CHRISTMAS 1

December 26-27, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Hebrews 12:1-3

 JESUS ON DISPLAY!

1. For you.

2. Through you.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (EHV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. ² Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. ³ Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

          One of the things I really enjoy about Christmas time is that Jesus is on display--everywhere. More than any other time of the year it is true. It’s not like the other stolen Christian Festival of Easter where you have to look hard to see Jesus on display. This time of year you don’t. Drive through any given neighborhood and while you will see all kinds of outdoor displays that have absolutely nothing to do with the whose birth it is there is usually one or more nativity scenes with Jesus on display. Everyone who drives past on Forest Home can see Jesus on display in our nativity scene. I saw one place where, on their long white fence facing the road, they had painted a huge EMMANUEL with a nativity scene in front. One of our family traditions, maybe yours too, has been to drive through Candy Cane lane each year. Each year we count how many of the displays have a nativity scene or something that points to Jesus. This year there were a record number of displays that pointed to Jesus. 36! Jesus is on display. I even get some joy that the green things on display are still almost universally called Christmas trees. Christ’s tree. And if you think about it, Christ on a tree is what we need to see at Christmas time and always.

          Then Jesus was on display as well. He just didn’t look so cute. And yet that is what God wants us to see. Jesus on display for you. Listen again to what God had written to the Christians known as the Hebrews. They were getting discouraged because people in their time didn’t like Christ so they didn’t like Christians very much. He wrote, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us.” This part of the letter to the Hebrews follows Hebrews 11, the halls of faith chapter of the Bible that lists so many famous believers of the past who lived their lives by faith, trusting what God said even when everything they saw going on around them didn’t add up. They are the great cloud of witnesses. We have more. Take the nativity scenes. The first hearers of Hebrews did not live at a time or in a world that had any of those. Christians were persecuted. This time of year we tend to think of fond Christmas memories of the past. Think of the witnesses of your past, mom and dad who lived their lives by faith. Then we are urged to get rid of the burdens and sins that ensnare us. At this time of year some of those snares are all the extras of Christmas that grab our attention away from Jesus. Well, the commercial Christmas is over so maybe it’s easier now. Forget about the parties and presents. You’ll be putting decorations away soon enough. But you won’t put away Jesus. “ Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal.” Jesus is on display.  God wants us to keep looking at Him but not as the cute and helpless looking baby. But on the cross. “In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”

What brings you joy? Being with family? Being with friends? Things? A favorite Christmas carol proclaims, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” The writer to the Hebrews points us to what brought joy to our Lord Jesus. When Jesus came to earth he was filled with anticipation of joy that would be his. The source of that joy? You. Having you with Him in heaven. That’s why He endured the cross and disregarded its shame. Jesus was on display at His birth and at his death. At his birth it was humble and lowly. At his death it was horrible and hellish. You can research if you want the pain of crucifixion at the hands of Rome. It is not for the weak of heart. You can understand the shame of crucifixion as those crucified were stripped of their clothing and helpless to defend themselves from whatever horrible things people would throw at them. What you and I can’t understand and you cannot research is the real pain of the cross for Jesus, how awful it is to be separated from God. You can’t research that because no one has come back from Hell to tell. Yet that is what Jesus endured as he was on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for all people. For you. For me. Why would He do that? In view of the joy set before Him. In view of what He would redeem for God, you and me and all who believe in Him. Jesus was on display for you.

But soon all the Christmas decorations and nativity scenes will go away? When do you take yours down? Chris and I wait until Gentile’s Christmas, Epiphany, January 6. Radio stations change their playlists today. Merchants will shift to post Christmas sales. Soon if not already whatever nativity scenes allover our community, including the one out there, will be taken down. So where will Jesus be on display? Through you. Shortly before our Lord Jesus ascended He said, “You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” It is clear that He was not just speaking to the Apostles gathered before Him who went plenty of places but never made it to the ends of the earth. No, Jesus was talking to every believer in Him from that time on until He returns. He was talking to you and to me. We are His witnesses.  Jesus is on display through us.

Earlier this year we had a Bible Class series called One by One. Many of you were there. It was a great reminder of how things work with people. When it’s something important we rely on people we know and trust for advice and direction. So if you want to know a good car dealership where you will be treated fairly you will ask or listen to family members and friends you know and trust as they make recommendations to you. New in town and looking for a doctor or dentist for yourselves or the kids? What did you do? You asked people you knew and trusted. Every single person in your life needs Jesus as their Savior. They may not know it now. They may not care now. But they need Him. Who will they listen to and who will they ask when God gets them to the point they realize they need Him? Hopefully you. Why you? You know the truth that Jesus is the Savior for all. You know the truth that trying harder or living better doesn’t cut it with God. You know the way and the truth and the life and that His name is Jesus and no one gets to come to the Father except through Jesus the Son. You know forgiveness is free and what grace is. You know the real Jesus. I can’t say that the other people in their life are like you. Jesus is on display through you.

But before people will listen to you they will need to get to know you and trust you. That’s where Jesus on display through you in your every day life comes into play. Jesus sets this joy before you. Be Him to others. The ear that listens when a heart is hurting. That hand that helps when the neighbor’s garbage can when it blows over. Even or especially the grumpy neighbor. Have you spent the time yet to find out why he’s grumpy? Be the voice that encourages or puts out the fire between family members. The one that gives a ride. Or takes over cookies. Let’s have a record number of times that Jesus is on display through us until they ask that all important question, “Why? Why are you so nice all the time?” I’m glad you asked. Because Jesus is so nice to me.”

That’s how God works to keep Jesus on display all year long, for you and through you. Amen.

