October 18-20, 2014 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 21:28-32 “WHAT THE FATHER WANTS…” 1. Those who change their “yes” to “no?” 2. Those who change their “no” to “yes?” 3. You!

PENTECOST 19

October 18-20, 2014

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 21:28-32

“WHAT THE FATHER WANTS…”

1.     Those who change their “yes” to “no?”

2.     Those who change their “no” to “yes?”

3.     You!

Matthew 21:28-32 (NIV 1984) "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

          I’m pretty sure it comes from my sinful nature, this irritation I feel when people get ahead of me. I say that because of the times it happens. Like when I am driving down the interstate and traffic is tight and that lane darter is easing along side to gain that one spot in the pole position and instead of letting him in I just want to speed up and squeeze him out. I just don’t want him ahead of me. Or have you ever had it happen at the store when the lines are long and you spot the shortest one and just as you head there someone else does too? When that happens to me I just get this overwhelming urge to speed up and get there ahead of them—even if it’s a lady or someone older than me. I know foolish, childish, from the sinful nature. I wonder then how the chief priests and elders of the people felt when they heard these words from Jesus, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Those are hard words to hear. How did it happen? Let’s find out.

          Our text takes place during Holy Week. Jesus had triumphantly rode into Jerusalem to waving palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Do you remember how the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law reacted? They told Jesus to make the people stop. You can see, can’t you, how their sinful natures were being fed, jealousy rearing its ugly head? Now it is during Holy Week. Jesus knows He has come to Jerusalem to suffer and die, to face the pains of Hell for the sins of all. So what does He spend His time doing? He’s teaching in the Temple courts! Can we learn something here, people, about the importance of learning God’s word more and more, about making sure it gets taught? See your Savior’s priorities, what He spends His time on when time is short.

          As Jesus is teaching in come those chief priests, elders and teachers of the law again. This time they question Jesus’ authority to be teaching God’s word. Jesus told them he would answer their question if they would answer a question about John the Baptist. Where did he get baptism from? You get a little peek at what kind of people they were from their discussion of the question.  “They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'From men'--we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."  Weasels! But Jesus still loved them and so He said to them, "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 29 " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered.”

          The parable seems pretty obvious. When a father tells his son to do something what kind of a son does he want? Does he want one who says yes but changes later to a no? “Well of course not!” we all say. Children, you know that, right? If dad says, “Go clean your room!” and you smile and respond, “OK, I will,” but then go to your room plop on your bed and play games on your Gameboy for the next two hours I would expect it would not go well with you. But that is exactly what the chief priest, elders and the teachers of the law did to God. They read their Old Testament Bibles that proclaimed God’s holy laws, that pointed out again and again how God’s people failed to keep them and needed a Savior, that promised that the Savior, the Messiah would come and they said, “Yes, God, send that Messiah.” But they changed their Yes to a No. They changed the message of God’s word from you need a Savior to you can save yourself if you are good enough. They exchanged God’s way of saving them with their own. So Jesus said to them, “For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.” Not what the Father wants!

          How about the other son, the first one? Remember he was the one who said, “I will not go,” but later changed his mind and went. Again children think of things in your home. Dad is on his way out the door and says, “Clean your room before I get back from the store,” and since you are in the middle of a game on your Gameboy you say, "No” to his back as he goes out the door. Later you start to feel bad, guilty. So you clean your room before Dad gets back. Well that’s better right? Jesus pointed out that some of the tax collectors and prostitutes of His day were like that first son. They had said No to God when they chose to make money by stealing and fornicating. But John the Baptist called on them to repent, to own up to their sinful way of living. He told them to go to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And they did. That they could actually be forgiven by God amazed them and they left their sinful ways of living and followed and believed in Jesus as their Savior, Messiah, God’s way to save them. They had said No but changed to a Yes.

