November 20, 2021 Christ The King Sunday

https://youtu.be/tWr3zCAma6k

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

 

The Truth Is...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

LAST JUDGMENT

November 6-8, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-3

 

“HAPPY JUDGMENT DAY!”

1.     A day when Jesus will be honored.

2.     A day when Jesus will honor you!

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

PENTECOST 22

October 23-25, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Romans 12:1-8 (EHV)

 

“WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ‘BODY’ LANGUAGE”

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

PENTECOST 19

October 2-4, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 9:38-48

 

“JESUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS…”

1.     About the horror of hell?

2.     About the happiness of heaven?

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sept. 11-10, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Acts 3:1-10 “WHAT I HAVE I WILL GIVE YOU!”

 

PENTECOST 14

Sept. 11-10, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Acts 3:1-10

 

“WHAT I HAVE I WILL GIVE YOU!”

 

Acts 3:1-10 (EHV) “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour^] an hour of prayer. ² A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation. ⁴ Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷ Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

 

          His day began like so many other days before had. His friends, good friends, faithful friends, stopped at his house and carried him to the Temple. They carefully placed him in position by the gate called Beautiful. It was the best spot for begging. His friends always wanted to do more but they only made enough to feed their own families. This was as much as they could do and he was grateful. Many people from many different places came to the Temple to pray so there was a steady stream of potential helpers. Over his life he had gotten used to the looks. Most of pity and compassion. Some of disgust. The hardest ones were when the children were with their parents. It was not their fault. They were curious and did not know any better. The finger point. The whispered response to the innocent question, “What happened to him?” By the body language and wide eyes he could tell when it was said. It had been repeated by the rabbis. “Either he or his parents sinned. That’s why he can’t walk. It’s judgment from God.” He hated that because all his thinking life he had asked the same question and came to the same conclusion. I’m not good enough for God to help. Now one of his friends had told him about a man named Jesus. Many said he was the Messiah. This Jesus taught that God was first and foremost merciful and compassionate and wanted sinners in heaven. That’s why Jesus had come. But the rabbis and teachers of the law said he was crazy and in league with the Devil. And then over Passover the Romans had put him to death. A glimmer of hope faded away.

          He looked up. Fresh meat approaching. Time to get ready for action. By their dress they looked like Galileans. Probably not much money there. But you know what they say, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” He went into action. “Eleison! Eleison!” Have mercy. Have mercy. They stopped. Good news! And then…and then… ^“Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷ Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.”

          Brothers and sisters, there is all kinds of neat stuff in the word of God but what I want you to really focus on is this phrase, “What I have I will give you.” First the Holy Spirit put our eyes on Peter and John who were just going about daily life. Then he introduces us to a man who is a beggar and knows he is a beggar but he thinks he knows what he needs but really doesn’t. He thinks what he needs is silver and gold. He thinks what he needs is to be able to walk. But what he really needs is Jesus as His Savior. And that’s exactly what he got. Now you might think that this lame man was just happy he could walk again but look at his response. Walking and jumping and praising God. Not Peter and John. No thanks to them. His relationship with God was restored in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s what Peter and John gave him and if you want to crack open those Bible in front of your or on your phone app and read the rest of the story you will see Peter and John using this healing miracle to point not only the onlookers at the Temple to Jesus but also the Jewish Sanhedrin, their ruling council. What I have I will give you.

          Where did that come from? Well Peter and John knew that they were beggars too. These are disciples of Jesus post Pentecost. That means the Holy Spirit matured them in a hurry. Peter so bold and brash and self confident who gets the dirty laundry of his threefold denial of Christ despite repeated warning splashed on the pages of Scripture. John, whose, early “what’s in it for me” is also clearly exposed. But you know what? I contend Peter and John are glad that’s all they got outed for. They have the same sinful hearts you and I have and if you don’t think that’s all that bad then imagine if God would miraculously display on these screens all your evil thoughts from the past week? Would you want to be here? I’d never show my face around here again! They were beggars before God. What could they offer Him? “Here Lord, this is what I bring to the table, choose me.” And God sees a pile of smelly sins. “No thank you. But I choose you anyway.” “Freely you have received. Freely give,” Jesus said. “What I have I will give you,” Peter and John said. They had Jesus and they gave Him.

