Friday, December 29, 2017

Beautiful Feet (A sermon based on Isaiah 52:7-10)

Do you like feet? I think they're gross (especially my own). But that's probably nothing compared to what God must think of our feet considering where we've walked with them. But nevertheless because God became man that first Christmas and took on human feet that carried him to the cross, that were nailed to that cross, our feet will be made perfect in the glory of heaven. Now we who carry the message of the gospel to others have beautiful feet, not because they're clean and so well groomed, but because of that message they carry. Read this sermon based on Isaiah 52:7-10 (sorry, no audio of this sermon was recorded) and rejoice in those beautiful feet! 

Beautiful Feet
A sermon based on Isaiah 52:7-10
Monday, December 25, 2017 – Christmas Day 

I've got a confession to make. It's mildly embarrassing and a bit disturbing. And it's this: My feet are gross. As pretty as the rest of me is, they're surprisingly unattractive. :) With black church socks, I get fuzz between my toes. My toenails are fungal. They're yellow and look like they're turning into talons. My heels are dried and cracked. And a podiatrist once told me that there's not really much I can do about it unless I want to put lots of expensive creams on my feet several times a day or take an internal medication that would cause more damage to my liver than healing for my feet. So, I haven't done anything about it. I just have gross feet.

In fact, I think that feet are gross in general. Not too many people have pretty feet. Not too many people have sweet smelling feet. But today, this Christmas Day, we're going to talk about… of all things… feet. 

In the text that we'll consider this morning, the prophet Isaiah wrote about feet. He wrote about beautiful feet. But they weren't beautiful because they were fungus free with well-trimmed nails or because they were clean and sweet-smelling. But they were beautiful feet because they carried the messenger who brought good news. And this Christmas morning, we rejoice in the beautiful feet in our lives. Our text is found in Isaiah 52:7-10… 

7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. 9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. 

Feet are gross. They're often smelly and dirty, calloused and cracked, fungal and foul. I was going to do a PowerPoint slideshow here to prove my point, but then thought, "I don't want to ruin everyone's Christmas." But if you agree with me and think feet are gross, can you imagine how disgusting they must be to God, when you consider all the places our feet have taken us?

Even if you haven't used your feet to kick the dog or punt the cat, to stomp on a rival gang member, or walk out of a bank you've just robbed… Still, your feet have walked right into conversations that you knew would be full of gossip and slander. They've stormed out of the room after you've selfishly screamed at a family member. You've used your feet to run into trouble and to shuffle off quietly into the background when someone needed to stand up for the truth. Your feet have tripped up as you fall into sin again and again. And they've staggered around in your sinful folly.

And as a dad it all reminds me of the country song by Billy Currington, Walk A Little Straighter Daddy, which says in the refrain: "Walk a little straighter, daddy, you're swaying side to side. You're footsteps make me dizzy and no matter how I try I keep tripping and stumbling. If you'd look down here, you'd see. Walk a little straighter daddy. You're leading me."

How gross our feet must be to God. Gross enough that we deserve to hear him say, "Keep those filthy feet out of my house!" We deserve to be forever excluded from his heaven and expelled from his presence.

Now, I don't know what Isaiah's feet looked like, but I imagine that walking around in a mostly dusty, sometimes muddy Middle East land with open toed sandals, left his feet looking a lot like mine. Nevertheless, his feet were beautiful. Likewise, those shepherds that had probably stepped in some sheep droppings, then ran off to see Jesus in the manger, and ran off again to tell people what they heard and saw… well, I'll bet their feet were pretty sweaty and gross. But their feet were beautiful too. Their feet weren't beautiful because they just had a pedicure. But the feet of Isaiah, of those shepherds, my gross feet, are beautiful because of the message they bring.

Imagine this: You're in a dark, dank prison cell. Tomorrow you will either be executed, in which case the jailer with his big, black, steel-toed boots will come to get you and take you to your death, or you will be set free, in which case your pastor will alert you and escort you out of the prison. Now imagine there's no window in your cell, but there's a small gap under the door. So in the morning, you hear footsteps approaching and you can't help it, you just have to know who's coming, so you drop to the floor and peer under the door to see if it's those big, black boots. And instead of black boots, you see my fungal toenails in flipflops approaching your prison cell. My feet, as gross as they are, would be beautiful to you, wouldn't they? See how your perspective of feet would change based on the news that they bring?

Isaiah's feet brought him to the Israelites to proclaim the law, yes, but especially the gospel message of the rescue God would bring about for his people. The shepherds' feet brought them to anyone in Bethlehem who would hear the good news that God had taken on human flesh to carry out his soul-saving work and bring peace on earth and goodwill between God and mankind. And my feet brought me over here and up these steps to preach the good news to you, that you are released from your prison cell, that you have been rescued from hell, that…

"Your God reigns! …the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."

