Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Easter Changes Everything! (A sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

Easter changes everything! After Jesus' resurrection from the dead, nothing was the same. Nothing is the same for you and me. The resurrection invites us to believe all of Jesus' claims in the Bible. The resurrection makes our salvation and our own resurrections sure! The resurrection moves us to live for Jesus in thanks as we live for him and live to share him. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (or watch the entire service at www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast) and rejoice that Easter has changed everything for you!

Easter Changes Everything!

A sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sunday, March 27, 2016 – Easter Day

 

In the 1920's an Englishman by the name of Frank Morrison had a life-changing event. Nothing was the same for him after it. Mr. Morison, you see, wasn't a Christian, and was so proud of that fact that he set out to disprove Jesus' resurrection, thinking it all a myth. So he headed off to Palestine to research the story.

But while he was there, something unexpected happened. The more he examined the evidence, the more impressive he found it, and the more tired he grew of his contrived ways of explaining the evidence away. Ultimately, by God's grace, finding the resurrection too difficult to disprove, he was convinced that it was a true, historical fact. He converted to Christianity and described his research in his book entitled, "Who Moved the Stone?" Truly a life-changing event for Morison!

You and I, dear friends, share the greatest life-changing event: Easter. It's what's gathered us together today and it changes everything for us. It means a world of difference to every aspect of our lives. It calls us to believe. It makes our salvation sure. It produces fruit in our lives. Listen now as Paul explains how this was true for him in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11…

 

1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

 

I.             It Calls Us to Believe

 

When Paul was in Athens sharing the gospel there, Luke tells us in Acts 17(:32) that when Paul got to the part of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the Athenians sneered at Paul. The idea of a bodily resurrection from the dead was foolishness to the "sophisticated" Greeks. It shouldn't be a surprise then, that there were also some in Corinth who denied this important truth.

For this reason the apostle Paul addressed the subject of the resurrection in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians—the famous resurrection chapter. Paul reminded the Corinthians that not only was the bodily resurrection a real, historical fact, but that to deny this truth had some devastating consequences.

"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you," he tells them. But, if they didn't hold firmly? "Otherwise, you have believed in vain." But the Corinthians didn't need to doubt the resurrection. Even though they didn't see the risen Savior with their own eyes, they could be certain it happened. How? Paul offered two witnesses—two very compelling and convincing evidences.

First, he tells them God promised it. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…"

God told them ahead of time, hundreds of years earlier, how Jesus would suffer and die. And God kept his Word. And God told them ahead of time how Jesus would rise from the dead.

Perhaps Paul was thinking of Psalm 16 which Peter quoted on Pentecost: "you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life…" Or perhaps he was thinking of Isaiah 53 which prophesied, "though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…" He could have been thinking of any number of verses, but the point is, God promised the resurrection. And just as he kept his painful promise of the crucifixion, he would certainly keep his joyful promise of the resurrection. This is evidence enough to believe in the resurrection without doubting.

But God in his grace gave them another convincing proof. He didn't ask them to believe blindly, but gave them evidence. They could talk to the eyewitnesses. Paul's list isn't even complete. He never mentions the women who saw Jesus, but did name Peter and the other apostles, and James, the brother of Jesus, who would back Paul when he said he had seen the risen Jesus. And if these leaders of the church weren't enough, there were 500 witnesses that all saw Jesus at the same time. And most were still alive. If the Corinthians wanted, they could investigate and hear the firsthand accounts of many reliable sources. There was no room for doubt.

 

And dear friends, even though we're a few thousand years removed from the Corinthians, there's no room for doubt with us. Every year around this time popular newspapers and magazines run stories which try to deny or explain away the resurrection. Last year it was the "Gospel of Judas." This year it was the Discovery Channel documentary on the discovery of Jesus' "tomb" and his remains. But even though the world today can't stand the idea of a bodily resurrection any more than the "sophisticated" Greeks could, you, on the other hand, can be certain of it.

