Monday, June 29, 2015

Our Storm God Savior (A sermon based on Mark 4:35-41)

Does life sometimes feel full of storm clouds? Are there situations you face that are out of your control? Well, rejoice that that they're not out of God's control. He who calmed a storm with the power of his Word, by a single word could solve the problems of your life. But if he doesn't calm our storms or even if he brings them, we can be confident that he is using them for his good purposes: to bless us, to strengthen us, and to calm our hearts in the assurance of peace with him through Jesus. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Mark 4:35-41 and rejoice in our Storm God Savior...

Our Storm God Savior

A sermon based on Mark 4:35-41

Sunday, June 28, 2015 – Pentecost 5B

 

Odysseus longed to go home. He'd been away for far too long. He wished to see his wife and son again and to hold them in his arms. But he couldn't. You see, he'd angered one of the most powerful gods, Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and Hades. He'd blinded Poseidon's Cyclops son and thus earned the god's hatred. So whenever Odysseus tried to sail home, Poseidon would rise from the sea, and with trident in hand, do all he could to stop Odysseus from getting home, whipping up huge storms to drive the poor man's fleet far away in the opposite direction, delaying his return for many years.

You can read the rest of the story in the Homer's classic tale, The Odyssey. There you can read more about the adventures of Odysseus and his men. And there you can read more about the storm god, Poseidon, the god of horses, rivers, earthquakes, and most notably, the god of the sea.

But this morning, we hear about the one true God. We hear about Jesus, the true storm God, who has the power to stir up storms and calm them in an instant. Jesus is the true God of the Sea, and of the air and of the earth of the heavens and of everything in them. He makes Poseidon look like a wimp in comparison. But he doesn't use his power to destroy mankind or drive us far from home. Rather, he uses his power to comfort and calm and to bring us safely home. This morning, we hear of our Storm God Savior and how he calms the storms of our lives, but more importantly, how he calms the storms of our hearts.

Our text for this morning is found in Mark 4:35-41…

 

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

 

Where'd the storm come from? Some suggest it happened naturally, that the wind kicked up and got caught in the bowl the Sea of Galilee makes in the hills. That happened quite often. Others suggest that satan caused it, pointing to the fact that the words Jesus used to rebuke the storm are the same words he used to drive out demons. But others suggest that Jesus himself caused the storm. And they suggest that he may have done so for two reasons. First, he may have wanted the storm to prevent the "other boats" of the crowd to keep from following him, like the a car in a high-speed chase might intentionally crash into food carts or even other cars to create obstacles in the path behind him to evade a pursuer. Others have suggested he caused this storm, just to show them that he could stop it.

Now I don't know how the storm began because the Bible doesn't explicitly tell us. But I have no problem with suggesting that Jesus may have caused it. He is God. And he could whip up a storm in his sleep far easier than an imaginary Poseidon ever could. But I do know that he would use it to teach his disciples—and us—a lesson: That He is our Storm God Savior…

 

I. Jesus Calms the Storms of Our Lives

 

Ever been out in Kachemack Bay, Tustemena or Skilak Lakes when a furious squall kicked up? Ever been out on the boat seriously wondering if you would make it back to shore alive? Has the thought ever crossed your mind, "I wonder if they'll ever recover my body or if it will go down to Davey Jones' locker and be forever lost at sea?" [Greg? Daniel?] If so, then maybe you can put yourself in the disciples' sandals here.

Even though they were experienced sailors, this storm had them nearly swamped. They didn't think they'd make it out of this one alive. They thought for sure they were going to drown.

And where was Jesus during all of this? Asleep in the cuddy cabin! In their terror the disciples went to him, woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Really? They wanted to know if Jesus cared? They accused him of apathy toward their lives?! This was the one who came to earth for the very purpose of rescuing their lives from hell and they dared to accuse him of not caring about them?!

But of course Jesus cared! And he would demonstrate his care and concern by quieting the storm: He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

 

Of course, for us, hindsight is 20/20, but can we really blame the disciples? Well, yes and no. Yes, we know how foolish it is to question if Jesus really cares. But no, we can't really blame them because, well… we do the same thing.

"Jesus, why can't I have a special someone in my life like so many of my friends have? Don't you care?" "Jesus, why would you let me lose this job?! Don't you know I have a family to provide for? Don't you care?!" "Jesus, why would you let this painful health problem into my life? Why would you let this diagnosis happen? Don't you care?"

But of course Jesus cares! "But if he did," you ask, "then why doesn't he quiet the storm in my life?! Why doesn't he tell my problem to be still?!" Friends, if you doubt that Jesus cares about you and your life, quit looking so closely at you and your life. Instead look to the top of a hill called Calvary. And in your minds eye picture him beaten and bloodied, being tortured to death by a crucifixion he volunteered for to rescue you.

Literally the disciples asked, "Teacher, don't you care if we perish?" But you know that Jesus was the one who perished for us that we might live. He perished on the cross, enduring the hell of being separated from his Father, so that we will never perish in hell, but will live forever with him in heaven. He died that whoever believes in him will live even though he dies!

Jesus may not calm every storm you have in your life, but he has already calmed the greatest storms we might face of death and hell. We don't need to be afraid of dying because we know that when we do, we will be with him in paradise!

"Jesus, don't you care?" Of course he cares! Look no further than the cross to see the proof!

But for the disciples, Jesus calming the storm didn't calm them. Instead, they were still terrified!

 

II. Jesus Calms the Storms of Our Hearts

 

Why so afraid? They knew Jesus was God! "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" they cried. Clearly he had the power of Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades put together! But they also knew their own sin. They knew they had not always done right by God. In an instant he could send a storm to swamp the boat again. Or he could wait until they reached dry ground only to have the earth open and swallow them whole. Or he could hurl lightning bolts from heaven and strike them down  in a way that Poseidon never could as he tried time and again to destroy Odysseus.

