May 10-12, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 10:22-30 (EHV) GOOD NEWS FROM THE GOOD SHEPHERD!

 

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

May 10-12, 2025

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 10:22-30 (EHV)

 

GOOD NEWS FROM THE GOOD SHEPHERD!

1.     Those who aren’t, don’t.

2.     Those who are, do.

3.     Those who do are blessed!

 

          The word picture and painted pictures of Jesus as the Good Shepherd have comforted Christians for 2000 years. Many of us remember a picture like this from the Bible Story books our parents and grandparents read to us. Many have had a picture like this hanging in their room or house. To know that it is the Lord Jesus leading you, carrying you when you are young, weak, hurt or tired is such a comfort. With the many different uses the Bible makes of our Savior caring for us like a shepherd, Psalm 23, and Jesus own statement earlier in John 10, “I am the Good Shepherd,” it’s no surprise that the Church on earth has regularly celebrated a Good Shepherd Sunday in its church year. As we do so today, we rejoice in the Good news we hear from the Good Shepherd.

          The first is that those who don’t, aren’t. Those who don’t what? Those who don’t listen when Jesus speaks are not His sheep. ^“Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you.” The Jews mentioned here are the religious leaders of the Jewish people. They had what sounded like a reasonable and heartfelt request. If you are the Christ, the Messiah we have all been waiting for, tell us plainly. Sounds good but it wasn’t sincere. Jesus told them the truth. He had spoken plainly many times. The miracles He did that were signs of the Messiah spoke plainly. Every time Jesus said “I Am,” He spoke plainly. Why didn’t they listen? They were not Jesus’ sheep. So the words Jesus said were meaningless. It was like, for instance, if a husband discovered his wife had kept the love letters from all the guys she didn’t marry and read them. They would be meaningless. Not meant for him. So too, it was true of the unbelieving Jews. Those who aren’t Jesus’ sheep don’t listen to His voice.

          So also it is true today and this is Good News for those who are Jesus’ sheep. How? Those who aren’t Jesus’ sheep aren’t listening to His voice and won’t. So you and I don’t have to get our undies in a bundle when we hear our fellow Americans spouting foolishness. Nor do we need to feel like it is our responsibility to change minds. It isn’t and we can’t. Here are some examples. Ask any one of Jesus’ sheep to define a woman and they will first look at you incredulously and then easily define a woman as a female, easily identified by body parts and chromosomes. Those who aren’t Jesus’ sheep will stutter and stammer because they are not his sheep. Jesus’ truth means nothing to them. No one who is a sheep of Jesus would dream of changing the day our nation observes today from Mothers’ Day to inseminated persons’ day. To reduce mothers to inseminated persons is insane, ridiculous, demeaning and inaccurate. The same voice of the Good Shepherd that tells us in the Bible that God made only male and female tells us that those who have children are mothers. So here is the Good News from the Good Shepherd. You are neither crazy, nor old fashioned, nor close minded, nor whatever other disparaging label people want to put on you. You are one of Jesus’ sheep. There is nothing wrong with you and everything wrong with them. They are not Jesus’ sheep and that is why they can’t handle Jesus’ truth.  And if anyone is listening and wants to roll their eyes at such narrow minded thinking I have some bad news for you. There is a reason Bible truth is not true to you. You are not one of Jesus’ sheep. I am sad for your eternity. Jesus tells us plainly. Those who aren’t, don’t!

          And those who are, do!” My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” Nothing difficult here. Jesus does not speak in mays, mights or wills. He speaks in the present. Those who are, do. Those who are Jesus’ sheep, those who belong to Him, hear His voice and follow. Look at the beautiful picture this gives us. When someone belongs to you they know your voice. Children growing in the wombs of their mothers hear their mother’s voice. They know it. Good reason for those who are pregnant to read aloud to their in womb children. And while you are at it, read to them about their Good Shepherd. As little children are tied to their mothers and know their voice so also Jesus’ sheep. Hear and follow. Do you understand, now, fellow sheep, why our enemy the Devil, the ultimate big bad wolf, is working so hard in your life and my life to get us to give up hearing Jesus’ voice in His word? He wants us to stray so He can devour us. What I see today is not so much a defiant refusal to listen to Jesus’ voice as much as a distracted delinquency. All the kids’ activities and parents’ activities get scheduled in before hearing the voice of the Shepherd. Don’t let that be you. Those who are, do. Those who are the sheep of Jesus listen to His voice. Each one of us needs to evaluate how well we are doing at that.

