September 23rd, 2012

Sept 23, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

September 17th, 2012

Sept 16, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

PENTECOST

September 15-17, 2012

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 7:31-37

“HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING WELL!”

1.     Was said about Jesus.

2.     Can still be said about Jesus.

3.     Must be said about Jesus.

Mark 7:31-37 (NIV 1984) “ Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ³² There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.³³ After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). ³⁵ At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. ³⁶ Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷ People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

          How many of you have ever heard of Helen Keller? She was the lady who had some disease when she was 19 months that caused her to go blind and deaf. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Really still a baby. All of the sudden the world changed. That process by which God imprints language and speech abruptly halted. Ever since I read that story I’ve wondered how that little brain adapted. How frustrated she must have felt. But then around age 7 Anne Sullivan entered her life. She was the one who found the breakthrough to help this blind and deaf girl communicate and grow. Certainly you could say about her, she did very well.

          God’s Word presents us with another who dealt with some physical problems that come from living in a sin messed world. Jesus. About him it was said, “He has done everything well!” Why did they say that?

          Mark tells us that Jesus had left the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon and went to the Decapolis on the Sea of Galilee. If I could show you on a screen you would see that this area was north of Jesus homeland and he had gone east around the Sea of Galilee to the south. He was in Gentile, non Jew, land because they too needed a Savior. These Gentiles had a natural knowledge of God. They knew they were supposed to love their neighbor. They had heard something of the power of Jesus and so they brought to Him  a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. It’s hard to know what sounds to make when you can’t hear. What did Jesus do about it?

          “After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). ³⁵ At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” Jesus is the Son of God. The power of God is in His word. He speaks and the winds are stilled. He commands and the world comes into being. There is something a little different here. Jesus does use His powerful word. “Ephphatha! Be opened.” But he does more. He takes the man aside, away from the crowd. He puts his fingers in the man’s ears. He spits and touches the tongue. Why does He do this? We aren’t told but can guess. Away from the crowd to protect him from embarrassment. Fingers in the ears. I will take care of this problem. Spit and touch the tongue. My power to you. Brothers and sisters while we can’t be sure why Jesus did all of these things we can be sure of this: the Savior of all takes time for one. He’s on a mission to pay for sin but does not ignore a physical need when the healing is better. And unlike some of the other miracles Jesus did deliberately to gather a crowd so He could preach the Gospel to them or to display His power as the Son of God, about this one Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone.

          That’s not what happened though. “But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷ People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Jesus had done a miracle of healing but another miracle was taking place. Whether they realized it or not the people were pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. In chapter 35 of the Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah making the deaf hear and the mute speak was given as a sign of the Messiah. About Jesus it was said, “He has done everything well.”

          Can that still be said about Jesus? Is He still doing everything well? Are you sure? Everything? Yes, that can still be said about Jesus. The Savior of all still takes time to deal with the individual. He takes time to deal with you. The Bible tells us that God has determined the exact time and the places for everyone to live. That means you. And whether you realize it or not or will admit it or not this wonderful Savior is treating you according to your needs. He knows when it’s time for you to laugh and it’s time for you to cry. He knows when a disease or hardship is good for you and how long you should struggle with it. He knows when to take it from you and the best way to do that. Remember that Jesus did not heal every disease he encountered. Only when it was best. And you know, if you don’t get that miracle you are praying for He will use you to be a miracle for someone else. “He has done everything well!” can still be said about Jesus with our earthly needs.

          And it can still be said about Jesus with our spiritual needs. For while Jesus did not heal every physical disease or solve every earthly problem He did take care of everyone’s spiritual need and solve the problem of sin. He came to be the world’s Messiah, its Savior. And He did that job well! He resisted every temptation the Devil threw at him and provided us with a wonderful robe of righteousness we get to wear all the days of our lives and gives us the right to enter heaven as the perfect children of God. He stayed on the cross and endured the agonizing punishment for every sin, not giving up His spirit until all punishment was finished so that we will never experience the real punishment of even one sin. “He has done everything well!” can certainly be said about Jesus.

