CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
August 30/31, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Hebrews 11:24-26
“CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IS…”
1. Expensive.
2. Worth it.
Hebrews 11:24-26 (NIV) “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
Today we have a special observance in our service. We get to celebrate some milestones that two of our brothers have reached in the public ministry of the Gospel. Mr. Hackmann, Dave, you have served the Lord in the teaching ministry of the Gospel for 40 years. That’s remarkable. My wife, Chris, will gladly remind you that you have been teaching for more years than she’s been alive! Mr. Scharf, Bill, you have reached the 25 year milestone, which means you have been teaching more than half your life. Your milestones give us an opportunity to talk about the importance of Christian Education in the life of the Church.
Christian Education carried out by the church can take many forms. There is the education our synod does at its worker training seminary, college and high schools. There is the education done at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Wisconsin Lutheran High School and other area Lutheran high schools. There is the education congregations carry out in Bible Classes, Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible Schools. For today though we want to focus on the Christian Education the two of you have been involved with in our Lutheran Elementary Schools. Before we do so let me say, so that no one gets the wrong message, if you did not go to a Christian Day school or if your kids do not, that does not make you a bad person or less of a Christian. Each must decide their circumstances for themselves. The fact remains though, that member congregations of our WELS have for a long time prioritized as important for the work of the church, this type of Christian Education. St. Jacobi has from its very inception. Two points we want to focus on. Christian Education is expensive. At the same time it’s worth it.
Our text today from Hebrews on the life of Moses shows us some parallels. Now if you read about Moses in the book of Exodus you get a lot of the facts of his early life. You hear how he was hidden by his parents, stashed in a reed basket, found by Pharaoh’s daughter, raised for her by his own mother. You hear how he killed the Egyptian slave master, ran for his life, how God called him and turned him into a great leader. What you don’t hear is what Moses was thinking as all this took place.
Hebrews tells us, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.” Here we hear that Moses made a conscious decision, prompted by faith, that was very expensive for him. Moses chose to be identified with God’s people the Israelites. And it cost him. It was expensive. He lost the honor of being known as a prince in Egypt with all the worldly power that came along with it. He lost the comfortable life of palace living with all its niceties, luxuries, awesome food and servants to do his bidding. He lost access to the wealth of Egypt to spend as he pleased. Instead he received the privilege of people who grumbled about his leadership, even though he was simply carrying out God’s commands. He had his staff, Aaron and Miriam, rebel against him, even though God had chosen him to lead, not them. He had his lay leaders, Korah, Dathan and Abiram try to usurp his authority. Now while it can be noted that God chastised those who rebelled against Moses, it certainly cost Moses a lot to live by faith.
A legitimate parallel can be made for parents, congregations and teachers involved in the Christian Education at a Lutheran Elementary School. Let’s be honest. It’s expensive. It costs parents. Oh, at our school, the fees are minimal, but there are other costs. Most have to provide for their own transportation instead of free busing. It is not always convenient. Most of our schools cannot provide all the services, staffing levels and educational extras the public schools can. You have to give those up. You have to pay the cost of disappointment you feel when there is sin. You expect it in the public schools and even though we know better because none of our homes are sin free we expect that at our schools and are disappointed when it is not so. It’s also expensive for a congregation. Let’s just talk money. Did you know that the actual cost per student at our colleges is well over $20,000, at our high school, over $8000. Here at our school its about $3200 per student and we do it more efficiently than most. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of money. It’s expensive.
And it’s been expensive for you, too, Dave and Bill. I suppose some might go to the money you have given up because church pay scales rarely match up with the secular counterparts. I wouldn’t make too much of that. You didn’t enter the public ministry of the Gospel to make money, did you? And anyone who does enter public ministry seeking to make money should leave. Now! On the other hand, you probably didn’t enter the public ministry of the Gospel to get kicked in the teeth, did you? Yet that happens. You both have served as teachers, trying to do your best for your students. They and their parents probably haven’t always agreed with you. As a parent I too have experienced this very odd phenomenon where my children get in trouble by their own fault when I’m watching them, yet when I hear of trouble at school your first impulse is to wonder what the other student did or if the teacher could have done more. Hmm...why is that? When you experience that as a teacher, it hurts, it costs. You both have served in what I am convinced is the toughest and most thankless ministry position in the WELS right now, a principal. There the adage has always been, “If you are doing your job well, at least one of three groups you serve, students, parents or faculty, will not be happy with you.” That’s no fun, it costs. The Israelite congregation in the desert isn’t the only one to have Miriam and Aaron, Korah, Dathan and Abiram in it. That hurts. It costs. Christian Education is expensive, for everyone involved.