          It’s for our own good, because those who do are blessed! “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.” Look at some of the many blessings of being one of Jesus’ sheep. “I know them,” says Jesus. There are times in all of our lives that we will feel like no one understands what we are going through. That sense of loneliness can feel overwhelming. There are things about us that we don’t want anyone to know. That’s why we hide them. Hear the Good News from the Good Shepherd. He knows you. He knows your heart hurts, heartaches and great joys. He shepherds you through them. You are never alone. All those things you try to keep hidden about yourself from other people because you are afraid of what they will think about you, your struggles, your failings, your secret sins? Jesus knows you. He loves you anyway. That’s why the Good Shepherd lay down His life for you. Your sin He has taken away so He will give you eternal life. Roll that around in your heart for a bit. Jesus gives you eternal life. You have it. Heaven. It’s your fatherland. It’s your home. Right now. Don’t have to earn it. Sins are forgiven and won’t keep you out of it. Jesus has given it to you. And no one can take it away. People can’t. Satan can’t. Demons can’t. No one can take on the Father and the Son and win. Those who do listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice are His sheep and they are blessed.

          Let’s go back to our picture, a beautiful picture, a comforting picture. Look at that little lamb. Safe in Jesus’ hands. No one can pluck that lamb away from Jesus. There are going to come times in all or our lives that we will realize how much we are like that lamb. Helpless. Afraid. In need of care. The next time that happens for you, remember this picture, the Savior it points you to and His promises of protection. More Good News from the Good Shepherd! Amen. 

 

ASTER! April 20/21, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 16:1-8 “THE EMPTY TOMB—A PLACE OF LIFE!”

 

EASTER!   April 20/21, 2025

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 16:1-8

 

“THE EMPTY TOMB—A PLACE OF LIFE!”

1.     Jesus is alive!

2.     Angels are alive!

3.     We have new life!

 

Mark 16:1-8 (EHV) “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint Jesus. ² Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. ³ They were saying to each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb for us?” ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ⁶ He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” ⁸ They went out and hurried away from the tomb, trembling and perplexed. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”

 

          Cemeteries are not normally known as places of life. Graves are there. Tombs and crypts are there. Put it crassly, dead people are there. To overcome that stigma, most cemeteries choose names that make you think of something else. Memorial Garden. Resting Place. Second Home. Forest Home. I know of none called place of death. I also know of none named place of life. And yet that is exactly what the cemetery or tomb of Jesus should be named. Jesus’ Empty Tomb, place of life!

          It was the place that Jesus came alive. In case you missed Good Friday’s services let me catch you up to speed. Ever since sin came into the world the plan for Jesus to die went into action. Sin is rebellion against God. Every sin is a terrible crime and just like human justice demands that there be payment for crime, God’s justice does too. But unlike human justice that believes that penalty for crime can be made up in time served or fines paid, crimes against God has a more severe penalty. Death. The death penalty for every sin. But don’t just think of death as the ending of earthly life. When the Bible uses the word death, it means separation and the death penalty for sin is separation from God for good. You really can’t pay that. You suffer it. But God’s love for all people is so great He came up with a plan to maintain justice and spare sinners. He would send His Son Jesus to be the substitute for people. The holy and perfect Son of God would take the place of sinners and be separated from God. Justice. Those who believe in Him would be free from the awful eternity they earned and receive the gift of eternal life instead. Love. If you were here for Good Friday, you heard again that everything went according to God’s plan. Jesus, true God and true man was truly separated from the Father and paid for the sins of all people in full. He died physically too. His body was buried. Jewish Sabbath which forbids any extra work goes from our Friday at 6 PM until Saturday at 5:59 PM. Because of that Jesus’ followers were not able to prepare His body for burial as was proper. Their first daylight opportunity was Sunday morning.

          “Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. ³ They were saying to each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb for us?” A practical question. The last these women had seen was Jesus’ dead body placed in a tomb that was sealed with a large stone. Similar to this. PICTURE Too much for them to handle, as long as Jesus was dead. But He wasn’t. “When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ⁶ He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Jesus’ Tomb was empty! It had become a place of life. In so many ways. The empty tomb of Jesus is God’s standing proof that Jesus lives. Thousands of Jews were crucified by the Romans at the time of Jesus. Thousands of bodies were tossed in pits or buried in tombs. All stayed there. Except Jesus. He is risen! And look at what this means. He died to pay for sin. He rose because payment was over. The living Jesus is God’s proof that you are forgiven in full. No death penalty for you. And because Jesus lives every single one of your loved ones who has died in the Lord lives with Him too. Jesus promised that. Everyone of us who has experienced the death of a loved one and especially you who have had that experience most recently know that there is a sting to death. It hurts. It brings tears to our eyes. By living, Jesus pulled that stinger out of us. Does it still hurt? Yes. But the venom, the poison of death, does not last! Jesus took it out of us and because Jesus lives I can guarantee a new and best chapter of your life with your loved ones is on the way.