          What I have I will give you. Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge that we too have been beggars before God. With what shall we buy His love? Our money? No, let’s offer Him our holy righteous living. Oh, not so good. How about this? At least I tried. Yuck. Not good enough. Nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy cross I cling. We were beggars before God entirely dependent on God’s mercy. Eleison. And God said, “Yes. I have had mercy on you and now I give you my Son Jesus. He is your Savior. You are now His sin and He is your righteousness and I give you the right to live and rule with me in heaven.” Do you see what that means? We are beggars no more. We are rich! “Freely you have received. Freely give,” said Jesus. “What I have I will give you,” said Peter and John.

          And so can you and I. Let’s go back to the beginning. “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour an hour of prayer.” What were Peter and John doing? Just going about their regular business. It was a time for prayer so they were going to pray. God put in their path someone they could give to. God’s way of working has not changed. He still wants all people to be saved. He still chooses to use His people to be a part of that work which means He has chosen you. When Jesus said “You will be my witnesses,” He was graciously speaking to all of us. Here at St Jacobi we are making a congregation wide emphasis to get us all actively involved in sharing Jesus. What I have I will give you. Our fall Bible Class series “One by One” will help open our eyes. And that’s really where it starts. With a prayer. Lord open my eyes to see the beggars you place before me. These beggars who are ready for Jesus will likely think they know what they need. To get over the loneliness of the death of a loved one. Cure from a disease. Fix a broken relationship. But what they really need is Jesus. You have Him. What I have I will give you. It’s that simple.

          There’s no Paul Harvey “the rest of the story” about this lame man who had been healed. We are not told that he joined Peter or John on any missionary journeys or went himself anywhere special. He may have. Or more likely he stayed in Jerusalem, lived a normal life, but realized he had as supernormal purpose. Keep his eyes open for more beggars to share Jesus with. Freely he had received Jesus. Freely he would give Jesus. Keep your eyes open, brothers and sisters, and when the Lord provides your opportunity remember, “What I have I will give you.” Then give ‘em Jesus. Amen.

August 21-23, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV 1984) “LIVING THE WISE LIFE!”

 

PENTECOST 13

August 21-23, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV 1984)

 

“LIVING THE WISE LIFE!”

1.     Means realizing there is a foolish life.

2.     Means prioritizing God’s words.

 

5:15-20 (NIV 1984) “Be very careful, then how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ⁷Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

          You’ve heard the phrases. Ask someone how things are going and they may reply, “I’m living the dream!” and their Fakebook account might make you believe it because they seem to forget to post about the normal and unpleasant things in life. Here in the Milwaukee area we know about living the High Life, right? You know what you don’t seem to hear from anybody? Living the wise life. Unless of course you are reading your Bible. Then it comes out clearly, over and over again. God’s appeal to His people to live the wise life. You heard it in what God wrote in Proverbs where Wisdom was personified sending an open invitation to partake of God’s wisdom. So today let’s dig into God’s Word to see what the wise life looks like and why it is so important.

          Living the wise life first of all means recognizing there is a foolish life and we don’t want any part of it. “Be very careful.” I want you to think for a moment. What kind of people in your life have urged you to be careful? Well moms say that a lot to their children, right? “Be careful. It’s hot. Don’t burn your tongue.”  Parents say that when their kids go driving. “Be careful! There’s a lot of crazy drivers out there.” One of the TV shows I liked watching when I was a little younger than I am now was Hill Street Blues. Remember it? Another good police show. That reminds me. We need to pray for our law enforcement people and their families. Their service to us has them facing all kinds of dangers. On that show Sgt. Phil Esterhaus would always say to the officers about to leave roll call, “Let’s be careful out there.”

          Those who urge you to be careful are ones who know there is a danger and care about you deeply. “Be very careful,” Paul wrote. Only remember this is the Holy Spirit of God speaking through the Apostle Paul first to the Christians at Ephesus and then to every other Christian who reads it until Jesus returns. God loves you. He knows there are dangers for believers. The danger of the foolish life. “Be very careful, then how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ⁷Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” We are people much like the brothers and sisters in the church at Ephesus. The Holy Spirit has worked in our lives through the Gospel message in word and Sacrament. We know and believe that the words of Scripture our true. We know Jesus is our Savior. Why the warning for them and us to be careful? The days are evil. No one has to convince us of that. Naturally we think of the evil of the Taliban, the evil of the senseless violence on our cities, the death by drag racing, the rise of carjackings and window smashing. Abortion and same sex marriage have been a part of our lives so long we may not even register that evil. But the worse kind is what the Ephesians had to face and now we are. Living among people who have many gods and want you to believe there are many ways to heaven. People who want you to exchange the wise life for the foolish one.

