Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Mission Impossible! (A sermon based on Luke 18:18-27)

Do you ever face challenges that seem to be utterly impossible to actually accomplish? Well, there's one situation that IS absolutely impossible for you to do: Be perfect. And that's a pretty big problem because God only let's the perfect --those who are absolutely sinless--into his heaven. But thank God that though it is impossible for us to be perfect, what is impossible with men is possible with God. Through Christ and his death on the cross, he has made us perfect in his sight. The impossible mission is accomplished! Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 18:18-27 (or watch the entire service at www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast) and rejoice that the mission is complete! 

Mission Impossible!

A sermon based on Luke 18:18-27

Sunday, October 23, 2016 – Pentecost 22C

 

I always thought the TV show and movie series "Mission: Impossible" was poorly named. In every episode and in every movie, they accomplished the mission that self-destructed five seconds after they received it. But, I get it. "Mission: Probable," and "Mission: Pretty Likely You'll Succeed," just don't have the same exciting ring as "Mission: Impossible." But in spite of the deceitful name, I loved watching "Mission Impossible" as a kid. I also loved "The A-Team" and "MacGyver" who all did seemingly impossible things with what limited resources were available to them.

In our Gospel lesson for this morning there was a rich man had more than limited resources, but great wealth available to him, at least more than most people had. It would seem that things should be easier for him to accomplish—a little more possible. But as he came to Jesus with a question, everyone went away surprised by Jesus' reply. A wealthy ruler went away sad because he thought what Jesus asked of him was impossible. The disciples were dumbfounded because they thought what Jesus asked of him was impossible. But Jesus was trying to lead them to see that what was impossible for them was totally possible for God.

We too face situations in our life that may seem impossible, as impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle. And there's one situation in particular that is absolutely impossible: that we save ourselves from hell. For it is impossible to keep God's law perfectly as we must if we want to earn heaven. But nevertheless, it's not impossible to get to heaven. For God accomplished the impossible mission for us!

Our Gospel lesson for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost is recorded in Luke 18:18-27…

 

18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

 

I.      It's Impossible to Keep God's Law! 

This man had it all, didn't he? He had great wealth, power and honor as a ruler even at a young age, and high-morals and the respect that came with it all. He was the kind of guy every Jewish mother would love to have as a son-in-law. He had it all… except for one thing: the certainty that he was going to heaven. He sensed there was something still left for him to do, but he didn't know what it was. So he went to the most famous Rabbi around. He went to Jesus.

Running up to Jesus he fell on his knees and asked Jesus, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus answered with a probing reply: "Why do you call me good? … No one is good—except God alone."

Now some will argue that Jesus denies that he is God in this verse. But that's not what's happening here. Jesus, who knows this man's heart, knew he thought he was pretty good. So Jesus reminded him that "No one is good—except God alone." And though this man called Jesus "Good teacher," it wasn't enough. There's a world of difference between believing Jesus to be a great man and a good teacher and believing Jesus to be the Son of God and your Savior from sin. So Jesus began to lead this man to recognize who he really was. "Why do you call me good?" Just as a compliment? Or because you know who I really am and how much you need me?

But the young man didn't think he needed Jesus as a Savior, only as a guide. So Jesus held up the mirror of the law. "What do you have to do to go to heaven? Keep all of the law all of the time." "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

But the man was so full of himself that he thought he'd already kept God's law perfectly. "All these I have kept since I was a boy." You see his limited understanding of sin allowed him to see himself as righteous before God. He thought that sin only involved outward actions, not inward thoughts and attitudes. And so, having never murdered anyone, having never cheated on his wife, or stolen his neighbor's cattle or spouse, he thought he was pretty good. He had no need for a Savior.

But Jesus loved the man and couldn't let him continue in his deadly self-righteousness. "No you haven't kept all the commandments. You can't get past the first commandment because you love your wealth more than you love me." And Jesus unveiled his ugly greed. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

What was the one thing the man lacked? Perfection. God demands nothing less. He doesn't demand people try their hardest. He doesn't demand they refrain from just outward sin, but from every sin—from greed that clings to wealth and makes it one's god. God demands that we be perfect in every way, inside and out, in order to be a part of his kingdom. But, quite frankly, that's impossible for us to do. Because to do it, we would have to live a perfect life never making a single mistake.  

Paul summed it up in Galatians 3:10-11, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone…'" (No exceptions!) "'…who does not continue …'" (All the time!) "'…to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'" (Every bit of it!) So… "Clearly no one is justified before God by the law…"

To illustrate that, let me ask, "If Jesus said to you, 'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor… Then come, follow me,' would you be able to do it?" I ask not because that's what Jesus demands of you, but so you can examine your own heart.

Now you may have heard Jesus say, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and thought to yourself, "Well that stinks for rich men." But admit it. We too are incredibly rich. We all have great wealth compared to almost everyone else in the world. And we certainly have waaaay more than this wealthy ruler ever dreamed of having! Make no mistake: Jesus is talking to us, who are so rich, and who are so easily distracted from what really matters by all the stuff that surrounds us. And honestly, if you don't think of yourself as wealthy, it should be even easier for you to "sell everything you have and give to the poor…" right?

