Saints Triumphant Through Christ's One Sacrifice - Nov 15, 2009

Due to ongoing issues with our website, the audio version of the sermon is still unavailable. We apologize for this inconvenience.

SERVICE INTRODUCTION:

After today there is only one Sunday before Advent begins, and with it, the new church year. Today is called “Saints Triumphant” Sunday. So what does that mean, “Saints Triumphant”?

The word “saint” just means “holy one”. In the Bible the word “saint” is synonymous for “Christian” or “followers of Jesus”. If you believe in your heart that Jesus died to take away all your sins, you are one of His “holy ones”, one of His “saints”.

Through FAITH in Christ we have been given HIS victory over sin, death and the devil. We are “Saints TRIUMPHANT”.

SERMON:

May God’s love for you rest on your hearts. And may the undeserved mercy of Christ fill you with peace. Amen.

The 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia. During those Olympic games a sprinter named Michael Johnson broke the world record for the 400 meter dash and captured the gold medal for the United States.

Johnson was so confident that he was going to win the gold medal, that he stepped out onto the track wearing shiny GOLDEN SHOES. Imagine the confidence he must have felt to be that bold.

When it comes to the race against sin, death and the devil, we are even MORE confident that Michael Johnson. When he put on those golden shoes, he was saying, “I’m ready for this race. I’m going to win it.”

But because of Jesus was say more. We say, “I’m not just ready for this race. Because of Jesus, I’ve ALREADY won it. My sins are forgiven, I own eternal life and Satan can’t touch me, so long as I’m in Christ.”
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Our sermon reading for today emphasizes this fact: We are “Saints Triumphant Through Christ’s One Sacrifice”.

Turn to Hebrews 10, verse 11. The book of Hebrews was written to Christians who were Jewish by birth. They must have lived near Jerusalem before 72 AD when it was destroyed and the Temple sacrifices put to an end.

Much of Hebrews is dedicated to showing how Jesus is better than any Israelite priest and better than any Old Testament sacrifice because He is the fulfillment of them. He is the Savior that the whole Old Testament was pointing to.

Hebrews 10:11-18 (NIV)

11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

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Before we get into this, we have to understand one thing. None of this is going to make any sense, or matter at all unless we believe that we are sinful, and sin deserves eternal separation from God.

God has standards. He says, There are things I want you to do and things I don’t want you to do. If we violate His standards, that’s sin. And sin disqualifies us from heaven.

We have to understand this first of all. We have to understand that only someone who is perfect, someone that has NEVER sinned could ever stroll up to the gates of heaven and say, Open up, I want to hang out with God for the rest of eternity because I’m pure just like Him. If you can’t say that then you need a Savior. You need someone to take your sin away. To put you in the winner’s circle. To make payment for you.

Jesus is the Savior that God sent. He suffered the punishment of ever one of your sins. For every one of my sins. For every one of our children’s sins. For every one of our neighbor’s sins. All of it. He suffered for them and died in their place. He was raised to life on the first Easter Sunday, so that everyone would know that God the Father accepted His sacrifice.

That’s what this whole section of Hebrews is all about. The writer wants us to know and believe, it’s done. Our sins have been forgiven.

To bring this truth home to us the writer to the Hebrews uses three pictures. Three illustrations. The first one, “Jesus Sits Because the Work is Done”.

Verse 11.

“11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:11-12 NIV).

This is talking about the Priests who served in God’s Temple before it was destroyed. God had commanded that all sorts of sacrifices be offered at the Temple. They sacrificed birds, goats, rams, bulls, lambs. They offered grain offerings, burnt offerings, sin offerings, fellowship offerings, thank offerings.

But none of these actually removed sins from a person’s record. These sacrifices pointed forward to the ONE sacrifice that God was going to provide when Jesus, His own Son, died on the cross. That is the only sacrifice that removes sin.

Obviously, the priests in the Temple were very busy. They had to oversee the butcher of animals for sacrifice. They had to throw away certain parts, perform ceremonial washings, prepare the offerings for the altar in very specific ways. They had to make sure everything was offered in the way God had said to offer it. You can read about all the God given rules and regulations for these sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7. All this made the priests very busy guys. They were always on their feet.

But Jesus is described very differently. Jesus sits.

Do you have a favorite chair at home? Maybe a big cushy La-Z-Boy recliner. Maybe a favorite spot on the couch? Well, when do you sit down in your favorite chair? When the work is done, right?

That’s Jesus right here. One of the reasons Jesus sits down at the right hand of God is so we know that His work is done. The sacrifice necessary to redeem sinners has been completed.

I like to say that the whole Old Testament was like the previews, Jesus was Blockbuster movie. The priests and all their sacrifices were the hype, Jesus was the actual sprinter that ran the race and won it. And what do you do when you’ve won the race? You take a victory lap and then you sit down and relax. The time of preparation is done. The time of performance is over. The time to enjoy your victory has come.
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We are “Saints Triumphant Through Christ’s One Sacrifice”. The second illustration that drives this home is found in verse 13-14.

“13Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:13-14 NIV).

That part translated, “he has made perfect forever” is the Greek word, “Tel-eye-ah-oh”. It means to complete something. To bring it to it’s end. To bring it to the goal. You could also translate by one sacrifice He has “brought us to the goal”.

Jesus is saying, Through my Sacrifice I have put you onto the top of the podium. I have placed you in the winner’s circle. You are already there, the victory is yours.

It says that he had made perfect those who ARE BEING MADE HOLY, because the Holy Spirit didn’t leave us when He brought us to trust in Christ. He stayed. He is continually weeding out our old sinful attitudes habits. He is continually re-planting the seeds of godly behavior. He’s preparing us for life in heaven. Life with the Holy God. But through faith in Christ, heaven already belongs to us. The victory over sin is ours because Jesus’ one sacrifice covers over our every sin.

To use another picture from the sporting world. It’s like Jesus has hit the ninth inning grand slam. The walk-off home run that wins the game. We were gonna lose, but Jesus stepped up to the plate and crushed that ball out of the stadium. And now we get to run the bases for Him.

The victory is already won. Nobody can take that homerun away. He hit that homerun on the cross when He suffered and died for every single one of our sins.

We’ve already been brought to the goal.
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Okay. We’re saints triumphant because Jesus SAT down. His work of salvation is finished.

We’re saints triumphant because by His one sacrifice we’ve been placed in the WINNER’S CIRCLE.

Now for the last illustrations. Verse 17-18.

“17Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (Hebrews 10:17-18 NIV).

Where these have been forgiven there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

The word translated “forgiven” is the Greek “off-feh-sis”. It can also be translated, “released”, “pardoned”. Basically what it means is that your obligation to pay a debt is no longer there. You’re free. You’ve gone to pay off a bill and found that someone has already paid it. You couldn’t pay it if you wanted to, the debt is already gone.

God says, I’m not going to remember your sins anymore. But God doesn’t say this because He’s forgetful. He’s not going to remember OUR SINS because He’s gonna remember JESUS’ SACRIFICE IN OUR PLACE.

This totally strips the Devil of all his power. Any sin that Satan accuse the saints of, God’s response is, Well yeah, but my Son suffered for that sin. He died as the Sacrifice for that sin.”

If you take ONE THING away from this sermon, let it be this. There is no more payment to be made for sin. Jesus has paid off your debt already. He did it on the cross of Calvary, and the receipt is in the empty Tomb of our resurrected Savior.
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We are “Saints Triumphant Through Christ’s One Sacrifice”.

The first image. Jesus SAT down because His work of saving sinners was done.

The second image. Jesus’ one sacrifice in your place puts you in the WINNER’S CIRCLE.

The third image. There’s no more debt to be paid. It’s gone.

This is freedom. Turn to John 8, verse 31. This freedom for sin and sin’s punishment is what Jesus was talking about when He said…

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NIV).

Our every sin. Every dark and wrong thing that we’ve ever said, or done or even thought, has been washed away by the blood of Christ’s sacrifice.

We’re free. Free from fear, to live a life of joy. Free from slavery to sin, to serve God. Free to forgive others, as we have been forgiven.

We are “Saints Triumphant Through Christ’s One Sacrifice”.

Amen.

Watch Out for False Prophets - Nov 8, 2009

This week the sermon is not available in audio. Sorry. Issues with our website.

Sermon:

May God’s love for you rest on your hearts. And may the undeserved mercy of Christ fill you with peace. Amen.

The world that we live in is filled with fakeness.

