Sunday, March 27, 2016

March 27, 2016 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 27:62-28:4 PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR FROM MATTHEW “A MSSING PERSON”



EASTER SUNRISE
March 27, 2016
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Matthew 27:62-28:4

PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR FROM MATTHEW
“A MSSING PERSON”
1.     Missing because He won the victory.
2.     Missing to proclaim the victory.

Matthew 27:62-28:4 (NIV 1984) The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”

          You see their faces in many different places. On a milk carton. At a bus stop. On a billboard. In grocery stores and post offices. Missing persons. When a loved one goes missing the hearts of all are filled with fear, worry, not knowing. Today we have things like Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts to get the entire community on the watch for a missing person. I wonder if the two Marys at first wanted to send out an alert for Jesus. Because when they got to the tomb on Easter Morning Jesus was missing! That’s our Easter Sunrise picture of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel. He is a Missing Person.
          Now when someone goes missing, not knowing why is one of the great heartaches. Thanks to the Holy Spirit we don’t have to go through that heartache. He’s told us why Jesus was missing. One reason was because He had won the victory. First we should understand how impossible it was for Jesus to be missing from the tomb. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.” The next day, the Sabbath day, the Pharisees who several times accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, are busy with their work. We can’t cut them any breaks. It seems they understood Jesus better than his disciples. Jesus had claimed he would rise in three days. Security measures were put in place. A seal was put in place to guard against any tampering. Roman guards were set to watch. The foolish Pharisees didn’t realize their misguided efforts were going to highlight the Easter miracle and provide some eyewitnesses who weren’t the disciples.
          “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” Someone knew how to keep the Sabbath but it wasn’t the Pharisees. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary waited until the Sabbath was over and went expecting to find Jesus’ dead body so they could properly prepare it for burial. But when they got there Jesus was missing. An angel sat on the stone that had covered the tomb. The guards fainted in fear. Jesus was missing.
          Now let’s talk about why. He was missing because He won the victory. Think back to our reading from the great Resurrection chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15. There the Apostle Paul very logically pointed out that if Jesus had not risen from the dead the message about Him and faith in Him are useless. And that’s true. If Jesus had stayed dead it would mean the wages of sin had not been paid for. It would mean the sentence of eternal death for all was still in place. It would mean that our enemy, the Devil, the great Accuser could still finger point and say, “Fair and just God, these too must go to Hell.” “If,” Paul wrote. If Christ has not been raised. But He has. He won the victory. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is God’s sign to all that sin has been paid for in full. That physical death is not the gateway to Hell for those who are in Christ but is the entry point for real life in heaven. His resurrection is proof that He is God’s Son and the Devil can no longer successfully accuse us. God has justified us in Christ, declared us innocent. Jesus was missing from the tomb because He won the victory.
          But He wasn’t missing in action. We don’t know exactly when this happened but the Bible does tell us what Jesus did. We confess it in the Apostles’ Creed as “He descended into Hell.” The Bible puts it this way in 1 Peter 3. “He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison.” Perhaps a better translation of that would be “through whom also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in Hell.” After Jesus was made alive He descended to Hell. Why? Not to pay for sin. That was already done. Not to give the souls of those who have condemned themselves to Hell through unbelief another chance. God makes it very clear that it is given a man once to die and then you face judgment. So why did Jesus descend to Hell?
          I know this is maybe an unpleasant exercise but have you ever tried to view the Jesus’ death from the viewpoint of the devil and demons? Think about it. When the devil led the angel rebellion against God they were cast out of God’s presence nevermore to enjoy His goodness. Hell was created as their prison. Since that time the devil and demons are all evil all the time. They tempt the crown of God’s creation, Adam and Eve, to join them in rebelling against God perhaps thinking to hurt God by getting them to sin. Adam and Eve fall. They disobey. But instead of casting them immediately to Hell God promises a Savior, the seed of the woman who would undo the Devil’s damage and crush him. You can imagine that from that point on the Devil and the demons were on high alert, waiting, watching for that seed of Eve to appear, looking to destroy him. Now you know the Devil is not God’s evil equal. He is not all powerful or all knowing. He is limited. So when Jesus is born he tries to have him killed by Herod. Doesn’t work. I’m sure there were more attempts the Bible doesn’t tell us about. None of them worked. He tries temptation and there were many more than the three recorded in Scripture. Jesus holds firm. He resists and perfectly obeys His Father.
          Suddenly things seem to fall into place. The chief priests and Pharisees are at their wits end. No more hanging in the shadows. They want Jesus dead now. Judas’ greed so carefully cultivated lures him into betrayal. Spineless Pilate gives in to pressure and condemns a man he knows is innocent to death. Is it possible? Could this really work? Foolish God had let His Son become man and that meant He could be killed. They watched. They waited. Jesus died. Now what do you think was going on in Hell? I’m sure it can’t be possible but party time!? The Savior is dead.
          But not for long. This was God’s plan all along. Jesus the substitute for all. His perfect obedience in place of man’s sin. His death to pay for sin so that sinners were freed from their just desserts. Now what do you think went through the devil’s mind when Jesus appeared alive, in Hell? And what do you think Jesus proclaimed? Victory! That’s why He was missing from the tomb. He was alive. He won and because He won we do too.
          This missing person was not missing at all. Are you missing some persons today? Missing  loved ones who have died in the Lord, who have left this life? While we miss them, they aren’t missing any more than Jesus was. His victory is theirs. As He lives so do they and so will we. Easter comfort. Easter joy! Amen.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

