March 23, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 22:66 “THE SEMBLANCE OF LEGALITY”

 

MIDWEEK LENT 4

March 23, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 22:66

 

“THE SEMBLANCE OF LEGALITY”

 

          We are continuing to look at crucial hours in the Passion history of our Lord. Those crucial hours are times when it appears God’s plan of salvation hangs in the balance. Things could go one way or another. Today we look at a time when there was a semblance of legality. Synonyms for semblance are an appearance, an impression or a veneer. I think you get the idea. When you say something has semblance it looks like it, but it really isn’t. Here is what happened.

 

Luke 22:66 “As soon as it was day, the council of the elders of the people met together, both the chief priests and experts in the law. They brought him into their Sanhedrin.” 

 

At first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything special here. The sun has risen on the day we call Good Friday. The chief priests and experts of the law brought Jesus before the Sanhedrin, the full Jewish religious ruling council, to put Him on trial. To get a better understanding we need to know what happened under the cover of darkness before this. Jesus’ real trial. That was the one where they looked for evidence that Jesus had done something deserving the death penalty. But they couldn’t find any. That was the one where they brought witnesses to testify against Jesus, but no two of them could agree. That was the one where the frustrated High Priest finally asked Jesus if He was the Messiah to which Jesus honestly answered, “I AM.” That’s when they condemned Jesus to death, spit on Him, blindfolded Him, slapped Him and hit Him.

          So what’s up with this second trial? Ah, the semblance of legality. You see, it was illegal for the Sanhedrin to meet at night. Everything was supposed to be done decently and in order. Everything was supposed to be done out in the open. The first trial was illegal. To make it look like their decision was legal as soon as it was day they met together again. I think you can see what was going on here. A cover up. They were trying to cover their bases, cover their tracks, cover everything else you try to cover, when you know you are doing wrong. They would make it look like they had done it right. A semblance, an impression, a veneer of legality when it was not!

          Wasn’t that just awful what they did? Doing wrong and trying to cover it up? Yes it was. Just like it is awful when we do the same and we do the same, don’t we? We try to cover up our sin. Students, when you don’t have your work done and you say, “I left it home. I forgot. I did it. I don’t know where it is.” Surely nobody really says, “The dog ate it,” do they? Sometimes it is true that we forget something at home but it isn’t always. Every lie that comes out of our mouth is an attempt to cover up our sin. Why do you use social media apps that don’t keep a record of what you sent? Are you trying to hide something? Cover it up? Is there some reason you are clearing your browsing history all the time? Deleting text message conversations? It’s really quite simple. If you have to hide it, you already know it’s wrong. That’s why you’re trying to cover it up.

          But you can’t. All our efforts to cover up sin don’t work, anymore than the bums who presided over Jesus’ fake trial had it work. Their illegality is written down in the book that has the most reads ever! God knew. Just like He knows with your lies and truth shading, your snapchats, instagrams, tiktoks and deletes. The sin is there despite the semblance of legality. You can’t cover up your sin. And if you become like the chief priests and experts in the law and reject Jesus as your Savior all your cover ups will be exposed on the last day of Judgment.

          That would be a shame because while all our efforts to cover up our sins don’t work Jesus’ efforts did! That’s why Jesus let Himself be put on trial—twice! It started with the first cover up. Remember what Adam and Eve did when they first sinned? They sewed fig leaves together to try to cover themselves up when for the first time in their lives they felt shame. Then they tried to cover up their sin by hiding from God when He came to them in the garden. Then they tried to cover up their personal guilt by playing the blame game. But, more importantly, do you remember what God did? He swooped in and promised a Savior who would cover sin for good.

          Jesus is that Savior. But to be our Savior He would have to perfectly obey, have no sins of his own to cover up, and then let Himself be sacrificed on the cross where He would be covered with the sins of the whole world. So Jesus let the first illegal trial go on without protesting, filing a lawsuit or appealing to the Supreme Court. He did not ask Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea to call their leaders to account. He did not hire some fancy lawyer to argue his case, “If the trial’s at night, it ain’t right!” He calmly endured the first trial and the next. As a sheep before her shearers is silent, He did not open His mouth. He had work to do. A cover up. And so another crucial hour passed as Jesus walked to the cross. Another opportunity for Jesus to end His upcoming suffering but He didn’t. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He loves you that much. And when your own crucial hour comes and you stand before God to face judgment you will have no sin. Jesus has covered them up, not with a semblance of legality but by doing things the right way, by the Book.

