Monday, December 16, 2019

December 13-15, 2019 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 11:2-6 “IS IT ALL REALLY TRUE?”


ADVENT 3

December 13-15, 2019

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 11:2-6



“IS IT ALL REALLY TRUE?”



Matthew 11:2-6 (EHV) While John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ was doing. He sent two of his disciples to ask him, “Are you the Coming One or should we wait for someone else?” Jesus answered them, “Go, report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not take offense at me.”



          Has something like this ever happened to you? You have a loved one coming in on a flight. You check the airline to make sure it is on time. You head to the airport and wait as close as you can get to where the people come out of the terminal. The Arrival Board says that plane has arrived. You see the lines of people coming down the walkway, but not yours. You note the business flyers and the leisure flyers. You see the people walking quickly and chuckle because you know they are just going to have to wait at baggage. You see the people who move a little more slowly but don’t see the one you are waiting for. The trickle ends. No one. You had asked the last group what flight they were on. Yup, 1514 from Timbucktoo. You text. No answer. How are you feeling? Now you just have been waiting really for 15 or 20 minutes but anxiety sets in. Flight mix up? Something happen? Fear and doubt set in when you wait and things don’t happen the way you expect them to.

          That’s what happened to John the Baptist. If Topps made Bible trading cards a signed John the Baptist would have to be at the top of the list. Listen to what Jesus said about John, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” And then remember this description of John the Baptist from the angel Gabriel in the pre Christmas story? “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” John was filled with the Spirit and it showed. Out in the desert. Wearing a cloak of camel’s hair. Eating locusts and wild honey. He didn’t care what people thought. He prepared people for Jesus. He called them to repentance. There was no PC mouth on this guy. He’d look you in the eye and call you a brood of vipers. And then Jesus came by. John pointed to Him. “Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” By the Spirit John knew Jesus was the Messiah. It must have been fulfilling to see his life’s work come to coming to pass before his very eyes.

          So John watched and waited as Jesus quietly taught people. He heard of Jesus doing miracles but seemingly not wanting the extra attention it gave. He watched and waited for something great to happen. John kept up the work of making ready a people prepared for the Lord. He had the same message for prince and pauper and eventually his non PC mouth (also known as a faithful to the Lord mouth) caused this. “But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this them all: He locked John up in prison.” (Luke 3:19-20) And John waited, eager to see what Jesus would do. And he waited and still the unjust imprisonment continued. He waited for Jesus to do what John expected Him to do as Messiah. Swing that ax at the root of the unrepentant people. Cut them down and throw them into the fire. Make it really hot for Herod! But that’s not what Jesus did. Jesus preached and taught. Sometimes big crowds. Sometimes just one person. Mostly the group of 12 guys. John waited and watched and you know what’s going to happen. Fear, doubt. Is it really true? Is Jesus really the Coming One, the Messiah?

          Finally he had to do something about it. While John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ was doing. He sent two of his disciples to ask him, “Are you the Coming One or should we wait for someone else?” Doubt. Fear. Worry. Waiting will do that to you. Waiting when things aren’t happening the way you expect them to. I’m guessing the answer Jesus gave wasn’t quite what John the Baptist was expecting either. “Jesus answered them, “Go, report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not take offense at me.” Now I’m guessing what John wanted was, “Yes, I am. And don’t worry. I’ll take care or Herod.” That wasn’t how Jesus answered. Did you pick out how he did? Basically Jesus said, “Go back to God’s Word, John. What does it say?” John knew the prophecy of Isaiah you heard today. He knew it told of what Messiah, the Coming one would do. “Strengthen the weak hands, and make the shaky knees steady. Tell those who have a fearful heart: Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your God will come with vengeance. With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged. The crippled will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy.” “If you want to know it’s all true, John, go back to the Word. God’s not asking for blind faith. He’s proven it to you. Careful prophecies. Prophecies you have seen me fulfill. Get your nose back in the Word John and you will see it’s all true.”