          Yes, in fact, it must be said about Jesus! By us! Everyone needs Jesus. People who die without faith in Jesus keep dying forever. This is serious. When Jesus commanded, commanded people not to talk about Him they couldn’t keep their mouths shut. They were blabbing what Jesus had done to everyone. It’s a sad irony then if the people Jesus has commanded to talk about Him don’t. “You will be my witnesses,” Jesus said to you and to me and to every believer and it is a privilege and an honor to do that. “Go and make disciples of all nations,” Jesus said. We are commissioned and equipped by the Lord Himself to do this. People from the Milwaukee area certainly got used to a long running commercial that said, “Who do you know wants to buy a car?” Should I sing it? “Ernie Von Schledorn, Main Street in Menomonee Falls.” I ask you “Who do you know needs to hear about Jesus? Who do you know needs the comfort and confidence for this life that Jesus is doing all things well in their life whether their times are hard or easy? Who needs to know that there is actually a good and Godly purpose behind suffering and hardship and a loving God who will even work evil for the good of those who love Him? Who do you know needs to know, to know, like you and I do, that their sins are already forgiven, that heaven is their home and they can live like it right now?” He has done everything well must be said about Jesus by us. And you can do it. You can do it by choosing to talk about Jesus as the living Lord of your life that He is. When trouble comes let others know you are counting on Jesus because He does everything well. When your death is coming or your loved one dies let them know it’s OK because Jesus does everything well. When you get the promotion at work or the good grade on a test or the wonderful birthday present find a way to talk about Jesus because “He has done everything well!” was, can be and must be said about Him. Amen.

September 9th, 2012

Sept 09, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

September 2, 2012

Sept 02, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

September 1,2,3, 2012 Pentecost 14 Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert




Sermon text - Joshua 24:1-5, 11-24

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He

summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and

they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God

of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the

father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and

worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from

the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and

gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I

gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau,

but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 Then I sent Moses

and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and

I brought you out. --- ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to

Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the

Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and

Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet

ahead of you, which drove them out before you - also the two

Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.

13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you

did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and

olive groves that you did not plant.’ 14 “Now fear the LORD and

serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your

forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve

the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you,

then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether

the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of

the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my

household, we will serve the LORD.” 16 Then the people

answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other

gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and

our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and

performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on

our entire journey and among all the nations through which we

traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations,

including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve

the LORD, because he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people,

“You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a

jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20

If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and

bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been

good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve

the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against

yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “Yes, we are

witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw

away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to

the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua,

“We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”



---------------------------------------------------------------------------



In this sermon I am going to talk about Labor And Service And

Our God. That makes a person ask: “Who is our God, the God in

whom you and I as Christians believe?” Let me give just some

examples. He is the God who had six “labor days” of creating the

world, the God who created male and female and said those two

should be one flesh in marriage - as that was so beautifully described in

today’s epistle reading, the God who says it is wrong to take innocent

life. We could add much more about the God in whom we believe.

But what about other people? If people worship a statue, it is easy

to see that as a false god. But most false gods aren’t statues. So,

though most say they believe in god, who is that? Some examples.

The god many believe in is a god that accepts evolution, that says

marriage can be other than man and woman, that it is okay to kill by

abortion-causing drugs or surgical procedures. Sad to say, many who

actually believe in such a god or gods may call themselves Christians

and even belong to churches that call themselves Christian churches.

St. Jacobi Congregation is a Christian church. You know what we

say about the God we preach and about the subjects I have mentioned.

But let’s go now to Joshua and the people of Israel who had involved

themselves with false gods. In our text Joshua placed before them the

question about whom they would serve, whether it would be the true

God or false gods. Keeping that in mind, let us talk about

LABOR AND SERVICE AND OUR GOD.

I GOD CLEARLY SERVED HIS PEOPLE. (1-5,11-13)

1. We see that in His deliverance of the people. (1-5)

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He

summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and

they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the

people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long

ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and

Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I

took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and

led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I

gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the

hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to

Egypt. Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the

Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.’”

a) It was God who had established Old Testament Israel as a

special nation to fulfill His promise of salvation for the world.

b) When Israel ended up in captivity in the land of Egypt, He

used Moses to lead them back to where He wanted them to be.

2. We see that in His blessings. (11-13)

“‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens

of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,

Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave

them into your hands. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which

drove them out before you - also the two Amorite kings. You did

not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on

which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in

them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not

plant.’”

a) After Moses, God used Joshua to lead them into the promised

land, and His power and His miracles to give them the land.

b) He gave them finished cities, buildings, fields to possess.

3. God’s guidance and blessings still are with us.

a) Leaving Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness - many labor days

were involved. But God made all of that labor work for good.

He had a plan to have something wonderful happen in that land

in a village named Bethlehem and on a cross near Jerusalem.

b) Life can be filled with much labor for us too. The God in

whom we believe never said we wouldn’t have a “wilderness”

to go through once in a while or often. But His promise to us

stands that He will make all things serve His plans for us too.

