf with their wool. Scare them away with a baa? Did you know that if a sheep gets flipped on its back its physiology is such that it is almost impossible for it to get back on its feet? Sheep need a shepherd.
          People are sheep. There’s no use getting all offended that God pictures us this way to help us see His love. People are not fit to survive spiritually on their own. People don’t know enough on their own to choose what is good to eat spiritually. On their own they will read just about any other book than the Bible. Think about that. We have the word of God Himself and they/we will read just about anything else! People cannot comprehend the glory of the true God so they stray after fake gods made in man’s image with understandable religions. They get drawn to sinful living that seems attractive but in the end leads to death. People on their own are defenseless against enemies. I’m not talking about ones you can fight with knives and guns but real ones like the Devil. Like death which should lead to hell. And people are helpless to take care of sin. Like a sheep on its back we can struggle and strive but we can’t pay for even one sin. Evolution would write the sheep off. The Good Shepherd does not.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” The Good Shepherd gave His life for you. That’s how much you are worth to Him! Wives here today I need to tell you something you need to know. At some point in your marriage your husband is going to let you down, disappoint you. Chris is still waiting for that to happen, but, OK—no she’s not. People, all people are weak and self centered. Everyone  in your life will at some time or another disappoint you, let you down, even like hired hands run away when the going gets rough. That’s your spouse, your mom your dad, your children, your friends, your classmates, your co-workers, your boss, your pastors, your teachers. Everyone but Jesus. He loves  you so much. Of His own accord, because he wanted to He give His life in place of yours, He died to pay for your sins. You have the Good Shepherd.
          And the Good Shepherd knows you inside and out and loves you anyway. Hear His voice. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” We live in a world of hurt. People hurt people and hurt people hurt people. It’s a vicious cycle. Can you imagine the life of the man born blind? He couldn’t see. But he could hear. “I wonder what he did? Do you think his parents jumped the gun? Poor guy!”  But the Good Shepherd knew him. He knew that the man’s blindness was not a punishment for sin but a plan from God to give him purpose in giving glory to God. Poor guy nothing. Blessed guy! It’s like that with you too. Jesus says He knows you just like He and His Father know each other. Nothing is hidden. Inside and out. The Father knew Jesus before he took on human flesh, when he looked like a baby lying in a manger, when he was hanging on the cross covered with the sins of the world . Jesus knows you—inside and out. He knows you hurts and how to help you. He knows that He has plans and purposes for you and is guiding and shaping your life. He knows you as His sheep even when you are covered with sins. He knows your insecurities, your shame, your weakness, your past, all the things you are afraid  of other people finding out-- He  knows all of that and He loves you anyway. You have the  GOOD Shepherd.
          And He has other sheep He loves too.  Hear the voice of your Shepherd. “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” The people of Jesus’ time needed to hear this. The other sheep for them were Gentiles. People who ate different foods than Jews did, who dressed differently and spoke differently. Many of them did not look like Jesus’ sheep yet. They were ignorantly worshipping idols and were sexually immoral. But they were Jesus’ sheep. He was their Good Shepherd and He loved them too. People of our time need to hear this. Jesus said the world will endure until the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the world. He will call all His sheep before it’s over. We get to play a part in that. One of  the main reasons we Christians are left on earth instead of getting to go right to heaven is to take the voice of the Shepherd to other sheep. We don’t always know who they are. Some of the sheep are living with pigs right now. Pigs is a good way to describe the way many unbelievers live. They have sin stink all over them as they delight in sexual sinning and potty mouths and in your face bumper stickers and t-shirts like pigs delight in rolling their manure mud mix. You know what happens to sheep that live with pigs? They smell like pigs. They might even begin to act like pigs. But they’re not actually pigs. They’re sheep of Jesus. Sometimes sheep we know wander off. They stray. Like the prodigal son they end up with pigs. But they’re not pigs. They are sheep of Jesus. As Jesus does let’s do our best to love ‘em, not leave ‘em, to call them back instead of culling them out. For they are sheep of Jesus and He loves them too. He is the Good Shepherd.
          John records the reaction the Jews who heard Jesus claim “I am the Good Shepherd.” He tells us it was mixed. They were divided. Some said He was demon possessed. Others said He wasn’t. How about you? What do you say? Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” I say, “Thank you, Jesus!” You too? Amen.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Wisconsin Lutheran High School April 22nd, 2012