          And that has changed things for us.  Now instead of trying to cover our sins by lying and hiding we learn to confess them and God forgives. Instead of trying to have a semblance or veneer of Christianity about us where we outwardly do the right things we can practice true Christianity where Jesus’ love for us motivates our love for each other, where Jesus’ forgiveness of us moves us to forgive each other and where our daily living is not done to please the letter of the law but to follow the law of love. After all we get to love, because He first loved us. Amen.

 

 

March 12-14, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 13:31-35 “YOU CAN’T STOP JESUS!”

 

LENT 2

March 12-14, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 13:31-35

 

“YOU CAN’T STOP JESUS!”

1.     From loving you to death.

2.     From wanting to keep you close.

 

Luke 13:31-35 EHV ^“In that very hour, some Pharisees came to him and said, “Leave, and go away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.” ³² He said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I am going to drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. ³³ Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it cannot be that a prophet would be killed outside Jerusalem!’ ³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you will say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

 

          There are some things you just can’t stop. They are too big and too powerful for you. Some of you may, for instance, take a vacation to a warmer area for Spring or Easter break. If that area includes the ocean, go into it and just try to stop the waves from rolling in. When one knocks you over and pummels you in the surf you will understand how powerless you are. You can’t stop the waves. Or take the wind. Go ahead, just try to stop it from blowing. You can stand against it and build buildings to withstand it, hopefully. But anybody who has had personal property destroyed by a tornado will tell you there is nothing you can do to stop that wind. It is too powerful. As powerful as wind and waves are there is one who is more powerful, the most powerful, one whom wind and wave obey, one whose great love you just can’t stop. Jesus!

          We see that unstoppable love of Jesus on display in our Gospel lesson today. It’s the last year of Jesus’ public ministry. It’s known as the Year of Opposition because the Pharisees, chief priests and teachers of the law have had enough. They were losing their popularity and prominence with the people as Jesus showed them trusting God, not keeping outward laws, was the way to heaven. They want Jesus out of the way. But Jesus has a job to do. And you know what? You can’t stop Jesus!

          You can’t stop Jesus from loving you to death. ^“In that very hour, some Pharisees came to him and said, “Leave, and go away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.” Did you see that? You can’t stop Jesus. Oh yes, the Pharisees tried. Jesus was in an area called Perea, doing what Jesus did. Teaching the truth. The truth that all must repent and believe in Him as Savior. Herod was the ruler of that area. Now exactly why the Pharisees wanted Jesus out of there we don’t know. Could have been their own personal jealousy. Could have been they wanted to push him to where they thought they had more power. And it is in fact possible that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. He had John the Baptist beheaded. But let’s focus instead on the love of Jesus. You can’t stop it. You can’t stop Him from loving you to death.

          “He said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I am going to drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. ³³ Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it cannot be that a prophet would be killed outside Jerusalem!” Jesus words make it clear who is in control and who is not. Herod was not. The Pharisees were not. Jesus is. He determined his course of action and that course of action was to go to Jerusalem. Why? So he could die.

          Many people rightly declare their love to others. Children tell their parents I love you and parents tell their children the same. Husbands proclaim love to wives and wives to husbands and who here hasn’t seen a romcom parody of starstruck lovers declaring, “I love you. I love you more. I love the most!” Gag. You want to prove you love me? Die for me when I need you to. The Bible declares, “Very rarely will someone die for a righteous person though for a good person someone might dare to die.” We know that. If a mother had to die to save her own child she will do it. Most will do it. But they won’t die for someone else’s child. Those who serve us in the military and law enforcement are prepared to die in carrying out their duty. That is noble. But it’s not something any wants to do or plans to do. Except Jesus. You can’t stop Him from loving you to death. That scripture I quoted before goes on to say, “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

          We needed him to. Sin made that necessary. If Jesus does not die we all die eternally. We all get separated from God and His love forever. So Jesus loved us to death. You can’t stop Him. Pharisees couldn’t. Herod couldn’t. You can’t. To which of you did Jesus even give to the choice? Who here was asked by Jesus if you wanted his love, his sacrifice? No one. This was all Jesus. You can’t stop Him. While supposedly neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stop the US mail, plenty of things do. But nothing stops Jesus. Neither sin nor Satan nor scheme of man. He loves you to death. You can’t stop that.