          Now when you read God’s word and there is a parable with 2 different people to identify with it kind of calls you to make a choice. Which son am I? Am I like the first son who lived a life apart from Jesus but now I know forgiveness and it has totally changed my life? Some here can say that. Well am I someone who has known God’s Word and my need for a Savior but now says well No I think I’m good enough to get to heaven on my own? I sure hope none of us can identify with that. I seriously doubt that describes any of us. Well where are we in this picture then? By God’s grace we are the third son that’s not talked about. How about a son who says yes and does yes? Isn’t that the kind of son a father wants? And that is us. You see this parable is not really about what we do. It’s about what we believe. Listen again to Jesus’ response to the chief priests and elders. "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

So the third son would be the one who believes that Jesus is the Savior, the way of righteousness, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and who keeps believing in Him life long. That’s how all our readings fit together. You can’t go to God and say but I used to believe. Nor does God come to you and say but you used to be an unbeliever. Today is important. Test yourself today. Believe in Jesus and you are saved. Only He is the way the truth and the life. Hold on to that truth as the pressure continues to mount in our nation. Satan batters at the walls of salvation only through Jesus.” Isn’t it enough to believe in some god and to try to be good? Maybe Jesus is one way of many ways to the Father and everyone finds their own path.” But that’s not true. And it’s not what the Father wants. Because what the Father really wants is you. He wants you with Him forever in heaven. He’s given Jesus for you. He’s brought you to faith and provided word and sacrament to keep you there because what the Father wants is you. Amen.

PENTECOST 13 September 6-8, 2014 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 15:21-28 “FAITH THAT DELIGHTS!” (Or “THE JOY OF BEING GOD’S DOG!”)

PENTECOST 13

September 6-8, 2014

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 15:21-28

“FAITH THAT DELIGHTS!”

(Or “THE JOY OF BEING GOD’S DOG!”)

Matthew 15:21-28 (NIV 1984) “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

          Her day began much like every other day, at least since the time the demon had entered her daughter. She was tired. It’s hard to sleep well when you’re always scared about what’s going to happen next. Her heart ached at what her daughter was going through. The demon would make her daughter hurt herself. She would act like an animal. Try to hold her down? Impossible when the demon was at work. Then her daughter had superhuman strength. The filthy things her sweet girl would say. What was going on these days? The older women of the village said it wasn’t always like this. A case of demon possession used to be rare if it even really happened at all. Now it seemed like every village had a case. It was as if the gates of Hell had opened and poured forth its hordes on the land and was going to war against something or someone. Something was different about these times. Some of her Jewish friends said it was because the Messiah had come.

          Messiah! Oh how nice that would be. Thanks to her loving Jewish neighbors she had come to believe in the LORD, the God who saves. Oh He was so much better than the idols her parents had told her to worship. Mean ugly looking things carved by the craftsmen in town. You always had to do something for them in the hopes they’d give you good crops and live births. Some in town had whispered that her daughter’s demon possession was because she had forsaken the Baals. But what she had heard about  Messiah was different and pulled at her heart. He loved and cared about His people. When He came He would make things right, they said. Could it really be true that the Messiah was here? There had been others who claimed to be Messiah but they were fakes. They just wanted to fight the Romans. The one they called Jesus was different. He talked about forgiveness of sins and acceptance by God. He said God was filled with mercy and loved His people. He had done miracles too. It’s true! He healed the paralyzed and blind. People were still talking about the food He had provided. Some said it was a trick but everyone there said for sure that he had just 5 loaves and bread and two small fish and there was enough for everyone with leftovers too. And demons. They said He had power over the demons. He told them to leave and they left. Would He heal her daughter? Some of the Jews in town had made it quite clear that when Messiah came He would only be for the Jews and no one else. But she had to try. What’s a mama to do when her child is hurting?

          One day the news came, excitement hit her town. Jesus was coming. He had crossed the Sea of Galilee and landed on the western shore. Word was the people there had brought their sick and Jesus had healed them all. Then some of the Jewish religious leaders had questioned Him and he was leaving that area and heading her way. This was her chance. No, her daughter’s chance. She had to try. There He was! "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."  Surely He would help! But the only answer was silence. Jesus didn’t say anything. Well, if at first you don’t succeed… So she called again and again. The men following Jesus weren’t very nice. You know what they said to Jesus? "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." How would they feel if their daughter was suffering, foaming at the mouth, spouting filth, throwing herself off buildings and into fires. Jesus did answer them but not what she wanted to hear. "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Still she had to try. "Lord, help me!" This time He did respond. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Now that didn’t sound very nice but it gave her just the opening she was looking for. "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” And then Jesus’s face lit up and he said, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