March 25, 2016 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 27:32-40 PORTRAITS OF JESUS FROM MATTHEW’S GOSPEL “MAN’S BEST FRIEND!”



GOOD FRIDAY
March 25, 2016
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Matthew 27:32-40

PORTRAITS OF JESUS FROM MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
“MAN’S BEST FRIEND!”
                                                      1. A Friend in Need.
                                                      2. A Friend in Deed.

Matthew 27:32-40 (NIV 1984) As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

          Throughout our Lenten season we have looked at pictures of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel. We have seen Him most recently as a Forsaken Son. We also saw Him as a Betrayed Friend, Rejected Teacher, Maligned Messiah and more. On Good Friday we see a picture of Man’s Best Friend. Now I’m sure when I say that immediately what comes to mind is a dog. Because dogs are faithful, loyal and always happy to see you they have been called Man’s best friend. But I have to quibble with that a little bit. They can be man’s very good friend or really good friend for the title of Man’s Best Friend really belongs to Jesus. The Events of Good Friday show us why.
          First we see a friend in need. Now I know the way that saying works “a friend in need” refers to a friend who is there for you when you are in need. But here we see Jesus has a need. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.” From the time of the Last Supper on Thursday evening until now Jesus had been under severe duress. He is serving as our substitute which means even though He is true God and knows all and can do all He has to face this as true man. Think of the wrestling with God in prayer, the betrayal, the farce of a trial before Caiaphas, the beatings, whipping, crown of thorns and mockery at the hands of the Roman soldiers. No sleep. He is tired. In need. Simon of Cyrene must carry the cross.
          Now brothers and sisters the point of Good Friday is not in any way what we can do for our Lord. We didn’t make Good Friday good for Jesus. Just the opposite. He made it good for us. And yet knowing what we know, if we had been there would any of us have helped Jesus with His cross? Yes. All of us. We’d be fighting each other for the privilege of helping Jesus if we could. Remember that later, not today, but later when the Lord has a need for getting His Gospel out. For now see that Jesus was a friend in need.
          And rejoice that Jesus is a friend in deed. Again, not the way the saying goes but a friend in action. “They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Payment must be made for sin. Payment in full. Jesus will not let anything deaden His physical pain. He allows Himself to be nailed to the cross.
          “Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In years past we have looked at the many ironies surrounding Jesus’ Passion. Here we see one of them. They taunted Jesus, saying that by coming down from the cross He could prove that He was the Son of God. In fact the opposite is true. Because Jesus is the Son of God and is man’s best friend he would not come down from the cross. The mission of the Son of God was to pay for sin in full. He stayed through the taunting. He stayed through the physical pain and emotional duress. He stayed even though it was breaking Mary’s heart. He stayed until He was forsaken by God and every single sin punished in Him. He stayed out of love for you and me. It’s what makes Good Friday good—for us and for all. Jesus didn’t just give His life for us who call Him friend, Jesus also allowed Himself to be punished for the sins of the taunters back then and all who to this day reject Him. Truly Jesus is Man’s Best Friend and He showed it by His deed, being obedient to death even death on the cross.
          It is Good Friday. It’s good for us to be here. It’s one of those services you just don’t want to miss. For the Tenebrae portion of our service we may feel a little more sorrowful but we are not going to be mourning Jesus. We’ll be mourning over the fact that our sins too made Jesus’ sacrifice necessary. But we’ll leave rejoicing have once again celebrated Jesus’ Triumphant cry. It is finished. And we’ll look forward to celebrating the victorious resurrection of man’s best friend. The one they call Jesus! Amen.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Zechariah 9:9-10 (Palm Sunday, 2016) Why “Rejoice Greatly” and “Shout”? Pastor Bivens