          And you can’t stop Jesus from wanting to keep you close to Him. Jesus went on to say, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her!”  Here we get a peek a Jesus’ Savior heart and it’s a big one. His heart breaks for the people of Jerusalem. He describes them as the ones that kill the prophets and other messengers God sent to them. And what did He want for such people? Justice? Punishment? Payback? No. To keep them close to Him. “How often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Jesus knows He is their only hope for salvation so He wants those people close to Him. History records all the things God did to try to get His straying people to come back. He allowed enemies to harass. Plagues to decimate. Drought to cause famine, all so that the people would return to him. All because He wanted them close.

          Just like Jesus wants to keep you close and you can’t stop that. I know, I know, deep down we all really would like to have the easy life. We want everyone to like us. We want to get every job we apply for, every raise we think we deserve. We want to excel and win at everything we do and every prayer for everything we want answered with a Yes. We want only good health and only good things for ourselves and our kids. It’s not going to happen. Jesus loves you too much to do that to you. He wants to keep you close. And we all know it. It’s the hard things of life that keep us closest to our Lord. It’s guilt and shame over sin that get us running to Jesus. It’s disappointment that makes us exercise our faith. It’s the out of control that has us running to Him for help. Jesus allows those things that keep us close to him because you can’t stop Jesus from wanting you close. If we could do it perfectly we would learn to curse the good times and rejoice in the hard times because Jesus wants us close to him. You can’t stop him.

          Nor would you want to, but you can. You can’t stop Jesus, but you can stop yourself. You can stop yourself from loving Jesus in return. You can stop yourself from valuing His sacrifice. You can stop yourself from going close when Jesus pulls you closer. What did Jesus say to Jerusalem? These five chilling words, “But you were not willing.” The only worse words I can think of to hear from Jesus are the final words he will say to the unbelievers on Judgment Day, “Depart from you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” But you were not willing. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. That’s who Jesus said those word to. Not to you. Not to me. Yet.

          Brothers and sisters, let’s make that never. Jesus loves us to death. He works daily in our lives to keep us close. Let’s just stay close. Run to Him with your hurts and your problems. Run to him when you’ve fallen into sin. Look forward to dining with Him in the Lord’s Supper when appropriate. Devote yourselves to His words daily. Then look forward to that day when Jesus will say, “O Jacobi, Jacobi, I couldn’t stop loving you. How happy I was to have you clinging tightly to me. Come and join your Master’s happiness.” Amen.

 

March 2, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 26:18 ESV “I WILL KEEP THE PASSOVER!”

 

ASH WEDNESDAY

March 2, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 26:18 ESV

 

“I WILL KEEP THE PASSOVER!”

 

          This year’s midweek Lenten worship is following the theme “The Crucial Hours.” Crucial comes from the Latin word crux which means cross. Something that is crucial then is something that is necessary or critical to what comes next. You are at a crossroads and everything else depends on what happens now. Today’s crucial hour comes from a bold and decisive statement Jesus made in Matthew 26:18 “I will keep the Passover.”

          At first glance that might not seem to be a crucial statement or decision. When Jesus said it, it was the day appointed to celebrate the Passover Feast so why wouldn’t Jesus do that? Every Jew did that every year. OK, it was not every Jew who kept the Passover and there were plenty of years that the people missed. There were years that nobody celebrated the Passover. Nobody kept it. But Jesus did. Always. Why is that important?

          The Passover was one of the required worship feasts in the Old Testament ceremonial law. It commemorated the time God rescued the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. In the 10^th and final of the horrible plagues God sent on Egypt the firstborn male in every household in the land of Egypt died unless the blood of a sacrificed lamb was smeared on the doorframe of their house. When the angel God sent to kill all the firstborn males saw that blood of the lamb, he passed over that house. No one died. Celebrating the Passover gave every Jewish family the chance to look back and remember what God had done for them.