Is it worth it? Was it worth it for Moses to give up the luxuries of Egypt to do church work instead? Let’s ask him? “By faith Moses… regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” By faith. For the sake of Christ. Reward. There is his answer. It was worth it for Moses to pay the cost because he was acting by faith. It was worth it to pay the cost for the sake of Christ. It was worth it because he was looking forward to the reward, the gift of grace, God extends to those who have faith in His Son, Jesus, the Christ, heaven!
Now let’s make a parallel to Christian Education. Parents, is the cost worth it for you? President Schroeder in his article makes a great point that the Christian education of your children is first and foremost your responsibility. You need to stand ready to answer your God in how you are doing bringing up His children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Making use of the Christian Education in provided by your congregation in our school, Sunday School and Confirmation classes, is a great way to get help in carrying out your responsibility. St. Jacobi congregation is it worth it for you? Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” By faith, for the sake of Christ, we are doing that. And reward? Jesus said, “ Whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you have done it for me.” Now especially if you don’t have children in our school, do you see how it’s worth it? How else could you look Jesus in the eye and tell Him you are feeding His lambs if not through your congregation? Look at the how you get to do things for Jesus. Dave and Bill it’s worth it for you. God says in His word that those who lead others to righteousness will shine like the stars in heaven. I don’t know exactly what that means by I sure like the sound of it. Jesus told us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. That’s people. By faith. For the sake of Christ. Reward. It’s worth it. And maybe, just maybe, God will graciously use what we are doing for the greater good of the church. I heard a sermon recently about Hannah and Samuel. It was entitled, “How one parent raised one child that changed a nation.” The pastor reminded us how Hannah sent Samuel off to the boarding school of the tabernacle at Shiloh at age 3. What a cost! Yet God used that Christian Education of one little boy to be a blessing for all of God’s people. You see the way things are heading in our country. You see the downfall of denomination after another capitulating the teachings of God. Do you really think it couldn’t happen to us? What an honor it would be if the Lord used even one child we trained to be the one to champion God’s unchanging truth in a quickly changing world to preserve it for another generation. Christian Education is expensive. But it's worth it! Amen.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
August 23/24, 2009
Pastor Waldschmidt
August 23, 2009
1 Kings 19:3-9
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
THE LORD GIVES STRENGTH IN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT
I. We all get discouraged.
II. Let’s look to the Lord’s presence.
III. Let’s do what the Lord is asking us to do.
In the name of Jesus, who gives strength in discouragement, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
In a few weeks my family is putting together the 1st annual Waldschmidt Half Marathon run. To fit the different stages of physical fitness for my family we’ll have several different running events from the 13 mile featured event to the always popular “running to the end of the driveway and back” event. My brother had t-shirts made up for us that have a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. I will probably be running in one of the events closer to the “end of the driveway and back” event. Just before this part of God’s word we heard about Elijah running much farther than the end of the driveway and back. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” That’s almost 17 miles from where they were. Elijah was a powerful man. Yet as God’s word begins, he is in the depths of despair. Let’s see how the Lord handles him. The Lord gives strength in times of discouragement. I. Yes we all get discouraged. II. Let’s look to the Lord’s presence. III. Let’s do what the Lord is asking us to do.
