God's Word at Work

TOTAL COMMITMENT

Luke 9: 51-62

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning’s meditation is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verses 51 through 62, particularly these words: “When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. He was nearing the end of his ministry. The time when he would lay down his life as a sacrifice for the sins of all people was now drawing near. Opposition had arisen among the chief priests and elders so much that this one community of Samaritans wouldn’t even let Jesus enter their city for fear of causing offense to those who opposed this wandering teacher and miracle worker; a man who proclaimed that he was the Son of God and the promised Messiah.

The disciples, being defensive on behalf of their leader, wanted to punish that town for not receiving the Lord. Our text tells us, “It was James and John who said, ‘Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them.”

Jesus was committed to another cause. Jesus had “Turned his face toward Jerusalem.” Nothing would now stand in the way of what he came to earth to accomplish. Jesus was on his way to the cross. He was committed to the suffering that lay ahead. He was totally committed to the task of saving mankind from it’s own sinfulness.

Jesus is totally committed to the work at hand and he demands that those who follow him also be totally committed to the work that he has given them to do. He offers them no chance to look back – but rather, they must always be ready to move forward.

Three men meet Jesus on that road and all three are potential followers of Jesus. Let’s take a look at those three encounters.

The first man approaches Jesus and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Jesus was trying to warn this would be follower that there would be no easy life following him. There would be no place where the follower could “hand his hat,” no place where he could call home, for to follow Jesus meant that he would be despised and rejected by men. It meant that he would be tortured and tormented. It meant that as he proclaimed the Christ of God to the world, he would probably be put to death for his faith. It would take total commitment to follow Jesus.

Followers today have homes of their own. We have places where we can live, like the foxes and the birds. But even today living the life of a follower of Christ still demands total commitment, because it still is NOT an easy life to live. Being a Christian means being different from the rest of the world. When we try to compromise our life to the life of the world around us, it is our Christian faith which gets short changed. Christ was totally committed for us – He set his face toward the cross. And he told us that we would have to take up our cross, in order to follow him.

The second would be follower was approached by Jesus first. “Jesus said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But he said to him ‘leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”

This is always a very difficult passage of Scripture to deal with. The man would like to follow Jesus, but he has family responsibilities to take care of. He is saying to Jesus, “I can’t follow you for a few days until I get my Father buried. But Jesus replies, “Let the dead, bury their own dead.”

What Jesus was really saying to that man what that he should put first things first. Following Jesus and doing his will, even takes precedence over our own families. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Jesus says “Get your priorities straight.” Put first things first. The one thing you should be most concerned about in this world is to know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and by grace through faith, following his will for your life.

“Let the dead bury the dead – As for you, proclaim the Kingdom of God.” Total commitment is what Jesus expects of those who will follow him.

The third man tells Jesus, I will follow you lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home. And Jesus responds, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

I remember when I was 10 or 11 years old, I used to help my grandfather with his plowing. I would take the reins of the mule, and make a couple of rounds with the turning plow. It would always take grandpa about 4 rounds after that to get the lines straight again. So I asked him why my plowing was so crooked. He told me, “You were always to busy looking behind to see what you HAD done, to look forward and see where you were going.” Farming has changed a lot since then, but the principal is the same – You can’t look at the plow behind the tractor and plow a straight furrow. You have to fix your eyes on a tree, or a fence post, or something else in front of you, and head straight for it.

That was the principal that Jesus used to explain what it meant to be one of His followers. Jesus was saying – you can’t look back, “because anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

Why NOT look back? Because the past is forgiven. All the mistakes and sins of the past are wiped away by the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ. There is no reason to dwell on the past, because Christ has set aside the guilt and the burden of the sins of the past – and now we can look to the future. We can look toward the kingdom of God. We can look forward to the training of our Children in the Christian faith. We can look forward to sharing Jesus Christ with the people of the world. We can look forward to the day when our Lord will come again to judge both the living and the dead, and receive his people unto himself in Heaven.

We must be totally committed to the future – plowing a straight row which is bound for heaven.