          But the Passover was more than a look back meal. It was a look ahead meal too. God filled it with pictures of what the promised Savior would do. Bitter herbs pictured the bitterness of sin. After the lamb was served at the meal sweet came, picturing the joy of heaven. And then of course there is the Lamb itself that is crucial to the Passover. Everything before the Lamb is bitter, sad, reminding of slavery. Everything after the Lamb is happy and joyful. But in order to get to the happy and joyful you have to have the lamb, the perfect lamb, the sacrificed lamb. Because we have the benefit of New Testament glasses it is easy for us to see how the lamb of the Passover pictured Jesus. Without Jesus all you have is the bitterness of sin. With Jesus the sweetness of heaven. All of that contained in the Passover meal.

          That’s what Jesus would celebrate. He would keep the Passover, again. As he had each year before this as required by God’s law. He needed to do that so he could really keep what the Passover pictured. For that Jesus needed to be perfect and perfectly obey all of God’s commands. Most of the time wouldn’t cut it. Only when it was convenient would not do it either. He had to be better than us.

          You know how it goes with us as we strive to keep God’s commandments. I will keep the 2^nd Commandment and keep God’s name holy, unless I’m surprised or hurt then out comes “Oh my…!” and we blatantly break the commandment instead of keeping it. I’ll keep that 3^rd Commandment and put worship of God first, as long it fits into my schedule. As long as the kids don’t have activities, as long as I’m not tired, as long as…but I’ll keep it another day.  I’ll keep that 5^th Commandment, at least outwardly by not murdering anyone but man is it fun to be mean and make fun of my classmates, my brother or sister, my teacher or parents. You know I guess we don’t really keep any of those commandments. It’s just we don’t break some as badly as others.

          But Jesus did keep all of those commandments and many more. All of the ones required of any Jewish man at His time and He kept them perfectly. Why? So He could be the perfect Lamb that the Passover pictured. So that John the Baptist could point to Jesus and honestly say, “Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” So that when it comes time for people to be punished for their breaking of God’s commandments God can pass over us and not hand down the guilty verdict we deserve and the punishment that goes with it. For that to happen Jesus had to keep this final Passover.

          And so this is what happened. “On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will KEEP the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the Passover.” That’s what makes this a crucial hour. Jesus know His time to suffer and die was near. Jesus knew his time to suffer hell was near. If anybody had a legitimate reason to say, “I’m too busy or too tired to worship,” it was Jesus. If anybody could ever legitimately say I’m too busy it is Jesus on Maundy Thursday. But it is crucial that He keep it. So you hear his resolve. ‘My time is near. I will KEEP the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” And keep it He did, and more. He used that time to comfort and teach his disciples. He used it to pray for them and all believers. He used it to provide a replacement meal that doesn’t just picture Jesus, it is Jesus as He gives us His true body and blood to prove to us again He has forgiven our sins. Thank you Jesus!

          Thank you Jesus for keeping the Passover. Thank you for coming to this crucial hour and thinking of us. We have more crucial hours to look at this Lenten season. Let’s keep the Lenten worship as our way to thank him.      Amen.

February 12-14, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 EHV “GOD IS GOOD!”

 

EPIPHANY 6

February 12-14, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 EHV

 

“GOD IS GOOD!”

1.     Watching our welfare.

2.     So we can welcome our weaknesses.

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (EHV) “Therefore, to keep me from becoming arrogant due to the extraordinary nature of these revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I would not become arrogant. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he would take it away from me. ⁹ And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me. ¹⁰ That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong.”

 

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up.  The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life and remarking,  "This is good!" If the sun was shining he would say, “This is good!” If it started to rain he would say, “This is good!” When they went fishing together and caught loads of fish he would say, “This is good!” When they went fishing together and got skunked he would still say, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition.  The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king.  The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and in his anger sent his friend to jail.

          About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of.  Cannibalistic tribes were known to be active. Sure enough some cannibals captured him and took them to their village.  They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.  As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb.  Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole.  So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, the king was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt awful for his treatment of his friend.  He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.  "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off."  And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.  "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this." "No," his friend replied,  "This is good!" "What do you mean, 'This is good?' How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" The king said. To which the friend replied, "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you. This is good!"

