Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Look, You Blind, and See! (A sermon based on Isaiah 42:14-21)

Can you imagine being both blind and deaf? How hard would it be to communicate! Can you imagine being the parent of a child that's both blind and deaf? How would you discipline? The truth is that by nature, and too often still, we are blind to see what God has done for us in his grace. We're dear to hear his Word. So what does God do? In love he opens our eyes and gives us new, spiritual, sight and opens our ears to hear his Word. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Isaiah 42:14-21 and be encouraged to look and see, listen and hear!

Look, You Blind, and See!
A sermon based on Isaiah 42:14-21
Sunday, March 3, 2002 – Lent 3A

 

Most of you are probably familiar with the story of Helen Keller. When Helen was only a few months old a disease left her both blind and deaf. And isolated from everything that was going on around her, she became a little brat. She would eat food off of anyone's plate, she would scream and shout, smash dishes and lamps, and in short be a little terror. Relatives thought she was a monster and encouraged her parents to put her in an institution.

Can you imagine being both deaf and blind? Could you imagine being the parents of a kid both deaf and blind? After all, what could you do to discipline? Punish her and calmly explain what she'd done wrong? Yell at her at the top of your lungs? It wouldn't do any good, right? She couldn't hear? What would be the point?

In our sermon text for this morning, God speaks of his nation Israel, who was about to go into captivity in Babylon for their rebellion against God, as if they were just like Helen Keller. They too were blind and deaf. They were blind to all of God's loving acts he had done for them. They were deaf to hear his Word. And what could God do if they didn't listen?

Maybe the little monster should be locked away in a mental institution. But that's not what God did. He came up with another solution. And he pleaded with them not to be blind and deaf to his solution, but to hear his Word, to look and see what he would do!

Listen again to Isaiah 42:14-21 and be encouraged to look and see God's grace for you…

 

"For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. 

16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. 17 But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame.

18 "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! 19 Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD? 20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." 21 It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.

 

I.              The Reason for Blindness

 

Just like Helen Keller: Blind and deaf. That's the way God described the Israelites in today's text by referring to them as "God's servant." "Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD?" "No one is as blind as the Israelites!" But what made them so blind and deaf? "You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." It wasn't the fact that they couldn't hear or see, but that they wouldn't see or hear. They had selective hearing.

President Franklin Roosevelt, felt that many of his advisors had selective hearing. So one day he tested them. Whenever they asked how he was, he responded with a smile, "I'm great thanks! I just killed my grandmother this morning!" And wasn't that surprised when most responded with things like, "That's wonderful, Mr. President! Now if you could take a look at this…" or "Keep up the great work, Mr. President! Here's the report you asked for." If fact, all day, only one person actually listened. And he replied, "Mr. President, I'm sure she had it coming. Now, let's prep for your meeting…"

The truth is that none of us are as good at listening as we ought to be. We all have selective hearing. Just ask my wife. It's true not just of the kids when she says it's time for bed, or time to do their chores, but it's also true of me, when I'm reading the paper or watching TV. And we have selective seeing too! The boys can find anything in their "Eye Spy" books, but ask them to pick up the toys and they ask, "Where? What toys?" And when my wife asks me to fetch something from the pantry or fridge, it usually takes me fractions of a second to declare, "It's not in here. I can't find it," before she pulls it from the front shelf that's right at my eye-level.

But this selective hearing and seeing becomes a really serious problem when it's between us and God. The Israelites chose to ignore God.

They chose not to see his loving hand in rescuing them from Egypt, in providing for them in the wilderness, in bringing them safely to the Promised Land, in driving out their enemies, in blessing them in their new homes. Instead of thanking him, they grumbled and complained against him. They focused their sights on what they didn't have: "We had onions in Egypt!" they whined! "This water in the desert is too bitter!" they grumbled! "We're sick of this manna and quail, manna and quail!" they complained!

They choose not to hear God's law and to ignore his commands not to worship other so-called gods, and worshiped a cow made out of gold that they themselves formed! And instead of rejoicing in the blessings God had given—especially in the promise of the Savior—they chose to remain blind and deaf. Ah, those foolish Israelites!

 

But don't we often do the same?

We choose not to see the blessings God showers on us each day, the health, the wealth, the peace, the stuff, but instead we focus our sights on what he hasn't given. He didn't give me a spouse who does what I want. He didn't give me the job I wish I had. He didn't give me the health that ought to be mine.

And we choose not to hear his law when he tells us that drunkenness is a sin, that premarital sex is NOT okay, that lust and bitterness and little white lies are all sin and rebellion against him. I don't want to hear that. So I close my ears. I shut my eyes. And continue to do things my way instead of God's way. And I do just like the Israelites did and practice selective hearing and see only what I want to see. I choose to be blind and deaf.

And what do I deserve? What do we all deserve for too often choosing to be deaf and blind? "Those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame." We deserve to be turned back away from God. We deserve to live in eternal shame for choosing to be deaf and blind. That's what we deserve. And what's God to do? Yell at us? It'll do no good if we choose to be deaf? But instead God chooses to cure us of our blindness and heal us of our deafness. Instead of punishing us he says, "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!"

