Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Big Reveal (A sermon based on Romans 16:25-27)

What's under your tree? In a few more days, the mystery will be revealed! God had a big gift for all of mankind, hidden in the prophecies of the Scriptures, it's now been revealed to everyone: His gift is his own Son come to rescue us from sin, death, and hell! Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Romans 16:25-27 and rejoice in God's big gift and the big reveal this Christmas season and always! 

​The Big Reveal

A sermon based on Romans 16:25-27

Sunday, December 21, 2014 – Advent 4B

 

What's under your tree? Are there lot of presents already there waiting to be unwrapped? What do you think you're going to get? Do you know what all the presents are? They're all wrapped with brightly colored paper and ribbons and bow that not only make them look beautiful, but that also conceal what's inside. It's kind of a mystery isn't it?

But whether you open presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day, soon enough you won't have to guess. Soon you will know. Soon it will be revealed.

God did something similar. He had a big gift planned for all of mankind. But it lay hidden for a while, wrapped in the ancient prophecies of the Scriptures. But on Christmas, the mystery was revealed in Jesus. The gift was unwrapped in the big reveal: God was made man to rescue man from sin.

At the end of his doctrinal dissertation which we call the book of Romans, the apostle Paul sounded off with a doxology—or a word of praise to God—for the big reveal, that he who was announced by then angels, written about by evangelists, explained by the apostles in their epistles, was made known to the world—to all nations, to you and me! Our sermon text for this last Sunday in Advent is from Romans 16:25-27…

 

25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. 

I.      Hidden By Nature 

Are you one of those who tries to figure out what's under the Christmas tree? Do you shake it? Do you rattle it? Do you thump it? Do you weigh it in your hand or on a scale? Do you try to figure out the mystery ahead of time?

Ah, but some of you… Some of you try to make the mystery even more mysterious as you try to "guess-proof" those gifts. You put little gifts in big boxes with bricks and rocks so the packaging weighs way more than the gift. You put a note in a tiny little box that reveals the location of a very large gift hidden somewhere else. You try to make sure that even if the gift is picked up and weighed and shaken and thumped, it still remains a mystery until the big reveal when the gift is opened.

Well, what God has planned for you, could not be known ahead of time—it could not be known before he revealed it to you. But it wasn't that God was trying to keep us from finding out. No. He was doing all he could to reveal it to as many as possible. But the problem lay in us.

We—all mankind—are born blind. We were blind in our sin so that we could not see what God had planned. And while a blind man can still figure out the gift under the tree with his other senses, we had no spiritual sense at all. We could not find a solution to the problem of our sin.

The very best plan that any human can come up with when we try our hardest to find a solution to our sin is to try our hardest not to sin. The best plan we can come up with is to earn God's favor by cleaning up our act.

But of course, it can't work. It can't work for two big reasons: First, we can't clean up our act. How many times have you resolved to be different, to be kinder, more loving, more generous? But we don't.

Paul said in Romans 7, "The good that I want to do, I don't do. And the evil that I don't want to do, I find myself doing again and again." If Paul couldn't clean up his act, if he who was instructed by the resurrected Jesus himself (cf. Galatians 1:12), still didn't have it all together, then what makes us think we're any better?

But there's a second problem: Even if we could clean up our act and be better behaved tomorrow and every tomorrow after that, it still wouldn't undo our past. I imagine that Paul often wrestled with guilt over what he had done before his conversion: arresting and killing Christians. But he couldn't deal with the problem on his own. And neither can we. We can't come up with a solution to our problem on our own.

If you don't know what your Christmas presents are, it's no big deal. You'll find out soon enough. But if you don't know God's plan of salvation, well, it's a huge deal. Because we are not perfect as God demands, we deserve hell. Thank God, then, that he has revealed his plan of salvation to you and me by his grace…

 

II.    Revealed By Grace 

Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve if that's your tradition) is coming soon. The gifts will be opened. The mystery will be over. There will be no more guessing. All will be revealed.

God's prophecies pointed ahead to the Messiah. But on Christmas Day it was revealed when you and I couldn't know it. It was revealed by Grace. And what was is the answer to the mystery? It is the gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ.

