Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Dying Word (A sermon based on Luke 23:46)

How committed are you? To your job? To your family? To your God? Sadly we break our commitments to God all the time. And we ought to be committed in another sense for our crazy rebellion; we ought to be committed to hell. But because our Savior was so committed to rescuing us he went to hell on a cross for us. And having completed his mission, he committed his soul into his Father's hands. Now, thanks to Jesus, we can commit our souls to God too. And we commit our lives to him in thanks right now. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 23:46, hear our Savior's dying word and his commitment to you, then be encouraged to recommit yourself to him.  

The Dying Word

A sermon based on Luke 23:46

Sunday, March 25, 2018 – Palm Sunday

 

"He should be committed." That phrase can have pretty different meanings, depending on the context, can't it? "He should be committed to the job. He loves the work and it pays well." "He should be committed to the team and spend less time with his girlfriend." "That guy's a few cards short of a full deck. I think he's lost his marbles and should be committed… to an asylum." "That guy belongs in a straightjacket. He should be committed to a padded cell."

Today we talk about commitment. We should be committed to serving a God who's done nothing but love us. But we're so crazy that we rebel against him to our own harm again and again. And we should be committed to a cell for eternity.

But… Jesus was committed. We see that again this Palm Sunday as he willingly rode in to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to carry out the mission that he was committed to fulfilling. And once he did fulfill that mission, he committed his spirit to the Father, knowing everything was complete. That's the sixth word or phrase that Jesus spoke from the cross and our text for this morning found in Luke 23:46…

 

46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 

We should be committed to God. But we're not. And it's crazy how often we rebel.

A wife ought to be committed to a rich and good looking husband that's done nothing but love and serve her. She would be crazy to cheat on him! A husband ought to be committed to a rich and good looking wife that's done nothing but love and serve him. He would be crazy to cheat on her!

And what has our God done for us? He humbled himself. He "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:7-8)

Why did he do it? "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Jesus has done nothing but love us, serve us, make us rich! And we should be totally committed to him in return. But we're not. We cheat on him… again… and again. We're not committed to him. We don't commit our spirits to God in obedience. We don't humble ourselves to serve him and others. We don't commit our lives to him. We don't commit our time to him. We don't commit our souls to him, fearing, loving, trusting him above all things.

We're like a cheating spouse. And it's not a one-time thing. It's habitual. We're not in our right mind, but driven by our mad sinful nature. And for our lack of commitment, for our crazy infidelity, we ought to be committed... not to a cell, but to hell, not to an asylum, but to the abyss.

But… in spite of our lack of commitment to God, we aren't forsaken by him, but held in his loving hands. How? Through Jesus. Jesus was committed to his mission. In Isaiah 50(:6-7) a prophecy about Jesus has him say, "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame." And that's what Jesus did: He set his face like flint. Like stone, he could not be moved from his mission, no matter what the cost.

So he rode in Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed burro knowing full well what would happen on Thursday and Friday. He willingly rode to his death, that he could carried our sins on his back just as the donkey carried him. He offered his back to be beaten, his face to be mocked and spit in. He willingly endured the torture and crucifixion, the agony of the asylum of hell, separated from the Father. What committed love he showed to you and me! It almost seems crazy!

Nevertheless, he was that committed that he would go through hell to rescue us. And even though he was forsaken by the Father, he knew it would end in a wonderful reunion. So his dying word was, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

This is a quote from Psalm 31. One commentary said that this Psalm was frequently used as a Jewish bedtime prayer. I immediately thought of "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" where we commit our souls to the Lord: "I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

That's, essence, what Jesus prayed as his last word on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And how fitting Psalm 31 was in that case. Here's a little more of that Psalm:

10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side!" They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, "You are my God." 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me…

22 In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

 Though Jesus was forsaken by the Father and cut off from him in that hell on the cross that won our forgiveness, now, with his mission complete, he was rescued. Now, with his mission complete, he could commit his spirit to his Father's loving hands once more. He could pray the Lord his soul to take. Now, with his mission complete, we are forgiven. And we won't be committed to the hell that we deserve.