But all too often don't we cling to our wealth just like this rich ruler, thinking 10% of our income way too much to sacrifice for Jesus, let alone selling all that we have? Don't we, too, often cling to our own self-righteousness and our own good actions instead of to our Savior. And unwilling to let go of our trust in our 401k's and Roth IRA's, unwilling to let go of our trust in our charitable acts and good deeds to earn God's favor, we fail to trust in Jesus. We break the first commandment (and all the rest follow). And we prove that we're less than perfect. We don't meet God's standards. We fail the mission and are doomed to hell. For us, the mission is impossible. "Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

But… "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

 

II.    The Impossible is Possible with God! 

Yes, "No one is good—except God alone." But Jesus, being true God did keep all of God's commandments perfectly. He never murdered, even with hatred. He never committed adultery, even with lust. He never stole anything, even with laziness or greed. He never lied. He always honored his parent and corrupt governments. And he even kept the first commandment perfectly, loving God the Father with all of his heart, with all of his soul, with all of his mind, with all of his strength. Keep the law perfectly? "That's impossible!" you say. But not for Jesus. He completed the mission that was impossible for us to complete.

Now, we don't know what ever happened to this rich young man—whether he continued to reject Jesus and perished eternally, or if he later reconsidered and came to know Jesus as his Savior and about the sacrifice Jesus willingly made for him. But Jesus would continue the lesson in the man's absence. He would teach his disciples that because it was impossible for them to be perfect by their efforts, it was to get also impossible for them to into heaven on their own. But he—Jesus—could do that impossible mission too…

Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Now don't misunderstand. There's nothing wrong with having wealth. Many wealthy people in the Bible have put their trust in God: Abraham, Job, and King David, just to name a few. But what makes it hard is the trust the wealthy tend to place in their wealth rather than in Jesus. Wealth has caused many a Christian to lose his or her place in heaven. So Jesus warned, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God…  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 

Like jumping up to touch the ceiling, it doesn't matter how good your vertical is. It just can't be done! There is no way to fit an entire camel through the eye of a needle. It's impossible. And it's equally impossible for the rich… and the poor and the middle class—for anyone!—to enter the kingdom of God on their own. Because God demands perfection, and because we can't keep his law perfectly, it simply cannot be done. The sins of pride and arrogance and self-righteousness, the sins of greed and the love of money, the sin of failing to give one's wealth back to the God who gave it—all these exclude one from the kingdom of God!

The disciples understood what Jesus was saying and were shocked! If it was that hard for someone to get into heaven—if it was that impossible for those who had the means to make pretty much anything else happen since they could pay for it to make it happen—well, then what about everyone else? Clearly, no one could do it! It was impossible! But… Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

 

Salvation is impossible for anyone on their own. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. As the angel Gabriel told Mary, who wondered how she, a virgin, could possibly give birth to a son, "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) And a virgin did conceive and give birth to a son. God became man. And that man did, not just the improbable, but the impossible all the time.

He did the impossible when he healed the sick and demon possessed. (cf. Mark 1:21ff.) He did the impossible when he cured the incurable diseases of leprosy and paralysis (cf. Mark 1:40-2:12). He did the impossible when he controlled the weather at his command (cf. Mark 4:35ff). He did the impossible when he raised the dead to life (cf. Mark 5:42). He did the impossible when he fed more than 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two small fish (cf. Mark 6:30ff). He did the impossible when he walked across the surface of an unfrozen lake (cf. Mark 6:45ff). Jesus did the impossible so often that he made people expect him to do the impossible.

In fact, the whole Christian faith—our faith—is built on "impossible" miracles. God came to earth to live as a man with human flesh that the immortal God-man could die. Now all sin is paid for by the blood he shed on the cross. The disease of our self-righteousness and self-trust is healed when faith is created in our dead, lifeless hearts of stone. What is by nature impossible—a person going to heaven (because he or she is less than perfect in sin)—is made possible—even certain!—in Jesus, who makes us perfect with his accomplished mission impossible.

It's been said that a man may get to heaven without riches, without honor, without learning, and without friends, but he cannot get there without Jesus. That is impossible. But dear friends, thank God we do have Jesus because in him, the impossible mission of entering heaven is more than possible. It is certain.

Now, dear friends, use your wealth to thank God. Use your riches as a tangible way to express your gratitude to God for all the gifts he's given you—the material wealth and the spiritual wealth that's yours. Take the time to plan your gifts to God, giving him, not what's left over in your budget, but, expressing your thanks to him for taking away your every sin—of pride and self-righteousness, of greed and materialism—set aside a portion of your wealth for him first. Give it regularly. Consider giving online with a recurring gift so you never miss a week even when you're away, so it comes out of your account automatically and it does come out first before you pay your other bills.