And again, hindsight is 20/20, but I'd be willing to bet that if you were one of those disciples that day and you saw the Almighty God standing in front of you, or worse, on your little boat, where you had nowhere to run and hide, and you knew that he could see your every sin, your every act of rebellion, your every impure and indecent thought, you too would be terrified.

But their terror came from a misunderstanding of why Jesus had come. He did not come to control and manipulate mankind like the Greek or Roman pantheon of gods came to do. Mankind is not the plaything of the gods. Rather Jesus came to rescue us from the fate that we all have rightly earned. He came to rescue us from Hades—not the god, but the place.

And Jesus wanted them to know that he was not there to terrify them, but to comfort them. So he asked, "Why are you so afraid?" not as a scolding rebuke, but in loving comfort. Not, "Why are you so afraid?! Do you still have no faith?!" But, "Why are you so afraid? Do you really think I'm out to get you? Do you still not get it? Do you still not understand? I'm not here to hurt you, but to help you." I don't think Jesus was angry at their terror, but saddened by it as he longed to help them.

Right now, they viewed Jesus as the God-man who could destroy them. But soon they would learn to know him as the God-man who had rescued them—from the storm and from their sin. Soon they would understand that Jesus was not an angry judge wielding the law in one hand a lightning bolt in the other, but that he was a loving Savior, bringing them the Gospel of salvation for all of eternity.

And with that understanding, Jesus would calm the real storm—the storm of their hearts. And Jesus still does the same for us today.

Now, I know some of the struggles that some of you are going through. But I don't know all of the struggles you're going through or any of the struggles of some of you (except for those that are common to all sinful people). But I do know this: Jesus knows. And I know that Jesus cares. He cares so much that we would leave heaven itself to come to this sinful, pain-filled world, to endure a struggle that is far greater than any of us ever will or ever could suffer or even imagine, to endure a pain that is far worse than anything any of us will ever go through. And he did it all willingly and gladly to save us from hell. Jesus cares. And he gives you some amazing promises in the midst of your suffering:

He promises that, "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) He promises that, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) He promises that, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31) He promises that,"neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Jesus may not calm every storm you have in your life. He may let the relationship crumble. He may let the disease linger. He may let the pain continue. But let these promises that he gives calm the storms you have in your heart and give you peace, even while you endure the suffering these storms bring. For you know that Jesus is not out to get you. He's not here to hurt you, but to help you. So don't be afraid, but trust our Storm God Savior.

Odysseus was running from Poseidon because he knew Poseidon would destroy him if he could. But we can run to our true God, knowing that our Storm God is our Savior, who certainly cares about you, who loves you more than you can imagine, who can calm the storms of our lives, who will—always—calm the storms of our heart. In the name of Jesus, our Storm God Savior, be at peace. Amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Quick, Scatter! (A sermon based on Mark 4:26-34)

Every feel like you'd just like to run away from your responsibilities? Well, you know that if you did there would be consequences. God has given us the responsibility to spread the Gospel message of his forgiveness in Christ. But sometimes, we don't do it the way we should. We keep quiet out of fear of persecution. And we deserve to face his consequences. But in Christ and in his forgiveness we find the strength we need to boldly proclaim the good news in spite of any persecution that comes our way. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Mark 4:26-34 and rejoice that someone shared the Gospel news with you! 


Quick, Scatter!

A sermon based on Mark 4:26-34

Sunday, June 21, 2015 – Pentecost 4B

 

In hindsight, it maybe wasn't the best idea we'd ever had. But a couple of us college freshman thought it would be fun. We'd play hide-and-go-seek tag down at the local park near the school. And some guys really got into it. They dressed all in black with black stocking caps. They even put black face paint on so they'd be really hard to spot. And we had fun playing the game. That is, until the neighbors, a bit unsettled by seeing men running around their house dressed all in black hiding in the bushes and dropping out of the rafters of the park gazebo, thought it might we wise to have the local cops check things out.

So right in the middle of our action-packed game, things got really exciting. I think it may have been the most action the police of sleepy New Ulm, Minnesota saw in a long time, because before we knew it, we were surrounded. Half a dozen patrol cars circled the park with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Cops burst out of the cars seemingly ready to draw their guns. And not everyone handled the situation the same. Some of the students, just stayed hidden banking on the fact that the police wouldn't find them. Some, came out of the shadows to explain that we were just playing a game. No one was threatened. No one was hurt. But someone, thought it a good idea to intensify the situation by shouting, "Quick, scatter!" causing students to run in a panic in every direction and the police to get even more jumpy than they already were.

Now, I'm not going to tell you which group I was in. I'll let you guess that on your own. But I can say that scattering and running away is NOT a good idea when the police have you surrounded. And to get to the sermon, I can tell you that scattering and running away is NOT a good idea when you're called by God to share your faith. Yet, sometimes we do just that. Afraid that we might be ostracized or picked on because we actually stick around to take a stand for what we believe, we too often act like the disciples did on Maundy Thursday and "Quick, scatter!" when we sense some persecution like a cockroach scatters when the lights come on. But in our text for this morning, Jesus tells us to, "Quick, scatter!" not in the sense that we run away, but that we can quickly scatter the seed of the Gospel and share it with others, trusting that he will make the seed grow. Our text for this morning is taken from Mark 4:26-34…

 

26 He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

30 Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

 

So, I admit it. I'm not best gardener. I don't really have a green thumb. And pretty much every houseplant I've ever owned, I've quickly killed. I think it's because I don't have the patience for it. I mean you have to water the plants pretty much every day. And when you plant the seeds in the garden, it takes a really long time for the plants to grow very big, let alone for you to get a harvest of fruit. Years ago we planted some raspberry bushes. I still haven't had a single raspberry from it.