God wrapped his gift, not in colorful paper, but in rags—in strips of cloth or swaddling clothes. Jesus is God who became man to take our place. He took our place in life, living a sinless life in our place. And he took our place in death. He was completely unwrapped on Good Friday, literally stripped of his clothes and made to suffer for you. And he was unwrapped in the sense that his mission was now fully revealed. He came to pay for your sins and mine. This is what Paul calls, "my gospel… the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed…"

This truth that Paul could not know on his own was revealed to him by Jesus himself. This truth that we could not know on our own has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit!

By his work through the Word—the proclamation of Jesus Christ—or by his work through the water and the Word, he has revealed to you God's plan of salvation. He has revealed to you how God has saved you from you: from your sin, from the death and hell you deserve, from an eternity separated from him. He has revealed this Gospel truth around the globe "so that all nations might believe…"

So believe, dear friends! Believe in him! Rejoice that the mystery has been revealed to you! Jesus Christ, has taken your sin away! Believe it and don't refuse it!

How foolish it would be to open up the gifts under the tree this week, to have the mystery of what your loved ones got you finally revealed, only to say, "But wait. This gift is too nice. It couldn't possibly be for me," and then to refuse to accept it!

Don't refuse God's great gift to you because it seems too good to be true! He has given you his own Son, wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger, unwrapped in naked shame on the cross to pay for your sins, the best gift you could ever ask for, your Savior from sin, your redemption from hell, your light and your life, your everything! He is yours! Receive him in thanks.

And thank him for giving such a wonderful gift, for revealing such a wonderful gift to you, by the way that you obey him. "The mystery hidden for long ages past [is] now revealed and made known… so that all… might believe and obey him."

Thank him for the big reveal he's given by praising him and giving him the glory due him. What great gifts he's given! What a great reveal! As you unwrap your presents this week, remember the greatest gift that God has given to you, that he's revealed to you. And give him thanks and praise! "Now to him… to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! 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
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Look, the Lamb of God! (A sermon based on John 1:29)

This past Sunday the children of Grace Lutheran Church and School presented their Christmas Program entitled, "The Special Lamb of God." You can read or listen to (download or stream) the brief sermon from that service, but you might enjoy watching the entire service even more. Visit www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast to view it on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Rejoice that you know the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, who takes away your sin! 

Look, the Lamb of God!

A sermon based on John 1:29

Sunday, December 14, 2014 – Advent 3B/Children's Program

 

What a weirdo! He dressed in wacky clothes. He ate funny foods. He was such an odd duck. Yet, strangely instead of pushing people away, his unusual behavior drew the crowds to him. They wanted to see this weirdo with the powerful message.


So John, dressed in his camel's hair cloak and eating his locust and honey, preached to the people who came to him east of the Jordan River. He preached a message a repentance, he preached a message of hope, of forgiveness, of Christ.


Our text for consideration this morning is just one short verse. A declaration of John with a powerful truth. Our text is John 1:29 : "John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

 

Jesus certainly had a lot of titles, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, the King of the Jews, the Ancient of Days. But now John gave him another: The Lamb of God.


What did John mean when he called Jesus a lamb? Well, reference was well known to any first century Jew because they were familiar with the Passover celebration which was only a week away.


The Passover, of course, pointed back to God's spectacular rescue of the Israelites from Egypt. Specifically, it pointed back to the last of the 10 plagues. Every firstborn male in all of Egypt would be mercilessly slaughtered in a single night, unless… a lamb was killed in its place—a perfect lamb without blemish or defect, a lamb that was roasted whole without any bones being broken.


And this lamb was really the prototype of all of the Old Testament sacrificial system. Every day animals would be offered to God on the altar just outside the tabernacle and, later, outside the temple. But why? Why did God demand a worship service that more closely resembled a butcher shop to a modern church? Well, he was teaching his people with a very vivid, multi-sensory object lesson.


First, he was teaching his people about sin. Sin is not just a mistake. It's not just a "oops." It is rebellion against God. Even if it is accidental it is an offense to him—an offense so great that something must die. It is so offensive to God that it must be punished by death.