          But before we go further, just how did that big stone get rolled away? Angels did it. Here we find more life at the empty tomb of Jesus. Angels are alive. Really. We need to hear this because most, if not all of us, come from a culture that pays lip service to this truth. Yes, the Bible says angels are real. But then when something happens that can’t be explained naturally, we will run through every possible rational explanation before grudgingly accepting the obvious. Angels are alive and God sends them to help us. So the next time you hear of some miraculous rescue where the kind soul who stopped to help is later nowhere to be found, praise God for His living angels. When something urges you to check that fire again or look one more time before you cross don’t thank your lucky stars, thank your loving Lord for sending angels to watch over, to roll your stones away just like they did for the women at the empty tomb of Jesus, a place that shows us angels are alive.

          And a place of new life for you and me. How much do you suppose one second is worth? Seriously. What would you pay for one second? How about 233,000 dollars? That’s how much one second of advertising cost in the Super Bowl this year. There are over 86,000 seconds in each day. How could one second become so valuable? It’s just a second. But when it has a purpose, when the message proclaimed is considered important, all of the sudden it’s super valuable. Jesus’ empty tomb gave new life to some women and made them super valuable. He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” See Jesus great love for His people. Imagine being one of Jesus disciples. Last time Jesus saw you, you turned tail and ran while He was arrested. How close were you to His cross? Imagine being Peter. Can you imagine how he felt? Jesus knew how they felt and what they needed. He singles out Peter and gives the women new life. Jesus lives! A message they needed to hear. A message, which if true, Peter would gladly have paid more than $233,000 a second to hear. And it was true.

          It is true. Jesus has made you super valuable. Like the Easter morning women going to anoint Jesus dead body for burial we too can often think Jesus needs us to serve Him some way and He makes us more valuable than we can imagine. You may think Jesus wants you to serve by being a kind and reliable CNA or other health care worker, by helping your neighbor with their trash can or mail, or giving a ride to someone without a car, or helping an aging parent. Literally everything we do in life can be service to the Lord. But watch for those opportunities the Lord gives you to be super valuable and tell hurting hearts what they need to hear. Jesus lives. So there is hope. There is no unfaithfulness to Jesus, no denial He didn’t die to pay for. And now He lives. There is no problem that is hopeless that will not be resolved in this life or the next. He lives. And you get to tell people that. I get to tell people that. Jesus knows what they need to hear and when they need to hear.        

Now, I don’t know that God did or worked in your life to bring you here today or have you tune in. Maybe he used a family member or friend. Maybe you got a postcard in the mail. Maybe you remember it was something you used to do as a kid and it felt good. Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Here is what I do know and does matter. God loves you. He cares for you. He knows what you are going through. He knows what you need. He will take care of it in the right way and right time. How do we know? Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen.

 

MAUNDY THURSDAY

April 17, 2023

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 14:12-26 (EHV)

 

THE LAST SUPPER—A PLACE OF REST

1. Rest from having to have it all figured out.

2. Rest from the sting of betrayal.

3. Rest for souls weighed down by sin.

 

          For our special services in Lent and Holy Week we have been pausing at places of the Passion. Today we go back to where we started over 40 days ago, the Upper Room. When we paused there the first time our focus was on service. Tonight, it is rest. Everybody needs rest. In the perfect world God blessed Adam and Eve with rest. As God ceased His creation on the 6^th day He blessed the 7^th day and made it holy. A day of rest. When sin ruined the world there came the need for more rest. People don’t just get physically tired, they get emotionally tired and spiritually tired. Jesus is the one who said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” As we join Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room see how He fulfills that gracious promise in several ways.

          “On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³ He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and there a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house that the Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” ¹⁶ His disciples left and went into the city and found things just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.”

          It was the week that all of God’s people celebrated the Passover meal. Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of extra people, were in Jerusalem for this special meal. It was a very practical question the disciples asked. “Where are we going to eat our Passover meal?” Practical, but unnecessary. Jesus had it all figured out. Find some random guy carrying a water jar and he will lead you to the house where the owner will gladly bump you to the front of the line for large upper rooms already prepared for the Passover. Yeah, right. Yeah right! Jesus had it all figured out and here, brothers and sisters, is the first blessing of rest you get because you have Jesus as your Savior. You don’t have to have it all figured out. That is not a burden you need to carry. It is true that the Lord does want us doing planning and preparing for things under our control. Yes, students, you do need to do your homework. You do need to prioritize time so you can study and do chores before your fun. But for the big things in life, rest. You don’t have to have it all figured out. What will my life be like? Where will I live? What about this family problem? What about this health issue I can’t control? Let it go! Concern yourselves only with those things the Lord has placed in your control. For all the rest, rest. Jesus has it figured out.

