讲道: October 30, 2011 (Reformation A)

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  2011-07-27 20:18:05 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
  5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
  8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
  11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
  I know it’s probably not what you expected to talk about when you came to church today – but what’s your self-esteem like? You might say, “Well, pastor, I just got a promotion at work. I did really well on my last test. I got all my chores done at home. I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now.” Or maybe this last week didn’t go so well. Maybe the car broke down, maybe you got reprimanded at work, maybe you got yelled at by your parents, and you’re feeling kind of down about yourself.
  When people talk about self-esteem, they’re usually talking about the things that happen which make us feel good or bad about ourselves. But that’s not really what I’ve got in mind this morning. I’d rather talk about SPIRITUAL self-esteem. No, it’s not a theological term – it’s a term I made up. But – what is your spiritual self-esteem like?
  If regular self-esteem is how you feel about yourself or what you think of yourself – then spiritual self-esteem is how you feel about yourself – spiritually. Spiritual self-esteem is where you think you stand in God’s eyes. If you’re like most Canadians, you’d probably say, “Oh, I think I’m a pretty good person. I don’t break the law, I’m a good parent, I’m a good student, I take care of the environment, I volunteer regularly. That’s gotta count for something – right?”
  Or maybe you’re thinking about this past week, or about yesterday, or about the drive to church this morning. “Well, my husband & I argued again – during the drive to church, no less!” “It’s so warm out these days – and everyone wants to be as cool as possible, so everybody’s wearing short shorts and tiny tank-tops…and my eyes lingered a bit too long.” “I made a mess at home, but I didn’t want to have to clean it up – so I lied about it.” “I’m just ashamed of that one sin I keep falling into.”
  What’s your spiritual self-esteem like? It sure seems like a no-win situation. If a person remains an unbeliever, they might THINK they’re on God’s good side – when really, they aren’t. Apart from faith in Jesus, no one is on God’s good side.
  So then, obviously, it’s better to be a Christian – right? After all, once you become a Christian, life gets easier and temptations just go away.
  Well, that’s not the way it works either. Christians still sin – they might even be shocked at how often they continue to sin. Knowing God’s law makes it that much harder to obey God’s will! As a Christian, you might feel frustrated, or disappointed in yourself, or even begin to think that God might stop loving you.
  Are those the only two options – remain oblivious to your spiritual condition, or remain disappointed that you still keep on sinning?
  What’s your spiritual self-esteem like?
  Spiritual self-esteem can be pretty dismal. Each of us has been there. The devil has observed you and knows your particular weaknesses. When you think you’re standing firm, the devil keeps poking and prodding and tempting and lying to you: “Go on! God will forgive you!” But once you sin, the devil doesn’t let you forget it: “You CAN’T be a Christian – look what you’ve done! Why don’t you give up?”
  That’s where today’s reading comes in – and if someone were to say that the Bible isn’t practical, they must never have read it.
  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? In other words: If God promises to forgive me, why should I stop sinning? Why should I give up sin? If I keep on sinning, then God can keep on forgiving! If I keep on sinning, that gives God the opportunity to show how forgiving he is! Let’s pile up our sins, so that God can pile up his grace!
  That’s the objection Paul deals with right here: Should we keep sinning, so God can keep forgiving? His answer couldn’t get any more emphatic: No way!
  The picture here is a picture of slavery. In the culture and times when Paul writes, they didn’t have credit cards, or TD Canada, or the Canadian Bankruptcy Act. If you needed money, you would go to a wealthy benefactor – you’d find some person who DID have the money and could give you a loan. If you couldn’t pay the loan back, that person would take you as their slave for a number of years – and if your debt was big enough, you became that person’s slave for LIFE. If you had a kind master, he might let you buy your freedom; if you had a harsh master, you would never get free – you would be a slave until you died. Of course, once you died – you were free from being a slave. Dead slaves aren’t very good workers.
  Spiritually, each of us was born as a slave to sin. And spiritually, when we sin we make ourselves slaves to sin all over again. But – God didn’t leave us that way! Even though we were slaves, indebted to sin and ruled by sin, we died with Jesus! At your baptism, someone put water on you and said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” God put his name on you, and your relationship with sin was totally broken - we died when Christ died, and sin can no longer boss us around!
  Remember – dead slaves don’t harvest crops. Dead slaves don’t do anything that other slaves do – dead slaves do NOTHING! Dead slaves are free from their slavery! Since you were baptized, you are no longer a slave to sin!
  We were baptized into Christ’s death – Christ’s death became OUR death! Dying with Jesus has made us free from the power of sin – dying with Jesus has set us free from that harsh master known as sin. We are no longer slaves to sin – we want nothing to do with sin any more! Of course we don’t want to continue living in sin – through baptism, we have died to sin! That former relationship with sin has now been totally and completely broken!
  This truth determines our thoughts and viewpoint and actions toward sin!
  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life!
  If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with – so that our sinful flesh should be made powerless, or put out of commission – that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
  IN THE SAME WAY, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
  Before, our spiritual self-esteem was pretty dismal. It’s frustrating to fall prey to the same sins, again and again. But now, our spiritual self-esteem can be better described as BAPTISMAL – we are continually focused on what God has done for us! We have died with Jesus, and now we live with Jesus – and sin no longer controls us! We are God’s holy people! We are justified and righteous in God’s eyes! Through faith, God has released us from slavery to sin! Through baptism, we died and rose with Jesus! God constantly and continually sees us through Jesus – and because of Jesus, he has forgiven and continues to forgive you!
  That’s Paul’s point: your whole life and mindset is completely determined by what God has done for you! You died to sin, you were raised to a new spiritual life – why would we want to go back to sinning? God has taken off our sinful rags – filthy, dirty, stinky rags – and has clothed us in Christ’s righteousness: why would we want to go back to those rags?
  “But Pastor – I know what you mean, but why do I still sin? There are some sins I just can’t seem to break – it feels like sin is still bossing me around!”
  When you sin, remember that you died with Jesus! Keep your eyes focused on your Saviour! Let God’s promises of forgiveness pick you up. You can confess your sin to God and be reassured that God has forgiven you – just like we confess our sins at the beginning of the worship service. That’s like spiritual breathing – confessing our sins to God, and being forgiven by God! You now live your life for God and to God’s glory!
  Our spiritual self-esteem is baptismal – because our relationship with God is defined by what God has done for us in baptism. Through baptism, God has released us from sin’s mastery – you are no longer trapped in sin. Through baptism, God has given you spiritual life – you can now live your life in thanks to God!
  Your spiritual self-esteem isn’t based on what you do, or where you’ve sinned, or how you’ve fallen – your spiritual self-esteem is based on the rock-solid facts of what God has done for you: God has forgiven you and set you free from the power of sin. God has made you a member of his family, and nothing at all can separate you from God’s love!
  Simply remember who you are! God has given you a baptismal outlook on life – your spiritual self-esteem is BAPTISMAL! God has placed his name on you! Your relationship with sin has been completely broken – sin is not your master! In baptism, you rose with Jesus – you have a new relationship with God, and you can live your life praising God!
  When the devil comes with that same temptation: “Come on, just this once…no one’s gonna get hurt…besides, God will forgive you…”, you can stare him in the eye, grab that liar by the throat, and say: “Look! I died with Jesus – and God has put his name on me! You cannot boss me around any more – now leave me alone!”
  After all: We died to sin. We were therefore buried with Jesus through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life! Amen!
  

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  2011-07-27 20:18:50 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  the above sermon is:
  July 24, 2011 – Pentecost 6A Peter Hagen
  Romans 6:1-11 Spiritual self esteem: Once dismal, now baptismal!
  

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  2011-08-01 06:13:45 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  July 31, 2011 (Pentecost 7 A)
  Matthew 11:25-30
  “TEAM JESUS vs. TEAM PRIDE”
  
