Monday, September 12, 2011

By Faith Alone (A sermon based on Joshua 2:8-21)

What amazing grade God shows to sinners like us! He saves prostitutes -- and even us! -- without sinners having to do a thing, but by faith alone! And, we who have this saving faith, can't help but respond by acting in our faith. Recall how God saved Rahab, the prostitute, when he was about to destroy Jericho at the hand of the Israelites and be reminded that like her, we are saved by God's grace through faith. And now, like her, by faith we act! Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Joshua 2:8-21 and its surrounding context (or NEW! Click here to watch the entire service) and be encouraged to boldly live out your faith...

By Faith Alone

A sermon based on Joshua 2:8-21

Sunday, September 11, 2011 – Pentecost 13A

 

Brick after brick, the structure climbed high into the sky. It stood as a massive symbol of the strength of the nation. But it wouldn't last. Soon it would come crashing down, killing most of those inside. And what was once a symbol of strength would soon be nothing more than a pile of rubble.

 No, I don't mean those twin towers that one decade ago today came crashing to the ground when terrorists flew their planes into the buildings. But the scene in the first chapters of Joshua is a similar one to that which we saw on our TV screens. The walls of Jericho, that city of military might and economic strength, would soon come crashing down. This is the setting of our sermon this morning.

 And in an account, too shocking for a good, moral Israelite to ever make up, a foreign, heathen, prostitute, traitor turns out to be the hero of the story. And she's become a hero to us. She's not the hero not because she helped save the city from destruction. Nor is she the hero because she helped the Israelites destroy the city. But she's a hero because of her faith alone.  

 This morning as we take a brief look at a part of her story, we learn how our story, like hers, is all about faith in God. By faith we're saved! And now that we are saved, we're not content to sit around as spectators, but want in on the game. By faith we act!   

 

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, "I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

 14 "Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land."

 15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

 17 The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."

 21 "Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

 

I. By Faith I'm Saved

 

What if you were dating a prostitute and brought her to the family reunion to meet everyone? What would the family say? What would mom and grandma think?   What if you took her to church with you on Sunday? How would the people there respond? How would they look at the two of you? Would she be welcome?

 God told his people that as they entered into the land he promised to Abraham, they were to wipe out the Canaanites who long ago had exchanged his promise of grace for the perverse worship of their made-up gods, for child sacrifice and shrine prostitution. He didn't want his people influenced by such detestable practices. But what a surprise here! God saves a Canaanite! And what's more, she's not exactly Miss Morals! She's a prostitute! She wasn't an Israelite. She wasn't morally pure. So, how then was she saved? By faith in the promise. We can only speculate how she heard the message, but we know she heard it. And she believed. She knew the true God. Her confession makes that clear:

"I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

She knew God as a just God who punishes sin and that because of their wickedness God had acted against Sihon and Og using the Israelites as his agents of wrath. She knew that because of her sins she deserved to be a recipient of that same wrath. She confessed that a great fear had fallen on her, that she was melting in fear, that her courage had failed, because she now knew who the true God was, not Molech or Ashtorah or Baal for none of these existed. But there was only one God: the LORD. "The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below."

 But it would appear that she knew God not only as a just God who must pour out his wrath against sin, but she also knew him as the God of faithful love. She used his covenant name, Jehovah, or Yahweh, "I Am." And she used that Hebrew word for kindness, "kesed," faithful and unfailing love, that was most often used to describe God when she asked for "kesed" to be shown to her. In faith in the true God, she abandoned her false gods and her own people and pleaded to become an "Israelite." And if there's any doubt that she had saving faith, trusting in the promise of the coming Savior, the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament author to write in Hebrews 11(:31), that great "Hall of Faith" chapter, "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient."

And by faith she was saved! When the walls of Jericho miraculously came "a tumbalin' down," miraculously God also must have preserved that section of wall in which Rahab lived. For she was spared, she and her whole family. And in Joshua 6(:24) we're told, "she lives among the Israelites to this day." In fact, she married an Israelite. And she had a baby. And she named that baby Salmon (like the fish). Salmon's son, Rahab's grandson, Boaz, married Ruth, the Moabite woman after whom a book of the Bible is named. And she was the grandmother of King David. Matthew 1:5-6 tells us, "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David." And by faith, Rahab received more than a home with the Israelites in the Promised Land of Canaan. By faith in the Savior, that would come from her family line she would receive a home with the Israelites in the Promised Land of Heaven. So it's still true that, "she lives among the Israelites to this day."