          There’s more. “When it was evening, he arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Amen I tell you: One of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”¹⁹ They began to be sorrowful and said to him one by one, “Surely not I?”²⁰ He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping bread with me in the dish. ²¹ Indeed, the Son of Man is going to go just as it has been written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

          Betrayal. Emotionally it does not get much worse. Someone you have every reason to expect loyalty from is disloyal. What do you suppose happened when Jesus said, “One of you who is eating with me will betray me?” Did Judas’ face flush? Or was his control that good that he should have been playing on some world poker tour? We don’t know what Judas did other than join the others in saying, “Surely not I?” But Judas is not important here. Jesus is. How does He handle the hurt of betrayal? He cares for the betrayer! He warns. He prays. He does not stop him. He does not punish him. He trusts His Father’s plan and by doing so He gives us rest. We are sinners living among a bunch of sinners. The chances that we will not have to deal with some kind of betrayal are nil. Learn from Christ to rest. To keep loving, to keep praying, and to let it go like Jesus let Judas go.

          And go to Christ regularly for more rest in His Supper! “While they were eating, Jesus took bread. When he had blessed it, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “Take it. This is my body.” ²³ Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them. They all drank from it. ²⁴ He said to them, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many. ²⁵ Amen I tell you: I will certainly not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ After they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” The Lord’s Supper. You know what it is. Jesus tells you exactly. He took bread. “This is my body.”  Not a representation, symbol or picture. Is means is. A miracle. He took the cup filled with grape wine. “This is my blood.” Not a representation, symbol or picture. Is means is. But wait there’s more. It is the blood of the new testament or covenant. This is the covenant God has made with us, to forgive us our sin and remember them no more. Here is rest! Rest for souls that struggle with guilt, that fear God is treating them as their sins deserve. Rest for souls that struggle to fight sin and feel keen disappointment when they fail again. “Here,” says Jesus, “here is the proof you need, something you can see, taste, touch to prove to you again, you are fully forgiven. Rest guilty soul. Rest worried soul. Rest disappointed soul. You have my forgiveness.”  

The Upper Room is a place of rest. Jesus said He eagerly desired to be there with His disciples. He eagerly desired us to be here too. Jesus keeps His promises. All of them and He has promised rest. But our journey is not over. We still need to visit the cross and the empty tomb tomorrow and Sunda. Even then our journey will not be over. Jesus said He would not drink of the cup until that day when he drinks again in the kingdom of God. Look ahead! Feasting is coming. Banqueting, When we finally get to be with Jesus our journey will be over and we will be blessed with eternal rest! Amen.

pril 2, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Luke 23:26-31 THE WAY OF SORROWS—A PLACE OF TEARS

 

MIDWEEK LENT 5       April 2, 2025        Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Luke 23:26-31

 

THE WAY OF SORROWS—A PLACE OF TEARS

 

          So when it the last time you had a good cry? What was it about? Kind of depends on what season of life you are in. For you children tears come easy and often. Physical pain brings tears. Frustration can bring you to tears. A mean classmate can bring you to tears. Disappointment will cause tears. And when you get a little older, loss brings you to tears. People cry when they are temporarily separated from a loved one going off to college or overseas for a job. People cry when they are temporarily separated from a loved one at death. There are many reasons for tears. Our Lenten journey with Jesus brings us to a place of tears. It’s called the Way of Sorrows. If you visit Jerusalem you can walk it. While likely not the exact path, it marks the path that Jesus walked from the place of His sentencing to the place of His death. As was Roman custom those sentenced to die by crucifixion carried their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, one last Roman cruel joke. At some point the soldiers compelled a man named Simon from Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross for him. If you watch the Passion of the Christ move it suggests the reason for this was that Jesus was already too weak from loss for blood from the cruel scourging and crown of thorns. Likely a good guess.

          The Way of Sorrows became a place for tears. “A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.” We aren’t told who this large number of people were. Were they followers of Jesus who knew Him already? Were they citizens of Jerusalem who regularly protested Roman cruelty? Were they Passover passerbys who got caught up in the spectacle? We don’t know. We do know what they were doing. Shedding tears. For Jesus. Compassion is a great quality. Compassion for Jesus, appropriate. It is difficult to feel no compassion for Jesus on Good Friday. That is the day when we spend time with our Savior, remembering His time on the cross. The words. The hymns. “Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted. O Sacred Head now wounded. Were you there?” Whether the tears come or do not, if you feel no compassion for the Holy Son of God who takes your place, you may very well have a heart of stone.

          And yet in a way that only the Lord Jesus could do on the Way of Sorrows, a place of tears, Jesus says that tears for Him are misplaced!  Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ³¹ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” What’s up with that?