When football heroes win the Super Bowl they often shout into the cameras, “I’m going to Disney World!” Elijah had just been in the Super Bowl- the super bowl of the Gods. That would be the Super Bowl of the Gods- Capitol G for the Lord, the true and only God and the god (small g for the Devil’s sneaky lie for a god) Baal. The king in Israel at this time was Ahab. I once heard Ahab described as “the vilest human toad who squatted upon the throne of his nation—the worst of Israel's kings. King Ahab had command of a nation's wealth and a nation's army, but he had no command of his lusts and appetites.” Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of the Phoenician king. She brought with her the worship of Baal. It infected Israel so much so that when Elijah said one day to the people that they would have to choose. “If Baal is god worship him, but if the Lord is God worship him.” And the Bible records that the people said nothing. It makes us think of the times we have kept silent in this sinful world or even of times we have joined in to worship pleasure and sin.
Elijah proposed a contest on Mt. Carmel where the first God to answer the prayers of their prophets with fire from heaven would be declared the true God. The 450 prophets of Baal went first. They prayed loud and long and they even prayed bloody. It’s hard to imagine but they cut themselves trying to get the attention of their god when their sacrifice stayed stone cold on their altar. Late in the day it was God’s turn. After Elijah had water poured on the sacrifice so that no one could claim spontaneous combustion, the true God answered Elijah’s one brief prayer as fire fell from heaven and burned up the not only the sacrifice but also the stones of the altar. God had shown himself to be the only true God. In an effort to stop this spiritually deadly foolishness of Baal worship among God’s people, Elijah ordered that the 450 prophets of Baal be killed. No after winning a Super Bowl like that where do you suppose Elijah would go? Would he take some of his buddies from the school of the prophets down to Egypt to see the pyramids or cool his heels after a 17 mile run in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea? There would be no Disneyworld and no vacation for Elijah. But there would be a time for us who so often are discouraged to see that the Lord gives strength in times of discouragement. Yes we all get discouraged but the Lord gives strength.
Life so often ends up being like a roller coaster as we emotionally go up so we often emotionally go screaming down. Elijah's triumph was short lived as Jezebel was not happy about the prophets of her pet deity being killed. She sent a nasty gram to Elijah, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah wouldn’t be going to Disneyland. We’re told “Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.” We can see the pieces of this broken man. He seems to have forgotten what God can do and has lost his courage because he didn’t send a note back to Jezebel saying “Bring it on!” His hope for his nation and his church seems to have faded. He doesn’t want to live anymore. "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life," he prays.
Poor Elijah was having a pity party. Wait a minute! He didn’t invite us. We like to have pity parties too! The truth is that sin has messed up God’s perfect world. Just when the last thing we need is a car repair bill, our car breaks down. The bottom falls out of the economy and we lose our job. We get sick. Our loved ones get bad news from the doctors. Everything and everyone seems to be against us. We feel all alone. We have no real friends. Life just doesn't seem worth living anymore. The list could go on and on in this sin-sick world. Sin has messed us up too. We over react like Elijah when things don’t go our way. We forget what the Lord can do and we sit down under a tree or in a chair or sprawl out on our beds and we pout. The devil is a master at getting us to look at the troubles in our lives and leading us to despair. Sin has messed up our bodies on the inside so much that sometimes that despair can even trigger physical depression. Pity parties sometimes turn into things we need to see the doctor for. Along with St. Paul we have to say, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
When we are having our pity parties, it sometimes doesn’t help very much to know that everybody gets down from time to time. The only thing that really helps is remembering again the love of our God. Remember Paul answered his question “Thanks be to God he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Elijah needed to remember what we need to remember. God loves us. It is a miracle that God loves us and redeemed us. It is a miracle that he is always with us. His love never changes. The God with whom nothing is impossible is with us. He gives strength when we are discouraged. Let’s remember his presence.
Elijah didn’t light the sacrifice on fire. It wasn’t Elijah who preserved his life when Ahab and Jezebel were taking swings at him. It was not Elijah who would preserve his life for the forty days and nights it would take to walk to Mt. Horeb. It was not Elijah who had given him his life, who had given him his faith, who had given him his calling in life. It was God, who dearly loved Elijah.