And you have seen it in the baby born on Christmas day, taking on human flesh, eyes, ears, finger, and yes… feet and toes. The God who created the cosmos, didn't get around by teleportation. He didn't fly around like Superman. He didn't even travel by car or bicycle! But he chose to confine himself to the ground, to walk around from place to place on sore, tired, dusty, dirty feet. What a miracle—the incarnation—where God took on human flesh and human feet!

And how did he use those feet? Well he always walked the straight and narrow path. He always went where God wanted him to go, whether it was walking up a mountain to teach his disciples or walking on the water to prove his divinity. And whether it was walking in the way of the Ten Commandments, perfectly keeping them for you and for me, or walking the long difficult road to Jerusalem where he knew he was to die, he did it all for us.

He showed his humility and love when refused to have his feet washed by someone else, but instead washed his disciples' feet. He showed his love for us when his feet carried him and his cross up the hill called Golgotha and when he let those feet be nailed to the cross to take the blame and the punishment for our every sin and to take our sin away.

Now, I doubt Jesus' feet, calloused and cracked, with the spit and the dirt and the sweat and the blood all caked to them were a pretty sight to look at. But, ah, dear friends, what beautiful feet! They are the very feet of God! They are the feet that rescued us! The feet that marched into hell and back victorious! The feet that walked out of the tomb three days after his death!

And because of those feet, "…the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem… and all the ends of the earth [have seen] the salvation of our God." We are forgiven of every sin. We are at peace with God! (If you'll pardon the pun, he used his soles—s-o-l-e-s—to save our souls—s-o-u-l-s.) And because of those feet we know that our feet will be in heaven someday soon, where the fungus will be gone, the cracks all healed, the toenails will be perfectly restored when we get our glorified, perfected bodies for all of eternity!

And now we look to the sky as we wait for him. His feet were the last part of Jesus that his disciples saw as he ascended into the sky and was hidden by a cloud. And since he promised he'll come back in the same way that he left, his feet will be the first thing we'll see when returns to take us to glory. "When the Lord returns to Zion, [we] will see it with [our] own eyes."

Now, use your feet to show your thanks to God. Offer your mind and your ministries, your treasures and your talents, your skills and your strength all to him. Offer your whole self to him, your soul and your soles, your feet included, as you pray to him, "Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee." (CW #469 v.2b)

Use your feet to stand in the back to hand out bulletins and to walk to the front to take the offerings as you serve as an usher. Use your feet to walk over to the church cleaning signup sheet in the narthex and sign up. Then use them to walk back and forth pushing a vacuum, a mop, or a broom. Use your feet to go for a walk with your spouse as you listen and give encouragement. Use your feet to chase after your toddler without yelling or screaming, but showing patience and love. Use your feet to walk across the street to help a neighbor carry in the groceries. Use your feet to do your job to the very best of your ability, not to get a promotion, but to give glory to God.

And most of all, use your feet to carry you into a conversation that gives you the opportunity to share the message of Christmas: That God became man and took on flesh, even feet, to walk the way to the cross, and have those feet nailed to it ,to take away your sin and theirs. Share with them how, "…the Lord has comforted his people, [how] he has redeemed Jerusalem… and [how] all the ends of the earth [have seen] the salvation of our God."

And it doesn't matter if your feet have a fungus, if your toenails are yellow, if your heels are dried and cracked. As you go share that message, your feet will be truly beautiful. They'll be as beautiful as Isaiah's and as beautiful as the shepherds! For, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.

In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Building God’s House (A sermon based on 2 Samuel 7:8-11)

Have you ever built a house? It takes a lot of work doesn't it? And it takes a lot of work to build God's house too. Just... not by you. God told David that he didn't want David to build a house for him. Instead God would build a house for David and his descendants -- a spiritual house. There's nothing we do to build that house. God did it all (by the cross and empty tomb) and does it all (bringing us to faith and into his house). But now, we are privileged to be the tools he uses as he keeps building on. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on 2 Samuel 7:8-11 and rejoice that you're a part of God's house!

​Building God's House
A sermon based on 2 Samuel 7:8-11
Sunday, December 24th, 2017 – Advent 4B/Christmas Eve 

Have you ever built a house? Ever wanted to? I'll be honest: I don't know that much about house building. When Becky and I bought our brand new house in Raleigh, we just got in on the very tail end of the construction and didn't even get to choose the paint color. (It was "builder brown.")