And let's face it friends, we have all sinned. Whether intentionally or accidentally we have all broken God's sacred commandments time and time again. He summed them all up with a single word: Love. But can anyone here honestly claim that they've been perfectly loving—that is always seeking the good of others ahead of yourself—to everyone all of the time?! That's what God demands. Yet we've all been selfish, which is just another word for sinful. And the penalty for such selfishness which so often shows itself in what we think, in what we say, in what we do, is death. Any sin is a capital crime against God which deserves his eternal death penalty which we call hell.

 

But God was teaching his people more by the sacrificial system and by the lamb that was slaughtered. You see, it's also a vivid object lesson of God's rich grace. While sin is so offensive to God that it must be punished by death, by hell, God was also teaching his people something wonderful! He would allow a substitute to die instead of the rebellious sinner.


So he commanded a lamb to be slaughtered in place of the first-born son. He commanded the blood to be painted on the doorframe of the house in faith. He commanded a ram or goat or sheep or bull to be killed in place of the guilty sinner. And the people saw that God would permit a substitute to die instead of them. What a wonderful grace of God!


But of course, "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4) The sacrificial system that God had prescribed could never really do what the people needed it to. But it was never meant to. It was only meant to point ahead to Jesus.


When the Jews heard John talk about the Lamb of God, perhaps they thought of Isaiah 53:7 which spoke of the coming Savior: "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

This is the one John revealed, not just any lamb, but THE Lamb. The one Lamb to fulfill the picture that every other lamb (and sheep and bull and ram and goat) ever sacrificed on that alar pointed to. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for son.

The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote, "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." (Hebrews 7:27)

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross could pay for the sins of every person of all time because he was, because he is, God—God in the flesh to live a perfect life for you, to die an innocent death for you, that you might be forgiven and forever spared from God's righteous wrath.

This is the Lamb that's John revealed to you: "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" And remember: John didn't say "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the problems of the world" or "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the pain and suffering of the world." But much better! "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

And because the Lamb of God is the Son of God we know his sacrifice was sufficient payment for the sins of the world. Because he paid for the sins of the world, we, who live in the world, can be certain that he's paid for our sins. He lifted our sins on himself, carried them to the cross, and took away our guilt and shame, our punishment and our fear for ever!

A tourist once visited a church in Germany and was surprised to see the carved figure of a lamb near the top of the church's tower. He asked why it was there and was told that when the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold. His co-workers rushed down, expecting to find him dead. But to their surprise and joy, he had not only survived, but was barely injured. How did he survive? It just so happened that a flock of sheep was passing beneath the tower at the time he fell, and he landed on top of a lamb. The lamb broke his fall and was crushed to death, but the man was saved. So, to commemorate that miraculous escape, they carved a lamb on the tower at the exact height from which the man fell.

The Lamb of God has done more than just save us from falling to our deaths. He's saved us from our sins. And as we continue to look to the Lamb of God and to his great sacrifice for us, we can't help but be a little weird and sacrifice our selfishness to him to live for him in thanks by serving others in love. In his name, dear friends, amen.

O Jesus, Lamb of God, you are My comfort and my guiding star;
I come, a sinner, trustingly And bring my many sins with me.

O Lord, my sin indeed is great; I groan beneath the dreadful weight.
Be merciful to me, I pray; Take guilt and punishment away.

Saint John the Baptist points to you And bids me cast my sin on you,
For you have left your throne on high To suffer for the world and die.

Help me to change my ways, O Lord, And gladly to obey your Word. 
While here I live, abide with me, Then take me home eternally. CW #27


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
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Wait For It… (A sermon based on 2 Peter 3:8-14)

Do you like waiting? I don't. I admit that I'm not a very patient person. I struggle with it. And it's especially difficult when I'm going through some struggle or pain that I want to be over now! It can be hard to wait for God when he promises deliverance, especially when we consider that his deliverance from our suffering may only come with our death or his return. God's promise to come "soon" might not feel so soon. But we can wait patiently for his rescue, confident that it will come in his good time. We can wait patiently as we do all we can to speed that day along. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on 2 Peter 3:8-14 and find the patience to...

Wait For It…

A sermon based on 2 Peter 3:8-14

Sunday, December 7, 2014 – Advent 2B

 

Christmas is coming! We're only a few weeks away now! But kids, you have to wait until you can open your presents. It's not for another 18 days! Do you like waiting to open your presents?