One of the places where we see fakeness nearly every day is the way in which products are sold. Every company wants to outsell the competition. So, they design and package their products in a way that makes they seem better than the rest, even if they aren’t.

Studies have shown that with certain products consumers believe that heavier means higher quality. So, if a company designs an incredibly light cell phone or laptop, they might actually end up put weight panels into it so that consumers will pick it over the competition.

Or think about all the buzz words you see on food items. “25% percent more!”. “All Natural”. “Light”. They question is, 25% more than what? You might assume that “Light” means less calories. Nope. It could actually just mean lighter in color.

Have you ever noticed how many pizza shops and restaurants have been voted #1 by someone, somewhere. Maybe by the owners, who knows.

My wife really likes how Kohl’s ads are forever proclaiming, “Lowest Prices of the Season”. What they don’t tell you is that Kohl’s seasons are only six weeks long.

The world is full of fakeness, and lies. But, some of these lies are more harmful than others.

Just a couple days ago I caught news show talking about a how some seniors had been scammed out of their retirement money.

Some little company claimed they could get really good investment returns for Seniors. They had a good presentation. They seemed legitimate. But really, they were just using the money they got from seniors to invest in some pretty unstable places.

They scammed millions of dollars from the elderly before they got caught. The scammers ended up going to jail. But the money was pretty much gone.
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In our reading for today, Jesus is going to talk about fakeness.

We’re just about to the end of our study of Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. He’s just finished talking about the broad road that leads to hell and the narrow road that leads to eternal life. That narrow road that is Jesus.

Now He’s going to warn His listeners about false prophets. False prophets who don’t just want to sell them a bag of chips. False prophets who don’t just want to scam away their retirement money. False prophets who would to take them away from Jesus and set them back on the broad road that leads in hell.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 15. This is what Jesus has to say about false prophets.

“15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:15-23 NIV).

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There are two kinds of false prophets. There are unbelieving false prophets, and there are believing false prophets.

Paul talks about believing false prophets in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 10. Turn there for a moment. There it says,

“10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV).

Paul is talking about a believer in Christ who is teaching falsely. He escapes God’s judgment because of his faith in Christ, but everything he built by his false teaching is destroyed.

This was Paul talking, but when Jesus warns about false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount, He’s NOT TALKING ABOUT BELIEVERS who are making terrible mistakes. He’s talking about UNBELIEVING FALSE PROPHETS.

We can tell by how Jesus describes them.

First, Jesus describes them not as stumbling brothers in Christ, but as CARNIVOROUS HUNTERS DISGUISED AS GENTLE CREATURES.
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Secondly, Jesus describes these false prophets as BAD TREES, NOT GOOD TREES.

Jesus isn’t talking about two apple trees, one that’s healthy and one that’s unhealthy.

Jesus is talking about DIFFERENT KINDS OF TREES. A good tree is a KIND of tree that will produce EDIBLE FRUIT. A bad tree is a KIND of tree that will NEVER PRODUCE EDIBLE FRUIT.

You see a good amount of holly bushes around this area. Did you know that holly berries are poisonous to humans? It’s what Jesus would call a bad tree. It will never produce edible fruit. If you found one in your orchard, you’d cut it out and burn it.

But an apple tree, that you’d leave. No matter how badly you neglect an apple tree, it won’t ever produce poisonous berries. It’s what Jesus would call a good tree.
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At the end of our reading from Matthew, in verses 21-23, Jesus tells these false prophets that He never knew them. They are not His followers, no matter what they claim. This makes it clear. Jesus is talking about UNBELIEVING FALSE PROPHETS.
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And this is why they’re so deadly. They seem like followers of Christ, but they’re not. They don’t trust in Jesus as their Savior, and they don’t want us to either. But you’d never be able to tell that from just looking at them. They’re disguised very well.

A while back I reviewed some animated DVD’s of Bible stories. I thought, hey, maybe we could use these. One of the stories I watched was Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness. What I didn’t like about it was that whenever Satan appeared to tempt Jesus the sky would go dark and this ominous robed and hooded figure would appear. This was obviously the Devil. I doubt that Satan appeared like that to Jesus. I mean, what kind of temptation would that have been?

Satan’s best lies are the ones mixed with a little truth. And his most effective temptations come from people we know and trust. And when Satan sends false prophets to deceive us, they don’t wear labels.
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But that’s okay, because Jesus tells us how to identify them. He says, Look at their fruit. Look at what they say.

Now, when the Bible talks about the “fruit of something”, it can mean anything that is PRODUCED. The fruit of the womb is a baby. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is good words, attitudes and actions. The fruit of a missionary is people converted to Christ.

But the best “fruit” to use in identifying a false prophet is the fruit of their mouths. The words that they say. We could look at their actions, but that can be a little tricky. God’s prophets sin, but that doesn’t make them false prophets, just sinners. On the other hand, false prophets do their best to behave in front of the people, but that doesn’t change their message. Judging what a person says about God is the more reliable. Is this person teaching what God’s Word says?

That’s how Jesus says to identify the good or false prophet. And that’s one of the most important reasons why WE NEED to be familiar with what God’s Word actually says.
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Turn back and take a look at verse 21 of our sermon reading. Matthew 7, verse 21. Here Jesus takes another look at the disguise of the False Prophet. One of the reasons that the False Prophet is so effective at fooling people is that he sounds just like a Christian!

“21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NIV).

The False Prophet talks the talk. He knows the right words to say. He may even speak the message of Christ, and then he’ll add to it. Or take a little away from it. Alter it slightly.

The False Prophet will also walk the walk. He’ll act like a Christian. In fact, he might even do things that seem like amazing acts of faith. Verse 22.

“22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22 NIV).

But Jesus will not be fooled by their words and actions. Words are worthless when not mixed with faith. Even prophecy, driving out demons and working miracles amounts to nothing, if it is not mixed with faith. Faith in Jesus.

In Hebrews 11, verse 6 it says,

“…without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Jesus tells His followers that there are going to be people on the last day who approach Him and claim a connection to Him because they used His Name. There are going to be people on the last day who approach Jesus and claim a connection to Him because they did amazing things connected with His Name. But Jesus says,

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23 NIV).

Words and deeds cannot secure heaven. Words and deeds cannot secure heaven. Only a simple trust in Christ can do that. Only faith in His all sufficient suffering in our place on the cross of Calvary. That’s what secures heaven for sinners. By faith we know Christ, and He knows us.

Turn to Philippians 3, verse 8. Here Paul says

“…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9 NIV).

This is the Gospel Message. The righteousness that makes sinners clean COMES FROM GOD, through His Son Jesus. And sinners receive this righteousness THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS.

That’s what the False Prophet doesn’t believe. That’s what the False Prophet would have us forget.

Watch out for false prophets.
Recognize them by their words.
And hold tightly to Christ, your only Savior. Your complete Savior.

I’d like to end this message with a prayer. Please join me.

Prayer: Father in heaven, you have made us your own people through faith in Jesus as our great Savior from sin. Thank you. Help us to be in your word consistently so that we can recognize the voice of the false prophet when we hear it. Send Your Holy Spirit to us and never leave us alone. Without You we would be easy prey to the wolves, and would soon be stumbling down the broad path again. For Christ’s sake, for all He did in our place to earn our salvation, keep us in His Faith dear Father.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Reformation Sunday, Nov 1, 2009

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WORSHIP INTRODUCTION:

In Martin Luther’s time, the Catholic Church was the largest church. Martin’s parents were part of this church, because pretty much everyone was. But this wasn’t a good thing, because the Catholic Church was not teaching the Bible correctly.

As a little boy, Martin was taught lots of rules and commandments to follow. He was taught that if he obeyed God’s rules well enough God would be happy with him. But if he didn’t obey God’s rules than God would be very angry with him and would set him on fire in hell. Martin knew he sinned much, and was terrified of how God would punish him.

But the real God wasn’t like the God that Martin’s Church taught him. The true God loved Martin dearly, and had big plans for him. God would show Martin the greatest truth of the Bible.

God does expect us to follow His rules. God is angry with sinners. But the greatest truth that the Bible teaches is that, for some reason, God actually loves sinners and has provided a way for them to escape the punishment for sin.

God sent His own Son to be punished instead of us. The sinless Jesus suffered in our place when He died on the Cross. Because He did this, our sins are forgiven.

All have sinned against God and deserve horrible punishment, but through faith in Jesus God gives us life, forgiveness and a place in heaven.