And because we're not committed to hell, we can pray "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" with confidence and commit our souls to him, in our sleep, even in our death. The confidence Jesus displayed on the cross in this word is the same confidence we have in his work completed for us. And so we can boldly say,

"Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God… My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me…" (Psalm 31:5,15) We can pray that boldly, confident that he will keep us in his care, no matter what we're going through, no matter what enemies pursue us, no matter what challenges we face. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…" (Psalm 23) I can pray with confidence, "I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

And because we're not committed to hell and can commit our souls to him, just as Jesus committed his spirit to the Father, we are committed to Jesus. One version of "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" adds the line, "If I should live for many days, I pray the Lord would guide my ways." And so we commit our souls to Jesus, but we also commit our lives to him in thanks for all he's done for us.

Like a devoted spouse, we long most to please him. And we recommit ourselves to him. We commit our time to him. We commit our energy to him. We commit our gifts and abilities to his service. We commit our money to him—not just some of it, but using it all to his glory. We commit our bodies to him, just as he's committed his body to us in the Lord's Supper. We commit our lives to serve his cause, in thanks for the truth that we can commit our souls to his eternal care.

And as we do, well… forget Allstate! You're in good hands in God's hands because you know "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) And should you ever doubt it, just look to the cross again. And see how committed he was to the cause of rescuing us from being committed to hell. Then recommit your souls to him, and recommit your lives to him who gave his life for you. 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

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

Monday, March 19, 2018

The Suffering Word (A sermon based on John 19:28-29)

Thirsty? Go get something to drink! Unfortunately, Jesus didn't have that option as he hung on the cross. Ironically, the one who is the Living Water was dehydrated and thirsty as he hung there dying. But he was thirsty for us. He was thirsty so he could quench our thirst for righteousness. He was thirsty so we could be with him in heaven where there will be no more hunger or thirst. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on John 19:28-29 and rejoice in the suffering word...

The Suffering Word

A sermon based on John 19:28-29

Sunday, February 18, 2018 – Lent 5B

 

Okay, we're going to start this morning with a pop quiz: You know that in the Gospel of John, Jesus repeated says, "I am," followed by a title that describes who he is and what he's come to do. They are popularly called the "7 I Am Statements" (much like the 7 Words of the Cross). So here's the quiz. Work together as a team and see how many of the 7 you can get. Shout it out when you've got one. I'll check it off here when you get it. Go…

 

1.      I am the Bread of Life / the Bread that came down from Heaven (John 6:35,48,51)

2.      I am the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)

3.      I am the Gate (for the Sheep) (John 10:7,9)

4.      I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)

5.      I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

6.      I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) (And that only counts as 1 statement.) J

7.      I am the Vine / the True Vine (John 15:1,5)

 

Those are the "7 I Am Statements of Jesus." (And if you didn't catch them all, no worries. You can look at this sermon again when I email it out later this week or catch it on Facebook. Review again those seven statements and ponder the message Jesus conveys in each.)

But of course, there are lots of other times Jesus says, "I am," in the Gospel of John. To the woman at the well he said, "I am he" that is, the Messiah. (John 4:26). When he walked on the water spooking his disciples, his words of comfort are literally, "I am; fear not." (John 6:20) And I believe the culmination of John's theme is found in John 18 when Jesus asked his captors who they were there to arrest. They said "Jesus of Nazareth," to which Jesus replied, "I AM." And as soon as he said, "I AM," they were all knocked to the ground by some unseen force.