I like technology where you click a button and see a result. I'm not a farmer. It takes too much patience.

But sadly, I can be the same way with evangelism. I share the Word of God with someone, I spend hours counseling them, I teach them classes, nudge them to come to worship with us, and they come… once… maybe twice.. and I don't see them again.

And so I get frustrated. I want quick results. I want to make the sale and for it to be final. I want… what God has not promised. I'm too often way too impatient.

But that's not how it works. Jesus tells us, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head."

And sometimes, that simple Gospel message just looks so unimpressive, I think it's too small to make a difference. Or I think it will only make a tiny impact in the life of this guy or that gal. I put so little trust in the Word.

But that's not how the Gospel works. Jesus tells us to expect big things: "The kingdom of God… is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Just look at what the Gospel has done! Planted in uneducated fisherman it became an unstoppable movement in just a few years. Planted in the heart of Saul, the greatest antagonist of the church, he became its biggest protagonist! Planted throughout the centuries, the Gospel has grown into a church with billions who profess to believe in Christ as their Savior. Planted in the hearts of least likely of people, it has grown to be huge. And God can do that just as well today.

So just as a farmer can't plant the seed and expect a harvest the next day, so too, when sharing the Gospel, it may take a while to work. Just as a farmer can't guarantee that every single seed planted will grow fruitful or grow at all, so too, when sharing the Gospel, some will receive it and some will reject it. Just as a farmer doesn't really grow the crop, but only plants the seed, so too, we just plant the seed of the Gospel. God makes it grow.

I'm reminded of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther: "I simply taught, preached and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip [Melanchthon] and [Nicholas] Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything."

But I don't often keep that quote in mind and remember that we simply teach and preach and write and then step back to let the Word do everything. But that's how the farmer does it. He scatters the seed that he didn't make. And he trusts that the seed will grow all its own without his effort or help.

I guess that when I grow impatient after scattering the Word and expect to see immediate results, I show my lack of trust in that Word. "It won't really work. Not this time." Do you ever do the same? Do you ever think that another effort to scatter the Word to a co-worker will only fall on the deaf ears of a rocky path, or to plant the seed of the Gospel in a friend will be worthless since it will only be snatched away by the devil's crows? Do you ever feel like it's just not worth the planting effort because the weeds of this life, the worries and cares and the deceitfulness of wealth and all this life has to offer will only choke out the sprout of faith?

Or perhaps, when given the opportunity to speak of God's grace to others, you don't scatter the seed, but just scatter? Maybe you don't literally duck and cover or sprint away from the cop by the gazebo, but change the subject to something more polite, or just avoid the topic altogether? Do you worry that you might say the wrong thing and so say nothing at all? Do you act like the disciples did on Maundy Thursday and "Quick, scatter!" when you sense some persecution?

You know what you and I deserve for our impatience and our cowardice. We deserve to have God scatter our possessions on the curb as a spouse who's been cheated on scatters the others things across the yard. We deserve to be scattered to the ends of the earth as the Israelites were scattered from their homeland. We deserve to be scattered away from God and kicked out of his heaven to spend an eternity away from him in hell.

But you know what he's done for you. He sent someone—a parent or friend, a pastor or teacher, a book or even a blog—to scatter the seed of the Gospel to you. And God sent the Holy Spirit to plant faith in your heart by that Word. And while the  person who shared the Word with you slept or drank their beer, the Word grew in your heart. "All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head."

By God's grace and the Spirit-given faith that's yours, you know of Jesus' work for you: His perfect life lived in your place, the innocent death that he suffered for you, the hell he endured so that you will never have, the full and free forgiveness he won for every sin! You know that when the harvest of Judgment Day comes, you will be gathered into his heavenly barn! The seed has sprouted and grown in you!

And it grows still! So keep watering your faith in the Word! Water it by coming to Bible Class. Give 19 more minutes of your time to fortify your faith! And as your faith grows bigger and stronger, it will produce fruit!

Then you too will sense the urgency that our Savior had when he told his disciples in John 9:4, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." As we mature in our faith we too say, "Quick, scatter! Scatter the seed! Share it with others!" And we won't just say it, but we'll do it, trusting that the Holy Spirit will work faith in some, when and where he pleases.

So invite a friend or neighbor to come to church with you. Post a sermon on your Facebook page. Forward it in an email to a coworker or print it out and give it to your neighbor. Talk to a buddy about your faith, or at least when you're sharing what you did this weekend, mention that you went to church. Scatter the seed! And see what God does with it!

And if you don't see immediate results after you do, don't stress it. Be patient. Keep planting the seed. Keep watering it as you can. God will work faith in some, when and where he pleases. He's promised he will: "The Spirit gives birth to spirit… The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:6,8) But he also promised, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11).  

Scattering and running away is still not a good idea when the police have you surrounded. Scattering and running away is still not a good idea when you're called by God to share your faith. But trusting in his promise, we will quick! Scatter! Scatter the seed! Quick! Water it! Trust that God will help it to grow into something huge, even where we least expect it. Plant the word! Scatter the seed! Even if you see no results, trusting that God and others will do their work too, just as Paul professed in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

So, "Preach you the Word and plant it home To those who like or like it not… [Sow your] reckless love! … [Scatter] abroad the goodly seed! … Though some be snatched and some be scorched And some be choked and matted flat, [sower, sow!] … "Oh, what of that, and what of that?"