 

December 12th, 2021

December 11-13, 2021 

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

REJOICE! The Lord Is Near!

1.       Gentle Joy.

2.       Prayerful Joy

3.       Peaceful Joy

In the name of Jesus in whom we can rejoice,

This is my youngest granddaughter!  This week at church someone mistook her for a little boy.  This was the face she made.  It is also the look we sometimes have on our faces when we things don’t go quite like we expect or want.  It is the kind of look we get on our faces when watching one awful event after another from crime to weather to warfare on our news broadcasts.  It is the kind of look we can easily get on our faces when we look to the future and wonder about what things will be like in the lives of our children and grandchildren.  But Jesus changes everything.   We see that in God’s Word today as we continue to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ return and as we get ready to celebrate his coming in Bethlehem.   God’s Word assures us that we can rejoice in every circumstance.  Not with a pasted on smile kind of rejoicing but rather a heart filled rejoicing no matter what is happening around us.  God’s Word tells us, “Rejoice!  The Lord is near!  1. Gentle Joy.  2. Prayerful Joy.  3. Peaceful Joy.

      Philippi was the first city Paul visited after Jesus gave him the vision of a man from Macedonia asking him to “come over to Macedonia and help us.”  So the Gospel moved from Asia into Europe.  It’s easy to see why the man in Paul’s vision was pleading “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”   For much of its history, there was not much rejoicing in the Savior God in Philippi.  Apparently, Philippi  had only a small number of Jewish inhabitants and no synagogue. The worship on the Sabbath  was held outside the city by the river.   It was at the river that Paul met a group of women, including Lydia, to whom he preached the gospel.  The people rejoiced to here of God’s forgiveness in Christ.  There were some challenges they faced.  This was an area where earthquakes could and did happen.  That might be one reasons why the city declined.  Their city ended up in the headlines of the news for some bad things that happened there.   Brutus of “You too Brutus fame?” were defeated there after the assassination of Caesar.  After Shakespeare’s play, “I’ll see you in Philippi” became a way of saying, “ You will get yours.”   The devil was working hard to wreck things. The Book of Acts tells is that there was an evil spirit there who had taken control of a little girl.  Through Paul, God made the evil spirit leave her and that got Paul and Silas thrown in prison there in Philippi and years later, Paul himself was sitting in prison when he wrote this letter talking about our response to the fact that our Lord is coming soon.  “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.”   Rejoice with a gentle joy.

     Thae word translated “gentleness” has the idea of someone who has the ability to rip, snort and tear but doesn’t- someone who holds back, who doesn’t take other’s actions in the worst sense.  It literally means, “super fair.”  It could be spoken of those who control themselves even when provoked.  Though it is true that Jesus is always near seeing everything that is not so much the reason for us to let our gentleness be evident to all.  The time when Jesus, the one who loved us enough to die for us, is returning to take us home is coming soon.  So now is not a time to be flying off the handle.  Now is not the time to be holding grudges.  Just before these verses we hear Paul say, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”  So Paul urges these two women to put aside the things there were apparently arguing about.  Then he urges others to help these ladies get along.  Not because they we all so nice, but, “in the Lord”, because Jesus is so nice.  Be filled with gentle joy because Jesus was filled with gentle joy.  A famous preacher, “Charles Spurgeon” once said, ”People who are happy in the Lord, are not apt either to give offense or to take offense. Their minds are so sweetly occupied with higher things, that they are not easily distracted by the little troubles which naturally arise among such imperfect creatures as we are. Joy in the Lord is the cure for all discord.”

      Is our gentleness evident to all?   Is our gentle joy evident to someone who meets us on the street? Or someone who waits on us in the restaurant? Is our gentleness evident to all in homes?  Is the joy that Jesus brings evident to all whom we disagree with as we talk with them.  Truth is- we haven’t always been gentle to all.  The truth is that we have ripped, snorted and tore over the hearts and feelings of others along the way in places where Jesus would have been gentle.  But the Savior traded places with us.  He took our record of sins and gave us his pure holy gentle record.  The Savior who is coming on Judgement Day not to condemn us but to take us to our home in heaven.  How then shall we live while we wait?  With gentle joy.

     “Do not worry about anything.”  Do you remember the “Stretch Armstrong” toy?  When I was growing up it was a toy many wanted for Christmas?  It was a rubber wrestler that you could pull and stretch the legs and arms in all directions.  The word for worry here has the “Stretch Armstrong” idea of being pulled and stretched in all kinds of different directions.  Paul points out that there is no reason to let things pull us in all different directions.   We have someone to talk to.  We have someone to lean on we have someone to rely on.  “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” 

     Peter, someone we might guess might have at one time had a problem with worrying, quoted God’s care in the Psalms and urges us, “Cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you.”  Pastor Martin Luther once said that it is the skill and and ability of Christians before all others on earth.  They know where to put their trust and lay their care….Let Christians learn more and more to cast their hearts and cares on God’s back, for God has a strong neck and strong shoulders.  He can easily carry the load.”  Friends God is good at carrying our loads.  He carried the load of our sins to the cross.  He now stretches out his arms to us and says, “Come to me all ye that labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest.”  Jesus brings us prayerful joy. 

     Advent is a great time to more and more grow that prayerful joy in our lives.  Now is a good time to honestly look at our prayer lives.  Are we in the habit of making our requests known to God in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving?  In other words are we thanking God in everything along with bringing anything we are concerned about to him?  Is there a pretty good balance there?  Does the joy of Jesus being near come through when we talk with God in our prayers?  Or would our prayers to our loving God sound to someone listening a little more like a conversation across the counter of a complaint department?  If we are treating prayer more like a complaint department, wouldn’t now be a good time to remember again the words of the hymn, “nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”  God doesn’t owe us anything but punishment.  Yet in Christ Jesus he gave us everything.  On top of all of it, we get to not only talk to him about our cares but trust him with everything on our hearts.  Rejoice!  The Lord is near!  Rejoice with prayerful joy.  That prayerful joy brings peaceful joy.

