God's Word at Work

Sometimes technology brings as many problems as it solves. At the moment, the http://ziontomball.org website is not functional. We had been hit multiple times by various sorts of malware and the security was practically nonexistent.

I’m pleased to announce that THIS website is on a totally different host provider and still is safe to use. This website contains information on Zion’s ECC at http://ziontomball.info/ and the sermons at http://ziontomball.info/wordpress/

We are working on a permanent solution…

CASTING OUT DEMONS

Luke 8: 26-39

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 from Luke, chapter 8 verses 26 through 39, particularly these words: “A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. A popular comedian 35 years ago had one line that became his trademark. He would say, “The Devil made me do it.” and the audience would laugh. The things that the devils or demons in our text for today, made this man suffer were not laughing matters. I guess we could get into an argument about if demons really exist — and if they do, if they can possess people. I really don’t want to be a part of that discussion because the Bible makes it perfectly clear that demons do exist and that they do possess people. Mary Magdala had seven evil spirits or demons that came out of her according to Mark and Luke. Jesus cast demons and evil spirits out of many people in his ministry. Saint Paul, writing to the Ephesians, says the believer’s intense conflict is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, world-rulers of this darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

According to scripture, demons have great knowledge and also great strength. Several times Jesus was confronted by demons who said, “We know who you are”, so obviously just knowing God exists and who he is does not constitute saving faith. Even Jesus own disciples after the stilling of the storm just before today’s text ask, “Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” The disciples did not even know who Jesus was! But the demons did.

AND our text for today tells us that this man’s family and community had tried to confine or restrain him, even to the point of putting him into chains — The text said, “For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. Many times the spirit had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot, and kept under guard, he had broken his chains, and been driven by the demon into solitary places.”The demons were in complete control of this man’s life. They had deranged him mentally, morally, physically and Spiritually.

The man is totally helpless against the demons. He is powerless to save himself. He is completely controlled by the power of evil.

Isn’t this a very vivid picture of our spiritual condition by nature? Because of Original Sin, we are, according to Scripture, spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God. How many times have we made promises to God of what WE WOULD DO for him, only to find ourselves falling short again. How many times have we promised to change our sinful life, especially that one sin that seems to always keep coming up in our lives, only to find ourselves falling back into the same old rut, the same old habit, and the same old sin. And using the excuse “The Devil made me do it!” is only half true — because we gave in to the temptation. The “sinner” in us, overpowered the “saint” in us — and we sinned!

The man in the story had no hope whatsoever, until Jesus showed up in his village. He was probably NOT a child of Abraham and probably not a believer. Jesus had just crossed the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. And he is in an area that raises pigs — obviously, NOT a Jewish village! But here the man meets Jesus. We know these things just do not happen by chance! Jesus was there not by accident or chance — but by choice! And Jesus recognizes the need of this poor man and commands the demons, the evil spirits to leave him.

At this point Jesus begins a conversation with the demon through the man. First the demon makes a profession of absolute truth and orthodox theology, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”Even in a pagan land — the demons still recognize the Son of the Most High God! The demons know that Jesus is the promised Messiah — the “seed of the woman” who would crush Satan’s head — together with all his minions. The demons know that this is the one — who by his life, death, and resurrection will defeat them, for all time and for all eternity. The demons know they have already lost the battle — “Jesus, Don’t torture us — Make it quick!” They ask for the pigs and Jesus grants it. They leave the man — enter the pigs — and the text said they rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Jesus has saved this man from evil!! End of story??? Not quite!

You see, Luke does not tell us how many pigs there were in that herd. But Mark does! Mark tells us that there were 2,000 pigs in that herd! If some farmer in Harris or Montgomery County lost 2,000 pigs in a drowning it would probably be on the 6 o’clock news and in the headlines of the Chronicle! They see the dead pigs — And they see this man that they have known for years now dressed nicely, cleaned up, talking intelligently, and acting quite normal — and what do they do?? They ask Jesus to leave!!

Doesn’t that seem strange? This man has power over demons! This man can help people who are possessed! This man could be a great help to them in their needs! But they send him away. The ESV text tells us they sent him away because, “They were seized with great fear.” But this verse uses the same Greek word which elsewhere is translated as “Being filled with AWE.” It’s the same feeling which Peter had when he saw the large catch of fish. Peter told Jesus to depart from Him because he was a sinful man — and the people want Jesus to depart — for they too know their sins, and they fear they will receive judgment just as the demons received judgment.

But what about the man who had been delivered of the demons? Our text tells us that he wanted to go with Jesus. He wanted to be a disciple. He is not afraid of his Savior. The evil has been removed from his life — he has been delivered from the evil over which he had no control — he wants to follow Jesus! But Jesus tells him to stay where he is. He is to tell others what God has done for him. He is to share the good news — the Gospel of a Savior who really saves, with all who will listen.

Jesus has delivered us as well. Jesus, has forgiven our sins, made us his own, and given us the promise of life eternal in heaven. What wonderful things he has done for us. We too are His witnesses to the marvelous things God has done for us. Maybe Jesus didn’t cast demons out of us, but by his life, death, and resurrection, he has given us the final victory over sin, death, and the devil. Let us tell others what great things God has done for us! To God alone be the glory, now and always! Amen.

