Monday, November 26, 2018

November 24-26, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 18:3-37 (EHV) “IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING!”


CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

November 24-26, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 18:3-37 (EHV)



“IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING!”

1.     Skeptical Questioning.

2.     Careful Listening.



John 18:33-37 (EHV)  Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”



          So how do you act in the presence of a king? That’s a tough question to answer because I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that none of us have ever had a personal audience with someone like a governor or president or royalty from another nation. I’ve seen on TV how some people reacted in the presence of the King of  rock and roll, Elvis Presley. Kids you should google it. You’ll see how  grandma may have acted, screaming, swooning, fainting in the presence of that “king.” I don’t get it. Many Americans continue to be a little infatuated with British royalty, another thing I don’t get. If that’s you how do you think you’d react with a personal audience with the Queen or a princess?

          In God’s word today we see how a man named Pontius Pilate reacted in the presence of a king, not just any king, but the King of kings, Jesus Christ himself. As we join Pilate he finds himself in a tough spot, actually tougher than he knew. Our Bible reading is a portion of the passion history of Jesus. Jesus was arrested by the Jewish leaders who were jealous of him. They wanted him dead but had a problem. They didn’t have the authority to legally give him the death penalty. The Jewish nation was a conquered nation under the authority of the Roman empire. Pilate is the governor, there to represent the best interests of the Roman emperor. The Jewish leaders have now brought Jesus to Pilate and asked for the death penalty. They accused Jesus of causing a revolt, something sure to get Pilate’s attention. And that leads us to what Pilate thought was his tough spot. On the one side he has an angry group of Jews accusing a man of treason. On the other side he has a demanding emperor who will only be happy with Pilate if he keeps the peace. Compounding the issue is the fact that Pilate is no political dummy. He knows the charges are fake. On top of that his wife told him she had had a dream warning about the innocent man, Jesus, something sure to grab the attention of a superstitious Roman. What to do? Appease the angry crowd and keep the peace by killing an innocent man or stand up for what he knew to be right? That’s the tough spot Pilate thought he was in. But it wasn’t the real one. The real one is that Pilate was in the presence of the King and he didn’t know it. Let’s see how he acts.

          Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.” How did Pilate react in the presence of the King? With skeptical questioning. Are you the king of the Jews? Am I a Jew? What have you done? You are a king then? You see Pilate was focused on trying to find a way out of his little problem. He judged by what he saw with his eyes and did not find Jesus to be very kingly.

          There is a different response that should have happened. Careful listening to the King, Jesus. “Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Jesus says it plainly. He is a king. Not just any king but the King of kings, Christ the King. Not of a puny kingdom of this world that rises and falls, that must use soldiers to fight to maintain peace and keep control of the kingdom. Jesus kingdom is in this world but not of this world. Jesus’ kingdom exists wherever he lives and rules in the hearts of believers. It is here in Greenfield. It is in Vietnam and Thailand. It is in Malawi and Zambia. It’s a kingdom ruled by love where Christ the King’s sacrifice to pay for sin wins hearts that love Him in return and want to serve Him. It is an everlasting kingdom having its roots in Jesus’ establishment and lasting forever with its greatest fulfillment in what we normally call heaven. Citizens of Jesus’ kingdom listen carefully to what He says. Sadly Pilate did not.

          But we are not here to talk about Pilate today, are we? We are here to talk about Jesus and our relationship to Him. Listen please to some generalized characteristics of the various generations living in America these days. If you were born between 1927 and 1945 you are known as the Mature/Silents. Many but not all of the Mature Silents have solid core values that reflect Biblical morality and are certain there are absolute truths. They are willing to sacrifice self for others. If you were born between 1946 and 1964 you are classified as a Baby Boomer.  Many, but not all, baby boomers  are classified as extremely self centered and get their core values on right and wrong based on personal experience. If you were born between 1965 and 1980 like I was you are thrown in with Generation X.  Many, but not all Generation Xers are described also as very “me” centered. All core values of right and wrong are relative and all beliefs must be tolerated. If you were born between 1981 and 2000 you belong to Generation Y/Millennials. Many, but not all, have always been told how special they are so they expect everyone else to treat them that way. Many apparently believe everything on the internet is truth so that and social media give them their rights and wrongs. And finally if you were born after 2001 you are Generation Z/Boomlets. Many but not all of this group spend more time looking at a screen than any other generation. They don’t as a group yet have a defined set of core values. You are Lutherans so you are sitting there asking, “What does this mean?” I’m a Lutheran pastor so I will tell you. It means that almost all of the living generations of people in America as a whole would act like Pontius Pilate in the presence of the King.  They skeptically question what Jesus says in the Bible. They feel free to substitute their own truth. And that is no way to treat the King.