Today we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation because through the events of the Reformation the precious message of Jesus was once again preached, taught and believed by grateful sinners the world over.

THE HEAD OF GOD’S CHURCH

Reformation Day falls on October 31st, because it was on that day that Martin Luther nailed up the 95 theses. The 95 theses were really an invitation to debate 95 statements. He nailed these on the door of the church in Wittenberg simply because that door was used as a sort of bulletin board.

Most identify the posting of the 95 theses as the beginning of the Reformation. In fact, the sign for “Luther” or “Lutheran” is making an “L” with your right hand and tapping it on the flat vertical palm of your left hand.

However, the 95 theses were not nearly as important as the next three documents that Luther published. Luther wrote “Address to the German Nobility”, “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church” and “The Freedom of a Christian”. One History book says the following about these three works,

“They were the trumpet calls by which he aroused the Church from her slumber, broke the yoke of papal tyranny, and reopened the fountain of God’s Word to all the people and directed them to Christ as their only Master and Mediator” (Sketches from the History of the Church, E. Hageman).

Today we’re going to examine a few of the important teachings expressed in these documents. Teachings which Luther had found in the Bible, but which were at odds with the Catholic Church. Turn to Matthew 16, verse 13.

13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
21From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:13-23 NKJV).

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In Luther’s day, the Catholic Church taught that Jesus made Peter the leader of the Christian church with this statement, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church”. The name “Peter” means “rock”.

The Catholic Church taught that this right to rule over the church like a king has been passed down throughout history in a line of Popes. This passing down of authority is not historically documented. It is not mentioned in the Bible. Nor does the Bible suggest that Peter had special supreme authority over his fellow Apostles and Christians. Peter was always prominent and outspoken among the apostles, but not pre-eminent.

Quite often Peter’s boldness was a curse and not a blessing. In the section of Matthew that we read just a moment ago, Peter is at one moment he is making a great confession of his faith in Jesus, and the next moment he’s telling Jesus not to go to the cross! Peter’s arrogance led him to believe that he knew better than Jesus, though Peter ended up claiming he didn’t even know Jesus when put on the spot after Jesus had been arrested.

Nor are these the only times when Peter failed. Much later in Peter’s ministry, he started to treat non-Jewish Christians poorly. He withdrew from their company as if they were not his fellow Christians until the Apostle Paul sharply rebuked Him for this hypocrisy.

The point is, Peter wasn’t infallible. He made mistakes like every other Christian. Sometimes he wasn’t such a solid “rock”. You see, the real “Rock” on which the church is built isn’t a man who makes mistakes and needs forgiveness for every day. The real “Rock” on which the church is built is the confession of Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

Here’s the other thing. The Pope even went so far as to say that he was the stand in for the Son of God. The “Vicar” of Christ. Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the Pope took His place as the leader of God’s Church.

But do you remember what Jesus said to all His disciples before He ascended and took His visible presence from the earth? Turn to Matthew 28, verse 20.

“…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b NIV).

In his treatise, “The Freedom of a Christian” Luther got it right. He said that the Apostles called themselves servants of a present Christ, not the vicars of an absent one” (On the Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther).

The head of the Christian Church is, has always been, and will always be, Jesus Christ Himself.

TLH 370 verses 1-2

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

Turn to First Peter 2, verse 9. The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to churches scattered throughout Asia Minor. To Christians young and old, male and female, master and slave, to Jewish Christians and to Gentile Christians he wrote the following.

“9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV).

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The Catholic Church of Luther’s day taught that as the “stand-in” or “vicar” of Christ, the Pope had supreme authority over all people. It was also taught that the Pope could transfer this authority to leaders in the church. To Cardinals, Bishops and Priests. In fact, you couldn’t be a priest unless you got your authority from the Pope’s church.

This was very important because a priest needed to have authority and power in order to do special things like change the bread and wine physically into the body and blood of Christ. Or so the Catholic Church taught.

The Pope could also give people authority to sell forgiveness. And this the Pope did from time to time in order to fund building projects in Rome. St. Peter’s basilica was funded by the selling “indulgences”. Which were just pieces of paper that said some or all of your sins were forgiven because you bought it this indulgence from the Pope’s Church.

A man named John Tetzel sold indulgences during Luther’s day. Tetzel’s selling of indulgences near Wittenberg was the reason why Luther wanted to debate indulgences. Tetzel was so bold, that he was selling the people forgiveness for sins not yet done. This way, they could indulge in sinful pleasures without the fear of God’s punishment.

But what does the Bible say about God’s priests? Must they wear black robes and backward collars? Must they speak in Latin and receive special powers from the Pope?

Peter, the supposed first Pope himself, wrote our reading above! He says that ALL believers in Christ are God’s priests! They are chosen to receive the mercy of God and to declare it to others.

Even though the Pope transferred his power to other leaders in his Church, he claimed that ONLY he could tell people what the Bible means. Since he was the stand-in for Jesus, his interpretation was the only right one.

But God’s Word is for every Christian man and woman to examine and study and understand. Not to interpret according to HIS or HER own whim, but to understand and interpret according to what the rest of the Bible says.

So, you might ask, “Why are you wearing the robe than? Why are you a pastor?” And the answer is simple. We can’t all preach at the same time. We can’t all teach at the same time.

I’m your brother in Christ. Brother Caleb. No more, no less. I have no magical powers. The only authority I wield is that which comes from the Word of God.

Turn to Ephesians 4, verse 11.

“11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV).

This is why Paul could rebuke Peter. He was his brother in Christ, not his Papal underling.

Amazing.

We are the spiritual brothers and sisters of Peter and Paul. We stand with them as the Priesthood of God. God grant that we carry His Name with honor and serve as His priests with care, enthusiasm and diligence.

WS 767 verses 1-2

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17 NIV).

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The Reformation was a religious movement. It wasn’t primarily about cleaning up corruption in the church. It was about restoring right teaching. And of all the teachings that it restored, Justification by faith was the most important. Justification by faith alone in Christ alone, is the heart and soul of Christianity.

In Luther’s treatise, “The Freedom of a Christian” he asks the question, if sin enslaves a soul, that what frees it?

Health of the body can’t free the soul. The wicked can be strong and healthy in body, but poor and dead in soul.

Wealth cannot free the soul. What difference does it make to God how much money you have in the bank?

What about giving your life over to God. Becoming a servant to the church? Luther found out for himself that doing that cannot free the soul either.

What about meditation and prayer? Many think that these things can bring freedom from sin and closeness to God. But it is not true. All our efforts to understand God’s Word and to speak to Him can’t do a single thing to free us from sin and sin’s punishment.

How about the world’s recipe for a happy heart? Doing good things for other people. Taking food to the food pantry. Donating to a local charity. Surely kindness is good, and can set the soul free? Again, the wicked can do these things also, can’t they? Kindness is good, but it cannot free us from our past sins or win us a place in heaven. Just as putting on nicer clothes won’t heal the a cancer inside.

What about learning? Education leads easier lives doesn’t it? Maybe education can lead to freedom of the soul?

No outward action can free the inward soul. No good thing done can erase the record of an evil past. All efforts to free our souls from sin and death and hell, accomplish nothing.

One thing, and one alone, is necessary for the soul to be set free from sin. Faith alone. Faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus says…

“…I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25 NIV).

“…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).

Paul writes…

“…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NIV).

“17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:17 NIV).

Health, wealth, the public ministry, meditation, kindness, learning: they’re all good things. But none of these things free the soul from sin and punishment.

Hammers, screwdrivers and wrenches are great tools, but they don’t get your linens white. In the same way, human effort can never cleanse the soul and set it free. Faith alone frees the soul from sin, death and hell. Faith alone in Christ alone. By faith in Christ Jesus we are declared righteous before God.

This was the great change that the reformation brought about. It wasn’t about the little monk standing up to the big church. It wasn’t about letting the people actually sing in church. It wasn’t about getting a Bible in the people’s language so they could read it for themselves. MOST OF ALL it was about this ONE TEACHING, salvation comes by faith in Christ, by faith in Christ ALONE.

When it comes to the Christian life there is much more to learn, but when it comes to salvation, that’s IT.

TLH 371 verse 1-4

The Way of Life - Oct 25, 2009

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Sermon:

Do you have any idea how many times the term “Christian” is used in the Bible? This week I was surprised when I found out. What do you think? How many times is “Christian” used in the Bible?