Christ was totally committed to giving himself for our salvation. May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith, so that we are totally committed to Christ, and his will for our lives! To God be the glory. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

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Okay, I have been slow, but here is Part 2 of Dr. Francisco in his discussion of Islam.

http://ziontomball.info/wfs23a/DrAdamFrancisco1.m4a
If you need the software to hear the sermon, download it here:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

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CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

John 17: 20-26

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this mornings meditation is our Gospel lesson for today, recorded in St. John, Chapter 17, verses 20 through 26, particularly these words:  Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one; I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”  This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends.  What does the world see when they look at the Christian Church of today?  Remember when the religion section of the Houston Chronicle came on Saturdays, instead of Fridays – and the comic strips were in the religion section?  But the way church people act sometimes, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.  Many Christians want prayers in public schools – but then, many more don’t.  Many Episcopalians want women and gay  priests — many don’t.  Many Catholics want the Pope to change age old rules and cannons — but many don’t.  The whole realm of protestantism is divided into liberal and conservative camps, fighting over different issues.  And we Lutherans fit in real nice with everyone else, as we too fight our battles over doctrine, and practice, and procedures.  This Summer, at the Synodical Convention to be held in Houston, we will struggle with restructuring our Synodical way of doing business.  I think it was Will Rodgers who said that he was not a member of organized religion — He was a Methodist.  And he could just as well have said that of the Lutherans, and Baptists, and Catholics and the other denominations as well.  All religions have a bone to pick with each other and even among themselves.

And then the world of non-believers looks at this infighting among Christians and  they wonder why we are so divided among ourselves.

Our text for today, talks not of divisions among Christians, but rather, of unity among Christians.  Jesus said in our text that he wants all Christians to be ONE.  He said, “My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”  And as Jesus prayed — so it is.  True believers are indeed ONE in Jesus Christ.

Obviously I am not talking about denominational unity.  Because as long as there are different interpretations of what the Bible says, and as long as there are  people who will not accept the words of Scripture, but must use human wisdom to correct God’s message, and as long as there are people who will accept human rules and reason in place of God’s word — we will have different denominations.  And this is as it should be!  Paul warns the early Christians to “beware of those who teach a doctrine different from what they had received from him.”  And to avoid them!

But we confess in our Creed each Sunday that we do believe in “ONE, HOLY, CHRISTIAN, AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH”.  We believe, teach, and confess that there is one fellowship that is made up of all true believers in Jesus Christ, which transcends denominational lines.  For God has promised that His Word would not return void.  And so we say, Where ever the Word of God is taught correctly, and where ever the sacraments are administered rightly, there will exist God’s fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ — the Holy Christian Church.

It is this fellowship of true believers that our text deals with this morning.

So what can we say about this fellowship?  First of all, it is grounded in Jesus Christ.  Our text says, “Father, you are in me and I am in you, that they also may be in us.”

This fellowship of Christians exists because, through faith, Jesus Christ becomes a part of our lives and He lives in us.  And as Christ lives in each believer, we are united by grace through faith in Him.  “The Fellowship of believers” is not something we seek to establish — but rather, is something that already exists — because Jesus Christ is in the heart of every believer.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit as he creates saving faith in each heart — but not just for one individual, Luther said that he “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it in the one true faith.  That is the true fellowship of Christians.  That is the only true fellowship that exists.

But not only is this fellowship grounded in Jesus Christ, it also POINTS to Jesus Christ.  Our text said twice, “Father, May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Why does the Christian do good works?  The Bible says, “So that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Jesus said that there was one particular thing that would separate his followers from the rest of the word.  He said, “By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples, that you love one another.”

One important way the world will know Jesus Christ, is by watching and viewing those who belong to Jesus Christ.  The non-believing world looks at the followers of Jesus, in order to judge wither or not they want Jesus in their life.

A quote that I kept on my desk for several years read, “The only Bible some people read is you!”  Do they see in you, love — patience — forgiveness — kindness — gentleness — and self-control.  Do they read in your life, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.”?  If the only Bible some people read is you, do they see the joy of sins forgiven, and the joy of forgiving others, or do they see a mean spirit that must get even and strike back at others?  Do they see a smile, or a frown?  Do they see hope, or despair?  Do they receive a cheerful word, or a grouchy grunt?  Remember, “The only Bible some people read is you,” and Christian fellowship points to Christ.

The last point that our text makes about this Christian fellowship is that it GOES to Jesus Christ.  Our text reads, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Last Thursday was Ascension Day; The Day which the Church sets aside to remember our Lord leaving his disciples to go to the Father in Heaven.  As Jesus left, he told the disciples that “he was going to prepare a place for them — that where he was they might be also.”  The whole fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ will be with Him, for all eternity.

The words of the old, but familiar hymn, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home,” is very true for all who are in Christ.  Because God gave his Son into death for us, because Christ died on a cross for us, because the Holy Spirit has called us to faith in Jesus Christ — we know for a fact that we will spend eternity with Jesus Christ in Heaven.  We will behold his glory.  We will eternally praise his name.  God has promised, “He that believes and is baptized, shall be saved.”