          But what about you? You noticed as I went through every generation I said, “Many, but not all.” You would be foolish to think you can’t be influenced by the society you live in. You would be foolish to underestimate the power of the King. The Holy Spirit lives in you. You don’t have to be lumped with your generation. Pilate was at a disadvantage. He did not know Jesus was the King. He let appearances deceive Him. You and I are different. We know Jesus is the King. We show we belong to Him by careful listening to His voice. By letting Him establish our truth. When the evolutionist attacks the truth of creation and tries to argue for a statistical impossibility of even one positive mutation happening in both a male and female of a species at the same time so they could reproduce you will not sway because Jesus has told us the Creation account is the truth. When the abortionist argues for the right to murder calling the baby just tissue or too life changing you will not be swayed because Jesus has put his protection on children and wants them all to come to Him and so every life is precious. When the Devil uses society’s pressures to try to get you to be open to the idea of different gods and many ways to salvation you will remember how you carefully listened to the voice of Jesus who plainly said no one can come to the Father except through Him.

          The Bible tells us that the day is coming when everyone will acknowledge Jesus as the King of kings. Every knee will bow. But we don’t have to wait for that day. Every day we live in the presence of the King. He is with you always just as He promised. Do you know how to act in the presence of the King? With careful listening to His voice and accepting it for what it is. The truth. Amen.

Monday, November 12, 2018

November 10-12, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV) “THE DAY IS COMING!”


LAST JUDGMENT

November 10-12, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV)



THE DAY IS COMING!”

1.     A day of absolute Hell.

2.     A day of absolute Heaven.



Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV) “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the LORD of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them. 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”



          Do you have a favorite day of the church year? I’m thinking of other than the main festivals like Christmas or Easter. If I had to pick one I’d choose next Sunday, known as Saints Triumphant Sunday. I love that Sunday because it focuses our attention on the joy and happiness of brothers and sisters who have made it from this veil of tears to the triumph of heaven. With both my parents in heaven Saints Triumphant Sunday puts a smile on my face as I picture them there. Hymns for that day like “Behold a Host arrayed in white” with its picture language. I still remember when my dad called to let me know my mom just went to heaven and I walked through the church on the way to my office and Mickey Schultz was practicing for Saints Triumphant Sunday playing “For all the Saints”. That’s a great memory. That’s why I would pick next Sunday as my favorite. And if I’d have to pick a least favorite it would be this Sunday, Last or Final Judgment. The list of hymns written especially for this Sunday include the one we just sang, “The Day is Surely Drawing Near,” and one we will sing, “Day of wrath O Day of Mourning.” An old hymnal also had what must have been a favorite, “Day of wrath that dreadful day.” And then I started to wonder. Why is it that I don’t like something the Bible clearly teaches, the fact that our Holy God makes just judgments and the last day they will be announced and for some it will be a day of wrath and mourning? And that set me down another path. We hold a service once a month at Forest Ridge apartments in Hales Corners. All they have for us to use for hymnals are ones produced by the Methodist Church from the mid 1980s. You know I couldn’t find one hymn in there that even alluded to the fact that at the Day of judgment unbelievers go to Hell. It made me wonder. Has our enemy the Devil been at work in the church on earth? Is he at work on me? Poll after poll still show that the majority of Americans believe there is some kind of heaven but fewer believe there is a Hell. Our enemy has been at work! For if there is no Hell, then there is no need for rescue, for a Savior. That’s what he’s trying to do, to get rid of Jesus.          Not so among us. While Last Judgment may not be my favorite Sunday of the church year and while I might not like the contents or melodies of Last Judgment hymns and you may feel the same, this is a message we need to hear. The Day is coming.

