Talks on Luther's Catechism - June 10, 2012

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SERVICE:

Before Jesus Christ ascended back into heaven, He told His disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. He told them to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to teach these disciples to observe everything He had commanded. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Here at Redemption Church we wish to carry out Christ's command. So, we baptize and we teach our children what our Lord has taught us. That's what our confirmation classes are all about - teaching God's things.

The essential textbook for this task is the Bible. But we also use tools like Luther's Catechism.
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About four hundred and fifty years ago, Martin Luther toured the churches of Germany and found that the people who belonged to these churches knew little of Bible teaching. So, Luther wrote the Catechism. He intended the heads of each household to use this little book to instruct their families in the Word of God.

For the past three years our confirmands have been using Luther's Catechism to study God's Word. Today they will confirm their faith publicly and become members of Redemption Church. So, we take this opportunity to review the fundamental teachings of God's Word which our confirmands have studied.

"The Ten Commandments"

Luther's Catechism starts with the Ten Commandments. This is a good place to start, because all people are born with God's law written in our hearts. We instinctively know things like stealing and murder are wrong. God has given us a conscience which tells us when we have sinned and when we have done what is right.

But our conscience can't always be trusted. Sometimes it tells us something is right, when it is wrong. Sometimes it tells us something is wrong, when it is right.

God gave us a dependable summary of His will when He had the Ten Commandments written down in the Bible. Where our conscience goes astray, God's Word shows us the truth. In this way God's Law works as a guide.

But, God's law also works as a curb and a mirror.

People know that they will be punished if they do evil. So, they often refrain from sinning because they are afraid of being punished. In this way God's Law acts as a curb, causing people to shy away from unchecked sinning.

Also, when we compare our lives with what God's Law says, we find that we have not kept God's Law. We find that we are sinners who deserve punishment in this life, and hell in eternity because of our sins against God and man. In this way God's Law acts as a mirror, showing us that we are sinners who need a Savior.
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The first three commandments deal with how we are to act toward God. You shall have no other Gods. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Commandments 4-8 deal with how we are to act toward the people around us. Honor those place in authority. Don't murder. Don't steal. Don't lie.

Commandments 9-10 also deal with how we are to act toward the people around us. But, these commandments also reveal that sin is committed first in the heart before it is shown outwardly by our words and actions. These commandments tell us not to covet. That is, not to desire in a sinful way that which God has not given to us.
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That sin is an internal problem is one of the greatest lesson God's Law can teach us. Outwardly we can guard the things we say and do. But we can't stop our hearts from sinning.

Think about it like this. I can change the oil in my car and polish the paint job, but if the problem is in the heart of the engine - I need a mechanic to fix that.

The Law of God is good, but it's power is limited. The Bible teaches us that the Law will not be able to help us when we stand before God on the Last Day. The Law can only show us that we are sinners who need a Savior.

Romans 3, verse 19 says...

"19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin" (Romans 3:19-20 NIV).

"The Apostles' Creed"

The second part of Luther's Catechism is the Apostles Creed. While the Law shows us our sin, the Apostles Creed speaks about our Savior.

The Gospel, also called the Good News, tells us how God solved our problem of sin. God sent His Son to become a human being. As a human being, Jesus was required to keep God's Law. Where we have failed, Jesus succeeded in obeying the Law perfectly. Then, God's Son offered Himself as an innocent sacrifice in our place. He suffered our hell on the cross. In this way, Jesus took our punishment away forever.
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The two most important teachings of the Bible are Law and Gospel. Romans 6:23 expresses these two teachings like this...

"23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23 NKJV).

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The Apostles Creed also echoes the Bible's teaching that that God is Triune, or "three-in-one". Though there is only one God, the Bible reveals that God has three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus told his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Creed teaches us that God the Father is our both our creator and preserver. He made us and provides everything that we need and everything we enjoy in this life.

The Creed also teaches that God the Spirit is our sanctifier. Sanctification is not a word we hear everyday. Here's what it means.

Sanctification in the wide sense is everything that the Holy Spirit does to bring a sinner to faith in Christ and keep that sinner trusting in Christ for forgiveness. Sanctification in the narrow sense is everything that the Holy Spirit does to create fruits of faith in the life of a Christ follower. "Fruits of faith" are good words and actions that match God's will for our lives.

"Holy Baptism"

The third part of Luther's Catechism deals with Baptism. It's clear that Jesus commanded His followers to be baptized and to baptize others. But what is baptism all about?

God understands that people learn in different ways. Some people learn best from reading, others from hearing, still others from hands on experience. As a master communicator, the Lord expresses the Good News of Jesus in a number of different ways. One of these ways is found in Holy Baptism.

Baptism has been called, "the visible Gospel". Following our Lord's command we simply put water on a person and say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
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Some churches teach that Baptism is only a symbol, and that it has no real power to save. But the Word of God says otherwise in numerous places. That baptism saves is clear from passages like Acts 22:16. There Peter says...

"...why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’" (Acts 22:16 NKJV).

We know from the rest of the Bible that a sinner can only be saved through trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ. So, we teach that Holy Baptism creates and seals faith through the powerful Word of God.
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Some churches teach that only adults should be baptized, as if Baptism was something that we do for God and not the other way around. But the Bible teaches us that human beings are sinful from the point of conception, so children need salvation just as much as adults. Jesus told His followers to baptize "all nations", which certainly includes infants. Finally, we know that infants trust their parents who love them. Through the Bible we are taught that they can also trust in God who loves them more than any parent every could.

It's important to remember that Jesus told his followers to baptize AND teach. If we don't raise our baptized children to know the Gospel, their faith will die.

Think about it like this: Baptism is like planting a seed. Without continual watering, that seed cannot live and thrive. So, we follow the faith planting of Holy Baptism with the faith watering of instruction in God's Word - especially the saving message of sins forgiven through Jesus' cross.
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Before we move on, I'd like to share one more Bible passage about Baptism. This passage shows that Baptism creates an amazing connection between a person and Christ Jesus Himself. Romans 6, verse 3 says...

"...do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4 NKJV).

Through the faith connection to Christ that Baptism creates, we get credit for all that Jesus did. Though we didn't feel the nails of the crucifixion, we were there. Though we didn't feel the cold tomb, we were buried with Him. And when Jesus was raised from death to life, we were spiritually raised with Him. In this new life we shun sin and embrace God's ways.

Galatians 3, verse 26 expresses the visible Gospel of Baptism like this...

"26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27 NKJV).

"Keys and Confession"

Faith in God is a matter of the heart. Outward membership in a church does not connect a person to God. While there are many faithful believers in God in churches, there are also hypocrites. People who have strayed away from faith only retain the name "Christian".

Part of being a fellowship of believers is guarding each other from hypocrisy. To help us do this our Savior, Jesus Christ, has given His believers a gift called the "Office of the Keys".

The fourth part of Luther's Catechism deals with the Office of the Keys. It says...

"The Office of the Keys is the special power Christ gave to His Church on earth to forgive sins of penitent sinners and to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent" (Sydow Catechism).

One of the places in the Bible where this teaching comes from is John 20, verse 22. There it says...

"[Jesus] breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'" (John 20:22-23 NKJV).

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In connection with the Keys, it's important to note the distinction between "sins of weakness" and "unrepentant sin".

Sins of weakness are sins that a person does daily simply because we have an inner sinful nature. A Christian doesn't defend these sins, but rejects them as evil and looks to Jesus for forgiveness and for the power to avoid them in the future.

Unrepentant sins, on the other hand, are sins done by a person that they aren't sorry for. They dismiss these sins as "okay" or even defend them as right and good. Unrepentant sin is a sign of unbelief.
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Jesus instructs us to use the "loosing key" on sinners who are sorry for their sins and willing to change. In other words, we are commanded to reassure the repentant person that because of what Jesus did on the cross, their sins are forgiven and heaven is open to them.