So if you want to know more about building your own house, don't ask me. You'd be better off asking Phil or Bob and Kelly, Greg and Emmanuela, or Marian, or someone else who's done it before and not me. All I know is that it's a lot of work, whatever you think it's going to cost, you should add at least 30% to that estimate, and however long you think it's going to take, you should add 30 to 50% more time.

Well, today, we're going to talk about building a house. But it's not just any old house. We're talking about building a house for God. And we're not just talking about building a church, like the Builders for Christ do, but we're talking about building the Church—the Kingdom of God as he rules in hearts and lives. And that takes us back to the Old Testament, to the time of the kings, to the time of Israel's glory days under King David…

King David was now living in a beautiful palace. He had taken the throne after Sauls' death, he had ended the civil war that ensued, he united the kingdom under one banner and one king, and he had defeated all the enemies that surrounded the nation on every side. And David recognized that it was clearly God who was handing this all to him. God was fighting for him and through him. And all he had was by God's grace alone. So he naturally thought, "It's not right that I'm living in this beautiful mansion covered in gold, while the Ark of the Covenant, which represents God's presence here on earth, is still sitting next door in a canvass tent. I'm going to build God a house. And it's going to be awesome.

At first, the prophet Nathan (David's pastor) said, "That's a great idea, David! Get to it!" But God came to Nathan that night and told him otherwise. He told Nathan that he didn't want David to build a house for him. Instead, he (God) would build a house for him—for David and his descendants—for all of us. Listen to what Nathan told David in 2 Samuel 7(:1-18)… 

After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

3 Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you."

4 That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

5 "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '

8 "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

" 'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "

So, a while ago I noticed that the headlights of my van weren't really very bright when I was driving around in the dark. I tried cleaning my headlights and then polishing them. I tried Rainex and Windex wipes every time I filled the tank with gas. And I finally decided that I needed new bulbs. And not just the same old halogen that were so dim. I needed those super bright LED lights so I could see a mile ahead as I drove. But… I figured I could save some money if I ordered them at Amazon and installed them myself.

Well, let me tell you how that worked out: When I was done, the headlights didn't really work right. One hardly turned on at all. The other pointed a bit high, so everyone thought I had my brights on and constantly flashed theirs at me. Actually, I may have had the brights on, because whenever I tried to turn on my brights, the lights went out completely. I tried to do the project myself and, as a result, messed everything up.

And if you have small kids at home, you get how this works, don't you? "Let me do it! I'll do it myself!" often ends up creating more work for mom or dad who have to undo the mess and start all over from scratch, if the project isn't already broken beyond repair. That's the way it often is when people want to do great things for God. We think, "I got this! Let me do it!" and then, subsequently, end up messing everything up.

David wanted to build a massive temple for God. He wanted a palace for God that would make his own look small. He would do great things for God! And isn't that the way that we often think too? God, I'll do good things for you. I'll make an impact. I'll make a difference. I'll change the world for you! But that's not what God wants. Not really.

You see, before we build anything for God, God wants to build something for us. Before we do great (or small) things for him, he wants to do great things for us. So, while David told his pastor, Nathan, all about the great things he was going to do for God, Nathan came back the next day and told David what God said: "I don't want you to build a house for me. I want to build a house for you."

And it's not just in our projects that we want to do great stuff for God. Sometimes we even think we can do great things for him for our salvation. "I got this God. Let me do it. I'll do it myself. You'll see how awesome it is when I'm done." And inevitably we mess it up every time. Because our sinful nature—our selfishness—gets in the way. We sin—against God… against each other. And we prove how broken we are. We've ruined our relationships with each other. We've ruined our relationship with him.

And just as stubborn and rebellious adult child will eventually get kicked out of the house, we deserve to be kicked out of God's house. We deserve to be banished from his heaven. We deserve to be left outside forever in hell.

Nevertheless, because of his great grace—his love that we don't in any way deserve—God has built a house for us…

And he built it on his Son…

Now, at first read, when God told David, "I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name…" it sure seems like he's talking about King Solomon, David's son, who did build the temple of the Lord using all the materials his dad had stockpiled for him for that very purpose. But… keep reading…

"He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever… Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever."

Now, I'm not sure if you were aware of this, but King Solomon… is dead. That means his reign came to an end. In fact, the temple that he built was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. In fact the subsequent temple that was rebuilt over the ruins has also been destroyed—that one by the Romans. So, it couldn't have been to the physical temple that God was referring when he said, "Your house… will endure forever… your throne will be established forever."