“Christian” or the plural, “Christians” is used only THREE TIMES in the whole Bible. It’s used once in Second Peter, and twice in the book of Acts.

Followers of Jesus were first called Christians in the city of Antioch. Open your Bibles to Acts 11, verse 25.

“25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:25-26 NIV).

You know, the funny thing is, we don’t even know whether this was a name that they chose for themselves, or whether it was a derogatory term that others put on them, “Oh, they’re just a bunch of ‘Christ-ians’”.

Either way, it’s a great name. Christian: one who belongs to Christ. Christian: a person who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the chosen Savior of sinners.

But this wasn’t the first name for Jesus’ followers. There was another title and it was a good one too.

Turn to Acts 9, verse 1. What we’re going to read here takes place before Saul became a follower of Jesus. This is when Saul was still trying to round up the followers of Jesus in order to stamp them out.

“1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2 NIV).

The term for “Christians” here is “The Way”. What a fitting name. For we all are on a journey. That might sound a little corny, but it’s true. All people, not just us here in this church building, but ALL HUMAN BEINGS in the world are on a journey. That’s what the Greek word “hodos” means: a road, way or journey.

All people are headed down one road or another towards some final destination.

But Christians are on the road of Jesus. A Way that is not obvious. A Way that is in some ways very narrow and restrictive. A Way that is not heavily travelled.

The Way of the Christian faith is the Way of Life. That’s what Jesus is going to talk about today in the Sermon on the Mount. Turn to Matthew 7, verse 13.

“13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).

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This is the picture that Jesus paints: There is a grand, wide archway. Like an archway cut into a castle wall. It’s huge. And this huge archway stretches over a grand, wide road. A six lane highway of sorts. And this roadway stretches out to the horizon, where it drops off a cliff into the abyss of hell. This roadway is filled with travelers. There is plenty of space for everyone, but the road is full of people. All of them shuffling steadily down the road like lemmings.

But off to the side, set in the wall, there is a small door. It’s about the size of a man. It’s unobtrusive and easily missed. It’s almost hidden by its simplicity. Unlike the huge archway, this door must be pointed out to travelers or they will miss it altogether. Which would be tragic indeed, for behind this little door is a way, which though it may be narrow, leads to the very throne room of the Creator God. This way leads to heaven. These are the two Ways that Jesus describes.

So, what is this small gate? What is this narrow road? It is Jesus Christ. The small gate is Jesus Christ. The narrow road is Jesus Christ.

The Turn to John 10, verse 7. Here Jesus says…

“…“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:7-10 NIV).

Jesus also calls Himself “the Way”. Turn to John 14 verse 6.

“6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV).

Jesus is the Way of life. He is the Way to heaven. But like the little door in His parable, this fact is not obvious. This truth doesn’t come naturally to the minds of sinful people like you and me and everyone else. This truth has to be revealed by God. God uses His Bible to do that revealing. The Holy Spirit speaks to the sinner’s heart through the message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

If you were going on vacation to a new place, you wouldn’t pack up the car and start on your way without having a map. Or at least some good directions.

If you were going to meet a friend at Starbucks you would want to tell them which one, and how to get there.

If you want to watch a TV show you have to have directions! Which channel? When?

These things are pretty obvious. Pretty common sense to most people. But when it comes to getting reaching heaven, people are naturally stupid. We naturally figure we can find the way ourselves. But we need directions. The Way must be revealed. For there is ONLY ONE WAY.
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A while back I got a Global Positioning System as a gift. This thing is awesome. I just stick it on my windshield and turn it on, and I’ve got an instant navigator to tell me which way to go.

The satellites communicate with this little gadget and give numerous choices for how to get to a location. I can pick the fastest way, the shortest distance, the way that uses most highways or the way that uses least highways.

Usually there are a number of different routes that will get me to my desired destination. But, not always. Sometimes there’s just one dirt road that will bring me to where I’m trying to go.

That’s the way it is with the Way Jesus describes. It’s a restrictive Way, for there is only ONE Savior.
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Some religious teachers say that there are many roads to heaven, and it really doesn’t matter which path we pick. That obviously isn’t what Jesus says. And that isn’t what the rest of the Bible says either.

The Way of Jesus says that He suffered Hell on the cross so that sinners wouldn’t have to. All who trust in Jesus ALONE for COMPLETE salvation are forgiven. They are on Jesus’ Way. The Way of Life.

Any faiths that DO NOT look to Christ alone for salvation are not teaching the Way of Life.

There are religions that completely reject Jesus. They are directing people to the broad road.

There are religions that use Jesus’ name, but deny that He is the Son of God and the compete and only Way to heaven. They are directing people to the broad road.

There are people who claim a connection to Christ, but whose hearts do not trust in Him. They are on the broad road.

There are people who claim to be Christians who’s real hope is in their own righteousness. They compare their own lives to the lives of others, and believe that because they’re not as bad as others God will accept them. But God doesn’t grade on a curve. They are on the broad road.

Some people claim that they believe Jesus is their Savior, but live lives which deny Him. Like the practicing homosexual who says, I follow Jesus also. He is on the broad path.

Jesus teaches that all sin is utterly unacceptable. It is damning. But Jesus also teaches, that He is the only Savior. And that He has completely served the sentence for our crimes against God.

The Way of Jesus is as wide and as narrow as His Word teaches.
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There are two very sad words in this section of Jesus’ sermon: Many and Few. Let’s read it one more time concentrating on these two words.

“13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV).

It’s hard to stand alone. There is strength in numbers. But numbers alone do not decide the truth. Jesus says that there are MANY on the road to destruction, but only a FEW on the way of life. But it’s still the way of life.

I mentioned my Global Positioning System earlier. You know, sometimes I don’t even use it to get to a place. I just use it as insurance in case I get lost. If I get lost, all I have to do is turn on the GPS and put in my address.

When this happens, sometimes the directions are not at all what I would have expected. I can see a busy road up ahead. It’s got stop lights and lots of cars. It looks like the road I should be on to get home. But the GPS says, turn left down this alleyway. And then turn left again because your going the completely wrong way.

Sometimes the obvious way is the wrong way. The road with the most people on it, leads away from home. But it doesn’t matter to me what the road looks like when I know the GPS is leading me home. I know it’s the right way, even if there’s hardly anyone else on it.

Sadly, the Way of Jesus is the road less traveled. But it is not God’s fault that only a few find it. Satan would love you and me to blame God for this, when instead we should rejoice that God has taken us from the broad road and placed us on the Way of Jesus by faith in Jesus.

Instead of being saddened by the few travelers, let’s be thankful that we are among them. And let’s direct others to that small door, that narrow way. For it may be small and narrow, but it leads to life. And let me tell you, life’s not all about the journey, it’s really about the destination.

Imagine for a second how this might have sounded to Jesus’ listeners. To the Jewish people crowded on the hillside around Him. To the Pharisees who put so much stock in the consensus of opinion among their scholars. To the little band of disciples sitting at His feet. Might they have had doubts about Jesus? I’m sure they did. Perhaps some of those doubts huddled around numbers. There were so few of them. They were the only people in the world that believed Jesus was the Savior. Maybe they were wrong. Could they really think the whole world was wrong and they were the only ones who got it right?

But Jesus said it. Enter through the narrow gate... small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

It’s not the number of people who testify to it that matters. It’s the Holy Spirit that testifies with them saying, this is true.

And the same comfort comes to us today, so far away in time from this Sermon. We have doubts too, don’t we. Most of the world says the Bible isn’t to be trusted. Most of the world says Jesus is not God. We’re part of a small group of people who believe that Jesus is the Savior. Is the whole world wrong and we’re on the way of life?

That’s what Jesus says.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for taking us off of the broad road which leads to eternal destruction. Thank you for calling us by the Good News of Jesus. Thank you for washing our sins away completely through His Sacrifice. Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit so that we can believe this precious thing. Guard our walking on Jesus’ Way, so that we NEVER put our hope or trust or sense of worth in our own lives and actions, but let our everything be Jesus. To whom we belong. To whom we owe everything.

And help us to be joyful followers Jesus. Help us to be filled with light and happiness because we remember our failings are erased. Our sins are forgiven. Our souls are cleansed. And help us to joyfully get the attention of those who still walk on the broad path. An by our message and Your Spirit make them our brothers and sisters.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Christian Life - Oct 18, 2009

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Sermon:

Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Risen and Living Savior, Jesus Christ.