Jesus instructs us to use the "locking key" on sinners who are not sorry for their sins and are not willing to change. In other words, we are commanded to tell them the sad truth that as long as they remain unrepentant, their sin separates them from Christ's forgiveness. Jesus wants us to do this in order to rattle the unrepentant sinner and lead them back to repentance and the salvation which is found in Christ Jesus.

First Timothy 2, verse 4 says...

"[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4 NKJV).

Luther's Catechism says...

"A Christian congregation, with its pastor, uses the Keys according to Christ's command, either by forgiving those who repent of their sins and are willing to change, or by excluding those who are obviously impenitent from the Christian congregation. These actions are as valid and certain in heaven also as if Christ our dear Lord were dealing with us Himself" (Sydow Catechism).

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The portion of Luther's Catechism that teaches about the Keys, also talks about Confession. In the Bible God encourages us to confess our sins. In James 5, verse 16 we are told...

"...confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed..." (James 5:16 NASB).

To God we confess all our sins, even the ones we don't know we have done. In Psalm 19, verse 12 the Psalm writer prays...

"12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12 NIV).

To each other we confess the sins that we have done against one other. Also we can confess sins that weigh heavy on our conscience.

Luther's Catechism gives us these directions...

"Examine your place in life according to the Ten Commandments. Have you been faithful as a father, mother, son, daughter, employer or employee? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you injured anyone by what you have said or done? Have you stolen anything, neglected your duty, been careless, or damaged anything?" (Sydow Catechism).

When a fellow Christian confesses their sins to us, Luther's Catechism instructs us to reply like this...

"According to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen" (Sydow Catechism).

Because of Jesus, whenever we confess our sins, we are assured that our sins stand forgiven. As it says in 1 John 1, verse 9...

"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 ESV).

"The Lord's Supper"

The fifth part of Luther's Catechism teaches us about the Lord's Supper, also called Holy Communion or the Sacrament of the Altar.

The word "sacrament" means "sacred act". In the Bible we find two such acts that (1) have been instituted by Christ Jesus Himself, (2) involve the use of earthly elements connected to God's Word, and (3) offer and seal the forgiveness of sins that Christ has won for us on the cross. Baptism is one such sacrament, the Lord's Supper is another.
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The Bible tells us about how Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper in a number of places. In our hymnal we combine these accounts to say...

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take, eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.'”

"In the same way He took the cup, after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, 'Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'”

Since our Lord Jesus says this is His body and blood, that is what we believe and teach. The bread and wine are not outwardly transformed, for we see no change. Even so, the body and blood of Christ are truly offered here in a real, though supernatural, way. We call this the "real presence".

Some churches teach that this is nonsense. They say that surely Christ's body and blood cannot be here since we cannot detect them. But we remember that before Jesus took His visible presence from this earth, He promised His disciples that He would be with them "even to the end of the age". We cannot see Him with us, but we trust His promise. It is the same thing with the real presence in the Lord's Supper.

Also, in First Corinthians 11 it says...

"...whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27 NIV).

It does not say that person will be guilty of sinning against Christ, but specifically against the body and blood of Christ.

This is a great mystery and a matter of faith. But the purpose is clear. The Lord's Supper is a gracious way that our Savior comes to us to strengthen our trust in Him.
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The book of Corinthians also instructs us to examine our hearts before approaching the Lord's Supper so that we will be blessed and not harmed by taking the Lord's Supper. It's kinda like weight lifting. If you do it properly, it makes you stronger. If you don't, you can be seriously injured.

So, we ask: Just how is a person properly prepared to receive the Lord's Supper? Luther's Catechism says...

"Customs in connection with eating and drinking are indeed a fine preparation. However, a person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, 'Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.' Whoever does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared. The words, 'for you,' require nothing but believing hearts" (Sydow Catechism).

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At Redemption Church we ask that only members of our church come forward to receive the Lord's Supper when we celebrate it. In this way we try to ensure that none receive the Lord's Supper to their harm.

Also, when we gather to share in this blessing, we are expressing our unity as a fellowship. Since this unity is based on the shared confession of faith that our members hold, we ask that people fully understand our teachings before partaking.

"The Lord's Prayer"

The sixth and final part of Luther's Catechism speaks about the Lord's Prayer. During Jesus' ministry, His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded by giving them what we call "The Lord's Prayer".

The Lord's Prayer is both a prayer that we can pray, and a template to use in constructing our own prayers.

First of all, this prayer is directed to God. No where in the Bible are we taught to pray to dead relatives, past Christians, angels, or anyone other than to the Triune God. Prayer is a heart to heart talk with God, and God only.

Jesus' prayer also teaches us to get to the point. It's just about impossible to condense the Lord's Prayer. It has no flowery church words, no rambling and empty phrases, it gets right to the point. This too is how we should endeavor to pray.

Jesus' prayer also teaches us to focus on spiritual things. Of the seven petitions found in the Lord's Prayer, only ONE of them is about physical things - "give us this day our daily bread". In this way Jesus reminds us that when we seek first the things of God's Kingdom, we can be sure that He will take care of all the smaller details that we humans so often fret and worry about. (see Matthew 6:25-34).

"Closing Thoughts"

We are grateful to Christians like Martin Luther whom the Lord has used to bring His Word into our lives. But more so, we are grateful to God Himself. Ultimately HE is the one who teaches us about the sin found in our hearts, and the grace and forgiveness found in Christ Jesus. Ultimately HE is the one who teaches us about all the different ways He comes to us to strengthen our trust in Christ. Ultimately HE is the one who teaches us how to guard against hypocrisy and how to pray to our heaven Father with confidence.

May the Lord bring us all to trust in Him more fully, as we await the return of Jesus, our great God and Savior, with peace and joy. Amen.

Children of God, Heirs of Heaven - Jun 3, 2012

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SERMON:

The Gospel message is the simplest of messages.

We were born sinful. Enemies of our Creator. Because we were born sinful, we were doomed to die, and to spend eternity apart from God. That's not the Gospel message. That's the law which tells the truth of our condition.

The Gospel message tells us that God has given us a new destiny. Because God's Son suffered our sin's punishment when He was crucified, we are now forgiven.

The first verses of Romans 8 tell us...

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2 ESV).

This the comfort we have as Christ's believers. The is no condemnation left for us. Regardless of our past sins, regardless our daily sins, regardless of what sins may stain our years to come, in Christ, there is no condemnation left. In Him we stand forgiven.

This is the Gospel message. It is as simple as that.
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In his letters, the apostle Paul describes the Gospel in "family terms". It's like this, Paul says - we were born into the family of sin. A messed up and dysfunctional family. The pervading emotion of this family is fear. It's not a good place to be. The future of this family is dark. In the family of sin, all we are set to inherit is disappointment, guilt and eternal suffering.

But then along came God the Father, and changed all that. He sent His Son Jesus and opened the door to a new home. He sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts through the Gospel, and brought about our adoption, by faith in Christ.

By faith in Christ Jesus our Savior we are part of God's family. And this family is not dysfunctional. The pervading feeling of this family is peace. The future of this family is bright. In the family of God, we are set to inherit eternal life and glory in heaven.

Here's how Paul put it in Galatians 4...

"...when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV).

In our sermon reading for today, Paul revisits this way of expressing the Gospel. It is adoption into God's family. Paul does this for a number of reasons. First of all, it's true. Second, it's a truth that our sinful heart has a hard time accepting. We think it's too good to be true.

In our sermon reading for today, Paul comforts his fellow Christians in Rome by reminding them of this simple and powerful truth - In Christ, you are God's children, and heirs of heaven.

Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
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What's your comfort food? Chocolate? Pale ale? Chicken noodle soup? What do you curl up with on the couch after a long and stressful day?

The words that we just read from Paul's letter are like comfort food. Each verse another bite of soothing peace. There are different flavors there, but it's all comfort food.

Look at verse 14 again. Paul writes...

"14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14 ESV).

