Mark 9:42
“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. A friend of mine was working at a camp, and was preparing for the nightly bonfire with his son, who was four at the time, when a stranger, strolling through the campground camp up and started to talk. It turned into a witness opportunity for my friend. When he shared the gospel with the stranger he took two big pieces of wood, formed them into the shape a cross. He then laid on the cross and told him how Roman soldiers had nailed him to the wood. The four year old was seized with horror and said, “No Daddy! No! Not like Jesus!” It made a big impression on the stranger. Why would the child react so? Childlike faith. An elderly woman, who was expecting to pass away soon, said to me, “When I get to heaven I’m going to give Jesus a big hug.” Childlike faith. One of the great theologians of our synod, Siegbert Becker was asked, “Of all that you have learned what is the one thing you wish to pass on to everyone. He said, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” Whether you are two years old, 92, or the seminary professor, Jesus invites, and enables a Child-like faith. Let’s talk about the qualities and blessings of CHILD-LIKE FAITH Hanging on the walls of many Christian homes is a picture of Jesus with little children. It’s not hard to understand why artists have chosen this theme. The Gospels make it clear: Jesus dearly loved children. In the verse serving as our text we see firsthand Jesus’ fierce love for His "little ones." He issues a strong, stern and graphic warning to anyone who might cause them spiritual harm. Listen to how he talks about these children. He refers to them as "little ones who believe in Me." In the next chapter of Mark, at a different time and place, He expands upon that thought. Holding up children as examples of faith, He says: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it" (Mark 10:15). His point: The faith of a child – that 1) simple, 2) humble, 3) unquestioning and 4) trusting faith that believes the message of salvation and all to the other promises of God without a hint of hesitation – that is the kind of faith Jesus holds up as the model for our imitation. Let’s now briefly examine the qualities of faith which Jesus speaks of so highly by looking at the adjectives I just used to describe it… A child-like faith if first of all SIMPLE. As you observe the faith of a child you’ll find this to be true. But while it may be simple, it is not shallow. In fact, a childlike faith knows what is essential to know. A child may not be able to find every book in the Bible quickly, and he may not be able to recite any of the commandments, but they know this: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. They also know that long ago on a hill outside of a city they’ve never been to named Jerusalem Jesus died on a cross to take away all their sins. And they know why: So they would be clean and pure in the eyes of God and someday live with Him forever in heaven. They also know is that Jesus didn’t stay dead, but that He rose from the grave. And they know Him to be their invisible but living friend who listens intently to them when they talk to Him in their prayers. Those are the elementary truths of Scripture. Nothing complicated or complex about them. The child Jesus holds up as an example simply takes at face value the truths God tells us in His Word. A child-like faith is SIMPLE. A child-like faith is HUMBLE. When problems come it looks upward rather than inward for solutions. We live in a world which instructs us to "look inside ourselves" for answers to our difficulties. And certainly we do have a responsibility to apply the Word of God we’ve been taught to our various situations in life. But those with a child-like faith know that the power to change things comes not from within, but from without. Not from inside us, but from above us. Abraham Lincoln governed our country during the Civil War. This was an extremely difficult time for him personally. He is reported to have made the remark that the war often "forced him to his knees." A childlike faith doesn’t let things go that far. A childlike faith humbly approaches the throne of grace well before the crisis point, recognizing that God is good and God is great and God is ever-present to help us in every situation. A child-like faith is HUMBLE. A child-like faith is that it is UNQUESTIONING. Children can be inquisitive, but when it comes to Bible truth they are most often unquestioning. Little children don’t generally ponder deep philosophical questions. They don’t look for ways to interject their reason into Scripture, nor do they tend to be personally dismissive toward the areas they can’t understand or make them uncomfortable. Whether it is the miracles, the instructions or the promises of God as they apply to their lives, they look to the Word with the unquestioning understanding that God has spoken and that He is in control… A child like faith may be inquisitive when it comes to knowing more about what God says, but it is UNQUESTIONING when it learns that God has spoken. A child-like faith is TRUSTING. Think once more of a child, this time at prayer. What a precious sight, and what a picture of trust. They trust that the Lord will hear them and that He is capable of doing everything they ask of Him. Childlike faith is also for adults. A good Scriptural example of this aspect of faith can be found in the Old Testament figures Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (perhaps better known as the "Three Men in the Fiery Furnace"). Remember their story? For refusing to bow down and worship a man as they would God, they were threatened with being thrown into a fiery furnace. Their response? They said, "Go ahead. We trust our God can save us from whatever you want to do to us. But even if He doesn’t choose to save us, we still won’t do it." Whether God would save them, they were unsure. That God could save them, they had no doubt. And so they went forward with the implicit trust that God would take care of them one way or another. With that trust they exhibited a child-like faith. Simple… humble… unquestioning… trusting. These are the elements of a child like faith. These are the components that Jesus holds up before us when He speaks about the "little ones who believe in Me." In this same child-like way Jesus invites, counsels and asks us to trust Him, His Word, His promises and His offer of salvation. And we know we really ought to do that, but that seems like wishful thinking to us adults. That’s too simplistic. Life is a little more complicated when you get older. And that is a mistake. It’s a more than a mistake. It’s rebellion. A childlike faith is taking God at his Word. A rejection of God’s Word is rebellion. If anyone had a complicated life it would have been King David. As the ruler of Old Testament Israel in its golden age of power and influence, every decision, problem and concern eventually came to roost at his doorstep. Nonetheless, listen to the inspired words this man wrote in Psalm 131. “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.” You are the little child who walks confidently side by side, hand in hand with your Heavenly Father. Abraham was an old man when the LORD told him that his wife would give birth to a son. Abraham laughed, not in disbelief, but in awe. His childlike faith took the LORD at his word. After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, King Herod had James killed, to the delight of the Jewish people. When Herod saw how pleased this made them, he had Peter put in prison to be put on trial in a couple of days. The night before Peter’s trial he “was sleeping between two soldiers,” and slept so soundly that he didn’t wake up until the angel brought him out of the prison. How could Peter sleep? Childlike faith. Simple, humble, unquestioning, trusting faith. How could the widow put her mite into the collection plate? Jesus said she gave the greatest gift, because she gave all she had. Childlike faith. Humble trusting faith. The thief on the cross—humble and trusting faith. “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Simple. Humble. Trusting faith. Are you worried? Are your anxious about life? Are you scared of what the future might bring? Maybe you being too much of an adult. Jesus invites, and enables, a childlike faith. Relax in the know-ledge that no matter how things may look or how things may go, God has them under control. You’re the four year old child walking confidently, trustingly, walking with your Parent. I’d like to close this morning with a prayer that pretty well sums up what we’ve been talking about today. It’s in the form of a poem… Make me, O Lord, a child again So tender, frail and small In self, possessing nothing In Thee, possessing all. O Savior, make me small once more That downward I may grow And in this heart of mine restore The faith of long ago. With Thee may I be crucified No longer I that lives O Savior, crush my sinful pride By grace, which pardon gives. Make me, O Lord, a child again Obedient to Thy call; In self, possessing nothing, In Thee, possessing all. Amen.