So what was he talking about? Well, fast forward a thousand years (give or take). The angel Gabriel came to the virgin Mary and told her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (Luke 1:30-33)

So what's the house that God promised to David that he would build? It was his Church (with a capital "C"). That is, it's not some physical building of brick and mortar, but where God reigns in the hearts of his believers through faith. This is the house that God built though his Son, David's descendant, Jesus.

In John 2:19 Jesus pointed that out. He said of himself, of his own body, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." And that's exactly what he did. And by his death and resurrection, he built the Church (the House) of God.

Lately, I've been reading a little in the Church Fathers and have been reading a book called "The Shepherd of Hermas." In one vision, the shepherd sees a huge tower being built and is told that the tower represents God's Church and all who are saved though Jesus. The shepherd asks about the oddly shaped stones that are lying far away from the tower and he's told that those misshaped stones weren't fit to be used in construction of God's holy dwelling.

Well, that's what we deserve: to be cast away from God's house because we're not perfect, we're not square, we're not even close. But we don't get what we deserve… because Jesus didn't get what he deserved. He who was sinless and deserved only the mansions of heaven, came to earth to live for us, keeping God's law in our place. So that we who so often neglect God's church and are apathetic to worship and his Word, get his perfect record. He came to die on a cross in our place, to pay the penalty our sins deserve so we are forgiven. Now we aren't cast away from God's church. We'll never be cast away to hell.

But instead we're brought into God's Church, as Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5, "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…" We're brought into God's Church—into his eternal church—which, "will endure forever…" (2 Samuel 7), which, "will never end." (Luke 1:33) The salvation that we have in Christ can never be lost or destroyed. Because it's something we didn't do… because it's something that we didn't build… because it's something God has done… something he has built for us… we can't mess it up. It will last forever. You are forgiven. You are heaven-bound. You have true, spiritual peace, and rest from all of your real enemies: satan, sin, guilt, and shame. And you have God's certain promise that he will take care of you, especially protecting and preserving your faith, until he brings you into the eternal kingdom of his heaven.

So… what do we do in the meantime while we wait to be a part of God's heavenly Kingdom? Well, we keep building. You, dear friends, are a bunch of tools. I know that sounds like an insult. But it's not. You see, God has not only made you stones in the building project of his house, but he's also made you the tools he uses to keep building it. You are the hammer and saw, the ladder and the square, the chisel and the paint brush, each with your own roles and your own gifts given to you to help build God's church—the very Church God built for you.

So, go share your Christmas joy! Come back to tomorrow or next Sunday or the Sunday after that—and bring a friend with you! Keep growing in your faith so you can better share your faith. And whether you ever build your own home or not, you'll be a part of God's crew as you keep building on the house that he built for you. Merry Christmas, dear friends, dear living stones in God's house. In Jesus' name, amen.​

In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Joy to the World! The Lord is Come! (A sermon based on Psalm 98)

Ever been so happy that you can't help but sing for joy! That's the way the psalmist felt as he burst into song calling upon everyone and everything to join him in his song of praise. What made him so happy? God had won salvation for him by his grace alone and he revealed that salvation to him. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Psalm 98 and rejoice with the psalmist as you to sing to the Lord!

​Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!
A sermon based on Psalm 98
Sunday, December 17, 2017
A "Sola" Christmas – Children's Christmas Program 

My house is usually full of signing and music, and especially this time of year. But it's maybe not what you think. On occasion, it's a Christmas hymn my boys have been practicing for today's program or Christmas Eve. Sometimes it's a song playing on the radio. But more often it's a song I've never heard before, made up in the moment, that one of my boys is belting out.

[Singing] "Five days till my birthday! Five days till my birthday!" or [Singing] "It's almost Christmas. And I get to open up all of my presents. It's almost Christmas!"

Now I imagine that for many of you parents and grandparents, you're familiar with this artistic freestyling when kids simultaneously write the music and lyrics to a brand new, never-been-sung-before song, spontaneously. Now I'm not certain any of these songs will make the radio someday. But nevertheless, it usually fills my heart with joy to hear my boys' hearts so full of joy that they can't help but sing.

That's how the Psalmist felt when he wrote Psalm 98—a new song. He couldn't contain his joy and excitement. He just had to sing and he wanted the whole world to sing with him: "Joy to the world!" Why? What had him so excited? Well, in a sense, it was his Christmas presents. God in his grace gave mankind his gift of salvation. And that is definitely worth singing about. Our sermon text for this morning is Psalm 98… 

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. 

Now in a moment, the kids are going to share with you a Christmas message highlighting the five "solas" of the Lutheran Reformation. And with each one they (or we) are going to sing a song of praise to God. That's the only natural response to hearing what God's done for us—whether literally or just figuratively within your heart—singing praise to God in joy for what he's done. That's the only right response.