Easter invites us to believe in Jesus bodily resurrection, not as some mythical or purely spiritual event, but as a true and real historical fact. You and I have many convincing proofs of the resurrection as well.

You want proof Jesus is alive? His tomb is empty. The eyewitnesses honestly reported how they came to believe in spite of their doubt, even when it didn't make them look heroic. Jesus body has never been found because he is alive. And if you want more evidence pick up a copy of Morison's book, "Who Moved the Stone?" or read Lee Strobel's "Case for Christ" or "Case for Easter" See how these men were convinced by the overwhelming evidence in spite of themselves.

But really, you don't need any of these. God's Word promised it. We have these promises in the Old and New Testaments. This is the most overwhelming evidence. And God's Word should be proof enough. And yet God in his grace doesn't ask us to just believe blindly, but offers lots of other evidence as well. Jesus is alive. We don't need to doubt it, but can be certain.

So what's the big deal that he is alive? How does that change anything? Well, if Jesus had not risen, if he were still dead, our salvation wouldn't be won. Paul spells that out a little later in this chapter. In verse 17 he says, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead," our sins are forgiven and our salvation is certain.

 

II.            It Makes Our Salvation Sure

 

Paul reminds them of that truth here. "I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…" And what is that gospel? He spells it out: "that Christ died for our sins …that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day."

If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, everything would be different. The Corinthians would remain in their sin and under God's wrath. They would have no peace with him. For just a human martyr dying on a cross cannot take away sin. But Jesus proved that he was more than just a human. No human can raise himself from the dead! Easter is God's stamp of approval on Good Friday and made the Corinthians' salvation and their own resurrection certain just as it did for Paul…

Just think of how Easter impacted Paul's life. First he was Saul, persecuting the church of God, opposing not just Christianity but Christ. How those sins must have plagued and haunted Paul. That's why he called himself "one abnormally born." He knew how unworthy he was to be given salvation, let alone to be called as an apostle, sent by Jesus.

But that's what happened. What a life-changing event Easter was for Paul, when he saw the risen Jesus on that road to Damascus! What a transformation took place in him! Easter made Paul's salvation certain to him. And he marveled at it, saying "by the grace of God I am what I am," and, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst" (1 Timothy 1:15), but he didn't doubt it. He knew for sure.

 

And we can be equally certain not just of Christ's resurrection, but of our salvation, and of our future bodily resurrection from the dead! If he hasn't risen, we've believed in vain. We'd still be left wondering about our status with God. We'd still be in our sin and under his wrath.

But we're not left wondering. "He was raised on the third day." Literally the Greek word is perfect in tense, "he has been raised." Its results are ongoing. They continue right now. He is alive!

And so, even though we too are completely unworthy of salvation, though we are all "abnormally born," born in sin and under God's wrath, by God's grace we are what we are. Easter makes our salvation sure. And so, Easter changes everything! We no longer fear death, because we know that we'll wake up from it. And we're free to live our lives without fear. We're free to live for him and produce fruits of faith…

 

III.          It Produces Fruit in Our Lives

 

This Easter message was so powerful in Paul's life, it wasn't just a doctrine he knew and celebrated once a year. No. It was a truth he believed so firmly that he lived out his faith in the resurrection every day.

He says, "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them…"

Paul worked harder than any of the other apostles. He's not boasting, just stating a fact. Paul traveled more, suffered more opposition, wrote more epistles, and founded more churches. But what moved Paul to this relentless effort? What inspired him to work so hard? We just read it: the grace of God. Paul continues, "yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." In the end, it wasn't the messenger that was important, but the message preached. "Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."

This message changed Paul. It gave him a new purpose in life—no longer living for himself, but for Jesus. Paul lived to serve him. Paul lived to share him.

 

And dear friends, Easter has the same impact on us. We were once like the greedy caterpillar that selfishly ate everything in sight. We lived to serve only ourselves. But then we died to our sin. And we were buried with Christ in our baptisms. And now, like the beautiful butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, we rise with him to live a new life. (cf. Romans 6:1-14) We're no longer selfish caterpillars, but are eager to serve our risen Savior, eager to live for him, eager to share him with others, while we wait to live with him forever.