          Understand what the Lord’s will is. He wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. What truth? The one you already know “For God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” It goes on “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” The wise life holds dearly to that truth and will of God.

          The foolish does not. You heard in Psalm 1. Only two paths. Righteous through faith in Jesus. Unrighteous and wicked any other way. No in between. Living the wise life means recognizing the only other option is foolishness. Saying there is no god. Rejecting Jesus as the only Savior. Unlike the Ephesian believers many of us have not had to come to grips with the fact that loved ones were rejecting Jesus and following other gods. If God Himself does not change the course of America I believe every one of us will. And then the temptation to compromise comes. Be very careful how you live. Understand the Lord’s will, then stand under it. Accept it. And realize that to throw away God’s revealed truth is to throw away your salvation. Living the wise life means realizing there is a foolish life and we want nothing to do with it.

          Living the wise life is also marked by an obvious prioritizing of God’s Word. “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Apparently Wisconsin is not the only place that has a fascination with alcohol use and abuse. Ephesus did too. Living the wise life could be summarized with ‘Don’t be filled with spirits but rather the Spirit.” Too much of the spirits of wine or beer or other alcoholic beverages and your inhibitions are lowered. You do sinful things you wouldn’t normally do. Debauchery.

          Instead be filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit protects your faith. The Holy Spirit builds up your faith. The Holy Spirit gives you strength to resist sin. The Holy Spirit enables you to live the wise life, the godly life. Be filled with the Spirit. How does that happen? Psalms. Hymns. Spiritual songs. What do they all have in common? If they are any good they proclaim the word of the Lord. That’s how the Holy Spirit fills us. Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Speak to one another. Here we see the importance of getting together in person if possible. You can’t speak to each other and encourage each other when you are sitting by yourself at home. But you can when you are together at church! You might like the sound of your voice better when you are singing in the shower or in the car but you can’t sing and make music that will benefit others when you are by yourself.

          So I guess we could say living the wise life is really living a worshipful life, a life that worships God individually and together with others. Which brings me back to a memorable phrase from this part of God’s Word. Make the most of every opportunity. Literally in the Greek of the New Testament it says, “redeem the time.” Not only is it true that time is money it’s also true the time is like money. You only get so much and you have to be wise in how you spend it. What does your time budget look like? What’s set aside for the Spirit filled word? Kids, I know it’s fun to play video games and if you enjoy playing a sport that’s great and you can try to be the best at it you can be but be careful. In the end the fact that you missed a free throw or a spike or serve won’t have any impact on your faith and ability to live the wise life. Missing time with God’s word will. Make the most of every opportunity. Do you have a devotional life? Can you schedule some get together times. All kinds are coming up with the restart of Kids’ Club and armory. All our different Bible classes and ways to make music. It’s part of the wise life.

And the wise life is what we want to be living. Those who say they are living the dream upon further review are being deceptive. They are not owning up to their nightmares. Living the high life. Well depending on how you understand that, not so good. The wise life is what God chose us for. The wise life is what we are born for at our Baptism. The wise life keeps us connected to Jesus. The wise life leads to heaven and right now you are living it. So let’s be careful out there! Amen.

July 17-19, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Ephesians 4:1-6 “UNITED WE STAND!”

 

PENTECOST 8

July 17-19, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Ephesians 4:1-6

 

“UNITED WE STAND!”

1.     United on Christ we stand.

2.     United for Christ we stand.

 

Ephesians 4:1-6 (EHV) “As a prisoner in the Lord, therefore, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. ² Live with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in the one hope of your calling. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.”

 

          I have a question for you. What do Julius Caesar, Napoleon and Satan have in common? Give up? They are all regarded as master tacticians who have successfully employed a military tactic known as Divide and Conquer. You divide your enemy’s forces and then you can take them out little by little. We need to know this because we are enemies of Satan. He hates us. He hates us because we have faith in Jesus and we have every intention of holding on to that faith and sharing it with others so more and more in this Greenfield area and beyond will believe in Jesus and be saved. Since he hates us and we are his enemies what do you suppose he is going to try to do? Divide us. This is nothing new. As Solomon once said, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and so if you want to look at how Satan will try to attack our church just read through the New Testament letters to the churches and you will see. Take Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the believers in the church at the city of Ephesus. What did he say? “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Why would he need to say that? Satan had been busy dividing. So let’s look together at this word of God so we don’t fall into Satan’s trap and so that United We Stand.