Paul says, hey guys, fellow Christians, is the Holy Spirit leading you? I know He is. Your life isn't based on following the ways of the sinful world. You don't base your decisions on what the TV says. You don't define your morality on what society claims is right. Your life is based on what the Holy Spirit says in the Bible. Right? Yes. I know you mess up all the time, but I'm not talking about your stumbling, I'm talking about what road you're on. You're on God's road. And the Holy Spirit is guiding you by His Word. Right? Well, guess what. Those who are led by the Spirit of God, are sons of God. Be comforted.

The fact that the Holy Spirit leads us shows that we are the children of God.

Paul's not talking about some mystical leading by the Spirit. Some deep feeling that, I think... I really feel... that God... wants me too... fill in the blank _____________.

The Holy Spirit leads people with His concrete, readable, specific WORD. It's found in the Bible. The Bible is the same when our emotions are high, and when they are low. It is the same when our faith feels strong, and when it feels weak. The leading of the Spirit doesn't change because the Bible doesn't change.

Paul tells His fellow Christians that if the Bible is your one immovable guide in life, that means the Holy Spirit is your guide. And that means, you're a child of God.
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Paul then describes the change of emotional tone that comes to sinners adopted by God. Fear dissipates. It is replaced by peace. By acceptance. By forgiveness. By open communication with God the Father.

Look at verse 15 again. Paul says...

"15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15 ESV).

When I was in seminary we had some special classes with a physiologist to help us understand different personalities and personality disorders that we might face in our ministries. One of the things that we learned about was dysfunctional families. Dysfunctional families follow rigid, destructive and predicable patterns.

A dysfunctional family is one in which conflict, bad behavior and abuse is commonplace. One member of the family has something wrong. Maybe alcohol addiction. Maybe drugs. Maybe some untreated mental illness. The other members of the family adapt and begin to fulfill very definite roles within the family's relational structure.

For example, dysfunctional families often have a "golden child" and a "scapegoat".

The golden child can do no wrong, even when the golden child does wrong. The family makes endless excuses for the bad behavior of the golden child.

The scapegoat on the other hand, can do no right, even when the child does something very honorable.

The counselor who was teaching us gave one famous example of a "scapegoat". Brett Favre. The former quarterback for the Green Bay Packers grew up in a dysfunctional family, and he was the scapegoat. His brother was constantly in trouble with the law, but it was "never" his fault.

On the other hand, when Brett called his dad to tell him that he had won most valuable player for the whole NFL, his father replied something like, "Well, it's about time." He didn't mean it in a good way.
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Apart from Christ, we sinners are like dysfunctional families. Messed up. Stuck in rigid relational systems which only cause more pain. Like a dysfunctional family, we might not even see how messed up we really are inside.

But through the Gospel God changes us. He puts us into HIS family. One that works. A family of forgiveness. He enables us to break free of our rigid sinful patterns, and embrace a life of peace instead of constant fear and conflict.

The Heavenly Father whom we pray to, pays attention to our prayers, and responds with loving care. He is not broken and need of fixing. He is the fixer. He is the healer. He is the perfect Father whom the best fathers of this world can only hope to resemble in part.

Paul reminds his fellow Christians that if we are sons of God, that means that God is our Father, and we don't need to be afraid anymore.
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Paul goes on to explain that our adoption into God's family has astounding implications for our future.

Look at verse 16 again. Paul says...

"16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ," (Romans 8:16 ESV).

In ancient Rome a childless man might adopt a son to carry on his name and rule over his estate. One of the most famous adoptions was done by Julius Caesar, after he died.

Julius Caesar had no apparent heir to carry on his name and take power over the Roman Empire when he was assassinated by the senate. You remember, the senate stabbed Julius Caesar to death in the senate floor itself. "Et tu, Brute" and all that.

But when Julius Caesar's final will and testament was read, it contained the clause that he was posthumously adopting his grand nephew Augustus as his own son. All the sudden Augustus was elevated to a place of wealth and power as the heir of Julius Caesar.
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Through faith in Christ, you and I have been adopted by God. Paul encourages is to connect the dots. If we're children of God, then we're heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ! Our inheritance - is heaven itself!

This is the frame of mind that the Holy Spirit wants us to see the world through. The Gospel of Christ is all about comfort.
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But Paul finishes our sermon reading with one final thought to chew on. Look at verse 17. It says...

"17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him" (Romans 8:17 ESV).

When you buy into some investment, you have to be ready for ups and downs. All the investors who buy some stock suffer and rejoice together as that stock rises and falls.

Or think of the human body. It's got lots of parts, but they're all part of the body. When one part suffers sickness, the whole thing feels it. When one part is healed, the whole part feels it.

Or think of a family. A family has different members, but they exist in a relational system. When one member experiences a painful situation, the others feel it. When one member has success, the others feel that too.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered in this world because this world is sinful and opposed to God. And as His brothers and sisters by faith, we too will suffer in this sinful world. As C.S. Lewis put it, we're living in enemy territory.

Jesus warned His followers that following Christ would lead to suffering in life. The night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples....

"20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:20-22 ESV).

As Christ's family, we will suffer in this world because of our faith. But our suffering will not last forever. And when Jesus returns to draw us to His side, NO ONE will be able to take that joy away.
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Dear Christians, this is the family you have been adopted into. Or as the Bible says, this is the family that you have been re-born into. The family of the three-in-one God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, rejoice in the Gospel message. Rejoice in the grace which has covered your sins with Christ's pure blood. Rejoice to suffer in this life because of your faith. With your new family. For the glory to come will FAR OUTSHINE the suffering we experience on this earth.

Amen.

Pentecost and the Holy Spirit - May 27, 2012

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THEMATIC INTRODUCTION:

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit does.

SERMON:

In baseball there's sometimes two umpires on duty. One behind the plate to call balls and strikes and one out in the field to call runners out or safe on the bases.

Recently I got a chance to be a field umpire for a Little League game. Now, I've been playing baseball since I was little kid. But I had no idea where I was suppose to stand as a field umpire. I didn't know which calls I was supposed to make and which ones the head umpire behind the plate was supposed to make.

You see, when you play or watch baseball, you don't really pay attention to where the umpires are unless they get in the way. Your focus just isn't on the umps, even though they're important to the game.

Most umpires are more than okay with not being the focus of attention. They're happy to just float along in the background making sure the game runs smoothly. That's their job, and they like it.
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The Holy Spirit is like a field umpire. He doesn't need to have the spotlight. He's glad to float along in the background bringing sinful people to faith and forgiveness through the message of Christ's death and resurrection. He's more than happy to quietly educate strong and weak Christians alike using the Bible.

This is what the Holy Spirit does. He teaches. He communicates. Through the Bible He communicates both God's unbending law and His all-forgiving grace.
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Today we're going to talk about who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. We're also going to remember what the Holy Spirit did on the first Pentecost. Lastly, we'll talk about what we can expect from the Holy Spirit today.

But first, let's pray.

Holy Spirit, we know that you are here among us. We are gathered to praise and worship you beside the Father and the Son. Please strengthen our faith through your word. Help us form a correct picture of who you are in our minds. Erase misconceptions we might have about you and give us boldness to be your tools in this world. Speak through our actions, Holy Spirit, and more importantly - speak through your Word on our lips. Amen.
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So, what exactly do we know about the Holy Spirit? Well, the Bible says God is ONE God, but THREE persons. The Holy Spirit is one of these three persons. Jesus told His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

If we turn back to the second verse of the Bible, found in Genesis, it tells us that the Holy Spirit was there at the beginning, hovering over the yet-to-be-ordered waters of creation. If we skip forward to the book of Luke, we find out that the Holy Spirit hovered over the virgin Mary also, "overshadowing" her when Jesus was miraculously conceived in her womb. Finally, the book of Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit was "poured out" on early Christians on the day of Pentecost. He caused miracles to be seen and enabled the disciples to speak in languages they had never learned.

Now, I said earlier that the Holy Spirit is content to work behind the scenes. But in one sense the Holy Spirit is prominent everywhere God is at work. He's in charge of heaven's public relations. He was in charge of getting God's word into print, and He's in also in charge of bringing people to faith through that word.

