Pastor Waldschmidt
January 10th , 2010
JESUS WAS BAPTIZED TOO!
I. To Show He was the Savior.
II. To Do His Father’s Will.
In the name of Jesus, who was baptized too, dear fellow redeemed children of God;
It has been a while since I've heard of this, but I remember books and movies that showed the benefits of taking cod liver oil. I’ve never tried it, but I don’t think one of the benefits was the taste. In fact in the books and movies in my memory banks, I remember the mom or dad begging and pleading and finally offering “Daddy will take some too.” And as I recall Daddy was not real thrilled about being included.
God’s Word today takes us to the banks of the Jordan River. John the Baptist is there with his camel’s hair outfit clothes and his lunch box filled with locusts and wild honey. He is busy baptizing and preaching about a change of heart. John looks up and there is Jesus. He is now 30 years old and ready to begin his public ministry. You can imagine the crowds of people being baptized sort of parting as Jesus approached and then Jesus is baptized too. It’s not a painful dose of awful tasting medicine but instead it’s a beautiful part of God’s Word that brings comfort and peace. Jesus was baptized too! I. To show everyone he was the Savior. II. To do His Father’s will.
John talked with the people about repentance to get the people ready for Jesus coming. Now, I’m impressed seeing and hearing John the Baptist on the pages of scripture. The people who heard John preached must have been impressed too. Some of them wondered if John might himself be the Messiah. That’s one of the reasons Jesus was baptized too- To show everyone who the Savior was. “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.” John certainly made an impression but at the baptism of Jesus, John made clear that God had someone far greater than him in mind. “John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
John’s job was simply to prepare the people for the coming of the Savior. The Messiah’s power and tools to do His work would be far greater than John’s. “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The coming Messiah would not only be the Savior of the world who would send the Holy Spirit to strengthen His followers but as John points out will one day sit in judgment of the whole world. Jesus, not John, would be the one to follow! Jesus would be the one to listen to! Remember the time when John’s disciples came to him complaining that more people were following Jesus and John explained, “He must increase, I must decrease.” With the heavens open, as Jesus stood in the Jordan River praying, it was made clear to everyone that Jesus was the Savior.
Scripture says, “Be baptized and wash your sins away.” But Jesus didn’t have any sin. He was sinless. So why was it so important that he be baptized too. We got a clue about that in the Old Testament Lesson today. Remember that when God chose a prophet, a priest or a king for His people, they were anointed. When a person was anointed, God’s prophet would pour oil on their heads. This simple act was God’s way of telling everyone that the person who had been anointed had been reserved or set aside for a special job. In the case of David, he was set aside as the king. God didn’t hang a sign or badge on David to say he would be the next king but that’s the anointing showed everyone.
At Jesus’ baptism God showed everyone that He had set aside a descendant of King David for a special purpose – for a special job- to be the Savior of the world. There on the banks of the Jordan River God made clear to everyone that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. Jesus was the prophet who would proclaim freedom and forgiveness for those held captive by sin and death. Jesus was the priest who would sacrifice himself as full payment for the sins of the world. Jesus was the King who would fight for His people and win the victory over the devil. The scene there on the banks of the Jordan told everyone Jesus was the Savior. The disciple John records for us, John the Baptist’s reaction, “Then John gave this testimony; “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. I would not have known him except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.”
I picture John the Baptist as kind of guy you might feel a little uncomfortable around. Not so much uncomfortable because of the way John looked. No I think it would have been interesting to find out how locusts taste or if the camel’s hair was scratchy. I think people would have been uncomfortable because of what John talked about. He talked plainly about sin and how uncomfortable it will be for sinners standing before the sinless one. No one could stay standing there thinking, “I glad the Messiah is coming to be the Savior for all those people. As for me I really don’t need a Savior. I haven’t been so bad.” John’s word burned in their hearts. “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." King David later talked about our need for a Savior in one of his psalms. “Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
No one can stand here this morning on the banks of Jacobi thinking “I’m glad Jesus came to be the Savior for those people. They sure need a Savior. As for me I haven’t been so bad.” John’s words burn in our hearts. “His winnowing fork is in his hand…He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” We need a Savior. Because of God’s grace we have a Savior in Jesus. Jesus being baptized showed everyone that Jesus was the Savior. At the same time John the Baptist made people comfortable because he talked to them and to you and me about our Savior. “And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.”
At first, John was sort of taken back when Jesus came to him to be baptized. The Gospels record his reaction, “John tried to deter Jesus, saying “I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Right from the very beginning of His ministry Jesus ties himself to sinners. Remember the Bible said that “Jesus would be numbered with the transgressors.” No “t’s” would be left uncrossed, no “i” undotted in the plan of salvation God was now unfolding. . “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened.” Jesus was baptized too-to do His Father’s will.
Jesus was doing all things right in our place. Jesus does things right for us. As He begins His ministry, there He is, praying. Just think about that for a moment. Ask yourself how your prayer life is? Do we check in with our God at the beginning and end of the day or do we pop out of bed at the beginning of a new day of blessing without even a word of thanks or fall into bed at the end of a day with an acknowledgement that he was the one who got us through the day? Here’s Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry doing things right for us. The things we’ve failed to do right Jesus did right in our place. In God’s wonderful accounting book of grace, God transfers Jesus’ record for us.
Still today, tonight because of Jesus, it is because Jesus did His Father’s will that God opens heaven to us to hear our prayers. God stoops to hear the things that are on our minds and hearts. He tells us, “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you will glorify me.”
Some might say that you are weak if you do what someone else wants you to do. Others have written that a person is weak if they have to pray. But look at Jesus! He is the one whose sandal shoe string John was not worthy to untie but yet here He is praying- here He is doing His Father’s will.”
And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Here we can see God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all working together. No person of the Trinity is going rogue. No, your salvation and my salvation was the something that Three in One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, worked out. Jesus was indeed carrying our His Father’s will.
Some might wonder how this event in the squishy mud of the Jordan River has an effect on us. In Baptism God tied you and me to Jesus in faith. This one who is the Savior is your Savior. This one who did the Father’s will did it in your place. All of the events of Christmas with the angels and the manger and the shepherds and the wisemen- benefit you. Jesus went to Calvaryt for you. You are tied to Jesus. You are a member of God’s family. God says of you “This is my son or daughter.” He looks at those trusting in Jesus with His Jesus’ glasses on and says, “With Him I am well pleased.”
Are you feeling a little alone lately? Maybe all your friends and much of your family has gone home to heaven. Maybe you are feeling like sort of an outcast from your family, like you don’t fit in. Trusting in that one who was baptized too, you are a member of God’s family.
They say the Jordan River plunges downhill at a furious pace, falling nine feet per mile. The 158-mile river begins in the snows of Mount Herman at a point 260 feet above sea level. By the time it empties into the Dead Sea, at a point 1,287 feet below sea level, the water has reached the lowest point on earth. At the high points of life and at the low points of life we can take comfort from something that happened in the Jordan River. Jesus was baptized too! Amen.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
EPIPHANY
January 3/4, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
"LESSONS LEARNED FROM WISE MEN!"
1. Seek the Lord.
2. Find the Lord.
3. Worship the Lord.
4. Obey the Lord.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV) "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." {3} When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' " {7} Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. {12} And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."
There are several different ways to define wisdom or smarts. Those who know how to get things done legally or illegally, to survive in a dog eat dog environment are known as being street smart. Several outwardly successful businessmen like Michael Dell, Paul Allen and Bill Gates never went to college but they are obviously business smart. Then there are the book smart people, intellectuals who prosper in the academic fields. Then there is good old common sense which often seems to be uncommon but is most often displayed by those who have lived a while. Wise is the child who learns sooner rather than later that the older you get the smarter your parents become. In the Bible it God says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Since that’s true we get to turn to the account of some men who demonstrated that kind of wisdom and are aptly named “The Wise Men.” Let’s learn from them.
If we do the first thing we’ll learn is that it is wise to seek the Lord. The wise men did. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." The actual origin of these wise men is unknown. Best guess is they came from what had been Babylon and that they had heard about the Lord and the coming Messiah from what had been passed down from Daniel the wise man whom God used as a prophet in that land. Whatever their origin, their title, Magi, indicates they were smart men, excelling in mathematics and astronomy and probably many other things too. But that’s not what made them wise. This did. They came seeking the Lord, the one born, king of the Jews. How long did they travel? Months? A year? How much did it cost them? No matter. They were seeking the Lord.
We join the ranks of the wise men when we do too. I’m not talking about showing up at church occasionally or even weekly as long as it’s convenient. I’m talking about putting some work, some time, some effort, like the wise men. Praying on a daily basis, “Show me your will, O Lord, teach me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to believe.” Make it your goal to know Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly this year. Wise men seek the Lord.