 

THE WAY OF SORROWS—A PLACE OF TEARS

 

          Sorrow over Jesus is admirable yet there is a different kind of sorrow that Jesus wants. Basically He said to these women, “If you want something to mourn and wail about, don’t look at me. Look at yourselves. Look at your sins and their consequences.” Jesus pointed them to the time when the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It was the consequence God announced for the peoples’ rejection of their Savior. After Jesus died, rose and ascended to heaven, faith in Him spread among the Jews. Those who rejected Jesus persecuted believers, so they left. An action God used to spread the Christian faith even further. The Jewish Zealots who had rejected Jesus because He didn’t rebel against the Roman government led their own rebellions. Rome came with her legions. They trapped the normal 500,000 citizens of Jerusalem plus 600,000 additional Jewish pilgrims in the city and starved them. Food became scarce. People looked at each other in ways they should not look at each other. Blessed are the barren women. Those who have no babies to eat or be eaten. When the walls were breached the Roman soldiers had their way. “Mountains, fall on us. Hills cover us!” The Jewish historian Josephus reports that 1,100,000 Jewish people were slain. Jesus’ cryptic words became clear. If this is how they treat me, the green living tree, the way the truth and the life, how do you think it’s going to go for the spiritually dead rejecters of God? You see while the destruction of Jerusalem was great, the eternal unending destruction and despair that awaits the spiritually dead rejecters of Christ Jesus is far worse.

          So while sorrow for Jesus’ suffering is admirable it is sorrow over sin and its consequences that He would rather see. Do we do that? We give ourselves plenty of opportunities. Children disobey and are mean to each other. Even if we are pretty good at controlling our actions our words condemn us. God’s name is abused, misused or not used when it should be. Even if we cut out all filthy talks there are the times when we should have spoken up to defend another or to testify on the side of Gods’ truth but didn’t. Even if we always speak up our hearts betray us for the Lord sees that the NFL’s draft day, baseball’s opening day, March madness, and Spring clearance sales cause our hearts to beat much faster than the thought of worshipping His Son.

          And that is why Jesus walked the Way of Sorrows. So there will come a time when there are no more tears. I know that Johnson and Johnson Baby shampoo promises such a thing. Only Jesus delivers. He walked the Way of Sorrows to Golgotha, a place we will talk about next week. He walked the Way of Sorrows to put the Good into Good Friday by pay for our sins in full to open heaven to all believers so the time can come for each of us that there will be no more tears but only Heaven, a place of happiness. PICTURE Thank you, Jesus! Amen.

 

March 22-24, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 13:1-9 (EHV) “THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD NEWS!”

 

LENT 4

March 22-24, 2025

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 13:1-9 (EHV)

 

“THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD NEWS!”

 

          Perhaps you already know or have figured out that our way of worshipping the Lord is set up as an ongoing dialogue. Most of the time the pastor serves as a messenger for God, speaking His words, and you the people listen to what God has to say and respond to it. So we begin singing praise to our God. We are called to worship with humble yet joyful hearts as we confess our sins and hear again that we are forgiven. The meat, the main part of the worship service, centers around God’s word. That’s important because the Lord has told us, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” We need, we want faith, so having a huge opportunity to hear God’s words is super important. As the pastor reads God’s word and you, God’s people, listen, there is also a dialogue going on. At the end of the reading the pastors says, “The word of the Lord.” And you say, “Thanks be to God!” Very fitting! God give you something good, you say Thank you! The dialogue of the Gospel lesson which focuses on the words and work of Jesus when He walked this earth is just a little different. The pastor says, “The Gospel of the Lord.” And you say, “Praise be to you O Christ!” Gospel means Good News. Of course we are going to praise Jesus for the Good News. Every once in a while, though, it kinda seems out of place. Like when there is a Gospel lesson that Jesus is teaching about the Last Day. And the Gospel reading ends with something like, “Depart from me you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” And I say, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” The Good News. Doesn’t seem to fit. Oh, but it does. Today in God’s word our Lord Jesus sets us straight. God’s ways are not our ways, and we do Him wrong when we impose our way of thinking on Him. Today Jesus shows us the Good News about what we consider to be Bad News!

Jesus had been talking very pointedly to a large group of people urging them to tend to their own spiritual well-being. He warned against hypocrisy, senseless worry, trusting in things rather than God and apathy towards the reality of eternity. You know how it goes when someone’s words start to hit too close to home. You Change the subject! So that’s what they did. “At that time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? ³I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too. ⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too.” Some Jews from Galilee had come to worship at the Temple. In a display of Roman cruelty Pilate had some of them killed while worshipping. Did this bad thing, this murder, happen because those people were in trouble with God? Jesus goes down their road.  In another widely known incident a tower had accidently fallen and killed 18 people. Surely God was getting them for something. That’s the way people think. When bad things happen to people, whether at the hands of evil people or by accident, they must have done something wrong. That’s where the pagan concept of karma comes from.