  When you talk about a YOKE today, most people think of the yellow part in the middle of an egg. . . . a Swedish person might think your trying to be funny . . . . but very few of us understand it in the way that Jesus used it in our Gospel lesson from Matthew. Back in His day (and for thousands of years through history) a YOKE was a familiar piece of farm equipment that almost everyone had seen out in the fields. It’s a wooden beam that would link 2 farm animals together so they would work together as one – usually to pull something, like a plow or a wagon.
  Even the spiritual concept of a yoke was commonly understood by the people of Jesus’ time. People would talk about the “Yoke of the Pharisees” – that people would bind themselves to the teachings of the Pharisees, and carry all the burdens and responsibilities that came with that commitment. Religious leaders spoke about the “Yoke of the Law” – the people were to bind themselves to the requirements of the Law of Moses and carry all that weight, along with all the extra laws their leaders had dumped upon them.
  Then along came Jesus – and, using a figure of speech they were all familiar with, said essentially: “[Unhitch yourselves from the Law and all those heavy burdens your leaders have placed upon you.] Take MY yoke upon you . . . . for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” You would expect people to be flocking to Jesus – dump that oppressive LAW load that no one can bear and bind yourself to the GOSPEL load of Jesus! Hitch yourself to the One who gives forgiveness for every sin / who gives you peace / who gives you full and free salvation / who takes you to be with God forever in heaven.
  It’s so simple and so clear. All the miracles proved his identity, all the prophecies were coming true, and He invited EVERYONE to come to Him for rest and salvation. But . . . . something got in the way. Something was preventing people from coming to Jesus – and, that’s one of the things we’re going to discuss today.
  In order to do that, we’re going to put the teachings of Jesus into a modern context and use an illustration that we can all understand. Maybe you don’t know about “yokes” and ancient farming techniques – but, I’m guessing you all understand what TEAM sports are – and, about the rivalries that exist between certain teams. In Canada “the game” is hockey, and everyone here knows about the tension between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Out west it’s the Calgary Flames verses the Edmonton Oilers. In the US Midwest it’s football – the Greenbay Packers against the Minnesota Vikings.
  When Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you” He’s saying essentially, “Join my team!” Be a part of “TEAM JESUS”. Quit languishing on the other side, and come over to His side. It’s FREE – the burden of the Law has already been carried for you. The huge price needed to be on His team has already been paid. His arms are open to us! Let Him be your coach and your teacher. Learn from Him. Follow Him. Work with Him and for Him. Rest with Him in His peace.
  Of course, “TEAM JESUS” is locked in a bitter conflict with their enemy – the team on the other side. We’ll call that side “Team Pride”. You see, Jesus was humble. And, the opposite of humility is pride. Pride catches everything out there that’s opposed to Jesus. The Pharisees and all their followers throughout time – the Jewish zealots who rejected Jesus as the Messiah / along with the entire Muslim world (those 2 groups totally despise each other) / along with the secular humanists who despise all religion as the source of evil in the world / along with every crazy cult and man-made religion and philosophy out there . . . . . they are ALL just different players on the same team. They are all looking out for themselves and fighting for their own wants and desires. They are all trying to earn their own “salvation” – whatever they think that might be. They are all on “TEAM PRIDE”.
  And, this pride is what keeps people from coming to Jesus. Pride can’t stand the real Jesus – because Jesus is humble / Jesus lived for others / Jesus had everything and willingly gave it up / Jesus laid down his life for people that hated him. Jesus offends the proud. He tells them, “You can’t earn your salvation. You are not ‘good enough’ and you never will be. You can not get yourself into heaven, in fact – you deserve nothing but punishment and hell. You need ME. You need a Saviour who is nothing less than God Almighty who took on humble flesh to suffer and die for people on ‘the other side’. You need me and only me. Cast off your sin and pride. Humble yourselves and come to me. Join MY team.”
  But, as you know – people say NO . . . NO WAY! “I already know everything I need to know. I’ve got it all figured out. I am just fine the way I am. I don’t need to be rescued. I don’t need Him.”
  Instead of being depressed at all the multitudes of people who rejected him – Jesus rejoiced in those who DID accept him. Notice verses 25-26 “At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
  The devil coaches team pride – and he seeks after the rich, the powerful, the strong, the capable . . . . and he flatters their pride and reminds them that they actually DO deserve all these good things, and in fact, they deserve so much more. But God, on the other hand, picks the young, the weak, the humble, the pathetic, the old, the sick, the lame. And - Jesus PRAISES that – He loves the weak and the humble, and He wants them on His team!
  No wonder the world thinks that “TEAM JESUS” is a pathetic joke. But, that’s only because they don’t know who Jesus really is! They don’t know that He and His Father (who created and owns this universe) are One, and on the same team. And, it’s never been a secret – Jesus revealed His true identity and proved it, time and time again. In verse 27 he says, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”All the power, riches and glory of God belongs to Jesus. And, if you don’t acknowledge Jesus as God and Lord – then you don’t know the only True God. Because, He – and His Son, and the Spirit who proceeds from both of Them are One.
  So – it’s OK that we are weak, pathetic, small and poor. We’re yoked to Jesus – we’re on His team, and that means we’re on the WINNING team. The pathetic ones are actually the ones on “team pride”. Still, Jesus hasn’t given up on them yet! In love He still holds his hands out to them and pleads with them: verses 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
  When you’re sick of fighting with guilt / sick of being a slave to money / sick of fighting for SELF / sick of the hollow and meaningless life the world tries to sell us / sick of never knowing what it’s all about and what happens at the end / sick of never knowing if you’re GOOD enough or if you’ve DONE enough . . . . sick of being on “team pride” – then come to Jesus. Find rest. Find peace. Find heaven. He’s got the most priceless gifts in the universe, and He just wants to give them away. It really is that simple. Accept it. Believe it. It’s true.
  So . . . . why do I still feel so weary and burdened? Why is peace so elusive? Why does it seem so HARD to be a follower of Jesus? Well, we have the same problem the Apostle Paul had and described in our Second Lesson today (Romans 7:15-25). PRIDE was still living there in his sinful nature and THAT is what tears us Christians apart. Part of us is with our Lord on “Team Jesus” and part of us is still cheering for our “old team” – TEAM PRIDE. That sinful / proud / selfish / self-centered part of us follows us everywhere - even to church! “Boy, God should be real impressed with me – I came to church today! Tsk . . tsk . . . tsk – look at all those lazy ‘Christians’ who couldn’t bother getting out of bed this morning. Look how much I put into the offering plate! If only everyone would dig deep like me then we’d have more than enough! This church would simply fall apart without me, it all depends upon ME.”
  Yeuch – do you realize what that is? It’s PRIDE! ME . . . me . . . me – it doesn’t matter if it’s boasting about ourselves or being totally depressed and down on ourselves – it’s 2 sides of the same coin. It’s the opposite of Jesus – who always focused His attention outward – away from Himself. And, we know it. We reek of pride, and it tears us apart and leads us to join Paul who shouted out in desperation, “What a wretched person I am!”
  But . . . . he continues, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). Jesus welcomes repentant sinners who are weary of their own sin and beaten down by it. He invites us to come and find REST in His arms – every week / every day / every moment. It is just that easy. And – yes, it is also really difficult to struggle on and fight my own pride every single day of life. Just, PLEASE, remember these 2 things:
  1. Watch out for pride. It’s ugly and it’s sneaky. If you find yourself saying “I . . . I . . . . I . . . me . . . me . . . . me” That’s the enemy – run away from it. It really doesn’t matter what the circumstances in your life are – good / bad / ugly / ups and downs – pride is right there ready to spring into action and make it all about YOU. Keep an eye on it. Run away from it.
  2. Run into the arms of Jesus. Find rest / peace / joy / strength / humility in HIM. Follow His ways and His teachings and discover what an awesome gift it is to live no longer for SELF – but for Him, and for others.
  
  Prayer: Dear Lord, as a member of Your team – teach me to follow your lead. Teach me to quit living for myself and to start living for you. As you gave your life for me, inspire me to live my life for others. All to your glory and for the salvation of more souls. Amen.

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  2011-08-08 20:22:19 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  August 7, 2011 (Pentecost 8 A)
  Romans 8:18-25
  “All Loving God + All Powerful God = All this Suffering??”
  
  “Hey Christian – you believe in an ALL powerful God , and an ALL loving God – and yet the world is full of suffering and pain. How can you explain that? It doesn’t compute. Either He’s not loving – and he just doesn’t care about what’s going on here day after day . . . . or . . . . he can’t do anything about it.”
  Have you heard something like that? Have you wondered about this yourself? The equation of an all loving God + all powerful God doesn’t seem to fit with this world of suffering we see all around us. Well, today we’re going to examine that question / that objection. The first half of the equation requires no time at all – OF COURSE God is a God of love. The Bible tells us God is love. It tells us about His brand of pure and holy love that is boundless. There’s no question God is powerful – He called this universe / time and space / matter and energy / laws of nature / life and beauty / the interdependent complexity that continues to astound anyone who examines it . . . . He called ALL that into existence (from nothing) by the POWER of His Word. There is nothing He can not do.
  So . . . can you blame God for the death and decay / corruption and suffering that fills this planet? I’m guessing most of you would say “no” – “Blame sin. Blame Adam and Eve. Blame people that do horrible things – blame EVERYONE – just don’t blame God.” But, take a look at the words of our text from Romans 8 today. We’ll start at verse 19 and go into verse 20: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration [literally: emptiness / futility / corruption – the STATE in which everything we know in this world is stuck in], not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it . . . .”
  God locked this world into a state where everything is frustrated; everything gets old and falls apart and dies (including us). Wherever there’s life – there’s also disease and death. Animals attack each other, kill each other, and devour each other. Weeds grow everywhere. Mosquitoes bite, so do spiders and snakes, sometimes sharks and bears even eat people.
  Why did God do this? Why does life have to be like this? The Bible DOES have answers for us – and I’ll try to squeeze them into a simple illustration we can all understand: Imagine a “shocking” scenario: a child makes a foolish mistake and gets in trouble with Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad ground that child. He is confined to his room without any fun toys and gadgets, and stuck there with his thoughts and boring old books he doesn’t want to read. Is he happy? Nope. He’s probably angry at Mom and Dad – why did they have to impose such a heavy sentence? In reality, is it Mom and Dad’s fault that he’s stuck in the room? Nope. He caused the situation. Mom and Dad simply enforced the consequences. In fact, they enforced the consequences only because they love him.
  Now, step back for a moment and consider this: Does our Heavenly Father have a good reason and plan behind sticking planet Earth in a state of frustration and decay because our first parents ignored His command and sinned against Him? Oh yes – He knows exactly what He’s doing! Notice the next verses in our lesson: “[He did this] in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
  The suffering, pain and frustration of life in this world is a consequence of sin (which contaminates everything) and . . . . something God actually uses in His powerful and loving plans for us. Here’s a secret that we Christians have discovered (one that remains a total mystery to so many people): suffering and pain is NOT humanities arch enemy and the horrible villain that most people think it is. Good parents who love their kids cause them pain all the time – loving discipline is a necessary part of their job. When “that kid” finally gets out of his room, he cherishes the freedom and privileges he has, and he knows it’s not worth breaking the rules anymore – he’s learned something powerful!
  So . . . . is pain a good thing? Yes, I think you can say that. Because of sin – we NEED it. You need that pain reflex when you touch the hot stove – it protects you. That stubborn man would never go to the doctor unless the pain finally got to him. Pain tells us that something is wrong. And – we all experience pain in all sorts of ways, all the time. So . . . . connect the dots! PAIN (in your life / in your body / in your relationships) is proof that something is wrong – with YOU!
  You are a sinner. So am I. We need a Saviour – a Great Physician who can heal the root cause of all our problems and fix us. His name is Jesus – and just look at what He did: He stepped into this corrupt / warped / frustrated world and lived here with us. He knows what pain and suffering is like on a scale we can’t even comprehend. Did His suffering and death have a purpose? OF COURSE! It was the only way our sin and guilt could be paid for – it was the only way to get sinners into the perfection of heaven. The price had to be paid, so Christ paid it in full.
  If HIS suffering and pain had a plan and purpose behind it . . . . does yours? Our text enlightens us – we’re that kid stuck on a miserable “time out” in a world of frustration and suffering and decay – we can’t wait to get out, and to get to a NEW WORLD – this world of freedom, glory and life. Romans 5:3-5 explains our different attitude on suffering so beautifully: “[Now] we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
  Suffering and pain keep us clinging to our Saviour by faith, and close to Him so we don’t forget about what’s truly important and lose our salvation – and, it keeps us longing for the NEW LIFE Christ has promised and won for us. I could stop right here. But . . . . I skipped one important verse that adds so much to this discussion: Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
  Let me try and explain what God is telling us here: I’m going to throw out a number – and, if you watch the news at all you’ll know what it is: 14.5 trillion – and counting. That’s the US national debt. All sorts of people have tried to explain how much money that is using (for example) pictures of money stacked up over all these football fields, and to a height of the Stature of Liberty. It’s simply a number we can’t get our heads around. A trillion has 12 zeroes behind it. Take a million (which is a big enough number!) and take a million of them, and take 14.5 of those – and you get this staggering figure.
  Now . . . . here’s some pocket change. (Some coins: loonies / toonies / quarters / dimes / pennies.) Compare what’s in my hand with the US national debt. Sure, it’s also currency, but you can’t even really compare them. Here’s my point: The change in my hand is the suffering we have to endure here. The vast growing trillions is the glory and riches of heaven that we can’t even comprehend.
  People here in this world are so quick to complain. It seems that some suffer so much more than others. “Why do I have to deal with ‘loonies and toonies’ and THAT guy has nickels, dimes and pennies to deal with?” Do you get the point? We’re squabbling over pocket change!! Sure, the older we get the more “loonies and toonies” are going to hit us . . . . but . . . . you simply can’t compare it with the glory that waits for the believing heart in heaven.
  