That God was there to give Elijah strength. “Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”
When I was growing up my sister was tough. Some of the other boys said they didn’t want to play football if she was playing because she tackled so hard. I remember once telling some mean boys at the tennis courts that I was going to tell my sister that they were bothering us. They were not impressed. They had never been tackled in the backfield. The world may not be impressed with the fact that the Lord is with us. But what the world does and thinks doesn’t change what God has done for you. He sent his Son to suffer and die for you. This same Lord God Almighty directs and controls every aspect of our lives. It is God who has worked within us the miracle of spiritual rebirth. God used the tools of His Word and Baptism to bring us to trust in him. That wasn’t just ordinary food that God provided for Elijah. It is not ordinary food that God provides for our souls. He uses the food of his word and communion to keep us in the Christian faith. God gives strength when we are discouraged.
That discouragement is an awful thing because it can so easily keep us from doing what God wants or if we are going through the motions can steal our joy in doing what God wants us to do. God gives strength in times of discouragement. Let’s get busy with what the Lord has given us to do.
Can you imagine how frustrating it must be to be a turtle? Our turtles would try to walk away from us when we were kids and we would pick them up and plop them back down again right where they started. God in love doesn’t plop Elijah right back in front of Jezebel and Ahab. But God still had work for him to do. He would arrange for a successor to continue his work as God’s prophet. Elijah would be involved in the plans God had for protecting his people from Jezebel and Ahab. Strengthened by the Lord Elijah journeyed on for 40 days and nights. “There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" With a gentle whisper God would direct Elijah back. As the Lord took care of Elijah in love, so the Lord deals with us. Just what our part in God's kingdom plan may be may not always be clear to us, but we can be sure that God knows the work which he wants us to do. And this Lord will continue to walk with us through life every step of the way. He will give us the strength to wipe another nose or answer the same question from Grandpa that we’ve heard 10 times today. He will be with us when we go to work and when we are laid off. He will be with us as we reach out to the friend who needs to hear about the Savior.
The runners in my family’s half marathon might have some slow moving vehicle shirts. But let’s not be wearing slow moving vehicle shirts when it comes to running the race the Lord has laid out for us. The Lord gives strength when we are discouraged. Trusting in his presence and strengthened by his word let’s get busy doing what the Lord wants us to do. Amen.
August 23, 2009
1 Kings 19:3-9
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
THE LORD GIVES STRENGTH IN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT
I. We all get discouraged.
II. Let’s look to the Lord’s presence.
III. Let’s do what the Lord is asking us to do.
In the name of Jesus, who gives strength in discouragement, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
In a few weeks my family is putting together the 1st annual Waldschmidt Half Marathon run. To fit the different stages of physical fitness for my family we’ll have several different running events from the 13 mile featured event to the always popular “running to the end of the driveway and back” event. My brother had t-shirts made up for us that have a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. I will probably be running in one of the events closer to the “end of the driveway and back” event. Just before this part of God’s word we heard about Elijah running much farther than the end of the driveway and back. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” That’s almost 17 miles from where they were. Elijah was a powerful man. Yet as God’s word begins, he is in the depths of despair. Let’s see how the Lord handles him. The Lord gives strength in times of discouragement. I. Yes we all get discouraged. II. Let’s look to the Lord’s presence. III. Let’s do what the Lord is asking us to do.
When football heroes win the Super Bowl they often shout into the cameras, “I’m going to Disney World!” Elijah had just been in the Super Bowl- the super bowl of the Gods. That would be the Super Bowl of the Gods- Capitol G for the Lord, the true and only God and the god (small g for the Devil’s sneaky lie for a god) Baal. The king in Israel at this time was Ahab. I once heard Ahab described as “the vilest human toad who squatted upon the throne of his nation—the worst of Israel's kings. King Ahab had command of a nation's wealth and a nation's army, but he had no command of his lusts and appetites.” Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of the Phoenician king. She brought with her the worship of Baal. It infected Israel so much so that when Elijah said one day to the people that they would have to choose. “If Baal is god worship him, but if the Lord is God worship him.” And the Bible records that the people said nothing. It makes us think of the times we have kept silent in this sinful world or even of times we have joined in to worship pleasure and sin.