Don't doubt the resurrection, dear friends, but believe it. Believe the promises found in God's Word. Believe the convincing proofs he gives. Your salvation and your future resurrection are certain. And don't let this awesome truth remain in your head, but let Easter change everything for you, just as it did for Frank Morison, just as it did for Paul. Go and live out your thanks to him as you work hard to produce fruits of faith. For he died for your sins. He was buried. And he was raised the third day. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! 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, March 22, 2016

One Little Word… (A sermon based on Isaiah 49:1–6)

Are you a fan of "conceal and carry" laws? I don't know how God would have such laws passed or not, but I do know that God has his own conceal and carry permit. Of course, he can do whatever he wants since he's God, but he hid his weapon, Jesus, in a humble and lowly state. The most powerful weapon in the world -- a weapon that can not only destroy, but can restore and bring to life -- looked totally unimpressive during that first Holy Week. But God had his most powerful weapon hidden in Christ. And by one little word, God's concealed weapon, won the war for us. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Isaiah 49:1-6 and rejoice in the victory that is yours through Christ! 

Singing with the Exiles

One Little Word…

A sermon based on Isaiah 49:1–6

Sunday, March 20, 2016 – Palm Sunday

 

When I first received the call to serve as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, a well-meaning member was trying to pitch the state of Alaska to me. So he asked me, "Do you know what you need to do to have a concealed weapon in Alaska?" I admitted that I did not. So he told me, "There are two steps you need to take: 1) buy a weapon, then 2) conceal it."

So I don't know if any of you are packing heat this morning. But would it surprise you to know that God is a fan of "conceal and carry"? In fact, in our text for this morning, he describes Jesus as his concealed weapon—his sword or dagger hidden in hand, his deadly arrow concealed in the quiver.

And as we celebrate Palm Sunday this morning, we see how Jesus was a concealed weapon. He didn't look very special riding into Jerusalem. In fact, he sat on a donkey, not in a chariot pulled by white stallions. And he didn't look very special as he carried out the mission rode in to Jerusalem for. He didn't look special when he was dying on the cross. But what a powerful weapon he was. He destroyed the devil, demolished death, and disintegrated sin.

With one little word, God's concealed weapon won the war. Our text for this Palm Sunday is from Isaiah 49:1-6…

 

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor." 4 But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."

5 And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—6 he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

 

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." How horribly false. Words have incredible power. Tell a lie about someone and it can cost them their job, their relationship, their life. Encourage someone and it can alter the rest of their life and generations to come. Our words have incredible power. Your tongue may not seem an impressive weapon, but you know it's really the most powerful muscle in your body.

James, Jesus' half-brother, put it this way: "When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire…" (James 3:3-6)

And watch any TV drama and you quickly learn that just as the pen is mightier than the sword, so too, the tongue is far mightier than the gun.

But as powerful as our words are, God's Word is infinitely more powerful. He speaks things into existence. He speaks life into the dead. He speaks and we are righteous. His word may not seem all that impressive, but one little word of God is more powerful than anything else in the world. It is his concealed weapon.

So let's listen to that word. Let's listen in now to a conversation between Jesus and the Father. And we can eavesdrop without being rude because we're invited to listen to the conversation. We're even commanded in Isaiah 49:1-6…

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations…

What does he want us to hear as we listen in to this conversatoin? He wants us to hear about his concealed weapon—his powerful word—that returns us to God. He wants us to hear that he would, "restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel… [and be] a light for the Gentiles… [to] bring [God's] salvation to the ends of the earth."

But why did Jacob need to be restored? Why did Israel need to be brought back? How were Gentiles in the dark? What about us who, from Israel's perspective, live at the ends of the earth?