  So – let’s take that equation I began the sermon with and change it a bit: All loving God + all powerful God = all this SALVATION!! All those souls rescued from death and brought to a whole new life that never ends!
  So . . . where does SUFFERING fit in? It’s just part of God’s complicated and loving plan to get souls from this world into His.

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  2011-08-22 19:49:59 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  August 21, 2011 (Pentecost 10 A)
  Romans 8:28-30
  “Your Life in a Nutshell:”
  
  Have you ever heard someone say, “My entire life flashed before my eyes!” Have YOU ever experienced that before? Often when faced with a scary, potentially life-threatening situation, people will say that the events of their whole lives flashed before their eyes in just a moment.
  Without actually threatening your life, I would like you to try and put your whole life in a nutshell. Pretend it all suddenly flashes before your eyes. What would you see? (Perhaps some of your earliest memories / life’s milestones / good days . . . . bad days / graduation / marriage / the birth of a child / the death of a loved one / life altering moments that have been seared into your permanent memory.)
  Now – take that vision of your life in a nutshell – and, compare it with what God says here in our 2nd Lesson from Romans. Essentially what God does for us here is put your whole life in a nutshell. Today we’ll compare HIS vision of your whole life – with YOUR vision of your whole life.
  Romans 8:28-30
  28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
  When God thinks of you and your life – did you notice where it begins? He thought of YOU in eternity; before the world began. He knew all about you – way before you were conceived and born. Way back then He predestined you (literally: He put a fence around you and marked you off as His own.) He did this because He had a grand plan for you – that you would be conformed to the likeness of His Son – that you would be holy / kind / loving / gentle / strong / giving / patient / sacrificing for others . . . . just like Jesus. He would make you to be like His son Jesus so that you could be a part of this grand, beautiful, and eternal family – living in His home in perfect unity with Him and with all your spiritual brothers and sisters.
  So – when YOUR life flashes before God’s eyes – notice the big days and big events that He sees:
  · He remembers how He knew you in eternity before the world was made. He remembers how He chose you (by GRACE and not by merit) to be part of His family . . . and how He put a fence around you, and worked out everything just right to serve the eternal purpose He has for you and His whole family.
  · He remembers that big day – the moment you were called to faith. Perhaps you were too young to remember when the Holy Spirit touched you through the waters of Holy Baptism. Maybe you DO remember that moment (or maybe it was a longer and slower process) where it all began to click – and you realized God did send Jesus to die for your sins – and, that it’s all true.
  · He remembers the glorious transformation that took place right at that moment the Spirit brought you to faith: your justification. Right before His eyes – instantly – fully and completely by Grace alone . . . . all your sins (each and every one of them from conception to the grave) were removed from your permanent record and nailed to the cross of Calvary on Good Friday. Jesus’ blood washed your spiritual robe – and, it was just as if you had never sinned. One moment God saw a disgusting, filthy sinner. The next moment God saw glorious saint, one just as holy and perfect as His own Son.
  · Then He saw your glorification. The day you entered heaven and first saw His face. He will never forget the look on your face when you first saw the incredible glory of His home. He remembers that scene when you were reunited with loved ones who died in the faith before you. Your glorification then reached another stage on that Big Day when your body rose from the dead. God put your flesh back together and put YOU back together; body and soul. You stood up – alive / risen from the dead / perfect / glorified / a cherished son or daughter of the King / a permanent member of God’s own family / reflecting the glory, love and perfection of Christ from that day on and forever.
  
  So . . . . whose vision of your life in a nutshell is bigger and more grand – God’s, or yours? Whose is better / more complete / and more accurate? God’s is. Now – here’s the big challenge I want all of us to take on today: DUMP your view and your own perspective on your life . . . and embrace HIS. Consider your life in a nutshell – according to what He says it is. It changes everything!!
  When you feel small, insignificant, alone, disconnected, or that life is meaningless and dull . . . . wow! Nothing can be farther from the truth! When difficult days come, and challenging decisions have to be made, and frightening events take place . . . . those are just minor incidental details and even these must serve God’s good plan and purposes.
  What?? Even DEATH?? Yes – not even death can derail His incredible plans and purposes for you. In fact, death merely delivers us from one stage of existence to a much better one. God sees your life and eternity in a nutshell – and no one or no thing can mess with HIS plans and purposes for you.
  So – why on earth would we ever have stress? Why do we get angry when things don’t go according to our plans? Why are we so discontent with the circumstances of our lives? Why do we seem so shocked and disappointed when disease, pain or death hits close to home?
  Well . . . . because (during this tiny little slice of time where we live in this sinful world) we’re torn. Part of us conforms to the pattern of the world around us . . . and . . . part of us conforms to the pattern of Christ. We’re affected by that false belief that THIS world is all there is, and all there will ever be – so, “Get all you can, find as much happiness as you can gather, no matter how you get it, and HANG ON to it with all your strength – when it’s gone, it’s gone – and, that’s it.” But – God says otherwise. He says everything happens according to His plans, and that He knows what He’s doing, and that He’s known YOU from eternity – so . . . relax. Everything will work out in line with His good plans and purposes. Fight through the difficult days because you know: the best is yet to come!
  Why has He told us all this in the first place? The whole concept of predestination has led so many Christians into false doctrine and a fatalistic view of life and eternity. Some think that God chooses us because we’re somehow better than other people – but that’s not true. Some think that God is just “playing chess” with us people and it doesn’t matter what you do (or do NOT) do – “once saved, always saved.” Some people think God never wanted all those lost souls to be saved in the first place (which is NOT true). The ripple effects and damage caused by misinterpreting this doctrine have been horrible.
  So why did He tell us all this when it doesn’t seem to balance out according to our logic? Because . . . it’s a priceless gift that He’s given us. Dump any small / petty / worldly view of your life – and, embrace His. It’s both humbling and empowering. He has always known you. He has always loved you. He was filled with joy on the day you were called to faith and received the forgiveness of Christ. He has marvellous plans for you. He’s working to conform you ever more to be like Jesus – and, He is accomplishing more through you and your brief earthly existence than you could ever know. It won’t be long until the day when you are glorified in heaven.
  So – between today and THAT day, things will just continue to work out according to plan. Enjoy the ride. Receive the powerful and priceless GIFT that God is handing you today. Consider your life in a nutshell exactly as He describes it here in Romans 8:28-30.
  How can we NOT love Him back and serve Him joyfully in response to all that our gracious and loving Heavenly Father has done for us? How can we NOT share these facts with poor souls still living for today, and uninformed as to what God’s plans are, the bigger picture of eternity, and what Christ Jesus has done for all human beings? After all – life just flashes by so quickly. Thankfully now we know what it all means, and where we are going. When you consider God’s vision of your life in a nutshell – it’s all good, and it’s just going to get better!
  
  Prayer: Dear Lord – we are blown away by your powerful promises, and the incredible plans and purposes for us. We know how unworthy we are to be your children, and how much we have sinned against you. We thank you Jesus for taking all those sins away and making us righteous and holy in our Heavenly Father’s eyes. Help us see things according to your perspective – as we look at ourselves, our brief lives here, and all the souls around us. Amen.

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  2011-08-29 05:40:46 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  August 28, 2011 (Pentecost 11 A)
  Matthew 14:16 (Feeding of 5000)
  “When Jesus Gives IMPOSSIBLE INSTRUCTIONS . . . .”
  