          United on Christ we stand. There are all kinds of things that can separate and divide people. Back in the early church times whether you were a Jew or a Gentile threatened to divide congregations. Economic status, whether you were rich or poor or whether you were a free citizen or a slave threatened to divide congregations. Whether you were male or female caused divisions. In our time we have seen many others. Cultures: the language you speak or skin tone. King James version of the Bible or NIV. Traditional Lord’s Prayer or modern. New hymnal or old. Will we do that again? More recently strong feelings on political issues or politicians has been doing that. How you handled or what you thought of Covid has done that. You know recently I learned one of our new teachers is an ardent Bears fan. Talk about a divider! But seriously, those other ones are serious. Hard feelings can separate. Then we’re divided. Then we are not working together. Then Satan wins.

          And we haven’t talked about our worst divider, our sinful natures. Nothing new under the sun. Listen to what Pastor Luther wrote to people in his day. “Learn here to see your neighbor as a lost sheep, to cover his shame with your honor and to let your sanctity be a cover for his sins. But now, when people come together they hack one another to pieces to prove how fiercely they fight against sin.” He’s talking about how easy we find it to find fault with each other and overlook our own faults. Talking badly about each other instead of defending and building each other up divides.

          Now how can we possibly stand against all these tricks of Satan? Christ. United on Christ we stand. “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in the one hope of your calling. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.” By virtue of our one Baptism into Christ we have been given the unity of the Spirit. We have the same Father in heaven. We believe the same faith. We share the same sure hope for heaven. We have received to unity of the Spirit. We don’t have to work to get it. It’s there. We just need to maintain it. That happens when as we remember it really don’t matter who we cheer for or against, what music we like or don’t, how we think the country or health matters should be handled. What matters is we are family, brothers and sisters in Christ. Our common faith unites us. And we need each other.

 

          Watch this little video prepared by our synod.

 

          We need each other. So love for Christ moves us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. ² Live with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love.”  That word patience used to be translated “long suffering.” It reminds us that it’s not always easy to get along. You have to work, forgive, put up with each other… like Jesus does with us. And that’s why we can do the same for each other. Can I really not forgive when I’ve been forgiven so much by Christ? Can I really not put up with the things that bother me about my fellow members when Christ is constantly putting up with me? United on Christ we stand.

          It’s important that we do because we have a most important mission. United for Christ we stand. In our world, in our country, in our community our Lord Jesus has chosen us to be His representatives and His ambassadors. Like Paul and the Ephesian Christians were. Look again how Paul started. “As a prisoner in the Lord.” Why was Paul in prison? Oh yeah, that’s right. Satan hates those who are loyal to Christ. He knows what that message can do. But he couldn’t stop the message, could he? He thought he had Paul sidelined but instead together with the Ephesian the message kept spreading. They were united for Christ.

          So are we. I know it gets a little frustrating to hear the anti Christian rhetoric. Those of you who watch politics know about the Equality Act passed by the House of Representatives that if it becomes law would place serious restrictions on our ability to preach and teach the Word of God faithfully. This should not surprise us. Satan hates those who are loyal to Christ. But Christ is bigger than Satan and united for Christ we stand. Look at what He has done for us, our facilities, the workers he has given us. We have increased enrollment in preschool and school. He has perfectly positioned us to keep teaching His truth and be his witnesses. If we are going to do that and continue to do that we need each other. There is strength in numbers. Every single prayer matters. And so does 1200 going up together. Every single offering matters. And so do 1200 put together. Each one of us needs to stand up for Jesus. 1200 together side by side, shoulder to shoulder, makes it easier. We are God’s gifts to each other. United for Christ we stand.

There is this one phrase Paul used that keeps bouncing around in my head. “Make every effort.” Make every effort. I have to ask myself and I have to ask you, “Am I making every effort? Are you making every effort?” We need to be together. We need to know each other well. We need to be a united laugh together, cry together, work together, play together family so more and more will want to be a part of us. We need to be together to encourage each other. Make every effort.

          United we stand. On Christ. For Christ. United we stand. I think you all know how that phrase goes on. Divided we fall. Satan knows that too probably better than Julius Caesar and Napoleon did. But we know it as well. And we have Jesus. And you know what always happens when Jesus and Satan fight? Jesus wins! Amen.