Elijah proposed a contest on Mt. Carmel where the first God to answer the prayers of their prophets with fire from heaven would be declared the true God. The 450 prophets of Baal went first. They prayed loud and long and they even prayed bloody. It’s hard to imagine but they cut themselves trying to get the attention of their god when their sacrifice stayed stone cold on their altar. Late in the day it was God’s turn. After Elijah had water poured on the sacrifice so that no one could claim spontaneous combustion, the true God answered Elijah’s one brief prayer as fire fell from heaven and burned up the not only the sacrifice but also the stones of the altar. God had shown himself to be the only true God. In an effort to stop this spiritually deadly foolishness of Baal worship among God’s people, Elijah ordered that the 450 prophets of Baal be killed. No after winning a Super Bowl like that where do you suppose Elijah would go? Would he take some of his buddies from the school of the prophets down to Egypt to see the pyramids or cool his heels after a 17 mile run in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea? There would be no Disneyworld and no vacation for Elijah. But there would be a time for us who so often are discouraged to see that the Lord gives strength in times of discouragement. Yes we all get discouraged but the Lord gives strength.
Life so often ends up being like a roller coaster as we emotionally go up so we often emotionally go screaming down. Elijah's triumph was short lived as Jezebel was not happy about the prophets of her pet deity being killed. She sent a nasty gram to Elijah, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah wouldn’t be going to Disneyland. We’re told “Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.” We can see the pieces of this broken man. He seems to have forgotten what God can do and has lost his courage because he didn’t send a note back to Jezebel saying “Bring it on!” His hope for his nation and his church seems to have faded. He doesn’t want to live anymore. "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life," he prays.
Poor Elijah was having a pity party. Wait a minute! He didn’t invite us. We like to have pity parties too! The truth is that sin has messed up God’s perfect world. Just when the last thing we need is a car repair bill, our car breaks down. The bottom falls out of the economy and we lose our job. We get sick. Our loved ones get bad news from the doctors. Everything and everyone seems to be against us. We feel all alone. We have no real friends. Life just doesn't seem worth living anymore. The list could go on and on in this sin-sick world. Sin has messed us up too. We over react like Elijah when things don’t go our way. We forget what the Lord can do and we sit down under a tree or in a chair or sprawl out on our beds and we pout. The devil is a master at getting us to look at the troubles in our lives and leading us to despair. Sin has messed up our bodies on the inside so much that sometimes that despair can even trigger physical depression. Pity parties sometimes turn into things we need to see the doctor for. Along with St. Paul we have to say, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
When we are having our pity parties, it sometimes doesn’t help very much to know that everybody gets down from time to time. The only thing that really helps is remembering again the love of our God. Remember Paul answered his question “Thanks be to God he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Elijah needed to remember what we need to remember. God loves us. It is a miracle that God loves us and redeemed us. It is a miracle that he is always with us. His love never changes. The God with whom nothing is impossible is with us. He gives strength when we are discouraged. Let’s remember his presence.
Elijah didn’t light the sacrifice on fire. It wasn’t Elijah who preserved his life when Ahab and Jezebel were taking swings at him. It was not Elijah who would preserve his life for the forty days and nights it would take to walk to Mt. Horeb. It was not Elijah who had given him his life, who had given him his faith, who had given him his calling in life. It was God, who dearly loved Elijah.
That God was there to give Elijah strength. “Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”
When I was growing up my sister was tough. Some of the other boys said they didn’t want to play football if she was playing because she tackled so hard. I remember once telling some mean boys at the tennis courts that I was going to tell my sister that they were bothering us. They were not impressed. They had never been tackled in the backfield. The world may not be impressed with the fact that the Lord is with us. But what the world does and thinks doesn’t change what God has done for you. He sent his Son to suffer and die for you. This same Lord God Almighty directs and controls every aspect of our lives. It is God who has worked within us the miracle of spiritual rebirth. God used the tools of His Word and Baptism to bring us to trust in him. That wasn’t just ordinary food that God provided for Elijah. It is not ordinary food that God provides for our souls. He uses the food of his word and communion to keep us in the Christian faith. God gives strength when we are discouraged.