 

“THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD NEWS!”

 

Jesus turned things back around. “Unless you repent, you will perish.” Here is the Good News about Bad News. When people die too early it is bad news to our ears. It happens by accident. The 67 who died in the DC plane/helicopter crash. 24 dead in the recent California wildfires. 39 dead from the storms that swept across our nation. Bad news. It can happen because of the evil people do. The Waukesha parents murdered by their son. The numerous citizens of Milwaukee murdered by reckless driving. Bad news. Did they die as punishment from God? “No,” says Jesus. Focus on the Good News. Untimely deaths are God’s loving call for living people to repent. No one is promised another day of life. Each day is a gift of God’s grace. Each day is an opportunity for all people to believe and be saved. And while this call is for all people, the person I am to deal with is me. And the day I need to be concerned about is today. Today, do I recognize my sins and need for Savior? Today am I looking to Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus for my forgiveness? You need to ask the same questions for yourself. Every bit of bad news is evidence of the Good News that God is still working. God still cares. God still wants you and everyone else to believe in His Son and be saved. Heaven is real. And Hell is too.

And while God is a patient God, there are limits to His patience. A time when it comes to an end. That’s the truth Jesus taught with the parable He told next. “He told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it, but he did not find any. ⁷So he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years now I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why even let it use up the soil?’ ⁸But the gardener replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. ⁹If it produces fruit next year, fine. But if not, then cut it down.’” The parable’s meaning was pretty obvious for the original hearers. Probably for us too. If you plant a fruit tree you do so with purpose. That it produce fruit. If the tree is not fulfilling its purpose, at some point the tree planter says “Enough!” and moves on. In the parable I am the fig tree. You are the fig tree. God is the owner looking for fruit. Jesus is the gardener pleading for more time. As long as we live Jesus pleads for us and works to make us Christians who produce fruit, repentance, which includes lives lived for the Lord.

 

“THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD NEWS!”

 

What do you suppose the digging up and fertilizing are in people’s lives? What about the pruning Jesus talked about in another word picture? Well the fertilizing is food for a tree so that brings us right back to God’s word which is food for our faith. Digging up around a tree, wouldn’t that disturb the roots, maybe cut off some? Pruning, there you are cutting living branches off of a tree. What’s that like in real lives of real people? Bad news! At least that’s how we would label it. Car accident or house fire. Even with insurance, a pain. Broken arm or leg. Heals…but. Job loss. Medical bills. All bad news. Except it isn’t. We think that way because we are short-sighted and have our minds set on earthly things. It’s all we know. God loves us too much to leave us to ourselves. He is deliberately using the bad news we hear about others and the bad news we deal with personally to keep us God dependent, in a state of repentance, so we are ready for our end or The End which, with living faith in the living Jesus, turns into the beginning of the way things were supposed to be, a perfect life with God and others. So bad news isn’t really bad news. It’s Gospel, Good News that the Lord cares and is watching out for us.

Kind of reminds me of a great coach I had. I remember him addressing the team at the beginning of a football season when we had the two a day practices in the heat of the day. “Boys,” he said, “Don’t get mad at me when I push you and correct you and even yell at you when you deserve it. I am only doing that because I know you can get better. Get upset if I leave alone. Because that means I’ve given up on you.” Brothers and sisters, God has not given up on you. When you face the bad news of another challenge that pushes you to run to the Lord in mercy and prayer, when the bad news of hardship, loss, and hurt comes into your life, especially the kind that make you cry, “Father, I don’t understand,” hold on to the Good News that God only chastens those He loves and digs around and fertilizes those He knows can get better. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not ours. They are so much better, so know this truth. Whatever He allows is for your good. This is the Gospel or the Lord! Amen.

 

March 12, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 14:32-42 PLACES OF THE PASSION Gethsemane: A Place of Temptation

 

MIDWEEK LENT 2

March 12, 2025

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 14:32-42

 

PLACES OF THE PASSION

Gethsemane: A Place of Temptation

 

          As we follow our Lord Jesus in His walk to the cross this Lenten season we are pausing at various places along the way to worship and learn. Last week we paused in the Upper Room. Today we join Jesus and His disciples as they leave the Upper Room and go to the Garden of Gethsemane, a place of temptation. This is a picture of what the Garden of Gethsemane looks like today. Pretty average. Filled with olive trees. Nothing special about the garden, except what happened there almost 2000 years ago.

 

Mark 14:32-42 ^“They went to a place named Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ Then he took Peter, James, and John along with him and began to be troubled and distressed. ³⁴ He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” ³⁵ Going forward a little, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ He also said, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

 

          The Gospel lesson for this past Sunday included the Devil’s temptations of Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry. Those were not the only times that the Devil tempted Jesus. That account concluded with these words. “When the Devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time.”  This was one of those opportune times. It’s Maundy Thursday, the night before Good Friday. As true God, Jesus knows exactly what will happen to Him the next day. He will be forsaken. He will make payment in full for the sins of the world. As true man He dreads that and wishes there could be another way.