If you do, you will find the Lord, as they did. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” These wise men showed they had more than Godly wisdom. They actually stopped to ask for directions. They knew a king had been born so they naturally came to the capital city. The not so wise King Herod asked some not so wise chief priests and teachers of the law where to find the newborn king. They found out where in the Bible. Now even though the chief priests and teachers of the law knew where to find the Lord, they didn’t go there. That’s not very smart, is it?
If you know where the Lord is to be found why wouldn’t you go see Him? Are you smart? Do you know where to find the Lord? Sure you do! He’s there for you every day, in the Word. Please, people of God, follow through on that desire you have to be someone with a daily devotional habit, reading your Bible or a good Bible based devotional book. You will find your Lord there waiting to speak to you, waiting to talk with you. It’s a wise thing to do for wise men find the Lord.
Wise men worship the Lord. “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” When these wise men found the Lord they worshipped Him. They used what was at their disposal to show others that this baby was their number one. They used gold, incense and myrrh.
What can you use to worship the Lord? What has God put at your disposal? I’m reminded of the Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy.” Do you know it? Did you see the claymation version of DVD or TV? “I played my drum for him, I played my best for him.” There it is, there’s worship. Not the best. No one can give God the best. My best for Him. There’s worship. Devoting yourself to the Lord. He gets my best time. My best effort. My best of what God has put into my hands to give for Him. Wise men worship the Lord.
Wise men obey the Lord. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." You heard before the command from Herod. The wise men were to return to Herod and let him know where they found the newborn king. The wise men did not obey Herod. They obeyed the Lord not King Herod. Why? Because they were wise men and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. They respected the Lord more than King Herod. They feared more the punishment of God than the mistreatment of man. Wise men obeyed the Lord.
Let’s obey Him too. Brothers and sisters, we have the blessing of true teaching in this church. We got it right that our God is so wonderful forgiveness is free. God’s grace is astounding, how He keeps forgiving us. But what does it say to others when we are careless in our obedience to this wonderful Lord? What does it say when we zealously obey His commands? Wise men, those with God’s wisdom living in them, obey the Lord. They care more about what He thinks than what anybody else does.
They know they are dealing with their Lord. The wise men, what did they see when they got to Bethlehem? They saw just a little boy, a baby no more than 2 years old. He didn’t do any tricks for them, no levitation, no glow around his head. But that didn’t make them stumble. This was the Lord. So you too, don’t stumble over your Lord. While He could make all your illnesses go away and give you great wealth, while He could perform miracle upon miracle, what He’s most concerned with is that you are with Him now and in heaven. So that could be He gladly was punished for your sin. He is first and foremost your Savior. Wise men, women and children know this so they seek Him, find Him, worship Him and obey Him. Amen.
January 3/4, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
"LESSONS LEARNED FROM WISE MEN!"
1. Seek the Lord.
2. Find the Lord.
3. Worship the Lord.
4. Obey the Lord.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV) "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." {3} When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' " {7} Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. {12} And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."
There are several different ways to define wisdom or smarts. Those who know how to get things done legally or illegally, to survive in a dog eat dog environment are known as being street smart. Several outwardly successful businessmen like Michael Dell, Paul Allen and Bill Gates never went to college but they are obviously business smart. Then there are the book smart people, intellectuals who prosper in the academic fields. Then there is good old common sense which often seems to be uncommon but is most often displayed by those who have lived a while. Wise is the child who learns sooner rather than later that the older you get the smarter your parents become. In the Bible it God says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Since that’s true we get to turn to the account of some men who demonstrated that kind of wisdom and are aptly named “The Wise Men.” Let’s learn from them.
If we do the first thing we’ll learn is that it is wise to seek the Lord. The wise men did. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." The actual origin of these wise men is unknown. Best guess is they came from what had been Babylon and that they had heard about the Lord and the coming Messiah from what had been passed down from Daniel the wise man whom God used as a prophet in that land. Whatever their origin, their title, Magi, indicates they were smart men, excelling in mathematics and astronomy and probably many other things too. But that’s not what made them wise. This did. They came seeking the Lord, the one born, king of the Jews. How long did they travel? Months? A year? How much did it cost them? No matter. They were seeking the Lord.
We join the ranks of the wise men when we do too. I’m not talking about showing up at church occasionally or even weekly as long as it’s convenient. I’m talking about putting some work, some time, some effort, like the wise men. Praying on a daily basis, “Show me your will, O Lord, teach me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to believe.” Make it your goal to know Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly this year. Wise men seek the Lord.
If you do, you will find the Lord, as they did. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” These wise men showed they had more than Godly wisdom. They actually stopped to ask for directions. They knew a king had been born so they naturally came to the capital city. The not so wise King Herod asked some not so wise chief priests and teachers of the law where to find the newborn king. They found out where in the Bible. Now even though the chief priests and teachers of the law knew where to find the Lord, they didn’t go there. That’s not very smart, is it?
If you know where the Lord is to be found why wouldn’t you go see Him? Are you smart? Do you know where to find the Lord? Sure you do! He’s there for you every day, in the Word. Please, people of God, follow through on that desire you have to be someone with a daily devotional habit, reading your Bible or a good Bible based devotional book. You will find your Lord there waiting to speak to you, waiting to talk with you. It’s a wise thing to do for wise men find the Lord.
Wise men worship the Lord. “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” When these wise men found the Lord they worshipped Him. They used what was at their disposal to show others that this baby was their number one. They used gold, incense and myrrh.
What can you use to worship the Lord? What has God put at your disposal? I’m reminded of the Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy.” Do you know it? Did you see the claymation version of DVD or TV? “I played my drum for him, I played my best for him.” There it is, there’s worship. Not the best. No one can give God the best. My best for Him. There’s worship. Devoting yourself to the Lord. He gets my best time. My best effort. My best of what God has put into my hands to give for Him. Wise men worship the Lord.
Wise men obey the Lord. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." You heard before the command from Herod. The wise men were to return to Herod and let him know where they found the newborn king. The wise men did not obey Herod. They obeyed the Lord not King Herod. Why? Because they were wise men and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. They respected the Lord more than King Herod. They feared more the punishment of God than the mistreatment of man. Wise men obeyed the Lord.
Let’s obey Him too. Brothers and sisters, we have the blessing of true teaching in this church. We got it right that our God is so wonderful forgiveness is free. God’s grace is astounding, how He keeps forgiving us. But what does it say to others when we are careless in our obedience to this wonderful Lord? What does it say when we zealously obey His commands? Wise men, those with God’s wisdom living in them, obey the Lord. They care more about what He thinks than what anybody else does.
They know they are dealing with their Lord. The wise men, what did they see when they got to Bethlehem? They saw just a little boy, a baby no more than 2 years old. He didn’t do any tricks for them, no levitation, no glow around his head. But that didn’t make them stumble. This was the Lord. So you too, don’t stumble over your Lord. While He could make all your illnesses go away and give you great wealth, while He could perform miracle upon miracle, what He’s most concerned with is that you are with Him now and in heaven. So that could be He gladly was punished for your sin. He is first and foremost your Savior. Wise men, women and children know this so they seek Him, find Him, worship Him and obey Him. Amen.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
December 27/28, 2009 Christmas 1
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Hebrews 2:10-18
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jacob became Esau. Or did he? Do you remember this Old Testament account starting with Genesis chapter 25? I’ll try to summarize it. You might want to read all of it in your Bible at home.
Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham was Isaac’s father and their grandfather. Esau was the first of the two to be born. At that time special birthright benefits went with being the firstborn. But Esau despised that one day when he was older and hungry, and traded with his slightly younger brother the birthright for a special meal - what foolishness on his part.
But now the problem. How was Jacob going to get his father Isaac, who did not know about the trade, to give him the special birthright blessing? Isaac still would think of Esau first. Aha, here is where deception came in. For this deception, Jacob had the help of his mother Rebekah. They took advantage of the fact that father Isaac was old now and his eyesight was not good. So Jacob and his mother took various measures to trick the father into thinking that Jacob was Esau. In a way, then, we could say that Jacob became Esau, and in this way, by deception, Jacob received the blessing.
The results? For Jacob much trouble. His brother became his enemy. Jacob had to flee to get away from him. God, however, was in control and used what had happened for His good purposes, leading up to the birth in Bethlehem which we just celebrated.