      “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  You might recognize those words from Paul.  Pastors often use those words after the sermon as an assurance that the peace we hear about in God’s word will guard our hearts and minds. God doesn’t get rattled.  He is God.  He is perfectly calm.  He is perfectly in control.  Read through the Bible!  Evil people and their plans do not rattle God!  The Psalmist says that when the nations rage, “the one enthroned in heaven laughs.”  He has a plan for you and me to be with Him in heaven and He is carrying it out.               

       As we wait for the Lord we have the joyful peace of knowing that God guards out hearts like protecting it in the inner chambers of a castle or guarding our hearts like a circle of secret service agents.  That joyful peace comes from the finished work of our Lord Jesus who fixed the relationship between us and God by becoming “the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”  God doesn’t look at our sins and see us as his enemy.  Instead for us who trust in Jesus, God sees us as His own dear children.  No matter what is happening in your life you can rejoice.  Even when things make you unhappy, your inside joy rests in your God.  Nothing can sperate you from His love.  That brings peace- peaceful joy.

     Getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth  can be a fun time but the Christmas tree and parties and presents are not where our joy comes from.  When those blessings are there, our prayer is that they just reflect the joy that Jesus brings, gentle joy, prayerful joy, peaceful joy.  Amen

December 4-6, 2021 ADVENT 2 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 3:1-6 (EHV) “REPENTANCE!’

 

December 4-6, 2021

ADVENT 2

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 3:1-6 (EHV)

 

“REPENTANCE!’

1.     Willed by God.

2.     Worked by God.

3.     Welcomed by us.

 

Luke 3:1-6 (EHV) “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. ⁶ And everyone will see the salvation of God.”

 

          So if this is the most wonderful time of the year, as the song says, why is it that this time of the year statistically has more depression and mental health issues, more incidents of alcohol abuse and more reported incidences of family strife and violence than any other time of the year? I wonder if it has to do with expectations, that is, living up to what we think others expect of us. So we feel this pressure to make sure we get just the right gift, the perfect Christmas dress, the house just so when people are coming over. I feel it too. Some of you may know that each year we line the parsonage roof with white lights. I do the upper roof first before it gets too cold. I’d been telling Chris we probably need to get new lights. Fifteen years has been a good run. But one more year. Get new ones on clearance. Got the uppers on. Then started the lowers. Strings out. Couldn’t fix em. Grudgingly order new ones from Costco. Figured I could just put the new ones on the lower roof. Yeah after 16 years dimmed yellow does not look good next to new bright white. What are people going to think when they drive by? It won’t be right. Back up to the upper roof. Do it all over. Now you can all get a chuckle out of my desire to have it just right but you have your own ways as well. Giving in to the pressure to get it just right in what is honestly, just an effort to impress other people.

          The sad part about all this work and pressure, brothers and sisters, is we know better. Christmas is about Jesus. Advent reminds us Jesus is near. Prepare for him. Impress Him. Great! One more thing to do! Good news, brothers and sisters. What the Lord looks for in you, He gives to you, I’m talking about repentance. 78 times that word or a form of it appears in your Bible. Repentance is a vital part of the lives of believers in Jesus Christ. Many people mistakenly think that repentance is something you do to become a believer. Actually the Bible shows that repentance is something you do because you are a believer. It’s something that God wills and God works.

Repentance is what God wills to happen in His people as Jesus draws near. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke is careful to give us the exact date following their calendar system based on who was ruling as Caesar. God picks the timing. Jesus was about to start His public ministry where people would know the Messiah was among them. They needed to be ready. So John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance. It’s what God wills to happen when Jesus draws near. And it’s the same today. In our daily walk with Jesus repentance prepares our hearts to rejoice in Him. In our preparations for celebrating His birth it does the same. It’s what God wills to happen.

          It’s also what God works. “Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.”   Sounds like quite an ambitious road building project. Making a straight path, filling in the low places. Taking down the hills. Smoothing the surface. We live in Wisconsin. We know it takes years to get road projects done. But this is a picture of what repentance looks like. It’s often misunderstood. What do you think? What does it mean to repent? Probably now you are thinking, “to be sorry for your sins.” Maybe you are thinking it means to stop doing sins you are aware of. Biblical repentance is so much more than that. Go back to the picture. If I gave you an assignment to fill in every valley and level off every hill and mountain just in our country you’d say “That’s impossible! Only God can do that.” And you’d be right. Only God can work true repentance in our hearts.

          The repentance that God wills and works involves a spiritual transplant that only God can do. Some people think babies are born innocent and morally good, at the worst, neutral. Not so. This is how we start life towards God (angry fist shaking baby) and this is how we end life towards God (angry granny shaking fist), unless God steps in and changes our hearts. “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from its youth,” says the Lord. “The sinful mind is hostile to God,” says the Lord. Until the Lord works repentance. Repentance is a complete change of mind, a 180 on sin and a trust in a Savior. Instead of denying sin there is admission. Instead of delighting in sin there is shame, remorse and sorrow. Instead or trying to fix it ourselves, there is “Jesus, help me!” Instead of wanting to return to our sins like a dog going back to lick up its vomit there is, “Help me to change my ways O Lord.” Repentance is a tall order. Only God can work it.