In Second Peter it says...

"...no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21 ESV).

In First Corinthians it says...

"13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:13 NKJV).

In First Corinthians it also says...

"...no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3 ESV).

So, the Bible teaches us that Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible. And not only that, the Holy Spirit is the only teacher who can explain the Bible's meaning correctly and the Holy Spirit is the only person who brings people to trust in the Savior revealed in the Bible.
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Essentially, the job of the Holy Spirit is COMMUNICATION. By communicating the message of man's sin and God's grace, the Holy Spirit does two things. He saves people, and then He changes people - in that order.

First, the Holy Spirit convinces us that we HAVE sinned against God and deserve the punishment of eternal hell because of our sins. But then the Holy Spirit pours God's GRACE onto us. He reveals that God's Son suffered and died in our place, for our sins. Through Jesus our sins now stand forgiven.

Once the Holy Spirit convinces a person that the Good News is true, that person is safe from hell. Then the Holy Spirit moves on to change that person inwardly. The change that the Holy Spirit brings about is not instantaneous. It comes about day by day through the Word of God being impressed on our hearts. The Holy Spirit cleans out our old bad habits and flawed ways of thinking, and replaces them with God's good habits and pure ways of thinking.

It's important to remember that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to make this change happen in people. He doesn't just recreate our hearts and minds like a mechanic replacing an engine. There's a lot of spiritualism floating around in religious circles today. Spiritualism that likes the idea of God working inside a person. But this modern spiritualism forgets that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to change people.

Even when the Holy Spirit has worked in outward and miraculous ways, His point is always to enhance the communication of the Good News of forgiveness through Christ.
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Look back at our Gospel History reading for today: John 14, verse 25. There Jesus told His disciples...

"25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:25-27 NKJV).

If you read through all the post-resurrection words of Jesus you'll find He's always emphasizing that His disciples are going to be witnesses to the world of His death and resurrection. That's the emphasis. Jesus doesn't hardly even mention the miracles they'll be doing because the miracles aren't the main point. The important thing was communicating the soul saving message of forgiveness through Christ's cross. If the people didn't believe it, they wouldn't get the benefits of it.
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Now, the first really big growth spurt in Christian church happened on Pentecost. It happened because the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to communicate the Gospel to crowds of people. Our sermon reading for today tells us the story.

It's a big reading, so we'll need to work to stay focused. Watch closely in your mind's eye. There are miracles, but the miracles serve to frame the real power at work - the Holy Spirit communicating the Gospel to sinners.

Acts 2:1-39 (ESV)

2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
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Think about the miracles that happened on Pentecost. There was the sound of wind with no wind. There were flames of fire on the disciples that didn't burn them. They were enabled to speak the Good News in languages that they had never learned.

From the response of the crowds, apparently the only miracle that the public saw was the miraculous speaking of foreign languages. This miracle wasn't done just for the sake of doing a miracle. The Holy Spirit made this miracle happen in order to open up a door so that the disciples could COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL to lots of people on that day!

And it worked. Three-thousand people came to faith on that day and were baptized.

Of course we understand why so many were converted on that day. These weren't Godless heathen people. These were converts to Judaism who had come to Jerusalem from across the world to worship at the temple of Jehovah. They knew the Old Testament and it's prophesies of a Savior. This tree was ripe for the picking! Just add Gospel and BAM! There was now a mega-church in Jerusalem.

But let's not forget that it was the Holy Spirit who did it. He had prepared these visitors through the Old Testament. He had taught the eleven disciples through Jesus' ministry. He, the Holy Spirit, had given them the miraculous gift to speak in unstudied foreign languages.

Just as the Holy Spirit had overshadowed Mary and caused Jesus to be conceived and born into the world, on Pentecost the Holy Spirit overshadowed the people of Jerusalem and caused the Christian church to be born - through the Word of God proclaimed clearly.
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So, this brings us to our last question. What can we expect from the Holy Spirit today?

Well, we can expect the Holy Spirit to continue creating faith and strengthening Christians through the Bible. Especially through the message about Christ's death and glorious resurrection.

We can expect the Holy Spirit to be at work among us when we gather to worship the Triune God.

We can expect the Holy Spirit to open doors for us to share the Gospel with others.
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But here's the thing, we need to remain in contact with the Word if we're going to be in contact with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't usually text, or Facebook or speak audibly from the sky. The Holy Spirit usually speaks through the Word of God.

So, if we want the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, we need to be in the Word of God as a habit. Like breathing or sleeping. We need to be in contact with the Word through which the Holy Spirit works.

We need to gather together with our fellow Christians to worship. To confess our sins. To receive the comfort of the Gospel. To study the Bible.

We need to look for the doors the Holy Spirit wants us to step through in service to Christ and the Gospel. And when we find those doors we need to step through them confidently, knowing that the SAME Spirit who empowered the early Christians to gather in that huge Pentecost harvest of rescued souls, is the same Spirit who powers our ministry today.
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This past week I read through the first five chapters of the book of Acts. One thing that is really noticeable is how the apostles keep coming back to the Gospel message.

There's a little sermon in Acts chapter 2, 3, 4, and 5. in each of these little sermons the apostle brings his message back to the simple fact that Jesus died and rose from the dead and through repentance and faith in Him the sinner has forgiveness. Go ahead and read those first five chapters. You'll see that the focus in on the Gospel message. (See Acts 2:22-24, 3:13-15, 4:7-12, 5:29-32)

Acts 5, verse 47 summarizes the ministry of the apostles in this way...

" 2 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus" (Acts 5:47 ESV)

May the Holy Spirit move among us here at Redemption Church also, so that we may like these early Christians. Full of the Holy Spirit. Knowledgeable and continually learning from His Word. And always coming back to the simple message that the Savior is Jesus in our worship, and in our conversations with our neighbors. To the glory of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Ascension Certainty - May 20, 2012

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SERMON:

Babies often get upset when mom or dad puts them in the crib for the night. Small children often have a hard time when their parents drop them off at daycare. They call this, separation anxiety.

Sometimes parents try to avoid upsetting their children by sneaking away. But this only makes things worse. Child psychologists say that when parents sneak away, it teaches kids that their parents could disappear at anytime. That's a pretty scary idea for a little one to learn.

Thankfully, parenting books say there is a better approach. Just say "goodbye" openly. There may be a few tears, but the mystery is gone. Mom is going to work. She'll be back later. Let's wave to her at the window. "Goodbye mommy! See you when you get back!"

With an open "goodbye" a child's anxiety melts away into confidence. He can see mommy going away. He knows where she is going. He knows she will come back.
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After Jesus died for our sins, He victoriously rose from the dead. Then He spent forty days meeting with His believers. He taught them about the forgiveness of sins that He had earned for them by the cross. He taught them that this forgiveness is God's free gift. He taught them that sinners receive this gift through faith in Jesus.

At the end of those forty days, Jesus said goodbye. Rising up into the sky in full view of His disciples, He took His visible presence away from them.

You might think this would be devastating to Jesus' followers. But the effect was exactly the opposite. They had no separation anxiety. Jesus' miraculous ascension gave His followers certainty. They were certain that all He had claimed in the past, was true. They were certain that His presence and power would remain with them as they began their ministries. And they were certain that Jesus would return one day, and they would ascend into the sky to meet Him.

We read Luke's account of Jesus' ascension in...

Acts 1:1-11 (ESV)

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
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The ascension of Jesus Christ gave confidence to His believers. Jesus had performed many miracles throughout His ministry. He had cast out demons, healed the sick, walked on water, fed thousands with a little boy's lunch - He had even raised people from the dead. More recently, He Himself had stepped out of a tomb after being stone dead for three days. Each of these miracles was a sign. An arrow that pointed to Jesus and said, "This guy is from God. Listen to what He says".

While Christ's resurrection from the dead was the GREATEST miracle which proved He was the Savior, the ascension of Christ was the FINAL miracle which shouted this same message.