Preach you the Word and plant it home And never faint; the Harvest-Lord

Who gave the sower seed to sow Will watch and tend his planted Word.

In Jesus' name dear friends, quick! Scatter! Amen!


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Monday, June 15, 2015

Jesus’ Crazy Family Tree (A sermon based on Mark 3:20-35)

How far back can you trace your family tree? Have any crazy uncles or crazy stories of great-great grandparents? Today we look at Jesus' crazy family tree. His mother and brothers thought he had gone crazy -- out of his mind! His enemies crazily thought that Jesus' belonged to satan's family tree. But we thank God that as crazy as it sounds, he's made us a part of his family tree through Jesus' perfect life and innocent death for us. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Mark 3:20-35 and rejoice that you are a part of God's family tree...


Jesus' Crazy Family Tree

A sermon based on Mark 3:20-35

Sunday, June 14, 2015 – Pentecost 3B

 

A few years ago I found a website that really intrigued me. It's called FamilyHeritage.com. Even without the paid subscription, I've been able to find a lot of information on my family tree. I've made it back about 5 or 6 generations so far, and have contemplated an annual subscription, but want to be sure I can commit the time to digging deeper in their database before I pay for their full features. And I don't know why I find it so fascinating, but I love learning about my family history.

How about you? I assume you know who your grandparents are or were. But how about your great grandparents? Your great-great grandparents? How many generations back can you trace? Did they emigrate to the US? What brought them here? Where did they live before that? How they live? Do you know your family tree? Have any crazy uncles or great gradparents who did some crazy things? Do you have an ordinary, relatively boring, family tree like mine? Or do you have a crazy family tree?

This morning, we'll take a peek at Jesus' crazy family tree. Well, sort of. We'll meet his natural family—his mother, Mary, and his half-brothers—and see that they thought Jesus was a little crazy. And we'll see how his enemies went crazy and thought that he belonged to satan's family tree. But today, we won't just look at Jesus' family tree. We'll look at ours as well. We'll thank God that through Jesus, you and I are apart of his family tree.

Our text for consideration this morning is from Mark 3:20-35…

 

 20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

 

      I.        His natural family thought he was crazy.

 

Jesus' mother and brothers cared for him. There was no doubt about that. But they thought he was crazy. He wasn't taking very good care of himself, they thought. He was working himself to death and he couldn't sustain the pace! He was working so hard he didn't even have time to eat! They loved him so much they just had to stage an intervention. They went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

"Jesus, you're a work-a-holic. And you're acting crazy! You don't even have time to eat. If you really care about your disciples, if you care at all about yourself, you'll slow down. You need to stop this right now! And we'll force you to if you won't do it on your own. We love you too much to let you do this to yourself. Stop this madness."

But of course, thinking they knew better than Jesus showed what they really thought of him. Had Mary forgotten Jesus' family tree? Had she forgotten that she was a virgin when Jesus was born—that he was not an ordinary child, but the God-man? Had his brothers forgotten that he is the eternal God who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them?! They must have! How else could they try to correct him? How else could they try to stage an intervention and stop him from doing what he thought was best? How else could they scold the God-Man and tell him that they, not he, knew best?!

Well, before we pick on the unbelieving brothers and the stumbling mother in this account, let's be fair. Don't we often do the exact same thing? Don't we often tell Jesus that he's crazy? I know, you may never have voiced it in those words—at least I hope not—but isn't that really what we imply anytime we suggest that we know better than Jesus?

"Jesus, do you really want us to rely on the simple proclamation of the Gospel to grow your church?! Don't you think we need some gimmick? They won't listen to me! Your word's not really that powerful. You must be nuts!"

"Jesus, are you really saying that this water sprinkled on a baby's head can wash away sins? Are you seriously saying that this bread and wine is actually your body and blood?! You must be crazy!"

"Jesus, are you seriously suggesting that I ought to forgive my ex? My parents? My enemy who hurt me? Did you see what he did? Did you hear what she said? And you still want me to forgive?! Jesus, that's insane!"

Do you ever try to take charge of Jesus and tell him what to do? If we're honest we have to say, "Yes. Every time we sin, we really say to him, 'Listen, Jesus. This is how it's going to be…'" as we ignore his Word and live for ourselves.

Jesus natural family thought he was crazy. But if they had their misgivings about Jesus' divinity, the teachers of the law were absolutely certain that Jesus wasn't right in the head. They thought that if he were to trace his family tree it would go back to satan, not to God…

 

    II.        His enemies thought he was a part of satan's family.

 

"Beelzebub!" they cried, "The Lord of the Flies!" that's who he's working for! Or "Beelzeboul" the Greek literally says, "He's possessed by the Lord of Dung!" He's insane! Crazy! Possessed by the devil! "By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

But Jesus loved his enemies and wouldn't let them leave with the wrong idea about him. He called them to himself and taught them the truth. "A house divided cannot stand!" Made famous by Abraham Lincoln in his plea to end the Civil War, it was really Jesus who said it first: "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Satan isn't so stupid as to fight against himself! If he did that he would never win! "And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come." Jesus pointed out that he wasn't the one who was crazy, they were! "If you think I come from satan, that I'm driving out demons in his name, than you're nuts! That's not how a war is won! You're crazy!"

In fact, Jesus took it a step further: "In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house." In other words, Jesus said that he couldn't drive out demons if he were not more powerful than the demons himself. But he clearly had driven out demons. They had seen it! There was no denying the miracles! So Jesus is far more powerful than they are. He is far stronger than satan, far mightier than his demons, and he can tell them where to go and they must obey!