Psalm 119:97-104 – WLHS Sunday –

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN…Your Enemies, Your Teachers, Your Elders.
Pastor Kenneth Fisher at St Jacobi on April 22/23, 2012

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Since today is Wisconsin Lutheran High School Sunday, I thought I’d begin with a little test. I want to know: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A PRESCHOOLER?
Here is the first question: How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
Correct Answer: You open the door, put the giraffe in, and close the door. Did you get that wrong? Perhaps you’re thinking too hard. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way. I am told that most preschoolers get this question correct.
Next question: How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
If you said, “Open the door, put in the elephant, and close the door.” Wrong answer.Correct answer: Open the door, take the giraffe out, put the elephant in, and close the door. This question tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.
Next question: The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which one does not attend?
Correct answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator, remember.
This question tests your memory. Okay, even if you didn’t get all of those correct, you have one more chance to show your abilities.
Final question: There is a river that you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?
Correct answer: You swim across. Why? The crocodiles are attending the animal conference. This test whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, 90% of the professionals that they tested got all the questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four-year old. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8mQzjL2DCE&feature=related)
How did you do? ARE YOU SMARTER THAN… a child.
Children can often see clearly what the wise and learned trip over. That is true in spiritual matters, too. Our Savior Jesus once said, of those who came to faith through his disciples’ ministry, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” (Luke 10:21)” The spiritual blindness of the people of Jesus’ day, especially the wise and the learned, was evident in their rejection of the way of salvation and the Word-incarnate who stood before them in the person of Jesus Christ. Some things never change.
Those who trust in God’s Word for wisdom, direction and rescue from this world are perceived as foolish. God’s Wisdom seems foolish to the world. But not to those who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit who works through God’s Word as Paul told the Corinthians, “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:13-14)
ARE SMARTER THAN… that? Today, I’d like you to consider a section of the longest Psalm and the longest chapter of the Bible. Psalm 119 is an elaborate acrostic. That means that the writer used the first letter to form a pattern to spell out a message. This Psalm is a set of units each beginning with the same first letter. Our section is titled “Mem” the Hebrew letter for “m” that begins each of the 8 verse before us. It is a giant alphabetical sequence. The idea is that this Psalm which is all about God’s Word moves us to meditate carefully on every aspect of God’s Word from “A to Z” and that sounds appropriate to do on Sunday in which we’re focusing on Christian Education.
As I read this, I want you to look for synonyms for God’s Word. A synonym is a word that means the same thing as something else or something very similar. There is one word in each verse that is another name for God’s Word. A few repeat. But the idea is clear. The author of this Psalm presents a convincing reason for the study and absorption of God’s Word. Cleverly placed in all but 2 of the 167 verses of this long Psalm is a synonym for God’s Word.

Listen now to God’s Word as you as yourself, IF YOU ARE SMARTER…:
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

This is God’s Word!

Did you see the 8 synonyms for God’s Word -- like “law,” “commands,” “statues,” “precepts,” and “word”? When you study and meditate on this Psalm, it will fill your mind with thoughts of concern for God’s Word, a distress over evil, and lead one to renewed commitment to God’s Word – the Bible. That’s what gives true wisdom. The truth of God’s revealed wisdom is contrasted with what can be the foolishness of three different groups. Did you see those three groups? The Psalm says that he is smarter than… his enemies, his teachers, and his elders. Those are bold claims. Today let’s explore why the Psalmist can say that.. as I also ask you: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN … YOUR ENEMIES, YOUR TEACHERS AND YOUR ELDERS.
1. ARE SMARTER THAN…Your Enemies (v. 97-98)
The Psalmist began: 97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. God’s people love God’s Word. That word “law” isn’t just talking about what God told us to do and not to do. It refers to all of God’s Word – especially the two main teachings of the Bible – the law and the gospel. God’s Law exposes our sin and keeps us from doing what is destructive while guiding our daily walk. That’s why Bible study isn’t a one time act but a life-time activity. God’s gospel shows us the tender heart of God and gives us our forgiveness. We love the law and the gospel for different reasons. I suppose it is like a parent loves both of his children, but each has a different personality and talents.