And then, as you give generously in thanks to God for making the impossible come true for you, then watch God do impossible things in the Kingdom with your gift. After all, just look at what impossible things he's already accomplished! He was perfect! He's made us perfect! And he will take us to heaven! Eagerly give what you have in thanks to your Savior who gave all that he had for you on the cross! 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

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Tuesday, October 18, 2016

​A Thrilling Encounter with God (A sermon based on Genesis 32:22-3​2)

Does it ever feel like you're in a wrestling match with God? Does it feel like he doesn't hear or answer your prayers? Do you get frustrated by the problems and pain he allows (or even sends!) into your life as he refuses to take it away? Then don't give up, but keep wrestling with God. Hold him to his promises and never let go. While God is certainly not obligated to do anything he hasn't promises, what he has promised, he must do. So hold him to it! Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Genesis 32:22-32 and rejoice that you get a thrilling encounter with God every day! 

A Thrilling Encounter with God

A sermon based on Genesis 32:22-3

​2

Sunday, October 16, 2016 – Pentecost 22C

 

When I was a kid I hated the WWF—The Worldwide Wrestling Federation. It wasn't that I had anything against the entertaining world of carefully choreographed wrestling or the witty lines written for the actors to scream into the cameras. No. I wasn't a fan because my big brother was. I wasn't a fan because my big brother and his friends were. And I wasn't a fan because they liked to practice the "sweet moves" they saw on TV on me. The cushions came off the couch to make the mat on the floor and the back of the couch became the top ropes from which they'd lead to do their soaring body slams. Those weren't my favorite childhood memories. J

But this morning we hear of a wrestling match that I think gave the biblical patriarch, Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, happy memories for the rest of his life. You see, he had a thrilling encounter with God—where God himself took on human flesh to wrestle with Jacob. And, incredible as it may sound, Jacob won! He overpowered the omnipotent God! What a remarkable feat! But when Jacob reflected on the event, it wasn't his victory that left him stunned. It was the fact that he saw God face to face, and yet, still lived!

This morning we're reminded that we too have wrestled with God. We've fought against him in our sin, in our pride, in our greed. And it was a foolish fight because there was no way that we could win. But as incredible as it may sound, we have overcome! We win in the struggle through Christ who won the wrestling match with sin, satan, and death for us. And we too have seen the face of God. We have seen his glory masked, not in flesh, but in the Word and in the Supper. Listen now to this thrilling encounter with God, recorded for us in Genesis 32:22-3

​2
… 


22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."

But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"

"Jacob," he answered.

28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."

But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.

 

I.     We Have Wrestled With God 

It had been a long time since he'd seen his brother—twenty years! And they didn't exactly part ways on good terms. Jacob had stolen his brother's inheritance by his deceit and Esau was determined to kill him for it. He would play the part of Cain and he would make his brother play the part of Abel.

Now, twenty years later, Jacob with his two wives, two concubines, eleven sons, and tons of wealth, was about to meet Esau again for the first time since their falling out. And he sent gifts to Esau ahead of him to try to smooth things over and calm his brother's vengeful wrath. And he did it at night, so he could sneak those things ahead without giving his brother warning. That way Esau would be pleasantly surprised by the gifts and perhaps forget about his blood lust. But in spite of his carefully thought out plan, that night sleep eluded Jacob. He was understandably nervous. Would Esau forgive? Or would he cling to his old hatred? Would he meet Jacob with a hug? Or with an army?

So Jacob determined to spend the night alone, no doubt in thought and in prayer. But what was that?! Did he see movement out of the corner of his eye? Then he saw the man rush him and before he could react he was tackled and knocked to the ground! And the wrestling match ensued…

Adrenaline must have flooded his system as Jacob fought like he'd never fought before. And Jacob had the upper hand. The attacker was relentless, but Jacob proved stronger… for a while. But the stranger knew powerful moves. Jacob heard a loud pop then felt the stabbing pain as his hip was dislocated, rendering one of his legs useless. He cried out in pain, but, at the same time, tightened his grip on the mysterious assailant. And his attacker finally cried, "Uncle!"

Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."

And in the conversation that ensued, the mystery man revealed who he was…

Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 

Wow! Can you imagine it—wrestling, not just with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or with Arnold Schwarzenegger, not with an angel from heaven, or even with the devil, but with the most powerful being in the universe—with God himself?!

Of course, God could have won the contest in a fraction of a second if he had really wanted to win. But that wasn't his goal. Like the struggle God gave Abraham when he asked him to kill his own son, or the struggle Jesus gave the Canaanite woman when he called her a dog and said his food—his healing—was for the Jews, so God gave Jacob this struggle to strengthen his faith.

You see, in the midst of the physical struggle was a greater, spiritual, struggle. Jacob was afraid for his life as he was about to meet Esau. And in that fear was a doubt about his relationship with God. Did God still favor him? Would God still bless all people through him? Would God still be with him? Or had God maybe changed his mind? After all, Jacob, had been a deceiver (that's what the name Jacob means, "Heel-grabber," or "Deceitful One."). He had relied on his own plotting and scheming instead of waiting patiently for God to act in his own time and way. He had sinned against God—and often. So now would God reject him and favor Esau instead? Would God allow Esau to kill him and give the promise to his twin instead of to him?