Make no mistake! Jesus is from Mary's family tree, but not from Joseph's. He is not from Beelzebub, or from satan! He is the God-man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and by his victory on Calvary's cross, he has defeated satan once and for all!

What comfort we find in that truth, because we know he has defeated satan for us and has brought us into his family…

 

   III.        We thank God that he's brought us into his family.

 

It was about 11 O'clock at night when my phone startled me awake. The woman on the other end was hysterical. She wouldn't give me her name, but she was certain that she was damned. She was disappointed with God and angry with him that he wouldn't give her what she'd asked for. And in her anger and frustration she had uttered words she knew to be blasphemous, words that slandered God. She told me that she had screamed in her room, "I curse you, God! I curse you, Jesus! I curse you, Holy Spirit!" Now, she was convinced she could never be forgiven. For she had read verse 29: "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

But let's take a look at what that actually means. In the other Gospels, Jesus adds something. In Matthew he says, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." So, did you ever wonder, how could one sin against the Son and not sin against the Spirit? After all, you cannot separate the Triune God. A sin against one person is a sin against the others. But the key to understanding this verse is understanding the work of each person of the Trinity.

We usually speak of the work of God the Father as creator and preserver of life, the work of God the Son as redeemer and savior from sin, and the work of God the Holy Spirit as the enlightener and sanctifier. Well, one could slander the Father in anger as Job did, suggesting that God was not caring for him the way he ought. That's not wise, but it's not an eternal sin of which one cannot be forgiven. One could slander the Son and suggest that he didn't know best as Mary and Jesus' brothers' did, as we do. Again, that's not wise, but it's not an eternal sin of which one cannot be forgiven.

But if one slanders the Holy Spirit by refusing to believe in Jesus, if you sin against his office and reject the truth that he brings, then there can be no forgiveness, because you refuse the one and only way to find that forgiveness. It would be like severing the pipe that brings water into your house. You can no longer get water because you destroyed the means of bringing it to you.

So I comforted that hysterical woman with this truth and assured her that if she was concerned that she might have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, that she hadn't. She certainly sinned against God in her blasphemous words, but forgiveness was not out of reach—not yet. She was not "guilty of an eternal sin," and " [would] not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

 

When we tell Jesus we think he's crazy and that we know better than he does—and that's really what we do any time we sin—we really side with satan who thought God should not be in charge, but he should. But that doesn't mean that we are guilty of an eternal sin and will not be forgiven. It means we must repent of our foolish rebellion and our stupid sin. But we're not without hope.

You know what Jesus has done for you by the work of the Holy Spirit. You know how he has brought you into his family.

He lived a perfect life pleasing his Father in every way. Nevertheless, he was forsaken not just by his mother and his brothers, but his Father forsook him on the cross. And as Jesus endured hell itself being forsaken by him, he paid for every sin you or I have ever committed—for every time we've told Jesus that he was crazy and that we would do things our own way. And now, we've been brought into God's family by the work of the Holy Spirit!

John 1:12-13 says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." Hebrews 2:11 says, "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them [that is, us] brothers [and sisters]." God has brought us into his family! Sounds crazy, doesn't it? "After all we've done? You mean we're just forgiven! You must be crazy!" But it's absolutely true! 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

And now, we are eager to be a part of the family and join together with each other to listen to our Father! To rejoice in our awesome big Brother! And to live for him and for each other!

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" [Jesus] asked.  Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Don't know who your great-great-grandmother is? No worries. Can't find the name of your great-grandfather? Who really cares?! You know all you need to know about your family tree. You know who Jesus is. He's not crazy like his natural family thought. He's not in league with satan like his enemies thought. He's your Savior. And through his work on the cross and the Holy Spirit's work in the Gospel, you are now a son or daughter of God. You are a brother or sister of Christ himself. You are adopted into his family. And you are an heir of eternal life. Crazy as it may seem, it's true: You are a part of God's family tree. In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.

 


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Monday, June 8, 2015

Rest in Peace A sermon based on Mark 2:23-28

Wouldn't it be nice to get a little more rest? Wouldn't it be nice to have some peace? Take heart! Though you may be tired and worn out, Jesus promises to give us rest -- maybe not rest from our work or our chores, but rest from the struggle to earn God's love by keeping his laws. The Lord of the Sabbath lest us rest in peace even before we're dead. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Mark 2:23-28 and rest in peace...

Rest in Peace

A sermon based on Mark 2:23-28

Sunday, June 7, 2015 – Pentecost 2B

 

"I want to die peacefully in my sleep just like my grandpa did, not screaming in terror like his passengers in the back seat."

I learned a new word this week. It's carcolepsy. It's a made up word to describe how the rider in the passenger seat falls asleep as soon you start driving. I won't name names, but I think I may know someone with carcolepsy. (And it's not me.)

But I get it. I think a lot of us are often tired. Research has suggested that 40% of Americans get less sleep than they need. 14% average 5 hours of sleep or less each night. Another 26%, get 6 hours or less. [1] I don't know where you average, but wouldn't it be nice to get some rest?

Of course, I have another problem when I'm on a road trip. It seems to me, that whenever it's my turn to nap while someone else drives, the kids are wide awake and rowdy as can be. Asking for water or snacks, wondering how long until we get there, or fighting over who moved who's pillow. Maybe you've faced similar struggles, if not in a vehicle, then at home or at work? Wouldn't it be nice to get some peace?

Of course, one of my college professors had a brilliant solution to both problems: Not enough rest and not enough peace. If he ever noticed anyone yawn or their eyelids start to droop he would loudly remind us, "Boys, wake up! There's plenty of time to sleep in the grave." And so you see on every iconic tombstone: R.I.P. Rest in peace.