Adults, have a winter vacation planned? Going to get out of the snow and warm up? Well, you're obviously not gone yet, so you have to wait for it. Do you like waiting? And it's a little over 4 months before you get your tax return, and another 6 months after that before you get your PFD's again. But you have to wait for it…

We don't always like waiting, do we? We're not always super patient. That truth comes across in our conversations. We don't like waiting until it's our turn to talk, so instead of listening, we're often formulating our response in our heads, if not outright interrupting others.

But God isn't like that. He doesn't mind waiting. He's pretty patient. In spite of all the wickedness and evil he sees take place every day in this sin-filled world, in spite of the pain he sees us humans inflict on one another, he doesn't end the earth. At least, not yet… He's being patient.

And this morning we hear from the Apostle Peter again as he encourages us to be patient too. "Judgment Day is surely coming!" he reminds us, "But… wait for it…." Our text for consideration this morning is from 2 Peter 3:8-14…

 

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

 

Do you know the average life expectancy of a gnat? It's around 3 or 4 months. A gnat lives his entire life—from birth to death—in just 16 weeks! So he learns to fly at week 1, maybe goes to prom at week 2, gets married by week 4, goes through his midlife crisis at 8 weeks, finds a nice little gnat retirement home at 10 weeks and 2 to 6 weeks later. He dies.

Now the average life expectancy of your average US citizen is 78 and a half. That's 942 months. That means that on average we live more than 235 times longer than the average gnat. Now if I could somehow communicate with a gnat and tell him that I'm going back to Wisconsin soon, a little over 7 months from now and wanted him to come with me, what do you think he would say?

"Soon?! You call that soon?! I will be long dead by then, and most likely, my kids will be dead too! Two weeks would be 'soon' for me! Not seven months! You have a totally different perspective on soon because you live so long!"

Okay, so the analogy is a bit goofy. But that's kind of what it must be like for God. "Judgment Day is coming soon!" he's promised. "It will be here any time now!" he says in his Word. But almost two thousand years have passed. Dozens of generations have passed! And still, Judgment Day hasn't come.

And we may think like the gnat, "Two years would be 'soon' for me, Jesus! Not two thousand! You have a totally different perspective on soon because you live so long."

 

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."

When you're hurting and in pain, God's "soon" can be discouraging. When you're facing persecution like the first century Christians were, that "soon" can't come soon enough! When you're sick and tired, when you're struggling with a relationship, struggling with the finances, struggling to find some direction, the promise that Jesus is coming soon to take us to be with him in heaven seems a long way off, not soon. We wish that day were here now! We wish he would take us to heaven. But it's not here. Not yet. So we have to wait for it…

And at times we grow impatient. Because God's "soon" is different from what think of as "soon," we can be tempted to think he's forgotten about us. We doubt his love. We doubt his promises. And we demonstrate that every time we sin against him. If you knew Jesus would come back tomorrow morning, I think you'd live differently tonight. But because it seems like he's so long in coming, we forget about it.

But Peter tells us why he's taking so long! "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Make no mistake. Judgment Day is coming. "The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare… That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. "

Remember the fire that ripped through the Peninsula this past spring? That won't even be a small spark compared to the fire that is to come on Judgment Day. And what a horrible fate will fall on those who aren't prepared. It will be a day of disaster like we talked about last week.

How selfish we are when because of our frustrations or pains wish for Judgment Day to come soon without giving any thought to what that will mean for those outside the faith! How self-absorbed we are! We don't deserve to be spared on that day for our loveless lack of concern for others. We deserve to have God destroy us with eternal fire on that Day.

But, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

And so he calls you to repentance again and again, leading you to confess your impatience and your selfishness to him. He leads you back to the Gospel where you see Jesus' perfect life lived for you and the innocent death he died for you.

He leads you here to be comforted with that message of peace that you are already perfectly saved even though you're not yet fully saved and in heaven. And we know that we will be fully saved and "we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."

And because he is so patient, he's waiting for others to come to faith too that they might be spared of that disaster. He doesn't want "anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

So we wait for it…

But what do we do while we wait?