  Jesus – AND His disciples, must have been completely exhausted. At this point in his earthly ministry, he was swamped by crowds of people – day in, and day out. They wanted healing / they wanted to see miracles / they wanted to hear Him speak. On top of all that stress and pressure, they received the news that John the Baptist had been killed by Herod. You know how Jesus felt when His friend Lazarus died, and how deeply He loved his friends and relatives. This news must have taken an additional toll on Him.
  They needed some time alone. They needed some time away from the crowds . . . . some solitude. So they got in a boat and headed for a remote location. But, the ancient version of the paparazzi found out where they were and this “remote place” was FILLED with thousands of people – covering the whole countryside in all directions.
  “People – GO AWAY! Get out of here – go home!!” That’s how we might have reacted, but Jesus didn’t. He had compassion on them. He healed the sick and showed love to the crowds as the shadows lengthened and evening came. They were a long way from town and it’s getting late – NOW, surely, it’s time to send them all home. Instead Jesus told the disciples this:
  Matthew 14:16 “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” Jesus gave his disciples IMPOSSIBLE INSTRUCTIONS!! They had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish – and . . . 5000 men, along with many women and children.
  One of the things that’s truly amazing here, and that I want to hone in on in this sermon message is this: Jesus gave these impossible instructions . . . .and . . . .the disciples carried them out. Everyone was fed and they had 12 baskets full of leftovers. Where did the disciples’ obedience come from?
  1. This was Jesus who told them to do this. They knew His identity – He had the power and authority of God Himself. If ANYONE else asked them to do something like this – they would ignore them and probably laugh at them . . . . but THIS was Jesus.
  2. They had SEEN the things Jesus did. He told paralyzed people, even dead people – to GET UP and walk . . . it was an impossible command – but they did. He told the storms to settle down, and they did. He told them to throw their empty nets on the other side of the boat and they would catch fish. They listened . . . they tried it . . . and they caught a huge haul of fish. They also knew:
  3. Where the power came from to do all these “impossible” things. Jesus was showing them little glimpses of the unlimited POWER God has. When Jesus told them to do something impossible – the power to carry it out would come from God.
  
  So . . . I’m not going to ask what YOU would have done or thought in that circumstance if Jesus had asked YOU to feed all those people with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread. Because – you weren’t there. And – Jesus hasn’t asked you to do what He asked the 12 to do on that evening. Instead, I’m going to ask you what you do and what you think when Jesus gives you instructions that are impossible to carry out.
  For example, in Matthew 5:48 Jesus says directly to YOU and ME: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is just as impossible to carry out as feeding multitudes with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. How do you respond to instructions like that? Some scoff – “That’s IMPOSSIBLE – and, ridiculous. There’s no way.” Some think He must not actually mean what He says. Some just ignore Him. What do YOU do with instructions like that? When Jesus gives you impossible instructions – remember 3 things:
  1. Remember WHO He is. Don’t ignore Him or dismiss His words – this is God giving instructions directly to YOU. Remember that.
  2. Remember what He’s done. He lived a perfect life for you. He wasn’t being kind / compassionate / giving / gentle / loving / serving / etc. – merely to “show you how it’s done” – He did that for you – because you are not perfect. You need perfection to get into heaven, you are not, but He was. And . . . . He died for you, to take away all your sins. When you remember what He’s done – that changes everything. He’s not telling you to be something you can’t be – He’s telling you to be something you already are. But – does He actually now WANT you now go out and BE perfect – like your Heavenly Father?? Yes, He does. Just remember point #3:
  3. Remember where the power comes from. God works miracles in the hearts of His people and inspires them to follow His lead – to make their lives Christ-like: about serving others / they do what is right and love 100% / they give and serve and empty themselves for OTHERS – as God wants us to. The power to carry out His instructions comes from God – not from within us.
  
  Just look through Scripture – and you can find all sorts of places where Jesus gives you impossible instructions to carry out. In Matthew 5:11-12 He says, “Rejoice and be glad – when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you – because of ME.” “Yeah . . . . right.” Christians (including us) ignore these instructions all the time. We keep Christ hidden from much of our lives and we DON’T tell the world what we believe, because we’re afraid: afraid of offending someone / afraid of getting into an argument / afraid to be made fun of / afraid of getting in trouble at work / afraid of becoming a target at school / etc.
  Just take a look at these instructions once again and remember those 3 things: This is Jesus telling us this, should we just ignore Him? Look at what He has done: He stepped out in front of God’s wrath for us and took the fury of HELL itself – because He was thinking of YOU. He wasn’t afraid of his enemies – He hit them head on, and now He tells us – you can do the same, don’t be afraid, in fact – rejoice! Remember where the power comes from! So – try it out! Put your faith and your Saviour “out there”. And – when people get angry / mock / insult you / do “whatever” to you – smile and be happy. It’s liberating. And, it actually is possible. And, when God’s people boldly carry out instructions like this, it’s just as miraculous as the feeding of the 5000.
  Here’s another one for you: Jesus says in Matthew 6:25 “Do not worry . . . . about your life / food / clothing / etc.” People (maybe even YOU) look at His instructions here and say, “Yeah – right Jesus! Nice thought – but that’s impossible. My life is filled with worries and mere words can’t change that.” How do you think our Lord would have responded if one of his 12 disciples said on that evening, “Feed the crowds with only this?! Whatever . . . that’s impossible.” And, just walked away. THAT disciple would need a strong smack on the side of his head. Does Jesus actually want us to follow His instructions? It’s IMPOSSIBLE to rid my life of worry! Yes, it is – but, remember who said this. Remember what He has done and promised you. And, remember where the power comes from. Just as the disciples went up and down the rows handing out bread and fish, and simply DID what Jesus asked them to . . . . just do it. Don’t worry. God’s power will achieve the miracle. And . . . . you won’t.
  He also says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19). What?! us??? here?? that’s impossible. Let’s do it anyway – and we can! Do you remember those 3 points that help us actually carry out the impossible instructions our Lord gives us?
  1. Who is telling us to do this? This is Jesus, both God and Man.
  2. What has He done? He died for us, and for the sins of the world. He did everything necessary for each and every soul to be in heaven.
  3. Where does the power come from? He said that He would be with us always and help us do whatever He commanded us to do.
  
  I just threw out there a few examples of important instructions Jesus gives us – read Scripture and you’ll come across many more. Just live your lives and you’ll come across situations that just seem impossible to face. Listen to Jesus’ instructions and follow them – no matter how IMPOSSIBLE they seem.
  In Revelation 2:10 Jesus said to us, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” So . . . . keep those 3 points in mind . . . . and . . . . just do it.
  

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  2011-09-05 00:59:43 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  September 4, 2011 (Pentecost 12 A)
  1 Kings 19:9 / Romans 9:2-4a / Matthew 14:22-23,30b
  “Managing BURN-OUT”
  
  Busy, busy, busy!! The summer is over – all the craziness of life is back in full swing. Along with all the responsibility, all the work, all the studies, all the appointments . . . . comes the risk of something you might already be familiar with: burn-out.
  What we’re going to do today is look at selected verses from all 3 of our Scripture Lessons – and see what we can learn about different kinds (or types) of burnout . . . . and, how we can manage them as God wants us to.
  In our first lesson (1 Kings 19:9-18) we come across Elijah. He was running for his life. He did his job and proclaimed God’s Word – but, the people didn’t listen. The king and queen of Israel (Ahab and Jezebel) were wicked and rotten, and had been trying to kill him. Finally there was that awesome showdown at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) where everyone could see once and for all that the LORD is the only true God, and baal was proven to be a worthless idol. I think Elijah was hoping for a grand reformation and return to the Lord among the people of his country. But . . . it didn’t really happen. The king and queen were even MORE determined to kill him. He was running for his life. He was totally burned out. He wanted to give up. He wanted to die. He had travelled a distance longer than from here to Toronto on foot and was now hiding in a cave. He was suffering from something we might call: frustration burn-out. Nothing he did seemed to matter. It felt like everything was just a big waste of time.
  God stepped in to help him manage his burn-out. He came to him gently and asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9b). God would then proceed to encourage His servant, and also teach him a lesson. The presence of the LORD was not in the powerful wind, or in the earthquake, or the fire . . . . but, in a gentle whisper. God isn’t building His kingdom through fireworks – He’s accomplishing His work through the gentle whisper of the Gospel – as it goes out from one person to another. God let Elijah vent his frustration. Then He proceeded to give him some instructions and send him right back out there – he had work to do. It wasn’t useless. It wasn’t hopeless. There were 7000 people there, who needed him. The Lord helped him manage the frustration burn-out he was feeling at that time.
  In our second lesson (Romans 9:1-5) we see the Apostle Paul suffering from a different kind of burnout. I’ll label it: love burn-out. This was not romantic love – it was the deep love he felt for his own people – his own race – who had largely rejected Jesus as Messiah, and who would thus miss out on eternal salvation. He says in Romans 9:2-4a “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.”
  He was bummed out. Later in chapter 9 we see how he managed that burn-out – he went back to God’s Word. He remembered that God has a master plan – and, it’s a loving one. He remembered Exodus 33:19 when the Lord said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (quoted in Romans 9:15). I know it still hurt him to see his brothers and sisters lost – but, he was able to MANAGE his burnout and keep going.
  This love burn-out is what parents feel when a child strays away from the Lord. It’s what we feel when we have loved ones who turn their backs on Christ – it HURTS. It can’t really be cured, but, it can be managed by the plans and promises of our loving Lord.
  In our Gospel lesson (Matthew 14:22-33) we see Jesus Himself dealing with burn-out. He was swamped with crowds of people and multitudes of the sick looking for healing. He was compassion on the crowds and healed them. Last week we saw how He miraculously fed the 5000. Finally they had all gone home. Jesus was wrestling with something we might call: exhaustion burn-out. He needed SLEEP. But, that’s not how he was going to manage his burnout. Notice what He did: Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew 14:22-24). He went and PRAYED. Not for minutes . . . for hours. Only once he was revitalized by spending time with His Father – did He then go and catch up with his disciples.
  Later on in this lesson we come across Peter – experiencing a totally different kind of burn-out. We’ll call it fear burn-out. He accepted Jesus’ offer and stepped out of the boat, and on to the deep water that Jesus was walking on. But, when he took his eyes off his Saviour and saw the wind and the waves . . . . his heart was filled with FEAR and he began to sink. In verse 30 he cried out in fright, “Lord, save me!” And . . . Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. Jesus and his relieved disciple got back in the boat . . . and everything was OK.
  