In all of the "I am statements" Jesus powerfully declares who he is and what he came to do. But today we get another "I am" statement (at least in the English translation it's "I am…"), that is so different from all the rest. It's not a bold proclamation of what Jesus came to do, but it's a word of suffering spoken in the midst of agony and pain. Nevertheless, it is an important "I am," that does proclaim who Jesus is and what he came to do: to fulfill all of the prophecies about him and to bear our burden on the cross. The fifth word or phrase that Jesus spoke from the cross is found in John 19:28-29…

 

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

 

How ironic, isn't it, that the One who is the Living Water was himself thirsty? How ironic that the one who made water come out of a rock in the wilderness, was now dehydrated. How ironic that he who said, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink…" (John 7:37) now relies on pagan soldiers to offer him a drink. How ironic that he who turned water into the best wine to refresh some thirsty wedding guests, now got soured wine to quench his thirst. How ironic that he who created the streams and rivers and lakes and oceans and seas by the power of his Word, now speaks this word: "I am thirsty."

Why? Why did he who made the waters of the earth become thirsty? Why was his mouth dried up like an old broken piece of pottery? Why did his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth? (cf. Psalm 22:15) Well, we confess it so often and we'll say it again in a few minutes: "For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried." (Nicene Creed, 2nd Article)


He became man—so very human that he was thirsty—in order to rescue us from our thirst. "What thirst?" you ask. The thirst to be right with God. All of us are born with a conscience that clearly testifies to each of us that we have sinned against our Maker. We all inherently know that we deserve punishment from him. We know we deserve to be laid in the dust of death and that we deserve to be eternally parched in the dusty, dry torment of hell.

This thirst for righteousness is in every person's soul. It's the guilt that gnaws at us for what we've done. It's the shame that keeps us awake at night. It's the cause of the terror people have at the thought of death.

Now, there are only one of two ways we can deal with that thirst. We can try to suppress it and pretend that it's not there, ironically, using drink (or drug or hobby or TV or work—anything that will distract and numb the pain and suppress the terror) to try to quiet the conscience and silence the guilt.

That's why, I suspect, the soldiers had the sour wine with them. They didn't have anything top shelf. They weren't sipping to savor the flavor. They just wanted something strong to dull the pain—the pain of humanity that required executions, the pain of torturing another human to death, perhaps even the pain of a guilty conscience in torturing an innocent man to death.

Of course, it doesn't work. It never does. It can't. No drink or drug or any other distraction can silence the haunting conscience. It can't silence the innate knowledge that we deserve hell. So, we'd better try the other way of dealing with that thirst: Let's admit it. Let's openly confess that we are all, "by nature sinful, and that [we] have disobeyed [God] in [our] thoughts, words, and actions. [We] have done what is evil and failed to do what is good." Let's honestly admit that, "For this [we] deserve [God's] punishment both now and in eternity."

But let's not stop there. Let's also admit that "[We are] truly sorry for [our] sins," and turn to God for help: "Trusting in [our] Savior Jesus Christ, [Let's] pray: Lord, have mercy on [us], [poor] sinner[s]."

And that's exactly why the Living Water was thirsty: to have mercy on us, poor sinners. For us the one who made water come out of a rock in the wilderness, was now dehydrated. For us he who said, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink…" (John 7:37) relied on pagan soldiers to offer him a drink. For us he who turned water into the best wine to refresh some thirsty wedding guests, now got soured wine to quench his thirst. For us he who created the streams and rivers and lakes and oceans and seas by the power of his Word, said, "I am thirsty." And for us Jesus drank the cup of suffering that his Father gave him to drink. (cf. Luke 22:42)

For us he lived a perfect life. For us he suffered the shame of the cross. For us he endured the agony of hell. And for us his life was poured out as a drink offering. (Cf. Philippians 2:7)

And the result? Our thirst is quenched just as Jesus promised, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6) "Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) And our thirst will be eternally quenched as he promised through John: "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:16-17)

And our response to the Living Water? We will gladly give a cup of cold water to a thirsty believer to show our thanks to him. (Cf. Matthew 10:42) We will gladly give a thirsty enemy something to drink, regardless of how they respond, just to show our Savior's love. (Cf. Romans 12:20) We will gladly set the table, even if it's not "my turn," we'll pour the milk and clear the dishes too. We'll gladly serve our family and take our spouse a cup of coffee in the morning. We'll serve our neighbor, refreshing them with a literal cup of water or with a smile and a kind word. And we'll look for every opportunity to refresh them with the Living Water. Invite your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers to worship with us this Easter. Let them be refreshed by the Living Water who thirsted for them and promised that they who drink of him will thirst no more.