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James 3:13-17
A young man became the president of a bank and he went to a longtime bank president for some advice. He said, “You have been a successful bank president for quite some time and I obviously don’t have the qualifications you do. Could you tell me the secret of your success? He said, “Young man, two words, good decisions.” The young president replied, “Thank you very much, but how does one come to know which is a good decision?” “One word, young man, experience.” “But how does one get experience?” “Two words, young man: bad decisions.” It’s generally thought that in order to have wisdom, you must have a few gray hairs. Is it true that the older, experienced bank president will make less mistakes than the new, young bank president. But you see there are two totally different wisdoms being talked about in our text. I once preached a sermon in Montana on a text in Proverbs which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” We had a visitor that day approach me after the worship serve who said, “I have to disagree with you. A person doesn’t have wisdom until he has a lot of these, and he pointed to his gray hair.” I tried to explain that the Bible makes us wise to salvation and that because of faith in Jesus Christians were the wisest people on earth. He didn’t buy it. You can’t explain to a fifty year old unbeliever that a little child might have more wisdom and expect him to like it. Bad decisions are the key to experience. Experience is the key to success. Right? Are we on the same page? Good. Now forget it. Let’s forget about this worldly wisdom and talk about the wisdom that comes from above. Two types of wisdom are talked about in our text. James encourages us to Seek Heavenly Wisdom. There is a wisdom that is not spiritual. A wisdom that is not god-pleasing. “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” James calls this worldly wisdom, and it is from Satan. “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts…” Do you see that wisdom is more than just knowing what to do and what not to do. Harboring envy: “I wish I was really like so and so.” “I really wish I had so and so’s money, material possessions.” Selfish ambition: It’s all about you. What can your family do for you? How good can I look in the eyes of others? How good is this going to make me feel? This wisdom is “earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” So, the devil produces displeasure and anger against the success of others (envy) and the very opposite of true love (which is selfish ambition) and we wonder why marriages fail, or struggle. Or why wars are fought. Why there is terrorism. We wonder why we struggle in the workplace with co-workers. “Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” So, take away love and what do you have? “Disorder and every evil practice.” Exchange godly wisdom for worldly wisdom and what do you have? “Disorder and every evil practice.” Try to take God out of the picture and what happens to society? So, when you children would rather have disorder than the order your parents set down, this is of the devil. When you husbands manage your family with mostly you in mind, this is of the devil. When you wish you could be like someone else, or have what someone else has, this is of the devil. And all this stuff leads to destruction with the evil one in hell. James talks about two types of wisdom. Here’s the other: “But the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure: then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Do you know what this wisdom is? Put all this together and what do you have? Or who do you have? Jesus!! Paul says, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus is our wisdom from God. Jesus is pure. There is no sin in purity. And purity’s effect on man is a holy effect. Jesus is pure; his cause is pure. And his cause was to work so the Father could declare us pure in his sight. Jesus is peace-loving. Sin separated us from God. Jesus died and rose again to establish peace between God and man. The Bible calls him the “Prince of Peace.” Jesus is considerate. Or in other words he was yielding to inferiors. He didn’t insist strictly on his rights as the Son of God. No, Paul says Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be held on to at all costs.” And so he assumed our human nature and he passively obeyed as the leaders abused him and carried out his death sentence. Jesus was submissive. As the above word, considerate, is used in relation to those who are inferior, submissive is used in relation to those who are superior. Who is superior to Christ? No one! And yet, in humility he obeyed his heavenly Father who said, “This is my Son, whom I love. With him I am well-pleased.” Full of mercy. Mercy is pity on someone in his helpless condition. We couldn’t live perfectly under God’s commands. So Jesus came. We couldn’t die to take away sin. Jesus mercifully came to pay for all the world’s sins. Full of good works. Benefitial works. Its benefitial to allow someone to walk that cannot walk. Its benefitial to allow someone to see who cannot see. And Jesus did all kinds of miracles. Well, how about washing us clean of our sin in his blood!? There is nothing more benefitial than being forgiven and taken into God’s family and becoming an heir of eternal life. Impartial and sincere. God doesn’t judge one way one day and then change his mind. God’s judgments are always the same. God doesn’t ever act like the hypocrite, saying one thing but then meaning another. His words are never hollow. He doesn’t make a promise and then say, “You know, I can’t actually fulfill that promise.” How are these for judgments? “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “I am with you always to the very end of the age.” “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jesus Christ is wisdom from heaven. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The Holy Scriptures “make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” I am looking at some of the wisest people in all the world, thanks to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. You ever heard the old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?” A child very often takes on the characteristics of his parents. You are adopted sons of God and your brother is Jesus Christ. “…the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure: then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” So, you are to pursue purity, peace, consideration, submission to others, mercy, good works and we are impartial and sincere. So, as the Father, so is the Son. So are the adopted sons of God. All of life is sowing and harvesting. The farmer sows in the spring and harvests in the fall. The unbeliever sows his wicked oats and reaps a harvest of destruction on judgment day. But for the believer, Paul says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” He also says in Galatians 6:8, “…the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” And then he says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What does this wisdom make your family life look like? What does this wisdom do for our congregation at Crown of Life? Heavenly wisdom does not come with age necessarily. Heavenly wisdom is not mere head knowledge which comes from experience, which is a result of making lots of mistakes. Wisdom is the ability to take the knowledge of God’s will and make practical use of it in life. Wisdom is not mere head knowledge, but heart knowledge. A wise person understands Biblical truth and applies Biblical truth to his life. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” A few weeks ago, our Old Testament lesson from Proverbs 8 said, “Let all who are simple come in here!” Here is here: God’s Word. “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still.” With the Holy Spirit as your teacher, how wise we can become! Amen. September 23, 2012
Have you ever been in the pit? Oh yes, I’ve had colds where I could hardly breath and I couldn’t sleep. That was the pit. No. That’s not the pit. Well, I once lost my job at a really bad time. That was the pit. I’ll tell you about the pit: I once did someone really sinful, really dumb, and I’ve been paying for it ever since. No, that’s not the pit. The pit I’m going to talk about this morning is not something we struggle with physically, and not because of something we’ve done in sin. The pit is suffering because of our association in faith with Jesus Christ. If you’ve spent time in the pit, it is painful while you are in it, and yet, being in the pit is a blessing. In our lessons today, we are reminded that we carry our own crosses in procession behind Jesus who carried his cross to redeem us from sin. Our crosses are painful. They are necessary. They are blessings. When I talk to you about Lessons from the Pit, it is another way of saying that we carry our crosses. Let’s Learn Lessons from the Pit. First, it is good to ask, “How did I get into this pit?” It is because of our connection with Christ that we find ourselves in the pit. Jeremiah did not choose his life and his call and this pit. God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:4) He would destroy-- pride would have to be demolished. Jeremiah was called by God to pronounce condemnation on those who were comfortable being condemned. He cared for these people. It would be tough. He would build—after he would tear down pride and unbelief, he would proclaim God’s grace and God would build his kingdom through Jeremiah’s work. The Lord is the reason Jeremiah is in the pit. He told Jeremiah, “Stand up and say to them whatever I command you.” (1:17) God’s people were made by God. This country was set apart by God. They were washed clean by the blood of the coming Lamb of God. They have God for other gods. God wants them back. Jeremiah was sent to proclaim God’s Word, and as he would, God would be with him. Just as he is with us. Jesus said as we carry out his great commission, “I am with you always.” Jeremiah’s ministry was during the darkest years of Judah. God’s people “exchanged their glory for worthless idols,” (2:11) ‘they lived as a prostitute with many others’ (gods), (3:11) ‘the lifeblood of the innocent poor was on their clothes.’ (2:34) God said about his people, “…they are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” (4:22) “The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.” (5:31) Are times different today? The Bible doesn’t speak to us today? God is going to send his people into captivity. And in our text Jeremiah includes this message: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will escape with his life…This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the King of Babylon, who will capture it.” In our text, some of the princes and nobles come to the king of Judah with a request. “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of the people but their ruin.” The King, Zedekiah, who is weak, decides to do nothing to stop them. But since they don’t have the conscience to kill him, they throw him into a cistern instead. Why is Jeremiah in the pit? Jeremiah was in the pit because of God and his Word. He’s there because Judah rebelled against God and God decided to let Judah suffer in exile at the hands of the Babylonians. He’s in the pit because God, in his mercy, gave Judah another opportunity to repent, not wanting anyone to perish. He’s in the pit because God gave Jeremiah the grace in this call to be the tool he used to call back to repentance. He wants the wayward to return and trust in him as Savior. We are the ones today who are called to proclaim God’s grace and mercy, after people hear of their sin. In the pit, we are tempted to despair. He poured his heart out to God, “I would speak to you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (12:1) One day Jeremiah is beaten by enemies and placed into the stocks and he complains to God, “O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed.” (20:7) He even curses the day he was born, “Cursed be the day I was born! (20:14) Jeremiah had terrible thoughts. Before God’s people, Jeremiah was a fearless prophet. God allowed Jeremiah to be a wall for his people, as he promised. But inside, Jeremiah struggled with his faith. Alone with God he would break down completely. Sound familiar? It was such a struggle. Sound familiar? When so many people reject the Word of God, why should I continue to witness? God promises to be with us. God promises to bless us and make us strong. We want to stop. In the pit, there is only one place to look, and that is up. A slave named, Ebedmelech believes Jeremiah is going to die in the pit. While he was in prison, he received his daily ration of bread. Now that he was in a pit, and with food being scarce because of a famine, Ebedmelech believed that Jeremiah was going to die without bread. So, Ebedmelech went to the King with a request: “My lord, the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into the cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” The king commanded that he take 30 men retrieve Jeremiah. Ebedmelech brought rags along to put underneath his arms so that when Jeremiah put the ropes under his arms to be lifted out of the cistern, the ropes wouldn’t tear into his flesh—so deeply was he stuck in the pit and mud. In the pit, there is only one direction to look, up. Jeremiah often struggled in faith, but he did look up. God strengthened Jeremiah with his promises: (1:18,19) “Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. In 15:20-21 God told him, “I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.” In 20:11,13 Jeremiah confessed in faith, “But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.” And this gave him great comfort, so he praised God: “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.” In the pit, or anywhere else which troubles us, the only place to look for help is up to God and his promises. As Jeremiah looked up for help and deliverance, it helped for him to know he was proclaiming not his own words or ideas, but God’s. God made this clear throughout his ministry. In 1:9, “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.” In 19:2 “...There proclaim the words I tell you.” In 25:30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them.” In 30:2; “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.” In 36:6 “… go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.” Most importantly, There is nowhere else to look but up for salvation. “Return O faithless Israel…I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful.” (3:12) “The people who survive the sword will find favor in the desert; I will come to give rest to Israel.” (31:2) “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (31:3) “I am with you and I will save you…I will not completely destroy you.” (30:11) All these words were spoken to a rebellious nation. God was inviting the whole wayward nation to look up for salvation. 600 years before Jesus came, he was talking about Jesus. Since the kings of Judah had failed to lead God’s people, God promised he would come and lead his people himself. God would lead his people in righteousness-- every decision, every dealing with his people would be done well and right. Not only would he be righteous, he makes us righteous before God. He would give God perfect obedience demanded from sinners and supply the righteousness that every person lacks. He would be called, “The Lord our righteousness.” To do that he had to become like us. Talk about being in the pit. He looked down upon our pitiful condition, was born of a poor virgin girl, and left the glories of heaven to take upon himself everything that we’ve done wrong. Talk about being in a pit—he faced constant pressure from his enemies who tried to trap him or prove inconsistency in his teaching, not to mention the temptations of Satan. Any claim to be connected to the Father was treated as blasphemy. And yet, he was righteous. And the Lord is our righteousness. Through his perfect life and innocent suffering and death and rising again from the dark pit of death, he has won for us righteousness. This is the door to God and the door to life in heaven—righteousness in our Lord Jesus Christ. When people look at the trouble they go through, they’ll say, “Well God has a plan.” What a plan! God’s plan is salvation for all mankind. To tear down pride and rebellion. To make the comfortable in sin uncomfortable. But also to build up--to comfort the afflicted with God’s grace. As you tear down and build up, you may find yourself being called “hateful”, or a “closed-minded.” And so, when you find yourself in the pit, being hated for your intimate union with the only God, you’ll want to ask yourself, “Why am I here?” If you lovingly and firmly proclaim the truth of God’s Word, and you find yourself in the pit, thank God! Thank God. The word works. Thank God, he seeks the salvation of all sinners. Once you get out, you’ll acknowledge that it was a blessing for you. While in the pit, all you can do, which is what God wants you to do anyway, is look up. Realize you proclaim His Word and then take his Word, all his threats and his promises, to heart. Let me close with these thoughts. God’s grace leads us into the pit. God’s grace sustains us in the pit. God’s grace will bring us out. And while in the pit, keep looking up. Amen. Mark 7:31-37
Sometimes when a news anchor interviews a celebrity, or political figure, they will dig into their personal lives. They want to get the story that their viewers are tuning in to hear. People like to get up close and personal—try to get to know the celebrities whom they either adore or disdain. Could you imagine Jesus being interviewed today by George Stephanopolis or Matt Lauer? Jesus, now you’re the one who said, “Judge not lest you be judged”, but Jesus, come on, you seem to be pretty judgmental in your teachings. Can you explain this discrepancy? Jesus, you said, and I quote, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Do you think you’ll have a lot of followers being so closed minded? Can you explain why you, and not Allah, or some cow in India, are the only way to God. Jesus, as I read through your list of twelve disciples, I see that there are no women listed. You say that all people are equal, but doesn’t that look like you are a bit chauvinistic. Aren’t you worried that you are offending one half of the world’s population? But we certainly don’t need the Today Show to help us get closer to Jesus. We don’t Good Morning America to help us see into the heart of our Savior. Jesus shows himself not through the lens of a camera or microphone, but through the Holy Scriptures and specifically, today through the pen of the Evangelist Mark. We get Up Close and Personal with Jesus Christ, personally tending to the needs of people and doing all things well—never failing us in any aspect of our needs. 1. A Savior who attends to us personally Look at how Jesus operates among the people in the region of the Decapolis. They came to him with a man who was deaf and consequently could speak only with difficulty. They asked Jesus to merely place his hand on the man. They didn’t want to bother the teacher. They wanted Jesus to deal with the man’s problem and move on without taking much time at all. But Jesus attends to personal needs personally. When Jesus fed the five thousand, and the four thousand, he could have just made it happen, when he healed the centurion’s servant or the calming of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus could have simply spoken the word and given this man his hearing and speech. But instead, in his divine wisdom, Jesus chose to demonstrate for all of us how he personally and carefully sees to the needs of each individual. Jesus attended to this person in our text in a different way because he was concerned about the whole person who stood before him, not just his ears, not just his mouth, but his entire being, body and soul. Note that Jesus took the man aside. He didn’t want to be distracted by the crowds. He didn’t want to make this man a public spectacle. Jesus wanted his undivided attention. He takes him aside to give him personal attention. Jesus puts his fingers into the man’s ears and heals the man’s hearing with his personal touch. After that, Jesus uses his own saliva and touches the man’s tongue. You don’t get too much more personal than that! Then he looked up to heaven and said, “Ephphatha” or “Be opened.” Does God personally attend to your needs? When things go well—of course, God blesses us, he listens to our prayers—he couldn’t be more attentive. When things go the opposite of what we want—we think he looks the other way, doesn’t answer prayer, doesn’t care about what we go through. Again, Jesus could have simply placed his hand on the man’s shoulder or head or even not touched him at all and still healed him perfectly, but he chose to do it this way instead. If Jesus attends to our needs personally, then he doesn’t want us to treat him like a quick fix whenever we need him. But sometimes we treat prayer like the Yellow Pages: Let’s get him in hear quick and fix this thing. Jesus doesn’t treat us like we’re just faces in the crowd, but we wonder why he isn’t more attentive to our needs. Jesus rose again from death and we sometimes disregard his power and personal care. After seeing him take personal care of this man in our Gospel, can we accuse Jesus of not caring just because we ourselves are struggling? After seeing him take the man aside and care for him can we accuse him of not knowing what’s happening in our lives? We have only one real desperate need—the need to be right with God. Do you see how he devoted himself to fulfilling it? See how he died. As he was dying, he personally tended to the spiritual needs of the thief on the cross. He personally attended to the needs of his mother, while on the cross. He personally attended to the need for forgiveness for the ones who were torturing him, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” The hands that touched and healed this deaf and mute man, and touched and healed so many others were nailed to tree. In Jerusalem they didn’t have room for a healing, delivering, truth-teaching Rabbi who cured souls from sin. But after they killed him he came back to life and renewed his efforts of serving the needs of his followers. He appeared to the eleven. He came back for Thomas’ sake a week later: He showed him his hands and his side. And he has reached out to each and every one of your personally, sending His Holy Spirit to work saving faith in your heart. Yes, Jesus died for the sins of the world, but he died also for each of us individually, taking each sin upon himself and paying its debt to God as he suffered on the cross, bled and died. Look at Jesus as he presents himself up close and personal. Your heavenly Father already knows your needs before you ask. He knows all the hairs on your head. He chose you before the beginning of time. We have to conclude with the people of the Decapolis, “He has done all things well.” 2. A Savior who never fails us What was the result of Jesus’ personal touch on the deaf man? “At this the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” The man began to speak plainly right away. He wouldn’t need months of speech therapy to train his tongue. Just like Jesus allowed others to walk right away, others to live in perfect health right away. Jesus is not bound to his laws of nature. What Jesus does is never a failure. Can he still do things like this? Absolutely! What else can he do? He died on the cross for us. What else wouldn’t he do for each of us? “He has done all things well.” Every moment he uses his mighty strength and divine wisdom to do all things well for us. It looks as though there are times when God fails us. Isaac dug a well and it was smashed by his enemies. He dug another well and it was smashed. Where was God? Allowing the wells to be destroyed, replacing the wells, and teaching Isaac that he had a better country, a heavenly one to look forward to. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. He was accused of rape and imprisoned. Joseph didn’t even need to wait until heaven to see God’s hand in this; God was preparing him for a great rescue of his family and the ancestors of our Savior. Where was God when Job lost his wealth, health and family? God was battling behind the scenes with Satan, God was setting limits for Satan and sustain Job during his time of testing. Job didn’t wait until he got to heaven to acknowledge the Lord’s goodness, might and wisdom. He did this after the time of testing. Joseph could say, “God does everything well. He’s a Savior who doesn’t fail.” Job could say, “God does everything well. He’s a Savior who doesn’t fail.” And if you are currently going through a time of testing, how wonderful when you’ll be able to look back and say, and you will, if not here, at least heaven: “God does everything well. He’s a Savior who doesn’t fail." No wonder then, why the Psalmist, as he considered all the works of the Lord on behalf of his people would write, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (136:1) Where has Jesus ever failed? “He has done everything well.” We have a Savior who tends personally to our personal troubles. We have a Savior who always listens to our prayers. Did he ever fail in granting someone relief? Did he ever say, “Sorry, not even I can help you.” No disease was too far no one was ever dead for too long. As he carried earthly sorrows the Gospels show he never failed. The one who did not fail left nothing to be failed. The one who did all things well has done everything for our salvation. From A-Z, our salvation for body and soul is complete. This is Jesus said, “It is finished.” So well did he do all things that even his Father commends him, “This is my Son whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” So well has Jesus done his work of salvation that the Bible says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” So well does Jesus do everything that even though it looks like the poor little church militant is going to be wiped out someday, Jesus is “is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but in the one to come. And God placed everything under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, who fills everything in every way.” (Eph. 1:20-23) Our Savior who does all things well will never fail us. Listen so some of his promises: “I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:13) “For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant he made with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them with an oath.” (Deut. 4:31) “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23) “My salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.” (Is. 51:6) When we look at Jesus close up and personal, we don’t see any dirty laundry, like you will with a celebrity. And you won’t see any hidden agenda, like you might with a political figure. Up close and personal, you have a kind Savior who died for you and a Savior who works night and day in serving us personally. Look on him closer in his Word. Go to him in prayer. You have a Savior who is always there taking a personal interest in everything, never failing in anything. That’s our Jesus Christ: up close and personal. Amen. Ephesians 6:10-20
Oh, and one more thing before I say goodbye, Paul writes, “Put on the full armor of God.” “Put on the armor! Put on the full armor.” Why? We’re going to battle. Literally, “Let the Lord make you strong and put on the full armor.” We are going to battle, today, tomorrow, all week long, and if we don’t have the Lord’s help, we will surely fall in battle. So, what does it mean to Put On the Full Armor. Our foes? For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. It may be difficult to fight an enemy you cannot see, but how blessed we are that we cannot see Satan and his soldiers. He’s not only invisible, he’s vastly superior to us. And he’s organized an army of demons who carry out his schemes: rulers, authorities, the world powers of darkness. How do they fight us? He loves to get us to think that each other is the enemy. Or, if he cannot undermine our doctrinal position, he will try to get us to relax our moral standards. If Satan cannot overthrow our faith, he will try to wear it away, get us to compromise by injecting the leaven of false teaching. If he cannot seduce us into gross sins, he’ll get us to feel comfortable that commit little sins. And committing little sins, we are easily led into Pharisaism. And we either underestimate our opposition, or overestimate our strength. We are too smart to get taken in. Or we won’t let it happen a second time. Satan’s been at this for 6,000 years, and look at the immorality and sin and darkness in our world, and I think I can stand firm? I think of the times when my conscience told me to something right, right by God’s Word’s standards, and then Satan counters that with why I should do wrong and then I do wrong. If I rely on my own strength, I’m headed for a fall. He wants every soul in hell with him. So, Paul says literally, “Let the Lord make you strong and put on the full armor of God.” He knows what a Roman soldier wore. When he lived in Tarsus, studying under the well-known Gamaliel, he saw Roman soldiers all the time. Roman soldiers rescued him from a mob in Ephesus and in Jerusalem. Roman soldiers escorted Paul from Jersualem to Caesarea and then to Rome. While in Rome, he was in the custody of the Praetorian Guard, an elite unit of Roman soldiers who had proven themselves in battle. There were six essential part of the armor. First the belt. The belt surrounded the lower abdomen and having leather straps suspended to below the knee to protect not only the midsection, but also the upper legs. On the belt there were several loops for attaching scabbards for sword and dagger, rope, rations sack, water skin, tools and whatever else the soldier needed. The belt is mentioned first because it was put on first. Next, the soldier put on his metal breastplate. It protected the soldier in both front and back and was attached to the belt with loops so that neither would come off. The breastplate protected the vital organs, especially the heart. Next, the soldier wore sandals with leather straps that wound around the ankle and lower leg. Good footwear was especially important because the Roman Legions were famous for their capacity to march long distances and surprise an enemy who never expected them to be in a certain place. Sandals were also important for keeping ones feet steady. A Roman soldier’s sandals had thick leather souls and were studded to assure traction in any terrain. Next, the soldier had a shield, a long, rectangular door-like shield that reached from chin to knees. Sometimes shields had hooks on the sides so that in battle soldiers could hook them together to form a wall. During the part of the battle when the enemy was raining down a shower of fiery arrows they would hold their shields together over their heads to form what they compared to a turtle’s shell. In hand-to-hand combat the soldier would use the shield to protect against both spear and sword. Next, the soldier’s head was protected by a leather-lined metal helmet that hung down over the neck and protected both head and neck. It was equipped with a chin strap to keep it from coming off in battle. Finally, there was the offensive weapon, the sword. Romans used a Gladius, an 18 inch sword intended for stabbing rather than slashing. When the enemy would wind up to slash with his sword, the Roman would move in and pierce him under the arm. They practiced this move extensively in their training so that they could make accurate thrusts in battle. In Paul’s day, this armor was state of the art, but was, and still is, of no use in the Christian’s war against the enemy. But Paul’s point is that our Heavenly Emperor has equipped his army with the armor of God. With that armor of God the Christian can be successful on the spiritual battlefield. Our warfare is against a spiritual enemy we cannot see, and one we cannot beat alone. So, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. As the Roman soldier’s armor protected from attack on all sides, so the armor of God can protect us even from this enemy and with the sword of the Spirit we can attack and drive away this enemy. We too, have a belt around us, a belt of truth. We not only need the truth of God’s Word, that is, we not only need to know the truth as revealed in God’s Word, yes, we need to know every teaching of God’s Word the way God wants us to believe it. The Roman soldier began by surrounding himself with a belt and the Christian soldier surrounds himself with truth, God’s truth. As the soldier’s breastplate protected the soldier’s heart and life, so we have a breastplate of righteousness that protects us from the father of disobedience. This righteousness is from God because we have no righteousness of our own. Surrounded with the righteousness of Christ and a blameless life that grows out of our faith, the devil cannot accuse us before God or draw us into the corruption of the world. The Christian soldier must have a good footing. Our sandals are the gospel of peace, the good news that we stand upon. With this solid footing we are able to stand against all the attacks of the devil upon our conscience and our heart. It is what the army is all about. Apart from this Good News we stagger and fall dead before the enemy. But standing on this gospel we have God’s peace and can stand before him. Satan cannot claim or make us fall. The Christian soldier has the shield of faith. Faith in God is protection against the blows and fiery arrows of the enemy. He can threaten and shout his battle cry, but we have shelter and safety because our God has given us a shield, namely, our faith in his promises and strength. As long as we are behind that shield Satan cannot harm us. The Christian soldier has the helmet of salvation. Salvation is not a victory we win on the battle field. It was won for us by Christ in his battle throughout life and on the cross. There he defeated Satan in his life of obedience and his death of sacrifice. Both are counted by God as ours. Salvation is not our achievement but God’s gift as Paul wrote in chapter 2: “By grace you are saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works.” The assurance of victory is like a helmet of steel that protects us against all of Satan’s blows. The Christian soldier has a weapon to attack the enemy, the sword of the Spirit. God’s word drives away Satan. Want to defeat Satan’s temptations, hang around God’s word. James tells us, “Resist him, and he will flee.” God is present where his word is used. It protects against the deception of Satan—while Satan winding up to slash you with his temptations, the Word of God attacks back and wins the skirmish. Our armor is the same armor our Savior used. Talk about a belt of truth! Jesus said he is “the way, the truth and the life.” The Bible says about Jesus that “there was no deceit found in his mouth, he spoke the truth to those who loved it and those who rejected it, he prayed that his Father would sanctify us with the Word of Truth. No one could ever accuse him of sin. He knew the Word of truth, even as a young boy. What did Jesus use to take his stand when the days of evil came for him? When tempted to sin in the wilderness with Satan, Jesus used the Word. He said, “It is written.” He defended himself and he fought back with the Word of God. When Satan prompted humans to attack Jesus he defended himself and fought back with the Word of God, restating Biblical truth, calling to repentance. When Peter told Jesus he should not go the way of the cross, he said, “Get behind me Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.” Jesus came “to destroy the work of the devil.” So he fought temptation with the same defenses we’ve been given. He went to battle Satan with the same word of God we’ve been given. But he won. Though