          I have heard people say that bunion surgery and recovery is extremely painful. In fact some have refused a second surgery because of what they went through in the first. Knowing what it would be like is too terrifying. Imagine the raw fear coursing through the heart of our Savior Jesus as he stands at the precipice of making payment for the sins of the world. He knows what the wages of sin really means: cut off from God and His goodness, forsaken, despair. There is no way for us to begin to imagine the agony and angst Jesus felt as He prepared Himself to face the cross. Certainly the temptation was there to turn away from it.

          But there was more temptation taking place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ disciples faced temptation too. Jesus, their Lord, their Savior, had told them to keep watch. This is what happened. ^“When he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not strong enough to keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ Again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. ⁴⁰ When he returned, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. They did not know what they should answer him.”

          You want to cut them a break. We have all been there too. It is late at night. The day had been long. The Passover meal filling. Staying away when you are just sitting there doing nothing is hard. You want to cut them a break. How could they have known the gravity of the situation? How could they understand how difficult this was for Jesus? You want to cut them a break. But you can’t. What part of  Jesus’ heartfelt command, His plea to his friends of “Watch and pray” is difficult to understand? They did not need to know how dire things were for Jesus. They were not supposed to be sitting there doing nothing. They were to watch and pray. Even Peter, who had a short time before this boasted that he would sooner die than disown Jesus, fell asleep. “Watch and pray,” Jesus had said. But they ignored the heartfelt command from their Savior and slept.

          You want to cut those disciples a break, you want to excuse their behavior. But you can’t. And just like there is no excuse for the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, there is none for the disciples gathered here today who pause at the Garden of Gethsemane. What part of “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God” is hard to understand? Yet “O my” and God’s name comes flying out, not just from the pagans in America who despise Him, but also from the mouths of those who are privileged to be called the children of God. What part of “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” is hard to understand? Yet how often have the people of God chosen treat their beds as holy by attending St. Mattress on a Sunday morning or remembered to keep their sports events holy while having trouble remembering that at this church there are worship opportunities on Saturday and Monday evenings as well as Sunday morning. There is no excuse for failing to give our Lord the worship due His name. For his disciples Jesus said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Oh that he could say the same of us. Or might it have to be “The flesh is weak and the spirit is unwilling.”

          In the time of His temptation Jesus turned to his Father. “Abba, Father.” He prayed to be spared from the cup of punishment He would face. Yet He resisted this and every temptation by simply trusting the will of God. For our temptations we turn to Jesus and say, “Thank you, Jesus.” We understand that Jesus faced temptation because of us. Our need for a Savior is desperate. Even when our spirit is willing, the weakness of our flesh means we will not successfully resist temptation. So we rejoice that Jesus was tempted for us. His perfect resisting of the temptations in the Garden of Gethsemane is mine. It’s yours. He won it for us.

          When Jesus finished fighting His battle in the place of temptation we call the Garden of Gethsemane we are told, “He returned the third time and said to them, “Are you going to continue sleeping and resting? It is enough. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise, let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.” On to the next place of His passion for us.  Thank you Jesus! Amen.

March 1-3, 2025 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 9:28-36 (EHV) “THE PERFECT PICK ME UP!”

 

TRANSFIGURATION

March 1-3, 2025

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 9:28-36 (EHV)

 

“THE PERFECT PICK ME UP!”

1.     A glimpse of glory.

2.     The witness of the past.

3.     The word of the Lord.

 

          Every once in a while you need a little pick me up. Most here can relate. Maybe you had a really hard day at work or a bad night of sleep. Maybe you got some news letting you know difficult days were ahead. Maybe it’s just your body’s circadian rhythm and there are times you need that energy boost. For centuries people have used coffee and tea to provide that pick me up. In more recent times there are a myriad of energy drinks like Red Bull available. One of the first jobs I had was cleaning store floors at night when grocery stores actually used to close. We would go in and scrub the dirty floors, scraping off stickers and gum. By the way, who does that? Who spits their gum out onto the floor in a grocery store? Knock it off. That’s gross! Anyway, then we would put on a nice shiny coat of wax so that you, the customer, would want to come in and spend money. It was a process. Took a lot of time. Normally we were heading back home in the predawn hours. Eyelids would grow heavy. Most of the time the preferred pick me up was Mountain Dew. I still have a taste for the stuff. But then came Jolt Cola with probably the best advertising line I have heard for young people who were not thinking about what they were putting into their bodies. “Jolt Cola: All the sugar and twice the caffeine.” It was a great little pick me up at 4:30 in the morning!