  Now . . . . let’s take all 4 types of burn-out we see here in these lessons and see what we can learn from them: did these men experience BURNOUT because they were weak? Was it because they were disorganized? Was it because they didn’t have proper boundaries? Was there something wrong with them? No . . . . there was NOTHING wrong with Jesus, and even HE experienced burn-out.
  So, let’s consider this: Why do we assume that WE should never experience BURNOUT? If / when it happens to us – we get angry! We seem surprised by it, and start looking for someone to blame for this horrible intrusion into our lives. “It’s my bosses fault! He dumps on me far more work than I can handle! My family is sucking the life out of me! My wife / husband is more than I can bear! Why, Lord – WHY? Nothing is working out the way it’s supposed to – it’s like my whole life is in vain and a gigantic waste of time!”
  Sentiments like that remind me of a man you might know. When his world fell apart, he said, “The woman, YOU put here with me – she gave me some of the fruit from the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12). Who did Adam blame? Eve . . . . and . . . . God.
  When you experience burnout of some variety, and you start looking for someone to blame . . . who are you really pointing the finger at? God. “That boss you gave me . . . . that wife / husband you stuck me with . . . those kids . . . all this responsibility and all these burdens . . . .” What did God want Adam to do? And, what does God want YOU to do?
  Repent.
  Receive forgiveness.
  Acknowledge that frustration and burn-out is just going to be a part of life here – because of sin. It will not be cured . . . .until we get to heaven. Here, in this world, the best we can do is manage it – like some chronic disease.
  How do we do that? Well – there’s a right way, and a wrong way to manage it. Look over these 4 cases from our lessons today, and we’ll ask, “Did they manage burnout in the right way, or in the wrong way?”
  · Elijah: he ran. He hid in a cave and asked God to take his life. Did he manage his frustration in the right way, or the wrong way? The wrong way. But, God came and encouraged him anyway. He forgave him. And, Elijah learned from his experience.
  · Paul: his heart still hurt. But, he found a bit of relief in the loving plans and purposes God has told us about in His Word. He managed it the right way – he went back to God; back to the WORD.
  · Jesus: well – that’s an easy one! In His exhaustion He went and spent hours with His Heavenly Father in prayer.
  · Peter: sure, it was his own lack of faith that made him sink . . . but when FEAR gripped his heart, where did he look for help? To Jesus. He managed his terror well.
  So . . . . . how do YOU manage burnout in your life? Do you run? Do you run to the liquor store? Do you hide out in your “man cave”? Do you turn to sports or shopping to take your mind off life? Do you plop yourself in front of the TV and let Hollywood preach their poison as you soak it up? Is food your refuge? Or, sleep? Is any of that the right way to manage burnout? Nope.
  I’m going to ask you all to be counsellors here for a moment. Let’s say you have a friend who is struggling with depression. He says he just wants to isolate himself from the world and be all alone in his misery. What is the WORST thing your friend could do when he’s feeling that way? Isolate himself and be all alone. Here’s the connection: when YOU face burnout, you all have a natural inclination to handle it in the wrong way. Do NOT do what you feel like doing. Instead – run to God. Pray . . . . for hours . . . . soak up His encouraging words and wonderful promises. HE will help you manage it in the right way.
  I often hear people say, “I don’t have time for church right now – I’m just to BUSY. I wish I could attend a midweek Bible class / have time to read my Bible every day / have personal and family devotions . . . . but I just can’t right now. Life is too crazy!” What does that person need more than anything else? They need exactly what they don’t think they have time for. The crazier life is and the more burnt out we might get – the MORE we need God / prayer / His Word – it’s the only way to manage burn-out. Jesus knows what it feels like, He’s been there. He will gently remind you what you need to know, and He’ll forgive your ranting and complaining, and He will lead you through it all – to the Land where BURN-OUT will be nothing but a distant memory.

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  2011-09-12 21:54:55 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  September 11, 2011 (Pentecost 13 A)
  Isaiah 56:1,6-8
  “Building the PERFECT Society:”
  
  Building a PERFECT society in this world is impossible. Oh – people have tried! Karl Marx and the communism movement promised to bring a utopian society of equality – without the burden of religion – where everyone worked for the good of the state. It failed . . . horribly. The United States, on the other hand, was based upon solid ideals that proceeded from a primarily Christian viewpoint – it would open her doors to the world, and offer a society of tolerance, freedom, and prosperity. I’m sure you recognize these words stamped to the side of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, temptest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” (The last portion of “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus.) What happened? Well, a LOT happened. 9/11 happened 10 years ago today – and, that Statue of Liberty monument was shut down for security reasons. In the United States – the WALLS went up. Canada has largely followed Western Europe’s lead, trying to establish such an open, soft, and tolerant society that surely NO ONE could ever hate us, or wish us harm. And . . . yet . . . home-grown terrorism flourishes in liberal societies that have no back-bone, no unity, and no strength.
  You can disagree with my political views – we’ll keep that outside of the church. But, I think you can ALL agree with this: there is no perfect society on planet earth. So . . . . let’s turn to our first Scripture Lesson for today and see what our Lord is up to: guess what? He’s building a perfect society . . . right here on planet earth. Isaiah 56:1,6-8
  1 This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
  6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
  8 The Sovereign LORD declares— he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”
  He is building this perfect society . . . . but . . . where is this beautiful, free, Godly, multicultural, loving society filled with justice and righteousness?? Can you point to it? Yes – I think you can. I’ll try to explain it to you this morning. Theologians refer to prophecies like this as ones that find intermediate fulfillment. This means: they are partially fulfilled by certain events and in certain places – but, they find their ultimate fulfillment – in other events or places. You can look at this passage and say it finds its ULTIMATE fulfillment in heaven; the New World, that society where everything is perfect. People from all over the world are beautifully connected by faith, they have all been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and forgiven of all their sins. In this New and Perfect world everyone loves each other, and everyone loves to worship and praise the One who rescued them from this world of sin and death.
  But . . . in that world – there would be no need for sacrifices and burnt offerings. We don’t even need sacrifices and burnt offerings in the New Testament age. So, we dare not skip over how this prophecy has been PARTIALLY fulfilled right down to the present day.
  The Old Testament nation of Israel was a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. If you’ve ever read through the Old Testament you might be thinking, “WHAT?? Old Testament Israel was a mess! It was anything but a perfect society!” True – it was FAR from perfect. They were constantly under attack – and the most destructive attacks against them were spiritual in nature. The spiritual poison from other nations crept in. Idolatry . . . wickedness, sexual immorality, horrible cult practices . . . invaded the nation. Wicked and rotten kings and queens ruled Israel. The prophets talked about how horrible things became as the people drifted further and further away from God / from His ways / from His truth. They even murdered the prophets because they couldn’t stand to hear God’s Word from them.
  But . . . as messy as it was, Old Testament Israel was still the best society on the planet at that time. It was the ONLY place where you could find out about the One True God. It had the temple worship / the Scriptures / the prophecies about the Messiah / the place where one could find forgiveness, atonement, and be at peace with God. In Israel they could find out what God is like – what His standards are, and how to get into His glorious and eternal home, like Abraham, by FAITH and not by works. That love / truth / salvation (when it was present) brought about a unique culture and society that was better than anything else on planet earth.
  Then, when the time had fully come, God sent His Son to Israel – to bring God’s truth and salvation to the world. He came to die as a sacrifice of atonement, to cancel out our sin and guilt so human beings can be a part of God’s perfect family. He accomplished His goal. He died and rose again – all in fulfillment of ancient Scripture. But . . . many in Israel rejected Him. Now . . . everything had changed. Now . . . . the message of Jesus would go out from Israel to the rest of the world.
  The Christian Faith is the New Testament parallel to Old Testament Israel. And, since the time of Christ, Christianity has now provided the next stage of fulfillment of these words from Isaiah the prophet. Christianity is where people from all nations can find out about the One True God – where they can find peace, forgiveness, and salvation – where they can learn what He is like, and how to get access to His eternal paradise. Another partial fulfillment of this prophecy about God’s PERFECT society is now found within Christianity.
  You might be thinking, “WHAT?? Christianity is certainly NOT perfect!! It’s a mess. It’s all divided up, and much of it is totally hollow and completely rotten!” That’s true. Like Old Testament Israel – New Testament Christianity has been constantly under attack, and the most devastating ones have been spiritual in nature. The beautiful twin towers of Law and Gospel – the 2 central teachings of God’s Word – have been attacked and brought down by vicious false teachings throughout the history of the church. Lies and wickedness infesting Christianity have resulted in an ugly, confusing, and fragmented church.
  But . . . . within Christianity, and Christianity ALONE – you can still find the One True God. You can still find some churches and fellowships holding to the teachings of God’s Word. When you find people gathered around Christ; holding to all of HIS teachings, and trusting in His grace alone for salvation, treasuring His gifts of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper . . . you will find the best little society that this world has to offer. You will find souls wrapped up in the peace of God who are helping other lost souls immigrate into God’s Kingdom through Jesus. You will see God changing people to be like their Heavenly Father: people of LOVE and TRUTH. You’ll never find a perfect church or a perfect synod here on earth – but, when you find people gathered around Christ and clinging to ALL of HIS teachings, you will find the best place this world has to offer.
  So, now – after considering this prophecy and both it’s ultimate, heavenly fulfillment – and, the intermediate fulfillment (in both the OT and NT times) . . . I think it’s time for us to pause and reflect. Today lots of people are pausing and reflecting on what happened 10 years ago on this day (on what they were doing, and what it all means). You can do that after church, right now let’s pause and reflect on this perfect society God is building – and – your relationship to it.
  · Some of you might say, “I’m just not completely sure if the Bible is totally accurate and true.” If that’s you – I would be concerned. This day is a powerful reminder of how short life can be, and how suddenly it can be snuffed out. If you are not sure about God / Jesus / His Word – find out! We offer so many classes and opportunities for you to do just that. NOW is the time to discover what God is really like – and to immigrate into His Kingdom by grace and through faith in Christ (who died for us) and has won for us the gift of salvation.
  · Others of you might be thinking, “Oh, I like some of the teachings of God’s Word (His love and grace, how he welcomed the little children, forgiveness, etc.) . . . but . . . I have serious trouble with what the Bible says about other things (creation, God’s judgment, His rigid boundaries of right and wrong, that the ONLY sexual behaviour that’s not immoral is between a man and a woman joined in the bond of marriage, maybe it’s what God says to husbands and wives, close communion, or some other thing.) Here’s something you can take from the Prophet Isaiah today: if you want to be a part of His perfect society – YOU will have to change, because He will not. If you have a problem with anything God says – I’d be very concerned. Get over it. Accept it – otherwise, it could keep you out. He welcomes people into His perfect society who love HIS way of doing things and bind themselves to HIS teachings.
  · You might be thinking, “It’s not God’s teachings I wrestle with – it’s loving other people enough to actually tell them about Him / it’s being diligent in prayer and worship / it’s generously giving to share the truth / it’s getting involved in actually doing His work – that is what I struggle with.” If that’s you, I’d be concerned too. Because, you will have to change. People in God’s perfect society put HIM first. They love to worship and praise Him. They are happy to sacrifice anything (even their own lives), and they give Him the best they have to offer.
  I hope this causes us ALL to pause and reflect. We all have to change. We are not ready to be a part of His society the way we are. So – if that’s true, then let’s approach God with hearts that say: “Change me. FIX me – I’m broken. Give me a heart that accepts EVERYTHING you say. Help me love and embrace all your ways, and all your commands in every aspect of my life.” How does God respond to THAT prayer? He says: “Absolutely, my child! I forgive you. I will mould and transform you. I will take you home to be with me where I live, and you will experience the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s words, and dwell in my perfect society forever.”
  Oh . . . . just one more thing: there is still room in God’s House. NOW is the time to invite others to meet Him, for we don’t know how much time is left.