And one day soon the King will say to you and to me: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For… I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:34-35,40) 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

Monday, March 12, 2018

The Compassionate Word (A sermon based on John 19:26-27)

It's not fun to be separated from those we love. But that's often the case, not just literally, when business or travel causes us to part ways, but we're figuratively separated when sin drives a wedge between us. Sometimes death separates us from those we love. Mary was separated from her son, Jesus, and John was separated from his best friend because of sin and death. But by his death on the cross, Jesus removed the sin that drives a wedge between us and God and he put us into a new family. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on John 19:26-27 and thank God for his compassionate word...

The Compassionate Word

A sermon based on John 19:26-27

Sunday, March 11, 2018 – Lent 4

 

Can you imagine the pain of suddenly losing someone that you love, who is so close to you that that person's death would be nothing short of devastating? Maybe that person is a parent, a child, a sibling? Maybe it's a best friend, a spouse, someone you can open up to and share your heart with, knowing they'll really listen without judging or condemning you? What would you do if you lost that person, that friend, that family?

Today, as we examine the fourth word or phrase that our dying Savior spoke from the cross, we hear a word of compassion spoken to his family—a word spoken to his mother, a word spoken to his best friend. And in that word of compassion our Savior made a new family when their loved one (Jesus) was being taken away from them. And he does the same for us still. When we were separated from God and from his family, Jesus brought us into his family by his sacrifice for us. When we were separated from each other because of our sin, he brought us together at the foot of the cross. Our text for consideration today is found in John 19:26-27…

 

26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

 

Close your eyes for a second. I want you picture Jesus dying on the cross in your mind's eye. Can you see the nails? The crown of thorns? The blood dripping down the back of the cross from where Jesus' back had been shredded from the scourge. It's hard to look at, isn't it?

Now, I'm going to ask you to do something even harder. Parents, in your mind's eye, can you replace Jesus with your own child? Can you picture watching your son or daughter be tortured to death the way Jesus was? Then you might begin to see Jesus' crucifixion through Mary's eyes. Can you picture your spouse, your parent, or your best friend (whoever that might be) being tortured to death on a cross? Then you might begin to see Jesus' crucifixion through John's eyes. His mother, his best friend in the world, were watching the one they loved—their closest family, die in a most excruciating way.

Jesus once told Mary, "Dear woman, why do you involve me?"… "My time has not yet come," when she came to him about a problem with some wine. (John 2:4) But now his time had come, as he prayed the night before his death, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you." (John 17:1)

And what pain must have torn through Mary as the prophecy spoken over her baby boy came true. When Jesus was only eight days old Simeon told Mary, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." And how that sword must have stung!

And John… the youngest of disciples, the one who was in that inner circle of disciples, who was more than just a disciple, but Jesus' closest human friend, the one who sat next to him at the Passover, who leaned against him to ask a question he didn't want the others to hear… what pain he must have felt to see his Lord, his Master, his closest Friend, be tortured to death!

What pain Mary and John must have felt to know that death would soon separate them from the one they loved most. But… that's what sin does. It separates.

Last fall I tried to prep for our Bible studies around the campfire this summer by preparing enough firewood. I already told you how I manned up by operating a chainsaw for the first time. But the chainsaw only put the tree into rounds. I have a hydraulic splitter that I've used, but I also like using the maul and splitting wedge. That exercise helps me to "man up" too. But isn't it amazing to think how that little piece of metal, when placed just right and hit with—I'll admit it—minimal force, can rip that round in half like a hot knife through butter. That's what sin does too…

Sin separated Jesus from his mother. Sin separated John from his best friend. Make no mistake: It wasn't Jesus' sin that caused the separation, but it was sin that put him there on the cross. That's what sin does. It separates.