Well, you know the answer: It was sin that separated us from God. Our sinful action, our sinful thoughts, and our sinful words—those careless words we speak that hurt others, those thoughtful words that we intend to hurt—don't just damage human relationships. They damage our relationship with God. What power our words have!

James says, "The tongue.,.. is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

And you know, it's not just the words we say that cause such damage. It's also the words we don't say. If your husband or wife were so embarrassed by you that they refused to introduce you at parties, if they pretended not to know you, if they refused to speak to you or about you, wouldn't that sting?

What do we do when we refuse to speak about our Savior and pretend not to know him? We try to justify it, "They're not ready to meet him yet. They wouldn't believe anyway. Every time I've tried talking about my faith, well…" "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing." They didn't believe then and they won't now.

But you don't know that. The seed you plant may lie dormant for many years. Or it may be growing a root beneath the surface before any shoot ever springs up. And you may not see what's taking place in the heart this side of heaven. So it's best to just speak up and leave the results to God saying, "Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."

By our careless words, by our hurtful words, by our loveless silence, we've separated ourselves from our God. We've wandered into darkness and we've begun down the path to hell. But it's so dark, that we can't find our own way back. We need help. We need rescue.

That's what God the Father and God the Son want us to hear as we listen in to their conversation. So let's keep eavesdropping…

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."

Previously Isaiah introduced us to God's servant, Cyrus, who would return God's people to Israel. But now it's clearly another servant he's introducing here. And we have some clues as to who he is: First, he was famous before he was born. (Like there were prophecies written about him thousands of years before his birth.) He was set apart for a holy purpose—to carry out a special mission for God. (Namely, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.) And his fight would be without swords or arrows, guns or tanks, but his mouth would be his weapon. His word would be arrows. (The powerful Word of God.) Of course, we're talking about Jesus—the servant in whom God would display his splendor, the one who would "restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel… [and be] a light for the Gentiles… [to] bring [God's] salvation to the ends of the earth."

But how would go about it? He didn't seem to be too special as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He didn't look like much of threat. He wasn't particularly attractive. Isaiah tell us that, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2) His ministry turned many people away because he wasn't the hero they expected. He wasn't their kind of Savior.


But he was the Word made flesh by God, his concealed weapon, who would surprise everyone by winning the battle in an instant, in the most unlikely of ways, in a twist of history that no one but God saw coming. Though he didn't look like a threat, as he rose into Jerusalem, as he washed feet, as he was deserted by his friends, as he was put on trial, as he was scourged, and nailed to a cross, tortured and killed…

Nevertheless, he packed more power than an atomic bomb. An atomic bomb can only destroy. But he had the power to bring to life. And his power isn't in a sword or arrows. He didn't come to lead armies or slay the Romans. But his greatest power was in becoming as servant. His greatest victory was in his death! For by his perfect life and innocent death, he returned Jacob. He restored Israel. He brought them back to God. But even more…

"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

So even we Islands, we distant nations, who live at the ends of the earth are invited to listen in to this powerful Word and hear that his grace is for all. That's how we know it's for us. With his Word, he creates faith in our hearts.

His Word gives power to Baptism. "It is certainly not the water that does such things, but God's Word which is in and with the water and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God's Word the water is just plain water and not Baptism.  But with this Word it is Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit." (Luther's Small Catechism, Baptism, Part 3)

His Word gives power to the Lord's Supper. "It is certainly not the eating and drinking that does such things, but the words 'Given' and 'poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.' These words are the main thing in the sacrament, along with the eating and drinking. And whoever believes these words has what they plainly say, the forgiveness of sins." (Luther's Small Catechism, Holy Communion, Part 3)

And it's his Word that conquers all of our spiritual enemies. His mouth is a sword that cuts off the devil's head. His mouth is an arrow that pierces death in the heart. His mouth blows up our sin so that not a trace can be found. No dental records can identify it when he's done. He bespeaks you righteous. And that same Word that called the universe into existence, that same Word that called the dead back to life, has brought you from spiritual death into life and declares you to be sinless. That Word has the power to do whatever it says. So sinless you are!

Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpow'r us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He's judged; the deed is done! One little word can fell him. (CW 201:3)

Now in thanks to God—for returning us back to him, for restoring us, for bringing us his salvation—we're eager to use our words to bring glory to God, not ourselves. We're eager to become servants. We're eager to empty ourselves to serve others. And we know that our labor is not in vain. Our reward is with our God. "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58) And someday soon we will receive our reward in glory. Because he lives, we too will live.

So, in the meantime, while we wait for him, let's use our tongues as our concealed weapons. Let's use our words to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Let's use our words to encourage each other to focus on the cross and to live for God in thanks. Let's use our words to share his Word—the message of his love with the islands and distant nations as we become lights to the nations, "that [we] may bring [God's] salvation to the ends of the earth." (cf. Acts 13:47) In the name of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, God's concealed weapon, 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, March 14, 2016

Get Out of There! (A sermon based on Isaiah 48:17–22)

What do you cry when someone's inside a burning building and they don't know it? What do you cry when someone's in a dead-end job that's going nowhere? What do you cry when someone's trapped in a sin that you know will be their ruin? You cry, "Get out of there!" God cries out to us, "Get out of there!" But thankfully he doesn't just shout a warning cry and then leave us on our own. He didn't just cry, "Get out of there!" He came to rescue us and get us out of there! Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Isaiah 48:17-22 and rejoice that he got us out of there!

Singing with the Exiles

Get Out of There!

A sermon based on Isaiah 48:17–22

Sunday, March 13, 2016 – Lent 5C

 

Four urgent words are shouted to people in the following situations. Can you guess what those four words are? Three children are stuck inside a burning home. A family of five is stuck in a minivan plunging into a river. A talented young man is stuck in a dead-end job. Can you guess the four urgent words that are spoken to these people? What are they? "Get out of there!"

In August of 587 BC, Israel's world caved in. The temple collapsed, the monarchy lay in ruins, the land became a wasteland, and all hope was dismantled and destroyed. Then a massive aftershock brought further wreckage and ruin. Seven hundred miles from home, Israel's exiles became trapped in a basement called Babylon. And the prophet Isaiah shouted, "Get out of there!"

Today, we often get trapped—in selfishness and sin—and too often we don't even notice that we're trapped because, well, it's so common. But God shouts to us, "Get out of there!" And we thank God that he provided a way out. Our text for consideration this 5th Sunday of Lent is taken Isaiah 48:17-22…

 

17 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me."

20 Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, "The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob." 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.

22 "There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."

 

When the Israelite exiles were trapped in Babylon, Isaiah shouted, "Get out of there!" But… that's easier said than done. With every passing year, the Babylonian gods seemed more and more powerful, while Israel's God seemed more and more obsolete. Slowly but surely, the exiles began to accommodate themselves to their new surroundings. Blending in with Babylon brought financial success. And so, living comfortably in a place of destruction and death became the new way of life.

It was the whole boiling frog syndrome. Now I've never tried this, but you know how it goes: It's said that if a frog is placed in hot water, it will immediately jump out. But if it is placed in lukewarm water which is gradually heated, it will acclimate, never hop out, and slowly boil to death. The exiles were calling their Babylonian prison the new normal. And they were in hot water! If they didn't get out of there and soon, they would die—eternally!

So Isaiah pleaded with them to wake up from the spiritual slumber they were in and to get out of Babylon! "Get out of there!" And he announced that God would help them do it. He would, "lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations," (Isaiah 52:10) that his "glory [would] be revealed and all flesh will see it together," (40:5). He promised that "those who [would] wait on the LORD [would] renew their strength," (40:31) for "a bruised reed he [would] not break, and a smoldering wick he [would] not snuff out." (42:3) And in Isaiah 51:17 and again in 52:1 he cried out, "Wake, awake!" And we hear it again in our text, in 48:20, where he says, "Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians!" "Get out of there!"