So, let me introduce those "solas" to you briefly before the kids tell you more… 

I.        Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone) and Sola Fide (By Faith Alone) 

Let's start by looking at the last verse of the Psalm. It says, "He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity." Now, does that phrase make you want to sing for joy?! It sure didn't have that effect on Martin Luther. That thought of Jesus Christ coming to judge the earth; to judge the world in righteousness… that idea terrified Martin Luther. You see, he knew that God is a righteous judge. He knew that God would judge all people with equity. That is, he would be fair. But what troubled Martin Luther was that he knew what "fair" looked like for him. He knew he was a sinner who had rebelled against God. And so he knew that "fair" meant punishment. "Fair" meant death. "Fair" meant hell.

And it's not different for us. Too often the songs we sing are self-aggrandizing. We sing, "Look at me! Give to me! Help me! Bless me!" But too seldom do we sing our praises to God by living for him and for others. Our song is, "It's all about me. It's all about me." And so the thought of having Jesus come to judge the earth in righteousness and equity ought to terrify us too.

But… we won't be damned. We won't go to hell. Why not? Because, "[God] has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel…" In a minute, the kids are going to remind us of many of the promises God made to his people; the promises about the coming Savior from sin. And why did God send Jesus to rescue us? Not because of anything we've done or ever could do, but entirely because of his grace. By grace alone.

By grace, God sent Jesus to be the righteousness we could not achieve. Jesus became a human to take our place. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place. Jesus died an innocent death in our place. Jesus took God's wrath in our place. Jesus endured hell on that cross separated from the Father in our place. We did nothing. He did everything. "His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him."

He did it all. There's nothing left for us to do. We simply trust in his gracious work in our place and in the salvation he worked. We simply receive what he did by faith. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone.

Martin Luther came to realize this truth for the first time when he studied the Bible. Forced by his superior to leave the monastery and teach the Bible at the University of Wittenberg, he discovered for the first time what that phrase—"the righteousness of God"—really meant. No longer did God's righteousness terrify him because he came to see that "the righteousness of God" is not just the righteousness that God has being sinless and holy, but that phrase often referred to the righteousness God gives in Christ alone revealed in Scripture alone…  

II.      Sola Scriptura  (By Scripture Alone) and Solus Christus (In Christ Alone) 

In the Scriptures alone that righteousness of God is revealed. The Psalmest rejoiced that, "The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations." And we do too. For in the Scritures (the Bible) and here alone does God reveal what's he done for us in Christ. But he has made his salvation known to us.

You know there might be a bit of a pun in the Hebrew here. In Hebrew, the word for "salvation," is Yeshua. That's the Jewish name for Jesus whose name mean's "salvation." So the Hebrew could be translated, "The LORD has made his salvation known," or, "The LORD has made his [Yeshua] known," or, "The LORD has made his [Jesus] known."

And that's what God has done for us by his Word. In the Word of God he has revealed his plan of salvation for all people. "The Lord has… revealed his righteousness to the nations… all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." He's revealed that the salvation he won is not just for Jerusalem. It's not just for Israel. It's for all nations. It's for all the ends of the earth—even to Alaska!

And he's revealed this all to us by his Word. "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation [the Yeshua, the Jesus] of our God," because the Word has gone to the ends of the earth. We need that Word. We love that word. We want to learn that Word better in church and in Bible Class. We can't get enough of that Word that is God's love letter to us. For by Scripture alone we learn how we are saved by Christ alone.   

III.    Sola Dei Gloria (To God Alone Be the Glory) 

And as we learn that message again and again, more and more, there's only one response to all that God's done for us… for his salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, revealed through Scripture alone… We can't help but sing to the Lord a new song. The same old song and dance of trying to earn God's favor by what we do, just won't do it for us anymore. The same old song and dance of living for ourselves, with little to no thought of God on a day to day basis, won't cut it. We, who know that we already have God's favor by Grace alone, through faith alone, as Christ alone is revealed in Scripture alone, can't help but bring glory to God alone and sing a new song to the Lord!

We just can't help it! Our hearts are so full of joy that we can't help but sing our praise to God. We can't help but live our praise to God as we live to serve him by serving one another.

It's been said that a Christian is a lot like a tea kettle, which, when it's up to its neck in hot water, sings all the more loudly and clearly. Even as we go through the problems and trials of this life, we know what is to come because of Jesus. And as we sing for joy we too call on everyone and even everything to shout for joy! Joy to the World! The Lord is come! In his name, dear friends, amen!