What grace God showed to Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute, who was saved, not because of her nationality, not because of her morality, but because of God's grace, through faith alone! And we rejoice in that grace shown to Rahab because we know that it's not just for her. It's for us too!

You see, most of us aren't Israelites either. We're Gentiles, that is, we're not Jews. But that doesn't exclude us from God's grace any more than it did Rahab. And we're not exactly sin-free either. Sure, we may not be into prostitution, exchanging sexual favors for cash, but that doesn't make us any less guilty than Rahab. We're guilty of sexual sins too. Jesus said if you have an impure thought about someone else, you are an adulterer. It doesn't matter if you've committed adultery once or a thousand times, you've broken trust, right? In the same way, it doesn't matter if you've had an impure thought or sold your body, you've broken trust with God! And even if you have kept your thoughts perfectly pure all the time, you've sinned in other ways. We all have. We're no better than a prostitute. We're worse! Paying money to cheat on God with all kinds of false gods, serving other things instead of him.

We're no better than Rahab. But we're no worse either. If God's grace could cover the sins of a prostitute, it can cover yours and mine too. No sin is too great to exclude one from God's grace. And by his grace, you have come to know this about the true God: that he is not only a God of justice who must pour out his wrath against sin, but also a God of grace, who in the fullness of time, sent his Son, born of a woman, born a descendant of a Caananite prostitute, in order to rescue and redeem sinful, promiscuous, immoral people like you and me. By faith, you are saved! You don't have to clean up your act first, and then you might be forgiven. You don't have to make amends for what you've done wrong, and then you'll be right with God. You don't have to do anything! Jesus did it all. Believe it! And by faith, you too will be saved from destruction -- not just destruction at the hand of an Israelite army or Islamic terrorists, but from the destruction of hell that we all deserve! And by faith, you have the "kesed," the faithful and unfailing love, of God. By faith, you know the peace that that brings, even in the midst of economic uncertainty or national wartime. And by faith, you, like Rahab, will enjoy a perfect home in the Promised Land of heaven one day soon.

And now, knowing that we are saved by faith, without having to do a thing, we cannot help but respond! We want to do a thing! By faith I'm saved, and so now, by faith I act! Just like Rahab did...

 

II. By Faith I Act!

 

Rahab didn't just plead for her life and then sit back and do nothing. No. She put her new-found faith into action. Imagine the courage it must have taken to do what she did. She turned traitor to her people and to her king. She hid the spies and when questioned about it, she lied right to guards' face -- an act that certainly would have been punished with death had she been discovered. Then she helped the men to escape trusting that they would keep their word and somehow convince the general of the Israelites and the entire army to honor the promise they made to a prostitute. Then she didn't leave the city herself, which may have saved her life, but aroused suspicion in Jericho. But she stayed put.

She risked her life when she hid the spies. She risked her life when she lied to the guards. She risked her life when she helped the men escape. She risked her life when she stayed in the city. And she may have even risked being found out and risked her life again when she hung the scarlet cord in the window.

But why? What would make her risk her life like that? Why not report the spies then, after their arrest, head out of town away from Jericho to Ai or Moab or Edom? You know the answer. It was because she now knew who the true God was. And she wanted to learn more. Her faith led to her to act -- and act boldly! She would choose sides well -- not with the heathen that she called fellow countrymen, but with God's people… now her people.

No wonder Rahab is listed in the great "Hall of Faith" chapter of Hebrews 11! Her faith wasn't just a head knowledge. It wasn't just nodding in agreement. It was a real and living faith that couldn't help but act and produce fruits of that faith. No wonder James praised her in his dialogue on faith and works. He wrote in James 2(:14-17, 25), "14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead… In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?"

And friends, it's no different for us. We are saved by faith alone! But that saving faith is never alone! Let me say that again. Faith alone saves. But saving faith is never alone. By faith we are saved and so, by faith, we act. We're not content to be spectator Christians sitting around and watching all the action, but never getting into the game. No! We're ready to join in the action, to get in the game, to fight the good fight and to risk even life itself to live out our faith!