That discouragement is an awful thing because it can so easily keep us from doing what God wants or if we are going through the motions can steal our joy in doing what God wants us to do. God gives strength in times of discouragement. Let’s get busy with what the Lord has given us to do.
Can you imagine how frustrating it must be to be a turtle? Our turtles would try to walk away from us when we were kids and we would pick them up and plop them back down again right where they started. God in love doesn’t plop Elijah right back in front of Jezebel and Ahab. But God still had work for him to do. He would arrange for a successor to continue his work as God’s prophet. Elijah would be involved in the plans God had for protecting his people from Jezebel and Ahab. Strengthened by the Lord Elijah journeyed on for 40 days and nights. “There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" With a gentle whisper God would direct Elijah back. As the Lord took care of Elijah in love, so the Lord deals with us. Just what our part in God's kingdom plan may be may not always be clear to us, but we can be sure that God knows the work which he wants us to do. And this Lord will continue to walk with us through life every step of the way. He will give us the strength to wipe another nose or answer the same question from Grandpa that we’ve heard 10 times today. He will be with us when we go to work and when we are laid off. He will be with us as we reach out to the friend who needs to hear about the Savior.
The runners in my family’s half marathon might have some slow moving vehicle shirts. But let’s not be wearing slow moving vehicle shirts when it comes to running the race the Lord has laid out for us. The Lord gives strength when we are discouraged. Trusting in his presence and strengthened by his word let’s get busy doing what the Lord wants us to do. Amen.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
PENTECOST 11
August 16/17, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Ephesians 4:17-24
“IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!”
1. Put of the old.
2. Put on the new.
Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV) “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
“It’s time for a change!” That certainly is not a unique slogan, is it? You’ve heard it and will continue to hear it from politicians challenging incumbents. You’ll hear from workers when things are tough on the job. You’ll hear it in homes from parents and kids when there is dissatisfaction over something or someone in the home. And God’s people sometimes need to hear it from their God.
The Christians in the city of Ephesus did. Ephesus was an important and busy commercial hub at this time. Paul had done mission work there and God had converted many non-Jews, or Gentiles, to faith in Jesus Christ. Later, as was his custom, Paul went on to take the Gospel to other cities. His letter to the Ephesian Christians was sent to help them grow in their Christian faith and life. One of those areas was how they lived. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”
It must have seemed strange to those non Jew, or Gentile, hearers to be told not to live like the Gentiles, but the point Paul was making is that once you become a member of the family of faith, God’s family, your race or ethnicity don’t matter. Nor are they an excuse to live in sin. The average Gentile person in Ephesus did. They lived in what Paul calls a futility of their thinking. That means an emptiness or vanity or uselessness. It describes a way of life where you try to find happiness through selfishness and self serving. They had hardened their hearts against God’s will and so they were separated from Him. Their hardening against God’s will led to a loss of sensitivity as to what was right and wrong. And with their sinful natures in control all that was left was a hunger, a thirst, a lust for more and more shameful sins.
Now it’s not all that hard to see that we also live in a “Gentile” society. If you are willing to define Christian as those who trust only in Jesus for their salvation, calling only Him their Lord and therefore wanting to live in a way that pleases Him, it’s been a long time since you could describe our country as Christian. The evidence of separation from God, futile thinking, hardening hearts and continual lust for more sin is all around us. Brothers and sisters who were alive fifty years ago, did you hear God’s name used in vain on TV? Were vulgar and coarse words allowed? Did they show people living in sin, was there any nudity? My how far we have come with a continual lust for more. Brothers and sisters, who live twenty years ago, did you ever think our country would tolerate and then embrace homosexuality as a God-pleasing way of life? And yet it is church bodies that call themselves Christian, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, that are doing that very abominable thing!