In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Bask in the Sunshine (A sermon based on Malachi 4:1-6)

Do you like being out in the sun? I suppose it depends for how long. Some time in the sun has proved to be good for you. But too much time in the sun is bad. It can burn and even cause cancer. The same sun that helps can also kill. That's true too of the Son. The same Son that helps and heals those who put their trust in him will be like a burning furnace to others, turning them to ash. As we prepare for the Advent of our Savior, we prepare our hearts for his Judgment Day by putting our trust in him. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Malachi 4:1-6 and get ready!

Bask in the Sunshine
A sermon based on Malachi 4:1-6
Sunday, December 10, 2017 – Advent 3B 

I was dating this cute blond girl back in college. Things were getting pretty serious and she invited me to her parent's place one summer break. I agreed and enjoyed getting to know them see where she grew up. So one day she took me to a nearby lake where we spent the day canoeing and picnicking. And I remember it being sunny and hot. Now, I was in a little better shape back then and didn't mind taking my shirt off the way I do now. But that was a mistake. You see, I didn't think twice about sunscreen. And if you know anything about me and my family, you know that we're pretty pasty. The sunburn I had that afternoon was terrible. I was as red as a lobster. And I was in pain. (What a great impression "lobster boy" must have left on her parents.)

And I didn't learn from that incident either. I can't tell you how many times in North Carolina I went golfing or just to the park with the boys and came back bright red and in great pain. When the sun shines with any amount of intensity, when there's no cloud cover, I burn like a vampire. So Alaska is a pretty good fit for me.

In our sermon text for this 3rd Sunday in Advent, the prophet Malachi compares the coming of the Savior to the rising of the sun. For many it will be too intense. They will burn. And they will more than just blister in the sun, they will be set on fire, they will turn to ash. But for those who are ready, for those who put their trust in the Savior, they will bask in the warm glow of the sun. And they will leap for joy on that day. Our text for consideration this morning is found in Malachi 4:1-6…

 

"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the Lord Almighty.

4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." 

I still remember my 6th grade art teacher coming to school one day and beginning our lesson by saying, "Don't stare. I know I look gross. I got burned. Deal with it. Any questions?" We had none. Mrs. Schacht did actually go on to explain that she had been hiking on Mount Rainier on a sunny day that weekend. Not only was the sun shining down on her, but the sun was also reflecting up off the snow. It was double the amount of sun. She forgot the sunscreen and her sunburn was bad. Her face was blistered and peeling everywhere except the rings around both eyes where her sunglasses protected her.

Well, my burn on the canoe with Becky and Mrs. Schacht's much worse burn on Mt. Rainer… those were nothing in comparison to the burn that's going to hit "all the arrogant and every evildoer" on the Last Day. When Jesus comes in judgment… that day "will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them… they will be ashes…"

Hmmm… the arrogant… the evildoer….? Ever been arrogant? Ever thought you knew better than everyone else? Ever thought you knew better… than God? Sure you have. Every time you've sinned, you've told God that his ways were not as wise as your ways. And is there anything more arrogant than that? Ever done evil? Well… not if you just call murder, rape, and terrorism evil. But if you call evil what God calls evil… lust… hatred… pride… greed… speaking an unkind or impatient word… Well, there's just no denying that you and I are evil.

And so there's also no denying that we deserve to blister and peel and to burn in the furnace of hell and be set on fire forever. We deserve to be eternally turned into stubble and ashes. We deserve to be struck with a curse on the day that God judges all mankind; that day that is surely coming.

But, God in his grace, loves us too much to see us burn. So he did something about it. He sent his messengers "before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes…"

Do you know what the name Malachi means? It means "my messenger." And the whole book of Malachi is kind of a pun then. God prophesied through Malachi ("my messenger") that he would send a messenger (God's "Malachi") to prepare the way for the Messenger (the Malachi) of his grace. So God sent the prophet Malachi and a new Elijah (which the New Testament makes clear is John the Baptist) to prepare the way for the coming Savior. And that's exactly what they did. They proclaimed a message of law and gospel, of sin and grace, of repentance and forgiveness. And they proclaimed a message about Jesus.

Here after Malachi prophesies the terrible fate of "all the arrogant and every evildoer" he goes on to say, "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings [or rays]. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall."

Now, I don't want to squabble with the translators of the New International Version, but I think a better translation of this verse would read, "But for you who revere my name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings," (and I would capitalize the "S" in Sun,) because I think it's obvious who this Sun of Righteousness is—it's Jesus.