a human being like us, with weaknesses and being fully human, he used the defensive armor and the sword of the Word to defeat Satan in every attack of temptation. He won all the little skirmishes with Satan, but to really defeat Satan, he paid for the guilt of everyone who has fallen into sin. Taking God the Father’s punishment, paying for the world’s sin, he has defeated Satan. Satan can tempt, but he cannot condemn. Satan can tempt, but he cannot accuse of sin—Jesus paid for it. Satan can lead into sin and win skirmish after skirmish, but he cannot win the war—the war has been won. Jesus marched into hell after he came back to life to proclaim his victory over the devil. This one soldier fought and won for a world led astray. The one soldier lived to die, to defeat evil, Satan, sin, death. And this one soldier reclaimed his life, and having won salvation for a world full of sinners, now assures of our victory in him and equips us for daily battle, by giving us our armor of defense and our weapon of attack. Put on the full armor of God. A Roman soldier who put on only a few pieces would be in trouble. So he was given a full, complete set of armor. Achilles was the central character and hero of Homer’s Illiad. He was considered semi-immortal, but had one vulnerability, his heel. He died due when a poison arrow struck his heel. What do we have? We have the belt of truth, that is God’s truth and a life that is true. We have a breastplate of righteousness, that is we are right with God through faith in Jesus. We have the gospel of peace, that is we stand on God’s grace as victory to overcome the enemy. We have the shield of faith which protects us from the attacks and schemes of Satan. We have the helmet of salvation which assures Christ has already won the victory and this helmet will be replaced one day with the crown of life. And we have the sword of the Spirit, with which we defeat Satan when he tempts or attacks our faith. Put on the full armor of God and not even your heel will be vulnerable. Amen. Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18
Who is your God? Joshua’s God, our God, is the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Who is your God? is a question people need to wrestle with. Some follow Allah, the god of Islam. Others worship nature, or things in nature, like cows, or trees. Others follow god who is inside. Allah, the moon god Muhammed wished to elevate, is not the Triune God. A cow, which is good or milk or food, is not God. A tree, which is used for paper or construction, is not God. The Triune God, who is so great, filling heaven and earth, including the wood, the air, our bodies and by faith our very hearts—he is God. Which God Will You Follow? is question that each and every human being must answer. How one answers that question determines whether life with be one of divine benediction or selfishness. How one answers that question determines whether eternity will be one of eternal pleasures or eternal destruction. Which God Will You Follow? Joshua is at the end of his life and leadership, at the ripe old age of 110. His words are somewhat of a last will and testament, and an encouragement for those he leads to follow the true God. But he gave them a choice. They could follow the gods of their past. They could choose to follow the gods or the present, the gods around them in the land of Canaan. Or they could follow the God of the past, present and future. “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” Who are the gods their forefathers worshiped beyond the River? He doesn’t say, but he takes them back to Egypt, in which land was many gods. Remember the interaction our God had with the gods of the Egyptians? Think of the 10 plagues. Aaron touched the Nile River with his staff and the water of the Nile and the rest of the country turned to blood. The fish died, their drinking water was gone and the River stank. Pharaoh was not real impressed but the water remained blood for seven days, the perfect length of time to show that our God ruled nature. Remember the plague of frogs? Frogs were in their food, their clothes, their homes. The magicians were able to duplicate this, as they duplicated the water to blood, but only Moses could take away the frogs. Both the blood and the frogs were an attack on the Egyptian goddess Heket, goddess of water. It was also an attack on Geb, god of the earth. Where was Hathor, goddess of love and protection during the plague of flies? Where was Isis, goddess of medicine and peace during the plague of the boils and sores? Where was Nut, the goddess of the sky during the plague that rained hail down in the form of fire? Where was Seth, the god of storms and disorder when God sent locusts from the sky to consume what the hail storm left? Where was Ra, the sun god, during the three days of complete darkness? Pharaoh, was the ultimate power in Egypt. Pharaoh was the greatest of the gods in Egypt. He was considered to be the son of Ra himself. Pharaoh could not stop the death of all the firstborn in Egypt. Israel could go back to the gods of the past, to Heket and Geb, to Isis and Nut, to Seth and Ra, even Pharoah, gods their forefathers worshiped across the River. But what can they do that our God can’t? What can they even do? What can they do to calm the anger of the Triune God against sin? So, you can go back to the gods of the past, or you can worship the gods of the present, the gods of the Amorites, around you. Do you remember why God had the Israelites wipe out all the nations in Canaan? “It is on account of the wickedness of the nations of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you.” (Duet 9:5) The Lord’s patience had run out. Our God is so great. God told Abraham, before his son Isaac was even born, that he and his descendants would “be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You however, will go to your fathers in peace and will die at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Gen. 15:13-16) The sin of the Amorites will become so great in the land of Canaan, that God will use the Israelites to destroy them as the Lord’s judgment. But what made them so evil? Their gods. Like the Egypians, they too worshiped many gods. Canaan’s chief god was El: or “god.” He was a dark, shadowy figure, who killed members of his own family to become leader of the gods. El was a lustful pig who is depicted as a bull in a field of cows. So guess what El was about? Guess what their worship consisted of? Then there was Baal. Baal was the storm god and the god of rain and fertility. Asherah is also a well-known god of the Canaanites. The worship of these gods consisted of prostitution, the sacrifice of children, the worship of snakes and divination. Lustful abandon without any moral decency was the result of the worship of the Canaanite gods. So, what was the result of the Canaanites worshiping these gods and the resulting immorality? God warned Israel before going into the promised land, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land is defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” (Lev. 18:24-24) So, you can go back to the gods of the Egyptians, which didn’t help the Egyptians. Or you can follow the gods of the people living around you, gods like El, Baal and Asherah, who the Lord abhors, but it you do, “And it you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” (Lev. 18:28) How about following the God of the past, the present and the future? The God who chose Abraham to be the father of many nations, and from whom to bring the promised Savior. The God who told Abraham that his descendant would go to a foreign country, be slaves and come back in four generations, 400 years later!, and who made good on that promise. The God who made exposed Heket and Geb, to Isis and Nut, to Seth and Ra for what they are: idols. Idols=nothings. How about serving the God who stands in judgment over the false of gods of El, Baal and Asherah who lead their followers into rebellion? The God who drove out in judgment the nations that lived in the land of Canaan before Israel? The God who hates wickedness, rebellion and sin? How about serving the God whose history goes back to before time, the eternal God who, in love created this world, announced the Savior to the first sinners, who kept the promise for 4,000 years. How about following the God who kept a faithful remnant of believers from the fall until now, through two captivities for Israel? The question needs to be answered every day? Which God Will You Follow? Ra and Baal may be far from your minds, but what challenges to take our loyalty away from this God? Our intellect—we’re pretty smart. If not college degrees then at least degrees from the school of hard knocks. We know a lot. Or maybe you don’t feel you have to know a lot, as long as your retirement plan is fine. Well, if that might not be the case, at least you have your health. Is there something that threatens for supremacy over God in your heart? Good grades? Popularity? As the false gods found out in Egypt, and in Canaan, as every unbeliever finds out, and it is good for us to remember too: The Lord will put up with a lot of things in the human heart, but being second place is not one of them. The demands and deserves to be first. And to use a phrase in Leviticus, we all deserve to be vomited out of the land. The God of the past, present and future is so because of His love. In the past, he kept his promise to send his Son. In the past, the Son came, and though that was in the future for the Israelites in our text, they trusted in the same God of the past, present and future. Already in the past, this God has sent Jesus to win the hearts of sinners back to this God. By living the way this God demands, by offering his life as payment for any failure to live according to God’s demands, Jesus brought God and mankind back together in a relationship of love. The God of the past, present and future is so because whatever goes on, whatever battle is being waged around you or in you, this God of the past, present and future is going to see you through to the other side, whether that’s to the other side of the battle, or to the other side of existence. See, this God of the past, present and future wants you with him for all eternity in paradise, where nothing of the past can bother, where everything God has done in the past is worthy to give God praise and glory. Which God Will You Follow? Of course you know the answer to that question. The God of the past, present and future! Joshua reminded the Israelites just before our text: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14). Nor has any of God’s promises failed us. So, for us, it not just who we will follow, but how. Joshua said, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” Literally, God wants us to serve him “in all sincerity and truth.” In sincerity: serve the Lord with your heart in it. With love and gratefulness to God in your heart give glory to the God the past, present and future. And serve the Lord in truth. Serve him not based on feelings or inclinations, but based on the truth of God’s Word. So, you may have all the answers for a sinful world, serve him sincerity. You may have all the sincerity in the world—sincerely proclaim, then, the truth of God’s Word and his saving Name. I wish to close with Joshua’s well-known words in answer to the question, Which God Will You Follow? These are not only Joshua’s words, but Israel’s words. These are my words and yours: “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Amen. Dear Children of light! Just before the reading our text the Apostle Paul calls you “children of light.” Children of light, people upon which Christ’s love shines and who are changed by that light. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” We have all come from darkness. We hail from sin and unbelief. But God has called us into the light of his love. Paul encourage us to use that gift and not to foolishly throw it away. Children of Light, Be Careful! See the Dangers.