But Jacob, or rather, Israel, struggled with God and overcame. In the middle of that wrestling match he must have thought back to two decades earlier. While running away from his murderous brother, he spent another night outdoors. And with a rock as a pillow he had a dream of an angel-covered staircase. And God himself spoke to Jacob in that dream. He said, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)

And as he was wondering about Esau's demeanor, as he was wrestling in prayer with God, even as he was being attacked—by God himself!—he clung to the promise given to him twenty years earlier at the place he called Bethel—"The House of God." And by clinging to God's promises, Jacob—now Israel (which means, "Struggles with God," or even, "Conqueror of God") won! He won the struggle with God! 

We can't help but see similarities between us and Jacob, can we? We too struggle with God. And often that struggle is a fight that we start, not God. We pick a fight with him every time we choose our ways over his. We challenge him every time we sin. And how stupid it is! You wouldn't pick a fight with a biker gang, would you? You wouldn't insult a group of marines and invite them all to step outside! You wouldn't dare challenge Mike Tyson to a boxing match! But we still choose to scream our defiance into the face of the omnipotent God every time we sin. And you know that that's a fight that we could never win. We deserve to be thrown down—to be body slammed and tossed out of the ring of this life and into an eternity of pain in the emergency room of hell.

But God engages in the struggle with us. He wrestles with us. He allows—even causes—problems and pain to enter our lives to humble us and draw us closer to him. He may not pop your hip out of socket. Or he may. He may let constant physical pain enter your life to lead you to repent of your sin or just to focus on the pain-free eternity that awaits you. He may let the consequences of your selfish actions devastate your life to lead you to quit doing things your own way.

But when we see the folly of our way and feel the guilt of our sin, God doesn't want us to quit the struggle. He wants us to cling to him by faith in his promises. He wants us to hold him to the promises he's made to us and never let go!

You see, just as the wrestling match wasn't the real struggle for Jacob, but the spiritual wrestling he did with God, so too, the financial problems, the broken relationship, the pending layoffs, the doctor's diagnosis… none of those are the real struggle. The real struggle is wrestling with God as we hold him to his promises. He allows those other, physical struggles to come into our lives in order to strengthen our faith by them.

He wants us to say to him, "God, you have promised that, 'Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [us] to [you].' (1 Peter 3:18) Therefore, I know that Jesus has paid for my sin. God, you have promised that, 'If we confess our sins, [you are] faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' (1 John 1:9)

Therefore, you must forgive me. For you cannot go back on your promises! God, you promised that you will work all things—even this trial, this struggle, this pain I'm now facing—for my eternal good. (cf. Romans 8:28) So you must do it—even if I can't see how. And you promised 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 [your love] that is [ours through] Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8:38-39) So, you have to be with me through this struggle and you have to help me."

And when we cling to God's promises, refusing to let go until he blesses us, we will win in the end. Then we can be Israels—those who struggle with God and overcome! And, of course, this victory is not won by our own strength in any way, but by God's grace alone. And he lets us wrestle with him and hold him to his promises because he knows that by that struggle our faith will become stronger.

So do as the widow in our Gospel lesson did and keep coming to God with your plea, holding him to his promises. Cry out to him night and day. Wrestle with him in prayer. And know that as you hold God to what he's promises, you too will overcome.

 

II.    We Have Seen God's Face 

Now, notice that while Jacob won a wrestling match with the almighty, all-powerful, omnipotent God who created the universe and has the power to create or end life with a single word, what left Jacob in awe was not his victory in that contest, but that he actually stood in the presence of God and still lived: Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

You see, a few generations later, God told Jacob's ancestor, Moses, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20) For God is a holy and righteous God. And sinful mankind ought to be consumed by the power of his glory. We ought to melt in the presence of God like wax in a furnace. We ought to be annihilated like a piece of paper in a fire.

Yet, Jacob, sinner that he was, saw God face to face, and yet lived. Of course, God had to actually hide himself behind a mask of flesh for that happen. He had to appear to Jacob as a man and not in his full glory for Jacob to survive the encounter. But God appeared to him and intervened in his life to reassure him of his love, of his care, and that he had not and would not renege on his promises to Jacob.

 And again, we can't help but see the similarities between Jacob and us. We too have seen God and stood in his presence. Oh, he may not have appeared to you or me in human form and interacted with us in that way. But, then again, who knows? Maybe he has and we just thought he was another sinner just like us. Maybe he has appeared to us in flesh. After all he says in Hebrews 13(:2), "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." And if we have encountered angels without knowing it, thinking they were people, what's to say we haven't encountered God in human form as well? I don't know.