          The Good News is He has worked it in you. When you were given the gift of faith at your Baptism or through the word God created a new man or a new woman in you that hates sin and loves pleasing Jesus. It responds to the Holy Spirit in the word so that when you hear Jesus say “whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart,” you feel shame over your lust. And when the Lord tells you the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and you feel shame and remorse as realize how easy it is to praise and thank God at those times in life when money is plentiful and how quickly we fall into worry when it is tight at though God is only good in one case and not the other. It’s God worked repentance that when we take time for silent personal confession and the pastor starts speaking and you want to say, “Hey! I wasn’t done yet!” It’s why in our normal order of service when the pastor in God’s name announces forgiveness you want to respond with a hearty Amen! This is the truth. It’s why the Lord’s Supper is something you look forward to. It’s why you aren’t living your life like so many of your fellow Americans with blatant and foul outward sinning and why you at least try to control your mouth. God has worked repentance in you. He’s changed your heart and if there is anyone listening that is saying right now, “He’s not describing me,” please we need to talk. Get a hold of me. Repentance is that important.

          God wills it. God works it. We welcome it. Luke concluded his quote from Isaiah this way. “And everyone will see the salvation of God.” Repentance prepares people to see and value Jesus. It’s just three weeks until Christmas. What will you see? What will it mean for you? More pressure? Living up to expectations? Disappointed expectations? Joy in Jesus? Good News that a Savior has been born to you? Relief that you don’t have to be perfect for Jesus and that instead He has been perfect for you? As we heard last week, when Jesus drew near He humbled Himself, coming in lowly ways. When Jesus draws near to His people He humbles them through repentance. Keep listening to what God says. Let his righteous law expose your sin and need for a Savior. Let His Gospel point you to the glory of God that is Jesus. Then it really will be the most wonderful time of the year! Amen.

November 20, 2021 Christ The King Sunday

https://youtu.be/tWr3zCAma6k

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

 

The Truth Is...

 1. Our King was handed over in place of us.

2. Our King’s rule is out of this world.  

In the name of Jesus, the King of Love, dear fellow redeemed, 

     Recently I ran across a page of jokes on the internet.   One of jokes went like this….”You may be 58 years of age, but your knees are 81 years old and  your back is 68 years old.  But the good news is your sense of humor is still frequently 10 years old.”  Isn’t that the truth!    Another one said, “You work five days a week.  You shop seven days a week.  No wonder your finances often don't work out well by the end of the year.”  I guess that’s true too.  Truth- it is something we look for but don’t see very often in our world.  One of the places we look for truth in is the courtroom.   Sometimes even with expert witnesses and sophisticated technology, it is still pretty hard to sort out the truth even in the courtroom.

     Today in God’s Word we get a look into the courtroom where the Only True and Holy One is on trial.   Many people didn’t see the truth in Pilate’s courtroom that day years ago.  But you have seen Him.  Over the last year, on the pages of Scripture, you have seen the truth.   As we have gone through the church year, we’ve seen the King.  In His Word He was born just as God promised in Bethlehem.  We saw him nailed to a cross and buried in a tomb.  We thrilled to hear the news of Easter that he did not stay dead but rose again.  We heard about his ascension into heaven and his promise to return.  We’ve had a chance to review his promises.  On this Christ the King Weekend, we wrap up the church year reminding ourselves of the truths of our King Jesus!  The Truth Is... 1. Our King was handed over in place of us.  2. Our King’s rule is out of this world.

     Imagine going to a baseball game and seeing the umpire on the pitcher’s mound, the fans in the outfield and the batter on 1^st base.  Nobody is where they are supposed to be.  If you had been come upon the scene in front of Pilate’s palace that morning, it might have seemed like no one was where they were supposed to be.  It would have been difficult to see the king and the truth He brings.   Even Pilate, the one who was supposed to be judging the situation, was confused.  "Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” "  Jesus wasn’t sitting on a throne. He was bound and standing where criminals stand when they are on trial.  The Lord of heaven and earth was all bloody and beaten up.  The truth is Jesus was standing exactly where he wanted to be- handed over in our place.  All of that was Jesus handed over in our place because  “he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant and became obedient to death even death on a cross.”

      Jesus made clear that the Son of Man came not to be served like so many earthly kings throughout history wanted to be served.  Jesus came to  serve and give his life as a ransom for many.  Even as Jesus was giving his life, here he is handing out invitations for people to know about Him and put their faith in Him. Jesus’ returned Pilate’s question with another question.  Jesus’ question was an invitation to learn more about the true King.   “Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”  

      In his response Pilate marvels that Jesus was turned over by his own people and he scoffs at the idea that Jesus could mean anything to him.  "Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”   What have you done, Jesus that your own people have handed you over?  Since the Romans normally looked for someone who had military experience to be a governor, he had probably seen the horror on the faces of the people when one of their own people were stretched out on a cross to die.   It all begs the question of what Jesus had done to make his countrymen so angry that they handed him over with the demand that he be tortured to death on a cross.  

     It was true in more than one way that Jesus’ own people turned him over to be crucified.  Judas betrayed him.  The chief priests and teachers of the law turned him over to Pilate.  Many people in the crowd shouted for Jesus to be killed.  They all turned him over but the truth is…we did too.

      This king died to pay for the sins of his own people.  God punished him for the things we did wrong.  The Bible says, “He was crushed for our iniquities and by his wounds we are healed.”   All too often Satan has tricked us into betraying Jesus-maybe we’ve sung Stand up Stand Up for Jesus and then promptly sat down when the pressure was on.   In our sinful foolishness we listened to the devil time and time again.  We turned him over.  But Jesus the King turned the tables on the devil.  He redeemed sinners.  He saved His people.  He saved you and me.  Jesus is the king handed over by His own people.  And the truth is that’s how he saved His people!