Seize the Opportunities. Be very careful, [literally, “see accurately”] then, how you live [literally, walk; so he’s saying “open your eyes and see and move according to what you see”]--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. In a world filled with billions of people, does your life really matter? Yes, there are billions of people in our world and the Lord how many hairs are on each head. Yes, this world will continue to go on if something were to happen to you, but God says to each person, “Be very careful.” “Be very careful” In other words, “What you do with your life makes a difference at every moment.” You don’t handle your fine china the way you handle your everyday dishes. You don’t handle your fishing pole the way you handle your gardening tools. You have been purchased with the blood of Christ. You are valuable. God’s love makes you valuable. So what you do to your body, what you do with your body and your mind is important. What you do and how you live is important. If you are important, then what you do is important. If you have responsibility to God, and others, and for others, then your life is important. If Jesus died and rose for you, you are important. So, dear children of light, be very careful. “The days are evil.” See the dangers. Evil is everywhere. The days are so evil that it’s tempting to just join in. The days are so evil that we are tempted be self-righteous: “at least I’m not that evil.” The days are so evil that a defeatist attitude may be present: God is no longer in charge; nothing, not even God can change things. We don’t want to be the bad guy shining the light into the guy’s eyes who’s comfortable in his darkness. What a temptation to play with the darkness. What a temptation to have one foot comfortably in the darkness and then thinking you have the other foot solidly in the light. As long as we’ve got the one foot in the light, we’ll be fine. How damnable we are even as Christians. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” What does God want? Life in a sin-darkened world is challenging. Our consciences have been weakened from living as sinners. But we understand more fully the Lord’s will as we dig into God’s Word. God’s Word tells what the Lord’s will is. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Put your Bible where you’ll see it and use it. And as you see what God wants you to do and be, you’ll be even more aware of God’s righteousness and justice. But, “knowing God’s will” is also a matter of knowing what God has done rescue us from evil. This God wants our salvation. “God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (Acts 4:12) “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “God is not willing that any should perish, but that but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) He has caused his light to shine on us in Christ. How can we not walk, move, live in a different way? Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Paul warns against the abuse of alcohol. Our culture winks at drunkenness. Wine is not evil by itself. But it leads to debauchery, behavior people wouldn’t otherwise do: senselessness, recklessness, foul language. Solomon said, “Do not gaze at wine while it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bits like a snake and poisons like a viper.” (Proverbs 23:31) We Christians wink at it? It’s evil. So what someone drinks too much! Here’s what may be going on. Alcohol and drug use offers a substitute for Christ. An escape from the consequences of sin, a temporary relief from the difficulties of life. Drugs and alcohol take away your pain. Christ isn’t enough. God’s Word isn’t enough. Wine, beer, alcohol is the god the drunk runs to. Drugs and alcohol promise personal growth. If you are not happy who you are, drugs or alcohol will free you from your inhibitions, make you more interesting. It’s called debauchery. Drugs and alcohol can help escape from the voice of that nagging conscience. If someone wants to be caught in a sin, loves living in darkness, alcohol deadens the conscience and eases the pain of guilt. The days are evil. As children of light, listen with care and recognize the pain tied to people living in darkness. You might need to wait until the person stumbles and falls in complete darkness. Be ready with the light. Be ready to share the light. Be ready for the knee-jerk reaction to the light. When someone is bruised and battered and living in darkness, he needs to be exposed to the light of God’s love and grace. The solution to darkness is light. The solution for guilt is forgiveness. The solution for sin is grace. The solution for a troubled conscience is Good Friday. You’ve felt God’s anger against your sin as your conscience picked at you. Imagine the conscience of Jesus as he took the world’s blame. In Jesus there was no darkness, no sin, no troubled conscience. John wrote, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John wrote that Jesus was the “true light that gives light to every man.” Jesus said about himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” He also said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” So if the light of the world is on Mount Calvary, then why did it get dark? All the sin of all the world’s inhabitants, past, present and future, was there on Calvary, and on God’s Son, for three hours. All of God’s intense hatred against sin was there on Calvary, on God’s Son. How dark it looked as God’s enemies, as Jesus’ enemies, had their way with Jesus and extinguished the light. How troubling when darkness appears to rule the day. Make no mistake, sin was there on Calvary. And what Jesus did for Jairus’ daughter, what he had done for Lazarus, he did for himself. Off came the grave clothes as Jesus again saw the light of day. And by rising again he has brought “life and immortality to the light” to his children. There is no darkness for you as all is light. There is not a one of you who should remain in darkness, as Jesus said. Jesus is the light of the world and he is the light of life. Darkness will never rule another day, no sin will ever be charged against you, no punishment waits for you. Jesus Christ is our light and has defeated darkness. Where there is light, there can be no darkness. Well with Christ as our light, the darkness is gone. So now, children of light, “Be very careful, how you live…making the most of every opportunity.” Making the most of every opportunity, that is, we are to redeem or buy up the right time. Buying something involves giving up something of value to you in exchange. We are to give up something of value in order to take hold of something of greater value. Give up a sinful habit. Now is the time to put off that pet sin. Now is the time to live for your Lord Jesus. Now is the time to witness Christ to the unbeliever. Now is the time to repent and to call others to repentance. Now is the time to do good works so that others may glorify your Father in heaven. Think of Paul in jail in Philippi, hardly an opportune time to be taken as a credible witness, but he was singing hymns. And in the middle of the night, his jailer was led from despair to joy. Make the most of every opportunity. As King Solomon said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might.” (Eccl. 9:10) “Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” He encourages us to express the joy we have in our salvation through music that comes from the heart. The sound of thankfulness heard in dark times is noticed. Christian music, Christ-centered music and hymns, have a remarkable power to remind us what we believe, what we have to rely on. God’s gift of music gives his people a beautiful way to express what they have. Be careful how you live. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ask yourself as you listen to music, as you work, as you play, as you watch TV: does this keep me in the light? Does this let my light shine? Am I kidding myself and playing with darkness? Am I buying something valuable with my time? Is it worth the expenditure of my time? Are others benefiting from the use of my time? Am I reflecting the light and forgiveness of Christ? So, children of light, be careful! That sounds so negative, but it is important to be warned of dangers against our faith. But there is a positive side: Look at the opportunities to reflect the light of God’s love and seize them. Amen. After Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal, he was on a high. The prayers 450 prophets of Baal could not bring fire to consume their sacrifice. Elijah taunted them, because he knew Baal didn’t exist. Elijah told them to pray louder. He suggested that perhaps Baal was on a vacation, or deep in thought, or maybe even sleeping. Elijah knew Baal didn’t exist. He only existed in the minds of people.