When you love God’s Word, it makes you superior in wisdom. The first group that the Psalmist mentions is his ENEMIES. He said,”98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.” Notice what he didn’t conceitedly say. “I am smarter than my enemies.” – like a cocky athlete who thinks he’ll never lose. But those who trust in their own strength and smarts to overcome--eventually run into someone stronger and smarter. Do you recall when the New England Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season only to lose the big one! The Psalmist said “Your commands make me wiser… for they (God’s Word, not the enemies) are ever with me.”

What are your greatest enemies? Too often, we are our own worst enemy. We bring evil upon ourselves by not keeping God’s Word front and center in our lives. The devil is surely our enemy. Death, too is a terrible enemy. Each of them is ever so clever in their plots. The logic of a sinful mind tries to convince us that we know better. The devil’s lies seem so smart. But with God’s Word all those enemies are revealed as foolish. That is why he said “103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” This refers to the Gospel.

God’s Word pronounces something sweeter than honey! After the bitterness of sin’s condemnation in your conscience, what could be sweeter than to hear God say, “You are forgiven.” You are only as smart as long as you stay connected to God’s Word. That’s why we are so anxious to partner with parents during those critical years of high school with parents of teenagers. Sociologists who study the habits of generational groups have found that the most formative time in a person’s life is between the ages of 17 and 22. It is during those years that the lasting values and morals are formed. There are many ways that parents can keep God’s Word near to their teens who are becoming adults but we’re happy at Wisconsin Lutheran High School to teach every subject from the perspective of God’s Word and to keep the sweet gospel front and center in daily chapel, every teachable moment and career decision. Are you a little afraid as a parent of the fact that your teens are making decisions that could impact the rest of their lives? The enemies are ever with them. How can we not want God’s Word with them in every way possible during this critical, life-shaping years are our children mature into adulthood?
As a parent, aren’t you worried that you can’t be with your teens always. But God’s Word can be! What could be sweeter than God’s pronouncement of forgiveness when they stumble and his Law and Gospel in Christ Jesus being ever with your teenagers? When God’s Word is “ever with” me, I will be wiser than my enemies.
2. ARE SMARTER THAN…Your Teachers
That’s the Psalmist’s claim. Listen again:
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
A teacher may pose excellent pedagogical skills to transfer human knowledge to their students. Many do! But there is a warning to those who are Christian teachers not to trust in their own insights but to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary for the “one thing needful.” The world has much to teach, but God’s Word alone is the source of true and lasting wisdom.
When you pick up your Bible, you are never without a teacher. Every time you sit to study God’s Word, know who your teacher is – God himself. He is the most qualified to teach you. The great lessons that God teaches are in each section of the Word are to love God completely and to love your neighbor as yourself. The phase “you yourself have taught me” is the Psalmist’s way of emphasizing that the lessons that he learned were not self-taught but God-taught.
Sometimes Christians feel uncomfortable with meditation, perhaps due to New Age forms of meditation. But meditation simply means to reflect deeply on something. The Bible is filled with exhortations to meditate on God’s Word and works, and the history of the church records numerous examples of men and women who heeded this call to contemplate God’s Word. There is much we can learn from this approach to prayer that includes sustained reflection on our Lord and his Word. For one thing, meditation is not a mindless repetition of certain phrases, but an intense concentration on God and His ways. Scriptural exhortations to meditate are always directed toward God’s deeds, laws, or promises.
Martin Luther once compared the mediation on God’s Word to “gathering apples” He said:
I study my Bible like I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb—study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings.
Isn’t that why you offer many options for studying God’s Word from preschool to senior Bible class? The Christian who looks to God’s Word as his teacher will never lack for wisdom!
3. ARE SMARTER THAN…Your Elders
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Elders may have learned ever so much from this life’s experiences, but if there source of understanding is not God’s Word, then turn to that for something far superior to all the wisdom of the ages.
Age can bring cynicism and doubt. “We tried it before and that didn’t work.”Age can bring pride and self-interest. “Look what I accomplished.”
Martin Luther once observed that even old age does not save one from folly if God’s commands are not kept.
Notice that God’s Word prompts God’s people to avoid evil. This is best test if you’re smarter than your elders. Does the wisdom that you have enable you to avoid evil? The Psalmist would emphatically answer “Yes” and credit God with any victory that he enjoys.
In the end, that is what matters isn’t about the ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran High School, too? Obedience. Faithfulness. Heaven. Isn’t that what God wants? Wisconsin Lutheran High School can offer the high level of academics—and it does. Wisconsin Lutheran High School can offer an array of Advanced Placement Classes and our students can score some of the highest marks in the state—and they do. Wisconsin Lutheran High School can field the best sport’s teams in the state and win the highest honors in the state for it choirs and bands—and we do. But if its alumni aren’t sitting in the pews of churches like some of you who raised your hands earlier [indicating that they are alumni or current students of Wisconsin Lutheran High School], what does it matter in the eternal picture? What eternal good will come from our graduates being enabled to enter some of the most prestigious universities if they don’t stay connected to Christ and his church. True wisdom leads to faithfulness and obedience. It leads to people persevering in the faith through the power of God’s Word that works in their hearts. That alone in the end is what counts in Christian Education and our partnership with St. Jacobi in providing secondary education.
So I ask you one last time: ARE YOU SMARTER than your enemies, your teachers and your elders? By God’s grace through faith in Christ as your Savior, may his Word keep you ever in God’s wisdom. Amen.
--Rev. Kenneth J. Fisher, WLHS