We just sang hymn 454 from The Lutheran Hymnal. In the fifth verse of that hymn we sang…

“Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath”

The point isn’t that a person has to pray in order to become a Christian. The point is that prayer is an ongoing part of a Christian’s life. It’s as much a part of spiritual life as breathing is a part of physical life.

Jesus talks about the Christian’s life of prayer in our reading for today. Open your Bibles to Matthew 7, verse 7. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus sums up the life of a Christian. It is a life of trusting God and loving others.

One way a Christian expresses faith is through his constant prayers to God. Another expression of his faith is the way he treats those around him.

Jesus says…

“7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened“ (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV).

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Jesus appeals to our common sense. Those who ask, RECEIVE. Those who actually seek what they want, FIND IT. If you want to enter a building and the door is locked, it’s a good idea to KNOCK on that door until someone comes to open it. Jesus tells His disciples, Pray to God like this.

It might be a THING that we’re praying for. It might be an ANSWER to a Bible question that we have. It might what we should do in a certain situation. Whatever it is, Jesus says, talk to your heavenly Father about it. Then, also make an effort to find what you are asking for.

Bible study is a good example. When we read a puzzling verse in the Bible we should ask God to give us the correct understanding of it. But, then we need to listen to Jesus and go further. We need to PICK UP our Bible and read the chapters surrounding the verse in question. We need to read the cross references that connect that verse to other parts of the Bible. We need to ask our brothers and sisters in Christ how they understand this verse. We need to ask our pastors to help us consult the original Hebrew and Greek.

Jesus adds one more thing, Keep on knocking. Keep on returning to God in prayer. Keep on going back to the Bible, expecting an answer, until God opens the door.

A Christian prays persistently because he KNOWS that when his prayer isn’t answered IMMEDIATELY that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care. When we pray persistently we are telling God…

…Hey, I believe in You. You promise that because of Jesus my sins are forgiven and I can approach You as Your own son or daughter.

…I know that You WANT TO BLESS ME, because Jesus died for my sins long before I came to know You. I know that You WANT TO BLESS ME because You sent Your Holy Spirit to ME when I was a unbelieving sinner! You took the time and effort to make me Your own by faith in Your Son.

…Of course I know You want to bless me in this littler thing that I’m praying about. So I’ll wait until you do. I’ll keep praying, until you do.

Persistent, expecting prayer expresses our belief that God’s promise of forgiveness is true, and His love and power are real.

Think about it like this. When a miner believes that there is gold in a mountain, he finds a good place and begins to dig. But if the miner really believes that there is gold to be found there, he digs deeper than two feet. With the first shovel full of dirt the miner ASKS. With the shaft dug deep into the mountainside he SEEKS. And with repeated days, weeks, months of digging he KNOCKS on the mountain’s door.

We know that all good gifts, spiritual or otherwise, come from the God of the Bible. So we knock on His door.
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Jesus appeals to common sense again in verse 9. Turn to Matthew 7, verse 9. If God is our Father, than let’s take a look at what fathers do. Jesus says…

“9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11 NIV).

My daughter Marnie a very happy child. She flits around like a little beam of sunshine. But the weather of her mood can change very abruptly.

When she was younger she would get terribly upset about the most trivial things. One time I was sitting at the kitchen table when I heard Marnie let out a horrible wail of anguish.

I jumped up and rushed to her room expecting a broken bone or a bleeding cut or some kind of injury. But when I reached the bedroom, there she was, sitting on the floor trying to get a shirt on without unbuttoning ANY of the buttons.

Over and over we would tell her, Honey, settle down. It’s okay. You don’t need to get so frustrated little things like this. All you need to do is ASK FOR HELP.

And her sad little voice would come back: Dad, will you help me?

Dad: Of course I will. Come here.

Brothers and Sisters, don’t get so frustrated. Your heavenly Father is beside you, WANTING TO HELP, WAITING to help. Ask him.
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Or how about this one. Ever have a child trying to find something?

Mom, I need my shoes for practice!

Well, did you look in your room?

No.

Thirty seconds later…

Mom, I still can’t find my shoes! I need them for practice!

You didn’t look very hard, you were only in there for thirty seconds!

That’s us sometimes isn’t it?

Heavenly Father I need an answer to this question. It’s very important, but I just don’t know where to find the answer! Help me!

Did you look in the Bible?

No.

Try looking there. And don’t just glance. Dig in and root around in there till you find the answer. My Holy Spirit will help you. And I bet you’ll find some answers you’ll need for tomorrow too.

It’s common sense. He who seeks, finds. So lets make sure that seeking is an ongoing part of our life. Seeking through the Lord’s message to us. Mining the Scriptures. Finding answers for today and gems for tomorrow. Let’s USE the precious gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us. Let’s PRAY! Let’s HEAR His Word!
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 12. Up to this point Jesus has been talking about our relationship with God. Now He changes direction and talks about our relationship with one another. Jesus says…

“12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).

In the Old Testament God gave the Israelite Nation a handy summary of His will. We call that summary the Ten Commandments.

The first part of that summary deals with how God wants us to treat Him (Commandments 1-3). The Second part of that summary deals with how God wants us to treat each other (Commandments 4-10).

Here Jesus takes that second part and condenses it further. He gives His followers an axiom, a rule of thumb, a guide for knowing how to treat each other.: Do to others what you would have them do to you.

Now, if you study other religions you can find statements similar to this “Golden Rule”. Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism all have teachings that sound like Jesus’ Golden Rule. But they’re not quite the same.

A famous Rabbi, Rabbi Hillel is quoted as saying, “What is hateful to thyself do not to thy neighbor”. But here’s the difference. Jesus doesn’t say to be REACTIVE. He doesn’t say to wait till someone does something bad to us and then be sure not to do that.

Jesus teaches His followers to PROACTIVE. He says, Think about how you want others to treat you, and then do that to them FIRST!
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It’s just like Martin Luther explained the Seventh Commandment. You shall not steal. Sure God doesn’t want us to take what isn’t ours, but there’s more to it than that. God also wants us to, as Luther put it…

“…HELP (our neighbor) TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT HIS PROPERTY AND WAY OF MAKING A LIVING” (Sydow Catechism).

As Jesus said in another place,

“…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV).

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And here lies the greatest reason why prayer truly IS the Christian’s vital breath. Because we haven’t done either thing. We haven’t loved God with all that we are. We haven’t loved our neighbor as we love ourselves. We have sinned against God’s whole Law, over and over and over.

These sins weigh our hearts with guilt, fill our minds with regret, and make our souls unfit for heaven. But when the Christian feels this unworthiness, he prays: Father, forgive me. Wash away my sin in the blood of Your Son. Without Him, I am lost.

And God hears, and answers that prayer. By His Son’s death on the cross He has put away our sin forever. By His Holy Spirit and through His Word He makes this known to our hearts. He breathes LIFE into the one who trusts His Son.

The Christian life is one of persistent prayer to our loving Father, who teaches us to love others by revealing how much HE loved us. So pray to Your Father in Heaven, for He loves You dearly and wants to bless Your in every way. And love each other as yourself.

Amen.

The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Bertram J. Naumann Memorial - Oct 11, 2009

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Obituary of Bertram Justus Naumann: (sermon address below)

Bertram Justus Naumann was born on June 19th, 1931, at Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He entered God's kingdom of grace through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism three weeks later, being baptized by his father, the Rev. Paul George Naumann, Pastor of St. Jacobi Ev. Lutheran Church of that city. Bert received his entire education in church-sponsored schools. In May of 1941, when Bert was nine, his father was called to his eternal rest. A few months later the nation was at war. In order to support the family, his mother moved them to New Ulm, Minnesota, where she was employed as a house mother at a girl’s dormitory, Hillcrest Hall. Bert attended St. Paul’s Lutheran school. He was confirmed in the Christian faith on March 25, 1945. He attended high school at Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, graduating in 1949. He enrolled at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin, for one year. He graduated from Concordia Lutheran Junior College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the following year. He completed his pre-theology and entered the seminary at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota. It was at Bethany where Bert was to meet his future wife, Alice Marion Dahle, of Emmons, Minnesota. After Bethany, Bert continued his studies at the Wisconsin Synod Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin, from which he graduated in May of 1957. Bert and Alice were joined in holy wedlock at Lime Creek Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, Iowa, on June 15th of that year. After this, Bert took up his duties at the two church to which he had been called by God: Calvary Lutheran Church of Marquette, Michigan, and St. Paul's Lutheran Church of neighboring Green Garden.