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming… make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

 What do we do while we wait? We "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." And how are we spotless, blameless, and at peace with God? Surely not because of our efforts, but through faith in Jesus' efforts already done for us. In other words, we make every effort to stay in the faith.

And as we do, we live holy and godly lives! We work hard to please our Savior to show him how thankful we are for what he's done! Because he has declared us to be "spotless, blameless and at peace with him," we want to actually be what he's already declared us to be and stop sinning.

While we wait, we don't wait with impatience, but we do look forward to Judgment Day with excitement! We look forward to that day more than children look forward to tearing the paper off of the gifts under the tree. For we will have not just a new gadget or toy or article of clothing, but a new heaven and new earth and a new home—a home of righteousness for us who are righteous through Jesus—a home where sin and all its effects are completely, eternally absent! We look forward to that Day like you look forward to a holiday or a vacation but even more because we know that that vacation will never end!

And, finally, Peter tells us that as we look forward to the day of God, we should speed its coming. But how? How can we make Judgment Day come any sooner? Well if God is holding it back until more come to faith in Jesus, we can make Judgment Day come sooner by doing all we can to help bring other people to faith! So let's share the Gospel that brings more to faith!

Invite a friend come with you, ladies, to the Ladies' Advent by Candlelight this afternoon. Do you use Facebook? Like a sermon or better still, share it on your page or with a friend. Ask a question from your Bible reading or about the Exodus movie on your Facebook page and tag me. Let your friends see not just the answer, but your commitment to growing in your faith. Invite a family with young children to bring them to Christmas for Kids next Saturday. Invite a co-worker to come to Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship with you.

Let's get the Word out. And then let's pray that the Holy Spirit would overcome resisting hearts and lead more people to faith.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

So we wait for it…

And while we wait, we do all we can to keep our faith. We do all we can to share our faith. And we will be ready for that great Day as we continue to… wait for it. 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
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

“I’ll Shepherd Them Myself” (A sermon based on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24)

“I’ll Shepherd Them Myself”
A sermon based on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24
Sunday, November 23, 2014 – Christ the King A

“Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf attacking the sheep!” cried the shepherd. But when all the townspeople showed up at the field ready for a fight, the boy just laughed and laughed! “Hahaha! I tricked you! There’s no wolf!”
The next day, he cried out again, “Wolf! Wolf! This time I mean it! There really is a wolf!” But again he laughed at the gullible people, “You suckers fell for it again!”
But on the third day a wolf really did come. And this time, when he called for help, the “boy who cried wolf” was ignored. The scared boy ran and the wolf ravaged the sheep.
Now, what would you do with that foolish boy if you were the owner of those sheep who’d hired him to keep them safe? Or consider another shepherd:
When hired to watch the sheep, he would regularly shear one or two without the owner’s knowledge, and would take the fleece home for himself. On occasion when he had something to celebrate, he would slaughter one of the sheep without the owner’s knowledge, and enjoy a nice mutton dinner.
Now, what would you do with that dishonest shepherd if you were the owner of those sheep who’d hired him to keep them safe?
This is the situation God found himself in. He had called shepherds—prophets, priests, and kings—to guard his flock—his people Israel—keeping them safe, feeding them with the promises of his Word, caring for them with the utmost care remember that they were serving God.
But these despicable shepherds were fleecing the flock. Rather than caring for the people, they were just using them to fill their bellies and their purses, to pad their couches and their bank accounts. And God had had enough. He loved his people too much to let the abuse continue. So this is what he promised in Ezekiel 34 (:11-16, 23-24)…

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.
24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.