Sunday, April 8, 2012

EASTER SUNRISE 2012


EASTER SUNRISE
April 8, 2012
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 16:1-4
“WHO WILL ROLL THE STONE AWAY?”
Mark 16:1-3 (NIV 1984) “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Growing up we never went to the Sunrise Service at our church. We were 9 o’clockers. That was our regular service. That didn’t mean however that we weren’t up at sunrise. We had this Easter tradition in our home, maybe you do too, of hiding Easter baskets. As soon as you got up you could look for yours. At first our parents did the hiding but as my brothers and sisters got older they gradually assumed the job of hiding the Easter baskets for us younger children. Eventually that led to problems. You see, my parents would hide the Easter baskets so that they would be found. My brother Marty hid them so that they would not. I remember one particular Easter, I was probably about five or six, just a little guy, when I finally found my basket I still couldn’t get it. He had hid on top of one of the supporting beams in the basement and back then even standing on a chair I couldn’t reach it. I remember a few tears. Who would get my basket for me? I couldn’t do it.
A similar problem occurred the first Easter. There was a Sunrise Service then too. It was sunrise. Some women were hustling to Jesus’ tomb to perform a service. They wanted to serve their Lord Jesus by anointing His body for burial. If you recall Jesus had been placed in His tomb just before the Sabbath began and so the women could not do the work they wanted to. But they were bound and determined to get the job done right. However as they went they found themselves in kind of the same Easter predicament I was in, just much more important. There was something they needed to do they knew they could not do. Roll the huge stone away to get into Jesus’ tomb. So they asked a very natural question. “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Now that’s kind of surprising, isn’t it? This entire Lenten season and Holy week we have been looking at surprising sayings surrounding Jesus’ Passion and this is one of them even though at first glance that doesn’t seem like a surprising question at all. It seems very natural. It is a surprising saying in this. The question should never have been asked. Why not? They should have known. They should have known they wouldn’t have to roll the stone away. They should have known that Jesus’ body wouldn’t need anointing. How? Jesus had said so. On several occasions He told His disciples that He was going up to Jerusalem, that He would be betrayed by the chief priests and Pharisees, that they would put Him to death but on the third day He would rise again. We can’t know for sure but certainly the disciples must have talked about these strange sayings. Jesus had given the Pharisees and the teachers of the law the sign of Jonah. Three days in the belly of the fish, three days in the belly of the earth. He had proclaimed publicly, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law understood what Jesus was saying. That’s why they went to Pilate and asked for guards to be posted at the tomb. They didn’t want that stone rolled away.
And so surprisingly the women ask, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” With their lack of understanding what would really happen they did understand that rolling the stone away was impossible for them. And then they learned an important truth. “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” These women had been worrying about something God had already taken care of. What was impossible for the women was very possible with God and He had done it.
Isn’t that a great truth to learn from Easter? God rolls the stone away. When we need something done God does it! Think of what that rolled away stone meant. It meant Jesus was alive. He had risen from the dead just as He said. Remember why He had died. To pay for sin. Talk about a stone that it is impossible to roll away. Sin is one of those stones. No payment for sin is ever enough. Oh people try. They try to make up for the sin by saying sorry or doing better but our efforts don’t take the sin away. We need that to happen so God did it. He rolled the stone away. When Jesus was on the cross He was punished for every sin. His death was the final act of substitution for all people. The stone was rolled away because death could not hold Him. His work was done. Who will roll the stone away? The women at the tomb found out that God had. When it comes to the stone of sin that is impossible for us to move, Jesus did.
And Jesus will. You know these women faced more stones in their lives, not real ones but symbolic ones. They faced the stone of lack of understanding. Scripture tells us they just didn’t get it. Some thought Jesus’ body had been stolen. God rolled that stone away. He gave them the understanding from Scripture. They faced the stone of sorrow. Mary Magdalene and her tears. Jesus rolled that stone away. He comforted Mary. They would face the stones of persecution and rejection by family members who would not accept Jesus as their Messiah Savior. Jesus rolled that stone away giving them strength to be faithful and finding family in each other. Each of these and many more would be impossible tasks for them. What a blessing the Lord had given to them that they could think back to the impossible problem at Easter Sunrise and their understandable question, “Who will roll the stone away?” and remember the answer. God did. So God will. God would roll all the other stones away that they needed.
God will do the same thing for you too, brothers and sisters. Easter proves it. When our salvation is at stake, when we need it, He will roll the stone away. When you have sorrows and disappointments so that you want to cry your eyes out and your heart feels broken and you think the hurt will never go away, remember the tomb on Easter morn and how God had rolled the stone away. Count on Him to take care of you. When you are fearful of what the future holds, if your job is not secure and you don’t know what to do about it remember the tomb and who rolled the stone away, not the women but God. He’ll be there to provide for you. Whatever stone you are facing remember Easter morn God’s already taken care of the big one and just like with the women who got their answer before they even asked the Lord has your future planned too. Right down to the very last stone you need removed.
Your tombstone. Oh we don’t quite bury people the way they did back then. We use caskets and vaults and cremation and urns. Who will roll the stone away so you can get out? God will. As a believer in Jesus when you die there will be no obstacle to your entrance to heaven. The stone of sin is rolled away. Your spirit goes right to be with Jesus. Your body stays here and on the last day the great day of resurrection God will roll the stones away from the graves resurrect the bodies of all people and reunite them with their souls. Those who believe will go to everlasting life. Those who rejected Jesus to everlasting death. For it is God who rolls the stones away. We believe in Him. And are happy to. He is our Father in heaven.
I should tell you how my other Easter morning turned out. Now that I think of it there must have been a few tears because eventually my father came down to the basement. “What’s going on here?” he said in his take charge voice. Not too long after that my father reached up and retrieved my basket for me. My Father still does those kinds of things for me, my heavenly Father. Yours too through faith in Jesus. So let’s stop asking who will roll our stones away and because of what has been proved to us on Easter morn always know that if it needs to get done, God will do it. Amen.