 

II.            The Cure for Blindness

 

For Helen Keller, the cure came in a peculiar way. For the first seven years of her life Helen continued in her blindness and refused to learn anything from anyone. But, when the patient young teacher, Anne Sullivan, led her to the water pump, all of that was about to change. While Ms. Sullivan pumped the water over Helen's one hand, she spelled out the word "water" in the other. For the first time, Helen understood that there were words that carried meaning. She later said:

"As the cool stream gushed over one hand [Ms. Sullivan] spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten, a thrill of returning thought, and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me." 

Helen immediately asked Anne for the name of everything she touched. She asked for Anne's name and she spelled the name "Teacher" on Helen's hand. Within the next few hours Helen learned the spelling of thirty new words and from then on, her progress was astonishing. Soon Helen learned to read, first with raised letters and then with Braille. And though her sight could never be restored, Helen was given a different kind of sight and a new ability to hear what others wanted to say to her. 

In a more miraculous way God gave the Israelites a different kind of sight—spiritual sight—and a new ability to hear him and listen to his voice. He wouldn't let them remain blind and deaf, so he let them suffer in captivity to turn them back to him. But God didn't want them to suffer long. It pained him to see them under his discipline and he was eager to deliver them from their suffering like a woman in labor is eager to deliver her child and deliver herself from the pain of childbirth. "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant." It hurt God to see his people hurt—even if it was from the selective blindness and selective hearing they chose for themselves—and so, God would act:

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

God would not forsake his people. He would bring them back to the light by rekindling their faith in him and his promises and by leading a remnant back to the Promised Land. Why would God do this? Because "It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness…" It had nothing to do with the worthiness of the Israelites or because they were more righteous than the Babylonian. God did it for the sake of his righteousness—simply because he was and is a righteous and gracious God. That's just who he is. 

 

And what comfort you and I find in this truth! No matter how much we've ignored God's Word in our past, he still begs us to come back. No matter where our eyes have strayed, he continues to make us see the cross and the forgiveness it brings! Because Jesus always listened to the Father and obeyed him, because Jesus always looked to him with a perfect trust and love… and because Jesus took our sin on himself and endured the hell it deserved in our place, our sins are forgiven.

And why? Because "It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness…" It has nothing to do with our worthiness or how righteous we are, but is simply because God was and is a righteous and gracious God. That's just who he is. 

And now, deaf as we seem to be, as blind as we are by nature, God has given us new spiritual senses. He's given us a new way to see things: through the eyes of faith and with the perspective of sins forgiven and heaven given to us in spite of our sin. He gives us a new ability to hear and believe what he says when he says to you and me, "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!"

And enabled to hear God's Word, we no longer choose to ignore it. Enabled to see what he has done, we take our self-made blindfolds off! See clearly what he has done. And listen carefully to what he calls you to do. Don't ignore him anymore! But look for opportunities to serve him—at home, at work, and wherever you are! Listen to others to hear their cries for help. And serve them to serve God in thanks for the amazing grace he's given to you—that though you once were lost, you now are found; though blind, you now can see!

Rejoice, dear friends, that you can see with the eyes of faith! Rejoice that you can hear the Word of God! Now, hear, look, and see! In Jesus' name, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

“Go West, Old Man, Go West!” (A sermon based on Genesis 12:1-8)

God sometimes calls us to do some pretty big things; things we may not enjoy or like to do. But we can still do them gladly, out of thanks to him for the blessings he's given to us. Motivated by his gracious promises to us, especially in the promises of sins forgiven and heaven itself through the work of Jesus, the Offspring of Abraham, we can do the big things God has called us to do. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on the account of God calling Abraham in Genesis 12:1-8 and be encouraged by God's gracious promises to you...

"Go West, Old Man, Go West!"

A sermon based on Genesis 12:1-8

Sunday, March 20, 2011 – Lent 2A

 

In the mid-1800's Horace Greeley, an American politician and newspaper editor, spurred on expansion to the West dubbed, "Manifest Destiny," when he advised, "Washington is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country."

In our text for this morning, God told Abram, whom he would later rename "Abraham," that Ur of Chaldeans was not a place to live in. The gods were many, the dust disgusting, and the morals were deplorable. So God told Abram, "Go West, old man, go West, to the land I will show you. Go west, old man, strengthened by my promises."

Listen now to the account of Abram's call from God. And learn how God calls us to do big things, just like he called Abram to do, and learn how God motivates us by big promises, just like he did for Abram. Genesis 12:1-8…

 

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

 

I. God Calls Us to Do Big Things

 

"Pack up your stuff. Load it all up. It's time to leave behind all your family and friends. Time to leave behind all that is familiar and comfortable. Time to head West. We're moving… from Raleigh, North Carolina to a new home, about 4,500 miles away. We're going to Kenai, Alaska."

"Where's that, dad?" my son asked.

"Well, look here on this map. Here's where we are. Here's where we're going."

"Okay. Cool."