I.              Out with the Old

So why did God say that he would step in and shepherd his sheep himself? Because the leaders he’d appointed weren’t exactly doing so great a job. In the opening words of Ezekiel 34 this is what God had to say:
“The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally…  
7 “ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord…  
10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-4, 7, 10)
The shepherds were doing a pretty bad job. And God would fix the problem. As a result of the bad shepherds and the mismanaged flock, the Israelites were led into captivity in Babylon, where Ezekiel now was, ministering to the people there. They were being disciplined just as God had warned they would be.
What a strong warning for me, who’s title, Pastor, means “Shepherd,” who has been called to shepherd you! What a strong warning for the leaders of our nation who have been called by God (for it’s he, not just some election, who has established them in their position. See Romans 13.). And it’s a stern warning for the pastors of our nation who often abuse that position of shepherd to line their pockets and fill their bank accounts, who tell their flocks that God wants them to have their best lives now if only they’d give enough, who fleece their flocks and butcher their souls as they lead them to look at their efforts and not to Christ.
What will be the result for our nation? Will God let us be taken captive as a way to discipline us? Will he strip us of our blessings and punish us by some foreign nation? I don’t know. But seeing the way that leaders abuse their power can sure be frustrating, can’t it?
Are you frustrated with the leaders of our nation? Are you frustrated with the clergy of the United States? Are you frustrated with… yourself?
“Wait? What? Where did that come from?” you might object. “I’m no leader!” No? Who is a leader? Anyone who leads others. “Well, that’s not me!” you say? Well, if that’s true, then that’s to your shame! We are all called to lead others. In a leadership book I’m reading it says this: “Anytime you influence the thinking, beliefs, or development of another person, you’re engaging in leadership.”[1] That’s absolutely true. And that means that you can (and should) lead whether you’re the CEO or manager, or the bookkeeper or janitor.
“Are you your brother’s keeper?” Yes! You are! You are responsible for those in your life. You are responsible to lead others to Jesus: your own family, your friends and co-workers, complete strangers by the way you support the church at large. You are responsible to lead by the example that you set in the way you live your life. You are responsible to lead by the words you say. You are responsible by the way you not only behave, but in your attitudes.
Are you a good leader? Always? … Me neither. And for our selfish abuse of the positions that God has put us in, we deserve to have God say of us, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against [you] and will hold [you] accountable for my flock. I will remove [you] from [your position] so that [you] no longer feed [your]selves. I will rescue my flock from [your] mouths, and it will no longer be food for [you].” (Ezekiel 34:10, paraphrased)
In fact, we deserve to have God punish us severely for our failure to lead others, just as he had once warned Ezekiel: “When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.” (Ezekiel 3:18)
That’s what we deserve. But instead, God stepped in to care for his people. He would shepherd them himself…

II.            In with the New

Hey, did you guys hear about the man who ran over himself? He asked his wife to run over to the store to get him some snacks to eat during the football game. But she refused, saying she was too busy. So he grabbed his keys, got in the car, and ran over himself. J
But seriously, you’ve heard the maxim that if you want something done right, you’d better just do it yourself. That’s how God felt in dealing with his people. He had appointed shepherds to care for his flock. But they weren’t doing a very good job. And God cared too much for his flock to let them all die a slow, spiritual death, so God would take care of this himself.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them… I [will] look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered… I will bring them out… I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them… I will tend them in a good pasture… I myself will tend my sheep… I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak… I will shepherd the flock…  
23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.
24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
But wait a second! If God would shepherd his people himself—which he said he’d do 10 times in 6 verses!—then why does he end saying that he’d have David shepherd them? Why does he call David their prince when he would rule?
And remember your Old Testament History? When did David live? About 1000 BC. When did Ezekiel live and write? About 400 years later, around 600 BC! So how could Ezekiel say that David, who had been dead for 4 centuries by now, could be their Shepherd and their prince?!
Well, if you’ve been coming to Bible Class lately, you know the answer to the riddle already. You know the promise that God made to David in 1 Chronicles 17(:10-14). There he said to David, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom… I will establish his throne forever… I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ”
You know the fulfillment wasn’t just in Solomon—for his reign didn’t last forever, which God promised David 3 times! You know who’s reign lasts forever. You know that this promise really referred to Jesus just as it’s explained in Luke 1(:31-33) when Gabriel said to Mary, “31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
So when God told Ezekiel that David would shepherd his people he was really referring to Jesus. And all the things Ezekiel described, Jesus has done and still does for us! What a perfect Shepherd he is!
Jesus perfectly cared for his flock, even laying down his life for his sheep. See John 10:11 and, really, all of John 10, the “Good Shepherd” chapter. And that payment the God-man made with his life on the cross still counts for us. We are forgiven for our failure to lead others, for our selfishness in using others, and for every sin. And we are forgiven because Jesus went after the lost sheep with a passion that left 99 others behind to save that one. See Luke 15:4-7, and really, all of Luke 15, the “Love for the Lost” chapter. He came after us.
But his work as Shepherd still isn’t done. Now Jesus rules all things for the good of his Church and for us who are in it. See Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 1:22. He still leads us to the quiet waters of his Word where he gives us peace. See Psalm 23. And one day soon he will lead Shepherd us into his heavenly pasture as he’s promised in Revelation 7(:15-17): He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon 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.”
So we praise our perfect Shepherd King. We live, no longer for ourselves only taking more for us, but we live for him. And that means we live for others, doing all we can to lead them to our Good Shepherd.
In other words, we strive to be the leaders he’s made us to be! We strive to be faithful shepherds for our King! After all, the King has made us not only his sheep, but his sons and daughters—princes and princesses! He’s given us the authority to speak on his behalf. He’s given us a mission to carry out for him. So it’s time to step up and lead!
No more “crying wolf” with our excuses! No more fleecing the flock by using others for our selfish ends. No! Now we do all we all we can to “influence the thinking, beliefs, or development of [others]… and [engage] in leadership.” We lead, not because we must, or because we’re afraid the King will punish us if we don’t, but because we long to thank him for the way he has served us himself as the perfect Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, who rules all things for our good, who promises to take us to be with him soon. In Jesus’ name dear friends, go lead! Amen.