Christian fellowship among believers exists.  It is grounded in Jesus Christ, it points to Jesus Christ, and it goes to be with Jesus Christ.  May God the Holy Spirit work that miracle of faith in each and every heart, that throughout the world, this fellowship of believers united in Christ might grow and increase to glory of God’s Holy Name.  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

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I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
Rev. 21: 1-5

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning’s meditation is recorded in the book of Revelation, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5, particularly these words:  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And he who was seated on the throne said “Behold, I am making all things new!” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends, and particularly you, the confirmation class of 2010. I want to warn you, that there are many wolves out there in sheep’s clothing! St. Peter said in his 2nd Epistle, “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.”

With these words the Apostle Peter told the exact same story which the Apostle John tells in our Epistle lesson for today. There will come a day of reckoning. There is going to be a general destruction of the world as we know it today. Great movie scripts have been written about the “day of Armageddon.” — the day when the world is totally destroyed and Jesus Christ comes again.

We don’t know when that day will come? And we don’t even understand a lot about what will happen on that day. What little we do know about that day is mostly written in figurative language, which is open to many different interpretations, most of which are wrong. That is why people like to set days, and they like to tell us when the Lord is coming again, and why some people will believe them and do crazy things to prepare for the date which they set. — But the truth of it all is this — “the Lord will come as a thief in the night — like lightning across the sky — like the blinking of an eye — the old will pass away, and all things will be made new.” That is why we have confirmation! We want to teach you the truth, so that you will recognize the lie when it comes, and be able to stand in the day of the Lord!

So what about the passing away of this world, and the beginning of a new one? I guess the first and most obvious question might be, “What is wrong with the present world??? Why does God want to destroy the Old?”  After all — didn’t God say after the creation that everything was good??? What happened?

What happened was sin! No longer was the world “good”. No longer was it God’s creation — the rebellion against the will of God completely covered the whole world. God’s perfect creation was defiled, desecrated, and spoiled by the guilt of sin.

Everything in creation was now thrown out of balance because of man’s sins. Before sin, there were no weeds and no thorns! It was part of the curse of sin that man would have to earn a living by the sweat of his brow. It was part of the curse of sin that weeds would choke the plants of the garden. It was part of the curse of sin that child birth would not be an easy process. Sin destroyed the perfection of God’s creation.

It also ruined the crown of God’s creation — Mankind! No longer were people holy and sinless, in the “image of God” — but rather man, in his guilt and sin, hides from God.

On this your confirmation day, remember your own sins. As we studied the 10 Commandments, we learned that it is impossible for us to keep God’s law perfectly, even though that is what God wants. “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” That we cannot do. We cannot save ourselves. By nature, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God! We are sinners in need of a savior!

What is wrong with the Old?? It is stained with sin — and nothing stained with sin can stand before God or serve him. And so there must be a purification — the old must Pass Away! As John said in our text, “The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

So, what is there, to keep you from passing away eternally with that sinful world? After all, nothing sinful can stand before Almighty sinless God! What is going to make you, sinless and holy, so that you can move on to the new Heaven and the new earth?

We cannot earn forgiveness on our own, by our good works, so how are we going to be saved? Paul told the Ephesians, “By grace are you saved, through faith, it is a gift of God, not of Works, lest any man should boast!” We are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone!! It all starts with God’s love for us. God reaches out to us with his undeserved gifts – His grace – and claims us as his own! God sends His Son into the world to live the perfect life demanded of us which we could not live. And God’s Son died an innocent death, a death that we rightly deserved because of our sins. “By His stripes, we are healed!” And that grace of God comes to you through God’s own gifts – his means of Grace – Word and Sacrament! In your baptism, you were given saving faith in Jesus Christ as a gift of God! And through the Scriptures, you have learned of God’s grace and love in your life, so that that faith, given to you by God himself, has been strengthened and nourished. Today, by God’s grace, you are ready to give witness to your faith in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And never forget, even this confession is a gift of God’s grace, because the Scripture is clear: “No one can say Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit!”

By God’s grace, you are prepared for the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Jesus promised, “Whoever professes me before men, I will profess before my Father in heaven.”

What blessings are in store for you in the New Jerusalem?? Just listen to the description John gives us in the text, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

In the new Jerusalem — all those former things which were the result of sin shall be gone and lost, forever.

But how sure can we be that this is all true? Can we really trust what the Apostle John has written in these words?

The Words of God are clear, “God said, Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There you have it. God’s own personal seal and signature added to the promise.