GOOD FRIDAY 2012


GOOD FRIDAY
April 6, 2012
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 23:39-43
TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE!
Luke 23:39-43 “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Surprising sayings surrounding Jesus’ passion is what we have been looking at during our special services for Lent and Holy Week this year. No matter which saying we looked at we have always tried to keep our eyes on the cross of Jesus, its necessity, its importance and meaning for you and for me. Good Friday makes it kind of easy to keep our eyes on the cross, doesn’t it? And there are all kinds of surprising sayings. Today we focus on one of Jesus’ sayings from the Cross. “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Let’s see what surprises the Lord has in store for us.
The first is this: With Jesus it’s never too late. Who did Jesus speak these words to? Luke tells us. “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus’ words were spoken to a criminal. Actually there were two criminals crucified with Jesus. We have to understand something here. Rome did not crucify your common criminal, your pickpocket or street thief. Crucifixion was used as a lesson teaching execution for those who led rebellions against the government, escaped slaves and the worst of criminals, the habitual ones or those who murdered in the course of their crime. Neither of these criminals was a good man. They had lived lives of blatant sinning. One kept it up even to the end. He mocked and insulted Jesus. One did not. One understood a little of what was going on. He looked at Jesus and saw innocence. Jesus had done nothing wrong. Yet he was suffering. Did he remember the lessons he had learned in Sabbath School as a child? How Messiah would come? Had he memorized the words of Isaiah 53 and just realized what was going on here? We don’t know. We do know he looked to Jesus in the last hours of his life. The power and grace of the cross are such that it’s never too late here on earth.
Remember that. Remember that for yourself. God forbid that any of us here forsake Jesus later in life. God forbid that we fall into one of those sins that the Devil can use to try to convince us that there is no coming back to Jesus. But if we do, remember this. With Jesus it’s never too late. Jesus wants you to come back and turn to Him. He will welcome you back no matter what the sin. That’s why He is on the cross—to pay for those sins. Remember this also for your loved ones. If you have loved ones who are living the life of unbelief, keep praying for them. Pray for God to give you opportunities to speak. If it gets to the end of their life, get to the hospital. Tell them what Jesus did for them on the cross. There still is time.
A second surprise: “Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me.” Look at the power and grace of the cross. Somehow the Holy Spirit enabled this criminal to know the power and grace of the cross. Even though his life had been filled with many sins, many you and I would not consider doing, he didn’t keep his eyes on his sins but on Jesus and His power to forgive. You know we don’t really know what sins this criminal committed but we do know our own, don’t we? Whenever your sins bother you remember this saying of Jesus. It proclaims the power and grace of the cross. Jesus paid for sin. All sins. Your sins. God’s grace is for sinners. All sinners. For you.
A third surprise: in the midst of suffering for all Jesus takes care of one. Jesus is carrying the weight of the sins of all people on Himself and He takes time to gently and lovingly deal with one sinner. Wow! Behold the power and grace of the cross. Remember it when you feel lonely, when you feel like you are just another face in the crowd or only part of the bottom line at work. Jesus has time for you and takes time for you. Your feelings betray you. You are not just another face in the crowd. You are someone Jesus dearly loves. He dies for you.
And then behold the power and grace of the cross for each individual sinner. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Today. Today Jesus said. What Jesus accomplished on the cross is so powerful, so gracious that immediately at death the believer goes to heaven. No waiting period. No cleansing period. Immediately, peace and joy. Has someone you love died in the Lord recently? Rejoice because that very moment they went to heaven. The time of our own death is coming too. It’s closer now than when we started this service. That’s great because the power and grace of the cross are such that the very moment of death we too will be with Jesus in Paradise. Can’t wait! Amen.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Palm Sunday/Monday sermon on Philippians 2:3-11 by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