I have two study Bible's that I use. Both of them have charts which list Jesus' miracles. Oddly enough, they both leave Jesus' ascension off the list! Water to wine, oh yes that's a miracle. But being lifted up from the ground and into the sky until you disappear - that somehow doesn't make the list.

Why do we forget about the ascension? Instead we aught to hold this miraculous sign in our minds. It's unique in the list of miracles, and it's significant. Not only was Jesus showing one last miraculous sign, validating His identity as the Savior, He was also impressing the disciple's assignment on their hearts.
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We all know the great commission. At some point after His resurrection Jesus told His disciples...

"...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).

With Jesus disappearing up into the sky, that assignment really came home to His disciples. Dad can teach you how to throw the ball, but when coach sends you to the mound in the final inning - well, YOU'VE got to throw the pitches.

Jesus would remain with His disciples spiritually, speaking through His them and to them by the Gospel. But all the same, the disciples would now take on the responsibility of going and doing the Master's gracious will like they had never done before. Their task was to bring peace to those weighed down by guilt. Their task was to bring forgiveness to sinners who were lost and hopeless in sin - by sharing the Gospel message.
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By making His exit in such a public and visible way, Jesus also left His disciples with no doubt as to where He had gone. When the angels who announced Jesus' birth were done telling the shepherds where they'd find Him, the angels went back into heaven. Jesus had now done the same. He had left the earth, passed through the sky, and had disappeared into the presence of the Eternal Father. Our sermon text in Acts doesn't explain the complete significance of this action, but the rest of the New Testament does.

In Ephesians Paul wrote...

" [God] raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Ephesians 1:20-23 NIV).

When Paul writes that Jesus was seated at the right hand of God, he doesn't want us to think of a place. He wants us to think of the power now restored to Christ.

During His ministry Jesus did not exercise full use of His powers as God the Son. Now, He does. As the supreme ruler of all things, Jesus now uses His power to further the Gospel message. He builds the faith of His followers through the Bible, and He builds up His Church by adding new believers to the kingdom of grace.

In Romans Paul wrote...

"Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (Romans 8:34-35 ESV).

The God-Man now hears our prayers as they float up to the Father's side. He hears them, and intercedes on our behalf. He continues to declare sinners like us right with God because of His sacrifice in our place.

While on this earth, Jesus also told His disciples that He was going to depart and prepare a place for them. In the book of John Jesus said...

" 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:1-3 ESV).

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Everything about Jesus' ascension gave confidence to His followers. Sure, they had work to do, but Jesus was still with them through the Gospel. His Gospel would bring souls to believe and be saved. Their failures or successes in service to Jesus would not effect their eternal destination. Their salvation was secure in Christ. He had opened the way to heaven through His suffering and death on the cross, and now He was preparing their eternal place in Heaven.
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Stop for a just a moment and imagine the scene on that first ascension day. Jesus has said His final words of blessing to His believers. He has risen up above their heads into the blue sky above. Higher and higher He rises. Down below, the crowd of followers who had encircled Him stand motionless, heads raised, all eyes on Jesus. Soon, the clouds will envelope Him and they will see Him no longer, but for now, all eyes are on Him.

This is one thing the ascension does, it focuses our attention on Christ, and on Christ alone. As our one Savior. As our great teacher. As the miracle worker. As God's own Son coming home.

But the greatest significance of the ascension is not that our eyes are on Him, it is that HIS eyes are on us. He now watches over us from the Father's side. From the place of power and authority second to none. We weren't there when He ascended, but that doesn't make a difference. We have His promises still.

Matthew 18, verse 20 says...

"... where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).

Mark 16, verse 20 tells us...

"...they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them" (Mark 16:20).

In Romans the apostle Paul, who also didn't witness the ascension wrote...

" ...I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith'" (Romans 1:16-17 NKJV).

Jesus' miraculous ascension still gives us confidence today. It assures us that Jesus is the Savior promised. It makes us certain that our sins have forgiven through Christ. It reminds us that He is the power source in the Christian's life and ministry. And as a final blessing, Christ's ascension serves as a preview of things to come.

In First Thessalonians Paul described what the final resurrection from the dead on Judgment Day would be like to His fellow believers. He wrote...

" ...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. 17 Then 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV).

On this ascension day, be filled with joy, for you are forgiven of all your sins through Christ. Be filled with the certainty of the ascension and all that it implies. And glow with anticipation of your own ascension to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Joy Fully Realized - Apr 13, 2012

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SERMON:

When I was a kid, I used to day dream in church. Perhaps it was because I had heard my father's voice from the pulpit so much. Perhaps I just thought I knew it all and didn't need to listen. Whatever it was, I often found my thoughts wandering during the sermon.

Don't mistake my meaning, I wasn't daydreaming about important spiritual things. My daydreaming usually didn't have anything to do with the scripture readings or the sermon theme.

One of my reoccurring daydreams was a what-if scenario. What if (Twilight Zone) all the sudden everyone on the planet disappeared, and mysteriously only I was left to wander the earth. Where would I go? What would I do?

Usually, my planning for this contingency involved visiting all the coolest sporting goods stores for neat gear. And picking out the awesomest vehicle to travel the country in. I'd live off of abandoned supermarkets and convenience store food. Since no one else was around, everything would be mine, right? All those things I could never afford, or wasn't allowed to have - would be mine.

Now, I imagine that if this happened, a kid could be happy for a while. But eventually the novelty of this brand of freedom would wear off. Who would be impressed by all my cool stuff? There would be no one to share in my adventures. No one to talk to. No one to care about. No one to care about me.

Especially in consumer driven America we're led to believe that happiness comes from things we own. Or from experiences we can have, like fun vacation tours or a delicious gourmet meal. But the happiness that comes from these things is temporary. It fades with time. For happiness with a strongrt backbone, we have to look beyond things and experiences. We have to look outside ourselves.
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The Bible teaches that fully realized joy comes from reciprocal love. Love that is shared between beings.

Think back to the very beginning. After God had created the universe, in all its natural beauty and sinless perfection, then God created Man. Just one man to begin with. Adam. The world really was his oyster. It was all his to enjoy. God even put Adam into a special garden paradise and told him that he could eat from endless groves of delicious fruit. It was all his for the taking.

But then, God surveyed the whole panorama of creation and came to this conclusion...

"It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18 ESV).

And so God made a companion that Adam could share the world with. His wife, Eve. Fully realized joy comes from reciprocal love. Love that is shared between beings. Now, Man could experience fully realized joy. Man and woman would live in friendship with the Divine Creator, and in with each other.
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Of course, we know what happened. The Bible tells us that Mankind severed itself from God by sinning. Man pushed God's love away by sinful disobedience. And from that time on, fully realized joy has been hard to come by, and hard to stay in.

Our sins drive a wedge between us and God, and between us and other people. Like a wet blanket thrown on a fire, our sins dampen and snuff out lasting joy.

And that's where God's Son comes in. God the Son became human in order to remove the wedge of sin, and to introduce us to true joy once again.

Jesus Christ took the sins of Mankind on Himself. He suffered the punishment of our rightly deserved hell on the cross. Jesus now offers free forgiveness to all through His sacrifice.

This is the joy that we find in God's only Son. We are forgiven sinners through Him. Restored once again to a relationship of reciprocal love with our Creator.
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In our reading for today, Jesus tells His followers how to remain in this joyful condition. How to keep on experiencing this joy in increasing measure throughout this life, and into eternity.

The key to remaining in Christ, and experiencing lasting joy, is love. Love between Jesus and His follower, and love among Jesus' followers.

John 15:9-17 (ESV)

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
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Obedience to Jesus is not the way to forgiveness. Forgiveness is a free gift from Jesus. It cannot be purchased by our words and actions. Like it says in John 3...

" God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16-17 ESV).

Jesus does NOT say whoever believes AND OBEYS GOD PERFECTLY shall not perish. He just says whoever believes in Christ, whoever trusts in Him for forgiveness is safe.