          Brothers and sisters, John told us at the end of His Gospel, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Not all miracles were recorded, not all healings of demon possession. So why this one? Yes, it shows us Jesus’ complete power over Satan and every evil. Yes, it shows us that Jesus is for every race, not just the Jews like the other readings also showed. What stands out here is this woman’s faith. While Jesus often had to address His disciples as ones of little faith, there are only two people that Jesus praised for great faith and this woman is one of them. This is written so we too will believe in Jesus and have great faith. You know, all she did was take Jesus at His word. Normally you call a woman a dog and she’s not going to take it so well but this woman gladly claimed dogship because it meant being Jesus’ dog. It is a commonly accepted practice that what falls from the table on to the floor is the domain of the dogs, even if it’s just crumbs. But when it’s a crumb from God great things happen. So this woman took Jesus at His word that she was a dog and she claimed what belonged to the dogs. She took Jesus at His word. That’s the kind of faith that delights our Lord and brings a smile to His face.

          And you and I can do this too. We can bring a smile to Jesus’ face when we take Him at His word. When you take your needs to Jesus remember Whom you are talking to. He is the Messiah, the Son of God. He does have all power. And He is filled with mercy. You can go to Him with your problems too and take Him at His word. No, this doesn’t mean you can tell Jesus what to do and He has to do it if you believe enough. He is not your dog to tell what to do. But we can be His dogs and get the powerful crumbs that fall from His table. Read those Gospels and find the words of Jesus that you can hold on to. Like “Come unto me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” I know we have some weary and burdened people. Some of us are weary of dealing with a family problem or marriage issues. Some are weary with the burden of debt and not enough money issues. Some of us are struggling with sins that are kind of addictive and the good we want to do we don’t do. Some of us are tired of the guilt hiding in our hearts. Some of us are weary and burdened because in His wisdom God has allowed us to battle cancer or care for an aged parent. Go to Jesus. Cling to Him. He has not promised to end every sin struggle or heal every disease or make every problem disappear. But what did He promise? Rest. We are God’s dogs so we get that. He has to give us rest because He said so and He loves it, it delights Him, when we hold Him to that. There are so many more. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” Jesus said to those worried about the needs of today, “and all these things will be added to you as well.” “This is my blood for the forgiveness of sins.” We can hold Him to that. When we or our loved ones are staring death in the face, we can remember the words of Jesus, “Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” That’s even better than a crumb from our Master’s table. And we can hold Him to that. And that kind of faith is delightful to our Lord. Oh the joy of being one of God’s dogs. Amen.

PENTECOST 10 August 16-18, 2014 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Romans 8:28-30 “ALL!”

PENTECOST 10

August 16-18, 2014

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Romans 8:28-30

“ALL!”

1.     God knows all.

2.     God plans all.

3.     God works all.

Romans 8:28-30 (NIV 1984) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

          In our the first reading today from 1 Kings God told King Solomon to ask for anything.  Just think, he could have asked for money or power, the ability to eat as much as he wanted without getting overweight. He could have asked for his team to always win the big games. But he didn’t. He asked for wisdom, that wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord. That was more valuable. Jesus in the Gospel reading told some parables to picture how valuable being part of the kingdom of heaven is. It’s so valuable that you give up everything you have for it. If you’ve been in worship with us the past few weeks you have heard sermons based on Romans chapter 8. Such a comforting portion of God’s Word to have bookmarked. It helps you understand why God’s spiritual blessings are so valuable.

          Today we continue going to that well for good news from God and it revolves around the little word “all.” You know there are some things God has created that are pretty small but very powerful. Think for instance of the ant. Did you know an ant can lift 100 times its own weight? That would be like a 200 pound man lifting 20,000 pounds. Or think of a little acorn that grows into the mighty oak. All is a little word in our language but it is very powerful when it comes from the mouth of God. Listen again to how it governs or rules our entire text. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” What great news for the children of God. God works all, knows all and plans all.

