March 16-18, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 12:20-33(EHV) “SUCH COMMITMENT!”

 

LENT 5

March 16-18, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 12:20-33(EHV)

 

“SUCH COMMITMENT!”

1.     From Jesus, for us.

2.     From us, for Jesus.

 

Commitment! More and more that seems to be a hard thing to find. It used to be that commitment was one of those stereotypes used as the world tried to pit men versus women instead of them being together as God designed things. The man’s fear of commitment in a relationship was the foil for many sitcom episodes. Now fear of commitment or lack of commitment is popping up in other places. Recently whatever algorithm is watching my computer browsing popped up this teaser. “Seventeen reasons people have stopped attending church.” Now you can’t tease a pastor with that tidbit and not expect him to click on it. So I did. There were many different reasons given. One was that Christ’s teachings don’t seem relevant anymore.  But you can really boil most of the reasons given down to this: commitment, or rather not wanting to commit. With the hustle and bustle of family life they didn’t want to commit to being at in person church. People wanted their church to be more accepting of sinful lifestyles and did not want to commit to a church that expected people to actually follow Jesus’ teaching. They also didn’t like to feel they had to make a commitment to support a church through going, serving or giving. I guess it’s not just guys that have commitment issues, is it? But Jesus doesn’t! He is fully committed to you and to me. That’s what the Gospel lesson from John showed us.

The events described there happened on Tuesday of Holy Week. Jewish people from all over the world and converts to the Jewish faith from all over the world were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Some of those converts were from Greece. Somehow they had heard about Jesus and they wanted to see Him. When Jesus’ disciple Andrew told Jesus this He said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus knows. He knows the time has come for Him to die. He knows the purpose. Like a kernel of wheat must “die” to produce the wheat that will follow, He must die so that others can follow Him to the Father. But this will be no ordinary death. He will not just die physically but die spiritually as he will take on Himself the filthy weight of the sins of all people. And how awful this is we will never understand but it helps us understand Jesus when He says, “Now my soul is troubled.”

And here is where the weak willed human being would have the chance to back out, to demonstrate a lack of commitment. “You know I really like you but… But Jesus is not weak willed. Such commitment!  “And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name!” A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said it thundered. Others said an angel talked to him. ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours. ³¹“Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³He said this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die.” Jesus says, “Bring it on!” His Father voices approval. Both tell us that Jesus’ commitment will result in glorifying God’s name, His reputation. First by putting Satan, the God wannabe who thinks he is the ruler of this world, in his place. By being lifted up on the cross Satan’s damage would be undone. His hold on people and ability to accuse them of sin would be taken away as Jesus took away the sins of the world. Satan is exposed for the liar and fake that he is. Jesus’ commitment to us and all others did not waver. Whatever the cost to Him, whatever the sacrifice needed, he would make it. Such commitment by Jesus for us.

And that commitment by Jesus would glorify God in another way. It changes people and changes hearts. Jesus said His commitment would draw all people to Him. What, you mean people would be committed to Him? Yes! Absolutely. The information in the worship summary box is 100% correct. The heart of Christianity is God’s devotion and commitment to us. A commitment so strong it put God, Jesus, on the cross. It is not our commitment to Christ that is at the center of Christianity but Christ’s commitment to us. At the same time Christ’s commitment to us does something. It draws people to Him. Those Greeks who asked Philip to see Jesus were drawn to Him. The disciples of Jesus were drawn to Him. Yes, in a couple of days their commitment to Him would prove shaky. Peter would deny. Others would run away. And yet when Jesus rose from the dead proving He is the Christ and the Devil had been defeated they responded with a commitment that showed as they went away rejoicing when they were whipped for talking about Jesus, that saw then traveling from Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth to be His witnesses, that saw all of the but John dying a martyr’s death rather than denying their commitment to Jesus. John just died in exile. And millions, yes billions of followers of Christ who have never had the privilege of seeing Jesus face to face have shown commitment by striving to willingly follow His commands, by gathering to glorify His name publicly and by working together to be His witnesses to a world that needs Him as Savior whether they know it or not.

This is no surprise. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” Followers of Jesus are different. They understand this life for what it is. Temporary. Filled with blessings but not always pleasant. Imperfect in so many ways. So they don’t love it. They love eternal life with Jesus. So they serve Him knowing the best is yet to come and their service is expressed in commitment to Him. Yes, our commitment is imperfect and shaky and sometimes in our own ways we deny or run away. But Jesus keeps drawing us back to Himself with His unwavering love and commitment. That’s why you schedule time to publicly worship Jesus when many of your fellow Americans think that’s insane. That’s why, when able, you give your time and abilities so that our ministry can be the best it can be, not to glorify Jacobi’s name but Jesus’ name. That’s why you give your offerings so we and many others may continue to be taught to obey everything He has commanded us whether that’s popular or not. And to do that for Jesus is a privilege.

I can’t help but think of one your St. Jacobi brothers who is now a saint in heaven, Clarence Benz. By the time I got here Clarence was no longer physically able to make it to church so we pastors would visit him. He had some kind of throat condition or was taking some kind of medicine with the result that his throat was constantly raw. I remember the first several times I gave him communion and when he drank the wine we use he would wince and his eyes water as it burned going down. I would ask if he was OK. Finally one time I said, “Clarence, we can water that wine down. It does not have to burn.” “No!” said Clarence very adamantly. “If my Lord Jesus can take the burn of Hell for me the least I can do is take a little burn for Him.” Kind of sounds like commitment, doesn’t it. Oh and that first reason some gave for no longer attending church? That Christ’s teachings are no longer relevant. Ask Pat Betram about that the next time you see him. Amen.