          Can you relate at all? Now I don’t think it’s a stretch to say if they made Bible trading cards on us signed ones wouldn’t go for much. But we too are children of God and it also happens at certain points in our lives where we wonder, is this really all true? It might happen when you visit a zoo and see there are some ways that monkeys and people are alike. It may just strike you when you start thinking too hard or try to make God fit in your box. Is this really all true? It’s mostly likely to happen when you have a John the Baptist moment, stuck in the prison of a trial or heartache, waiting for God to make it right. Like when a child or spouse dies young. Like when things go wrong for those who stand up for what God says. Like when those faithful to Jesus continue to struggle economically and those who are not seem to roll in the dough. Is this really all true?

          Then, like John, we may be looking for or expecting God to answer in a certain way. Some people might say God just says trust me. Recently Chris and I were doing some car shopping and I found one we really liked at a good price but there was a warning light on. I told the guy at the dealership, “It’s under warranty. If you get it fixed we can talk.” He called me later and said the dealership would sell it to me and then get it fixed under warranty. “You can trust us!” he said. God isn’t like that with us. Even though we have no right to expect it He proves Himself in His word.  He doesn’t just say trust me but powers our trust through His word. Find if you can anything in the Bible that you can prove is untrue. It won’t happen. God’s word is truth. People accept all kinds of things as true in history about Julius Caesar, or Genghis Kahn, and there is only oral history, next to nothing of the time written down. Yet the Bible has lasted from its first books written in 1500 BC to its last one in 100AD and kept going to this very time. Look at how God loves you to give you Baptism as proof you are His child, to give you the Lord’s Supper as proof you are forgiven. You know, Jesus could have chastised John. What are you thinking? You have the Holy Spirit. How can you doubt? But He didn’t. He firmly but gently pointed John to the Word. You too, child of God. When you have your doubts or worries, when you get tired of waiting, your Lord knows your struggle. He firmly and gently points you back to the Word. Is it all really true? Yes it is.

          Jesus’ last words in our text bear repeating. “Blessed is the one who does not take offense at me.” By take offense here Jesus means, stumble in your faith or trust. Blessed, means made happy, filled with joy. Do you want that? Get your nose in God’s Word because it’s all true. Amen.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

December 4, 2019 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 1:11-17 “DO NOT BE AFRAID! THE LORD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER!”


MIDWEEK ADVENT 1

December 4, 2019

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 1:11-17



“DO NOT BE AFRAID! THE LORD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER!”



Luke 1:11-17 (NIV 1984) “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”



          Fear is a powerful motivator. Startle a rabbit in a garden and watch how quickly it takes off and how fast it runs. Kids, you should see Mrs. Spaude’s face when I “accidentally” startle her at home. She jumps so high you’d think she was going to dunk a basketball! Fear has led to people doing amazing feats of strength like fighting off bears and mountain lions and lifting heavy cars when a person was stuck underneath. Fear is a powerful motivator. But it’s not a good one. Did you ever stop to think about why there is even fear in the world? It’s because of sin. Do you remember how that went? After Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, God came to them and they hid. When God went after them Adam said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid.” Before sin there was no fear and nothing to fear. No animals threatened. There was no pain to be afraid of. But now there is fear.

          It’s interesting to me then that when the angels of Advent appear the first thing they say is, “Do not be afraid.” Angels are always all around us doing the work God gave them to do. Rarely have they appeared to people as angels. In the Bible that happens when something important for salvation is happening. It’s no surprise then that we see angels appearing to people as Jesus is about to come into the world the first time. This year as we prepare to celebrate the first time Jesus came and be ready for him to come again we’ll let the advent angels guide us. Today’s angel says, “Do not be afraid! Your prayer has been heard.”

          “Yeah, easy for you to say,” poor Zechariah must have thought. You heard in the portion of the pre Christmas story read a few minutes ago how Zechariah was going about his business as a priest burning the required incense when all of a sudden the angel Gabriel appeared. No sinful being can be in the presence of a holy one without fear so of course Zechariah was afraid. But the angel soothed his fears.  13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.” What prayer? From the information provided it is clear what Zechariah and his wife had been praying about. They wanted a child. For many years I’m sure they prayed. I’m sure they wondered if God was hearing their prayers, if He was answering them. I’m also sure that when they thought about why God wasn’t answering their prayers the way they wanted and when they wanted that that sin thing came up again. Why should God answer? As a priestly family Zechariah and Elizabeth would know the full extent of God’s laws better than most. They would know how far short they fell of what God demanded. It’s not a stretch to say they would think the same way we sometimes think. God’s not answering because of my sins.