The early years of Bert’s ministry were tumultuous ones in the history of the Synodical Conference. False doctrine had entered the conservative Lutheran church. Teachings concerning the inspiration of Scripture and the origins of the universe were being corrupted and challenged in Lutheran schools, colleges and seminaries, and many resultant loose practices regarding the doctrine of church fellowship threatened the unity that had once existed in the Synodical Conference. Again and again the Wisconsin Synod delayed dealing with the false teachings of the LC-MS, and in the fall of 1959 the two congregations Bert served voted to suspend fellowship with the WELS. A number of other congregations around the US had taken the same action, and Bert began attending meetings of the group then known as the Interim Conference, later in 1960 to be voted its present name: the Church of the Lutheran Confession. Bert was a founding member of this new fellowship.

Bert served in Marquette from July of 1957 until December, 1966, when he accepted a call to Messiah, Milwaukee. He was pastor there through June of 1973, when he was called to Redemption Lutheran Church of Alderwood Manor, WA. He served Redemption for 27 years, retiring in May of 2000.

Bert served his Lord in the public ministry for a total of 43 years. Over that time he saw duty on numerous synod boards and committees, including the Boards of Doctrine and Trustees. He authored the adult instruction course, "Learn From Me," which has been used to instruct thousands of people in the basics of the Christian faith. Bert was always looking for new places to proclaim the Gospel - while in Milwaukee he was instrumental in the establishment of new congregations in Madison and Chicago. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, he had a hand in starting our missions in Ketchikan AK, Vernon BC, and Tacoma WA. Following his retirement, Bert was a faithful member and church officer at Ascension Lutheran of Tacoma. He continued to lend a hand with synodical affairs through active participation in conventions and pastoral conferences. The Pacific Coast Pastoral Conference, particularly, appreciated his wise counsel and steadying hand over the years - the conference that was meeting on the day he died was the first one he ever missed.

After a brief illness, His Lord granted Bert a peaceful death on October 7, 2009, at his home in Puyallup, Washington. His age was 78 years, three months and eighteen days. He was preceded in death by his father, Rev. Paul G. Naumann, his mother, Dora (nee Koehler), brothers Paul and Ben, and granddaughter Jesse. He is survived by Alice, his dear wife of 52 years, sisters Lois Neubauer and Eunice Roehl, children Paul (Carol), Ann (Scott Radcliffe), David (Desirae), Bruce (Paula), Gail (Allen Richardson), Thomas (Jennifer), James (Sheila) and Steven (Eve-Lynn), as well as 31 grandchildren, and many other beloved relatives and friends.

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Cor. 15:57.

Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Comforting someone can be difficult. A loved one may come to us in rough shape. We see they need comfort, but we don’t know exactly how to give it. We don’t know what to do or what to say. We want to say SOMETHING, and we want to say the RIGHT thing.

We don’t want our words to be cliché. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.” Sometimes things aren’t “okay”. Sometimes horrible things happen, and just having a positive outlook isn’t enough.

We don’t want our words of comfort to be empty. When a famous person dies we hear things like, “He will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all who knew and loved him.” If my wife or one of my daughters were to die tomorrow, DON’T comfort me like this. Memories are fine, but they aren’t the person.

When words of comfort can’t be found, people may try to distract their loved ones instead. We might be told, “Don’t dwell on their absence but on all the good times that you had with them.” And there’s some comfort there. Some wisdom. For the Bible tells us to focus on the good, and not on the bad (Philippians 4:8-9). But even the best of distractions are of limited value. We can’t live the rest of our lives walking backward, gazing into the past.

I hope that I haven’t offended anyone here by saying these things. For there is some comfort in these things I’ve mentioned, just not enough.

(Pastor holds up a box of band-aids. Out of it he pulls a very small square one)

If we were to comfort a friend by using these things alone, it’s be like putting this band-aid on an amputated limb. It doesn’t cover much, and can’t do anything to heal the wound.

Full comfort, lasting comfort, for ourselves and for our loved ones can only come through Jesus Christ. That’s what the apostle Paul says to his Christian friends living in Thessalonica.

In First Thessalonians, chapter 4, Paul writes…

13But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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The apostle Paul knew the Christians who lived in Thessalonica. He had preached the message of Christ to them.

The book of Acts tells us that when Paul came to Thessalonica he first taught about Jesus in the Jewish synagogue. To the Jewish bible class. And through Paul’s preaching, the Holy Spirit convinced some of the Jews that Jesus was the Savior.

But the majority of the congregation in Thessalonica was made up of Gentiles. Pagan people who had come away from worshipping idols to worship the true God. In Thessalonians chapter one it says…

“…you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

Paul was concerned. These new Christians had come from pagan backgrounds. Who knows what kind of superstitious nonsense they still believed. Apparently, some thought that Christians who had died would somehow be left behind when Christ returned.

We know from inscriptions on ancient tombs and from the pagan literature of the day that the pagans viewed death with horror because they believed that it was the END OF EVERYTHING.

Paul didn’t want these people to grieve for Christians who had died as if they would never see them again. So Paul reminds them, that IF Jesus died and rose from the dead, that means that all our friends in Christ who have died in faith WILL BE THERE when Christ returns.

For those who trust in Christ, death is not the end.
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Paul talks is absolutely certain that all who trust in Christ are guaranteed a place in heaven.

He DOESN’T say, IF our loved ones HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH in purgatory so that their sins are all burned away, then they’ll join Jesus on the last day.

Paul DOESN’T say, IF the living have done more good than bad by the time Jesus returns THEN they’ll be accepted by Him. This kind of thinking has NO PLACE in Paul’s message.

For those in Christ, salvation is not in question.
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Those in Christ have a sure hope. Not because of anything we have done. We’re sinners just like everyone else in the world. God is holy, and we are anything but. We have taken God’s love and squandered his blessings, and we deserve nothing but suffering now, death later and hell forever. Bert would have agreed.

But Jesus took our sins away when He died on the cross. He suffered in our place and used up the judgment that would have fallen on us. And by faith in Him who died and rose for us, our future has been changed.

That’s why Paul wrote,

“…the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b NIV).

That’s why Peter wrote,

“…the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6b NIV).

That’s why Jesus Himself declared,

““I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

The future of those in Christ is secure. That’s why Paul can tell the Thessalonians, exactly what their future will be.

When Jesus descends from heaven. There’s gonna be a lot of noise. Our Christian brothers and sisters will rise from the dead. Then any followers of Christ who are still living will join the newly resurrected to meet Jesus in the air where we’ll begin our eternity with Him.

Because this is the Lord’s Word, our resurrection and reunion with Christ and all our fellow believers is inevitable. This is no BAND-AID, no pie in the sky, no distraction to cover up the horror of death. Christ declares death’s power destroyed. Christ HEALS the deadly wound called sin.
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Paul says, comfort one another with these words. So, I’m going to keep it simple today. I’m going to say to you,

…for Bert, death is not the end.

…for Bert, salvation is not in question. We know what He believed and preached throughout His life. His hope of forgiveness and life was in Christ alone.

…for Bert, his resurrection and reunion with Christ is inevitable, and the next Naumann reunion he attends is gonna be something else.

There is sorrow today. We feel it, because we wish that Bert was here, even as we are glad that he is not. But our sorrow is not like that of the pagan world. Our sorrow is temporary, because of Christ.
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I’d like to say one more thing. There is a large group of people here, and I do not know you all. In our Bible reading, Paul talks to his fellow Christians. These are Paul’s words of comfort FOR THEM.

Perhaps you do not trust in Christ. If you don’t, know this. He wants you to have this comfort also. For God desires that all people be saved, and come to a knowledge of the truth. Jesus died not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. If you are a sinner, then Christ died for you. Trust in Him.

Amen.

Don't Be Judgmental - Oct 11, 2009

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Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV)

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

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What does it mean to judge? Interestingly enough, the Greek word here means the same exact thing that the English word means. To judge is to say that someone or something is either good or bad. Thumbs up, or thumbs down.

Jesus doesn’t mean that we should never make a judgment about anything. What He is saying is that we should never make a SHALLOW judgment. That’s what He said to the Pharisees. Turn to John 7, verse 24.

“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24 NIV).