But you notice, that in his letter to the Ephesians Paul didn’t address the Gentiles, but the Christians. And so must we. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do…You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desire.” Many if not all of the church members in Ephesus were new to the family of faith. Paul was helping them grow and mature. He took them back to what they were taught and how they came to know Christ. We’re a little bit different. Most of us here are not new to the family of faith. But at some time, if you are a member of St. Jacobi, either here or at a sister congregation you were taught to know Christ. You were taught in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Were you taught that it is OK to talk with a potty mouth, and to use God’s name in vain? Were you taught to get your laughs from sex jokes? Were you taught to please Jesus by getting drunk and acting immodestly? Did your pastors teach you look at dirty pictures on the internet? Were you taught to please God by coming to worship Him only when it was convenient for you or that God was happy to take second place to all kinds of activities planned according to your control? Were you taught that it is someone else’s responsibility to fund Gospel work and the Lord is thrilled to get our pennies and claps while we spend hundreds on our own entertainment? You did not come to know Christ in that way. You came to know Him as your Savior who willingly gave His life to pay for that whole laundry list of sins and so many, many more. And you were taught to love that Savior in return and to show that love in the way that is most meaningful to Him, willing obedience. As our Lord Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
And speaking of laundry, let’s do some then! It’s time for a change. Put off the old. Let’s use today to think about some dirty clothes that need to be changed. Examine your life, what needs to change? Understand that sometimes it’s not so obvious. The old can feel comfortable. Football season at all levels is in full swing right now. It brings back some fond memories. I especially remember the days of 2 a day practices. Oh the joy of coming back for the afternoon practice and putting on the still soaked with sweat practice tees and jersey. It was cold and clammy and wet at first and then you got used to it. A similar think can happens with parts of our lives that belong to the old. Words we use that bother Jesus our ears may not be sensitive to. But off with the old. Ways of speaking to one another, with anger, not love. Off with the old. Chintzy giving, the same amount we gave twenty or thirty years ago when God’s blessing has increased. Off with the old. Alcohol abuse as a way of life. Off with the old.
Put on the new. “You were taught, … 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Here’s God’s good news. What we need He gives us. You can imagine the frustration you would feel if all you had were dirty clothes and no clean ones to put on. In the family of faith God provides the clean clothes of Jesus’ own righteousness. He tells us that at our Baptism we were clothed with Christ. He tells us that He gave us this new self, the Christian nature which is created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. It’s the part of us that loves God, delights in pleasing Him, feels good when you do something right. It never feels like it has to obey God. It wants to obey Him. It makes our Christian living fun.
If you don’t feel that way, it’s time for a change. When? How? That’s easy to see with our clothes. You change them when they are dirty. Daily. You take off the old. You put on the new. How about for what God is talking about? The same thing is true. Daily we need to put off the old sinful nature and put on the new. How? It’s called repentance, where we go to our God and humbly admit our sinfulness in general and all the sins we are aware of, where we look to the Lord and receive His forgiveness and where we turn to God and His word to teach us His ways of truth. It’s a brand new day so once again it’s time for a change. Our God of peace will bless you as you do that. Amen.
August 16/17, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Ephesians 4:17-24
“IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!”
1. Put of the old.
2. Put on the new.
Ephesians 4:17-24 (NIV) “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
“It’s time for a change!” That certainly is not a unique slogan, is it? You’ve heard it and will continue to hear it from politicians challenging incumbents. You’ll hear from workers when things are tough on the job. You’ll hear it in homes from parents and kids when there is dissatisfaction over something or someone in the home. And God’s people sometimes need to hear it from their God.
The Christians in the city of Ephesus did. Ephesus was an important and busy commercial hub at this time. Paul had done mission work there and God had converted many non-Jews, or Gentiles, to faith in Jesus Christ. Later, as was his custom, Paul went on to take the Gospel to other cities. His letter to the Ephesian Christians was sent to help them grow in their Christian faith and life. One of those areas was how they lived. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”
It must have seemed strange to those non Jew, or Gentile, hearers to be told not to live like the Gentiles, but the point Paul was making is that once you become a member of the family of faith, God’s family, your race or ethnicity don’t matter. Nor are they an excuse to live in sin. The average Gentile person in Ephesus did. They lived in what Paul calls a futility of their thinking. That means an emptiness or vanity or uselessness. It describes a way of life where you try to find happiness through selfishness and self serving. They had hardened their hearts against God’s will and so they were separated from Him. Their hardening against God’s will led to a loss of sensitivity as to what was right and wrong. And with their sinful natures in control all that was left was a hunger, a thirst, a lust for more and more shameful sins.