April 1/2, 2012 Palm Sunday/Monday sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert.
Sermon text - Philippians 2:3-11
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
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Crowds came out to meet Jesus on the first Palm Sunday. Let us picture something here. Let’s picture Satan being in that crowd, going over to Jesus, and talking with Him. Imagine that going something like this. Satan says, "Hi, Jesus. Hey, it looks like you’re pretty popular today. Wow, they’re even spreading a carpet for You. Listen to the people. They’re saying some pretty nice things. I even noticed that they quoted something from an old prophet named Zechariah. That sounds impressive. But I’ve got news for you, Jesus. April Fool! It won’t stay that way. Why? I’m going to be busy this week. Wait until you see what happens. Right now everything might seem fine and dandy. But Friday is coming. And so, Jesus, ‘April Fool!’ to you."
You and I know who the real fool was. The devil was the fool. Jesus and Good Friday and the cross, that wasn’t foolishness. That was God’s wisdom and our salvation. Let’s consider that now as we travel with Jesus on a journey that takes us from glory, to the cross, and to glory.
FROM GLORY TO THE CROSS TO GLORY
I FROM GLORY - THE AWESOME TRUTH (3-7)
1. Let’s start out by looking at ourselves. (3-5)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
a) Do we do this? Does our attitude come even close to the life
and example of Christ Jesus? Or is there selfishness in our
lives? Do we often look only or mainly to our own interests?
b) Let’s be honest. We have to confess that much in our attitude
comes from sin, and that what we need is a Savior from sin.
2. "From" reminds us there is a starting point.
a) We might think of expressions like "from rags to riches." Or
for Palm Sunday we might think of the starting point for Jesus’
journey being from Bethany and going to Jerusalem.
b) Those locations are correct for Palm Sunday. But the
expression "rags to riches" we will have to change. For Jesus
that becomes "from riches to rags."
3. So let’s now speak about the "from" for Jesus. (5-7)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
a) Jesus from eternity was God with the Father and the Spirit.
He was in the beginning, and by Him all things were made.
Equality in the Godhead was His. It was not something He just
wrongfully grabbed or claimed.
b) But He came from that. He "made himself nothing" -
literally translated, He emptied Himself, set aside His eternal
glory. He, so to speak, went from riches to rags when He
appeared in Bethlehem as a weak and helpless baby, coming
from glory and "taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness."
4. What an awesome truth!
a) Yes, Palm Sunday showed some glory. It was clearly a
fulfillment of OT Scripture which foretold the praise the
promised Son of David would receive.
b) It also foretold and indicated the servant attitude of Christ
Jesus who chose to enter Jerusalem not on a magnificent steed
but on a donkey, as one ready to serve, one who looked to the
interests of others, a whole bunch of others, a world of sinners.
c) Yes, Jesus had come from glory to make Himself nothing so
that He could give us sinners what we all need. What an
awesome truth!
II TO THE CROSS - THE AMAZING REALITY (7-8)
1. What a change this week saw!
a) On Palm Sunday the crowds shouted their hosannas. They
paved the way for Jesus with palm branches and cloaks. This
looked like a triumphal procession fit for a king, not a servant.
b) But Sunday was followed by Monday to Friday, by opposition,
plotting, rejection, and finally with shouts of "Crucify Him!"