Just as a sunrise dispels the darkness, so Jesus, the Light of the World, drove out the darkness before him. He drove out the darkness of sin by taking it all on himself. And as the sin hit him on the cross, it was burned up! We are sinless! He drove out the darkness of hell by enduring hell on the cross. The eternal flames of hell were extinguished for all who revere God's name. We will never endure its flames! And de drove out the darkness of despair on Easter morning. As death hit him, it was consumed! We will live forever!

So, in a sense, Jesus is our Son-screen. (That's S-O-N-screen.) He screens us from the burning of his wrath on Judgment Day by taking that wrath on himself. We are screened and safe.

You know, I'm not the only pasty white person in my family. When we first brought Josiah home from the hospital, and then Jacob, both of them were sun-deprived too. They were both a sickly yellow with jaundice. The doctors told us that they needed "phototherapy," which is a fancy way of saying, get their skin exposed to the sun. After a week or two of laying on the floor in sunny spot in the room wearing nothing but a diaper, they were both just fine. You see, the same sun that burns, can also be the sun that heals.

So too with Jesus. The One that will burn like a furnace to "all the arrogant and every evildoer" setting them on fire and turning them to stubble and ash… that same One will rise with healing in his rays to make us just as righteous as he is. Thank God for that Son-screen! Now we bask in the Son like we bask in the sunshine on a warm vacation day. We rejoice! As well-fed calves released from the barn leap for joy, our hearts leap within us in joy for what our God has done for us and guaranteed for our future.

And we thank God now by telling others about that Son-screen! You are a "Malachi"; God's messenger. And you can start with your own family! "Turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…" Proclaim that message of law and gospel, of sin and grace, of repentance and forgiveness. Proclaim the message about Jesus. Tell them what a terrible burn is coming without protection; a burn that will totally consume for all of eternity. Then tell them how Jesus is our Son-screen who keeps us safe for eternity. And bask in the Son-shine, dear friends, as you rejoice in his grace. In Jesus' name, amen.

In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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

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Sunday, December 3, 2017

Prepare the Highway (A sermon based on Isaiah 40:1-4)

Do you like traveling on icy roads? Of course not! But can you imagine if there were NO roads? How much harder would travel be?! In this week's sermon, the prophet Isaiah encourages us to prepare the highway for the coming of the King, for Jesus. But he's not really talking about roads. He's talking about our hearts. The law levels the mountains of our pride and stubborn, willful sin. The gospel fills the valleys of our deficiencies and our despair. Using law and gospel. Isaiah and John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Using law and gospel we do the same. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Isaiah 40:1-11 and prepare the highway for Jesus!

Prepare the Highway
A sermon based on Isaiah 40:1-4
Sunday, December 3, 2017 – Advent 2B 

So I've been debating it for a while now. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. And I've gone back and forth a bit. There's a circuit meeting up in Anchorage tomorrow and I've been debating whether I drive up or just meet online.

One the one hand, it's always easier to connect with people face to face. Bad internet connections, other distractions, and no real interaction make communication more difficult online. And I am the Circuit Pastor. But on the other hand, staying home would save me a lot of gas money and a lot of time. Plus, travel can be difficult between here and there in the winter.

And yesterday, the Alaska 511 showed driving conditions as yellow ("fair") in some places and orange ("difficult") in others. But no roads were colored green for "good." So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay home tomorrow.

But can you imagine how difficult the travel conditions would be tomorrow if there were no highways or roads? Likely the 511 would show all roads purple ("very difficult") or red ("hazardous"). Who knows how early I'd have to leave to make it to Anchorage in time for our meeting? Yesterday? Friday? How many river crossings would I have to make? I'd likely be much better off getting on a boat or chartering a plane.

Well, they didn't have boats or planes in Isaiah's day. And travel was difficult, often taking days or weeks to get from point A to point B. But as in our day, a highway made travel much easier. Paved stones would prevent wheels from getting stuck in the mud. Guard stations would prevent highway bandits from robbing or killing travelers. A highway took a lot of work to build, but it definitely made travel easier.

Today, we hear Isaiah give us the encouragement to prepare the highway. He's obviously not calling us to leave our jobs and start working for the DOT. But he's calling us to level the mountains and fill the valleys as we prepare the highway of our hearts for the coming of our King… for Jesus. Isaiah encourages us in chapter 40:1-11 of his letter… 

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?"

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. 

There were two basic ways that Isaiah said to build the highway for the coming Savior: 1) raise up every valley, and 2) make low every mountain and hill. The idea was to level the road. Steep inclines and declines made travel difficult. So make it all level and travel would be smooth sailing.