          The Transfiguration of Jesus serves as a perfect pick me up for disciples of Jesus. As you heard in the Gospel lesson it was about 8 days after Jesus said some very important things. What things? He had revealed to the disciples that He would suffer many things, be killed and then rise again after three days. But wait there was more. Faithful followers of Jesus could expect suffering too. There would be crosses for them to bear. In other words, “By following me, you have signed up for suffering.” You can imagine on hearing this the disciples were confused, maybe afraid, they no doubt had many questions. They needed a little pick me up to raise their spirits. It came in the form of the Transfiguration. “Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰Just then, two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him! ³¹They appeared in glory and were talking about his departure, which he was going to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem.”

          The Transfiguration of Jesus served as the perfect pick me up for Jesus’ disciples. First it gave them a glimpse of glory. Not a full taste. They could not handle it, nor could we, as our worship theme box explained very well. Jesus appeared in a way that showed some of His true glory as God. What a blessing this was for them as they followed a Savior who looked like a normal Jewish man. What a blessing this was as they grappled with the truth that faithful following of the Son of God would not get them an easy earthly life but it would give them a glorious eternity. A perfect pick me up for confused and questioning disciples. Secondly the Transfiguration drew their attention to the witnesses of the past. Moses and Elijah. Peter James and John grew up hearing about these heroes of faith in Sabbath School. Here they were alive, talking with Jesus. And what were they talking about? Jesus’ departure that He would bring about. Later they would be able to understand that the events in the Garden of Gethsemane and Good Friday did not happen to Jesus but happened because of Jesus, according to God’s plan. There was no need for them to worry. A perfect pick me up!

And there was still more. The first part of Jesus’ Transfiguration set up the last. Peter, James and John had grown sleepy while Jesus and Moses and Elijah were talking. That gives me some comfort for when your eyes glaze over. But when they were fully awake, this happened. “While he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were afraid as they went into the cloud. ³⁵Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” ³⁶After the voice had spoken, they found Jesus alone. They kept this secret and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.” How do you think He said it? God, I mean, when He said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” A whisper? A bold booming voice? Something in between? You can use your imagination and you have to because we are not told. That’s because how God said it is not as important as what God said. Disciples. Followers of Jesus, listen to what Jesus says. It will pick you up when you have doubts, questions, fears, when you are tired.

The Apostle Peter sure learned that lesson! This is what he wrote in his second letter. ^“To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to him from within the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We heard this voice, which came out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ We also have the completely reliable prophetic word. You do well to pay attention to it,” (2 Peter 1:16-19)

Brothers and sisters, the Transfiguration of Jesus serves as a perfect pick me up for you too. Like Jesus’ disciples at this point in their lives we will find ourselves dealing with things that are too big for us. Confused when faithful following of Jesus brings us suffering instead of glory. Afraid when we don’t understand God’s plan for us or our loved ones. Dealing with doubts over what God says. At those times it’s important to go back to the glimpses of glory God lets us see, to revisit the witnesses of our past and to pay attention to the words of our Lord.

Let’s start with a glimpse of glory. Jesus let the disciples see a taste of what was coming to help them endure when faithful following didn’t yield the results they wanted. We see Jesus’ glory through the eyes of Peter, James and John but that is not all God gives us. Our faith is not blind. Each of you, can think of times when God gave you your own glimpse of His glory. The medical miracle. Some extra money at just the right time. An impossible broken relationship restored. Don’t gloss over that glimpse. Hold on to it as Peter, James and John would do. There is no need for us to complain or through ourselves pity parties when faithful following of Christ brings hardship. We have an eternity of glory coming. We also have the witnesses of the past to pick us up. In addition to the biblical heroes of faith we have in common with all followers of Christ God gives us more. You may call them Mom or Dad, Grandpa or Grandma. Younger people especially. Think! Why did they care about their faith so much? Why was church so important to them? Like Moses and Elijah, they enjoyed their time talking with Jesus. God gives you their witness of faithful Christianity to hold on to, to teach you the importance of your relationship with Jesus.

And then remember, like it was with Jesus’ disciples, the glimpse of glory, the witness of the past, are all designed to do one thing, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” The focus stays on Jesus, what He has done. The eyes and ears read and listen to what He has to say. It will provide the perfect pick me up. When you doubt God’s truths, when you worry for your future, when you wonder about God’s love. Listen to Him!

I still have fond memories of my high school and college jobs. Using Mt. Dew or Jolt Cola when needed did the trick. But now as I have taken half a step toward maturity I’ve discovered how nice it is to have a daily pick me up. You’ve seen the coffee cup in my hand. That works physically but not spiritually. For that I use God’s words. Every day. Will you? Amen.