          “For those God foreknew.” This is talking about God knowing before the creation of the world those who would be His children and it reminds us of the overwhelming truth that God knows all. The technical term for that characteristic of God is omniscience. He knows everything. What do you think about that? On the one hand it’s kind of scary, isn’t it? God knows everything. You know those things you try to hide from your parents or maybe a spouse? God knows those sins. How about the thoughts we have and our motives, why we do and say the things we do and say. Yes, He knows that too. That’s not so nice to know. You can’t hide from God. On the other hand it’s really comforting that God knows everything. Have you ever had it happen that you are going through a tough time and some well-meaning soul talks to you and says, “I know just how you feel.” And you think, “you have no idea how I am feeling.” That’s true. But God does know and He cares and helps.

          When you put together the fact that God knows all and knows beforehand things like people it really highlights God’s grace. Those of you who play fantasy football will be drafting your teams soon. What kind of players do you go for? If you knew beforehand that a quarterback would be the league leader in interceptions or throw only half the touchdowns that he did the year before would you pick him? How about the running back that would have the most fumbles or the defense that would give up the most points? We wouldn’t pick them if we knew beforehand they would be like that. But God did. He knew beforehand all our sins, our fumbles, all the right things we would fail to do and He still picked us! What a wonderfully loving God we have. The God who knows all.

          And the God who plans all. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” One of the jobs I had working my way through college was for a construction company.  I remember seeing our foreman look at the blueprints the very first time. What a mess. Page after page of what looked like endless and meaningless impossible to understand drawings, numbers, notes. Didn’t make sense. After a while though he taught me what to look for and all those pages began to make sense. Paul lets us have a peek at God’s blueprints for our salvation. We have to remember that since we are untrained at salvation some of the plans might not seem to make sense to us. We know that since God knows all things He knew Adam and Eve were going to sin. He knew that going ahead with Creation meant the sacrifice of His Son. According to the plans God drew up before the Creation of the world then God predestined or predetermined to conform us to the likeness of Jesus. That means that we will be like Jesus in true holiness some day. Then as the plan gets revealed through time He called us to faith in His Son. Through faith in Jesus we are justified, that means declared innocent of our sins and granted citizenship in heaven. From God’s timeless perspective we are also glorified. Now that part of the blueprint hasn’t been unfolded for us to see yet but God already has it all planned.

          And that’s what gives us the comfort for whatever we face in this life. God works all. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” First of all understand brothers and sisters, that you are the ones Paul is talking about here. You have been called according to God’s purpose. Because of everything He has done for you from creating you, taking care of you, redeeming you through His Son Jesus Christ, you love God. You are those who love Him. And do you know what we know about those who love God? We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. There’s that little word “all” again. It’s a little word but it’s a powerful word. For what does all mean but all?

          All covers good health and sickness and diseases like cancer. All covers births in the family and deaths. All covers job offers, job promotions,  job rejections and layoffs. All covers where we live and where we go to school. All covers accidents. All covers storms and fires and floods. All covers good weather and bad. All covers even the evil that men do and the plots and traps of the Devil. All covers, well, all. And if ever you are having trouble believing this let your thoughts and attention return to the cross of Jesus Christ. Rewind and review what happened there. How could God let them do that to His Son? He could and did because in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. And what good God accomplished there, freeing us from our sin burden and all punishment and opening the way to real life, the glory that is to come. Oh what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needless pain we bear not only because we don’t remember to take everything to God in prayer but also because we in times of trouble we have a hard time believing God’s truth that in all things He is working for our good.

          I’m sure that all of us can look back at some difficult time or trouble or hardship we went through that was very difficult at the time but now we see a bit of God’s plan, the good He worked. That blueprint makes sense. There are I’m sure plenty of other times we look back and still don’t see or recognize the good God worked. But the measure of truth is not what you and I see or recognize. The measure of truth is what God says. And God has not given us this word for the purpose of  looking back but to give comfort for right now. What is it that causes your heart to ache, your mind to worry? Hear the word of the Lord. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. And all means all. Amen.