And Israel's response? Nothing… nothing! They wouldn't leave! The luxury of Babylon, the comfort of Babylon, the religion of Babylon enticed most of them into staying in the boiling pot of Babylon!

That's why throughout Isaiah 48 the prophet calls them stubborn, unyielding, headstrong, prone to idolatry, deaf, deceptive, and stubborn rebels from birth. All this because Israel refused to listen to the warning to get out of there and so they refused to listen to the Gospel of their salvation; "listen" is the governing verb of the chapter. It appears eleven times in Isaiah 48.

Can't you just imagine the people responding to the prophet? "Isaiah, haven't you heard? Babylon is the political-military-religious superpower of the day. This is the land of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Why should we go back to little backwater Judah? Besides, what a huge hassle it would be to liquidate our assets, pack our bags, and pull up stakes just to live in a land devastated by famine and warfare. Get out of Babylon? Isaiah, have you lost your mind?"

"If only [they] had paid attention to [God's] commands, [their] peace would have been like a river, [their] righteousness like the waves of the sea."

But are we really any different? Our bondage began with just one more drink, one more lie, one more fling, one more glance. But "one more" always longs for one more, and then just one more. And slowly the temperature creeps up and we barely even notice… until it's too late. The boiling frog syndrome unleashes its hypnotic power over us!

Sure, being obsessed—with pornography, or money, or gossip, or food, or people's approval, or work—is a strange place to be in, at first. It's crushing to be trapped beneath tons of collapsed hopes and shattered dreams. But in time, we become used to living in destruction and death. With each passing day, it becomes easier to deny that I am stuck on stuff that kills and steals and destroys. We are in hot water! This is why God cries to us, "Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians!" "Get out of there!"

That's what God always does: He calls people out of darkness and into his wonderful light. He called Abraham and Sarah to get out of Haran because it was the center of moon worship. He urged Lot and his family to get out of Sodom and Gomorrah because it was the center of sexual perversion. And he called Israel to get out of Egypt because it would be their spiritual ruin. "Get out of there!" he cries, "Before it's too late!"

And he calls us to "Get out of there!" too! Get out of that pot before it boils you! Kill that pet sin, now while you can, before it grows to be a monster that consumes you! "If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." (Matthew 18:8-9)

And our response? Too often . . . nothing! "Oh, Jesus! You're overreacting! This isn't that big of a deal. I'm comfortable. And it's not like I'm boiling… yet." And when we don't heed his warning to "Get out of there!" we don't listen to the Gospel of our salvation either. And we deserve to have God forever to say to us of his heaven, "Get out of there! You cannot come be where I am." We deserve hell.

And deep down, we know we're thirsty. For "There is no peace… for the wicked." But we're thirsty, not for "one more" of the same, but for something different. We know that our pet sins are salt water in the desert. They don't quench or satisfy. They kill. And they leave us trapped in a basement of guilt and shame, of death and despair that we can't get out of on our own.

So we're thirsty for something more. We're thirsty for a clean conscience, for a fresh start, for a loving, tender hand to reach into our basement and get us out of there. And that's exactly what God has done!

He didn't just cry "Get out of there!" When he saw us trapped under a mountain of sin, trapped under a pile of our own making, he didn't just say, "Get out of there!" but he came to get us out of there! He came to rescue us from our sin, from death, from hell. He came to rescue us from us!

Listen to these beautiful words in Isaiah: "I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25) "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist." (44:22). These great and precious promises are found, fulfilled, and come to fruition in Isaiah's Servant, Jesus our Lord, the one murdered for us to get us out of there.

And he did everything for our salvation and he did it all alone. When he was arrested his friends ran for cover and got out of there. His countrymen clamored for his death because they wanted him out of there! And his own Father abandoned him on the cross and got out of there! And Jesus suffered for you. He bled for you. He felt the thorns and the nails and the spear and the hell for you. He died for you. He rose for you. And he came for you to get you out of there—out of your sin, out of the shame, out of the guilt, out of hell, and one day soon, out of death, out of the grave, out of this world and into his heaven! 