Jacob became Esau? In a deceiving sense yes. But actually no. Now let’s look at the birth in Bethlehem and see something that was actual. What we have just celebrated in Christmas is no deception whatsoever. In a very real sense we can say:
THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US
I THE MIRACLE OF THIS (10,14a,17a)
1. God’s plan was for our glory (10a)
In bringing many sons to glory, ---.
a) what does sin call for, sin like deceiving, cheating, lying?
b) God wanted glory for us; but the wages of sin is not glory
2. For that someone had to suffer and die (10)
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
a) the wages of sin is suffering, not glory; death, not glory
b) the problem is that our suffering and dying cannot pay for sin,
our suffering and dying can do nothing but lead us to the
deserved penalty of hell; yet suffering and dying were prices
that had to be paid; if someone was going to author salvation,
write an account whose last chapter was glory, there would
have to be a suffering and death that could actually pay for sin
3. That is why God’s Son became incarnate (14a,17a)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity ---. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, ---.
a) could a person without a Green Bay Packers uniform on, go
into the game and be a valid substitute? No
b) so also if Jesus was going to substitute for a world of human
beings He had to have the flesh and blood uniform of a human
being, He had to be able to compete as one of us, He had to be
able to suffer and able to pay the wages of sin in our place
4. This incarnation we have just celebrated
a) no, Jacob did not really become Esau
b) but here is the miracle: Jesus did really become one of us;
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and took on Himself our
flesh and blood, flesh and blood that could suffer and die
c) what have we just celebrated - an ordinary baby? by no
means; our Christmas observances celebrated the miracle of
God’s eternal Son becoming one of us to bring us to glory
II THE REASON FOR THIS (14-16,17b)
1. There was a terrible power over us (14)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil ---.
a) God has not yet revealed to us all details about what happened
to His perfect creation; but we do know that God created
angels who also were perfect, that in their free will at that time
some rebelled against God, that they were rejected, that their
leader the devil then tried to get Adam and Eve to join him and
his crew, and that he succeeded in doing that
b) we also know that by the fall into sin all of the descendants of
Adam and Eve, by having the devil as their leader, have a
leader who has brought us all under the control of death and
removed any hope of glory by anything we could do
2. From this we needed freedom (14b-16)
--- so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
a) the good angels, confirmed in their bliss, did not need help
b) people like you and me, human beings, we needed the help
3. Jesus was able to help, to make atonement (17b)
--- that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
a) how could Jesus do this when we say nobody else can?
b) it is because Jesus was and is God’s Son; while all you and I
could do would be to bring an IOU to God, He was able to
bring a perfect payment that could satisfy God’s justice
4. This is what we really have been celebrating
a) if all you saw in Christmas was parties and gifts and some time
off, then you didn’t see what a true Christmas celebrates
b) if all you saw in a manger was a baby who was an ordinary
baby, then you had no reason to rejoice over that baby
c) but when you in faith have seen the Son of God incarnate,
the Son of God who became one of us, then you did celebrate
Christmas with real meaning and with real joy
III THE RESULTS OF THIS (11-14,17-18)
1. Jesus’ atonement makes us holy (11a)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
a) Jesus’ perfect life covers our imperfect lives, Jesus’ innocent
death canceled out our deserved eternal separation from God
b) marvel at this: what Jesus did makes us holy in God’s sight
2. Jesus wasn’t and isn’t ashamed of us (11-13)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."
a) this is amazing! we still are sinners by nature, yet Jesus as our
brother sees us as members of His family
b) in our weakness we still fall into sins by omission and
commission, by word and deed and thought, and Jesus looks at
us and says He is not ashamed of us - amazing! what grace!
3. He continues to intercede for us and help us (17-18)
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
a) we are tempted; He was too; He can understand and help us
b) and when we fall into sin Jesus is there for us before God’s
throne, successfully pleading our case because He made
atonement for our sins, all of them - what mercy and grace!
4. Don’t put any of these truths away after Christmas
a) put away your trees, put away all of the Christmas
decorations, go back to your normal routine of life
b) but never stop marveling at the truth that THE SON OF
GOD BECAME ONE OF US to be our Savior
c) the results of this give joy and peace in our hearts every day,
and promise us the sure hope of glory in heaven one day
Jacob could not become Esau, though he tried. We cannot become holy people with our efforts or money, no matter how much we try.
But because THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US, because with His perfect life and innocent atoning death He paid for our sins to forgive us and victoriously defeated death to be our Resurrection and Life, because of all of this He has made us holy in God’s sight, members of His family. He, the author of our salvation, has written our names in the book of life, with the last chapter being glory for us with Him. That’s what we really celebrated in Christmas.
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Hebrews 2:10-18
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jacob became Esau. Or did he? Do you remember this Old Testament account starting with Genesis chapter 25? I’ll try to summarize it. You might want to read all of it in your Bible at home.
Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham was Isaac’s father and their grandfather. Esau was the first of the two to be born. At that time special birthright benefits went with being the firstborn. But Esau despised that one day when he was older and hungry, and traded with his slightly younger brother the birthright for a special meal - what foolishness on his part.
But now the problem. How was Jacob going to get his father Isaac, who did not know about the trade, to give him the special birthright blessing? Isaac still would think of Esau first. Aha, here is where deception came in. For this deception, Jacob had the help of his mother Rebekah. They took advantage of the fact that father Isaac was old now and his eyesight was not good. So Jacob and his mother took various measures to trick the father into thinking that Jacob was Esau. In a way, then, we could say that Jacob became Esau, and in this way, by deception, Jacob received the blessing.
The results? For Jacob much trouble. His brother became his enemy. Jacob had to flee to get away from him. God, however, was in control and used what had happened for His good purposes, leading up to the birth in Bethlehem which we just celebrated.
Jacob became Esau? In a deceiving sense yes. But actually no. Now let’s look at the birth in Bethlehem and see something that was actual. What we have just celebrated in Christmas is no deception whatsoever. In a very real sense we can say:
THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US
I THE MIRACLE OF THIS (10,14a,17a)
1. God’s plan was for our glory (10a)
In bringing many sons to glory, ---.
a) what does sin call for, sin like deceiving, cheating, lying?
b) God wanted glory for us; but the wages of sin is not glory
2. For that someone had to suffer and die (10)
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
a) the wages of sin is suffering, not glory; death, not glory
b) the problem is that our suffering and dying cannot pay for sin,
our suffering and dying can do nothing but lead us to the
deserved penalty of hell; yet suffering and dying were prices
that had to be paid; if someone was going to author salvation,
write an account whose last chapter was glory, there would
have to be a suffering and death that could actually pay for sin
3. That is why God’s Son became incarnate (14a,17a)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity ---. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, ---.
a) could a person without a Green Bay Packers uniform on, go
into the game and be a valid substitute? No
b) so also if Jesus was going to substitute for a world of human
beings He had to have the flesh and blood uniform of a human
being, He had to be able to compete as one of us, He had to be
able to suffer and able to pay the wages of sin in our place
4. This incarnation we have just celebrated
a) no, Jacob did not really become Esau
b) but here is the miracle: Jesus did really become one of us;
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and took on Himself our
flesh and blood, flesh and blood that could suffer and die
c) what have we just celebrated - an ordinary baby? by no
means; our Christmas observances celebrated the miracle of
God’s eternal Son becoming one of us to bring us to glory
II THE REASON FOR THIS (14-16,17b)
1. There was a terrible power over us (14)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil ---.
a) God has not yet revealed to us all details about what happened
to His perfect creation; but we do know that God created
angels who also were perfect, that in their free will at that time
some rebelled against God, that they were rejected, that their
leader the devil then tried to get Adam and Eve to join him and
his crew, and that he succeeded in doing that
b) we also know that by the fall into sin all of the descendants of
Adam and Eve, by having the devil as their leader, have a
leader who has brought us all under the control of death and
removed any hope of glory by anything we could do
2. From this we needed freedom (14b-16)
--- so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
a) the good angels, confirmed in their bliss, did not need help
b) people like you and me, human beings, we needed the help
3. Jesus was able to help, to make atonement (17b)
--- that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
a) how could Jesus do this when we say nobody else can?
b) it is because Jesus was and is God’s Son; while all you and I
could do would be to bring an IOU to God, He was able to
bring a perfect payment that could satisfy God’s justice
4. This is what we really have been celebrating
a) if all you saw in Christmas was parties and gifts and some time
off, then you didn’t see what a true Christmas celebrates
b) if all you saw in a manger was a baby who was an ordinary
baby, then you had no reason to rejoice over that baby
c) but when you in faith have seen the Son of God incarnate,
the Son of God who became one of us, then you did celebrate
Christmas with real meaning and with real joy
III THE RESULTS OF THIS (11-14,17-18)
1. Jesus’ atonement makes us holy (11a)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
a) Jesus’ perfect life covers our imperfect lives, Jesus’ innocent
death canceled out our deserved eternal separation from God
b) marvel at this: what Jesus did makes us holy in God’s sight
2. Jesus wasn’t and isn’t ashamed of us (11-13)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."
a) this is amazing! we still are sinners by nature, yet Jesus as our
brother sees us as members of His family
b) in our weakness we still fall into sins by omission and
commission, by word and deed and thought, and Jesus looks at
us and says He is not ashamed of us - amazing! what grace!