I don't know about you, but I for one would like to rest in peace before I'm dead. And if you do too, then listen up because God has a solution for us. In the Old Testament he called it the Sabbath Day: a day off from work, a day to rest from your labor, a day to find peace in the Word of God and in the promises which it contains.

But not everyone understood that rest. Not everyone wanted that peace. This morning, we hear of an encounter between some Pharisees and Jesus. And as we hear Jesus' response, we rejoice that through him we can rest in peace. Our lesson is from Mark 2:23-28…

 

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Ever feel like you just can't get enough rest? No matter how late you sleep in on Saturday, it just isn't enough to make up for the late nights or early mornings of the week? It seems to be a problem for me especially in summer in Alaska. There's lots of light to go play, but still plenty of work to be done.

In fact, the time spent playing makes more work: to prepare for the party, to pack for the trip, to shop for the camping trip, to process the fish, to clean up when it's all done. There may be rest in the summer for Floridans, but it doesn't seem there's ever a chance to rest in the summer for Alaskans.

Wouldn't it be nice to rest in peace?

But there's a much worse restlessness than the tiredness we feel in our bodies. There's a restlessness of the soul that can leave one entirely worn out. The guilt of sin and the shame of regret can leave one feeling pretty exhausted. So what do we do about it?

The Pharisees taught a theology of works. Work hard. Clean up your act. Improve your life. Follow the rules. Change your behavior. Be a better person. Then, when you have become all you were meant to be, you can have rest in knowing what a great person you are.

But there's a problem with that theology: It doesn't work. Working hard to be the person God wants you to be doesn't give you rest because you can never be perfect! And make no mistake, that's not just God's desire, but his demand: Be perfect! And without perfection, you cannot be at peace with God. The best you can do is water down the law and lower the bar to something you can keep.

That's what the Pharisees did. If they couldn't keep their thoughts pure, well, then they'd ignore that command and make up a new one: Don't take too many steps on Saturday. The Pharisees even turned even rest into work. The Sabbath Day, the day of rest, became a day of rules. They added rule upon rule and insisted these rules must be kept or people would be sinning. Prepare your meals for Saturday on Friday night. For it would be work to cook. Eat light on Friday and Saturday morning because you can only walk outside the city to the latrine once. More than that would be too many steps and too much work. And it's still the same way today…

When I went to visit Israel in 2008, one Saturday (the Sabbath Day), I got on the wrong elevator. I thought someone was playing a joke on me because on my way up to my room, the doors opened and closed on every single floor on the way up to the 15th. I was on the Sabbath elevator. It did that so orthodox Jews who observed the Sabbath wouln't have to work to hit the button. When I learned that from my tour guide I asked him, what if a hotel doesn't have such an elevator, would they have to wait for a Gentile to push the button for them? Ironically, he was serious when he said, "Either that or take the stairs."

I once said to the rabbi down the street from the church I served in Raleigh, "I notice that when I come in on Saturday to run through the sermon or fold the bulletins, I'll often see you and your family walking to the synagogue. Why is that? I thought the Sabbath was a day of rest." His serious reply was, "We walk to give our cars a day of rest."

See how goofy it is? How they turn the Sabbath on its head?! What God intended to be a day where his people rest from their work to focus on the Word, they turned into a day of rules to be kept to work your way into heaven by earning God's favor.

So while God commanded his people not to harvest on the Sabbath, but to take a day off to focus on his grace, the Pharisees turned it into a command not to pick a snack while you walked along the road. When they saw Jesus' disciples picking some heads of grain, they challenged Jesus: "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

But Jesus set them straight. "Have you never read what David did…  when he and his companions were hungry and in need…  he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

They were surely familiar with the account we just read. David ate the consecrated bread that the law said was only for priests. Yet he was not sinning. In the case of necessity, love is the fulfillment of the Law, and no one ever thought of censuring David for his action. esus' point was clear—if David wasn't guilty of sin when he ate the bread in the tabernacle when he was hungry, Jesus' disciples weren't guilty either for picking heads of grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry.

The Pharisees got it all wrong. And so they stripped the Sabbath of it's rest. They stripped the symbol of it's peace. They did it to water down the law to become something they could keep to feel like they deserved God's love. But it didn't work. They still weren't perfect. They had no peace with God.

Now I know it's easy to look down on those shameful Pharisees, but before we do, consider this: Don't we sometimes do the exact same thing? Don't we sometimes think that we earn God's favor by towing the line, by following the rules, by keeping God's commands, even by being in church? What makes you a good Christian? If you've ever answered, "Because I go to church every week," or "Because I am an active member," well, you've just done the same thing the Pharisees did.

Being in church no more makes you a Christian than being in a garage makes you a car! And your presence here this morning earns you no brownie points before God. Sitting on the couch after worship doesn't always bring him glory. And it isn't a sin to mow your lawn on Sunday afternoon.

Keeping God's laws do not get us closer to God. They never have. They cannot get us rest for our souls. They cannot bring us peace because we cannot keep them perfectly all of the time as God demands that we do.

It's easy to make up rules about elevators and steps walked. But it's not easy to keep our hearts free from arrogance and pride, from lust and greed, from sinful thoughts that look down on others who aren't "as good" as us. And each one of these thoughts reveals the Pharisee in each of us and earns us God's condemnation. We deserve to rest in pieces, obliterated by God's wrath. We deserve damnation in hell.

But Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. And the Sabbath Day was never really about rules for people to follow in order to earn God's favor. No! It was all to point ahead to Jesus: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

The Sabbath was meant to serve people, not enslave them. Of course there's wisdom in taking a day off from work for the sake of one's physical and emotional health. But God had a more important purpose in mind for the Sabbath. He intended the Sabbath to be a special opportunity to worship, to study God's Word, and to better learn his plan of salvation—not through following legalistic requirements, but through faith in the Messiah to come, through faith in Jesus.

Remember what he said in Matthew 11(:28-29): "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

The Old Testament Sabbath Day pointed ahead to the rest that our Savior would bring—the rest that we have in the forgiveness of sins. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17)

The requirements haven't changed. We still must be perfect to find peace with God. But that's what the Gospel is all about: how Jesus took our sin—our arrogance and pride, our lust and greed, our sinful thoughts that look down on others, all of it—on himself. He did live a perfect life, always keeping every one of God's commands. And he gave that perfection to us. Now, through Jesus, you and I are perfect, sinless in every way.

And we don't have to do a thing to be right with God. He's done it all. There's no work for us to do to earn God's favor. We already have it. And so we can rest and be at peace because we know we have peace with God. We don't need to count our steps or select the right elevator. We don't need to follow ceremonial laws or even keep the moral law to get into heaven. Jesus gives us rest from our sin and he gives us rest from the law. We really can rest in peace.

But, ironically, we no longer want to just rest. Having peace with God through Jesus and rest from struggling to earn his favor, all we want to do is get to work for him to show him how thankful we are. We're eager to share the message of his grace that lets us rest in peace. We're eager to work hard to support the work of the Church that we might share the Lord of the Sabbath, our Lord of Rest, with others that they, like us, can rest in peace as together we rest in his grace.

And, finally, we work hard now in thanks to Jesus knowing that one day soon when our bodies and souls separate, we will forever rest in perfect peace as we join our Savior forever in heaven. And they can mark each of our graves with a big R.I.P. For we will rest in peace until he comes to wake us from the grave. What a restful sleep that will be. In Jesus' name, dear friends, rest in peace. Amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Be in Awe of the Triune God (A sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8)

Have you ever stood in awe of something so amazing that it was both wonderful and terrifying at the same time? The prophet, Isaiah, saw a vision of God that must have had an impact on him for the rest of his life. He was terrified at the sight of a holy God and feared the Father. But he could rejoice that he was saved by the Son who would come to pay for his sin, symbolized by a burning coal from the altar of the temple. And in thanks to God, he would go wherever the Spirit would send him to proclaim God's message of Grace. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and rejoice in the gracious work of our Triune God for us too...

Be in Awe of the Triune God

A sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8

Sunday, May 31, 2015 – Holy Trinity B

 

When I first read our text for this morning, a movie scene popped into my head. I know I'm revealing my nerdiness with this introduction, and I'm sorry if you've never seen the movie, but there's this particular scene in the first Lord of the Rings movie: The Fellowship of the Rings. Frodo has just made it through the mountains and is spending his first night with the elves. And as he is holding the one ring to rule them all, Galadriel, the elven princess approaches. He offers the ring to her as she is more fit to carry the burden, he believes. And enticed by the power that the ring offers, Galadriel show her true colors. She suddenly begins to grow in the scene taking up the whole screen. She begins to glow with a brilliant light that is both beautiful and terrifying. Her voice gains a bass undertone that frightens Frodo. And as she considers the power offered her she declares, "All shall love me and despair."

I imagine that the way the fictional Frodo might have felt in that scene is the way the historical Isaiah might have felt when he had his vision of God. He saw God huge, the train of his robe filling the entire temple. He saw God powerful, shaking the very foundations of the temple. He saw God surrounded by angels, glowing like fire. And he was in awe of what he saw.

Our text for this morning describes that vision that Isaiah saw as he was commissioned to be a prophet of the Lord. It's recorded for us in Isaiah 6:1-8…

 

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"



I.              Fearing the Father 

Can you put yourself in Isaiah's sandals? Can you imagine seeing what he saw? He saw God himself, seated on a throne in the temple. The train of his robe filled the temple. And seraphs, literally, "burning ones" or "fiery ones" were flying above him. What a terrifying vision it must have been!

Especially since Isaiah knew that God had once told Moses,"you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20) He knew how Mount Sinai was once covered in smoke and the people trembled when the presence of God himself descended upon it. (Exodus 19) Now, here he stood looking at God himself when even his holy, sinless angels were unable to look directly at him but had to cover their faces with their wings.

And when they spoke, they called out the praises of the Triune God with a  triple "Holy!" The word for "holy" in the Hebrew is kadosh! I remember the word by thinking of depth charges going off in the ocean that are so powerful that they shake any ship nearby (ever seen the movie U571?) and they rip apart those that are too close.

"Kadosh! Kadosh! Kadosh!" the angels cried! And the temple shook! Kadosh is the Lord, Jehovah, I AM, the One who is totally independent of anyone or anything. Kadosh  is the Almighty, the One who is totally powerful to do whatever he pleases. And how Isaiah must have shook and trembled.

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

Isaiah was a righteous man in the community. He was one of the good guys. But no matter how good others in the community viewed him, Isaiah knew he had rebelled against God. He had unclean lips. He had spoken words in frustration that he ought not have spoken. He had gossiped. He had had lied. He had not spoken the truth of God as he ought. And he was filled with terror. "Woe to me!" [he] cried. "I am ruined!" He knew that it would be presumptuous and arrogant to claim, "I tried to do good and live as you wanted, God. At least I'm better than most." No. He knew that he was empty handed before a holy God. He knew that he stood condemned before a holy God. And even the frightening power of an atomic bomb is small and puny compared to the holiness—Kadosh!—of God.