    Did it ever happen that when you asked your mom or dad to do something and you began it with a compliment that Mom or dad was a little suspicious?  Pilate is a little cautious like that on Good Friday morning. Standing before him were the Jewish religious leaders pretending to be a great friend to Caesar when they really could not stand the Roman government. Even though Jesus had made clear on many occasions that he had no interest in setting up a kingdom here on earth, they accused him of being a rebel, a threat to Caesar’s throne. Pilate seemed to know something wasn’t quite right as he pokes around a little.  Jesus makes it clear.  The truth is….2.  Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. 

     Jesus makes clear that what He is about is bigger than Pilate or even the Roman Empire.  This was the plan of God!  The fact that some of the leaders of his own people handed him over to Pilate instead of making him an earthly kingdom did not signal the end of God’s plan.  Jesus had told his disciples before what God’s plan was.  “We are going up to Jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  On the third day he will be raised to life!”  Jesus knew that God had woven the sinful actions of these so called religious leaders into his plan.  

     “Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”   Pilate was right Jesus was a king! But fighting people to establish a kingdom here on earth was not what he had in mind.  Remember he said, “I lay down my life of my own accord.  No one takes it from me.”  Jesus was not interested in setting up or keeping an earthly kingdom.  That’s pretty clear.  Remember just one angel killed 185,000 soldiers in Sennacherib’s army in one night.  So keeping Jesus from being arrested would have been simple. 

      There were no soldiers lining up to defend the honor of their king, rather here was the King fighting for His people. What kind of tools does a king use?  Jesus, the King of all, uses truth as His weapon. “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”   The truth says that without Jesus we are all doomed to suffer eternal punishment in hell without Jesus. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That by the way is a truth that people in our world do not want to hear-our sinful natures don’t like to hear it either.   But the truth also says that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world on the cross. "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."  The truth says that it is by God given faith that Jesus’ payment benefits you and me and makes us children of God and servants in God’s Kingdom. "It is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast." The truth says that because of Jesus we are going to live in the mansions of our King in heaven when we die that are "out of this world."  Jesus isn’t talking about some tinfoil hat out of this world place.  He is talking about heaven, where things aren’t all messed up by sin.  No more hurt.  No more hate.

       Getting pretty tired of all the lies in our world?  Jesus is a good king. He doesn’t lie.  The truth He tells brings life. The truth is we have a King who laid down his life for us.  The truth is he is with us and will one day take us home.   Looking back on a church year we thank him for his truth.  With confidence in our King we move forward into the future.  Amen.

 

November 6-8, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Malachi 4:1-3 “HAPPY JUDGMENT DAY!”

 

LAST JUDGMENT

November 6-8, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-3

 

“HAPPY JUDGMENT DAY!”

1.     A day when Jesus will be honored.

2.     A day when Jesus will honor you!

 

Malachi 4:1-3 EHV “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them. ² But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. You will go out and jump around like calves from the stall. ³ You will trample the wicked. They will surely be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I take action, says the Lord of Armies.”

 

          We have this way of greeting people when they come to a special day. Happy Birthday! Happy Retirement! Happy Anniversary! You’ve said or heard them before. How about Happy Judgment Day! Now I realize it’s not here yet but normally Judgment Day is not pictured as a day of happiness. If the entertainment industry tries to lure you to watch a movie sequel or buy a video game and attaches Judgment Day to it, they are promising a lot of destruction. Several times this past year you have heard a Gospel lesson where Jesus told parables picturing the last day. He often ended them with something like “and throw those rascals into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And what did we pastors say right after reading that? “This is the Gospel of the Lord.”  Gospel? Doesn’t that mean Good News? Doesn’t sound like good news. But it is. Brothers and sisters join me today as we look at what God says so we are prepared one day to say, “Happy Judgment Day!”

          The word of God we are looking at comes from the last book of the Old Testament to be written. The last chapter. For the next 400 years God would tell no prophets to write anything down until after Jesus came. These were the last things God wanted His Old Testament people thinking about as they waited and waited. While they waited, they would see worshippers of false gods seemingly having it better than they. They would be ruled by foreign governments and pressured to follow foreign gods. 

          God gave them something to look forward to. Judgment Day. “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them.”  Judgment Day is going to be a happy day when the followers of the one true God will see Him honored. But for some it will not be a happy day. For whom? The arrogant and the evildoer. Now at first glance we might find ourselves getting a little scared. Have I ever been arrogant? Have I ever done evil? Yes, many times over. But the particular arrogance and evil that God is talking about here is rejecting Jesus as Savior and replacing Him with anything else. Think on this, brothers and sisters. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell into sin God would have been well within His rights to wipe them out and all of us along with them and starting over. He would have been well within his rights to say, “OK, I’ll give you another chance but it will cost you, every one of you, your firstborn. They must die.” Now think of who fills that spot in your family. Fathers, think of having to do that deed. But that is not what God said. He said I will give my firstborn, my only begotten Son, instead, and I will lift my hand against Him and He will pay for you have done. No greater love.

          And then some dare to say Jesus is a prophet but Muhammed is greater. We will follow him. And others say Jesus? He’s the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier and some Jewish whore. And still others say “Jesus is great. But if you really want to be with God you have to do your part.” In other words. Jesus you weren’t quite good enough. Your sacrifice on the cross was not enough. Blasphemy! And others. There is no God. I am the captain of my soul. I will steal if I want to. I will kill if I want to. I will do it my way. Others crave earthly power and wealth so much that the murder thousands of their own people using torture and imprisonment and fear to stay in power. Why? Because they have rejected what God says about earthly and eternal life. All of that is the type of evil and arrogance that God is talking about.