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  2011-09-19 05:00:34 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  September 18, 2011 (Pentecost 14 A)
  
  Exodus 6:2-8
  
  “People of God – living in a God-less World”
  
  
  
  The Financial Post had an article this past Tuesday that listed the richest people from every major country in the world. A Canadian named David Thompson made the list at number 17 with an estimated 23 billion dollars. Number 2 on the list is a name you’ll recognize: Bill Gates of the USA. Number 1 was some guy from Mexico I had never heard of.
  
  Would you want YOUR name on that list? I suppose it would be a great honour to have billions and billions of dollars and be known as the richest person in your country, and among the richest people of the world. But . . . what would you do with it all? Would you feel guilty? After all – we live in a world so filled with poverty, but even with billions – you couldn’t help everybody. And even then, would it really help people to just give them money? You also happen to know how much spiritual poverty is out there – would you use it to help share Jesus? If so, then how much of it? How would you give it in a way that would help build the Kingdom of God . . . rather than hindering it?
  
  Well – enough talking about rich people. Let’s travel WAY back in time and look at some poor people. Moses wasn’t rich. He turned his back on the riches of Egypt and lived out among the animals in the wilderness. God called this guy Moses to be the leader of (perhaps) the POOREST nation on the planet at that time: Israel. It was a nation of slaves – under the control and command of Egypt. So . . . you’ve got a poor old rancher (with an upscale education) called to lead the poorest nation on the planet. They were nothing in the eyes of the world, but – just look at what the LORD (the King of the universe) says to them: Exodus 6:2-8
  
  2 God also said to Moses, “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
  
  6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’”
  
  God picked this poor nation of miserable souls to be His number 1 among ALL the nations of the world. He would establish a special relationship with them. He would not be distant and unknown among them – He would give them His own personal Name: YHWH (usually pronounced: Jehovah) – the God of free and faithful love. He would rescue them from slavery . . . watch over them . . . . protect them . . . lead them to a new land of their own . . . and bring to them the Promised Saviour of the world: the God-Man Jesus Christ.
  
  What an incredible honour! They were no better than anyone else (Moses himself tried to get out of being their leader – and, the people of Israel – well, they complained and whined about everything.) Even so, by Grace ALONE, these people would be #1 and Moses would be their great leader.
  
  Still . . . they didn’t look very honoured, blessed, rich, or powerful. They didn’t have “cash in hand” so to speak – they had a promise. They were simply asked to trust it, and wait for God to fulfill it. THAT was hard to do. They were called to be the special / chosen people of God – but they were living in a God-less world.
  
  They were oppressed. They were poor. They were being taken advantage of. They were angry. Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go. The people yearned to have what the Egyptians had – but they couldn’t have it. They had to wait and be patient. And . . . you know the story; finally (in God’s time) they were lifted out of Egypt (by God’s amazing power) and led into the land He had promised to give them. God fulfilled all His promises – but, their life along the way, in this God-less world, was certainly not an easy one.
  
  Nevertheless – look at the big picture: Pharaoh (the richest, most powerful man alive at that time) died along with his powerful army chasing after the people of Israel. Moses also died about 40 years later. Consider the past 3,500 years or so since both these men died . . . whose sandals would you rather be in? Moses’ – or – Pharaoh’s? During their brief lives Pharaoh was rich, but God-less – and Moses was poor, but one of God’s chosen people. But NOW – Pharaoh is stuck in a God-LESS eternal poverty that he can never escape. And . . . Moses has been in a palace with the King of the Universe among the chosen people of God for some 3,500 years – and with countless years to come. So . . . who was actually rich, and who was actually poor? Whose opinion counts – that of our God-less world, or that of God the LORD?
  
  I think you know the answer to that.
  
  I think you also know that all these years later, that same Lord and Saviour God speaks these same words to you and me – His special / chosen people – here today. We haven’t made the list of the rich and powerful in Canada, and the world. We might even be struggling financially. We might be poor, sick, tired, unappreciated, over-worked, stressed out . . . and, certainly we are undeserving. But, the King of the Universe / the LORD – has chosen YOU (by Grace) to be His special people. Be honoured and overwhelmed by that fact. You know that God always keeps His promises . . . . so, just hang on to them and wait for Him to give you riches you could never have dreamed of.
  
  Right here and now, however, we too are living in a God-less world, trying to cling to His words and promises, living by faith and not sight . . . and (as it was for the Israelites in Egypt) it’s challenging for us too. We want the riches of the world around us. We want life to be easy and comfortable. We don’t want to struggle, to be oppressed, to have to wait for our Heavenly Father to give us what He’s promised. So . . . just like the Israelites, we whine, complain, and grumble. Just like them we test the patience of our loving God. And – just like them, Moses reminds us of God’s plans and purposes, and how – by Grace – He has chosen unworthy souls like us to be His blessed / chosen / special people. He sent Jesus to die for OUR sins. He’s got amazing plans to shower us with the best gifts the universe has to offer.
  
  In Revelation 2 Jesus encouraged the poverty stricken church in Smyrna by reminding them: they were not poor (although everyone thought they were) – they were rich! So are you. You have a place in the heart and home of the King of the Universe. You have His grace and forgiveness by faith. You have His rich and powerful promises – and you know the best is yet to come.
  
  So . . . . what are you going to do with the spiritual wealth God has given you? You have enough to share – both physically AND spiritually. It won’t run out. Spread His grace and truth around the world.
  
  I hope you can take 2 things from this lesson today:
  
  1. Be honoured. What you have is greater than anything the richest people in the world have. Be humbled and honoured that the King of the Universe has made YOU His special people. He has put His Name on you – through the waters of Holy Baptism, and every time you have that special Triune Blessing put upon you – that same blessing God gave Moses and Aaron all those years ago. He has forgiven all your sins. He is preparing a place for you (by grace and through faith) alongside Moses and many other chosen / blessed souls – in His glorious mansion.
  
  2. Remember that, just like the Israelites, we have a promise – and will have to WAIT . . . and it will sometimes be hard and difficult. We are the people of God, but right now we’re living in a God-LESS world. With that comes countless struggles. We’re always being tempted to forsake God / to doubt Him / to sin against Him / and to grab all we can get our hands on here. Be strong. Learn from the lesson of what happened to the Israelites and TRUST your Heavenly Father. Cling to His promises with repentant hearts, and just watch His promises turn into reality.
  
  Right now we live in a God-LESS world – and, sometimes it can really stink. But, can you even imagine what it’s going to be like being the people of God . . . . and living in GOD’s world??
  
  
  
  Prayer: Dear Lord, help me never forget what you have done for me in sending Jesus to be my Saviour. Help me never to forget what He has won for me, and what you (by grace) have promised to give me. Forgive me for whining and complaining as your people living here so often do. Help me to be strong, like Moses, and so many heroes of faith who have gone on ahead. Lead me out of this God-less world – and – into YOUR world, where I can live with You, and your people for all eternity. Amen.