Now that cute little story might sound a little simplistic but did you know that you have the right to live that way? To look all things but especially at the hard and difficult things in life as blessings? You do. Not because you can simplistically say, “This is good!” but because you can truthfully say, “God is good!” Let’s see how that played out in the life of the Apostle Paul.

          “Therefore, to keep me from becoming arrogant due to the extraordinary nature of these revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I would not become arrogant.”  Paul mentions some revelations. He was in some way given a true taste of heaven, seeing things only perfect people get see and hearing things you only get to know in heaven. Must have been awesome! Danger Apostle Paul. What danger? He told us. Conceit. Arrogance. Arrogance is a way our sinful nature’s show themselves and if left unchecked leads to declaring independence from God. Paul’s salvation was at stake.

          But God was watching his welfare. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he would take it away from me. ⁹ And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul had what he called a thorn in his flesh. People have speculated what it was. Was it a severe painful condition like relentless headaches, crippling arthritis, something affecting his eyesight? Was it, as our own Pastor Eckert suggests, a more painful one, the inability to forget what he had done as a persecutor, ripping Christian parents from their children, imprisoning them leading to their deaths? Whatever it was, it was no fun, did not seem good so much so that besides regular praying Paul made 3 special, earnest, agonizing appeals to God to take it away. And God said? NO. Why? He was watching out for Paul’s welfare, what was best for him to get him to heaven.

          Just as he does for you! Brothers and sisters, just as God deliberately chose Paul to be his apostle, He has chosen you. He made you His own at your Baptism. He is committed to seeing you with Him in heaven and watches over your welfare. Got some issue in life? Some thorn in the flesh you have asked Him to take care of? Something you have pleaded with God to take away? And He said NO? This is good because God is good! He is watching over your welfare with the single-minded goal of having you with Him eternally.

          That’s a game changer. It allows us to welcome our weaknesses as Paul did. “Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me. ¹⁰ That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong.” Did you catch the attitude shift here? Paul went from pleading, pleading, for his weakness to be taken away, to boasting about it. The weakness remained the same, the outlook, the attitude changed. Why? Paul was given good news by God. Realizing he had weaknesses was a good thing because God is good. Now Paul relied on Christ’s power to shelter him instead of his own. Now Paul remembered to be God dependent not self-dependent. Now Paul was using God’s power instead of his own. So he welcomed his weaknesses.

          Because you have the same God as Paul you can too! God is good so if He allows a weakness, a difficulty, a hardship to continue in your life for a period of time or your entire earthly life know this. It is best for you to have it to keep you in faith. So welcome it.

          So what is it for you? What’s the blessing in disguise you have been wishing away? What’s your thorn in the flesh? For some it may be physical. For you senior saints it can be that failing health. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard our members who can’t physically come to church any more lament that thorn as a messenger from Satan. They just want to be in their church with their fellow believers. Yours might be some other physical difficulty with eye sight or hearing or… Maybe your thorn is a real or perceived lack of something like friends, some ability or money. Sometimes our thorns in the flesh walk and talk, people in our lives. Maybe people close to us, a family member or a spouse. And you just wish they would change but they don’t. I’m asking you to take a step of faith and welcome those weaknesses, difficulties and thorns instead of wishing them away. In so doing you tell God you trust His judgment more than your own. In so doing you are relying on the power of Christ to shelter you.

          There is another thorn we all have, our sin. Do you have one that you agonize over? One that makes you feel shame? One that no matter how hard you try to get rid of, you can’t? Some sinful desires that lead you to sinful actions again and again? As odd as this sounds, you may have to welcome it. That doesn’t mean justifying or excusing sin or saying sin is not sin. God can stop sin and if its presence in your life causes continual struggle it may be God is leaving it so you don’t become conceited. So you will rely on Christ’s power to shelter you and make you right with God, not your own. To humble you to bear with the sins of people around you. God is good. So if you are praying and struggling and still it’s there. His grace is sufficient for you. Grace. God’s undeserved love. The love He gives to those who are not perfect, who are unworthy, and don’t deserve it. Pretty good description of us, isn’t it? No worries. God is good. He’ll keep us. Amen.

January 29-31, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10 “OH YES WE CAN!”

 

EPIPHANY 4

January 29-31, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10

 

“OH YES WE CAN!”