 

I still wonder how much my kids understood what I was telling them when I explained that dad had accepted a call to Kenai, Alaska. Did they really understand all that this big news I was telling them meant? Or did they just go along with it, trusting that mom and dad got it, mom and dad would still take care of them, so they'd be okay?

They might have a good idea of how Abraham must have felt when God broke the big news to him: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go..." And before he could even ask, "Where's that, God?" God told him: "None of your business! Enough questions! Don't worry about all that!" Just, "Go  to the land I will show you."

And how does Abram respond? "No way, God, not until I get a little more explanation as to what this is all about. At least, not until you tell me where I'm heading. Ungh, uh! I'm not going anywhere!" No! Verse 4 says, "So Abram left, as the Lord had told him…" That's it! No arguments. No questions. No hesitation. He just packed up his stuff and got moving.

And he was no spring chicken, either! Did you catch how hold he was? "Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran."  I imagine that at seventy-five Abram was getting ready to settle down and enjoy his retirement, not relocate. And remember he couldn't just hop on a plane or even sit in a car. Most of his 800 to 900 mile move would be on foot! That's almost like walking the Iditarod Trail from Willow to Nome. And the environment could sometimes be just as harsh crossing the waterless desert on the way.

No wonder the author to the Hebrews sang Abraham's praise in Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." A hero of faith indeed!

 

Now you know that God calls us to do some pretty big things too, doesn't he? He might call you to pack up and move away from family and friends and move outside of Alaska or head off to college. Or he may not. He may not say "Go West!" or "Go South!" Maybe God's calling you to stay put and do some pretty big things right here. "Go home!" he may say. Or "Go to work!" Or "Go serve right where you are in life."

God has called you to be patient and loving, kind, and forgiving to the people in your life. And at times that might seem more difficult to do than moving a few hundred miles on foot. God has called you to work on your marriage and serve your spouse, to love your kids by training and instructing them, to forgive those who hurt you, to obey and honor your parents, and to work diligently and faithfully at your jobs. God has called you to do as Abraham did and to call on the name of the Lord, to worship him, to proclaim what he's done with others.

And often the routine, day to day tasks, the so-called "little" things of life that God calls us to do each day, are the more difficult challenges. We can't argue, "If God appeared to me and told me to move like he told Abraham, if God asked me to surrender my body to the flames, if God asked me to make some big and great sacrifice for him, I would surely obey him," and then ignore the "smaller" things he does call us to do for spouse, neighbour, child, parent, co-worker, and friend.

So when we compare our lives to Abraham and the great faith he had to blindly follow God's command, we clearly see how we've failed to sacrifice much smaller things than he did. We've failed to love God like Abraham did: more than country, more than family, more than nice homes… more than our comfort, more than our happiness, more than ourselves. We fail. And for such failures, we deserve no blessings, but only God's curses in our live and in the life to come.

And to be honest, so did Abraham. Bold as his faith was here, he didn't always show such an exemplary faith. And even those times that he did, it wasn't something he worked up in himself. So, how could Abraham have such a bold faith to go West even as an old man? How can we have such a bold faith to do the things God calls us to do? The answer is one and the same: Because of God's gracious promises…

 

II. God Motivates Us by Big Promises

 

The Lord had said to Abram… "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…"

Wow! Pretty cool promises, huh? I'm going to make you prosperous, famous, and rich. Anyone on your side will be share in your blessings and anyone who opposes you, (which literally in the Hebrew says, "whoever belittles you") will be cursed by God! In other words, Abraham would have God on his side and would be untouchable. How these promises must have strengthened Abraham as we ventured off into the unknown to follow God's call!

But that's not all God promised. God gave him so much more in the last phrase of his promises: "and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." But what did that mean? How would every person who would ever live be blessed through Abraham? God clarified the promise in Genesis 22:18 when he told Abraham, "through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed." The descendant of Eve that God promised would crush satan's head would come from Abraham's family tree. And Abraham understood that this is what the promise was really all about.

Jesus said in John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." And God said through Paul in our epistle lesson (cf. Romans 4:3), "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:3) Abraham understood that he had God's protection and blessing, his love and favor, not because he was so good, but because God was so good to him. He relied on God's grace and he received God's blessings by faith in the promise.

Abraham could act with bold faith because of God's gracious promises to him—and especially because of the promise of the Savior. The author to the Hebrews explained why Abraham was so bold to act in Hebrews 11:9, "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Through the Savior that would come from his family tree, his sins were forgiven, and heaven was his. What big promises God made!

 

And you know that God has made promises that are just as big to you. God promises to bless you! Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…" God promises that those who curse you will be cursed. Jesus said in Luke 10:16, "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me." And God promises the blessings of Abraham's offspring, the Savior of all nations, to you too. God said in Galatians 3:8-9, "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." The promise is for Gentiles, that is, non-Jews; for Gentiles like the Samaritan woman at well, for Gentiles… like us!

You see, God the Father told Jesus, "Go South, Young Man, Go South… to Jerusalem, to the cross, to suffer hell for these lost sinners!" And Jesus went south from Capernaum and Nazareth, through Samaria, to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, to the cross. Was it convenient to be mocked and ridiculed? Was it fun to be tortured and crucified? Was it easy to endure the hell of separation from the Father? Of course not!