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  2011-09-26 07:01:15 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  September 25, 2011 (Pentecost 15 A)
  
  Romans 12:1-2
  
  “Spiritual Metamorphosis:”
  
  
  
  If you recognize the term “metamorphosis” at all – you probably bring to mind an image of a caterpillar wrapping itself up in a cocoon – and, emerging as a beautiful butterfly. That’s just one example of God’s incredible brilliance, design, and amazing creativity that we see in nature. “Metamorphosis” means to “change into a different form” – and God’s programmed the DNA of certain animals to make this huge transition at some point in their lives. Once the process of metamorphosis is engaged – the caterpillar (for example) will begin to transform into the new form God has designed for it.
  
  Metamorphosis is a Greek word – and, in fact, it’s used here in our text for today. In the opening verses of Romans 12 the Apostle Paul is describing a spiritual metamorphosis that takes place in the lives of everyone touched by the power of the Holy Spirit and connected to Christ by faith:
  
  Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy . . . .” Who is Paul addressing in these verses? Fellow believers – people touched by the mercy and compassion of God. We know that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. We understand that it was OUR sins that nailed Him to the tree. We know and believe that He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. We believe that. But – that’s not where things end regarding our Christian faith.
  
  Paul PLEADS with believers: “I urge you . . . [because of everything He’s done for us], to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” This is ongoing encouragement to every single believer to GIVE YOURSELF over to God – to let Him have you. He is going to work on you, and do something even more incredible and beautiful to you than changing a caterpillar into a butterfly.
  
  Paul goes on: “—this is your spiritual act of worship.” This phrase is really tough to translate into English. The word translated “spiritual” literally meant “logical” to the ancient Greek. In fact, it’s the root of our English word “logical”. That shows how different our cultures are – we (in this society) often think spiritual things are illogical . . . the Greeks were the opposite. The Christian giving himself / herself over to God so that He can take us / fashion us / mould us / stretch us / transform us . . . is totally a logical response. After all – He saved us, now we willingly, freely, logically, fully give ourselves over to Him – He is our Lord / our Saviour / our best friend / our Heavenly Father.
  
  So . . . when I give myself over to Him, what does that mean? Paul answers that in both a negative way, and a positive way: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” The society / culture / environment YOU live in wants to shape and mould you so that YOU fit in with IT. Paul uses a rather interesting verb form here – a passive imperative (imperatives are usually active) – to say: “Don’t let them influence you in ANY way!!!”
  
  Then, using the strongest adversative Greek has to change gears, he switches to the positive: “. . . . but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Here we see that word “metamorphosis” used in that same passive imperative form: “Let God transform / CHANGE you – in respect to your mind / your thinking / your worldview . . .” This means that YOU – dear Christian – become something totally beautiful and completely different from what you used to be.
  
  What is this change going to mean for me? Paul concludes verse 2 with an explanation: “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” I will begin to see life the way God sees things – His way. I will always know what is the best, most useful, most important, most beneficial, most God-pleasing course of action in any given situation . . . and I will joyfully do whatever glorifies my Heavenly Father the most.
  
  
  
  All of that – and more – is packed into these 2 powerful verses at the beginning of Romans 12. Someone asked me earlier this week why it’s necessary to work through the original languages before preaching on a text – now I hope you understand. There is SO MUCH packed into the text of God’s Word that with these 2 verses (for example), we have only begun to scratch the surface.
  
  So . . . . what can we take from these verses? What does God want you to know today, and to take with you as you go home? Well, there’s a bunch of things, but I’ll try to squish it together and put it in a way that is (hopefully) both clear and easy to remember:
  
  Everyone in heaven is a “butterfly” – they are all beautiful, totally unique, and have been transitioned into the exact person God designed and intended them to be. There is no more ugliness, only beauty and perfection. Hell, on the other hand, is full of “caterpillars”. They did not want to change. They liked this sinful world the way it is – it’s home. They rebel against God. They push against His transforming influence. They do not WANT to “get to know Him better.” They do not WANT Him to influence / change / direct their lives. They remain His enemies. They remain comfortable with sin and unbelief – and that’s how they like it, so they avoid Him.
  
  But . . . thankfully and by God’s grace and mercy alone, some of us caterpillars are touched by the powerful Holy Spirit of God – who brings Christ (along with His forgiveness and salvation) to our hearts through the Word and the Waters of Baptism . . . . and . . . . at that moment, spiritual metamorphosis has just begun. Everyone connected to the Spirit of God is in the process of being transformed into the new creature God wants us to be.
  
  “But – what if I die, and my cocoon wasn’t even finished yet? I didn’t get very far!” It doesn’t matter. Jesus told the “Thief on the Cross” that “Today you be with me in paradise.” It wasn’t long at all that the Holy Spirit reached into the heart of this criminal – but the PROCESS had begun. No matter how long we live as Christians – it will never be completed in this life. But . . . it’s complete the moment a believer enters heaven as – a “butterfly”.
  
  So . . . what about the person (and you can find them everywhere) who says, “Oh I believe in God!” . . . but then he refuses to listen to anything God says, and does NOT want to change, for he is quite comfortable being a caterpillar and soaking up everything this world has to offer?? THAT is why Paul uses such strong language here. He PLEADS with them; he URGES them: do not conform to the pattern of this world / let God transform you and complete His work of changing you!!! PLEASE! He knew this was life or death / heaven or hell – and he wanted his people to wind up in heaven.
  
  Paul was deeply concerned about the souls of the people in his congregations. Should we be concerned about OUR souls? . . . about the people in OUR congregations? Well – only if we care whether or not any of us gets to heaven when we die. God wants us to open our eyes and see that there is an unholy and wicked “trinity” working very hard to convince you that you should stay as a caterpillar. The devil, the society we live in, and even your own sinful flesh have agreed that “caterpillar” is better – and they are trying to convince you of that. We are caught in the middle – the Holy Trinity says: YOU need to change / to be moulded and transformed into a new and better person. The unholy “trinity” says things are fine the way they are, and no change is needed.
  
  Dear Christians – who is LYING to you?
  
  But . . . . we don’t like change. We’re leery of change. We’re afraid of change! Change is painful and inconvenient. True . . . but REMEMBER how much God loves you and what He has done for you. He’s not out to hurt you; He’s out to help / to fix / to save you. . . . so . . . let . . . . Him . . . . change . . . YOU. You will love it. God will love it. Your fellow believers will be thrilled.
  
  But – your unbelieving “caterpillar” friends and family members will think you’ve joined a crazy cult that has warped your brain and turned you into a holy rolling religious freak. You now think about the way you act and the way you speak and ask, “Is that the way a butterfly in heaven would act and talk? Because – that’s who I am, and that’s where I’m going!” You refuse to listen to gossip and do not get caught in discussions that degenerate into self-centered arguments – that’s not the way butterflies act. You look at the same TV shows / movies / music that you used to enjoy – and now you can’t stand it; you hate it. Going to church for worship / giving generous offerings / using your time and talents to serve God and your congregation . . . . all of a sudden becomes a joy, and a privilege, and the highlight of your week – instead of a burden and a pain in the rear end and something you would avoid if you had the chance. All of life begins to revolve around your relationship with Jesus, and God becomes the centre of every day and every waking moment.
  
  
  
  Is that scary to think that God could do that to YOU? Right now God is working to change YOU into the person YOU will be in heaven. He knows what He’s doing. Let Him work. Let the spiritual metamorphosis proceed – it’s a beautiful transformation!

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  2011-10-17 20:38:59 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  October 16, 2011 (Pentecost 18 A)
  Isaiah 55:6-9
  “A Radical New Treatment Option:”
  