          The Day is coming! That’s a message God wants all people to hear. So He put it in a prominent place. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. Chapter 4 is the last chapter of that book. Malachi was the last prophet God would use to speak His words until Jesus would come some 400 years later. What was the last word that God wanted His people to remember so they would be ready to receive their Savior? The Day is coming. What day? Judgment Day. A day of absolute Hell. “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the LORD of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them.” Malachi directs our attention to the day that is coming. It is not a good day for the arrogant and evil doer. Who are they? When we think of arrogance or evil, we in these days, think of those who arrogantly commit the evil of taking other’s lives in these mass shootings. That is arrogant and that is evil. But what is most arrogant and evil is to reject Jesus as Savior. God could have justly destroyed the world when Adam and Eve plunged it into sin. Instead in love God put into place His plan of salvation. He did so even though it meant Jesus would have to be punished for every sin. Heaven is a free gift for all. To reject God’s way of saving through Jesus or to in any way suggest that our own good deeds can pay what Jesus paid for is a slap in God’s face, spitting in His eye and taking Jesus and throwing Him into an outhouse. That is arrogance and evil. And for those who do so the day is coming. Absolute Hell.

          Hell is consistently described in the Bible as a place of eternal burning, hopelessness and despair. When God says not a root or a branch will be left. He means no second chance. No hope. Just despair. This is not a pretty picture. It is absolute Hell. Some of you may remember a book that was made into a movie, “Heaven is for real!” Did you know there was another book written? Hell is for real. Not a best seller. No blockbuster movie. Not what people want to hear. And yet the Day is coming. A day of absolute Hell.

And at the same time a day of absolute Heaven!  The Word of God goes on. “But,” now I hesitate to say this because I know how your juvenile minds work. However you need to understand this is a really big but. It means everything that follows is the opposite of what you heard before. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” You are described as those who revere the Lord’s name. Revere has that idea of loving respect, wanting someone’s approval. That’s a good description of believers. We know the Lord as the Savior God. We know we deserve punishment for our sins. We know that we can’t make up for even one sin. We sadly see what Jesus has gone through instead of us when He was forsaken on the cross. At the same time we are happy and thankful for it. For Judgment Day, the day that is coming, we will be among those who see a day of absolute heaven.

Malachi describes our judgment day as the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings. Picture the sun rising and feeling its rays warm you on a cool fall day. That’s a picture of the Son, Jesus, who by rising from the dead has his forgiveness of sins touching every believer. Maybe a picture will help. It’s judgment day. You have watched the line of unbelievers stand before the judge. You hear the long litany of their sins revealed. You see their shame and despair. Now it’s your turn. You walk forward and sweat is beading on your brow. You see family members, neighbors, co-workers and you dread them hearing the sins you have worked so hard to keep hidden. Now they will know what you said about them behind their backs. They will hear what you really thought. The shameful embarrassing sins you thought to keep secret. Exposed! Reluctantly you step forward. The judge says. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. You made sure I knew I had a Savior. You served the needs of others. Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master’s happiness.” And so you leap for joy like a calf getting to run free for the first time. It’s absolute heaven. You are sin free. Pain free. Healed from every sickness of sin, body and heart. That day is coming. Absolute heaven.

Brothers and sisters, I began today expressing the truth that the reality of Hell is something we need to talk about as much as the reality of heaven. It’s what we need to hear so we see our need for Jesus as Savior and appreciate what He has done. This Day that is coming, the last day, Judgment Day is when God will make public what happens the day you die. Do you die trusting in Jesus or rejecting Him? You younger people especially need to understand that the Devil is going to work hard on you to give up your faith in Jesus, to not value it and take care of it and feed with regular word, worship and sacrament. Take heed. The Day is coming! Only with Jesus is it absolute heaven. But friends, others need to hear too. The unbelievers. We can snatch them from the fires. This Christmas churches of the WELS throughout the nation are banding together with the goal of inviting one million unchurched people to come and hear the Good News of a Savior. St. Jacobi is joining that effort and we’ll talk more about your part at the end of service. We need to. For the day is coming. Amen.