          Do not be afraid, the angel said. Your prayer has been heard. Despite what Zechariah and Elizabeth thought or felt, all along the Lord had heard their prayer. He had not refused to because of their sins. In fact, part of God’s “now is the right time” answer was that their son, John the Baptist, would prepare the way for God’s Son, Jesus, who would pay for their sins. “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

          Do not be afraid, the Lord has heard your prayer too. While Zechariah and Elizabeth were waiting for the Savior to come the first time we find ourselves waiting for Jesus to come the second time. We too have things that bother us, things that we want. Like them we go to the Lord in prayer. Sometimes God reveals His answer very quickly. Sometimes it takes a long time. Sometimes it is not in the way we want. Sometimes it is in a way we could never imagine. Always God hears and answers in the right time and the right way. Recently I was talking with a man who was concerned about his daughter who from all outward appearances seems to have strayed away from her faith in Jesus. He said, “You know this really takes a lot of faith. I keep praying for God to turn her around but nothing seems to have happened yet.” Children maybe you have prayed to the Lord for a pet that was sick or to find something lost. In every case when we don’t get an immediate response fear can creep in. Maybe God isn’t listening. Maybe He hasn’t heard. Maybe he won’t because of my sins. Don’t be afraid. The Lord has heard your prayer. In love He waits to reveal the answer that is the best for you.

          I mentioned at the beginning that fear is a powerful motivator and it is. It can cause rabbits to run fast and people to jump high. It can motivate feats of strength and heroism. It also is evidence of a ruined relationship with God and can cause us to doubt God and hold back from doing the right thing. There is a better motivator: love.  Listen to what the Lord had the Apostle John write to us in his first letter chapter 4:16-18. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: because in this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”   God is love. He loves you. His love for you motivated you to give His Son for you so you know you are forgiven and your prayers are heard. God’s perfect love for us drives out fear. And when Jesus comes back we get to have confidence, not fear. And as we wait and pray we get this confidence. The Lord has heard your prayers. Amen.

Monday, December 2, 2019

November 27-28, 2019 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Genesis 32:9-12 THANKSGIVING HAPPENS…


THANKSGIVING

November 27-28, 2019

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Genesis 32:9-12



THANKSGIVING HAPPENS…

1. When You Realize Why You are Blessed.

2. When You Remain God Dependent.



Genesis 32:9-12 (NIV 1984) “Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”



          To me Thanksgiving is one of those things in life, like teaching your kids how to handle their mistakes and sin. What do we tell them? “Now say you’re sorry.” “I’m sorry!” Are they? You are teaching them but the fact of the matter is either they are sorry or they are not. Your kid gets a gift. “Say Thank you.” “Thank you.” Are they? You can usually tell. “Thank you for the socks grandma.” “A new Xbox! Are you kidding me? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” You see, when you are thankful no one has to tell you to be thankful or say “Thank you.” You are. Thanksgiving just happens. There were times in our country’s history, maybe in your history, that a gift of socks would elicit heartfelt thanksgiving. If it does not today it is because we have been affected by a pernicious gratitude stealer we will talk about later. I know all of us are gathered here today because we are thankful to God and to help us maintain and grow that attitude of gratitude let’s learn from the life of an Old Testament believer named Jacob.

          There are certain points in life when the gravity of your situation forcibly reminds you of how little you are in the big picture. It may be something like getting caught in an earthquake and being flung around like a rag doll. Or think of you would feel if you fell overboard in the ocean with no boats in sight. Or maybe how a husband feels while his wife is in labor, cognizant of all the things that could go wrong. Or how you feel as you wait for the test results and you are not expecting them to be good. You are not in control. You feel what is always the case. You need your God.