Yes, we might face pain and death from those who hate Christ and his church, like those who were killed a decade ago today. We may be asked to give our lives to keep our faith. But, like Rahab, we're eager to risk it! Because sitting around doing nothing just doesn't work for us! We can't help it! We simply have to serve our Savior in thanks! We're eager to live our lives or give our lives for him, knowing in advance that we win the game!

What does that look like? It means that you, like Rahab, gladly count yourself among God's people and be among them -- in worship, in study, in the life of the church, never content to be a spectator! It means that you boldly share your faith -- risking friendships! risking jobs! -- to speak what your heart simply cannot contain! It means that you prayerfully plan your finances (and maybe the use of your PFD check coming next month), risking your "so-called" security -- which you know could disappear in an instant with another terrorist attack -- and give in thanks to God giving your offering to him first, then looking for the fun things you can buy for yourself. It means you prayerfully plan your schedule, risking missing out on fun things or good things, to serve God and others and promote the best things.

Will it all be fun? I bet it wasn't always fun for Rahab. But it doesn't matter. Because it's not fun that we seek. But strengthened by our Savior, always at our side, always living to serve us, we're eager to serve him. And in serving we find more than fun. We find joy! For by faith we have been saved! Now by faith we live and act! Even when the walls come tumbling down. In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Behold, the Power of God! (A sermon based on 1 Kings 19:9-18)

What awesome power God displays in the natural disasters we see in the news! But that's not where God displays his most awesome power! No, that he reserves for the gentle whisper of his Word. We can rejoice that God displays his greatest power to us, not in bringing disasters to us, but in bringing his Word of of Grace to us. And we can trust that powerful Word to work in the hearts and lives of others and don't need to wish for God to show his power in other ways. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on 1 Kings 19:9-18 and be encouraged to put your trust in the powerful Word of God!

Behold, the Power of God!

A sermon based on 1 Kings 19:9-18

Sunday, September 4, 2011– Pentecost 12A


               In 1871, four square miles of Chicago burned for almost two days straight, killing hundreds of people and causing $222 million in damages – roughly one third of the entire city's value. Almost a century later – some of you may have lived through it – in 1964 the largest earthquake ever recorded in the world devastated Alaska. It took 131 lives and cost over $300 million in damages. And just a few days ago Hurricane Irene crashed into the east coast. It took 55 lives and $3.1 billion in damages.

How awesome is the power, not of "Mother Nature," but of God, as he displays it in fire, in the wind, in earthquakes!!

About 28 centuries ago (circa 840 B.C.), one of God's prophets was growing discouraged. It seemed that all of his hard work was accomplishing nothing. It felt like the whole world was against him. He was depressed and despairing and he was ready to quit. "Just, end it all, God," he thought. "Life isn't even worth living!"

And God stepped in to give him encouragement and to remind him of his awesome power that was still at work. But God didn't display his power in dynamic disasters like fire, earthquake, or hurricane, but in a different way… in a quiet gentle whisper. And he taught Elijah that his greatest power is not in judging the world with his might, but in saving the world by his Word.

Dear friends… does it sometimes seem that all your hard work is for nothing? Does it seem that you work hard to empty the inbox, just to find that it full again the next day? Do you sometimes feel like the whole world is against you? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired and ready to throw in the towel and quit? When you do feel that way, where do you turn for help? Where do you find the strength to carry on?

It's not in the dynamic disasters that God brings into this world, but in the gentle whisper of the Word. Listen now to the comfort and encouragement that God gave Elijah, recorded for us in 1 Kings 19:9-18…

 

9 [Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 11 The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 15 The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

 

I. Not in Dynamic Disasters

 

Elijah was frustrated. He was frustrated with the wicked King Ahab who (as Scripture puts it) "did more evil in the eyes of Lord than any of those before him." He was frustrated with Queen Jezebel who was intent on killing off the Lord's prophets—including himself. He was frustrated with the Israelites who continued to reject God even after the miraculous display of God's power on Mt. Carmel where God sent a fire from heaven to disintegrate not only the offering of a drenched bull, but the wood beneath it, the stone altar, the trench of water around it, and the very soil beneath it all! And finally, Elijah was frustrated with God…

Elijah had worked hard. He had served God faithfully, but all for nothing. What did he get in return? A death threat. When Queen Jezebel heard what had happened on Mt. Carmel she sent word to 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 of one of [the prophets of Baal that were killed on the mountain]." (1 Kings 19:2).