Now it’s not all that hard to see that we also live in a “Gentile” society. If you are willing to define Christian as those who trust only in Jesus for their salvation, calling only Him their Lord and therefore wanting to live in a way that pleases Him, it’s been a long time since you could describe our country as Christian. The evidence of separation from God, futile thinking, hardening hearts and continual lust for more sin is all around us. Brothers and sisters who were alive fifty years ago, did you hear God’s name used in vain on TV? Were vulgar and coarse words allowed? Did they show people living in sin, was there any nudity? My how far we have come with a continual lust for more. Brothers and sisters, who live twenty years ago, did you ever think our country would tolerate and then embrace homosexuality as a God-pleasing way of life? And yet it is church bodies that call themselves Christian, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, that are doing that very abominable thing!
But you notice, that in his letter to the Ephesians Paul didn’t address the Gentiles, but the Christians. And so must we. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do…You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desire.” Many if not all of the church members in Ephesus were new to the family of faith. Paul was helping them grow and mature. He took them back to what they were taught and how they came to know Christ. We’re a little bit different. Most of us here are not new to the family of faith. But at some time, if you are a member of St. Jacobi, either here or at a sister congregation you were taught to know Christ. You were taught in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Were you taught that it is OK to talk with a potty mouth, and to use God’s name in vain? Were you taught to get your laughs from sex jokes? Were you taught to please Jesus by getting drunk and acting immodestly? Did your pastors teach you look at dirty pictures on the internet? Were you taught to please God by coming to worship Him only when it was convenient for you or that God was happy to take second place to all kinds of activities planned according to your control? Were you taught that it is someone else’s responsibility to fund Gospel work and the Lord is thrilled to get our pennies and claps while we spend hundreds on our own entertainment? You did not come to know Christ in that way. You came to know Him as your Savior who willingly gave His life to pay for that whole laundry list of sins and so many, many more. And you were taught to love that Savior in return and to show that love in the way that is most meaningful to Him, willing obedience. As our Lord Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
And speaking of laundry, let’s do some then! It’s time for a change. Put off the old. Let’s use today to think about some dirty clothes that need to be changed. Examine your life, what needs to change? Understand that sometimes it’s not so obvious. The old can feel comfortable. Football season at all levels is in full swing right now. It brings back some fond memories. I especially remember the days of 2 a day practices. Oh the joy of coming back for the afternoon practice and putting on the still soaked with sweat practice tees and jersey. It was cold and clammy and wet at first and then you got used to it. A similar think can happens with parts of our lives that belong to the old. Words we use that bother Jesus our ears may not be sensitive to. But off with the old. Ways of speaking to one another, with anger, not love. Off with the old. Chintzy giving, the same amount we gave twenty or thirty years ago when God’s blessing has increased. Off with the old. Alcohol abuse as a way of life. Off with the old.
Put on the new. “You were taught, … 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Here’s God’s good news. What we need He gives us. You can imagine the frustration you would feel if all you had were dirty clothes and no clean ones to put on. In the family of faith God provides the clean clothes of Jesus’ own righteousness. He tells us that at our Baptism we were clothed with Christ. He tells us that He gave us this new self, the Christian nature which is created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. It’s the part of us that loves God, delights in pleasing Him, feels good when you do something right. It never feels like it has to obey God. It wants to obey Him. It makes our Christian living fun.
If you don’t feel that way, it’s time for a change. When? How? That’s easy to see with our clothes. You change them when they are dirty. Daily. You take off the old. You put on the new. How about for what God is talking about? The same thing is true. Daily we need to put off the old sinful nature and put on the new. How? It’s called repentance, where we go to our God and humbly admit our sinfulness in general and all the sins we are aware of, where we look to the Lord and receive His forgiveness and where we turn to God and His word to teach us His ways of truth. It’s a brand new day so once again it’s time for a change. Our God of peace will bless you as you do that. Amen.
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