3. He continues to intercede for us and help us (17-18)
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
a) we are tempted; He was too; He can understand and help us
b) and when we fall into sin Jesus is there for us before God’s
throne, successfully pleading our case because He made
atonement for our sins, all of them - what mercy and grace!
4. Don’t put any of these truths away after Christmas
a) put away your trees, put away all of the Christmas
decorations, go back to your normal routine of life
b) but never stop marveling at the truth that THE SON OF
GOD BECAME ONE OF US to be our Savior
c) the results of this give joy and peace in our hearts every day,
and promise us the sure hope of glory in heaven one day
Jacob could not become Esau, though he tried. We cannot become holy people with our efforts or money, no matter how much we try.
But because THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US, because with His perfect life and innocent atoning death He paid for our sins to forgive us and victoriously defeated death to be our Resurrection and Life, because of all of this He has made us holy in God’s sight, members of His family. He, the author of our salvation, has written our names in the book of life, with the last chapter being glory for us with Him. That’s what we really celebrated in Christmas.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Sermon for Sunday December 20th, 2009
Luke 1:39-45
Our Hearts Leap With Joy!
I. Jesus is in our midst
II. The Lord has done what he promised!
In the name of Jesus, our Savior and King, dear fellow redeemed children of God;
There is a picture hanging in our living room from the wedding we had in our family last summer. The pictures were taken by a fountain where the photographer encouraged everyone in the wedding party, which included all of our children, to jump up in the air all at once. The photographer did a great jump because she caught everyone right at the top of their leap- some even kicking up their heels. It was a happy day. When we look at that picture, while we might not do any of the “Toyota” leaps in the air, it does make our hearts leap for joy. Leaping for joy - that’s our theme for today as we gather on this Sunday before Christmas. Today in God’s Word we hear about a baby who jumped for joy in his mothers’ womb when Jesus came into the room still in Mary’s womb. Jesus and all he has done for us make our hearts leap for joy I. Because Jesus is in our midst and II. The Lord has done what he promised for us.
In the verses just before our text, the angel Gabriel had given the virgin Mary some very unexpected but happy news. The angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus.” The angel went on to Mary’s amazement, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary was going to have a baby, even though she was a virgin, and the child she would bear would be the Son of God.
The angel assured Mary that nothing is impossible with God. The angel also added the astounding news that Mary’s relative Elizabeth was also pregnant even though she was no past the time when she would normally have children. Elizabeth of course was the mother of John the Baptist.
To all of this spectacular news Mary replies, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” After the angel left Mary, the Bible tells us, “Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” Mary made the trip from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah to compare notes with Elizabeth who the angel had also said was going to give birth to miracle baby.
Mary wasn’t going to Elizabeth’s house to express doubt or skepticism like, “you know the strangest thing happened to me the other day.” No Mary went to the house of Elizabeth to share her joy and excitement that the Lord was going to fulfill the promises he made in the Old Testament- that he would sent the Messiah, the long awaited Savior. Mary stayed at the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah for about three months. During this time she may have cared for Elizabeth who was in the later stages of her pregnancy.
We’re told that “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among woman and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in both Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist. By a miracle of the Holy Spirit, the unborn person John the Baptist leaps with joy when the God man, the Savior comes into the room still in his mother’s womb.
We can also see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Elizabeth. God’s word tells us that she was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Bible says, “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit enabled her to identify Mary as the mother of her Savior and to confess Jesus as the promised Messiah, even before Mary has a chance to explain what the angel had told her.
God’s word tells us that John the Baptist leaped for joy in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is present with us everywhere that we go. Do we always leap for joy in the presence of the Savior? When we’ve asked Jesus to come and be our guest at the dinner table do we ever sink to saying hurtful things to our family. When we’ve asked Jesus to walk with us have we even gotten down into the gutter of listening to or telling dirty jokes? Do we ask Jesus to ride along with us in the car and then listen casually to songs with lyrics that might peel the paint off the wall? These and all our many sins make us blush with shame and stain our pillows with tears of sorrow. We all must say with Paul, “What a wretched man I am.” We could all say with St. Peter, “Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.”
But that’s not what Jesus does. He came into this world as the Savior so that we could be with him in heaven. He became flesh to bless the whole world. Elizabeth tells Mary, “Blessed are you and blessed is the child you will bear.” Mary and the whole world would be blessed through the baby who was laid in Bethlehem’s manger. When Jesus died on the cross, the full and free forgiveness of sins was offered to everyone through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus brings countless blessings to us through what he did on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter and all the days in between. Now this one who pours down blessings upon us directs our lives for us.
Our hearts can leap for joy because Jesus is with us as we sit down to eat and pray, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest….” Jesus is there with his blessings and shares the happy times with us and our families. Jesus is there as we feel hurt, frustrated and lonely. Yes, we have many reasons to leap for joy because Jesus is in our midst.
Elizabeth asked, “Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? “ Certainly we too when we look at everything the Lord has done for us have to ask, “Why am I so favored?” God’s undeserved love is the only answer to that question. In his grace God promised that he was going to send a Savior. By God’s grace he fulfilled all of these promises. This gives us our second reason to leap for joy. God has done what he promised.
“Blessed are you among women and blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Here the Bible highlights for us the faith God had given to Mary. Here is a young girl, pregnant not by a human father but by the Holy Spirit. I am sure she faced many jeers from unbelieving neighbors and friends, not to mention what her fiancée Joseph might say. Human reason must have screamed in her ear, “This can’t be happening to me.” Still Mary put her faith in the simple words and promises of God. By faith Mary recognized that she would bear the Savior promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name….He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
The words of Elizabeth, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished” really apply to each one of us. All of us are certainly blessed when by the power of the Holy Spirit we believe the words and promises of God. We are blessed because Jesus has brought us peace with God and we can look forward to an eternity of peace with God. We are blessed when we believe the words of our Old testament lesson for today that out of Bethlehem- that little town- would come one will be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old from ancient times who will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” We are blessed as we put our trust in the Good Shepherd who in all things works for the good of those who love him.
The other day I listened to a talk show about what not to get your spouse for Christmas. They offered some helpful advice like, “Husbands don’t get your wife a power washer or chain saw. Their hearts probably will not leap for joy. How do you think your loved ones will react when they open your gifts? As we look again at the pages of God’s word, how will you react when you open the gift the Savior brought for you? Let’s let our hearts leap for joy as we hear the good news. Let’s hurry like the shepherds to Bethlehem and see these things which the Lord has told us about. Then let us return from our Christmas services glorifying and praising God for all the things we have seen and heard which were just as they had been told.” Amen.
Our Hearts Leap With Joy!
I. Jesus is in our midst
II. The Lord has done what he promised!
In the name of Jesus, our Savior and King, dear fellow redeemed children of God;
There is a picture hanging in our living room from the wedding we had in our family last summer. The pictures were taken by a fountain where the photographer encouraged everyone in the wedding party, which included all of our children, to jump up in the air all at once. The photographer did a great jump because she caught everyone right at the top of their leap- some even kicking up their heels. It was a happy day. When we look at that picture, while we might not do any of the “Toyota” leaps in the air, it does make our hearts leap for joy. Leaping for joy - that’s our theme for today as we gather on this Sunday before Christmas. Today in God’s Word we hear about a baby who jumped for joy in his mothers’ womb when Jesus came into the room still in Mary’s womb. Jesus and all he has done for us make our hearts leap for joy I. Because Jesus is in our midst and II. The Lord has done what he promised for us.
In the verses just before our text, the angel Gabriel had given the virgin Mary some very unexpected but happy news. The angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus.” The angel went on to Mary’s amazement, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary was going to have a baby, even though she was a virgin, and the child she would bear would be the Son of God.
The angel assured Mary that nothing is impossible with God. The angel also added the astounding news that Mary’s relative Elizabeth was also pregnant even though she was no past the time when she would normally have children. Elizabeth of course was the mother of John the Baptist.
To all of this spectacular news Mary replies, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” After the angel left Mary, the Bible tells us, “Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” Mary made the trip from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah to compare notes with Elizabeth who the angel had also said was going to give birth to miracle baby.
Mary wasn’t going to Elizabeth’s house to express doubt or skepticism like, “you know the strangest thing happened to me the other day.” No Mary went to the house of Elizabeth to share her joy and excitement that the Lord was going to fulfill the promises he made in the Old Testament- that he would sent the Messiah, the long awaited Savior. Mary stayed at the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah for about three months. During this time she may have cared for Elizabeth who was in the later stages of her pregnancy.