He got us out of there. And he'll get us out of here. When we believe that, our thirst is quenched. Our peace is like a river because our righteousness—the righteousness Jesus gives us—is like the waves of the sea.

And now we view our pet sins differently. We don't want to feed them anymore, but we want to slay them. We don't want to get back in the pot of warm water. But we want to continue to "Get out of there!" every time we slip back in. We want to, "Leave Babylon [and] flee from the Babylonians!" We want to go and leave our life of sin! (John 8:11) We want to go and live for him!

And we want to tell others too. We want to warn them, "Get out of there!" as we sound the warning cry of the Law whenever we see them slip into the pot of warm water. And we want to tell them of God's grace that gets them out of there! We want to… "Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth [and] say, 'The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.'" In his name dear friends, thank God that he got you out of there! 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, March 7, 2016

God’s Anointed Breaks Down the Gates (A sermon based on Isaiah 45:1–8)

Would you be surprised to know that God has named the man he wants to be the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world? Would you be surprised to learn that God named an unbelieving pagan to be that leader? But God has his purposes in who he chooses to serve him. And through his anointed one, he would break down the gates that held his people captive and set them free! Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Isaiah 45:1-8 and rejoice in the freedom won for you by God's Anointed...

Singing with the Exiles

God's Anointed Breaks Down the Gates

A sermon based on Isaiah 45:1–8

Sunday, March 6, 2016 – Lent 4C

 

Who are you rooting for? Are you hoping it's Cruz, or Rubio, or Carson? What if it comes down to Trump versus Clinton? Who would you choose then? I know, I know. We're not supposed to talk about politics. And we're not supposed to talk about religion either. Well, you know what? This morning I just don't care! I'm going to talk about both… together!

In fact, I'm going to tell you which leader God has chosen to lead the most powerful nation of the world. And I have no doubt in my mind which leader that is because God named him in an Old Testament prophecy in one of the most astounding prophecies given. And I'm absolutely serious. I'm not joking.

Of course, I'm not talking about the next president of the United States, though. God hasn't revealed that information to us in the Bible. But he has made a prophecy about who would be the leader of the most powerful nations of the world. And would it surprise you to know that God chose a man who was an unbeliever; a pagan who worshiped false gods? Would it surprise you to know that God chose and named the leader who did not acknowledge him? His name would be Cyrus. And the prophecy, found in Isaiah 45:1-8, was over a century before Cyrus came to power or anyone ever heard of him. It reads…

 

"This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. 4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, 6 so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

8 "You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.

 

Israel knew they were stuck. The Babylon's had taken them captive. And they were far too weak to escape. Babylon said, "You are locked in with no way out." In the sixth century BC, God's people were surrounded by bronze gates! There were ziggurats and canals and detestable statues of the Babylonian gods all around them. But it was the gates—the world-renowned gates that locked them in with no way out.

The gates were the brain-child of Nabopolassar—the founder of the Babylonian empire—and his son Nebuchadnezzar. Herodotus and Xenophon—ancient Greek historians—write that in late seventh and early sixth century BC, hundreds and hundreds of bronze gates were erected in and around Babylon, making it the world's most fortified city. The walls were 21 feet thick with 360 watchtowers every 6 to 65 feet! And to top it off a deep moat surrounded that outside wall. Israel was locked in with absolutely no way out.

But then God gave this shocking prophecy: "I will raise up [Cyrus]…" and he will set my people free." (cf. Isaiah 45:13; cf. 44:28) In 539 BC, Cyrus had to go up against Babylon and her gates. The city began bracing for an all-out battle. Inhabitants stocked their shelves with food and water to prepare for the long siege. The military got armed up, revved up, psyched up, and pumped up.

But when Cyrus surrounded the city, its citizens—rather than fight to the last man and attempt a "Custer's Last Stand"—opened up the gates. Cyrus walked in and took the city with incredible ease.