But Jesus knew what was at stake: the salvation of every soul! The salvation of your soul! And as hard and difficult and painful as it was, God kept his promise out of love for you. Jesus took on the sins of the world with all of our guilt. He paid the penalty of hell that they earned.

And now, by faith, God credits all of Jesus' work—his perfect life, his innocent death—to us as our righteousness. We are forgiven for every time we've doubted God's promises or his love for us. We're forgiven for every time we've hesitated to follow his commands. We're forgiven for every disobedience and sin! And now we too look forward to "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Through the Savior that came from Abraham's family tree, our sins are forgiven, and heaven is ours. What big promises God has made to us!

Now, these promises that God has given, the kindness he's already shown, the heaven that is ours right now, that we'll experience one day very soon… these all move us to love God above all else, more than country, more than family, more than nice homes… more than our comfort, more than our happiness, more than ourselves.

And God's gracious promises move us to eagerly serve him in thanks… in the big things and the small, to be patient and loving, kind, and forgiving to the people around us, to work on our marriages and serve our spouses, to love our kids and to forgive those who hurt us, to obey and honor our parents, and to work diligently and faithfully at our jobs, to do as Abraham did and to call on the name of the Lord, to worship him, to proclaim what he's done with others. For these are the things God has called us to do and strengthened and motivated by his gospel promises, we can do them. We will do them, for Jesus' sake, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

They Lost It All… Because of a Tree (A sermon based on Genesis 3:1-15)

Frustrated by problems and pain in this life? Suffering and sorrow, broken relationships, hurt and pain sometimes seem to dominate this life. And we endure it all because of a tree. Adam and Eve lost everything because of a tree. They lost paradise. They lost the image of God. They lost the ability to think like God, and talk like God, and act like God all because of a tree. But God promised to fix it all through one of their offspring who would undo what satan brought about in the Garden of Eden. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Genesis 3:1-15 and rejoice in the work of that Offspring!

They Lost It All… Because of a Tree

A sermon based on Genesis 3:1-15

Sunday, March 13, 2011 – Lent 1A

 

Earlier this year, two men in South Carolina, brothers-in-law, were both hospitalized due to gunshot wounds received by each other. The one man's father, the other's father-in-law, was imprisoned for attempted murder for pitting his son against his son-in-law. And the dispute all started over the refusal of one man to remove a tree from his father-in-law's property.[1] That's a lot of trouble over one tree.

Back in August of last year Lebanese and Israeli troops exchanged gunfire when an Israeli soldier tried to remove a tree on the border to improve lines of sight. But that tree, said the Lebanese, wasn't the Israelis'. They said it was really in Lebanese territory. Now four men are dead.[2] That's a lot of trouble over one tree.

And events like these are nothing new. In fact, all the trouble that you've ever experienced in life, every sickness or disease, every heartache or pain, every frustration or annoyance, is all because of one tree. Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and ate the fruit of the one tree God told them never to eat from, sin and its effects have plagued mankind. That's a lot of trouble because of one tree.

Adam and Eve enjoyed paradise, a perfect relationship with God, and perfect peace with him. But they lost it all because of a tree. That's a lot of trouble over one tree. Listen again to the account of the fall into sin, recorded for us in Genesis 3:1-15…

 

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

 

I.          They Lost Paradise Because of a Tree

 

Paradise lost! And all because of a tree! God didn't give Adam and Eve ten commandments; only one: "the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17) But that one proved too difficult to keep. In a single act of rebellion against a kind, loving, and doting God, they lost it all.

And they had no excuse. Oh, they tried to pass the blame. Adam's excuse was that was that it was all Eve's fault. Eve's excuse was that she was deceived by the serpent. And worse, they blamed God! Did you catch that in Adam's response? He didn't just blame Eve, but said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." In other words, "God this is your fault! You said it was not good for me to be alone. But you were wrong!" What nerve! Try as they may to make excuses, they were still responsible for their actions. They rebelled against God.

And as a result they lost.

They lost paradise and were kicked out of the garden. And lest they try to reenter, God put angels with a flaming sword to guard the entrance. (cf. Genesis 3:24) But they lost more than just paradise. They lost the image of God. They lost the ability to think like God and talk like God and act like God. They lost their innocence and gained shame and fear and foolishness. They lost lost their love for each other and looked at each other differently than before. They lost everything… and all because of a tree.

 

You know, satan's not that creative. He doesn't have too any new tricks to tempt us that are any different than what he used with Adam and Eve. But the sad thing is that he doesn't need new tricks. We keep falling for the same old ones.

satan still deceives us with the same old tactics: "Does God really say…?" he still asks, getting us to doubt God's Word. "Does he really say, 'Love your enemies'? Come on! They deserve your unkind treatment." "Does he really say, 'Lust is as bad as adultery?' Who are you really hurting by your thoughts?" "Does he really say, 'Worship is necessary to grow in your faith'? You can stay close to God all by yourself. You don't need the encouragement of others."