But after saving faith is kindled in the heart of the sinner, dedication to following Christ's commands certainly plays a role in keeping us in faith. Jesus tells His followers to abide in His love. To remain in His love by following the teaching He has taught them.

You could call this the "attitude of faith". Since we have come to believe that Jesus truly cancelled out our every sin, we now seek to live according to His direction, not according to our old ways of sinful living. The world around us teaches that abandoning sinful ways of living leads to boredom. But Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full". That's not boring.

Jesus had the joy of being the Father's perfect Son. No sin separated Him from the Father. The loving relationship between God the Father and God the Son was one of perfect, reciprocal love. Jesus loved to do his Father's will, and the Father loved to praise His Son for His faithfulness.

Jesus wants us to experience this joy also, and fully. First by knowing that all our sins are washed away, and we stand in a perfect relationship with the Father. Then, Jesus wants us to begin to experience on-going joy through doing the Father's will, just like He did. This on-going backbone of joy becomes ours as we learn to our lives in God's way.

There is a learning curve. That's for sure. As we try to live according to Jesus' every command, we fail at every turn. But at every failure, Jesus is there to pick us up, dust us off, and remind us that, yes, that sin was paid for also. The forgiving love of Christ, expressed on and given through the cross, then moves us to love Him in return. In real, tangible ways.
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Christ's love doesn't just move us to love HIM, it also moves us to love EACH OTHER. Let me read again what Jesus told His followers. Verse 12...

"12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another" (John 15:12-17 ESV).

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Fully realized joy comes from reciprocal love. But not only between Jesus and His follower. Fully realized joy also comes from reciprocal love AMONG Jesus' followers.

The love shared between the followers of Christ builds up the body of Christ, the church.

Faith is simply trust, wrapped up with love. You can see as much in the words of the thief on the cross. You remember his story right? When Jesus was crucified, there were two other men crucified beside Him. One of these men came to trust in Jesus as His Savior and said,

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42 ESV).

Now, this man didn't say, "Jesus, I love you, remember me when you come into your kingdom", but we can read between the lines there and see that love for Jesus was all wrapped up in this man's faith. Faith is trust, wrapped up with love.

As we Christians continue to trust and love Jesus because of all that He endured in our place, we can then begin to trust each other, and love each other. We are friends of the King! And our King tells us to love each other to the same degree that HE loved US!

As we cultivate trust and love in our fellowship, that relationship can grow out and invite more sinners into Christ's family. Jesus told His followers,

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide..." (John 15:16 ESV).

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There are a lot of ways to show love to our neighbors, but the way that LASTS is to introduce them to our Savior, and theirs. That is fruit that doesn't fade away. That is fruit that lasts to eternity.

Now, loving Jesus by keeping His commands and loving others with the same dedication that He had to us is a tall order. But Jesus tells us that every time we fail, we have forgiveness to catch us.

In one of his letters, the apostle John told his fellow Christians,

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2 NIV).

And not only that, Jesus assured His followers that God the Father would supply whatever they needed as they moved forward in their faith lives, trying to share the Gospel message with the world. Jesus said, "...I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you..." (John 15:16 ESV).

That's the promise of a dedicated Father. Whatever you need, I'll provide it. I've chosen you for salvation, and I've chosen you for this ministry of grace. I WILL support your work in my Kingdom.
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Now, I'd like to share a little story with you. I heard a preacher use this story as a sermon illustration, and it's a good one. This preacher had a member in his congregation who did some work with Habitat for Humanity. Now, Habitat for Humanity builds houses for people who don't have them.

Now this member was a pretty important contributor to Habitat for Humanity, and so he was invited to an important fund raiser. At this fund raiser, he was seated next to Brad Pitt. Apparently Brad Pitt does work with Habitat for Humanity also. And it's not just a photo op for Pitt. He actually swings a hammer and helps to build houses.

So, this member was led to his seat, and the guy said, "Here, you'll be sitting next to Brad Pitt" and then he went away. So the member sits down next to Pitt and says, "So, you're an actor?".

Pitt replies, "Yep, I'm an actor"

"On broadway?"

"No, I make movies. Ask one of your grandchildren if they've seen a movie with Brad Pitt, they probably have".

This member had his own business to run, and didn't really pay much attention to movies and magazinea, so, he actually didn't know who Brad Pitt was.

Now, imagine if you went to work for Habitat for Humanity, and Brad Pitt was sent to work with YOU building a house. And Brad Pitt says, "Shoot, I don't have a hammer." What would you do?

Now, if you're fan of Brad Pitt, you'd get him a hammer. You might even give him yours! If he needed lunch, you'd go and get it for him - HE'S BRAD PITT!

The point of the illustration was this: Our service to someone is a function of our admiration of them. In other words, the more you admire someone, the more you are willing to do for them. Our service to someone is a function of our admiration of them.
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When it comes to our service to Jesus, we might not feel like we're doing a very good job. After all, we fail to follow Jesus' commands every day. When it comes to service to our fellow Christians, we might not feel like we're doing a good job either. How many times haven't we snapped at our brothers and sisters in Christ? How many times have we assumed the worst instead of putting the best construction on something they've said or done.

When we feel that our service to Christ and Christ's people is pathetic at best, that's when we need to go back to the foot of the cross. Our service to Christ is a function of our admiration for Him. We need to constantly go back to the foot of the cross to grow in our admiration for the Savior who gave everything He had to save us from hell. There at the cross we see just how He loved us first. There at the cross we see how free from sin we are because of Jesus. We are completely free. Forgiven once and forever. In the light of His love, ours will grow. And as it does, the cup of our joy will fill.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us first. Before we ever loved you, you loved us. Thank you. Help us to truly walk in your ways, and to experience true joy in this life, as we walk toward the eternal life in heaven that you have promised is ours by faith in You. Through your Gospel message, increase our admiration for you, and so increase the quality of our service to you, and to our fellow Christians. And help the reciprocal love between you and us, and between us and our fellow Christians to yield a joy which is full. Amen.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

No Surprises in God's Vineyard - Apr 6, 2012

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This Sermon was written by Pastor Paul Naumann who serves our sister congregation in Tacoma, WA. It was used as a devotion this past week at Pacific Coast Pastoral Conference in Clarkston, WA.

SERMON:

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen. The text that we will consider today comes from the Gospel of St. John, chapter fifteen, beginning with verse one, as follows:

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Thus far the holy Word.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Vine of our salvation and the source of every blessing, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

There is such a thing, of course, as a pleasant surprise. A surprise birthday party, a surprise phone call from a friend, or a surprise refund from the IRS. Many people like surprises in their lives and eagerly look forward to them. Pastors are different. Pastors, as a rule, don’t like surprises. Most of us would be happy if there were no surprises at all in our ministry. Because of course we’re all too familiar with the kind of surprises pastors usually get – the 3:00 a.m. phone call summoning us to the hospital. The whispered report about a member who has become involved in a sinful situation. A sudden and unexpected outpouring of criticism from a member whom you had no reason, previously, to think was unhappy. No. As far as most pastors are concerned, the fewer surprises the better.

If that’s the case, then there’s good news for you in our text for today. It’s a passage that describes the conditions in the vineyard of the Lord – the working environment of every believing Christian, and particularly every believing Christian pastor. You’ll be happy to learn that, when you go to work in the vineyard of the Lord, He tells you beforehand exactly what to expect. We are Easter Preachers, and for Easter preachers…

THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN GOD’S VINEYARD

I. You can expect the pruning process.
II. You can expect no fruit without Christ.
III. You can expect much fruit with Christ.

At our Fall 2008 conference in Vernon BC, we visited the Mission Hills Winery in Kelowna. It was very interesting. What particularly fascinated me was how little has changed over the centuries in the cultivation of grapes. In modern terminology, a grape farmer – someone who takes care of a vineyard – is called a viticulturist. One of the chief jobs of a viticulturist is to prune the grapevine periodically. He does this for two reasons. Sometimes a branch isn’t bearing any fruit at all, in which case he severs it completely. Sometimes a branch is bearing fruit, but extraneous growth is robbing some of the nutrients, in which case he cleans it by removing the unhelpful growth. Vinedressers were doing it thousands of years ago, and they’re still doing it today. No surprises.