March 6, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 23:1-12 (EHV) “GOD ON TRIAL: Misconceptions!

 

MIDWEEK LENT 4       March 6, 2024      Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 23:1-12 (EHV)

 

“GOD ON TRIAL:

Misconceptions!

 

          We have been following the theme GOD ON TRIAL for our special worship services. If you have watched any TV lawyer shows like Perry Mason or Law and Order you know that there can be misrepresentations of the truth and misconceptions about witnesses and defendants. When God gets put on trial the same thing happens. Its roots go back to the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve in His image. Then the God wannabe, Satan, tempted Adam and Eve to try to be more than they were, to be like God. They fell for it. And they fell. And since that time sinful man has been trying to create God in our image. So many ideas of what God should be like and God should do. And as you heard when our Lord Jesus was put on trial the same misconceptions are thrown around.

          Luke tells us a whole group of them took Jesus to Pilate. This whole group was the chief priests, the experts in the law, the members of the Sanhedrin. What were their misconceptions about Jesus? “We found this fellow misleading our nation, forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” First misconception. Jesus is misleading the nation. Why would they say that? Because Jesus was leading the people away from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. That was true. The whole assembly had been leading the nation away from the God. They were the misleaders. They had replaced God’s truth and holy law which revealed the need for a Savior with their teachings and a keepable law so they needed no Savior. What Jesus was actually doing was correctly leading the nation back to God and salvation. Second misconception. Jesus forbids paying taxes to Caesar. I don’t even know what to do with that one. They had heard Jesus say, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Third misconception. Jesus claims to be Christ, a king. Partly true. He is Christ. But he is not a king. He is the King and not of puny earthly kingdoms but of the entire universe. But this group’s misconceptions about Jesus really started with misconceptions about themselves. They thought they were righteous on their own. They thought their good deeds were good enough. The didn’t think they were sinners. And there is no worse misconception than thinking you are right with God and can get to heaven on your own. That misconception is what led to their other misconceptions about Jesus. They didn’t need a Messiah to save them from their sins so Jesus couldn’t be the God sent Savior.

          But the whole assembly was not the only ones who had misconceptions about Jesus. Pilate did too. “Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” “It is as you say,” Jesus replied. ⁴ Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” Pilate’s misconception? Jesus is a nobody who will not affect anyone’s life. Jesus correctly answered Pilate’s question. He is the King of the Jews and all people. But Pilate could not get past what his eyes saw. A simple Jewish man, despised and hated by his own people. A nobody. So Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. But the whole assembly would not have it. They put more pressure on. “But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people, teaching all through Judea, beginning from Galilee all the way here.”

          Pilate saw an out. If Jesus was from Galilee he wasn’t Pilate’s problem. Herod the puppet king of Galilee could deal with him! So Pilate shipped Jesus off to Herod. I wonder if this Herod had any idea that his father, also named Herod, had tried to kill Jesus by murdering all the baby boys in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. At any rate Luke tells us that “When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad. For a long time, he had wanted to see him, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle performed by him.” Herod’s view of Jesus? An entertainer, kind of like a court jester only better. He could do miracles. Only he didn’t for Herod. Silence, even when falsely accused. Disappointed Herod got what entertainment value he could out of Jesus, having his soldiers mock and ridicule Jesus before sending Him back.

          All these misconceptions about who Jesus is what He should do. Sadly, they are still around today. Sometimes they creep into our own hearts. Jesus, we like how you tell us to love all people and be kind that’s a message everyone wants to hear and is popular. But that only through you can people get to heaven, that any use of sexuality outside of the one-man one-woman marriage is sin, that our bodies aren’t our own and we can’t do whatever we want or kill another life growing inside of us? That makes people mad at us. Are you misleading us, Jesus? Lord, I have prayed and prayed to you and you still have not done what I asked/told you to do. Are you really a king? Or are you a nobody? Jesus, there are so many cool things in our world. I can stream movies and shows and play video games. They all entertain me. Shouldn’t worship of you be really about entertaining me too? All misconceptions.

          So many misconceptions of Jesus as God was put on trial. I did hear one correct one in the word of God before us. The whole assembly as they tried to pressure Pilate said, “He stirs up the people!” He stirs up the hearts of His people. Brothers and sisters, you are Jesus’ people!  You know why He stays silent when falsely accused and does not correct every misconception made about Him with the force and power He commands as the Son of God. Here it’s because He wants to go to the cross for you. He is willing to let it seem like people have power over Him so He can show His great love for you by taking away the offense of your sins through His sacrifice. He puts up with misconceptions that sometimes creep into our minds, because He understands our weakness and the hurt living in this sinful world brings. He allows people today to try to make Him in their image, He refuses to entertain with miracles that demonstrate His power because He wants people whose hearts are tied to Him through His word. That’s you. People stirred up by His teaching. May the Holy Spirit bless us so that people who watch us and listen to us will have no misconceptions about what we think of Jesus. Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

 

Luke 23:1-12 (EHV) “The whole group of them got up and brought him before Pilate. ² They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this fellow misleading our nation, forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” ³ Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” “It is as you say,” Jesus replied. ⁴ Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” ⁵ But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people, teaching all through Judea, beginning from Galilee all the way here.” ⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷ When he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days. ⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad. For a long time, he had wanted to see him, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle performed by him. ⁹ He questioned him with many words, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the experts in the law stood there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Herod, along with his soldiers, treated him with contempt and ridiculed him. Dressing him in bright clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. ¹² Herod and Pilate became friends with each other on that day. Before this they had been enemies of each other.”