Sin separates us from each other, when our arguments and fights lead to withdrawals and silent treatments, when our sin ends marriages and divides families, when our own selfishness ruins the blessings of family that God intends for us to enjoy! Sin breaks up our human families. And worse still… sin separates us from God's family.

If your kids, or parents, or friends always acted embarrassed of you, ashamed that they knew you, it would hurt. It would drive a wedge into your relationship. The same happens when we act ashamed of God, embarrassed of him, pretending we don't know him. If your kids or parents or friends only wanted a relationship with you because of the things they got out of you, or the things they could get you to do for them… we'll, isn't that often how we treat God? If your loved ones made it clear that they loved another more than you, some other kids, another person—and isn't that what we do when we put a child, a spouse, a friend ahead of God?—that could end the relationship, couldn't it?

Sin always drives a wedge. Sin always separates. Sin always hurts relationships—with other people and with God. And sin, ends in the ultimate separator: Death. Many of you have lost someone very dear to you to death. Like Mary, some of you have had to watch a child die. Like John, some of you have lost a best friend. And there's no amends for a separation so final. No, "I'm sorry," can undo that separation and bring them back. And death would have separated us all from God, for all of eternity, for all of our many sins.

 

When death was about to separate Jesus from Mary and Jesus from John, Jesus did something to show his love, his care, his compassion for both. He gave them to each other and made a new family. He gave Mary to John and he gave John to Mary. As Mary had cared for Jesus in his youth, he now asked her to care for John in his adulthood. As Jesus was a surrogate for the world in his death, he asked John to be a surrogate son for him. And so he eased the pain and the loneliness each would feel at Jesus' death by making this new family.

And, in a sense, Jesus does the same for us. His death—his separation of body and soul, and worse! his separation from God the Father in the hell he endured on the cross–is the death of our separation. With our sin removed, the wedge that separated us from God is removed. With his resurrection, the death that would separate us from God is overcome! We will rise to be with God! By Jesus death and resurrection we are brought into God's family. And by being brought into God's family gives us a new family here on earth.

For some of you, this is your family, here at church. You're closer to one another here than you are to siblings, parents, or even children. And that's okay. That's the way it's meant to be! Jesus once warned, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53)

Sin will still divide families. But at the same time, Jesus promised a new family. In Luke 8(:19-21) we're told that, "Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.' [Jesus] replied, 'My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.'" (Luke 8:19-21)

We are a part of Jesus' family. God is our Father. Jesus is our brother. And nothing can ever drive a wedge between us! "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

And because we are united with him, we are also, of necessity then, united to each other. They say that blood runs thicker than water. And it's true that family ties are strong. But baptismal water runs even thicker than blood, for it binds us together as one in the Body of Christ, a communion that goes on forever. Because God is our Father… because Jesus is our brother… we are all really BFF's. Or at least we will be. We will literally be the best of friends forever in heaven! Because not even death—that ultimate separator—can separate us for very long!

And now, in thanks to God, we want to do away with the sin and the selfishness that drives a wedge between us and God, that drives a wedge between each other. Instead we want to show love—love in action as we serve God and as we serve each other. That's really what family is all about.

Years later, the same John who once stood literally at the foot of the cross and was told to take care of Mary, wrote about the love that we now share at the figurative foot of the cross. He wrote,

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Dear friends, here [gesturing to the cross] is your Savior. Dear friends, here [gesturing to the congregation] are your mother, and son, your brother and daughter, your father, your sister. Here [gesturing to the congregation] is your family, united in your Savior.

And, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." So love one another… from the heart. Offer a kind word to a spouse when you see that he or she needs it. Offer a patient word of instruction or praise to a child as you teach them to follow Jesus. Offer a word of thanks to a parent or a teacher, a word of appreciation to an employer or employee or one who has shown love to us.