We’re told that “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among woman and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in both Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist. By a miracle of the Holy Spirit, the unborn person John the Baptist leaps with joy when the God man, the Savior comes into the room still in his mother’s womb.
We can also see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Elizabeth. God’s word tells us that she was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Bible says, “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit enabled her to identify Mary as the mother of her Savior and to confess Jesus as the promised Messiah, even before Mary has a chance to explain what the angel had told her.
God’s word tells us that John the Baptist leaped for joy in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is present with us everywhere that we go. Do we always leap for joy in the presence of the Savior? When we’ve asked Jesus to come and be our guest at the dinner table do we ever sink to saying hurtful things to our family. When we’ve asked Jesus to walk with us have we even gotten down into the gutter of listening to or telling dirty jokes? Do we ask Jesus to ride along with us in the car and then listen casually to songs with lyrics that might peel the paint off the wall? These and all our many sins make us blush with shame and stain our pillows with tears of sorrow. We all must say with Paul, “What a wretched man I am.” We could all say with St. Peter, “Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.”
But that’s not what Jesus does. He came into this world as the Savior so that we could be with him in heaven. He became flesh to bless the whole world. Elizabeth tells Mary, “Blessed are you and blessed is the child you will bear.” Mary and the whole world would be blessed through the baby who was laid in Bethlehem’s manger. When Jesus died on the cross, the full and free forgiveness of sins was offered to everyone through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus brings countless blessings to us through what he did on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter and all the days in between. Now this one who pours down blessings upon us directs our lives for us.
Our hearts can leap for joy because Jesus is with us as we sit down to eat and pray, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest….” Jesus is there with his blessings and shares the happy times with us and our families. Jesus is there as we feel hurt, frustrated and lonely. Yes, we have many reasons to leap for joy because Jesus is in our midst.
Elizabeth asked, “Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? “ Certainly we too when we look at everything the Lord has done for us have to ask, “Why am I so favored?” God’s undeserved love is the only answer to that question. In his grace God promised that he was going to send a Savior. By God’s grace he fulfilled all of these promises. This gives us our second reason to leap for joy. God has done what he promised.
“Blessed are you among women and blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Here the Bible highlights for us the faith God had given to Mary. Here is a young girl, pregnant not by a human father but by the Holy Spirit. I am sure she faced many jeers from unbelieving neighbors and friends, not to mention what her fiancée Joseph might say. Human reason must have screamed in her ear, “This can’t be happening to me.” Still Mary put her faith in the simple words and promises of God. By faith Mary recognized that she would bear the Savior promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name….He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
The words of Elizabeth, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished” really apply to each one of us. All of us are certainly blessed when by the power of the Holy Spirit we believe the words and promises of God. We are blessed because Jesus has brought us peace with God and we can look forward to an eternity of peace with God. We are blessed when we believe the words of our Old testament lesson for today that out of Bethlehem- that little town- would come one will be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old from ancient times who will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” We are blessed as we put our trust in the Good Shepherd who in all things works for the good of those who love him.
The other day I listened to a talk show about what not to get your spouse for Christmas. They offered some helpful advice like, “Husbands don’t get your wife a power washer or chain saw. Their hearts probably will not leap for joy. How do you think your loved ones will react when they open your gifts? As we look again at the pages of God’s word, how will you react when you open the gift the Savior brought for you? Let’s let our hearts leap for joy as we hear the good news. Let’s hurry like the shepherds to Bethlehem and see these things which the Lord has told us about. Then let us return from our Christmas services glorifying and praising God for all the things we have seen and heard which were just as they had been told.” Amen.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Third Wednesday in Advent
December 16, 2009
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Text: Haggai 2:1-9
THE LORD BRINGS PEACE
THAT SHAKES THE HEAVENS AND EARTH
I THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
WAITING AND WORKING
II THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
SHAKING AND GATHERING
III THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
FULFILLMENT AND GLORY
Haggae 2:1-9
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
I am going to read the sermon introduction I had planned to use last Wednesday, one week ago. This is it:
"I might not have been here to conduct this service. Could have died - am getting older. Or Judgment Day could have come - but then none of us would be here, would we. The actual reason is something unexpected that came up: I was called for jury duty this week Monday and Tuesday. That meant waiting to see if I would be finished yesterday or not. So wait I did. Thankfully Pastor Spaude said he would be ready to exchange with me and step in if my duty continued."
As it turned out Pastor Spaude and I had to exchange Wednesdays because my jury duty went beyond Monday and Tuesday of last week and extended through Monday of this week. Believe me when I say I am happy that it didn’t go still longer. So waiting obviously was involved.
We are now in the season of Advent. We had to wait for that to come too. And now our text also speaks of waiting, waiting for the Lord to accomplish and bring something. Our theme is
THE LORD BRINGS PEACE
THAT SHAKES THE HEAVENS AND EARTH
I THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
WAITING AND WORKING (1-4,8)
1. The historical setting (1-2)
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people."
a) Judah had been captured by the Babylonians, the temple was
destroyed, people taken into captivity in Babylon; perhaps you
remember from that time about Daniel in the lion’s den, the
three men in the fiery furnace, Queen Esther
b) after 70 years of captivity, as God foretold, Persia took over
Babylon and permitted a remnant of the Jewish people to
return to Israel to rebuild what had been destroyed
2. The temple
a) a new foundation had been put in, but that was all so far
b) encouragement was needed to keep on building, to restore
the temple, not just their houses as we heard last Wednesday
3. Here a comparison was brought up (2-3)
"Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?’"
a) Solomon’s temple was in the past; it had been glorious,
loaded with silver and gold and the best of everything
b) now back from captivity, how could anything they build come
even close to comparing with that original? - it couldn’t!
4. They, while waiting, were to work (4,8)
"‘But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
a) don’t stop doing what the Lord wants you to accomplish, just
as you and I are not to stop doing the Lord’s will today
b) work, and the Lord promised to be with them and to provide
"‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
c) He would enable them, be with them as they waited for the
real meaning behind all of this: the bringing of peace
II THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
SHAKING AND GATHERING (5-7)
1. Shaking - coming out of Egypt (5)
"‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’"
a) remember all of the construction, shaking of the ground, for
the work on Forest Home Ave.?
b) can’t compare with the 10 plagues God threw at Egypt to
deliver His people, the crossing of the Red Sea, providing
for them for 40 years in the desert - all of this to keep His
promise of a Savior from the line of Abraham, a Savior who
would be born in a place called Bethlehem
2. Shaking through history (6-7a)
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, ---.’"
a) God did that shaking through Greece (remember Alexander
the Great?) to bring a common language in which God would
record His New Testament Scriptures; God did that through
Rome, establishing a world peace that would speed the spread
of the Gospel everywhere
b) God continued to do that through Babylon and Persia; and He
still rules the world today for His good purposes
3. This was for gathering the desired of all nations (7ab)
"‘I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, ---.’"
a) was this "desired" Jesus? surely should be for us; but Jesus
was rejected by nations, not desired even by His own nation
b) rather "desired" (plural verb) refers to gathering of God’s
people, His desired from all nations, including us in Wisconsin
4. Here is glory (7)
"‘I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.’" a) God had promised a Savior not for just one nation but for all
b) do you remember how Simeon recognized this when he held
the baby Jesus in His arms in the temple? - "My eyes have seen your salvation - a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
c) and think of the Wise men from the East who also saw God’s
promises fulfilled and brought their thank offerings of gold and
incense and myrrh to be put into the Savior’s service
III THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
FULFILLMENT AND GLORY (8-9)
1. The glory is not outwardness (8)
"‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
a) Solomon’s temple had to be tremendous with gold and silver
b) here too God provided; but that was not the glory
2. There is a far greater glory (9a)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, ---’"
a) real glory of the temple was not seen in how it looked
b) even as our church’s real glory was not and is not found in
our old church, our school gym for services, or present church
3. It is in what comes out from there (9)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
a) what is beauty of our church? it is the message of God’s
promises fulfilled, the Gospel message of peace through Jesus
b) so it was with the real meaning of the temple where sacrifices
pointed to the Lamb of God, to Jesus’ fulfillment and peace
4. Rejoice in this message of peace (9)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
a) peace: Jesus came, lived, died, arose
b) peace to sinners: no condemnation, past forgiven and
forgotten by God, heaven’s door open; like Simeon we can
depart in peace
c) a person often hears of earth-shattering news, but here is
hell-shattering news: Jesus slammed shut hell’s door for all
believers and opened heaven’s door wide: Peace
God grant that this peace, this glory of God, will continue to shine brightly in this temple or church of ours this Advent and Christmas season and always as we celebrate Jesus who came to be our Savior. May the closing words of our text always apply here: "‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
December 16, 2009
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Text: Haggai 2:1-9
THE LORD BRINGS PEACE
THAT SHAKES THE HEAVENS AND EARTH
I THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
WAITING AND WORKING
II THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
SHAKING AND GATHERING
III THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
FULFILLMENT AND GLORY
Haggae 2:1-9
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
I am going to read the sermon introduction I had planned to use last Wednesday, one week ago. This is it:
"I might not have been here to conduct this service. Could have died - am getting older. Or Judgment Day could have come - but then none of us would be here, would we. The actual reason is something unexpected that came up: I was called for jury duty this week Monday and Tuesday. That meant waiting to see if I would be finished yesterday or not. So wait I did. Thankfully Pastor Spaude said he would be ready to exchange with me and step in if my duty continued."