"God isn't looking out for you," he still lies, getting us to doubt God's love. "God's just trying to withhold his blessing from you. He knows if you live a selfish life you'll really be happy. But God doesn't want that. He wants to hold you back. He wants life to be boring. So live it up! Serve yourself! Forget about God!"

And before we blame Adam and Eve for ruining everything, we'd better consider how we behave. Remember: Adam and Eve no reason to be suspicious. They may have been naïve, but remember that prior to this event, there was no such thing as a lie. But we, on the other hand, know better. We've been fairly warned. We know that satan is looking to destroy our bodies and souls in hell, we've seen how he operates, but we still fall for the same old tricks.

And make all the excuses you want: "It's not my fault! If my spouse were nicer to me, then I wouldn't be so rude back." "It's not my fault! If my kids were more obedient, then I'd be more patient." "It's not my fault! If my boss were more fair, then I'd work harder." But you know that there is no excuse for our sinful rebellion against God. It's not Adam and Eve's fault that you sin. It's not satan's fault that you sin. And it's certainly not God's fault that you sin. It is your fault that you sin. It's my fault that I sin.

And because of our rebellion against God, doing the things that are forbidden to us, we lose! We lose out on happy families. We lose out on peace in our lives. We lose out on clear consciences. And we lose out on the image of God. We deserve the curse of the snake: to crawl on our bellies and eat the dust all the days of our lives, then to return to dust in death. We deserve to lose out on paradise forever and to forever be separated from God.

And all this because of a tree.

 

II.            They Lost Sin Because of a Tree

 

You know, when I'm looking for a good Children's Bible to read to my kids, I always look at this story first. The not-so-good Children's Bibles end the account with, "… Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden."  I say they're not-so-good, because they miss the highlight of this account. They never get to verse 15. You see, "Adam and Eve lost image of God and lost the paradise they once enjoyed," is NOT the final answer. In a sense, God saw Adam and Eve's loss and cried, "Rematch!" That's what he said to satan in verse 15:

15 And I will put enmity [or hatred] between you [satan] and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and hers; he [an individual, one of Eve's offspring] will crush your head, and you [satan] will strike his heel."

Adam and Eve lost. But another would come to resume the fight in their place. Enter the sub! One of Eve's offspring… Jesus.

Satan would strike the first blow. Tempting Jesus to rebel against God just as Adam and Eve did. "Can you really trust God's Word when he says he'll provide for you?" "God doesn't really love you! Test his love by jumping!" "God's holding out on you. He doesn't want you to have any fun. But worship me. I'll give you everything." But Jesus struck back. He resisted every temptation and lived a perfect life free from sin! He had no need for excuses since he perfectly obeyed God in all things!

Then satan struck a vicious blow on Good Friday. Manipulating Judas and Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate, he succeeded in killing his Adversary, in having the very Son of God mocked… and beaten… scourged… and humiliated… crucified, tortured to death… covered in nothing but shame. satan crushed Jesus' heel and it looked like he won. But…

The Offspring of the Woman struck back! And by his very death on the cross, he undid satan's foul work in the Garden of Eden! And when he rose from the dead, he crushed satan's head! He proved his total domination over all satan had worked so hard for. By the empty tomb he proved his total victory!

And by Jesus' work, Adam and Eve lost… their sin. They lost it all because of a tree; because of Jesus' cross. Their rebellion against God's one commandment… gone! Their excuses for their open rebellion… gone! The way they looked at each other naked, thinking how they could use—instead of love—each another… gone! They lost it all because of a tree: Paul wrote in Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'"

Yes, their consequences still remained. Thorns and thistles, sweat and pain, troubled relationships, and death would be the result of their rebellion. But peace with God would endure. And by clinging to the promise of their coming Savior, paradise would be restored to Adam and Eve about 900 years later. When their bodies returned to the dust from which they came, their souls went to the paradise of heaven. And all because of a tree!

 

And dear friends, it is no different for us. The Offspring of the woman came to serve as not only the substitute for Adam and Eve, but for you and me too! He came to resist satan's attacks in our place. He came to live the perfect life for you and me. He came to die—on a tree—for you and me!

And now, you know what happens to our sin because of the way he crushed satan's head: we lose it all! Our rebellion against God's Ten Commandments… all gone! Our excuses for our open rebellion against God's will… all gone! The way we try to use and manipulate others… all gone. All of our sin! We lost it all because of a tree. "Christ redeemed US from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for US, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'"

And yes, our consequences will still remain. Our thorns and thistles, our sweat and pain, our troubled relationships, and finally death will still be the result of our rebellion. But we can even thank God for those consequences because they serve as a reminder of our rebellion. They lead us to repent of our sin and turn again to the Offspring of the woman and look to him in faith.

And through our Savior, peace with God will endure for us. And by clinging to the promise of our returning Savior, paradise will be restored to us. When our Savior returns, or when our bodies return to the dust from which they came, our souls will go to the paradise of heaven. And all because of a tree!

Now, dear friends, we stop making excuses for our sin, and we strive with all of our might to serve the One who won for us, and gave us everything… because of a tree. In Jesus' name, amen.