And love one another, not just in words, but in action. Do some chore that needs to be done, without seeking recognition for it. Do some chore that's "not mine to do." Do it anyway just to ease the burden of another and show your love. Do some act of volunteerism here that helps us spread the gospel to others.

Show such love, not to get something in return, but because that's what family does for each other. We love because he first loved us. He brought us into his family. He brought us together into a new family. One day soon he will take us all to be one happy family together in the paradise he's prepared for us. So let's live in love toward each other to show our love for him for his compassionate 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

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

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

The Faithful Word (A sermon based on Matthew 27:45-46)

​Ever feel like you've been totally forsaken? Ever feel like you've been totally forsaken by God? Well, the truth is, we're the ones who have forsaken God, not the other way around. And because of the way we've forsaken him, we deserve to be forsaken by him. Nevertheless, in his great love for us, he forsook his own Son that we might never be forsaken. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Matthew 27:45-46 and rejoice that we will never be forsaken by God. ​

The Faithful Word

A sermon based on Matthew 27:45-46

Sunday, March 4th, 2018 – Lent 3

 

His car broke down in a not so nice part of town. To make matters worse, his cell battery was dead. So he figured he had no other option than to walk. Well, before long, his worst fear came true. Half a dozen men surrounded him and demanded that he give them his wallet, his phone, and his shoes. And even though he didn't resist and gave them all he asked, they proceeded to beat on him mercilessly. When he fell to the ground, they kicked and stomped the man until he was broken and bleeding on the sidewalk. And there the gang left him, struggling to even call for help.

Before long a local pastor drove past. He saw the young man, struggling to raise his hand as a silent plea for help. But the pastor didn't want to get involved. He didn't know where the gang was. He didn't want to get hurt himself. So he drove on, justifying his failure to help by reminding himself of the important meeting he was going to.

It wasn't long after that that the principal of the local church school also drove past. He thought to himself, "It is unfortunate what has become of our neighborhood." And he started thinking of a way to teach his students about compassion, and helping our fellow man. But he too drove on, doing nothing to help the man.

And there he lay, the broken and bleeding man, in misery and pain, feeling all alone, feeling totally forsaken. 

The third word or phrase that Jesus spoke from the cross is entirely different from all the rest. It's a prayer that God the Son prayed to God the Father… but it was a prayer that went unheard! Because God the Father had forsaken God the Son, even though he was faithful in all he did. Nevertheless, Jesus was forsaken by the Father and spoke this faithful word, so that you and I might never be forsaken. Our text for consideration is taken from Matthew 227:45-46…

 

45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

 

Forsaken. Completely and utterly forsaken. Have you ever felt that way? No one understands what you're going through… No one gets the pain you feel… No one steps in to help… all alone, completely forsaken? Ever felt such lonely darkness?

Well, before we focus on the pain you and I may have felt, let's pause to consider the pain that you and I have caused. Sometimes we cry out to God, "God, why have you forsaken me?" but the truth of the matter is that we have forsaken God. We have turned from him. We have gone astray.

Completely and utterly forsaken. That's how we've left God. "Take a bold stand for me! Don't be ashamed of me. Don't pretend you don't know me," God requests of us. But when the topic of religion comes up at work, we clam up. We don't say a word. And we forsake him.

"Use some—not all, just some—of the wealth I rain down on you, to show the world what I mean to you, to advance the spread of the gospel, to educate the next generation to know me better," God pleads with us. But when we take an honest look at our budgets, we see that far too much was spent on ourselves, on our selfish interests, on our entertainment… and far too little spent on things that will last for eternity. And we forsake him.

"Fight against the temptations that come to you. Don't embrace them. Struggle. Grow. And win more battles for me," God asks, begging us to put him first in our lives. But we say, "No thanks, God. This temptation is too strong. This struggle is too hard. I'd rather just give in." And we forsake him.