Then Elijah prayed and fire came down from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, and licking up the water in a trench surrounding the altar. He simply prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.” At that the 450 prophets of Baal were executed. Elijah must have thought that God was going to bring about a great spiritual awakening in Israel. Now keep in mind it’s been over three years since it rained last in Israel. But now the rain is coming. After the slaughter of the prophets Elijah tells Ahab he better hitch up his chariot and get home before the rain stops him. So he rode home. And the Bible tells us: “The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” Elijah ran ten miles ahead of Ahab in his chariot. So imagine you’re Elijah. The storm is coming from the west, you’re traveling to the east. The storm, a picture of judgment is behind you, you’re God’s prophet leading the king. What a picture! What a teacher the Lord is! As long as I follow the prophet, who represents the true God, I’m okay. So, Elijah was on a high. But it only last for a short time. I don’t know many girls named Jezebel. That’s would be a lot to live up to, or down to. When the queen of Israel found out she told Elijah, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that one of them.” So Elijah ran away. For a full day. He ran twenty miles to a town called Beersheba, dropped off his servant there and then ran another 20 miles until he go no further. And he said, “I have had enough Lord…take my life.” And he fell asleep. Then the angel of the Lord came and fed Elijah and left him a jar of water too. Elijah ate and drank and then laid back down to sleep. But the angel of the Lord came a second time and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” Strengthened by that food, he traveled 40 days and nights for another 200 miles until he reached Mount Horeb, where the Lord ministered to Elijah. Elijah the mighty prophet despaired. He told the Lord he was the only one left who believed in God. He was wrong. His despair distorted his vision. A mighty prophet didn’t know what he was talking about, because of his despair. In his distorted vision, he tried to advise God. He told the Lord things didn’t go the way they should have. Jezebel is having her way. All the prophets are dying: this is all wrong. Is it true for you too, that we go back and forth from pride to despair and back and forth? One day were think we know better than the Lord, the next we don’t think Lord has the ability to back up his promises. So, where are you? Pride, or despair? Have you ever thought that it’s a losing battle to talk about Jesus with a family member? The Lord will never bring him to faith, you think. But God melted your heart of stone! And you might be the one he wants to use! Despair: God can’t do what he says he can. Or the other side of the issue: Lord, this is how things ought to be. You give me better health. You make my kids obey me better. You take away my aches and pains and then I’ll know for sure you are almighty and loving. 20/20 hindsight tells us that Elijah had nothing to worry about. Power was all around him. It stopped raining for 3.5 years after he prayed. It starting raining again after the slaughter of the prophets of Baal. And what confidence Elijah had! Can you imagine calling out the 450 prophets of Baal for a showdown. What if God doesn’t answer his prayers!? Let’s look at the present and the future. There is power all around us. In baptism a baby is plucked from the pit of hell. In the saving waters of baptism a baby is no longer Satan’s little boy, but Jesus’ little boy. How in the world is there enough body and blood of Jesus to go around. Think of all the Christians who have taken the Lord’s Supper and have been strengthened in their faith and assured of their forgiveness. There is power here. The Lord’s Supper is enough. Think of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the dessert. God is so rich in his mercy that the Word is all we really need. But God gives us Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to assure us individually that his grace is ours. You don’t need the apple pie after the big thanksgiving meal, but it sure is good. God plays with big toys. Did you know that one storm cloud weighs 1.1 million tons? Did you know that 125 million gallons of water and more electricity than is needed for a large city is in one thunderstorm? And God sends the rain. And did you know that God created this world in six days, with his Word?! Nothing else. On day one he made all the materials and on days 2-6 he decorated it beautifully. There is power in the Word. There’s power in the preacher’s sermon, because it is based on God’s Word. God’s truth goes in here, the heart, out my mouth, to you ears and into your hearts. God’s grace overflows through God’s Word and that is enough. God told Elijah that the journey was too much for him. So, he insisted that Elijah take nourishment so he could travel another 200 miles to the south in unforgiving wilderness. The journey is too much for you. Have you learned this? You hear people say, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” No, better to say, “The Lord helps those who cannot help themselves.” If the journey is too much for Elijah, then God needs to bless Elijah. If the journey is too much for me, then God needs to bless me, or give me strength. It’s called grace. And that is why God sent his Son, Jesus. In matters of everyday life, the journey is too much: this bill, that co-worker, this ache or that pain, this child or that parent. Have you learned that you need the Lord to bless you? Has the Lord taught you rely on him? Do you pray “Give us this day our daily bread” because he has taught you to rely on him everyday for whatever you need for body and soul? Has the Lord taught you your need for help spiritually? This journey is way too hard! “Be perfect,” God says. “Be holy,” God demands. Be content with what you have. Honor your parents who are sinners. Love your children, who are sinners. Trust in God for every blessing for body and soul. Talk about a hard journey, but Jesus pulled it off. For us sin-sick sinners Christ put his trust in his Heavenly Father to provide. Jesus loved sinners: he healed, he taught, he loved the unlovable. He died for all sinners. In love Jesus Christ used the Word of God to teach, and preach. The effect of his love we still see today: Jesus Christ instituted the sacraments for our faith. Jesus Christ shared the word God which brought sinners to faith. And when he was done with his 3 year ministry, he offered his life to pluck us from the pit of hell. And his empty grave means we’ll never see the pit of hell, only the glories of heaven. Elijah went from victory on Mount Carmel and the heights of joy to the despair of believing it was all for naught and a 250 mile journey to Mount Sinai. The Lord let him run away because he would minister to him on Mount Sinai. Tough place to go to be ministered too. But on that mountain the Lord did minister to Elijah. While on the mountain there was a great wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but the LORD wasn’t in the earthquake. Then there was a fire but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face.” What could humble Elijah? What could comfort Elijah? The LORD took him to another mountain, to Mount Calvary. The LORD was in the gentle whisper. The shock and awe didn’t humble and comfort Elijah, but the gentle whisper did. No, we’re not told what God said in that gentle whisper. But what causes a man to go back another 300 miles to serve the Lord in a difficult call from which he left? What causes a man who had despaired of his ministry and his life to roll up his sleaves and get back to doing difficult, dangerous work? The gentle whisper: I love you, God says. I forgive you, God says. I’m with you, God says. I can still use you, God says. And all you need to do to hear the gentle whisper of God’s love is go for yourself once again that mountain and see your Savior Jesus bleed and die for you. In matters of life, the journey is too much for you, but not for the one who promises to bless you. In matters of salvation, the journey is too much, but not for Jesus. The Lord helps those who cannot help themselves. Despair or advising the Lord is forgiven and can truly be a thing of the past, as he takes us to that wonderful mountain. In light of everything I’ve just said, the journey is not too much, because of a merciful and gracious God. “OLYMPIC SERVICE” Sermon
Jesus Ran For Us Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3) Aaron made a comment to me the other day as we watched some Olympic Diving Competition. He said, “Dad someone said instead of training people for years and years, they should invite regular people to run the races, play the games.” A contestant made a beautiful dive, in my mind there couldn’t have been any deductions, and I said, “No, I’d rather see people who have practiced.” When it comes to the race called life, I’m not just an amateur, I’m a failure. There is no possible way for me to medal. With original sin from my mom and dad, I’m not even in the race. I don’t want to run for God! And while no one ran the race, while no one climbed the ladder, even laced up the shoes, Jesus ran. By the Holy Spirit’s help we “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,” who ran, who played, who worked, who trained. Why? Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame.” He endured the cross, he endured a painful death by Roman soliders¸ more than that, endured the punishment of God for sins committed by mankind. As we fix our eyes on Jesus we see an innocent man scoring 10, hitting the bullseye, bringing the Father to his feet, “This is my Son whom I love.” It would earn Jesus no medal on the cross, only pain as he endured the punishment for our sin. But it did earn him this reward, “…sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus ran the race for us. There isn’t a human being alive who could live perfectly. And he didn’t live for himself. He ran this race for us. We fix our eyes on Jesus who loved his fellowman and obeyed his Father for us. We fix our eyes on Jesus who endured the cross, who died to pay for our guilt. We fix our eyes on Jesus because he ran this race of life for us. We Run for the Prize And yet we are told to run. We run for the prize. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:24-27) Jesus won the prize for a world full of sinners. With his innocent sufferings and death and resurrection, Jesus has earned the gold medal for all people. Heaven, the prize, is assured through him. All people run in the race. We are told, “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” What does it mean to “beat my body” and go into “strict training.” How well do you know your Bible? You know everything about your responsibilities at work. You might know all the players on your football team. How well do you know God’s Word? How are your knees? Do they ache for spending so time on them in prayer? How are doing with sin and temptation? Is sin a big deal or not so big a deal? Paul said, “I do not run like a man running aimlessly…No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified.” The goal is eternal life in heaven. Temptation leads this way or that way. The goal is heaven. Let us train. Let us pray. Let us study. Let us encourage. The one who won the race is also the one who tells us how to run. Our Coach Knows What It Takes to Win I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. (Psalm 119:32) He gives us his commands to lead us, guide us, comfort us. Sometimes even those who run the race look at his commands and think that they slow down the runner. But his yoke is easy and his burden is light. But look at what he has done: “You have set my heart free.” With a freed conscience, run the race. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31) You hear about the American 400 who ran half a race with a broken leg. He didn’t want to let his teammates down. Mind over matter. How about God over matter. He’s trained you for decades now. How long ago were you confirmed, baptized, brought to Christ? “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” “They will walk and not faint.” Your gracious God has trained you for what lies ahead this week, not month, next year. You may be very physical as you run this race, but the race is spiritual. Your loving God will allow you “to soar as on wings of an eagle.” When you are running a race, it is counter-productive to look to the side, or behind. As you look to the side, you start to veer to the side. If you look backward, we really start to veer and you may even run outside of your lane and be disqualified. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14) Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. You’ve been hurt in life—the Lord saw you through. You have great difficulty—the Lord holds you by his hand in this race. In this race, we press on toward the goal. The only important thing about the race is getting across the finish line. So, run: pray and study. Discipline your heart and mind and body. Previous Finishers Cheer Us On Not only have other people already finished the race, these people are cheering us on. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1) Who cheers us on? Moses and the prophets. David and those who wrote the Psalms. As you read your Bibles you are listening to God make promise after promise and those who wrote the words down are encouraging us: It’s worth it. The goal is attainable and its great. God keeps his promises. All things work for the good. People who were carried off into captivity in the Old Testament can see now how it all worked out. Job sees now how it all worked out. You’re going to see it too. And because we have such a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Runners take off their sweats. Basketball players take off their warm up clothes. Runners racing toward heaven throw off the sin that entangles or trips us. Stay on Course! Sometimes we are tempted ask, “Is it all worth it?” Running this race. Disciplining our hearts, minds and bodies for something we can’t even see. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. (Gal 5:7-8) Satan and a sinful world will do whatever they can to make sure you veer off, or go another direction. You may be tempted to just give up running. When that little voice starts talking, its not Jesus. No, keep going. Jesus’ call and Jesus’ salvation and Jesus’ promises still remain. No one wants you to cross that finish line more than he does. The Goal: Finish in Faith I saw an interview with some Americans who won medals but hadn’t received them yet. One of the women said it was the greatest feeling to know that standing on the medal platform was yet to come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Crossing that finish line of heaven you will find not a gold medal, but a “crown of righteousness” and streets paved with gold. All who finish the race will be so blessed. John 6:1-15
Would you agree that the better the teacher, the better the students? I would think that is a pretty fair assumption to make. And if there has never been a greater teacher than Jesus, then it would stand to reason that His students had the absolute best education ever. But that being said, it is also true, unfortunately, that His students or disciples were very slow learners. Most of the time they were very slow to catch on to what Jesus was teaching them. But this is not only true of the disciples. Today we see Jesus teaching a large audience a very important life lesson. And yet, very few caught on to what Jesus was trying to teach them. As His students today, it is also important that you and I “LEARN FROM JESUS LIFE’S MOST IMPORTANT LESSON”. Learn that Jesus freely gives of Himself to us so that we who freely receive from Him may also freely give to others. 1. Once in a while a good teacher will give a “pop quiz” to his students. He will “pop” it on them when they are least expecting it. It not only puts the students on the spot but it gives the teacher a good chance to see how his students are progressing in what he is teaching them. That is what Jesus was doing here in our lesson today. He and his disciples had just sailed across the Sea of Galilee which at that time was also known as the “Sea of Tiberius” in honor of the ruling Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar. What Jesus and His disciples had in mind was a little R & R. Even a teacher and his students need a break once in a while and this was supposed to be sort of their “spring vacation”. But it didn’t exactly turn out to be much of a vacation. No sooner had they landed when Jesus saw a large crowd approaching them in the distance. Jesus was at the height of His popularity there in Galilee, primarily because of the miracles He had been performing. Jesus could have said to His disciples, “Come on, men, we have to get out of here before the crowds get here”. But instead Jesus surprised His disciples with a little “pop quiz”. He directed His question at Philip but it was intended for all the disciples: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” It says here that Jesus asked this “to test him”. Philip must have turned around, saw the huge crowd of people approaching, and immediately answered: “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Eight months wages would buy a lot of food, but not nearly enough to feed a crowd like that. John says there were 5,000 men. But the other gospel writers tell us that did not include women and children. The crowd could have numbered as many as 15,000 people or more. According to Mark’s gospel there was probably an interval now. When the people arrived, Mark tells us that Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things.” It is very possible that this went on for several hours. I don’t know how well the people, or His disciples for that matter, listened that day but I’m sure Jesus had some very important and very interesting things to teach them – and not about the weather or sports or politics either. He taught them about important spiritual matters. But once the class had finished, Andrew, the brother of Peter, came up to Jesus. He had been thinking about the question Jesus had asked Philip hours before. He did not have the perfect answer on how to feed all those people, but at least he came up with a suggestion. He says to Jesus: “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish”. But even he had to admit: “How far will they go among so many?” The implied answer, of course, was “not very far”. Well, how do you think the disciples did on their pop quiz? The truth is, of course, they failed miserably. Here they were already approaching the third year of their theological studies and they still showed a tremendous lack of trust in the Lord. After all that He had taught them and after all the miracles He had performed right before their eyes, they still could not come up with the simple answer Jesus was looking for: “No problem, Master, I know You can provide enough food for all these people”. But aren’t you and I a lot like those disciples of Jesus? When we face a problem or a situation that seems overwhelming or impossible to solve, we either despair or seek some human solution that is never going to work. And all the while the solution is right in front of us. It’s Jesus, isn’t it? He has the perfect answer to every problem and every situation you and I may face, no matter what it may be. And you know a lot better than I do what particular problem or situation you may be facing right this moment. Jesus now showed His disciples what the answer is. He took the five barley loaves and two small fish from the boy nearby and then He gave thanks for this food – an important lesson for us. Jesus was teaching us to recognize that our food and all we have come to us as a gift and blessing from our heavenly Father. And then Jesus instructed His disciples to distribute the food. The crowd was divided into sections and each disciple went around handing out the food to everyone they came to – as much as they wanted. And when everyone had eaten and could not eat another bite because they were so full, Jesus told His disciples to gather up whatever was left. He did this not only in the interest of conservation so as not to waste anything but to demonstrate to His disciples and the crowds what He had just done. There were 12 baskets of leftovers! Wow! How could anyone conclude anything else but the fact that this was a tremendous miracle? This was another powerful demonstration that Jesus can and does provide for all our needs. But more importantly, this was a demonstration that Jesus is our one and only hope for this life and for the life to come. Only Jesus could do this miracle because only Jesus is the Christ, the Promised Messiah, the Son of God. It was He who came from heaven to earth at His Father’s bidding to serve us – not by giving us a nice, comfortable life here on earth but by giving us the greater hope of a hunger-free, pain-free and sin-free life for all eternity in heaven. That is why Jesus perfectly obeyed His Father’s will for 33 years and then laid down His life on Calvary’s cross, offering His own precious blood as the sacrificial payment for all our sins. That is why He took up His life again on the third day to assure us that our sins are paid for and death has been defeated. You see, Jesus has so much to give if we only learn the lesson He is teaching us here. It’s not a matter of bread or food or health or material possessions. Sure, Jesus can and will provide us with all those things as He sees fit. But all those things are only a means to an end – the means that will lead us to a most glorious life with Him in heaven. We only need to learn from Jesus how freely He gives of Himself to us. 2. But let us also learn that Jesus wants us who freely receive from Him to freely give of ourselves to others. You and I, of course, are not the only people in the world that Jesus loves and cares for. In deepest love He came to give of Himself for all people. The Bible says that He is “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world”. Jesus had so much to give and He gave it all for us. And to this very day He keeps on giving more and more, especially to us who are His own. We need only to put our trust and confidence in Him, knowing that “in all things He works for the good of those who love Him”. But as Jesus used His disciples to freely give to the crowds of Galilee, so now He also wants to use us to freely give to others. Yes, you and I also have so much to give. We all have time that we can devote to helping others in their needs as Jesus did. We all have different gifts and talents that we can use in the interest of serving the Lord with our hearts and hands and voices. We all have been blessed with material things – some more and some less – but all of us have something we can offer and give to support the Lord’s work in whatever way we choose. And just like with Jesus, the greatest good you and I can do while we are still on this earth is to help bring the crowds to know Jesus as their Savior. That will not only help get them to heaven, but it will give them strength and hope and comfort for this life, knowing they have a Savior who loves and cares for them, who promises to bring them through every situation they may face, and who will finally bring them safely home to heaven. Hopefully, we all have learned our lesson today so well that we will never fail another pop quiz. Amen O Lord Jesus, we thank You for the important lesson that You have taught us in Your Word. Grant that we may learn well and take to heart this demonstration of Your love and care for all our needs. But especially may we see in this miracle that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who came not only to address our physical and material needs but especially our spiritual and eternal needs. To that end grant that we may always look to You as the Giver of our salvation who lived and died and rose again so that we might have forgiveness of our every sin and the sure and certain hope of the best life of all when You call us from this vale of tears to our eternal home with You in heaven. Amen |
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