1.     God has chosen us.

2.     God is with us.

3.     We have God’s words.

 

Jeremiah 1:4-10 (EHV) “The word of the Lord came to me. ⁵ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations. ⁶ But I said, “Ah, Lord God! I really do not know how to speak! I am only a child!” ⁷ The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the Lord.” ⁹ Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me: There! I have now placed my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ Look, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

         

          The words of God we are looking at come from the book of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. His call was to serve as God’s spokesman in the 40 years leading up to what’s known as the Babylonian Captivity. This was the time when for 70 years or so the nation of Judah and the believers in them were conquered and carried away to Babylon. God gave him a tough job to do. From the time God called him he would continually share the “good news” that the nation was doomed, that the nation needed to repent. God even told Jeremiah what the result would be. The people won’t listen. Jeremiah is no dummy. He knows the lay of the land. His message would be unpopular. That meant he would be unpopular. So unpopular that Jeremiah would have his life threatened. He would be put in prison. He would be branded a traitor. Can you blame him for wanting a way out? “But I said, “Ah, Lord God! I really do not know how to speak! I am only a child!” I can’t do it Lord. The job is too tough.

          “Oh, yes you can!” was God’s response. But it was not an empty response. It wasn’t just “Wah, wah, get over it baby.” It was an empowering response because of what God revealed. First that God had chosen him. “The word of the Lord came to me. ⁵ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” Even before Jeremiah was Jeremiah the Lord had chosen him. He formed him in his mother’s womb to be a prophet, a spokesman for God. Just as an aside, last week in the prayers Vicar reminded us of the awful anniversary of Roe V Wade. God’s word is clear. People are people in the womb. Jeremiah was Jeremiah, not tissue. Any nation that willingly kills its children, kills its future, and is doomed. So let’s just pause now and everyone pray. Pray for our nation. Pray for our leaders. Pray for those who are in a position to protect lives. Pray for repentance.

 

Thank you. Now back to the word. Jeremiah felt like he could not carry out the work God gave him. But he could and he would because God had chosen him.

          And because God was with him. “The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the Lord.” Make no mistake about it. Jeremiah’s job would not be easy. People would hate him because of what he said. People would try to kill him. There would be times when Jeremiah would feel alone. He would feel like he was the only one who stayed true to the Lord. He would feel that way, but he would not be that way. The Lord was with him. The Lord rescued him. Even his time in prison was controlled by God who provided strength and help. To Jeremiah’s protest of “I can’t do this,” again God responded, “Oh, yes you can because I am with you.”

          And because Jeremiah had God’s words to use. “Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me: There! I have now placed my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ Look, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” The Lord reminded Jeremiah that he was a spokesman. He would not be speaking his own words nor acting on his own agenda. This was God’s time and God’s dime. The message Jeremiah brought would build some up and tear others down. He would say what God says, no more no less. And that Jeremiah could do whether he felt like it or no.

          And so can we. Jeremiah’s protest helps us to come to grips with what lives in us too, the sin of reluctance. A reluctance to be ambassadors for Jesus. A reluctance to stand up, stand up for Jesus. A reluctance to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear. It all boils down to another heart sin. We want to be popular, to fit in and to have people praise us. But God didn’t put us on this planet to be popular. We are here as his servants, his witnesses, his ambassadors. But the writing on the wall says it is going to get tougher for those who say what God says. This should not surprise us. Believers on earth are called the Church militant, the fighting folks. If you have taken advantage of the Revelation Bible Class taught by Prof. Bivens you understand why. Satan. The Devil. And his allies. The unbelieving world and our own sinful natures. They try to thwart every effort believers make to advance the kingdom of God, to do exactly what Jesus said and make more disciples. All this struggling. All this being on guard from the Devil. It’s enough to make a person feel “I can’t do this anymore!”

God has an answer for us that makes us say “Oh, yes we can!” He chose us too. It’s a hard Bible teaching for our minds to wrap around but God tells us that before the creation of the world he chose us to be His own. You know it’s true for you because He made that choosing visible at your Baptism, audible as you’ve heard the good news of your Savior Jesus and evidenced by what you are doing right now, worshiping and devoting to the word. Like Jeremiah we have been chosen for a purpose. We all have different jobs and lives and roles and vocations and yet we all have the same purpose, to declare the great things God has done. To be ambassadors for Christ and witnesses of His truth. So, when you’re feeling unimportant or worthless and you can’t do anything important for the Lord, Oh yes we can! He chose us for this.