Of course, you know what we deserve for forsaking God every time things get tough, every time it looks like we might have to make a sacrifice, every time we're threatened with persecution, or pain, or just mild inconvenience… we deserve to be forsaken by him. And that's what we call "hell," being completely forsaken by God, abandoned by him and his love. We deserve eternal darkness.

Thank God, then, for our faithful Savior. Who left his heavenly home to be forsaken by God. When Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" his original audience would have recognize the opening verse of Psalm 22. And many would have recalled other parts of that Psalm that vividly portray the Messiah's crucifixion (even before crucifixions were invented):

"I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." (Psalm 22:6-8) "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." (Psalm 22:15-18)

 With his cry of abandonment, Jesus underscored the prophetic nature of His death. This was no accident, no simple miscarriage of justice, no quirk of history. His death in the darkness was written into every book of the Old Testament. And for those familiar with the Old Testament prophets, it was easily misunderstood. Those who heard Jesus misheard him and thought he was calling out for Elijah to save Him. So they offered Jesus a drink of sour wine and waited to see if Elijah would come.

But no Elijah came. No one came to help Jesus. He was all alone in the darkness. And really, his cry wasn't a cry for help, but a cry of anguish out of the depths of hell itself, from the agony of being abandoned by God the Father, completely forsaken. This is the hell—the total abandonment—that he endured for us. He suffered our abandonment, our darkness, our sin, our death, our hell…

He became the sinner, damned under God's wrath, cursed on the tree. He is the adulterer, the thief, the murderer, the idolater. He is you. He is me. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And as he was forsaken by God on the cross… as he endured that hell… he put himself into our killing fields, into our death camps and concentration camps… he put himself into our abortion clinics, our prisons… our homes. He went into all the "God-forsaken" places where humans have cried out in despair, "Where are you, God? Why have you forsaken us?" And he actually was forsaken by God to win forgiveness for the depths of mankind's depravity, for the vilest of evil we've done, for the heartless words and deeds you and I have spoken and done.

And he took it all away. By his perfect life, he gives us perfection. He trusted the Father, even from the cross, to trust for us. He prayed for us. He cried out for us. He suffered for us. He died for us. And now, he embraces us and gives us the promise that he will never leave us. He will never forsake us. Hebrews 13:5-6 says, "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"

Maybe you caught on that my introduction to this sermon was just a modern retelling of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. Then you know how the story really ended. The priest (or pastor in my story) and the Levite (or principal) both passed by the man that must have felt totally forsaken and completely alone. But there was one who came to help. He picked up the broken and bleeding man. He helped him get to the hospital. He paid every expense for his healing.

That's what Jesus has done for us. We may have felt forsaken in the darker days we've faced, but we never were. He's always been with us, fighting for us, helping us grow, helping us put our trust in him. And he was actually forsaken by God the Father on the darkest of days when the sun itself stopped shining. He was forsaken for us so that we never will be.

Now, in thanks to Jesus, we're eager to be that Good Samaritan to others. When you see others who seem to be all alone, who are clearly going through some dark days, who seem to have been forsaken by everyone else, go befriend them. Pull over to the side of the road and pick up the bruised and bleeding. Go over to the other side of the breakroom and offer a word of encouragement. Cross over to the other side of the street and invite them to hear of the one who spoke that faithful word and was forsaken for them so that they will never be forsaken by him.

Even though we've forsaken God, he's never forsaken us. In fact, because we've forsaken God, he forsook his Son. Jesus was forsaken for us to pay for our sins, so that we will never be forsaken by him. Now, forsake your sin. Forsake God no more! And live for him who died for you.

I'll end with the words of the hymn writer:

 

"Tell me, as you hear him groaning, Was there ever grief like his?
Friends through fear his cause disowning, Foes insulting his distress,
Many hands were raised to wound him, None would intervene to save,
But the deepest stroke that pierced him Was the stroke that justice gave."
And now, as a result…

"Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ's the rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt –
None shall ever be confounded Who on him their hope have built."
(CW #127, v.2,4)

 

In Jesus' name, dear friends. Amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

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