And Elijah had had it. It was too much for him. He no longer put his trust in God, but was afraid of Queen Jezebel and ran for his life. Finally, he collapsed in the desert and pleaded for God to take his life.

God sent an angel to refresh Elijah, but he continued to run. He ran for forty days and forty nights until he reached Mt. Sinai, also called Mt. Horeb, and went to hide in the back of a cave. There God confronted him… the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And Elijah explained his frustration to God. "10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

Elijah had been faithful to God. He did stand up boldly to the prophets of Baal, to the Israelites, to Ahab and Jezebel. But what audacity he now displays! He complains to God almost as if it were his fault. You can almost hear him saying, "God, why would you do this to me?" Here's how God responded…

11 The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Elijah was told to stand on the mountain, perhaps the very  same place that God revealed himself to Moses, the same place he revealed himself with the thunder, lightning, smoke and fire when gave them his ten commandments. What awesome power he displayed on Sinai!

But he revealed himself differently this time. He didn't display his awesome power with a dynamic disaster and tell Elijah to shape up, or he'd wipe him off the mountain with a powerful wind. He didn't say quit complaining or I'll send an earthquake to swallow you up like I did to Korah. He didn't say quit griping or a fire will consume you like a soaking wet offering. No. God was patient with Elijah. He appeared to him in a gentle whisper, in a still small voice, or literally, "in a voice of thin quiet." He appeared to Elijah in mercy.

Elijah deserved to be punished for his sin, for complaining, for running away, for his self-pity and frustration with God for not doing things his way. He deserved hell for his lack of trust in God to preserve his life from the wicked Queen Jezebel and for his countless other sins. But God didn't deal with the prophet as his sins deserved. Though Elijah may have wanted God to come with a display of his power in a dynamic disaster pour out his wrath on the stubborn Israelites, he forgot that he himself was sinful with shortcomings of his own. He needed a Savior, not a display of God's wrath.

And God in his grace was patient with him. He forgave Elijah. He refreshed him and gave him the encouragement he needed: 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." And he gave him a task to do and set him back to work. He gave Elijah the reassurance he so desperately needed, but not with his power, driving him in fear, but with a gentle whisper of his grace.

Now, how about us? Do you sometimes feel like Elijah did? Do you sometimes get frustrated by the evil that surrounds you? Do you get tired of reading the same depressing headlines in the news day after day? Do you get upset that friends at work (and even at home) sin against you in the most loveless ways? Do you get caught up in self-pity and loneliness like Elijah did? Do you ever complain to God that things aren't going your way? Do you sometimes run and hide in a (figurative) cave to block it all out instead of doing the work that God has given you to do?

For our frustration, our lack of patience, our insolent complaints against God, we deserve hell. We deserve a display of God's powerful wrath against us in some dynamic disaster. But we don't get what we deserve. Instead, Christ did. He suffered the hell that should have been ours. And he paid the debt that we owed. So now, instead of his wrath, God shows us his grace. And in the gentle whisper of his Gospel, he gives us the comfort and encouragement we need…

"Scared and feel like running away? Have no fear," he says. "Your sins are forgiven in Christ. Feeling lonely? You're never alone. I'm always with you. Frustrated with the evil that surrounds you? Know that all evil has been defeated on the cross and will be destroyed once and for all on Judgment day. Don't worry that things aren't going your way, because my way is much better. My way leads to forgiveness. My way leads to a stronger faith. My way leads to the glory of heaven."

And don't wish God's wrath on others in some dynamic disaster, not even on those who continue to reject him. Instead, thank God that he is so slow to display his wrath. Thank him that he shows us his grace in a gentle whisper. Thank him that he gives us the comfort and encouragement that we so desperately need. And since he equips us (yes, even sinners like us) to do his work with that encouragement, serve him in thanksgiving for his grace and zealously share the grace of our gentle God with others.