Jacob found himself at such a point in his life. He was about to have a family reunion with his brother Esau. What was on Jacob’s mind? All the good times they had had playing as boys? The bond they shared as brothers? Yeah, no. He was remembering the time Esau came back from hunting super hungry and Jacob made Esau “sell” his birthright for some stew. What a nice brother! He was remembering the time he and his mom tricked dad, Isaac, into giving Jacob the blessing Isaac wrongly wanted to give to Esau so Esau got very little. That had angered Esau so badly he said he was going to kill Jacob, so Jacob ran away. Many years had passed and Jacob was coming home. Esau was coming to meet him-- with 400 men. Jacob had his family and his servants. He turned to God in prayer. “Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.” Jacob was a wealthy man in his day. Some would say his shrewdness got him there, his wise business dealings. Jacob said otherwise. He was unworthy of the blessings God had given him. He didn’t deserve them because of his many sins. Jacob knew why he was blessed. Not because he was so good but because God was so good. So thanksgiving happened.

The same goes for us. I mentioned earlier that there was a time in our country when the gift of new socks would evoke heartfelt thanksgiving. Your smiles told me not so today. What’s changed? An insidious and pernicious attitude has infected the people of our country and that means us too. It’s best described as entitlement. And while we are probably more comfortable talking about other people’s sense of entitlement it is better for us to look into the mirror of God’s law and see we have it too. God has put us in a time of affluence. We get used to it. We think we deserve it. We are entitled. Why should I be grateful for socks? I should have many socks. That is my due. Don’t give me presents I need which is my due, give me what I want! Why do I have more money than others? I work harder. I am smarter with my money than they are. I deserve to have nicer things than they. I am entitled! How we Americans have fallen! Look on page 9 of your service folder. 1777. Look at that underlined portion! That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please God through the Merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; There is no entitlement there. Forfeited God’s favor. They knew why they were blessed. Only because of God’s goodness. So Thanksgiving just happened. Brothers and sisters, let’s grab that back. Why are we in easy to live times? Why aren’t we living in a third world country? We came into life naked and with nothing and look now what we have. We don’t deserve God’s blessings. Like Jacob we have plenty of sins in our own past to own up to. We don’t deserve anything put punishment so thank you God, for socks and shoes and food and heat and Jesus and all our other gifts.

And thank you God that we can continue to depend on you. When you give up your sense of entitlement, when you are as painfully aware of your sinfulness as you need to be and when you come to a point in your life that you are painfully aware of how desperately you need your God to survive then you might wonder how God will deal with you. Again we learn from that Old Testament believer Jacob. His prayer went on. “Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” Jacob’s scheming and conniving and deceiving is done. He had done what God had put into his hands to do. He had reached out to brother Esau and sent him gifts. But he knows the truth. He is at one of those points in life when he realizes how little of his life he is in control of. But he knows who is in control. The Lord. And he knows why he can go to the Lord. God had made promises. God had promised to make Jacob prosperous and give him many descendants. Since God had promised Jacob would rely on Him.

That we remain God dependent people is another way Thanksgiving happens in our lives. Again as American Christians we are disadvantaged. One of our core values is, or used to be, independence. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Be a self made man. We don’t have to live hoping just to get enough food for the next day. And it is true that like Jacob we are to do things God has given us to do. Financially we are to work. We are to spend wisely and save frugally. We are to eat well and get sleep to take care of ourselves physically. But in the end our best planning and our best efforts will not provide for our future health or wealth. God does. Best eating and exercise does not stave off cancer or accidents. We are God dependent. Thanksgiving happens when we remain God dependent people, praying to Him and trusting Him for our future well being.

And can we? Yes, we have promises to rely on. God has promised to give daily bread, to never leave nor forsake, to work all things for the good. And every promise He makes is yes, in Christ Jesus. While Thanksgiving time does remind us to count our blessings and the physical ones are the easy ones to see, it’s the ones we can’t see that matter most. In Jesus we have forgiveness of sins, we have the proof of God’s love, we have the sure hope of heaven. Now, does anyone really have to tell us to say “Thank you!” Never. For us thankfulness happens. Amen.