But what I do know is that we most definitely have encountered God. And in a sense, we too have seen him face to face. Of course, God hides behinds masks for us today too so that we aren't consumed by his glory. But behind the mask of the Word, we see God more clearly than Jacob ever did. We see the glory of his plan of salvation through Jesus—a sight Jacob longed for, but only saw from a remote distance. Masked in bread and in wine, we not only see Jesus, but hold him in our hands and in our mouths as he comes to each of us individually to assure us that we are forgiven and so, even thought we have sinned, with our sin removed, we too can see God face to face and yet have our lives spared.

In fact, it is because we have seen God face to face—that we have seen him in his Word and held him in our hands and in our mouths—that we are spared. By his grace in coming to us in Word and Sacrament we will live! What a thrilling encounter we have with God all the time!

So don't make this thrilling encounter an occasional marvel. Make it a regular occurrence as you meet God in the Sacrament as often as you can. Make it a weekly occurrence as you meet God in worship. Make it a daily occurrence as you meet God—face to face!—in his Word!

 As Jacob left that thrilling encounter with God, he left with a reminder of that event. "The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip." Now I don't know if his hip healed shortly after that event, but I like to think that that limp remained with Jacob for the rest of his life as a daily reminder of this thrilling encounter with God, as a daily reminder that he could always trust God's promises to be true, as a daily reminder that, "[God was] with [him] and [would] watch over [him] wherever [he went]…" that God would "not leave [him] until [he had] done what [he had] promised [to Jacob].." (Genesis 28:15) And Jacob lived to be 147 years old! (cf. Genesis 47:28) I like to think that he limped all the way to Egypt!

Now, as much of a blessing that limp must have been with its daily reminder of God's grace, don't make God resort to sending you chronic physical pain to be your reminder. But find your daily reminder of God's great grace to you, not just in the physical scars on your body and emotional scars left on your soul by the trials and pains you've overcome by God's grace, but find your daily reminder of God's grace to you especially in his Word and at the altar. And remember how you too have wrestled with God and have overcome! Remember how you too have seen God face to face, and yet, because you have, you are spared. Find a new thrilling encounter with God every day in his Word! 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, October 10, 2016

You Will Be Swept Away (A sermon based on 1 Samuel 12:20-25)

After dinner, it's usually someone's job in our family to sweep the floor. We sweep up all the food that fell and all the dirt that got tracked in and put it in the trash. God warns that because of the dirt of our sin, we deserve to be swept away and tossed into hell. But because of his great love for us, he doesn't reject his people, but instead sweeps our sins away through Jesus. Now we are swept off our feet by his grace and love and are eager to live for him in thanks in all that we do. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on 1 Samuel 12:20-24 and be swept away! 

You Will Be Swept Away

A sermon based on 1 Samuel 12:20-25

Sunday, October 9, 2016 – Pentecost 21C

 

As they were pulling in the crab pots, a powerful storm kicked up, the likes of which none of the crew had ever seen before. But they weren't paid to sit safely in the cabin, but to do their job. So they kept at it struggling against the waves that crashed onto deck. But it wasn't long before a huge wave the size of a wall crashed across the deck, taking the legs out from under the men. As they regained their footing, the crew looked around and each man noticed that they were now one short. The wave didn't just sweep them off their feet, it swept one man out to sea. And there was nothing they could do. They knew that he would never be found…

They call it the "Deadliest Catch" for a reason. I'm sure that most if not all of you have seen the "Seafarer's Memorial" at the end of the Homer Spit, built in memory of the countless fishermen who have been swept away into the sea never to be found again.

That's the picture that God paints for us this morning through his prophet, Samuel. The people demanded that God give them a king and no longer rule over them himself through the voice of the prophets. And God surrendered to their will. He gave his people a king. And at the inauguration of their first king, Saul, the prophet Samuel gave a speech. He warned the people to turn away from idols and to turn to the Lord. If they wouldn't heed his warning, but continued to persist in their evil instead, they would be swept away—not just to Davey Jones' locker, but to Satan's—never to be found again. But he also offered them comfort: If they would turn to the Lord, he would not reject his people.

And in Samuel's speech, we too find a warning: Turn from the Lord and be swept away. But we also find great comfort: Turn to the Lord and swept off your feet by his love and grace. Our text for today is a portion of Samuel's speech at the inauguration of King Saul, recorded for us in 1 Samuel 12:20-24…

 

20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

 

I.     Turn from the Lord and Be Swept Away 

The Israelites saw the nations around them and how they seemed to prosper. They noticed that what all the other nations had that they lacked was a king. And so they thought that if they were to thrive as a nation, they too needed a king, not just prophets speaking for God, but one man around whom they could rally. This would make their nation strong. This would solve their problems.

But Samuel warned that a new king wouldn't magically make things better for the people of Israel. In fact, they would be worse off if they rallied around a king but forgot the Lord.

Of course it can be tempting for us to think too that a new president will make life better in our lives too, which is why everyone gets all worked up over the elections this year. But you know that's still true that while things might be better for a short time, it makes no difference who rules the nation if its citizens forget about the Lord.