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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Transfiguration is the Perfect Transition (A sermon based on Matthew 17:1-9)

What makes the Passion of Jesus so special? Haven't millions of people been unfairly tried and suffered and died for what they believe in? Ah, but Jesus is different. How? He is no ordinary man. He is true God in the flesh. And on the Mount of Transfiguration he gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of his glory to remind them of that very fact. Transfiguration Sunday ends the season of Epiphany (which means manifestation, or revelation) and marks the epitome of Epiphany where Jesus is revealed as true God. And it immediately precedes Lent as the perfect lead-in to Jesus' suffering and death to remind us that Jesus did it all as true God for us. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Matthew 17:1-9 and be reminded of Jesus' divine glory...


Transfiguration is the Perfect Transition

A sermon based on Matthew 17:1-9

Sunday, March 6, 2011 – Transfiguration A

 

One of the popular genres of movie these days is the story of the superhero. And you know how it goes. Before he gets to the real challenge, the superhero must face some smaller problems. Before he gets to the supervillian—the mastermind behind the destruction of the planet—he first has to defeat a few thugs that aren't really a threat to him, right?

But why does it always happen that way? It's because those smaller victories reveal to you who the hero is. They show his superpowers so you know that he has what it takes to take care of the supervillian. This glimpse of power prepares you for the real struggle.

Today, as we take a look at Jesus' Transfiguration, we see how God does the same thing for us. He reveals to us the strength of our superhero, Jesus, as he's revealed as true God by a glimpse of his true glory. And the timing of this revelation of who Jesus is was no accident. Right before he began to head toward Jerusalem and the real struggle of dying for the sins of the world, this glimpse of his glory prepared his disciples (and prepares us) for it. We can be certain that Jesus is the Son of God who can (who has) overcome all our enemies.

Listen again to Matthew's account of the Transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17:1-9 and see how Transfiguration is the Perfect Transition. It's the epitome of Epiphany (as Jesus is revealed) to prepare us for his suffering in this lead-in to Lent. Matthew 17:

 

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

 

I.              The Epitome of Epiphany

 

Our text begins, "About eight days after Jesus said this…" But, said what? Well, a week earlier Jesus told his disciples, "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (Matthew 16:21)

He explained that they were going to Jerusalem so he could accomplish his mission. And in plain, simple speech he told them exactly how it would happen. But first, he would give them a glimpse of the kingdom of God. And that's exactly what he did one week later.

After a physically exhausting climb to the top of a mountain, the disciples were understandably worn out. Luke tells us in his account that they were "very sleepy." But nothing like having a spotlight shined in your face to wake you up, right? What a startling sight the three saw! Jesus face was lit up as bright as the sun itself! His clothes were "whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them" (Mark 9:3), "as white as the light!" And he wasn't the only one shining!

There with him was the prophet Moses—the one with whom God had spoken face to face! The one through whom the law was given! And with him was Elijah—one of the truly great prophets, who never even had to face death! What guests! What glory! What a privilege for these disciples to see the kingdom of God!

And Peter rightly confessed, "Lord, it is good for us to be here!" And though he wanted to contain the glory that was on that mountain and bottle it up with a couple of tents, that's not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus hadn't come to bring heaven to earth, but to bring sinners from this earth into heaven. And to do that Jesus still had to suffer and die. He still had to go to Jerusalem. Lent was yet to come.

But with Lent right around the corner, how good it was for Peter, James and John to see what they did! For on that mountain Jesus revealed his glory. Though he usually walked around like an ordinary man, with "no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him," as Isaiah put it (Isaiah 53:2b), though he usually looked more like Clark Kent than Superman, now Jesus pulled back his humanity to reveal just a glimpse of his glory to the disciples, like Clark Kent pulling off the glasses, shirt and tie to reveal his tights and cape. Here, for a brief moment, Jesus let his divinity shine through clearly to reveal who he was! If the miracles he had performed had left any doubt of who Jesus really was, for Peter James and John that doubt was certainly removed there on the mountain!

 

And how clearly you and I see who Jesus is! Through the pages of God's Word we've seen glimpses of his divine glory! We saw the Holy Spirit descend on him and heard God the Father boast about him. We've seen him turn water into wine and watched as he walked through an angry mob intent on killing him. We've witnessed the miraculous catch of fish and heard his powerful preaching. But now, seeing his glory shine through at his transfiguration, we see Jesus divinity shine through more clearly than before! While Moses reflected the glory of God (cf. Exodus 34:29-35), Jesus glowed with it himself! While Elijah went up to the glory of God in a chariot of fire (cf. 2 Kings 2:11), Jesus brought the glory of God down to earth in his person. And here, on the mountain, at the epitome of Epiphany, we have seen Jesus revealed in his glory!

 

II.            The Lead-In to Lent

 

For Peter, James and John, this revelation of Jesus' glory couldn't have come at a better time: right before they began the slow, long, march to Jerusalem and to Holy Week, when they would be tempted to wonder if Jesus really was God. After all, if he had the power to stop disease, why didn't he stop these men from scourging him? If he could raise the dead to life, why didn't he prevent his own death?