So what's Isaiah getting at? To put it bluntly: Law and Gospel. The law levels the heights of pride, of arrogance, of sin. The gospel fills in the deficiencies we have and lifts up. And that, he says, is what the forerunner of the Christ would do. And that's exactly what John the Baptist did.

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall…"

John the Baptist used the law to level those who thought they were good enough without a Savior from sin: When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:7-10)

And he preached the law with all its severity to crush his hearers. And it led many of them to ask, "What should we do then?" (Luke 3:10)

And then, when they were ready, John didn't hesitate to fill in the valleys with the gospel. He comforted the people. He spoke… "tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim[ed] to her that her hard service ha[d] been completed, that her sin ha[d] been paid for, that she ha[d] received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." He…  "lift[ed] up [his] voice with a shout…" and said, "to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of [1] repentance [2] for the forgiveness of sins." (Mark 1:3)

That's the message that leveled the mountains of pride: "repentance." And that's the message that filled the valleys of despair: "the forgiveness of sins." That's the message that you and I are called to take to heart as we prepare the highway for the second coming of the King… 

Dear brothers and sisters, take that message to heart.

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Dear brothers and sisters, you are but grass and flowers of the field. Here today, and tomorrow… well… the breath of the Lord will blow on Judgment Day when he comes again. So get ready!

Get ready by leveling the pride of your heart. Knock down those idols that stand in the way. Jesus is coming! And he's coming soon. So here's your homework… And I'm serious about this. Go home and do it! Find some quiet time this afternoon or evening to take an account of your life: the way you spend your time and your money, the food and drink and the entertainment you consume, the way you treat those around you and the way you treat your Savior and his Word. Be open. Be honest. This is just between you and God. Ask, "What is standing in the way of me having a closer relationship with you, Jesus?" Then, in prayer, confess it to God and seriously commit to getting rid of it. Knock down those hills. Level those mountains. Don't confess your sin to Jesus just so he'll give you a pass to keep on sinning. You know that's not how it works! But sincerely confess your sin to him and plead for his help to be done with it.

That will be hard work. It won't be fun. So don't stop there. After you've leveled the mountains, it's time to fill in the valleys…

Now a Roman Catholic friend once described his theology in this way: "Imagine your life is like a board. Every time you sin, you pound a nail into that board and ruin it. Thankfully, Jesus came along, and by his work on the cross took your sin away. The nails are gone! But… the holes are still there. That's what we do with our good works: we fill in the holes. When we've finished doing that and the holes are gone, then we will be perfect and acceptable to God."

Thank God, dear friends, that he's wrong. He's dead wrong. You don't have to do anything to fill in the holes. Jesus has filled the holes in for you! Jesus has filled in every valley for you! The way "you" fill in the valleys to prepare the highway for Jesus, is to simply trust in him and in what he's already done for you.

You will always have deficiencies, friends. You will never achieve perfection in this life. You will never arrive at 100% where you don't need Jesus. But thank God that you don't have to because Jesus has already filled the valleys for you. He lived a perfect life in your place. He died an innocent death for you.

"Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

And that "reward" isn't for those who have earned it. That recompense, or compensation, isn't for those who deserve it. It's a reward of grace. We deserve punishment—damnation in hell!—for our sins. But instead we receive comfort and a proclamation that our hard service has been completed that our sin has been paid for. "It is finished!" (John 19:30) And we receive from the Lord's hand a double blessing in exchange for all of our sins!

Take that message to heart: law and gospel. Repent of your sin. Trust in his forgiveness. And when you do, the mountains will be leveled. The valleys will be completely filled in. The highway for the Lord will become a level plain. And when the King comes on Judgment Day, it will be smooth sailing for you. The 511 will be "green" all the way! 

And while we wait for that day? What now in the meantime? Well, keep leveling the mountains. That work of repentance is a daily task. Keep filling the valleys. Trust in your Savior every day. Stay in the word that helps you build the highway of your heart for the Sovereign Lord to come to you.

And keep building the road for others. Help them to level their mountains of pride and arrogance as you lovingly share the law with them and lead them to see their very real need for repentance and a Savior. Remind them that, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall…" Remind them of what they deserve for their sin and that there's nothing they can do to make it better.

Then, when they're ready to hear it, fill in the valleys for them too, as you too, "go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to [Alaska], lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of [the Kenai Peninsula], "Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him." Tell them, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

Do all you can to build a bridge from your heart to theirs that Christ might cross that bridge and come to them too. Keep preparing the highway, dear friends, that it might be smooth sailing for us all and that the 511 will be green for us and for them too on the day our Lord comes. In Jesus' name, dear friends, prepare the highway! Amen! 


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

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

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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

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