So Samuel shifted the responsibility from the new king to each individual citizen, on each person, to turn from evil, to do what is right, and to serve the Lord. This was (and still is) the only solution to the problems we have as individuals, and the problems we have as a nation. It was a call to repentance—to turn from their evil ways and back to the Lord.

Little Johnny ran away from home. He had broken a window with his baseball and his dad was going to make him pay from his own allowance to have it replaced! And Johnny thought that was no fair! So he packed up some clothes, his baseball glove, and some snacks from the pantry and ran away from home. But soon it started raining, then pouring, then he saw the lighting and heard the thunder and thought maybe, just maybe, he'd go back home.

That's sort of what it was like for Israel. They sinned against God, they rejected him. And when God disciplined them for it, they were angry with him and ran away from him. But, of course, they soon found out that they were not better off, but far worse. But still they weren't sure they wanted to come home. They were sitting outside in the thunderstorm and they were in danger of worse things to come—of hell.

Friends, you and I are often like those Israelites. We don't serve the Lord with all of our hearts. And too often we "…turn away after useless idols… [which] do you no good… [and] are useless." Literally, "Empty things that cannot profit or deliver." Oh, we may not bow down to carved statues, offer our children as burnt offerings, or visit shrine prostitutes. But don't we often worship money, more excited over our PFD's than over Bible Class? Don't we often offer our children to sports instead of Sunday School? Don't we too look for deliverance from our problems by escaping in a bottle, in mind-numbing entertainment, or in the thrill of an outdoor adventure, instead of in the Lord?

Let's face it. We have done evil. We have turned from the Lord. We have run away from him. And Samuel's warning is as good for us today as it was back then: "If you persist in doing evil, both you and your king"—or, I guess in our case, president"will be swept away." That's what we deserve: to be swept away, never to be found again. And again, he doesn't just mean being swept away to Davey Jones' locker, but to satan's—to an eternity of being lost forever in hell.

But friends, today, listen to Samuel's warning. Don't just hear it, but listen to it. Heed it! Don't turn from the Lord anymore! Don't run away from him! But turn away from your sin—whatever it might be. Turn to the Lord! Run to him! For when you do, "the Lord will not reject his people…"

 

II.    Turn to the Lord and Be Swept Off Your Feet 

Little Johnny was soaked to the bone. He was cold. He was scared. And when the thunder crashed again and again, he made up his mind. He ran toward home as fast as his little legs would carry him. But when he got to the front porch, he stopped. Would his dad let him home? Or would he leave him out in the cold? Was his dad angry with him for running away? Would he only get punished more? What if dad wouldn't let him in?

But of course dad did open the door and stepped on to the porch himself. Johnny got ready for a scolding, but was surprised when his dad fell to his knees and wrapped little Johnny in a giant bear hug, instantly warming Johnny and easing his fear. Then dad took him inside, helped Johnny dry off, and got him a big mug of steaming hot chocolate. He even put a generous amount of marshmallows in the mug.

Of course, loving parents don't stop loving their children even when they sin. They're saddened by the sin, disappointed by the sin, and in love, must punish the sin, but they don't forsake their kids and disown them. They don't stop loving them. That's how God is with his children too.

Even though the Israelites had rejected God and run away from him, Samuel told them, "Do not be afraid… For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own."

Friends, when we repent of our rebellion, stop running from God and instead turn to him… when we approach him with a simple, but genuine, "I'm sorry for what I've done," "the Lord will not reject [us]." Instead, he wraps his arms around us, assures us again that he loves us, that he forgives us, and that his love isn't based on our behavior, but is always there because that is who he is and "because the Lord was pleased to make you his own."

Through baptism and through the faith given you by the Holy Spirit, he has made you his own son or daughter. He has taught you the way that is good and right. He has taught you about Jesus: the Way and the Truth and the Life. He has taught you that for the sake of his great name and for the sake of Jesus who lived a perfect life in your place—never rebelling against the Father—who died an innocent death on a cross for you—taking your rebellion and all your evil away… For his sake, you are not swept away by God's rather. Rather, your sins are swept away—as far as the east is from the west—never to be found again! For his sake, you are forgiven. You are brought into his embrace, reassured of his love, and kept safe in his arms.

So don't be afraid! But, did you notice that even though Samuel began his speech with, "Do not be afraid," in verse 20, later in verse 24 he says, "But be sure to fear the Lord"? Isn't that a contradiction? Doesn't he negate what he said at first? Which does he want us to do? "Not be afraid"? Or fear the Lord?

Well, you probably already know the answer. But other verses make it clear what it means to "fear the Lord." For example, Psalm 112:1 says, "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands." Of course in this sense "fear of the Lord" isn't terror, but reverence and awe, delighting in God and longing to serve him.

You see, when we "consider what great things he has done for [us]," when we are certain of his love for us in Christ, when we are assured of his full forgiveness for every one of our sins, when we know that we aren't rejected by the Lord, but will be welcomed into his heaven… well, then his love and his grace sweeps us off our feet. We're swept away by his love, and eager to serve him as we return our love to him.