Zechariah 9:9-10 (Palm Sunday, 2016) Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Introduction: What’s so great about having a smile on your face? According to people who have studied the practice of smiling, there is great value: For example, (1) people find us more attractive when we are wearing a smile; (2) a smile is contagious; you can brighten the day of others with a smile; (3) Smiling is a key ingredient for establishing healthy friendships; (4) Smiling is good for business; coworkers and customers like to see smiles. Researchers the University of California examined yearbook photos of 111 female students taken between 1958 and 1960. Later checks revealed that those who expressed strong smiles in those photos became more mentally focused, had more successful marriages, and enjoyed a greater sense of well-being in their lives. I suppose people could ask if that’s why Zechariah began today’s text with strong words: “Rejoice greatly! Shout!” while speaking to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In reality, there are better reasons. Zechariah is affirming that God will keep a promise – and fulfill a purpose – that must have appeared to the people to be fantastic but unlikely.

Why “Rejoice Greatly” and “Shout”?
1.      Our King comes to keep an unlikely yet fantastic promise
2.      Our King comes to fulfill an unlikely yet fantastic purpose

1.      Rejoice greatly & shout because our King comes to keep an incredible promise!
1.      Zechariah clearly promises a King. But a king was something the Lord’s people did not see in their foreseeable future. At the time Zechariah spoke, they were a really insignificant people living in an unimportant part of the Persian Empire. Its only value was a potential use as a staging area if the Persians wanted to gather forces to go against the Greeks in the northwest or Egyptians in the southwest fringe of the empire. They were forbidden to raise any army or collect any taxes, much less claim to have a king. And after the Persians came the Macedonians and Greeks, and then the Romans, while the Lord’s people remained without evidence of any king or any meaningful power or even respect. Fantastic promise – but very unlikely.
2.      Then came Jesus. At his birth the Wise Men arrived seeking the one “born king of the Jews.” Eventually came years of his showing supernatural power and authoritative teaching that was amazing to all who watch and listened – but never used for self-advancement or to take advantage of others. And then came Palm Sunday and what the prophet had promised. But on Palm Sunday, things were different. Jesus takes the initiative to reveal his identity:
·         He chose a day when the city would be filled to overflowing with pilgrims gathered for the Passover Festival.
·         He got things started by sending two of his disciples to fetch the donkey and its foal. He told them exactly where the animal was to be found and what explanation would be needed for the owners.
·         This wasn’t a group effort. He said he would come, wanted to come, and would not be stopped from coming. When the events unfolded, we are told “at first the disciples did not understand all this.” (Jn 12:16). Jesus was orchestrating the events and came because he wanted to come. To say it plainly, Jesus was pretty aggressive on that occasion.
·         When the procession developed, Jesus clearly accepted the praise and honor of the crowds as they greeted him with Messianic titles and worship. When his enemies complained about this, Jesus told them that the praise was fitting and unstoppable. Jesus told them if the disciples were quiet, the stones would cry out. Jesus was familiar with the prophecy too. He saw the command to the daughter of Jerusalem to “Shout” and knew the prophecy would be fulfilled. He wanted to be noticed. He wanted to be treated as royalty.
Events that follow the triumphant entry continue this pattern of bold, attention-grabbing leadership.
·         The next day Jesus went to the temple and authoritatively drove out those who were buying and selling and turning the house of prayer into a den of robbers and house of merchandise. He was behaving in a very high profile manner.
·         When returning to the city the next day he went to a fig tree that was covered with leaves but had no fruit, and he dramatically cursed the tree. The next morning the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered from its roots. This was a display of firmness and power that they would remember.
3.      Jesus remains equally aggressive today as he continues to fulfill promises at this chosen time and in his chosen way. His faithfulness remains.  The ancient promises of Zechariah, however, were never wrong but remain accurate in every detail. So the first thing we want to remember about this promised king and his kingdom is that he comes precisely as promised. “The Lord has remembered.” That’s what the name Zechariah means. “The Lord has remembered.” Sometimes God’s people are tempted to think that God has forgotten them or that God might not keep certain promises that he once made. But we are still invited to “rejoice greatly” and “shout!” because the unlikely promises will be kept.