Surprise, surprise! It happened just as God said it would!

"This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places…

Cyrus was God's anointed, his chosen one, the pagan politician God that hand-picked to serve him, to overthrow the Babylonian nation, to set his people free. They were no longer stuck, no longer locked away with no way out. God rescued them by his anointed.

 

We too know what it's like to be stuck. Okay, maybe we don't know what it's like to be taken captive by an enemy nation, hauled away from our homes, and trapped in a city behind a moat and walls 21 feet thick. But we have been stuck.

We've been stuck in traffic behind a slow moving RV or stuck in in snow on the side of the road. But that's nothing compared to being stuck in the past, stuck in a bad relationship, stuck in a diseased and dying body, stuck in debt, stuck in a dead-end job.

But even that is all nothing compared to the way we were stuck in our sin and trapped in our transgression. The apostle Paul wrote about this kind of being stuck in Romans 7: "I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." (Romans 7:23) I want so much more for my life, but "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin." (v. 14) And "I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." (v. 21) That's us—locked in habits we cannot beat and bound in a bondage we cannot break, stuck in our sin and trapped in our transgression.

Don't believe me? Then examine your life this past week. Did you always use your words to build others up? Or did you sometimes tear them down? Did you defend others and their property like a trustworthy wall that's 21 feet thick? Or were you only concerned for yourself? Did you share the message that might set people free? Or did you keep quiet to avoid any awkward conversations?

We were stuck. And nothing we could do could tear down those walls. And for our selfish thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors we deserve to locked away in hell and to have Satan throw away the key. In fact, we were stuck with a hopeless future of hell.

 

That is, until the Lord's Anointed, the special chosen One of God came on the scene…

And of course you know who that is. Cyrus is a picture, a foreshadow, a type of the Messiah, or Christ—the Anointed One—to come. He's a picture of Jesus. Jesus is God's chosen politician— the prophet who spoke perfectly at every press conference, the priest who served perfectly in his public office, the King of all kings of all time! His inauguration was at his baptism. And through this Anointed One, this One chosen by God and named by him, the walls have been broken down!

When were stuck in our guilt, when we were trapped by satan, when the pit of hell seemed our only future, he came to the rescue. That's what Isaiah describes throughout his book. When we were stuck in our sin, God promises, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18) When we were buried in gloom and doom, he reminds us, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." (9:2) When dryness and deadness stood in the way, the Lord turned "the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs." (35:7) When we were surrounded by obstacles, he promised that "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." (40:4) When blindness and captivity and bondage stood in the way, God's Servant came to "open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." (42:7)

And when hell was our only fate, "He was despised and rejected by men… he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… [he was] stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed… the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (53:3-6)

This Anointed One, this chosen One, has destroyed the barrier of sin that kept us from God by taking that sin on himself and paying the full penalty in our place.

Surprise, surprise! It happened just as God said it would!

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it."

 

And what's more, this Anointed One has broken down the walls of stony hearts. He's opened our eyes and ears to believe the truth in what he's done. So now we are sinless! We are perfect! We are free!

So no matter who wins the election in November, whether Cruz or Trump or Sanders or Clinton, we are free from sin! And we are free from worry or fear! We are free to live for him no matter what challenges or persecutions may come!

For we know that the final victory is yet to come, when he will break the barrier that's far more than 21 feet thick! He's already given a preview of how he even breaks down the walls of death! After the betrayal, the beating, and the bruising, after the cry of the curse on the cross, he burst forth from the tomb. And one day soon, he will return with his victory cry, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18) And with those keys, he'll unlock the gates of death, and rescue us forever!

You are not locked in with no way out! Jesus, God's Anointed, has broken down the gates of guilt and shame, he's smashed the walls of sin and death. And the gates of hell will never prevail against the work of our Savior—the Anointed one of God. So, "If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." (John 8:36) In his 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

Have you been blessed by our ministry at Grace? Consider supporting us with your generous gifts. Give securely online with a check or credit or debit card here: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Give