So, "serve the Lord with all your heart…" You can start by learning "the way that is good and right…" "As for me… I will teach you the way that is good and right."

So come and hear it. Come to worship as often as you can. Come to Bible class to learn more. Learn what others teach as you read your Bible's study notes, a book of Meditations, or a daily email devotion. And as you learn more and more, and daily "consider what great things he has done," you will daily be swept off your feet again and again and fall madly in love with your Savior. Then you'll be eager to run to him in every need and always "be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart…"

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." And I will pray for you, friends. I'll pray that God would not sweep you away in his wrath, but would sweep you off your feet by his grace and love every day, so that you, in turn, might "fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart…" 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

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Monday, October 3, 2016

We Live By Faith in the Gospel (A sermon based on Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:2-4)

"No fair!" the child cried when his sibling got the bigger slice! "No fair!" cried the employee when he was passed over for a promotion again! "No fair!" cried Habakkuk when he saw all of the violence and injustice he saw in Jerusalem. And when things don't seem fair, we're quick to cry foul to God. "Why don't you stop these injustices?! Why do you tolerate such wickedness?!" In this week's sermon, God gives an answer to his people when they cry out for justice. He reminds us to wait patiently for his deliverance. For is is surely coming. We who live in New Testament times have seen the deliverance from sin that he's brought us through Jesus' perfect life and innocent death. We've seen the deliverance from death that he will bring in his resurrection. So we can wait patiently for his final deliverance putting our trust in his gracious promises, not just in what our eyes see. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Habakkuk 1:1-3 & 2:2-4 (or watch the entire service at www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast) and be encouraged to live by faith in the Gospel...


We Live By Faith in the Gospel

A sermon based on Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:2-4

Sunday, October 2, 2016 – Pentecost 20C


A doctor was once wrongly accused of murdering his wife. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. But on the way to the prison he escaped when the prison bus crashed. Determined to clear his name and find out who murdered his wife, he ran from the law. And even though he was relentlessly pursued by a U.S. Marshal who would stop at nothing until he was behind bars again, the doctor's determination and ingenuity soon produced results. He found the real murderer and the evidence to clear his name. And in the end, justice was restored.

But, that's in the movies. Sure Dr. Richard Kimble of the The Fugitive finally found the one armed man and got his freedom back. But what about in real life? What about those who really are wrongfully accused while the real guilty party goes free because of a minor technicality? What about those who never see the happy ending to the cruel injustices of life that always come at the end of a movie? It doesn't always work out after two hours. At times there is no justice.

And perhaps the big questions that such injustices lead us to ask are: Why does God let it happen? Why does he seem to ignore injustice? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the wicked always seem to prosper? Why does a loving God allow evil to happen?

Really, these questions aren't new to us today. The prophet Habakkuk asked the same questions around 600 BC. And the answers he received from God were perhaps surprising, but shed some light on his situation. And the answers he received hold true for us today.

In our text for this morning God reminds Habakkuk and us that we can rest peacefully in the midst of wickedness, injustice and turmoil, because we live by faith in the gospel. We can trust that God will grant relief in spite of appearances to the contrary because we have God's assurance in his Word. Listen to Habakkuk's complaint and God's response recorded for us in Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:2-4… 

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received. 2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds…  

2 …Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith.

 

I.     In Spite of Appearance (1:1-3)

 

Habakkuk had a problem. He had difficulty understanding why God, who had revealed himself as a just and holy God, would allow so much violence, destruction and strife to be carried out among his own people? Why did he tolerate it? It seemed as if either (1) God didn't realize it was happening, (2) he didn't care it was happening, or (3) he had no power to stop it from happening.

Habakkuk was confused. It didn't seem this was the all-powerful perfectly loving God he had learned about. So he voiced his complaint to God. He boldly prayed to him… "2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?"

But Habakkuk received an answer he didn't expect. God told him in the rest of chapter one that he wouldn't tolerate the injustice for long. God would soon send the Babylonian Empire to wipe out all the wicked in Judah. But this answer presented a new problem for Habakkuk. How could God use an even more wicked nation to punish Judah?! Where was the justice in that?!

So he made another complaint before God and God told him, "Don't worry. They'll get theirs too. Their wickedness will also be punished." This brought Habakkuk hope. But he still wondered, "How long, Lord?" And God responded to Habakkuk again…

2 Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Though it appeared that God ignored the violence and dismissed justice, Habakkuk needed to be patient. God would destroy the wicked in Judah by the Babylonians. God would destroy the Babylonians for their wickedness as well, just… not yet. In spite of appearances, Habakkuk could trust in the Lord. He would bring about deliverance from the wicked and from their enemies in his time.

 

Does it sometimes seem to you that God is ignoring your prayer? Does it seem that he is slow to act? Slow to end wickedness? Often times, from our limited human perspective, it seems as if God is not in control of all things, that he's not directing the course of history in a way that's right. "Why," we might ask, "does he allow terrorists to destroy people's lives?" "Why does he permit murder and rape, abortion, depression, broken hearts and broken dreams?"