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There are lots of ways that people make shallow judgments about other people. One person might see someone with tattoos so thick on their arms that it looks like sleeves. That person is probably not a good person. Probably spends most of his time in bars and other places of sin. Maybe he does drugs. I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter to go out with THIS kind of guy.

That’s being judgmental. Assuming you know all about a person because of one outward characteristic.

Sometimes we judge people who belong to other churches. We might say, I know that Baptist churches teach that baptism is only a symbol and isn’t for infants at all. They say it’s a something we do for God, not something He does for us. They probably believe this because they think Christianity is all about doing things for God, not trusting in what God did for us. Baptists are not very faithful to God, and certainly not to be trusted.

That’s assuming quite a bit about a person’s faith because of their church connection. That’s judging their whole character without even knowing them. Without even having a conversation with them.

Pastors can be judgmental too. For example, I know that the Bible says that Christians shouldn’t give up meeting with each other. They should gather together to worship God. In the Old Testament God even told the Jews to dedicate one day every week to worshipping Him and hearing His Word.

So, when I see one of our members who I NEVER see at church. I think, they’re not reading their Bible at home. They’re not praying. They’re certainly not growing in faith. I wonder what they really believe? I mean, if they really value Jesus and His forgiveness, then WHERE ARE THEY ON SUNDAY?

But their bad habit doesn’t justify my excessive judgment. I don’t really know all those things about their faith life. One person I asked about this actually said, well yeah, pastor, I am studying the Bible at home. My sister and my brother and me study together over the phone.

Yeah. My judgment of her faith was shallow and wrong. If I’m concerned about someone’s church attendance and what it means, I should talk to them. I should reach out in Christian love and say, how are you doing? How’s your Bible reading going? What about your prayer life? Where do you think you can grow in your relationship with Christ? How can I help you do that? That’s what my response should be, not a shallow, self-righteous judgment.
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Now, what this passage doesn’t mean. Lots of people are familiar with this part of the Bible. Well, at least the first part, “Don’t judge”. When a Christian what someone is doing is wrong, the reply comes back, “Who are you to judge me? I thought Christians weren’t supposed to judge? How dare you judge me!”

A response like this means, “You’re not allowed to tell me something is wrong, because that’s judging.”

But like I said earlier, Jesus doesn’t mean that we should never make any judgments of any kind. What he means is that we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. We dare not make shallow judgments. We don’t want to be JUDGEMENTAL.

You don’t have to look far to find examples of judgments that we are supposed to make. Turn to Matthew 5, verse 20. Jesus says…

“20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20 NIV).

Jesus is judging the faith of the Pharisees! He’s saying, they don’t have any! They think they’re righteous before God because they don’t sin as much as other people. That’s not righteousness before God! Jesus wasn’t being judgmental. He was making a good judgment. He knew what the Pharisees were like.

Jesus doesn’t tell His followers NEVER to make a judgment. Never tell someone, what you’re doing is wrong. That’s the kind of judgment that we should make. Point it out to them and help them.
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Another way of looking at judging is this. Judging people is like drawing a circle around someone and saying they’re bad, and I’m good.

That’s what the Pharisees did. They looked at people around them and saw tax collectors and prostitutes and they said, these people are bad. They circled them and said, these people are hopeless. They will never be anything other than damned sinners, so don’t go near them.

Jesus doesn’t want us to do that with people. He doesn’t want us to go, I’m so much better than this other person. They’re a sinner, I’m not because I don’t do what they do. No! That’s now what matters. We’re all sinners. Any sin that you say about someone else, oh, look at them they’re a sinner in this way – you have broken that same commandment.

Turn to Romans 2, verse 1. Paul just got done listing off a bunch of things that godless people do. They’re greedy, envious, murderers, liars, gossips, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to their parents, heartless, ruthless and so on. But then in chapter two Paul turns the finger around and says,

“1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1 NIV).

The same sins we see in the world around us, we can also find in our own hearts and lives. We’re not righteous before God because we’re better than others. We’re not righteous before God because we’re not prostitutes or career criminals. The only reason that you and I are righteous before God is because we are covered with Jesus’ righteousness.

He lived a perfect life to God, so that He could take that life and, through His sacrifice on the cross, offer it to us. Through faith in Jesus we put on His righteousness like a long white coat. THAT is how we are righteous in God’s sight, through faith in Jesus.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 3. Jesus continues by saying…

“3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV).

This is what the Pharisees were doing to the sinners around them. With the “plank” of their own self-righteousness, they were looking around at everyone else saying, here, let me help you get that sin out of your eye. Here, learn to live your life as good as me and then you’ll be right with God.

But they had the “plank” of self-righteousness in their eye! They weren’t righteous before God! And even if they could convince a prostitute to stop and to live like them, that wouldn’t help at all!

Turn to Matthew 23, verse 15. Here Jesus is laying into the Pharisees. They told everyone, we’ve got the way to heaven and we’ll teach you what you need to do. But all they were teaching was self-righteousness that leads to hell.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15 NIV).

I don’t have to point out that Jesus is judging again, do I?

The Pharisees needed have their self-righteousness removed before they could EVER help anyone else spiritually. They needed to understand they were sinners. They need to see that only Christ could clean them of their sins before God.

With their self-righteous replaced with repentance and faith, THEN they could help others. They could say, Look, I’m a sinner, but in Jesus I am forgiven. I see you have something in your eye, but Jesus can help you with that.
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We have to do the same. We have to come to people AFTER we have confessed our sins to God. We have to say, Lord, look, I’m a sinner. I do these things wrong just like they do. I don’t want to do that anymore. Forgive me. Change me.

By faith in Christ that’s what happens. We are made new. We are declared righteous by Christ. Then after repentance and faith, after the plank is out of our eye then we can go to people and say, look, I see you’re sinning. Let me show you how to get rid of that. Let me introduce you to Jesus.
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People look at this section about the plank and the speck and they say, what that means is that I can never tell someone they’re doing something wrong unless my life is perfect first.

But it’s not about being perfect before you can reach out to someone else. It’s about being repentance and forgiven by Christ. Then you can turn to other people and say, I had something in my eye, and so do you, let me show you the Man who can take it out.
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Turn to Matthew 7, verse 6.

6“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

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This last part here kinda seems to come out of nowhere. Jesus was just talking about not judging people and then all the sudden we’ve got dogs, pigs and pearls. So, what’s up here?

There is a definite connection to judging, but before we see that we need to study up on dogs and pigs. If you look through the rest of the Bible for dogs, you’ll find that dogs were considered to be low animals. Incapable of much. They were also disgusting animals. They ate dead things. They had the lovely habit of puking up something and then returning later to eat it again.

Sorry. I know it’s gross, but those are the things that the Bible associates with real dogs. It’s not to hard for us to understand what’s being said when God calls people dogs.

Turn to Revelation chapter 22, verse 14. There John is quoting Jesus. Jesus is describing heaven and those who are locked out of heaven. He says…

“14“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:14-15 NIV).

Dogs are people who refuse God and embrace evil instead.

Pigs are pretty easy to understand too. In the Old Testament God told the Jews they were not to eat pork. The pig was to be considered a ceremonially unclean animal. It wallowed in the mud. It was dirty.

Figuratively, pigs and dogs are the same. People who hate God and His Word.

Jesus doesn’t want us to judge people around us as “sinners” who will never change. But there are people we will meet who show their hatred for God and their opposition to anything that comes from Him.

There are times when the Christian must not lay the Good News of Jesus before a person like this. It would be like offering communion wafers to a rabid dog, or trying to put your expensive pearls on a pig. They’ll only make fun of the precious message of Jesus, and they may even turn on the messenger.

Be compassionate. Be forgiving and not judgmental. But don’t be foolish in your personal ministry. Take care of what is sacred and precious, and take care of your self as well. Don’t be a martyr unless that is God’s will for you.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, help me not to condemn and shun people because of some THING they say or do. Even if that thing is a sin. Make me wise and compassionate, enable me to reach out in love – pointing out sin, but also pointing out Your Son who died to take our sins away.

Father, don’t judge me by my sins, for they are many. Instead judge me by Jesus, who’s righteousness covers me by faith. Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Mission Festival - Oct 4, 2009

This week we have a guest speaker, Missionary Matthew Ude. While there is no manuscript version of his message available, you can listen online to him presenting his message to our sister congregation in San Fransisco, CA. To do so, scroll down to find "THE WORD OF CHRIST LEADS US TO SERVE HIM!" after clicking here.

In Christ,
-Pastor Caleb Schaller

Your Father is God, DON'T WORRY!