And He’s with us. If you keep up on the religious news in America you already know that our country is de Christianizing at a rapid rate. The fastest growing religious category is the nones, not the kind that live in convents, the people who check NONE next to their religious affiliation. You may have noticed the same things at work where not many talk about going to church. You may have seen departures from active worship life in your own families. Again, the feeling sets in. We can’t do this. Oh yes, we can! God is with us. He’s promised it and proved it. We still aren’t that far away from Christmas. The birth of Jesus. Immanuel. God with us! And that Immanuel promised us “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. We are never alone.

And we go with God’s words. At our last Voters meeting our devotion from Psalm 144 reminded us that blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Right now our nation’s god is science for some, sports and entertainment for others, self for many more. That we are willing to kill our children is just a symptom of something far worse, rejection of God. Like in Jeremiah’s time. As happy as we would be to have the sin of abortion stopped, that’s not the solution. A heart change is. Only God’s words accomplishes that. We have them. We might feel like people won’t listen but God hasn’t told us that. We might worry what people think about us but we don’t have to. These are God’s words, His agenda, not ours. He may use our witness to build up. He may use our witness to tear down, but he will use our witness.

Remember that the next time you feel like your presence in your family, community and country isn’t doing any good. Remember that when your invitation to join you in worship is not accepted. Remember that if court rulings go against us or laws no longer protect our religious freedom. Remember that when you feel like you can’t. Oh yes we can, people of Jacobi. Before he formed you in your mothers’ wombs, God knew you. He set you apart for Him. He is with you and will rescue you and you are his spokesman to a nation who desperately needs Him. Can we do it? Can we keep doing it? With God, “Oh yes, we can!” Amen.

 

January 8-10, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Titus 3:4-7 (EHV) “WHAT BAPTISM IS”

 

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

January 8-10, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Titus 3:4-7 (EHV)

 

“WHAT BAPTISM IS”

1.     A demonstration of God’s mercy and grace.

2.     A powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

3.     An eternal game changer.

 

Titus 3:4-7 (EHV) “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, ⁵ he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.”

 

          We are in the Epiphany season of the church year. Epiphany means a revealing or making known. It emphasizes that when God is involved not only are things not what they seem, they are much more than they appear to be. Take the visit of the Wise Men that Pastor Waldschmidt talked about last week. When they came to find the one born to be King, they found him with humble and poor parents in Bethlehem not in the palace in Jerusalem. He seemed to be a common Hebrew baby boy. But that baby they found was much more than he appeared to be. He was and is God’s Son our Savior. So instead of making their judgment on what they saw they believed what God said instead and acted accordingly. Worship. Gifts. Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

          That’s a good principle to keep in mind with Baptism. Don’t judge by what you see but instead by what God says. Today we celebrate Jesus’ Baptism so it’s a good opportunity to think about our own. On New Year’s Eve Vicar showed us the connection between the Old Testament sign of the Covenant, circumcision, and Baptism which is a sign of the New Testament Covenant and a whole lot more. But that’s not necessarily what it looks like and what people see. When I served as pastor down south there was a very popular preacher in San Antonio whose services were on TV. One time I watched out of curiosity. He happened to be talking about Baptism. “You know what happens in Baptism?” he shouted in his southern drawl. “You go into the water a dry sinner and you come out of the water a wet sinner! That’s all Baptism is, getting wet!” And the crowd laughed and laughed. But God didn’t. He gave Baptism to His cherished people to be a cherished blessing that is so much more than it appears to be because God is involved. So today with grateful and humble hearts let’s look at what God says Baptism is.

          First it is a demonstration of God’s mercy and grace. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, ⁵ he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy.” The portion of God’s word we are looking at comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to a man named Titus. He was telling Titus what he needed to teach to the churches under his care. The people were to be serious about living the way God wanted them to. They needed motivation and encouragement so of course Paul would point them to their Baptism.