But the truth is we can't blame God for the evil that's in the world. God created all things perfectly. The reason things are less than perfect now is because of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God's command in the Garden of Eden the world has been corrupt and full of sin. James 4:1 asks, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" It is our sinful human nature that causes the injustices of this world. But the question remains, "Why does God allow sin?"

It sometimes appears that God doesn't care about injustice because he does permit sin to continue. But the reason God allows sin is out of love.

"Wait a second!" one might object, "How can it be loving to allow sin?" But the truth is that if God were to carry out his justice swiftly he would destroy us all. He tells us in Romans that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And if we examine our own lives honestly, we realize we too have fallen short of the perfection God demands. We haven't always loved God with our whole heart. We haven't always loved his Word. Basically, in our human nature, we're completely selfish, seeking to serve ourselves more than others, loving us more than God. Really, bad things don't happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. What we all rightfully deserve is eternal torment forever in hell.

But God in his grace doesn't give us what we deserve. He is patient with us. Out of love he sent his only Son. And he placed on that only Son every one of our sins. Jesus paid our debt in full. Jesus suffered the hell that we deserve. Now, in love, God patiently gives us a time to put our trust in him. But a time is coming when it will be too late… "3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

 

II.    With God's Assurance (2:2-4)

 

When we stop to think about God's justice, it can be a frightening thing. Even though it lingers and seems slow in coming, we all deserve to face God's wrath and it certainly will come. But God meant for his coming judgment to be a comfort to Habakkuk. He wanted Habakkuk to write the message so clearly that all would see it and understand it. God didn't mumble his response, but told it plainly with clarity so they could run and share it. God told Habakkuk…

"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith.

Habakkuk may have first wondered if God would bring justice. After hearing God's first response, he was no doubt certain that punishment would come on the wicked. But now he may well have wondered who God's wrath was aimed at.

Here in verse four, God makes it clear that this message was to be a comfort to Habakkuk. He said, referring to the King of Babylon and his nation as a whole, "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright." A time was coming soon when this prophecy would be fulfilled. Only a few years later in 586 BC the Babylonians did destroy Judah. They captured Jerusalem and carried its wicked inhabitants into captivity. But the Lord's prophecy was fulfilled again when 70 years later the Persians destroyed the Babylonians, punishing them for their wickedness, and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland.

But like so many prophecies of the Old Testament, these prophecies have multiple fulfillments. Though they waited for a long time, God spoke of an appointed time that did not prove false. Though the fulfillment lingered, it certainly did come. These prophecies were fulfilled again almost 600 years later when God took care of Israel's greatest enemies—not the wicked living among them, not the Babylonians and the Persians, but Satan… their own sin… Hell…

In Habakkuk 2:3 where it's translated, "it will certainly come and will not delay," the Hebrew literally says, "The one coming will come and he will not delay." When the appointed time did come, God sent his Son without delay. Christ died on the cross, enduring the full wrath of God, and paid the price owed for every sin. He won forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all people, destroying the power of the devil and rescuing us from hell. Now, as Habakkuk wrote, "the righteous will live by his faith…"

This phrase in Habakkuk 2:4 is one of the most frequently quoted Old Testament verses found in the New Testament. In Galatians 3:11 Paul writes, "11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.'" In Romans 1:17 he writes, "17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" The author to the Hebrews refers to Christ's second coming on Judgment Day when he will finally put an end to all wickedness and evil once and for all. He writes, "37 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith." (Hebrews 10:37-38)

A young catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther, was constantly plagued by his sins. He was troubled by his guilty conscience before a just and holy God. He knew his best actions and kindest deeds could never make up for his sins, they could never appease God's wrath. He once accurately described it, "To oppose God's wrath with our good works is like trying to extinguish a fire by throwing straw on it." Riddled by guilt, he was close to despair.

But one day, by the grace of God, he found the verse in Romans 3 (verse 28) which reads, "a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law." And when he did, he was overjoyed! He later wrote, "Then the whole Scripture was opened to me and heaven itself. Immediately, I felt as if born anew, as if I had found the open gate of paradise!" He knew that it was by grace he had been saved, not from himself, not from his works, but as a gift of God. And heaven itself was indeed open to Luther. It is open to all people through Christ.

Because Jesus took our sins on himself and suffered the hell we deserve, because Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and credited that perfection to us, because he sent his Holy Spirit to bring us to trust in God's certain promises, we will live. Eternal life in heaven is ours! The very gates of paradise are open!

To be sure, our salvation doesn't change the evil we face in this life. It doesn't take away our every problem. But like a pair of glasses, it helps us bring everything into focus. Whatever injustices or wickedness we face in this life, whatever violence or strife, whatever conflict or destruction, they won't matter at all one hundred years from now. We know that God's promises will hold true. Though they may linger, they certainly will come. So we patiently endure, sure of God's future deliverance and an eternity of glory forever with him. For we know that "the righteous will live by… faith." 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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