Transition: More needs to be said. He came with purpose/goals. Unrealistic? Let’s see.
2.      Rejoice greatly & shout because our King comes to fulfill an incredible purpose!
1.      The second thing we want to remember about the king Zechariah promised is that he comes with purpose, with a definite agenda or a plan in his heart and mind. The purpose: universal, worldwide peace.  This seemed an impossible dream at Zechariah’s time and in the New Testament time – and today. The Persians were at odds with Greece and Egypt plus other nations; the New Testament began with “wars and rumors of wars” within and beyond the Roman Empire; and today we need only mention ISIS, Al Qaeda, Iran,  Syria and North Korea to establish the absence of universal political peace. Yet the unlikely purpose of the unlikely King is stated clearly: I [ God the Father] will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He [the Messiah King] will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. What is extraordinary about this purpose is how he goes about accomplishing it and the nature of the peace he brings.
2.       His approach to “proclaiming peace to the nations” is unusual, to say the least:
·         When he sent disciples to obtain the donkey, he instructed them to tell the owner: “The Lord needs it.” The miracle-working King puts himself in the position of needing to borrow. And he does not simply take what he wants by force.
·         He purposely made use of a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey rather than selecting a horse. And we don’t have to wonder what point was being made: Zechariah, in prophecy, has told us, “Your king comes to you . . . gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
·         As the crowd began to praise the majestic King with their Hosannas and palm branches, what did the Majestic One do? At the sight of Jerusalem, he broke down and sobbed. Jesus wept loudly over the city. The majority of the people would soon reject him and forfeit the peace he came to give them.
·         The greatest evidence that the majestic King we want is also the meek King we need, we need only recall why he had come to Jerusalem. He comes to be betrayed and sold for a paltry 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave. Zechariah prophesied about that event too (in ch 12) the Messiah speaks through Zechariah and says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Now why would the King be betrayed and pierced? Yes, you know. He came to suffer and die on behalf of his rebellious people. He offered his perfect and holy life as a payment for our sin and guilt, paying the price that we may be pardoned by our just God. The King came to die, to earn pardon for those who rebel against him. “Ride on, ride on, in majesty, Ride on in lowly pomp to die” – that is what we also sing on this day.
3.      And the kind of peace? This caught and catches many by surprise.  It’s not political, not military, not pertaining only to physical life or earthly territory. As Jesus said (Jn 14,16) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. In this world you will have trouble; but take heart, I have overcome the world.” It is peace of conscience, peace and reconciliation with God, peace between siblings who are equally forgiven and forgiving. All over the world and all through the centuries. This is the real king and real peace God wants us to have and enjoy – accept no imposters! During the Middle Ages there was a popular story which circulated about Martin of Tours, the man after whom Martin Luther was named. It was said that Satan once appeared to Martin pretending to be the Savior. St. Martin was ready to fall to his feet and worship this resplendent being of glory and light. Then, suddenly, he looked up into the palms of his hands and asked, “Where are the nail prints?” Immediately the apparition vanished. That story teaches a lesson to be remembered. We are to worship the King who sacrificed himself for us, who bled and died as the payment for our sins. He gives us the highest and best peace.

Conclusion: Those looking for a totally different kind of king and different kind of peace will likely not understand why we “rejoice greatly” and “shout.” In fact, it is part of our privilege to inform them, explain the kind of King Jesus is and the kind of peace he brings to the world. Sometimes that takes a lot of courage and may seem like such a small testimony surrounded by larger and louder enemies. But let us give it nevertheless. When George Bush, Sr., was Vice President, he represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (Nov 15, 1982). Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all was testifying that her husband was wrong. She believed that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross. [Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26]. So do we. And that’s why it is fitting that we rejoice greatly and shout in celebration of King Jesus. He kept the unlikely promise and accomplished the unlikely purpose! Amen.