  Your doctor comes in the room and says, “I’m really sorry. I’ve got some bad news: you have a very aggressive, untreatable, and fatal disease. It looks like you don’t have much time left.” As THAT monstrous news is attempting to soak in from your ears to your brain . . . . he continues with a word that perks you up: “BUT . . . the good news, is that there is a radical new treatment option now available. If you lived almost anywhere else in the world it would not be an option for you – but, you’ve won the lottery of sorts; because we have it, and you are a perfect candidate to receive it. Essentially what it does is SHOCK your system to the point where your entire immune system shuts down – then . . . it’s brought back online with the ability to fight the invading force in your system. This is the only treatment that works. If you don’t want to receive it, we’ll just try and make you comfortable as the disease progresses . . . . it’s up to you.”
  This is NOT just some made-up, hypothetical situation here – if you are a Christian, then YOU have had to face a reality that is somewhat similar. You have already heard the Great Physician (the LORD in His Word) confront you with the painful news: “You have a powerful, dangerous, very aggressive, fatal and untreatable disease: sin. You inherited it. It’s spreading and growing, and it will kill you.”
  Thankfully, the LORD – the gracious and compassionate Heavenly Father, has made a radical new treatment available for us poisoned and diseased human beings . . . . but . . . . it’s exceedingly hard to find. It’s not HIS fault that it’s so rare – He’s provided enough cure for every human being who ever lived. But – people don’t think the disease is anything to worry about, so they don’t even bother treating it. Instead they just try to make people as comfortable as possible while they – body and soul – die, and slip into eternal death. Churches all over the place are shrinking and dying (or giving up on the Truth of Jesus) because it seems like no one really wants Him anymore.
  Others have invented all sorts of “remedies” that rely on our own human power / deeds / rituals / meditation / exercise . . . whatever . . . in order to defeat (or at least treat) it. None of them really work. People really believe in them, and people really try to attain salvation and a whole new life on their own / by their own efforts . . . but those efforts ALWAYS fail.
  And, here you are – by God’s incredible grace, having won (in a sense) the spiritual lottery – having discovered a CURE for sin that actually works and actually saves! You’ve tasted of the Water of Life. You’ve eaten the Bread of Life. You’ve found Jesus. Don’t let go of Him. He is the only cure for sin and death. The Prophet Isaiah reminded us with urgency: verse 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”
  What does this radical new treatment consist of? It’s something we call repentance – and it’s a radical SHOCK to our system. It shuts down our control over our own souls, and turns things over to our Lord – HE takes control of our lives. We let go of sin in our hearts so that God can destroy it in us, and cure us. Isaiah said it this way: verse 7 “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
  Christ – HIS perfection, His mercy, His compassion, His forgiveness – is coursing through our spiritual veins and eradicating the disease within us. Christ is the ONLY way to be cured – with Him in our hearts; the chance of survival is 100%. Look at what you have dear Christian – grab hold of it with thankful hearts, you have found eternal salvation and never ending LIFE.
  Yes, it’s going to hurt when He roots out the sin from within your heart. Yes, it’s going to be tough sometimes to turn your life over to His control and TRUST Him completely – especially when we don’t understand why He does the things He does, and operates the way He operates.
  That’s OK. We don’t need to understand everything our Great Physician does. Isaiah the prophet reminds us of that fact in a beautiful poetic way, using a figure of speech called a chiasm (His words grammatically form an X) that would help a person remember this truth always: verses 8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
  Your thinking / your plans / your logic / your sense of how things should be and what should happen . . . . is on a totally different level from GOD. His is WAY above you and He knows WAY more than you and I do. Be thankful that He is in control, and not you or me – for we would mess everything up. We can’t see the big picture. We forget that everyone in this sinful world has to die – we don’t know when / how / where is the best time for anyone to leave this world and face their maker. We can’t see how suffering and pain produce great results. We don’t understand tragedies. We don’t always agree with what God does or what He allows. But . . . so what? . . . all we need to know is that HE knows what He’s doing and (thankfully) HE’S in charge of things – not us.
  I’ll give you an example of this from Jesus’ own life, when He was just a baby in Bethlehem. Herod tried to kill Him. If you were in control, what would you do? I would have squashed Herod like a bug. Instead, the Lord sent an angel to warn Joseph, and they took off for Egypt. God’s own Son – a baby, Mary, and Joseph hit the road for a long and difficult journey to a foreign land. THEY would have to suffer while Herod sat and lounged in a palace, surrounded by wealth and luxury??? God even LET Herod kill all the baby boys in that village??? He could have squashed him like a bug! Jesus and his family had to wait patiently in Egypt until Herod died. Then they had to travel the whole way back home. Herod’s son was in charge now, and he was just as horrible as his dead father! So . . . they kept going all the way up to Galilee (to Nazareth) to settle there. They suffered, struggled, traveled, with all their meagre possessions, from place to place . . . . while murderous Herod and his wretched son drank wine and feasted on soft cushions.
  Ahhh – but God saw the big picture! Specific prophecies from the Old Testament were being fulfilled all along the way, pointing out the true identity of Jesus. God’s Son would receive no special treatment – he would know what real life / hard life HERE is like. God knew what He was doing – it all happened as it should have. If you or I were in control back then, we just would have messed it all up.
  Translate that FACT into your life. God knows what to do / when to do it / what to allow / what to prevent – thankfully He’s in control of our lives, and not us. Trust your Great Physician. He knows what He’s doing. Check out His record – see how much He loves and cares about you. You are not just a “number” to Him – you are His child. Deeply treasure and appreciate the Radical New Treatment He has provided to cure your sin. Repent and embrace Christ – He is the cure for everything that’s wrong. You have Jesus / you have forgiveness and life – now and forever – with all of THAT, there simply is no room left for discontent. How can we be upset with anything in life (even pain and tragedies) when we see the BIG picture and all that Christ has given us? You will be delivered from sin and ALL its consequences, the prospect for life is: 100%.
  But – until we’re completely and totally cured . . . we’re still in treatment. Until we enter heaven’s gates, we have to struggle through this life. So, when life throws you a “curve ball” and nothing seems to make sense, just remember: God knows what He’s doing, trust Him, He’s smarter than you are, He loves you – and . . . He knows what’s best.
  Prayer: Dear Lord – Great Physician of body and soul: I turn myself over to you. I turn away from and forsake all my wicked thoughts and ways. May Christ cleanse and purify my heart and soul. Flush away all my sin and bring me real and eternal healing, along with a bright and glorious future in your home. Help me also realize that everyone around me needs You too – help us share Christ; the only real cure for everything that’s wrong with life

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  2011-10-20 20:25:34 Joey_man (累积正能量会星糊：）)

  在哪个教堂？？

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  2011-10-31 07:36:09 雅亿 (谢谢豆的平台)

  October 30, 2011 (Reformation A)
  
  Galatians 5:1
  
  “We all want to be FREE . . . but . . . what does this Mean?”
  
  
  
  Freedom is one of the big themes of Reformation Sunday – the freedom that the Gospel brings us / the freedom to proclaim it openly once again / freedom from the tyranny of power-hungry, wicked men who had seized control of God’s church here on earth.
  
  But, the concept of freedom can be rather nebulous; rather vague and hard to define – because it depends so much on where you live, and what the circumstances of your life are. For example, I’ll ask you here today, you sitting there on the pews on Reformation Sunday 2011: “What would make you feel totally FREE?” Stew on that for a moment.
  
  If I had to guess at what some of you might be thinking, I would guess this:
  
  1. Freedom from bills. Freedom from DEBT would sure be nice! Financial freedom to do whatever I want and go wherever I want to go – that would make me feel so FREE!
  
  2. Freedom from responsibilities and burdens that weigh me down would be great! I would like freedom from burdensome work / family duties / school assignments that stress me out.
  
  3. Freedom from health problems would be fantastic! Oh to be free from hospital visits, from needing medication, from treatments and ER waiting rooms – freedom to run like a deer once again with perfect health.
  
  It’s my guess that some of those things popped into your head just now . . . . but . . . . what if you lived under a brutal dictatorship in the Middle East? What would FREEDOM mean to you, if you lived under a constant threat from a wicked government that hated you? What if you were languishing in jail right now? What if you were held prisoner in a wheelchair right now, or . . . bed ridden for the rest of your days? What would FREEDOM mean to you then?
  
  It really doesn’t matter how much or how little we have / where or when we live / what the circumstances of our lives are – we ALL want freedom . . . . but . . . . what does that MEAN? What is freedom?
  
  That’s a good question. And – God’s Word has a beautifully concise and crystal clear answer to that exact question. It’s right here in our 2nd Lesson staring us in the face: Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
  
  So . . . what is FREEDOM? Freedom is that which Christ has accomplished and given to us. Money comes, and money goes. Health comes, and health goes. Tyrants and dictators come and go. But – what Christ gives us is real / genuine / powerful / lasting and permanent / enduring and eternal . . . FREEDOM.
  
  And – you have tasted of that freedom. So did Luther, Paul, and Daniel – and, it was worth dying for. Christ has given us freedom from our own sin. He died to wipe our spiritual records clean. He paid the price as His blood ran down that rough wooden cross. He set your soul FREE from sin. He set your soul FREE from death. Jesus told us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26). Death can NOT take this freedom from you! The believer is free to enter heaven / free from the control of sin / free from the lies of the devil / free from the power of guilt / free from ALL his or her spiritual enemies – THAT freedom is the most priceless gift in the whole universe.
  
  We have that – and so did the Galatian Christians. So . . . why then, in the next verses of this lesson, did Paul go on to blast them? Because, people were saying (and some of them started to believe it) that Christ is not enough! How could they be so foolish? How could anyone be so idiotic as to give up on the freedom Christ has given us and become slaves once again? How could people give up on grace and go back to works? They do. How could anyone say that Christ is not enough – that we must include our commitments / our deeds / our righteousness to make what He has done complete? Oh . . . . people do.
  
  In fact, I asked you just recently what would make YOU feel totally free. If you said, “Jesus is all I want, and all I will ever need!” Then, you are a better person than I am. If, on the other hand, ANYTHING else popped into your mind – if there is anything else that would make you feel totally free right now . . . guess what you have just told God: Christ is not enough. The Galatian Christians said that, and Paul warned them that they were in danger of falling from grace. Could your discontent with your life as it is – cause YOU to fall from grace? “Oh no – my faith is so strong!! I trust in Christ!” That’s what the Galatian people said. Take to heart what God says through His servant Paul: “Mark my words! . . . [if you think anything at all is more important than Christ, or, that Christ is not enough] . . . then Christ will be of no value to you at all.” (Galatians 5:2 paraphrased).
  
  YIKES! God is giving us a serious wake-up call here! The only thing that matters is Jesus, and the freedom that HE has given us. Faith in Him will express itself in loving ways throughout our lives, and, that’s all that matters. So . . . . think again about what you have right now: you ARE free. You are forgiven. Heaven is your home. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. He is right there with you every step of the way.
  
  So . . . what would make you feel totally free? It’s a stupid question. You ARE totally free. Enjoy that freedom and live in it. It’s very simple – but it’s also very difficult to mentally digest and put into practice. If you have Christ – there is nothing else you need.
  
  God encourages us (in the second half of this verse): “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Guess what, the devil LIES to you! Recognize his voice! He will be telling you: “Christ is not enough! You need more! You deserve more! You must DO more! You must earn His love! You must see some proof of His love before you can trust Him!”
  
  Stand firm. Silence him. Stand with Christ – along with countless heroes of faith, regardless of the political system they lived under / how much money they had / how healthy they were / how much food they had . . . . who cares! All those things are just details. All that matters is Christ, and the FREEDOM he gives us. That is worth dying for. That is what we have. Therefore, praise God, and stand firm – you have already been set free!!

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