          On Judgment Day they will be readied for the furnace of Hell. That there will be no root or branch left means there is no hope. No second chance. If you have seen and paintings of Hell or videos that have tried to portray it you may still find yourself thinking that Judgment Day can’t be happy. It doesn’t seem something to celebrate. But then maybe you think of some of the worst people the earth has produced and you waver. Take Hitler for instance. Several times as people have grappled with grace, they have asked, “Could Hitler be forgiven?” And the true answer is Yes. God’s grace is such that any believer no matter what they have done is fully forgiven. But did Hitler believe? There is nothing in what he said or did that can lead you to that conclusion. His existence is a constant crematorium.  Is it not right that people rejoice when justice is done? Of course it is. But Judgment Day is more than that!

          Jesus will be honored. All those who rejected Him, replaced Him with their own way to heaven and have said much worse about Him will acknowledge Him for who He is. All those who chose to use His name as a curse word rather than in prayer will say it with awe. All of those who used His words and His people as moneymaking schemes will honor Him instead of themselves. Yes, the Devil and all the evil angels will publicly, in front of everyone, bend the knee and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Now that’s something to be happy about. Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our substitute, finally treated with the honor He deserves by every one! That’s a day to look forward to. Happy Judgment Day!

          But there’s more. The Bible reveals that on Judgment Day Jesus will honor you. Sounds a little out of place doesn’t it? Let’s go back to birthdays. On a birthday it’s the one who birthday it is that gets celebrated. Take Delores Gunkel who last Sunday celebrated her 93^rd. Rightly she was honored in special ways that day. Hopefully all year long by her kids too. Maybe some of you have run into this too. When my girls were young and the birthday parties were a big thing often they would get invited to a classmate’s birthday party and come back with all sorts of candy and toys they were given for attending. I found myself asking, “Now just whose birthday was it anyway?”

          A similar thing on Judgment Day. “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. You will go out and jump around like calves from the stall.”  For you who fear my name. This isn’t fear as in I’m scared of you. This is the revere fear. I respect. I don’t want to disappoint. I want your approval. It’s the perfect father child relationship that is a response to a perfect Father’s love. You can just put in there, “For you who believe in My Son Jesus, it’s Happy Judgment Day.” It’s like watching the sun begin to rise after a long cold night. It’s the healing of souls who are told you have no sins to pay for. Jesus has paid for them in full. It’s you. Any of you who have seen calves let out of the barn for the first time in spring know the joy they have as they do their own version of Jump Around. That’s you and me on Judgment Day. Jesus will publicly claim us as His own. He will tell everyone we are innocent and we will be with Him forever and we were right.

          And we will join Him in pronouncing judgment. “You will trample the wicked. They will surely be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I take action, says the Lord of Armies.” You know what this is? Vindication. You have your feelings right now. You chafe when evildoers seem to get away with things. You feel the sense of hurt and betrayal when it seems like God does not reward your efforts or lets evil grow in our country despite your prayers and your efforts. A part of you thinks of the time you have spent, the money you have given, the sacrifices made and a doubt creeps in. Is it worth it? Happy Judgment Day! Then those who have mocked or made fun of will not be laughing. But you will. Not at the suffering they will get but that Jesus honors you in letting you be part of that Judgment.

          Now before we let God’s goodness to us with public vindication turn to unholy glee or schadenfreude, a word of warning and encouragement. Judgment Day is also called Last Judgment. It’s called Last Judgment because it’s not the first. The first, as you heard in the lesson from the Hebrews, is when you die. That means today is the day to be found standing among those who believe. And today you do. Keep it up. Take care of your faith and you will have a Happy Judgment Day. Amen.

October 23-25, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Romans 12:1-8 (EHV) “WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ‘BODY’ LANGUAGE”

 

PENTECOST 22

October 23-25, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Romans 12:1-8 (EHV)

 

“WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ‘BODY’ LANGUAGE”

1.     As we offer our bodies in service to Him.

2.     As we value the bodies He has placed us in.

 

Romans 12:1-8 (EHV) “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. ² Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. ³ So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. ⁴ For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. ⁵ In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. ⁷ If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸ If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

 

          We communicate with more than words, don’t we? In fact, I’ve seen reports that suggest that more than 90% of communication is non verbal and that has some implications. Many of you have heard me repeat the mantra. You can’t tell tone in text so while emails and texts are great ways to communicate factual information, they and social media are awful places to have discussions on anything important whether it is family drama or political views. It almost always ends badly. Why? We talk with our hands. We talk with our face. We talk with our bodies. You can’t see those anywhere but face to face.

          This morning in God’s word from Romans 12 you heard the Lord, who is spirit, use some body language of another sort. It’s important that we listen to it. Today we are at the end of the Pentecost season of the Church Year. It’s the part that has us focusing on growing in our Christian living or sanctification, the way we thank Jesus for all He has done. Listening to God’s body language sums it up nicely.

          First let’s offer our bodies in service to God. “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. ² Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.” God wants you. He wants you to want to serve Him willingly. Make no mistake, my friends, God can make anyone He wants to serve Him. Just ask Pharaoh in Old Testament Egypt about that. But forcing people is not want God wants. Just like all of you parents want willing and loving obedience from your children God desires that we offer ourselves. That’s a willing word. And God gives us what we need to do that. Mercy. I was at a meeting recently where I saw a pastor friend I had not seen for a while. He asked me how things were going. I said, “Great. Every day where I wake up and I’m not in Hell where I belong is a great day.” I came out as a quip. But when he responded, “Amen brother.” It made me think a little bit more. I said it. Do I really mean it? Am I really living each day conscious of what I deserve and that is the torment of Hell? Are you? But that’s not what we have received from God. He has not given us the punishment we deserve. That’s mercy. Each and every day we exist by the mercies of God.