2. Jesus, come to be our servant, humbly accepted this. (7-8a)
[Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself ---.
a) Jesus performed miracles, raised the dead to life, had walked
away unscathed from crowds that had tried to kill Him.
b) He had the power to do all of that and more again. But
instead He humbled Himself to be our and the world’s servant.
3. This was in obedience to God the Father’s will. (8)
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!
a) Jesus became obedient to death not because of the church
leaders who condemned Him, the crowds who called for His
crucifixion, or Pontius Pilate who unjustly sentenced Him.
b) He did this in obedience to His Father who so loved the world
that He had sent His Son. That full compliance with God’s will
He showed in His praying in Gethsemane. "Your will be
done," Jesus said. He knew the wages of our sin was death.
An innocent death was needed. Jesus was ready to pay as our
Substitute.
4. What is our reaction to this amazing reality?
a) Palm Sunday showed one reaction, the next days another.
b) We are gathered here today to bring our hosannas to Jesus.
What will we bring Him the rest of the week - no time for His
Word or for prayer? Or think of your confirmation ceremony.
Then you made promises of faithfulness. That was then. How
many after that treat confirmation like a graduation and quickly
have no time or effort for their Savior?
c) Jesus emptied Himself for us to death on a cross to give us
forgiveness and life. What an amazing reality! Surely we know
what our reaction should be and what we want it to be.
III TO GLORY - THE VICTORIOUS FULFILLMENT (9-11)
1. Jesus’ exaltation was proof of His victory. (9)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ---.
a) This became clear when Jesus’ body that had been dead on a
cross came out of the grave victorious on the first Easter, clear
when Jesus 40 days later ascended to heaven to reclaim the
glory He had left to come to this earth, clear when the Holy
Spirit 10 days after that on Pentecost gave the NT Church its
assignment to share the message of God’s love.
b) By thus exalting Him, God showed that His Son’s mission on
earth was a success, that He agreed with Jesus’ "It is finished"
on the cross: the work of salvation fulfilled.
2. Jesus is indeed God’s plan for the world. (9-10)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the
name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ---.
a) Salvation does not come from Allah in some places, Buddha
elsewhere; from a supreme architect of the universe, a
generic god in whatever way you wish to conceive of him or it.
b) Jesus is the name above every name, the only one who carried
out God’s saving plan, the one to whom every knee without
exception should bow. There is no other source of forgiveness,
no other way to life.
3. Let us see our part in that plan. (10-11)
--- that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
a) First, recognize that God’s plan includes us. We are saved.
b) Then recognize that we are to bring Jesus’ victorious
fulfillment to others who need Jesus as much as we do, so that
other tongues can join ours in confessing "Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father."
4. Let us continue always to glorify God. (9-11)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
a) We have now started Holy Week to celebrate God’s plan of
salvation reaching its climax.
b) May our thanks and praise to God not stop when we leave this
church building.
c) At home or wherever, let our hearts always be thankful, and
let our faith in our Savior be evident to all, faith in our Savior
who went FROM GLORY TO THE CROSS TO GLORY
so that we might go from life here to eternal glory with Him.