[1] Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller.
Posted by at No comments:

You Are Disaster Ready (A sermon based on 1 Peter 3:18-22)

Are you prepared for an earthquake? For a winter storm? For a flood? Are you prepared for the end of the world? Through Jesus, you can say with confidence, "I am absolutely ready for that Day." Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on 1 Peter 3:18-22 and rejoice that you are disaster ready!

You Are Disaster Ready

A sermon based on 1 Peter 3:18-22

Sunday, November 30, 2014 - Advent 1B

 

I trust that God will take care of me as he sees fit in any and every circumstance and that if he wants me to die, nothing can spare my life, and if he wants me to live, nothing can take it away. But I don't believe that such trust in God means we don't do the very best that we can to take care of our bodies and to prepare for an event that might put us in harm's way.

So, this is my bug-out bag. In case I need to "bug out" of the parsonage in the event of an emergency, or in case the van is buried under an avalanche on the way to Anchorage, I want to be ready. It's a survival bag of sorts. It wouldn't keep me alive for very long, but it's got some basic necessities: I've got a few of those space blankets, a camp stove, some waterproof matches, a few freeze-dried meals. It's not much, but it's what I've got so far as I try to prepare for a disaster.

How about you? Are you disaster ready? FEMA—the Federal Emergency Management Agency—has a website: www.Ready.gov that aims to educate people so that they are disaster ready. They say that in many cases, after a disaster strikes help is unavailable for most for the first three days. So it has advice on how to prepare for earthquakes, winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods. It has lists of suggested items to keep in store for an emergency like food, water, batteries, and first aid supplies. If you want to be disaster ready, maybe you want to check out www.Ready.gov. 

Of course, Noah didn't need a website to help him to be disaster ready. God had revealed to him that a big disaster was coming: a global flood that would destroy all living things that moved along the ground. And Noah got disaster ready. He build the ark, he stockpiled food, he trusted in God's promise to rescue him, and he did all he could to warn others of the impending disaster.

Now, you and I don't need to prepare for a global flood. God promised that he would never flood the entire earth ever again. But God has revealed to us that a big disaster is coming. We need to be ready for another global event—the destruction of all things, not by water, but by fire, on the Last Day when Jesus returns.

Jesus himself said, "37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37-38)

The word Advent means "Coming." And it is that season in which we are encouraged to prepare for Jesus' coming. Because he most certainly will come again on a day and at a time that no one will anticipate. There will be no time to run and get more water, food, and batteries. There will be no warning, but it will come like a flash flood. And for those who aren't prepared, it will truly be a day of disaster. So the question is, "Are you prepared for Jesus' coming? Are you disaster ready? You'd better be.