          And it’s gratefulness for the mercy of God that He desires to be our motivation to offer our bodies, our very selves, in service to Him. As you read your Old Testament it becomes really clear really quickly that God desires sacrifice and that sacrifice included bodies. The bodies of animals. But remember, those were pictures designed to teach until Christ came. Once Jesus finishes His work things change. Pictures are replaced with reality. Animal sacrifices were outward pictures that God’s people were giving Him their hearts. That’s what God has always wanted from His people. Their hearts and their lives lived for Him as a spiritual act of worship.

          Do you see what this means? Not only do we get to worship God corporately together but we also get to worship Him daily in everything we do. We do that with our bodies when we stop conforming and keep transforming. Stop conforming to the way the world thinks and be transformed to the way God says. “It’s my body I can do what I want to” is transformed to “You are not your own you were bought at a price therefore honor God with your body.” Self esteem gets transformed to Christ esteem. He gives me my value. “My boss is a jerk so I do no extra work” is transformed to my boss is the Lord so I will be the best mechanic, the most honest accountant, the go the extra mile server because God deserves my best. Morality determine by poll is replaced by “Thus says the Lord.” And the only amount of likes that concern me is does God like how I talk, dress, act. Each and every moment of my life and your life becomes a spiritual act of worship as we listen to God’s body language and offer, willingly, thankfully our bodies in service to God so that whether we eat drink or whatever we do, we do it all to the glory of God.

          But God’s not done yet. Listen to His body language and value the bodies He’s placed us in.  “So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. ⁴ For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. ⁵ In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. ⁷ If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸ If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

          Here God’s body language is used to picture us as a congregation. A congregation is just like a body. There was one at Rome. We have one at St Jacobi. Have you wondered why it is that you are here? We are Americans so we tend to view things as decisions we have made but the God who loves you so much He gave His Son for you has been working in your life sometimes obviously, but most of the time in hidden ways, to mold you and shape you the way He wants, always with the greater plan of salvation in mind. Your salvation and the salvation of others. So you might think it is because it’s where your parents go or went or because of the school or it’s close or because you accepted a call here but the reality is you are right now because God placed you here. And for a purpose. It’s beneficial for your salvation and the salvation of others.

          Now of course the Devil does not like that so he works hard to stop us from working together hard for the Lord. He uses our pride. Look at all I do. Why doesn’t everyone else do what I do. Listen to God’s body language. Don’t think more of yourself than you ought. Look at yourself through God’s eyes. He’s given you the gift of faith. He’s given you the abilities. He’s given you time and energy and everything else that you are. He’s given you each other. We listen to God’s body language when we value each other’s different gifts. Just like he’s put the different parts of the body. You can’t have a body made up of all eyes or ears or hearts. And you certainly wouldn’t want a body made up of all backsides. But you do need one. So it is in our congregation. We have different gifts as God wills. What’s important is that we use them for the good of the mission of serving the Lord. Good at cleaning? Clean so that people who come here can tell we think a lot of our God. Good at tech? Help us take that beast captive to spread the Gospel? Know the word? Share it with others? Musically gifted? Use it for the Lord. Are you an empathetic encourager? Keep your eyes open for who needs that physical or figurative hug. Got the gift of money? You’ll find joy in in generosity. Got the gift of gab? You are a perfect person to make sure everyone who walks through our doors feels welcome. Got the extra time to pray as you wait for Jesus to come take you home? Then join the ranks of prayer warriors and pray for each other. Each one of us has a part to play. Together we make a great team. The body of Christ at St Jacobi with the important work keeping people connected to Christ. God’s body language.

          Friends if you have a blow up in your family or a friendship and it’s because of something you posted or emailed and you come see me you are going to hear me ask, “Why didn’t you have that conversation in person. You can’t tell tone in text!” There is one exception. When you are reading the text of the Bible. You can tell God’s tone very clearly. He. Loves. You! To the death of His Son. Always. That’s why we all want to serve Him as bet we can until His mercy which has withheld the Hell we deserve is paired with His grace in giving us the heaven we could never deserve. Amen.

October 2-4, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 9:38-48 “JESUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS…”

 

PENTECOST 19

October 2-4, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 9:38-48

 

“JESUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS…”

1.     About the horror of hell?

2.     About the happiness of heaven?

 

Mark 9:38–48 (EHV) “John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward. ⁴²“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’“

 

          Are you serious? (Now all the iphone uses have to check their phones to see if Siri went into action. Don’t you hate that?) Are you serious? That’s an exclamatory question we often use when someone tells us something that is incredulous, hard to believe, or we don’t want to do. Honey, I think I just won the lottery. Are you serious? Kids, before you play one more minute of that video game you will clean your entire room. Are you serious? You can’t possibly expect that! Did the Gospel lesson leave you feeling that way? Jesus, are you serious about what you are saying? Let’s look and see.