But for now, they weren't even thinking that far ahead. Instead, Peter wanted to stay in the moment. He said, "I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." And Jesus had neither the time nor the need to respond to Peter's request. God the Father did it for him: While [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

God pointed out to Peter that Jesus was his chosen one. The same chosen one of whom he previously had said, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight…" (Isaiah 42:1), that chosen servant of whom God said, "…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)

This is the mission that Moses, Elijah, and all the prophets described. This is the mission Jesus explained to his disciples when he said "that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things... and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (Matthew 16:21) This is the mission the chosen one—the Messiah—had come to fulfill. Jesus was talking about Lent.

 

And as we get ready to begin our slow, long, march to Jerusalem and to Holy Week this Lenten season, what a great lead-in we get with this account of Jesus' transfiguration! As we hear how he suffers and dies, we can take comfort that Jesus is true God and that even though as true God, he could have easily stopped his suffering at any time, he didn't. He willingly endured it all out of love for you and me. We can take comfort that his death wasn't just the death of a man, but the death of God himself. And what a comfort that is! To know that it was God's blood shed on the cross is to know that his sacrifice was enough to pay for your sins and for mine—for every one of them!

So how do we respond this coming Lenten season? We do what God told Peter, James and John to do: We "Listen to him!" We listen as he is betrayed, not just by Judas, but by us. We listen as he is denied by Peter, and by us. We listen as the innocent Christ is declared guilty for us. We listen as he's handed over to be beaten and flogged and humiliated to pay for our sins. We listen as he's abandoned by God the Father to hell to make things right between God and us.

And we listen to the forgiveness that he speaks to us in those acts—the forgiveness for every one of our sins: For our betrayal of Jesus in our selfish actions, for our denial of him in our reckless speech, for not listening to him in his Word! And when we listen to the Word of that forgiveness, Jesus comforts us and says to us, "Get up... Don't be afraid."

We listen to his Passion this Lent, and we rejoice—that because of it, one day soon, we too will shine with glory like Moses and Elijah did on that mountain top, like Peter, James and John and all the saints who have gone before us do right now! And while we can't have that glory here on earth, who needs it?! We rejoice that soon we will leave this earth for the glory of heaven to experience Jesus' glory first hand!

So listen to him, friends, and take comfort in his Word. Jesus, who is revealed as true God in all his glory in this epitome of Epiphany, is our superhero. And with this lead-in to Lent, we're eager to hear more of what he's done for us and for our salvation. In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Guenther

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

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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Don't Worry About It! (A sermon based on Matthew 6:25-34)

What keeps you up at night? What things do you worry about? As children of God we know we don't need to worry and that God will take care of us. But we still do it anyway. How come? Jesus tells us. It's because we have little faith in God. For our unbelief, we deserve be abandoned to our own self-reliance. But God in his grace doesn't do that. Instead he rescues us from our sin and assures us that we have nothing to worry about. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Matthew 6:25-34 and be encouraged to quit worrying...

Don't Worry About It!
A sermon based on Matthew 6:25-34
Sunday, February 27, 2011 – Epiphany 8A


        A man once ran into an old friend who was known for his worrying. He worried so much that he had been sick with high blood pressure and ulcers. "Hey, how's your health?" the man asked his friend. "It's great!" he replied, "The ulcers are gone! My blood pressure is 120 over 80! And I don't have a care in the world!" "Wow! Sounds great!" the man said, and asked with curiosity, "How'd you manage all that? You used to worry so much!" "I know!" his friend replied. "But now I've hired a professional worrier. I tell him what's bothering me and he worries about it for me!" "That's incredible!" the man said, "I'd like one of those! How much does he cost you?" "Well, he's not cheap," the friend replied. "He charges $100,000 a year." "Whoa!" the man said with bulging eyes, "How in the world can you afford to pay so much?!" "I have no idea," his friend said. "I let him worry about that."
        Wouldn't it be great if we could hire a professional worrier and dump off all our problems on him? I mean, let's face it. We all worry. We worry about our health, about our families, about our jobs. We worry about what the future holds, even us Christians who know who holds the future. And this worry is sin because it's really a lack of trust in God and his promises to care for us. We're too self-dependent to rely on God. And yet, God doesn't abandon us to our worry, but rather encourages us to place our trust in him. By the time Jesus gets through with us  today, we'll be better able to put our trust in God and "Don't worry about it." Listen now to Matthew 6:25-34...