The promise is as sure as God himself. God has promised us, “The first heaven and the first earth will pass away. Behold I make all things new.”  The Christian will say good-bye to tears — good-bye to pain — good-bye to sin and guilt — good-bye to mourning and sorrow. And through faith in Jesus Christ, God will welcome us into his new Jerusalem — which will be ours for all eternity! This is the faith you profess today! This is our Easter joy, comfort, and faith — Because Jesus Christ lives, we too shall live — now and always. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

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Another Appearance, Another Proof
John 21:1-14

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is the Gospel lesson for today, recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 1 through 14, particularly these words:  “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberius, and he reveled himself in this way. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?’  They answered him, ‘No.’  He said to the, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat.’  So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. The last verse of today’s text tells us why John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, thought it important to tell the story recorded in our text. For there John says, “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.” Not just once — not just twice — but three times now, Jesus has appeared to his disciples! And, there are even more to come!

The appearances of Jesus to his disciples following the resurrection were very important. They were recorded as a proof to future generations that indeed the Savior, who had died on a cross, was not dead, but was absolutely, positively alive! It was important to believe the truth, that Jesus was alive. Because as Paul said to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. BUT Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The story of today’s text, this appearance of Jesus, one more proof of his resurrection, is our assurance that our Lord is alive, and that our faith in Christ, our certainty of Forgiveness, and our Hope for Heaven, is sure and certain.

So what can we learn from this story and the appearance of our Lord with the disciples, and the miracle that he worked with their catch of fish?

Put yourself in the disciples sandals. Think about that great day of Palm Sunday and the glorious ride into Jerusalem, as the children sang hosannas to the Son of David. Think about that week that followed. There was confrontation every day with the Pharisees and the priests. Then came the great sorrow of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial. Then the unbelievable good news of the resurrection. He had even appeared to them himself a couple of times already — always behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jews! But they hadn’t seen him for a few days. Maybe they were beginning to wonder if what they had seen was real. Was it really Jesus or a ghost of some kind. Where was he now and why wasn’t he here with them. The pressure of those days and weeks must have been really heavy on them.

Finally, Peter has had enough of this sitting around waiting for something to happen — so he decided, “I’m going fishing” — and other’s agreed to go with him.

We shouldn’t be too surprised by this. After all, they are professional fishermen. Before Jesus made them “fishers of Men” they were by vocation “fishers of fish”. Going back to something that they knew and were comfortable with just might calm down their nerves, just might help them get their thinking straight again, just might help make their lives normal again.

If we only go by Peter’s fishing trips recorded in Scripture, we have to assume that Peter was a lousy fisherman. It seems, at least according to Scripture, that every time Peter went fishing, he caught nothing! He only caught fish, when Jesus told him where to let down their nets! This story is nothing different than the others. They fished all night and in the morning they still had not caught any fish. Peter just cannot catch fish by himself — Just like you and I cannot save ourselves. Even though he knew very well how to get it done — Peter couldn’t put fish in the boat.

You and I know what it takes to be a “good” Christian. All we have to do is “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might… And love our neighbor’s as ourselves.” All we have to do is be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. That’s all. But by ourselves, on our own strength, we fall short! That’s why we say every Sunday morning — and hopefully every day — I a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities, with which I have ever offended you. We cannot save ourselves. We need a Savior.

Peter couldn’t catch fish, he needed help. So a man yells out from the shore — “Let your nets down on the right side of the boat.” The Bible just says that the disciples did just that — and the net was filled with fish — not just a few, not just a bunch, but 153 fish — so many that they could not pull them aboard the boat — and still the nets did not break or tear! They had to paddle the boat to shore pulling the nets behind them. What a blessing! Remember the joy and excitement when only one fish pulls on your line? What about 153 in the net at the same time?

In this excitement John leans over to Peter thinking out loud, “You know, not just anybody would know where to let down that net. That man on shore must be the Lord — It’s Jesus!” Peter puts on his cloths and dives into the water to swim to shore.

Indeed it is Jesus who blesses us with abundant blessings. By his life, death, and resurrection He has brought to us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the one who goes to prepare a place for us in heaven where we can live with him, forever.

And when they get to shore, Jesus has breakfast ready for them. He is not a ghost. He is not a spirit. He is not a figment of their imagination — this is truly Jesus Christ. The teacher they have lived with and learned from for the last few years. This is their Savior, who died for them, and arose again that they too may have life — and life eternal. THEIR savior and OUR Savior.

This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. He is risen — He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. Amen

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

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