          Now, kids, your parents, probably need your help here. How many of you have played the game, “Would you rather?” It’s a game that gives you a couple of scenarios with a difficult choice to make. Here are some examples: “Would you rather die in a horrible accident or live to 100 and never move or be able to talk again?” “Would you rather eat nothing but celery or oatmeal for the rest of your life?” Tough. Well long before that game came up Jesus pointed out some difficult scenarios. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck.” Let’s put it another way. Would you rather be responsible for causing a child to lose their faith in Jesus or die by having a millstone hung around your neck and thrown overboard. By the way here is a picture of the type of millstone Jesus was talking about. Now let’s make sure we understand what Jesus is talking about here and in the next verses. When it says “causes to fall into sin” it means not just any sin but THE sin. You know what THE sin, the damning sin is, right? Unbelief. So what Jesus is saying it would you rather be responsible for causing a little child who believes to lose their faith or take the millstone. And he’s answering the question. Take the millstone. It’s better. Wait, Jesus, are you serious? Yes. He is. Because for those who cause children to lose their faith Hell will be most horrible. Last week Chris and I were watching a Dateline mystery where they were seeking leads to a cold case where some man had lured an 11 year old girl into his clutches and then. Now if you are like me your blood just starts boiling and you think of all the things that you’d like to do to such a man. But then I thought, “Who am I compared to God? How horrible will Hell be for this man?” But there are actually easier ways to experience these horrors of Hell that are so bad it is better to have the millstone before you do them. Parents. You can do this. Are you by word and example teaching your children that Jesus is a school thing, Jesus is a church thing, not a rest of your life thing so they don’t value their faith because you don’t value your faith? Take the millstone. Hell is that bad.

          Jesus goes on, “If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’“

          Jesus, are you serious? Would you rather cut off your hand or leg or poke out your eye or go to Hell? Jesus! Are you really saying that it is better to maim yourself than to end up in Hell? Yes He is. So if that hand just keeps shoplifting from Kohls though you know better, leading to guilt and staying away from worship and finally forsaking Jesus. Hack it off before that happens. If your feet keep leading you to the bar or the drug dealer or the casino where you can’t say enough so that eventually it affects your faith in Jesus saw ‘em off before it happens. And that eye that wanders and lusts and that ear that likes to hear the juicy gossip and what about that tongue that likes to shade the truth and spread the stories. Cut ‘em all off. OK, humor me. Show me your hands. You have yours. I have mine. Don’t we think Jesus is serious? Because He is. Because Hell is horrible. The Bible consistently describes it as ongoing burning and I want you to think about the last time you got burned and multiply that by a billion.

          So, why aren’t we cutting off all our body parts? Well, it’s exactly because we take Jesus seriously. We know where the sins of stealing and gossiping and substance abuse originate. In our hearts. And if we really want to stop ourselves from sinning we have to cut out our very heart, soul and mind. Like the disciples who heard Jesus say, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven,” and immediately followed up with, “Well then who can be saved?” we also are so glad to hear Jesus say, “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible,” We know that no matter how hard we try or what we do left to ourselves we are heading for Hell that is so horrible Jesus says it is better to be totally maimed than go there. And He is serious.

          Serious about saving us. Serious about the happiness He has prepared for us in heaven. Before the warnings about the horribleness of Hell Jesus said this, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.” The disciples had seen a man doing the work Jesus told them to do. They were miffed. What’s he doing? He shouldn’t get that honor! We have to give the disciples a break. They were still learning. But did you see what Jesus said? He pointed to fruits of faith and said there is a reward. He’s talking about the happiness of heaven. Heaven is wonderful. It is being with Jesus. It is your best joy and happiness multiplied by a billion. It’s perfection. It’s forever. And Jesus gives that as a reward to those He has chosen. And what a reward does is show how generous the reward giver is. Vicar and I were just talking about this the other day. If I find Vicar’s wallet lying around somewhere in school and return it to him have I done anything special? No. That is what every person who finds a lost wallet ought to do. Return it to the owner if you can. But then what if Vicar said, “Oh, pastor, thanks for returning this. Here is $50!” is that special? Yes. The Vicar is going over and above. He is giving me something for doing what I should do in the first place. Heaven is like that. We say Jesus, it’s your Spirit who gave us faith. You provided us your word and Sacrament to keep that faith alive and surrounded us with people who cared, parents and aunts and uncles and pastors and teacher. I just did what I was supposed to do. And Jesus gives us the happiness of heaven. Are you serious? Yes, he is.

          Now why? Why did Jesus make such a big point about the horribleness of Hell and the happiness of heaven? Well, we understand it with the disciples. If you refresh your mind about the Gospel lessons from Mark we have had the past few weeks you quickly see they were being spiritually immature. They would need these serious teachings. But what about us? We aren’t spiritually immature, are we? Earlier this school year one of our new teachers who will remain nameless (Janelle Nitz) was talking with some others in the office outside my door. I heard her say how she could not stand the sight of needles. They made her faint. And so I thought, well I have a safety pin in my desk, I should go see. And I did. And she didn’t faint but said, “Were you planning on paying my doctor bills if I fainted?” And I thought, “You never I never even thought of that.” And it struck me. I’m an American. And you know what’s true about Americans? They are short sighted. They have a very hard time thinking long term. It’s all in the moment. That’s why Pastor Waldschmidt and I have often said, “Sin is stupid.” It makes no sense. If a person would only stop and think before they post or before they cheat. But they don’t. I don’t. We are Americans. Spiritually stunted and immature thinking more about now than what is to come. That’s why Jesus so lovingly reminds us He is serious. Hell is horrible. Don’t be short sighted. You don’t want to go there. Heaven is awesome. And Jesus has given it to you. Don’t’ be short sighted and keep putting other things ahead of feeding the faith Jesus gave you. Don’t sweat the temporary unpleasantries of earthly life. Heaven is coming for you. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Jesus has promised. And that’s why we cling to Him. Amen.