As it turned out Pastor Spaude and I had to exchange Wednesdays because my jury duty went beyond Monday and Tuesday of last week and extended through Monday of this week. Believe me when I say I am happy that it didn’t go still longer. So waiting obviously was involved.
We are now in the season of Advent. We had to wait for that to come too. And now our text also speaks of waiting, waiting for the Lord to accomplish and bring something. Our theme is
THE LORD BRINGS PEACE
THAT SHAKES THE HEAVENS AND EARTH
I THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
WAITING AND WORKING (1-4,8)
1. The historical setting (1-2)
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people."
a) Judah had been captured by the Babylonians, the temple was
destroyed, people taken into captivity in Babylon; perhaps you
remember from that time about Daniel in the lion’s den, the
three men in the fiery furnace, Queen Esther
b) after 70 years of captivity, as God foretold, Persia took over
Babylon and permitted a remnant of the Jewish people to
return to Israel to rebuild what had been destroyed
2. The temple
a) a new foundation had been put in, but that was all so far
b) encouragement was needed to keep on building, to restore
the temple, not just their houses as we heard last Wednesday
3. Here a comparison was brought up (2-3)
"Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?’"
a) Solomon’s temple was in the past; it had been glorious,
loaded with silver and gold and the best of everything
b) now back from captivity, how could anything they build come
even close to comparing with that original? - it couldn’t!
4. They, while waiting, were to work (4,8)
"‘But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
a) don’t stop doing what the Lord wants you to accomplish, just
as you and I are not to stop doing the Lord’s will today
b) work, and the Lord promised to be with them and to provide
"‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
c) He would enable them, be with them as they waited for the
real meaning behind all of this: the bringing of peace
II THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
SHAKING AND GATHERING (5-7)
1. Shaking - coming out of Egypt (5)
"‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’"
a) remember all of the construction, shaking of the ground, for
the work on Forest Home Ave.?
b) can’t compare with the 10 plagues God threw at Egypt to
deliver His people, the crossing of the Red Sea, providing
for them for 40 years in the desert - all of this to keep His
promise of a Savior from the line of Abraham, a Savior who
would be born in a place called Bethlehem
2. Shaking through history (6-7a)
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, ---.’"
a) God did that shaking through Greece (remember Alexander
the Great?) to bring a common language in which God would
record His New Testament Scriptures; God did that through
Rome, establishing a world peace that would speed the spread
of the Gospel everywhere
b) God continued to do that through Babylon and Persia; and He
still rules the world today for His good purposes
3. This was for gathering the desired of all nations (7ab)
"‘I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, ---.’"
a) was this "desired" Jesus? surely should be for us; but Jesus
was rejected by nations, not desired even by His own nation
b) rather "desired" (plural verb) refers to gathering of God’s
people, His desired from all nations, including us in Wisconsin
4. Here is glory (7)
"‘I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.’" a) God had promised a Savior not for just one nation but for all
b) do you remember how Simeon recognized this when he held
the baby Jesus in His arms in the temple? - "My eyes have seen your salvation - a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
c) and think of the Wise men from the East who also saw God’s
promises fulfilled and brought their thank offerings of gold and
incense and myrrh to be put into the Savior’s service
III THIS IS A PEACE THAT INVOLVED:
FULFILLMENT AND GLORY (8-9)
1. The glory is not outwardness (8)
"‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.’"
a) Solomon’s temple had to be tremendous with gold and silver
b) here too God provided; but that was not the glory
2. There is a far greater glory (9a)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, ---’"
a) real glory of the temple was not seen in how it looked
b) even as our church’s real glory was not and is not found in
our old church, our school gym for services, or present church
3. It is in what comes out from there (9)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
a) what is beauty of our church? it is the message of God’s
promises fulfilled, the Gospel message of peace through Jesus
b) so it was with the real meaning of the temple where sacrifices
pointed to the Lamb of God, to Jesus’ fulfillment and peace
4. Rejoice in this message of peace (9)
"‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
a) peace: Jesus came, lived, died, arose
b) peace to sinners: no condemnation, past forgiven and
forgotten by God, heaven’s door open; like Simeon we can
depart in peace
c) a person often hears of earth-shattering news, but here is
hell-shattering news: Jesus slammed shut hell’s door for all
believers and opened heaven’s door wide: Peace
God grant that this peace, this glory of God, will continue to shine brightly in this temple or church of ours this Advent and Christmas season and always as we celebrate Jesus who came to be our Savior. May the closing words of our text always apply here: "‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."
Thursday, December 10, 2009
MIDWEEK ADVENT 3
December 9, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Haggai 2:15-19
“THE LORD BRINGS UNDESERVED BLESSINGS.
1. Give careful thought to your past.
2. Give careful thought to your future.
Haggai 2:15-19 (NIV) " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD. 18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
This Advent season we have been following the theme of God’s Construction project on Forest Home. We have made comparisons between that road construction project and the works that God does in our hearts. We have followed the work God did in the hearts of His people at the time of the prophet Haggai to see parallels in our lives. Today those comparisons continue. Let’s go back to the road construction project on Forest Home Ave. Let’s think about what life was like before, during and after the project. Do you remember what it was like before the resurfacing project? Do you remember dodging the potholes, wondering why the county didn’t fix them sooner? Do you remember following the weave of traffic dodging those potholes and wincing when you hit one? Before the project life was not good travelling on Forest Home. How about during? That was uncomfortable, right? Which lane is open? Barrel dodging. Traffic back ups. Now how about after? Smooth sailing.
God’s construction projects on the hearts of His people are similar. The Word of God spoken by Haggai had the people of God looking at their life before during and after God’s construction project in their lives. We start with before. 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD.” God’s people were urged to carefully think about life before God worked on their hearts. If you remember their spiritual apathy showed in their failure to follow through on God’s command to rebuild the Temple. They took care of themselves first or so they thought. They actually hurt themselves. Their crops dwindled. Their supplies didn’t last. They experienced what many must of thought was bad luck. They should have thought harder. There is no luck. There is God and He was not happy with their disobedience. Those consequences they were experiencing was God’s chastening hand calling them to repentance. They were like a road filled with potholes.
During God’s construction project on their hearts is sure sounds like life was uncomfortable. Doing all that work with nothing to show. Exasperation over events out of their control. Frustration that there was not enough money to go around.
But how about after? What would life be like after the people repented? 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' " See how God gave them hope and a future. Because of His great love He would not hold their past sins against them. They would not be labeled disobedient all their life. He would forgive them, wipe their sins away as far as the east is from the west. He would bless them again. Like a nice smooth road to drive on their lives were going to get smoother. God’s construction project on their hearts would work.
Now how about us? We can apply these words to our nation, our congregation, each one of us personally. When you hear how God chastened these people for their disobedience, their failure to treat God as God and put Him first you can’t help but wonder if the same God is acting the same way with the same kind of people. Purses with holes? No amount of money was enough. Events out of their control that made all their work for themselves really amount to nothing. We have retirement accounts that shriveled, jobs disappear, global markets affecting local markets. While only God Himself can say whether or not these are His chastening of us or our country you do have to stop and ask, “Lord, is it I?” Are you trying to wake me up? Have I been lethargic, apathetic toward you and don’t realize it? Am I being disobedient? There are many things God seems to put up with in the lives of His people but second place in our hearts is not one of them. Give careful thought to your ways, says the Lord. Give careful thought to your past. A life full of potholes may be a call to repentance.
And as was true during the construction project on Forest Home and during the work God did on the hearts of His people at the time of Haggai, so also for us. Undergoing God’s chastening is uncomfortable.