4. We see that especially in His salvation.

a) Jesus, sent by God the Father, born in Bethlehem, died on a

cross, once said, “The Son of Man did not come to be

served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

b) Instead of speaking of one Labor Day, let’s call Jesus’ time on

earth a whole Labor Life, a labor life of service for us.

c) And what a blessing that promises - not just an earthly land

filled with problems, but a heavenly home waiting for us.

II PEOPLE ALSO PROMISE TO SERVE GOD. (14-18)

1. The LORD is the one true God to serve. (14)

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw

away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and

in Egypt, and serve the LORD.”

a) Recognize that the Lord God, the Creator and Savior of the

world, is the only true God. He is the one to worship, to serve.

b) But many Israelites were guilty of worshiping the false gods of

the nations around them, gods who condoned much evil.

2. Today too many choose other gods.

a) Israel did then. Later on, as we heard in our Gospel reading,

some disciples chose to leave Jesus, thereby rejecting the true

God who had sent Him. And people today, also some who call

themselves Christians, may in fact worship another god who

permits them to go along with things like evolution, sexual

impurity, a disregard of what marriage is, and so on. Or think

of non-Christian religions, like the Muslim Allah, who is not the

Savior God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy

Spirit. Let us pray and work that the Gospel can somehow

reach any such people deceived by any such false religions.

b) But let’s not fail to look at ourselves. Finally whatever we put

first in our lives is really our god. That could be self, money,

sex, pleasure, a lot of things. Who or what is really most

important to you? Who is really the god in your life? We need

to look not only at others, but to look closely at ourselves.

3. Joshua’s choice was clear. (15b)

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

a) This was Joshua’s clear public confession.

b) Note that he also took responsibility for his family. Fathers,

are you listening? Are you concerned about your family?

4. We too have promised to serve. (15a,16-18)

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose

for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods

your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the

Amorites, in whose land you are living.” --- Then the people

answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other

gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our

fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed

those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire

journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.

And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the

Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD,

because he is our God.”

a) Israel publicly made this promise.

b) All of you who went through a confirmation ceremony here,

who were received into membership in St. Jacobi, did the same

thing. You promised to worship the true God, to serve Him, to

hear His Word, to be faithful even unto death.

c) And so it should be. “We too will serve the LORD, because

he is our God.” That should come from all of our lips.

III DO WE, WILL WE TRULY SERVE OUR GOD? (19-24)

1. There are witnesses to our promises. (22)

Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you

have chosen to serve the LORD.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they

replied.

a) Witnesses: family and friends at your confirmation time.

b) And you yourself. You know what you promised then.

2. Broken promises can be disastrous. (19-21)

Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD.

He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your

rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve

foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an

end of you, after he has been good to you. But the people said to

Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”

a) If unbelief, forsaking is present and shows itself in sin and in

no true serving of the Lord, there will be disaster, eternal loss.

b) But in faith we know whom we promised to serve. It is the

Lord God, the Lord who died to forgive us and receive us, who

wonderfully assures us of that also in the Lord’s Supper.

3. Let our labor and service be evident. (23)

“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are

among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

a) Throw away the gods who say you can join a Christian church

and then stay away from hearing God’s Word and reject the

Savior’s invitation to His special meal. Throw away the gods

who say you can think mainly of yourself and can follow the

world’s sinful life style and there will be no consequences.

b) Instead, in humble and penitent faith, yield your hearts to the

one true God who gave His Son to be your Savior from sin.

4. For our God is indeed the LORD! (24)

And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God

and obey him.”

a) May God the Father, who gave His Son for us, give us the

strengthening of the Spirit to let every day be a labor or serving

the Lord day.

b) May that be evident in hearing His Word and obeying Him.

c) Yes, as Scripture says, “Always give yourselves fully to the

work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is

not in vain.”



In the introduction I asked, “Who is our God, the God in whom you

and I as Christians believe?” I gave some examples, like our God

being the creator of the world, establishing marriage, and so on. In this

conclusion let us again emphasize especially that He is the God who

loved the world and gave His Son to be our Savior, to cancel out our

guilt when we don’t labor and serve as faithfully as we should, to

forgive us and make us His own for now and for eternity. There is no

other true God. Like Joshua, regardless of what others around us do

or say, may it always be our resolve to say, “But as for me and my

household, we will serve the LORD.”