 

II. But In the Whisper of the Word 

 

What do we use to share the grace of our God? The same thing Elijah did. The message of God's law and gospel working quietly in the Word.

God told Elijah, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu."

God would send judgment on Israel. Elijah was to anoint these three men as instruments of his wrath. Israel would soon see a great deal of blood spilled in her land. But even this outpouring of God's wrath was really done in love. His acts of judgment only paved the way for an outpouring of his mercy. You see, out of love for his stubborn people he would punish them to bring them to repentance; to bring them back to him that they might listen to his prophets and cling to the promise of the Messiah who would take away their sins once and for all. But that gospel message wasn't revealed by a natural disaster. It wasn't revealed by a sword. It was only revealed in the gentle whisper of the gospel in the Scriptures and through God's prophets.

Elijah learned that in spite of the long hard battle he faced, in spite of the slow growth of the church, that he thought didn't exist, in spite of his frustration and despair; he must continue to wait patiently for the gentle whisper of the gospel to enter people's hearts and do its work.

Fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes still bring terror today. And God does still use them to evoke a sense of awe in people, to test them and to judge them. He still uses war to spank those he loves and bring them back to him in repentance. But comfort and encouragement still come only in the gentle whisper of the gospel. It still comes through the seemingly unimpressive Word.

Do you sometimes wish that God would appear here on earth with some display of power to drive away all your doubts and to convince all your unbelieving friends that you're right? But God knows that he can't get what he wants that way. You see God can't force anyone to love him. He can inspire fear… and awe… and respect with dynamic displays of his power and wrath, but not love.

If I tell you to put more money in the offering plate, or God will bring you to financial ruin, it might increase the dollar amount we collect, but it wouldn't be an offering to God, given with a cheerful heart of love. If I tell you, "Christ went to hell for you! Why can't you come to Bible Class for him?!" you might come, driven by guilt, but not with a glad heart eager to hear more of God's love for you. God can't force love with his wrath or with his law. But he still motivates us to love and serve him with the gentle whisper of the gospel.

And what a gentle whisper it is! God doesn't write the gospel in hundred-foot neon letters that light up the sky. He uses ordinary ink on ordinary paper to share the gentle whisper of the Word. He doesn't create faith by a baptism with liquid gold from a special pool, but with ordinary water and the gentle whisper of his Word. He doesn't strengthen that faith by giving us the fruit of some rare, exquisite tree to eat, but gives his body and blood in ordinary bread and wine by the gentle whisper of the Word. And God doesn't send his angels to proclaim the gospel with voices that shake the foundations of the earth, but uses simple people like me, like you, to share the gentle whisper of his Word.

And though God uses some rather ordinary means, don't despise them. Don't think they're too ordinary to work. Though the whisper is gentle, it is most powerful!! So put your trust in that Word. For it's by the power of that Word that God could tell Elijah, "I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." Trust that Word and faithfully carry out the task that God has given you to do, even if it feels like you're the only one.

A pastor once received a phone call soliciting funds to support a moral-majority type group. The caller was devoted to lobbying for legislation to force a change in behavior by means of the law. But the pastor explained that rather than using laws to coerce people, the way to bring about real change was with the gospel working in individual hearts. "The gospel?" the solicitor replied, "We've already tried that. It doesn't work." And the phone call quickly ended.

Don't be like that caller. Don't abandon the gospel and reach for the law. Though it may seem like you're failing, that you're all alone, thought there may be no apparent positive results to the Work God has given you to do, thought you may be tempted to give up on the simple gospel message of Christ crucified when it doesn't appear to produce the results that you would like to see, don't abandon the gospel.

Rather, use the still small voice, the gentle whisper of the Word, waiting patiently for it to do its work. And the behold, God's most awesome power—far more powerful than any earthquake, fire, or hurricane!—a power that brings dead sinners back to life!

And thank God for displaying that awesome power, not in some dynamic disaster as he pours out his wrath, but in the gentle whisper of the Word as he comforts you with the simple message of Christ crucified. Like Elijah, be encouraged by the still small voice and do the task he sets before you. Find renewed strength in God's grace to you and keep on keeping on. In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611