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

Our Mysterious God
John 16:12-15

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 recorded in the Gospel of St. John, chapter 16, verses 12 through 16, particularly these words: “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” This is our text.

In the name of our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. Today is Trinity Sunday. A day that we remember, and celebrate, the fact that our God is three persons, yet only one God. This is a mystery which we cannot fully comprehend, nor can we fully explain it. And yet it is a doctrine that is central to our Christian faith. It is a doctrine that is clearly taught in the Scriptures, even thought the Scriptures themselves never use the word “Triune”.

Since the doctrine of the Trinity is an unexplainable mystery, I am not going to even try to do the impossible and explain to you the Trinity. But I do want to share with you the comfort and the hope that is ours because we know for sure that our Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is at work in our lives and in our world, every minute of every day.
We will start off first of all with the Father. Jesus said in our text, “All that belongs to the Father is mine.” What is it that belongs to the Father? The comforting truth is that EVERYTHING belongs to the Father! This is God’s world. He created all things. He made out of nothing, everything that exists. Because he created all things — all things belong to him.

And another comforting thought is that he not only created the world — but he is still in control of His world. The Bible reminds us that it is God who sends rain on the just and the unjust. Luther explained the petition about daily bread in the Lord’s Prayer by saying that “God gives daily bread to all people, even to the wicked.” But there is a difference between the Christian and the unbeliever, the Christian recognizes that these gifts come from the loving hand of Almighty God, takes the time to say “Thank You” to God for the blessings received, and then uses these gifts of God to the glory of God, not selfishly for self.

What a comfort it is to know that Our Father in Heaven, who controls the movement of the stars and the universe, loves you and me. He cares about us. He even promises to listen to us when we pray to him. And we know that because he had the power to create this world, he also has the power to care for us and to answer our prayers.

What a comfort it is to know the first person of the Trinity: God, our Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and earth.

Next we look at God the Son. Jesus said in our text, “All that belongs to the Father is MINE.” I guess the question might be asked, “Just how did all of this that was created by the Father become also the property of the Son. And that is an easy question to answer.

First of all, Jesus was there at creation and participated in that creation. John 1:1; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!”

But there is also another reason. You see, when God the Father created this world, he created it perfect and Holy. God looked at his perfect world and said “It is good!” But then something terrible happened to this great creation of God’s. Man listened to Satan in the serpent, and sin entered into the world. God’s perfect creation was no longer perfect, but instead was stained and blackened by sin. No longer was man perfectly happy and blessed in the Garden of Eden — but now suffered because of sin.
In order that this world might once again be set right, a price had to be paid. The world had to be bought back from sin and death. The world had to be redeemed.

And that is just what God the Son, did. He paid the price. It was not cheap either. “The wages of sin is death.” because of sin, someone had to die. And the only ransom good enough, the only person who could fully and completely pay the total bill for sin, was the very Son of God himself — Jesus Christ. Remember what Luther said about the work of God the Son? “He redeemed us, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.” Christ paid the price. He redeemed you and me, and all sinners from everlasting death and condemnation.

What a comfort it is for us to know that God the Son has redeemed us, has bought us back, so that we can be God’s people, so that we can be forgiven, so that we can spend eternity in heaven. It is the work of God the Son to redeem and to restore sinners, so that we might be right with God the Father.

God the Father creates and preserves the world. God the Son redeemed sinful mankind through his perfect life, his innocent death, and his glorious resurrection. What then does the Holy Spirit do in our lives? Our text says, “The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” That is the work of the Holy Spirit, “To make things known to us.”

It is very important that the Holy Spirit is at work in and among us. Our scriptures make it very clear that because of original sin, which each and every one of us has, we are by nature at odds with God and God’s will for our lives. By our sinful human nature, we do not do good, instead we do the opposite of what God wants for us. By our human nature, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God. That is why Luther started his explanation of the 3rd article of the Apostles’ Creed with these words, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to him.” Luther couldn’t do it! I can’t do it! You can’t do it by yourself either! As a matter of fact the Scriptures say, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit.” That is why it is so important for the Holy Spirit to be at work in us — because we cannot save ourselves. We cannot “make a decision for Christ” without the Holy Spirit calling us by the Gospel, enlightening us with his gifts, sanctifying us and keeping us in that one true faith.

Jesus said in our text, “The Holy Spirit will make it known to you.” The Holy Spirit is God at work in us, and among us. The Holy Spirit works through the Means of Grace, through Word and Sacrament to make known to us the Love of God the Father, and the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit moves in our hearts and in our minds through Word and Sacrament, to create saving faith, and to show to us the pathway that God would want us to walk in life. All this we call “SANCTIFICATION” — which is a big word which means, “to make holy”. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ, and to keep us in that faith, and to make it possible for us to walk in that faith.

What a comfort it is to know that God the Holy Spirit is active always through Word and Sacrament to keep us in our Christian faith, and to strengthen us for a life pleasing to God.

God the Father creates us! God the Son redeems us! God the Holy Spirit sanctifies us! That is a rather simple way of understanding the process by which God works within our lives. The Holy Three-in-one and One-in-three. This explanation does not fully explain the Triune God — but it at least gives us some guideline of his love, his strength, and his care for you and for me. On this Trinity Sunday, let us rejoice in our Triune God. And let us celebrate His wonderful love for us. To God be the Glory, 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.

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/

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.