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To LISTEN to this week's sermon online click here. To DOWNLOAD an MP3, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as".

Sermon:

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Everybody knows the story of David and Goliath. But the world thinks that David’s young victory is about a little guy triumphing over amazing odds. The world puts the story of David and Goliath on the shelf next to the “Little Engine that Could”.

But David and Goliath is not primarily about determination, perseverance or even courage. Sure David was courageous, but that’s not the main point. What happened on that battle field 3,000 years ago happened because of David’s FAITH.

David knew God had promised that no one could stand in their way as Abraham’s descendants as they took possession of their God-given homeland. Turn to Deuteronomy, chapter 20.

“1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. 4For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NIV).

When David first saw Goliath taunting the Israelites he said, “Who is this… that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26b). When King Saul told David that he was too young and inexperienced to face Goliath, David replied that Goliath would die because he had “defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:36 NIV).

David believed that God would KEEP HIS PROMISE and would fight against the enemies of Israel. David knew that when God is the Commander of your army, fear is silly.
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Today in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says something very similar: If God is your Father, than worry is silly.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Worry makes us near-sighted. It causes us to focus on details that may or may not matter. Sometimes at the expense of what more important.

When David told King Saul that he would fight Goliath, Saul’s mind thought of the little details of battle, not the big promise of God. He tried to discourage David, saying that Goliath was far more experienced.

When David refused to turn away, Saul turned to other details. Saul dressed David up in his own gear of war. Armor, sword, etc. He figured David would need these to stand a chance against Goliath.

David tried them on, and then took them off. He wasn’t used to wearing these things. Instead David took his shepherding stick and went down by the stream to get a few stones for his sling.

The truth is, David would have defeated Goliath if he had walked into that showdown armed only with a feather duster. The victory wasn’t in the sling. The victory wasn’t in the stones. It wasn’t in the boy. It was in the God whom the boy trusted.
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And when it comes to you and me, our LIFE and HEALTH doesn’t depend on food and clothing alone. Our culture values these things highly. But food and clothing are just the details. True life depends on having a faith connection to the Creator.

In verse 33 of our Sermon text Jesus promises…

“…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 NIV).

Being part of God’s Kingdom means believing His promises and basing our decisions on them. That’s what it means to seek God’s rule in our lives. First believing Him, then living by His Word. When we do this, we have God’s guarantee that He will provide our food and drink. A good King takes care of His subjects.

We have God’s righteousness when we trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins. In fact, God says that through faith in Jesus we no only OBTAIN forgiveness, we BECOME the righteousness of God.

Turn to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. There Paul writes…

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

Through faith in Jesus we are declared as sinless and perfect as God is.

These are the things that really matter! Not whether we’re eating macaroni and cheese or prime rib. Not whether we’ve got a pair of shoes for every occasion or just one pair of holey sneakers. Faith in Christ. Participation in the reign of God, right now.
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Look again at verse 26. Jesus says…

“26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?...
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26, 28-30 NIV).

Jesus was sitting on a large hillside when he said these words. The people could no doubt hear the birds and maybe they could see the flowers around them, too.

What if tomorrow God forgot to make the flowers grow? What if tomorrow God forgot to feed the birds and they all died? These are silly questions. Here’s another silly question. What if tomorrow God forgot to care for the sinners He redeemed with His own Son’s blood?

Paul said it like this:

“31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32 NIV).

If the God of the Bible is our Father, and Jesus says that by faith He is, then we never have reason to worry.

He’s not a stupid Father! He’s not a weak Father! But that’s what we treat Him like when we worry. As if He could forget His own people. As if we might need to pick up the slack for God when He forgets to give us what we need.

He’s given us His Son to be our Savior, our Ever-living, raised-from-the-dead Savior and even calls Him our brother! He will not fail to provide what we need. We ARE far more valuable to our Father than all the little creatures and plants that He feeds and clothes every moment of every day.
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Worry settles into the heart when we take God’s responsibilities on our own shoulders. King Saul and his whole army were dismayed when Goliath challenged them because they thought that their sword and skill that had to win the battle.

We too, can lose heart when we begin to think that forgiveness depends on us sinning less tomorrow. But it isn’t our doing better that kills the giant called SIN, it’s Jesus’ perfect life that did that. We just trust in the promise, just like David.
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Now, Jesus isn’t saying never prepare for the future.

In Proverbs 10, verse 5 it says…

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (Proverbs 10:4-5 NIV).

Preparation for the future is different than worry. Peter says that all Christians should be prepared to tell people why they trust in Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15) Paul says that we should prepare ourselves to face the Devil’s temptations by putting on God’s armor. (Ephesians 6:11)

Letting our minds race around what might be said, or what might be done, or what possibly could go wrong – is not an exercise of preparing, but of worrying. It is also not an exercise of faith, but of doubt. Preparation for the future is different than worry.

Ever get stuck in the snow? Or mud? In your car I mean. Our instinct is to step on the gas. More power will help, right? But usually what works best is a steady foot on the gas. Let the weight of the car give the car some traction. Give just enough gas to move the care forward instead of polishing your own personal ice-rink with your tires.

That’s what worry is like. Spinning your tires. Thinking, oh, I can get out of this if I just put a little more mind power into it. Oh, no, it’s not working. Better spin faster. And on it goes until we’re tired and frustrated to finally sleep.

But Jesus wants us to know that even though our minds are attracted to worry, worry is really no good. Worry is not only powerless to help us, it is also a cumbersome weight that pulls us down.

Look at verse 27. Jesus says,

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV).

Worry is powerless to help us, and it is therefore foolish to waste our time and energy worrying.

I’d like to prove this fact for you right now. I’ve got a feather here. Just one single feather. I’m going to put it here in front of you. And now I’m going to move this feather onto the ground just by using the power of worry.

(Pastor concentrates hard on the feather, but nothing happens.)

Okay, maybe I’m not good at worrying. I thought I was a pretty good worrier, but I guess I’m going to need some help. Is there anyone out there who is good at worrying? Raise you hand if you’ve got some experience worrying?

(Pastor asks one person to help him “worry” the feather onto the ground. They both concentrate hard, but nothing happens to the feather.)

Looks like we’re going to need everyone’s help here. I need you all to help me worry about this feather. With our combined worrying we surely move mountains, we must be able to move this feather.

(Everyone in the congregation concentrates hard on worrying the feather to the ground, but again, nothing happens.)

Some of you are thinking, this is a very silly exercise. And Jesus would agree. Worrying about anything is a very silly exercise indeed. Worry is powerless to do anything, except waste our time, waster our energy and draw our attention away from our Father in heaven. That’s why Jesus commands His followers “Don’t worry!”, three separate times!

Did you notice that? Look at verse 25. Verse 31. Verse 34. Jesus knows that worry is a persistent problem.
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There’s one more thing Jesus wants us to know about worry. Look at verse 34. Jesus says,

“…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).

I think we would all agreed that it’s foolish to let the past weigh us down. Christ Jesus cuts us free from all our past sins. It would be foolish to let guilt over those sins weigh us down. It is equally foolish to look forward and borrow tomorrow’s responsibilities today. In the present we can’t really do anything about tomorrow’s problems. We can’t really even be sure what tomorrow’s problems will be!

Have you ever gotten all prepared for some problem that you just KNOW is going to happen, and then it doesn’t? Ever had to talk to someone about something very important and gotten all tense about what they might say or do, and it turns out to be no problem at all?

When we borrow from tomorrow’s problems we borrow weight that isn’t meant for today. Leave it be, Jesus says. Quit pretending you’re God and just trust in the Father. Let today be what it is, and trust that God will care for you tomorrow also. He’s your Father, you know. He cares for you.

I’d like to end this message with a prayer.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven,
Forgive us for the times we try to wrestle Your responsibilities away from You. Help us not to worry, but to trust in Your promises. Help us to grow in faith, trusting in You and Your Son, knowing that You’ll take care of all the little details of our lives.

Forgive us for the times we have treated you like you didn’t know what we really needed, or like you were powerless to give us the right things. When we worry, help us to remember the birds and the flowers, which you feed and clothe. And help us to remember the way you have already clothed us with Christ’s righteousness, totally apart from our help.

When we find ourselves worrying about something, help us to realize it, Lord, and to throw off our worry with prayer.

We pray all these things in Jesus’ name, through whom You have made all worry a silly thing.

Amen.

The Peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.