So how do we get ready? In an inspired digression from his main point about suffering in these end times, the apostle Peter gives us this encouragement in our sermon text from 1 Peter 3:18-22:


18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

 

What saved Noah and his family? Well, there are a number of answers to that question:

First, and most obvious, you might say that the ark saved Noah and his family from the destructive waters of the flood.

But you might also answer that question by saying that the waters of the flood saved Noah from the corrupt and depraved world around him. It lifted Noah and his family in the ark up above the earth while it scrubbed the surface clean.

You might answer that Noah's trust in God's promises saved him and his family as he believed what God said would happen and prepared.

But finally, and ultimately, you might best answer that question, "What saved Noah and his family?" by saying it was God's grace that rescued them.

In the same way, you can answer the question, "How are we prepared to be spared from the disaster that is coming on Judgment Day?" in a number of different ways:

Œ You can say that we are prepared because our sins are forgiven through Jesus: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." He lived a perfect life in our place—he was perfectly righteous—and gave that perfection to us. He died an innocent death for our sins—for us who are unrighteous—and took those sins away. Now we are brought close to God.

You could also say that we are saved and ready to go by our Baptisms that connect us to Jesus' saving work: "This water [of the Genesis flood] symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God." Baptism saves—plain and simple. As the waters of the flood cleansed the earth of wicked sinners, so the waters of my baptism have cleansed me of sin by delivering what Christ has done on the cross to me individually and by creating faith in my heart.

Ž And speaking of faith, you could say that we are ready and prepared against the disaster of Judgment Day through the faith given by the Holy Spirit through Baptism and the Word. The same Spirit that made Jesus alive physically has made us alive spiritually.

And speaking of Jesus resurrection, we can say that Baptism only gets its power from Easter: "[Baptism] saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." So we are prepared and ready to bug out of this life because we know that we too will rise to live again just as Jesus did.

But finally, and ultimately, you might best answer that question, "How are we prepared to be spared from the disaster that is coming on Judgment Day?" by saying that it's God's grace that rescues us. 

Noah was prepared. And as a result, he was saved. When the flood waters came, he could rest in peace aboard the ark, confident that God would keep his promise to deliver him. And God did deliver him, not just from the flood, but from the wicked influence that might rob him of his faith. So 350 years later when death approached, Noah could still rest in peace confident that God would keep his promise to deliver him again. And he was saved into God's heaven.

So too, we are prepared. We are disaster ready. God has prepared us. He has saved us though Jesus' work, through his perfect life and innocent death. He has prepared us through our Baptisms and the saving faith he's given us. He has prepared us through Jesus' resurrection from the dead. He's prepared us by his grace.

And as a result, when Judgment Day comes, we don't need to be afraid. It won't be a day of disaster for us, but a day of rescue and of joy! So we can rest in peace, confident that God will keep his promise to deliver us and take us into his heaven. 

And in the meantime, we want to do all we can to stay ready for Jesus' Advent—for his coming.

Can you imagine if Shem left the ark right before the flood hit telling Noah, "Hold on, dad. I forgot my coat and my spare sandals. Oh, and I left my favorite bow and quiver at my friend's house. I'm just going to go get those things. I'll be back in a few hours."

What disaster might have come if any of the eight had been distracted by some petty concerns that caused them to leave the ark. In the same way, don't let the things of this life or some petty concern distract you from being prepared for Judgment Day.

Stay prepared. Stay ready. Not with a bug-out bag, but by continuing to strengthen your faith. Remain in the Word:

Pick up an Advent calendar and then read a devotion every day as you open the little door.

Get an Advent wreath and sing or just read an Advent hymn as you light the candles.

Remember your Baptism each day as you shower and take the dirt from your body. Remember how God washed you clean of your sin, adopted you as his own, and planted the seed of faith in your heart giving you, "the pledge of a good conscience toward God."

For those members who are confirmed, receive the Lord's Supper often as you are regularly assured of the forgiveness of your sins through Christ, who, "died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."

And all of these go into your "bug-out bag" of faith that keeps you always ready to bug out of this sin-filled world when Jesus comes again.

You are disaster ready through Jesus! Be at peace and always ready to go! And do all you can to help others get ready before it's too late. 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
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)