How reassuring to learn that THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN GOD’S VINEYARD, either. Jesus makes clear, first of all, that you can expect the pruning process. That’s no surprise. He says, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

There are two related words here, airo and kathairo, but they mean two totally different things. In English we might say it is the difference between “cut off” and “cut back”. Those branches that are completely unfruitful are the unbelievers, those who, though they may go by the name “Christian”, show by their lack of fruit that they have no connection at all to the Vine. These the vinedresser cuts off; they are destined for the oven. But what of those who are not nominal Christians, but real Christians? Those who are attached to Christ the Vine? These the vinedresser cuts back – He trims them and prunes them in order to make them more fruitful.

I was surprised one day when my wife asked for pruning shears for her birthday. That sounded like an underwhelming gift idea to me. I’d seen pruning shears hanging in the checkout line at Home Depot for a couple of bucks. But those weren’t the ones she wanted. They’re made in Taiwan. She wanted Felco pruning shears, which are made in Switzerland. Felco pruners, I quickly discovered, can cost up to $50 or more. Yet they’re very popular – why? For two reasons: they’re sharp, and they’re accurate. They make the cleanest possible cut in just the right place on a tree or a vine. That minimizes damage to the plant, lets it heal more quickly, and leads to greater fruit.

God in His love sometimes “cuts us back”. He prunes us, cleans away the extraneous material in our lives and trains us for our service to him. Sometimes this pruning and training is painful. But God knows what He’s doing. His pruning shears are sharp and very accurate. He makes the cleanest possible cut in just the right place to make you more fruitful in your life as a Christian, and your ministry as a Christian pastor. The writer to the Hebrews observes, Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. -- Hebrews 12:11.

Jesus has some wonderful words for His disciples in the middle of this message. Did you catch them, in verse three? You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “You are already clean.” I mentioned yesterday that sheep can’t clean themselves. Well, neither can branches. They need the vinedresser. Jesus’ disciples had heard and believed the word of salvation spoken to them by their Master. Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. -- John 6:68.You too have received that saving, nutritious Gospel from Christ, your true Vine. And before you can apply that Gospel to the alarmed sinners in your parish, you should by all means appropriate its comforting message to yourself. Pastors have a lot to confess. So bring your sins and failures daily to your Lord Jesus. Confess them, forsake them, and seek your Savior’s forgiveness. Here too you will find no surprises. For as often as you ask, He will pardon. As often as you seek Him, he will bind up your hurts and pour balm into your wounds. The 103rd Psalm has perhaps the most beautiful description in the Bible of the infinite mercy of God toward sinners: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. -- Psalm 103:10-13.

THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN GOD’S VINEYARD. The second thing that shouldn’t surprise anybody is that you can expect no fruit without Christ.Jesus says, 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. …Without Me, you can do nothing.”

I said it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you can’t accomplish anything in the church without Christ. But it’s amazing how many church leaders how many church leaders keep losing sight of that fact. It’s amazing how many church leaders – even among confessional Lutherans – are drawn to social engineering and the methods of the so-called “Church Growth Movement.” They draw their inspiration not from the Word of God but from the fads of popular culture. They cater not to the real needs of souls lost in sin, but to the “felt needs” of people who don’t want to be confronted with their sin.

Jesus snaps us back to reality. Without Me, you can do nothing. “Ouden” means nothing at all – not the least little bit. That’s what you can accomplish without Christ. Without that life-giving connection to Christ the Vine, and to His efficacious Word, you can do absolutely nothing. Can a branch severed from the vine, lying dead and shriveled on the ground, bear a fine cluster of grapes? I doubt it. But it’s even less likely that you could ever accomplish anything worthwhile for the kingdom of God apart from your Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Again, who are the Easter believers? Who are the true followers of the risen Christ? Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. -- John 8:31.

THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN GOD’S VINEYARD. While it is undeniably true that you can expect no fruit without Christ,we can be truly joyful in the fact that the converse is also true: you can expect much fruit with Christ.I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit

Sometimes it is the old vines that are the most fruitful. In Hampton Court, near London, there is a grape vine that was planted in 1769, seven years before the Declaration of Independence. The Great Vine, as it is referred to , is now 12’ around at the base, and it’s longest branch is over 120’. As old as it is, it continues to bear abundant fruit, in one recent year yielding nearly half a ton of grapes. Asked the secret of its great fruitfulness, the head gardener at Hampton Court Palace attributed it to careful pruning over the years, as well as a healthy flow of nutrients from the the branches to the vine.

Precisely the same thing is true of Christians, of course, and that’s why Jesus used this crystal-clear metaphor. On our own we are nothing. If we should become detached from our True Vine, Jesus Christ, we cannot even live, much less flourish and bear fruit. But what happens when you maintain that attachment to Him, continually strengthening and cultivating your connection to Jesus Christ? What happens when you delve into God’s Word, read and study it daily and are constant in prayer for yourself and your members? What happens when you present this life-giving Word faithfully week by week from your pulpit? Then stand back, my brothers, and prepare for a bountiful harvest, for there will be abundant fruit! For the power to bear fruit comes not from you but from God. The Lord says, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. -- Isaiah 55:11

This is what we expect, for this is what God has promised. THERE ARE NO SURPRISES IN GOD’S VINEYARD. But what a joy for cracked clay pots such as ourselves to bear this precious treasure of the Gospel! What a privilege for us actually to be branches connected to the true vine of Christ! Yes, flawed and imperfect branches that we are, and in constant need of pruning and correction, yet we are connected to the True Vine, the Fount of eternal Life. What a blessed privilege! I had this driven home to me recently when the Lord very deliberately pruned away an extraneous secular job that I had held onto for many years. I was surprised by the joy and freedom I experienced when I could finally give myself wholly to the Lord's work. I shouldn’t have been surprised, of course. What happens when you strengthen your connection to the vine? No surprise – you become more fruitful. It was many centuries ago that the Apostle Paul told the young pastor Timothy,Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. -- 1 Timothy 4:15-16. Cultivate that all-important connection to the Vine, and you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Hudson Taylor once said, “The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; At just the right time, and in the right way, there is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.” Yes, as Easter Preachers let us abide in our True Vine and take advantage of the life-giving nutrients He offers us daily, in His Word. Here in God’s vineyard THERE ARE NO SURPRISES. We expect the painful but necessary pruning process. We certainly expect no fruit apart from Christ. But with Christ, as branches attached to His life-giving Vine, we expect and receive much fruit! God grant it, both in our lives and our ministries, AMEN.

-Pastor Paul G. Naumann

Flock and Shepherd - Apr 29, 2012

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SERVICE INTRO:

In the Bible, God describes His followers as a flock being led by a shepherd. Our Bible readings for today will deal with this image of God's people - either describing the flock, or the Good Shepherd who leads them.

SERMON BITES:

First Reading Acts 4:23-33 (NKJV)

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.’
27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
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For this reading I'm going to focus in on the last two verses. I'll read them again.

"32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:32-33 NKJV).

There were some very different people in this group. Matthew, also known as Levi, was among them. He was a tax collector for the Roman government. Before he met Jesus, Matthew made extra money for himself by charging his countrymen more than the tax code required. Tax collectors were known for this, and so, Matthew's fellow Jews considered him a traitor. After joining up with Jesus, Matthew stopped robbing the people like this, but his reputation couldn't be rebuilt in a day.

Also among the followers of Jesus was Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were revolutionaries who worked against the Roman government every chance they got. If it was sabotage, great. If violence was needed, fine. They were the extreme patriots of the Jewish nation. The Bible doesn't tell us what kind of things this Simon did back when he was a Zealot, but the fact that he was known as "Simon the Zealot" tells us enough.

Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot were about as different as it gets. And yet, when they became followers of Jesus, they were changed. United.

Our reading tells us that the early Christian church was so unified that they had "one heart and one soul". Their old lives were past, their new life in Christ had begun.
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In the Bible, God describes His people as a flock. A flock is a group of individuals united under the leadership of a shepherd. The flock of God's early followers was united by their faith in Jesus Christ, the promised Savior from sin.

Because they knew that in Christ their sins had been forgiven, they could forgive each other's sins. And they could work through differences in their own character and opinions.
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Now, I don't want you to misunderstand me. There are a lot of churches today that throw out teachings of Jesus for the sake of unity. That's not the kind of "working through differences of opinion" that I'm talking about. Unity under Christ doesn't come from changing what HE says, it comes from the Holy Spirit changing what we believe. Conforming our hearts and minds to Christ's Word.

The Christians of the early church compromised all the time. But not when it came to what Jesus taught. That wasn't on the table of compromise, because that was the source of their unity.

Acts 2:42 speaks of this dedication to Christ's Word when it says of the early church...

" 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42 NIV).

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Because the unity of the early church was based on adherence to Christ's teachings, the early Christians were sure of what they were doing. They were enabled to be bold in the face of violent opposition from the ruthless religious leaders of Jerusalem because they knew they were teaching Christ's Message.

The Holy Spirit was working through the message of sins forgiven to such a degree that these young Christians were even overcoming their own selfish interests. They were putting each other first. They didn't look at the world from a ME first point of view anymore. They were in this together. They were a team under the coaching of Christ. They were a flock seeking to follow their Great Shepherd's leading, and His leading alone.
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Before Jesus was arrested and crucified, all the apostles had sworn that they would die rather than desert Him. But they hadn't lived up to this promise. But now, they really would have died rather than desert their Savior. And why? They seen the risen Christ. Our reading says,

"With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:32-33 NKJV).

With their testimony the apostles, and all the other followers of Jesus, invited other sinners to join the unity. To be one in heart and soul with Christ. With this testimony, they offered peace with God to the sinners around them.

This is what we want to do as God's flock in Lynnwood, WA. Since we have received grace and forgiveness from our Savior, we pour it out on each other. We practice compromise when it comes to the things that aren't written in stone by God's Word, and we invite others to experience this unity with us.
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Psalm of the Day Psalm 23 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

P: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
C: He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
P: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
C: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
P: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
C: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
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King David knew all about tending sheep. He had been a shepherd since he was a boy. He had led the flocks to pasture. He had coaxed them down to drink from streams. He had fended off predators with rod and staff.

Before David faced the giant Philistine warrior named Goliath, King Saul tried to tell the boy that he really had no business meeting Goliath in battle. David replied,

“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36 ESV).

David knew what shepherding was all about. And he saw a parallel between shepherding and the watchful care of the LORD.

When the LORD is leading you, you know that He has good things in store for you. In the green pastures and still waters of Psalm 23 we see a picture of the spiritual health and healing that God's people receive from His hand.

Of course, it isn't always green pastures and still waters. Sometimes there's dark valleys to walk through. Canyon lands with dark shadows and threatening caves. But when the Shepherd is leading, we can bear these times.
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And that brings up an important point in this poetic description. A shepherd LEADS his sheep. He doesn't drive them forward into the scary canyons. He goes first. He meets the predators who want to take us away from God, and into hell.

Our Jesus is a Shepherd, not a cheerleader. He doesn't just stand by our side to cheer us on. He went out alone to the cross and the grave. He was beaten and tortured for our sins. He died in our place. And then He rose to life. He led the way and cleared the path of our sins so that we can walk the easy road of forgiveness.
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That brings up another important point in this description. Without the Shepherd, the sheep don't wouldn't have a chance. But with the Shepherd, we can't lose.

David expresses this certainty when he writes...

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6 NKJV).
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NT Letter 1 John 3:1-2 (NIV)

3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
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There is a certain intimacy in the picture of the LORD as our Shepherd. He leads us to food and water. He tends our wounds. He watches over our souls. But here, John offers an even more intimate picture. God calls us His own children.

It's one thing to belong to the King. It's another thing to be His sons and daughters. Through faith in Christ, we are children of God.

Like it says in Galatians...

"27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:27-29 ESV).

Jesus explained what being a child of God ultimately means. If you're a child of the King, then you get to live in the palace. On the evening before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples...

"1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going" (1 John 14:1-4 NIV).

Our reading from First John informs us through Christ we will not only have an amazing new place to live. When we live beside God, we will be remade to be like Christ was after His resurrection. Our bodies will be perfected. Ready to live forever.

Better than that, our very souls will be free from the sinful nature that hinders us in this life. We will no longer jump to stupid and false conclusions. We will no longer have sinful thoughts and emotions flare up on our minds. We will be LIKE HIM, for we shall see him as he is.

Being a child of God means that we will one day get to see God clearly. Just what will that be like? I don't have a clue. But I can't wait to find out.
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Gospel History John 10:11-18 (ESV)

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
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In this last reading Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd and then describes how He would voluntarily die for the sins of His people.

The way that Jesus speaks here was prophetic. He returns again and again to the fact that He would soon lay down His life for the sheep. He would die on the cross to atone for their sins. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Jesus was not merely a great moral teacher. Here He claims to be the Savior, and the only Savior for sinners.
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When you read this section over and over, you begin to see many different characteristics of Jesus. These characteristics come out in that singular event that defines Him as the Savior; the fact that He died for others.

Let me explain what I mean. Jesus says that He isn't like the hired hand who watches the sheep for a paycheck. That guy sees the wolf approaching and makes a "business decision" and gets out of harm's way. The hired hand isn't paid enough to die for the sheep - so he abandons the sheep for his own safety.

This is what the false prophet does. He's only there for personal gain, so when the going gets tough, the false prophet abandons ship.

Not so with Jesus. He is no cowardly hired hand present only for personal gain. He is the owner of the sheep. He stands bravely against the wolf because these are HIS sheep to defend.
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And that brings out another trait of Christ. He is loyal to His own. He's not going to abandon them. He loves them. He will fight to the death for them.

Jesus says this is one of the reasons the Father loves Him. He is obedient to the Father. The Father sent Him to save the sheep, and so that's what He would do on the cross. Our Good Shepherd was obedient to the Father's gracious will to save sinners.

Though Jesus was obedient to the Father's will in going to the cross, there is yet another trait revealed in that obedience. Choice. Jesus chose to go to the cross for sinners. He laid down His life voluntarily, not grudgingly. It was hard to choose this path, but because it was the Father's will, and the only way to save sinners, Jesus chose it willingly. Our sins deserved Hell. So, Jesus suffered Hell.

Jesus says that He received the authority to lay down His life and to take it up again from the Father. It was His mission.
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This is the Good Shepherd who still watches over us today. A Good Shepherd who lived and died to save us from our own stupid and disgusting sins. And this is why we can have utter confidence in His care today, and forever. You have a protector who GAVE Himself for you. That protector can no longer die.

It's one thing to be confident because you have a bodyguard who you know will throw Himself in front of a bullet to save you. When you have a bodyguard who will do that, and yet cannot die - well, that leads to a whole other level of confidence.

Jesus suffered for your sins. He died to pay your debt of sin off. And then He rose from the dead victorious. If you die in Him, trusting in Him for forgiveness and life, He guarantees that you will rise again, just like Him. This is the promise that we have from the Father, in the Son.
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So, when the valleys get dark in your life, remember who is leading you down those valleys. He knows the way and will face the dangers ahead. When your sins seem heavy on your soul, remember who already took them on His shoulders. They may SEEM heavy, but they are already gone. Forgiven. And when you face the darkest valley, the valley of death, remember His feet have already been there. And at the end of that path eternal life and glory will dawn on you too, little sheep.
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I'd like to close our mediation on the Good Shepherd with a blessing found at the end of the book of Hebrews. There it says...

" 20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).

Amen.