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

I. Don't Worry About It... O You of Little Faith!

        Jesus makes it clear that we shouldn't worry, doesn't he? "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." And yet, we all do it, don't we?
        What sorts of things are you worried about? My job... will it be okay? Will I keep it and not get fired when the next round of layoffs hit? What about my finances? Will they be okay? Will I survive retirement? Will I be able to provide for my family? How about my health? Will I be okay? What if I don't get better? My family... will they be okay? Will my kids be deviants when they grow up? Will my spouse be okay after I'm gone?
        This morning in a portion of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed our worries. First, he pointed out how useless worrying is: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Someone once said that worrying is nothing more than borrowing trouble from the future. And what good does that ever do? "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Worrying is like running on a treadmill, you exert all your energy and wear yourself out, but go nowhere. But actually worrying does have effects, doesn't it? Rather than add an hour to your life, it actually takes hours away. It increases your blood pressure, makes you lose sleep, adds stress, and can cause ulcers.
        But worrying is more than just a foolish act, harmful to your physical health. Jesus called our worries what they really are: sin - which, if left untreated, is damaging, even deadly, to your spiritual health. He pointed out that worrying about anything is really failing to trust in God. If he cares for birds and lilies, why don't you trust that he'll take care of you? He tells you why. "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" It's because you and I have little faith in God that we worry about anything.
        In the 1800's there was a tightrope walker by the name of Blondin, who walked across Niagra falls many times. He did back flips, rode a bike, even crossed on stilts. There was no doubt in his mind that he could make it across.  And there was no doubt from the on-lookers that he could make it across too. He would ask them, "Do you think I can make it across?" They would always cheer, "YES!" "Do you think I can carry someone across on my back?" And again they'd chee, "YES!" But when he asked for a volunteer, no one said a word. Did they really trust Blondin?
        Do we really trust God? Or are we just paying lip service when we say to God, "I trust that you will take care of my sins and save me from hell," but then doubt that he will take care of our smaller, less important needs, asking, "Will you take care of my finances, my health, or my family... my church?" We are guilty. Not just of some minor mistake, but of gross unbelief. And we deserve to be punished for it.

        Imagine you're in a fourth story room that's burning to the ground. The flames leaping in the doorway block your exit. The only way out is through the window. Thankfully the fire truck pulls up outside. They raise the ladder and a firefighter climbs to your window beckoning you to climb aboard to your safety. But you refuse. After all, how do you know you can really trust that ladder? What if it's not structurally sound? Or what if that firefighter, who you don't know from Adam, suddenly decides to push you off? You don't know what psychological issues these people have! "No thank you!" you declare. "I'll take my chances with the fire!"
        Wouldn't you deserve to be burned for your lack of trust? Likewise, for claiming to put our trust in God for the greater blessings of forgiveness, resurrection, and heaven, while refusing to put our trust in him for daily protection and provisions, we deserve to have him leave us be to our own self-trust. We deserve to be counted as pagans and left to the fire -- the fire of hell. But thankfully, God loves us too much to leave us to what we deserve. Instead he provides for our every need, giving us his kingdom, his righteousness, and our daily bread on top of it all...

II. Don't Worry About It... Your Heavenly Father Will Provide!


        Where you and I fail to put our complete trust in God, Jesus trusted him perfectly. Remember when he was tempted in the wilderness? Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread after he'd had nothing to eat for forty days and forty nights. In a sense he said, "You can't trust in God to provide for you. He won't give you your daily bread." But Jesus didn't fall for the temptation. Instead he answered with God's Word, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,'" and he continued to trust in God -- perfectly.
        But then Jesus gave that perfect trust in the Father and in his providing care to us. He took our lack of trust--our unbelief--on himself and endured the fire of hell that our sins deserve. So now, when God looks at us, he doesn't see faithless rebels who refuse to trust that he can or will help. Instead he sees his children, who have always trusted in him perfectly all the time.
        And so, now you are no longer counted as a pagan, but as a dearly loved child -- one who God longs to care for, giving you not just the things you need to stay alive, but so much more on top of it. Standing out the mountainside with the crowds sitting around him, Jesus may very well have gestured to a few birds flying overhead when he made this argument from the lesser to the greater, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Or in Matthew (10:29-31) Jesus put it this way: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

        In other words, if God will take care of the (relatively) worthless birds, you can be sure that he will certainly take care of you for whom he sent his own Son to die. The Apostle Paul summarized it in this one verse in Romans: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
        You know a dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water divided into millions of drops. There's not much there, but it can cripple an entire city. That's a lot like worry. There's not much to it, but it can cripple people from being fruitful and productive Christians. But you know the love of your Savior. You know you can trust his promise to take care of your every need, providing food and drink and clothes, in a way far greater than he provides for the birds or the flowers. And when we trust in him, the fog of worry is lifted and we're set free to really live.
        Now, knowing that he will always be with us, he will always love us, he will give us each day our daily bread, we can receive those blessings in thanks. We can be confident in our trust in Jesus without worrying he'll let us down. We can be generous in sharing the blessings God's given us without worrying that we'll have nothing to live on. We can be bold in our Christian living and in our witness, without worrying about being taken advantage of, without worrying what others will think. Jesus has put an end to worrying by his gracious promises.
       You know, that man in the story who hired a professional worrier was maybe on to something. No, we can't pay someone to worry for us. But we do have someone on whom we can dump our cares and worries: on God, our heavenly Father, who promises that we can, "Cast all [our] anxiety on him, because he cares for [us]." (1 Peter 5:7) So, when you grow concerned about your health, about your finances, about your parents or your kids… don't worry about it! Our heavenly Father values us more than anything and he is more than able to meet all of our needs. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." And through faith in Jesus, his work for us, and his promises to us, we say, "Amen!"


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

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