We too, ought to stand terrified before a righteous God. For we too know how we have sinned—how we have rebelled against him. We too are a people of unclean lips. For we have lied. We have gossiped. We have remained silent when we should have spoken up to defend others. We have remained silent when we should have spoken up to declare the praises of God. We too know that we ought to be terrified by the glory of God the Father and cry out with Isaiah, "Woe to me! … I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." We too know, "that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God." (cf. Romans 3:19)

We know that God hates sin and that because of his holiness he must destroy sin like an antiseptic must attack bacteria. And we too stand in awe of God, fearing the Father for the wrath we know that we deserve.

But God did not destroy Isaiah. He wouldn't die, but would live. And he does not destroy us. Instead he saves us…


II.            Saved by the Son 

When Isaiah saw God, he rightly cried, "Woe to me! … I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…" For he was a sinner who had displeased God. But to his surprise, he was not ruined. Instead, when Isaiah acknowledged his guilt to God, God, in his grace, did something about it.

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth…

One of the burning ones, one of the seraphs, brought a live coal in his hand—a coal which was taken from the altar, the place of sacrifice. And whether it was miraculously cool to the touch as this was just a vision or whether it literally burned Isaiah's lips and tongue, leaving a physical scar and a very vivid reminder of this event every day of his life to follow, of one thing we can be certain: it's effect.

With [the live coal] he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

The coal from the altar—the place of sacrifice where God so graphically and vividly illustrated that sin must be punished with death but that God would allow a substitute to die in the place of man—had taken Isaiah's sin away as if it had been completely burned up!

Literally, where the NIV says, "Your guilt is taken away," is "Your guilt has been removed." In other words, it's past tense. It's complete. It's done. There was nothing left for Isaiah to do. His guilt had been removed. His sin had been atoned for. He would not be ruined. He would not die, but would live.

Of course, for you and I, the altar is still a reminder of sacrifice. And above our altar, we have a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice to which all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed. We know of the once for all sacrifice that Jesus made on the altar of the cross. And through that altar, God has removed our guilt and atoned for our sin. And it's still past tense. It's complete. It's done. There is nothing left for us to do.

And now, it's not a live coal, but Jesus' very body that touches our mouths every other week and assures us again and again: "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

So we cry, "Woe to me! I am unclean!" in sincere repentance, acknowledging our guilt before God confident of his reply: "You are forgiven by grace." For when we fear the Father, we know we are also saved by the Son. And we too stand in awe of God, rejoicing in the awesome grace he shows us in his own Son.

And that grace changes us. It cannot leave us the same as we were. Instead we are eager to live for God and give all that we have and are to him…


III.           Sent by the Spirit 

After Isaiah went from sheer terror to forgiven, he was a changed man. He says, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And Isaiah's response was immediate: And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah went from terror at God's wrath to peace at God's forgiveness to eager servant willing to do whatever God asked. But what caused such a change? How could he go from crying in sheer terror, "Woe to me!" to crying in eager zeal, filled with courage and joy, "Here am I. Send me!" "I'll go! I'll do it! Send me to do your will! Me, me! Pick me!"?!

Well, you know the answer because God has worked the same miracle in you. The Holy Spirit worked a miracle in the prophet through faith in the forgiveness that he received. Forgiven by God, his fear was replaced with courage and zeal and Isaiah became an eager volunteer.

This week someone sent me a video where a man was conducting a social experiment. He pretended to be homeless and held up a cardboard sign that read, "No one ever became poor by giving too generously." But here's the experiment: instead of begging for money on the sidewalk, he was giving money away.

Several people were upset with him. "I don't need your charity! I make so much more than you ever could!" they'd shout and curse him out as they stormed off. But one woman was so moved by his generous act, that she went from, "I'm sorry. I don't have any cash," to telling the truth, "I don't need your money. Actually, I do have cash. Here take this, go buy yourself some breakfast," and handed him several bills. Another man was so moved that someone that he believed had so little offered his last $10 to him, that he pulled out a huge wad of cash from his pocket and said, "Here, man. This is all for you. Keep it. I love your message. It's so positive."

That's sort of how the Gospel works, but on a much grander scale. God hasn't just given us $10 out of his poverty. He's given us his own Son to take away our guilt and atone for our sin. Some people don't want it. They'd rather earn whatever it is they get—even if it's hell. But for us, God the Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts. We believe that though we deserve hell for our many sins, God, in his grace, gives us forgiveness, pardon, and peace. And the the Holy Spirit works another a miracle in us through faith in that forgiveness we have received. He replaces our fear with courage and a zeal to become an eager volunteer. We're eager to read God Word to see what he commands. And we're eager to do whatever it is we find there to show our thanks to him. We say of our money, of our time, of our resources, of our very selves, "Here, God. This is all for you. Keep it. I love your grace. It's so awesome!"

And what does God ask of us? God wants us to speak for him! The Triune God says, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" God wants to send sinful, weak, human people like me, like you to speak for him! He could have chosen seraphs, but he chose us! How incredible! And we respond to his grace, And [say], "Here am I. Send me!"

Frodo must have been terrified at the sight of Galadriel who could have so easily destroyed him and taken the one ring of power. And he stood in awe at her great power! But in the end, he knew she was there to help him and not to hurt him, so he found great comfort in his new ally and courage to go on his journey. And though we would rightly be terrified at seeing God himself, who could so easily destroy us and send us to hell, just as Isaiah did. And we stand in awe of our Triune God. We rightly fear the Father. But we know that he is here to help us by his grace and not to hurt us. We know that we are saved by the Son and we find great comfort in his grace and courage to live for him, to speak for him, and, sent by the Spirit, to say to him, "Here am I. Send me!" In the name of our Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, dear friends, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

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