But the neat part is how God acts and His ultimate goal. It’s to bless us. He urges us to give careful thought to your future. The people at the time of Haggai did not deserve God’s blessing. They were defiled by their sin. Still God was willing to bless them, to treat them as if their shameful past had never happened. Same God. Same kind of people. No matter what your past, what skeletons are hiding in your closet with the Lord there is forgiveness. Give careful thought to your future and plan on it being a future with the Lord in it. Return to Him in repentance whenever you disobey and then strive to obey out of love and thankfulness to a God who is willing to bless people who are defiled by sin.
You know it is nice to have the construction project on Forest Home over or nearly so. It’s nice to have the smooth road to drive on. But we know that if the world lasts long enough, sooner or later, they’ll have to do it again. The man across the street from us has lived through 3 projects on Forest Home. You wish they could come up with a way to just be done for good. God’s construction project on our hearts is one that is ongoing. We need Him to keep us on the straight and narrow. But a time is coming when He will never have to do that again. It’s when Jesus comes for us personally at the time of our death or collectively at the end of the world. In the spirit of Advent then we say, “Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
December 9, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Haggai 2:15-19
“THE LORD BRINGS UNDESERVED BLESSINGS.
1. Give careful thought to your past.
2. Give careful thought to your future.
Haggai 2:15-19 (NIV) " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD. 18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
This Advent season we have been following the theme of God’s Construction project on Forest Home. We have made comparisons between that road construction project and the works that God does in our hearts. We have followed the work God did in the hearts of His people at the time of the prophet Haggai to see parallels in our lives. Today those comparisons continue. Let’s go back to the road construction project on Forest Home Ave. Let’s think about what life was like before, during and after the project. Do you remember what it was like before the resurfacing project? Do you remember dodging the potholes, wondering why the county didn’t fix them sooner? Do you remember following the weave of traffic dodging those potholes and wincing when you hit one? Before the project life was not good travelling on Forest Home. How about during? That was uncomfortable, right? Which lane is open? Barrel dodging. Traffic back ups. Now how about after? Smooth sailing.
God’s construction projects on the hearts of His people are similar. The Word of God spoken by Haggai had the people of God looking at their life before during and after God’s construction project in their lives. We start with before. 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD.” God’s people were urged to carefully think about life before God worked on their hearts. If you remember their spiritual apathy showed in their failure to follow through on God’s command to rebuild the Temple. They took care of themselves first or so they thought. They actually hurt themselves. Their crops dwindled. Their supplies didn’t last. They experienced what many must of thought was bad luck. They should have thought harder. There is no luck. There is God and He was not happy with their disobedience. Those consequences they were experiencing was God’s chastening hand calling them to repentance. They were like a road filled with potholes.
During God’s construction project on their hearts is sure sounds like life was uncomfortable. Doing all that work with nothing to show. Exasperation over events out of their control. Frustration that there was not enough money to go around.
But how about after? What would life be like after the people repented? 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' " See how God gave them hope and a future. Because of His great love He would not hold their past sins against them. They would not be labeled disobedient all their life. He would forgive them, wipe their sins away as far as the east is from the west. He would bless them again. Like a nice smooth road to drive on their lives were going to get smoother. God’s construction project on their hearts would work.
Now how about us? We can apply these words to our nation, our congregation, each one of us personally. When you hear how God chastened these people for their disobedience, their failure to treat God as God and put Him first you can’t help but wonder if the same God is acting the same way with the same kind of people. Purses with holes? No amount of money was enough. Events out of their control that made all their work for themselves really amount to nothing. We have retirement accounts that shriveled, jobs disappear, global markets affecting local markets. While only God Himself can say whether or not these are His chastening of us or our country you do have to stop and ask, “Lord, is it I?” Are you trying to wake me up? Have I been lethargic, apathetic toward you and don’t realize it? Am I being disobedient? There are many things God seems to put up with in the lives of His people but second place in our hearts is not one of them. Give careful thought to your ways, says the Lord. Give careful thought to your past. A life full of potholes may be a call to repentance.
And as was true during the construction project on Forest Home and during the work God did on the hearts of His people at the time of Haggai, so also for us. Undergoing God’s chastening is uncomfortable.
But the neat part is how God acts and His ultimate goal. It’s to bless us. He urges us to give careful thought to your future. The people at the time of Haggai did not deserve God’s blessing. They were defiled by their sin. Still God was willing to bless them, to treat them as if their shameful past had never happened. Same God. Same kind of people. No matter what your past, what skeletons are hiding in your closet with the Lord there is forgiveness. Give careful thought to your future and plan on it being a future with the Lord in it. Return to Him in repentance whenever you disobey and then strive to obey out of love and thankfulness to a God who is willing to bless people who are defiled by sin.
You know it is nice to have the construction project on Forest Home over or nearly so. It’s nice to have the smooth road to drive on. But we know that if the world lasts long enough, sooner or later, they’ll have to do it again. The man across the street from us has lived through 3 projects on Forest Home. You wish they could come up with a way to just be done for good. God’s construction project on our hearts is one that is ongoing. We need Him to keep us on the straight and narrow. But a time is coming when He will never have to do that again. It’s when Jesus comes for us personally at the time of our death or collectively at the end of the world. In the spirit of Advent then we say, “Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Monday, December 7, 2009
ADVENT 2
December 6, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 3:1-6
REPENTANCE: IT DOES A BODY GOOD!"
1. Repentance gets us ready to celebrate Christmas.
2. Repentance gets us ready to enjoy eternal life.
Luke 3:1-6 "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- {2} during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. {3} He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. {4} As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. {5} Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. {6} And all mankind will see God's salvation.'"
Over a hundred years ago a famous theologian wrote. "Take away the aroused conscience and you might as well turn churches into dance halls." What he meant was this: If people aren't aware or don't care about their failure to keep God's commands and if people don't understand that even one sin brings condemnation and makes a person deserving of the punishment of Hell then the message of Christian churches faithful to Jesus will no longer seem relevant. Christian churches will no longer be used and so you might as well turn them into something people will use like a dance hall.
What that theologian said many years ago about Christian churches we could also say about Christmas, couldn't we? Take away the aroused conscience and you might as well turn the celebration of Christmas into a beer bash. For if people aren't bothered by their failure to obey God perfectly and aren't troubled by the knowledge that sin brings God's punishment how can the birth of God's Son in Bethlehem have any significance? Jesus was born to save people from their sins, but if people no longer want saving from their sins the birth of Jesus is meaningless. What about you? How’s your Christmas shaping up? Are you getting excited to celebrate the birth of your Savior? Or do you just see a lot more work? There’s a way that we can be ready and stay excited for Christmas. While as Wisconsinites we know that milk does a body good, as Christians we know that repentance does a body good.
When God wanted to prepare His people to welcome Jesus the first time He came, He sent a man named John the Baptist. “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John’s message was one of repentance. What does that word mean to you? I think even the youngest ones here know repentance is more than saying, “Sorry,” when you are forced to.
Luke quoted us from the prophet Isaiah who foretold John’s message of repentance. “A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. {5} Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. {6} And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Isaiah pictured repentance like a road building project. Now we just happened to have one of those in front of Jacobi this summer. Most of you got to see it happen in bits and pieces. Because of where we live my family and I got to see a lot of it. Actually it was kind of an interesting process. First they used a machine that scraped up and chewed up the old asphalt throwing it into a dump truck to be taken away. Then a machine came and pounded the concrete underlay, smashing the bad parts that were then scooped up and taken away. Then those low parts were filled in with good concrete and finally the overlay of asphalt making everything smooth and level for our cars.
That’s a good picture of what repentance is like for believers. First comes the machine of God’s law. When we actually listen to it and apply it to ourselves instead of other people, it scrapes away sins we have become calloused to, sins that are acceptable to society but not to God. Sins like trashing God’s name with the phrase “Oh my…” Sins like murdering others with hurtful words. Sins like drunkenness and underage drinking. Sins like neglecting God’s word and worship. When those are scraped away God’s law pounds away at the real problem, our rotten hearts filled with that dominant attitude of “It’s all about me. What’s in it for me. I only care if it affects me.” When believers experience this they scoop all that bad away with contrition, that attitude of sorrow, humility and shame over disappointing our God…again. Then in comes the Gospel, God’s good news that fills in our hearts with God’s love and forgiveness and puts on us the overlay of Jesus’ righteousness. It turns us into people who want to do their best, look their best, talk their best for Jesus.