          Baptism is a great demonstration of God showing mercy. Think about it. Whether you were baptized as a baby, a child or an adult, baptism was done to you. It was not something you did. It was something you received. That’s God’s way of doing things. Salvation is not a matter of what people do but what people receive. Not because of righteous things people do but because of His mercy. Mercy is not given to those who deserve it. It’s given to those who don’t. God tells us in the Bible that we are all conceived and born with sin present in us. We are enemies of God. We, by nature, deserve punishment. But God gives mercy. He will not treat you as your sins deserve and He wants you to know that. So Jesus instituted Baptism. At your Baptism you received mercy from God.

          And more. “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” So we know why God saves people. Because of His mercy. Paul now turns to the how. It says through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. That is Baptism. In Baptism the Holy Spirit works powerfully to connect us to what Jesus did. Here and elsewhere God is telling us that our Baptism directly connects us to the cross and empty tomb. On the cross Jesus paid for the sins of all people in full. Baptism connects you to that forgiveness, a washing away of sin. The tomb is empty because Jesus came alive again. Baptism gives you rebirth, a new life. We start out spiritually dead because of our sins. But when you are re birthed or born again in Baptism, you are renewed or made new again by the Holy Spirit so you can resist sin, do good and serve God. “But that’s not what it looks like,” some might say. When we baptize babies, sometimes they cry, sometimes they sleep, sometimes they giggle, sometimes they fuss. What’s the change? And baptized people, they still sin. What about that?

          Remember the lesson of Epiphany. When God is involved not only are things not what they seem, they are much more than they appear to be. You know what we would be calling the Wise Men if they had come from the East to worship the newborn king and then turned away disappointed because he looked like an average Hebrew baby boy? We’d be calling them the Dumb Men from the East! The same is true for all who despise, downplay or disregard Baptism. Baptism is a whole lot more than getting wet. The Holy Spirit is at work. He provides a new life. He renews your spirit to want to obey God. So if you were baptized as a baby you started out as a dry child of your parents and you ended as a wet child of God. You started out as a dry sinner but you ended as a wet forgiven sinner. You started as a sinner dead in your sins. You ended as a sinner made alive in Christ now able to and willing to serve Jesus instead of self. If you were baptized later in life when you already believed, pre-baptism you were a forgiven sinner through faith in Jesus but then you became a more confident forgiven sinner as the Spirit marked you as a child of God. You started as a forgiven sinner who wanted to please God and you ended with even more motivation to live your life as a child of God. That’s what Baptism does and is, a powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

          But hold on. We’re not done yet! “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” When you are connected to Christ in Baptism your eternity changes. You become and heir of eternal life. Without Christ we were facing the eternal death sentence of Hell. But connected to Christ through faith and Baptism we inherit the glory of and joy of heaven. There is a Packers play by play announcer who likes to pick a defining moment in a game that signals the game is over. He calls it the dagger. Baptism is that for you and me. It’s a game changer for eternity. God wants you to have the comfort and confidence of knowing heaven is your home. So whether your earthly life is relatively easy, tolerable or something you barely get by day after day, just wait.

When I first came to St Jacobi there was a man  we visited who could not come to church any more. Donald Kramer. You knew when you visited you were in for an hour of stories. I soon learned it was an hour of the same stories every time. I didn’t mind. All of his stories in one way or another had to do with his faith in Jesus. One of his favorite stories was about a fork. It went like this. A man was pre-planning his funeral when he came up with what the funeral director thought was a very odd request. He put in his plans that he wanted to be placed in his coffin with a fork in his hand. “Why in the world do you want to be buried with a fork in your hand?” the director asked. “Well, let me explain,” the man said. “When I was growing up and my mother was clearing the dishes after the main part of supper she would always tell us children to save our forks, because the best was yet to come. And I want everyone at my funeral to know that for me the best is yet to come!” For you too. Your Baptism says so.

Brothers and sisters, it’s sad for me that some people look down on Baptism. I think I know why they do it. They see Baptized children of God acting mean, bullying, impatient and yelling. They hear the same potty language from saved as they do from the unsaved. That doesn’t mean Baptism didn’t work. It means that God’s people aren’t working at showing their love for God. Baptism is a whole lot more than getting wet. When you leave this safe place you have a wonderful opportunity with your words and actions to show others just how true that is! Amen.

 

 

CHRISTMAS 1

December 26-27, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Hebrews 12:1-3

 JESUS ON DISPLAY!

1. For you.

2. Through you.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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