That’s what repentance is and it does a body good! It gets us ready to celebrate Christmas. If there is one overriding emotion that is supposed to mark the Christmas season it is joy, right? Think of the carols! “Joy to the World.” “Now Sing we now Rejoice.” Even the secular carols, “Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la.” Do you have joy looking forward to and preparing for Christmas? If not, why not? When God sent John the Baptist his job was to prepare people to greet their Savior. His message to those people was repent, to prepare the way for the Savior through repentance. This takes place in the heart. What’s your heart set on this Christmas? Looking good? Best dressed? Impressing the neighbors with your display? Fulfilling your children’s wants? Getting what you want? Staying out of debt? That’s a lot of work and a lot of stress. Repent. Prepare the way for your Lord in your heart. Admit to your sinfulness then focus your eyes on your Savior. We can pass along all the e-mails we want about keeping Christ in Christmas and saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays but that’s awfully meaningless if we the people of God don’t actually keep Christ in Christmas. And that won’t happen unless Christ is in our hearts. Then the activities we choose to do or not do, the plans we make, the priorities we establish will declare that Christmas is about Christ. Repent. Admit to the many times you willing went down the path of sin. See that if God really treated you as your sins deserve you would be jobless, penniless, homeless, and hopeless. Then see why that’s not true. See why you have physical blessings and hope for every problem in life. A Savior was born. Christ the Lord. Repentance it does a body good. It gets us ready to celebrate true Christmas.
And it gets us ready to enjoy eternity. Eternity is why we have a Christmas. God could not bear the thought of people, His beloved Creation, separated from Him in Hell so He sent a Savior. The work of the Savior was not to fix all the problems on earth but to provide the way to heaven. Jesus did that with His perfect live and His sacrifice to pay for sin. He did that for everyone. Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior receive the blessing of forgiveness applied to them. Now maybe we see why the Devil works so hard to get consciences calloused. Now we see why he doesn’t want people aware of their sins. If I have no sins, I need no Savior. If sin can be explained away as normal and no big deal, if I can earn my presents by being nice, not naughty, why do I need a Savior? Of what importance is Jesus to me?
Brothers and sisters, when we start to let sins that are acceptable and no big deal to society become acceptable and no big deal to us we are playing into the Devil’s hands. We need aroused consciences that are painfully aware of sin so we constantly see our need for Jesus as Savior and value Him. Repentance. It does a body good. So repentance is ongoing, we teach ourselves the 10 Commandments and their meaning so we can see our sin and need for a Savior. That order for personal preparation for Communion is another way to help us see our need for a Savior. Then Jesus means everything to us. We see He is our only way to heaven. We are ready to enjoy eternity. For whoever believes will be saved.
In our Children’s lesson I asked the kids about some things that were important enough to do daily. You heard their answers. Now add to theirs, God’s. Repentance for it does a body good. Practice it daily and you will be ready to celebrate Christ with Christ as the focus. Practice it daily and you’ll always be ready for heaven. Amen.
December 6, 2009
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 3:1-6
REPENTANCE: IT DOES A BODY GOOD!"
1. Repentance gets us ready to celebrate Christmas.
2. Repentance gets us ready to enjoy eternal life.
Luke 3:1-6 "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- {2} during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. {3} He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. {4} As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. {5} Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. {6} And all mankind will see God's salvation.'"
Over a hundred years ago a famous theologian wrote. "Take away the aroused conscience and you might as well turn churches into dance halls." What he meant was this: If people aren't aware or don't care about their failure to keep God's commands and if people don't understand that even one sin brings condemnation and makes a person deserving of the punishment of Hell then the message of Christian churches faithful to Jesus will no longer seem relevant. Christian churches will no longer be used and so you might as well turn them into something people will use like a dance hall.
What that theologian said many years ago about Christian churches we could also say about Christmas, couldn't we? Take away the aroused conscience and you might as well turn the celebration of Christmas into a beer bash. For if people aren't bothered by their failure to obey God perfectly and aren't troubled by the knowledge that sin brings God's punishment how can the birth of God's Son in Bethlehem have any significance? Jesus was born to save people from their sins, but if people no longer want saving from their sins the birth of Jesus is meaningless. What about you? How’s your Christmas shaping up? Are you getting excited to celebrate the birth of your Savior? Or do you just see a lot more work? There’s a way that we can be ready and stay excited for Christmas. While as Wisconsinites we know that milk does a body good, as Christians we know that repentance does a body good.
When God wanted to prepare His people to welcome Jesus the first time He came, He sent a man named John the Baptist. “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John’s message was one of repentance. What does that word mean to you? I think even the youngest ones here know repentance is more than saying, “Sorry,” when you are forced to.
Luke quoted us from the prophet Isaiah who foretold John’s message of repentance. “A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. {5} Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. {6} And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Isaiah pictured repentance like a road building project. Now we just happened to have one of those in front of Jacobi this summer. Most of you got to see it happen in bits and pieces. Because of where we live my family and I got to see a lot of it. Actually it was kind of an interesting process. First they used a machine that scraped up and chewed up the old asphalt throwing it into a dump truck to be taken away. Then a machine came and pounded the concrete underlay, smashing the bad parts that were then scooped up and taken away. Then those low parts were filled in with good concrete and finally the overlay of asphalt making everything smooth and level for our cars.
That’s a good picture of what repentance is like for believers. First comes the machine of God’s law. When we actually listen to it and apply it to ourselves instead of other people, it scrapes away sins we have become calloused to, sins that are acceptable to society but not to God. Sins like trashing God’s name with the phrase “Oh my…” Sins like murdering others with hurtful words. Sins like drunkenness and underage drinking. Sins like neglecting God’s word and worship. When those are scraped away God’s law pounds away at the real problem, our rotten hearts filled with that dominant attitude of “It’s all about me. What’s in it for me. I only care if it affects me.” When believers experience this they scoop all that bad away with contrition, that attitude of sorrow, humility and shame over disappointing our God…again. Then in comes the Gospel, God’s good news that fills in our hearts with God’s love and forgiveness and puts on us the overlay of Jesus’ righteousness. It turns us into people who want to do their best, look their best, talk their best for Jesus.
That’s what repentance is and it does a body good! It gets us ready to celebrate Christmas. If there is one overriding emotion that is supposed to mark the Christmas season it is joy, right? Think of the carols! “Joy to the World.” “Now Sing we now Rejoice.” Even the secular carols, “Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la.” Do you have joy looking forward to and preparing for Christmas? If not, why not? When God sent John the Baptist his job was to prepare people to greet their Savior. His message to those people was repent, to prepare the way for the Savior through repentance. This takes place in the heart. What’s your heart set on this Christmas? Looking good? Best dressed? Impressing the neighbors with your display? Fulfilling your children’s wants? Getting what you want? Staying out of debt? That’s a lot of work and a lot of stress. Repent. Prepare the way for your Lord in your heart. Admit to your sinfulness then focus your eyes on your Savior. We can pass along all the e-mails we want about keeping Christ in Christmas and saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays but that’s awfully meaningless if we the people of God don’t actually keep Christ in Christmas. And that won’t happen unless Christ is in our hearts. Then the activities we choose to do or not do, the plans we make, the priorities we establish will declare that Christmas is about Christ. Repent. Admit to the many times you willing went down the path of sin. See that if God really treated you as your sins deserve you would be jobless, penniless, homeless, and hopeless. Then see why that’s not true. See why you have physical blessings and hope for every problem in life. A Savior was born. Christ the Lord. Repentance it does a body good. It gets us ready to celebrate true Christmas.
And it gets us ready to enjoy eternity. Eternity is why we have a Christmas. God could not bear the thought of people, His beloved Creation, separated from Him in Hell so He sent a Savior. The work of the Savior was not to fix all the problems on earth but to provide the way to heaven. Jesus did that with His perfect live and His sacrifice to pay for sin. He did that for everyone. Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior receive the blessing of forgiveness applied to them. Now maybe we see why the Devil works so hard to get consciences calloused. Now we see why he doesn’t want people aware of their sins. If I have no sins, I need no Savior. If sin can be explained away as normal and no big deal, if I can earn my presents by being nice, not naughty, why do I need a Savior? Of what importance is Jesus to me?
Brothers and sisters, when we start to let sins that are acceptable and no big deal to society become acceptable and no big deal to us we are playing into the Devil’s hands. We need aroused consciences that are painfully aware of sin so we constantly see our need for Jesus as Savior and value Him. Repentance. It does a body good. So repentance is ongoing, we teach ourselves the 10 Commandments and their meaning so we can see our sin and need for a Savior. That order for personal preparation for Communion is another way to help us see our need for a Savior. Then Jesus means everything to us. We see He is our only way to heaven. We are ready to enjoy eternity. For whoever believes will be saved.
In our Children’s lesson I asked the kids about some things that were important enough to do daily. You heard their answers. Now add to theirs, God’s. Repentance for it does a body good. Practice it daily and you will be ready to celebrate Christ with Christ as the focus. Practice it daily and you’ll always be ready for heaven. Amen.
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