So many things in life are difficult. We lack the energy, strength, or resources to do so much of what we would like to do. At times, doesn’t it even seem like God is against us? We even hear Jesus say that the door to heaven is narrow! But God has a marvelous plan in the challenges he sets before us. When we see and trust that plan, everything changes!
There's a war going on. It's more intense than battles between nations, more dangerous than disagreements within families, and more personal than rivalries between sports teams. Its battles are fought in the light of the day and in the dark of the night. The enemy's attacks are unrelenting, and you are in the trenches fighting that war every day. In God's Word for today, he prepares you to fight the battle that you can't escape.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. I might look at things you throw away as very useful and valuable, and I might see things you value as worthy of the dumpster. Different things hold value to each of us for different reasons. And what is valuable to any of us today might one day lose its value in our eyes. But we all share one treasure that we can't put a price tag on, a treasure that will never lose its value.
God wants you to be rich. Maybe you've hoped that that is true. Maybe you've even heard some Christians say it, or you've read it in a book by a Christian author. But is it true? Jesus himself had a lot to say about money during his earthly ministry. In this week's sermon, we listen to one story he told in which he shares exactly how he wants us to be rich.
The Bible tells us to "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Imagine that you were on the other end of that invitation, telling someone else to talk to you all the time, to come to you with "all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18). Wouldn't you get tired of listening at some point? But God never does. In this sermon, we look a little more closely at the gift of prayer and learn from a faithful believer how to use this precious gift.
Knowing God's love for us gives us the desire to listen carefully and joyfully to his precious Word. It drives us to give the Word of God central place in our lives as the one thing needful. Yet so many things in this world can distract us from that simple privilege and duty God has given us to hear his Word and listen with a trusting heart. Come and sit at Jesus' feet with Mary to hear his Word of truth.
Jesus once told the story of a Samaritan who went the extra mile to help a desperate man, even when his fellow Jews simply ignored him. What drove him to act with such generous love is the same thing that creates faith and love in our hearts and lives--the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's no ordinary message. Paul calls it the "power of God." Come, experience and celebrate its power.
If you have a garden, you know that it's been a pretty good year. Unless your plants were flooded out, they are likely growing rapidly, and you may even have harvested some early fruits of your labor. As the season moves along, you'll need to keep an eye on your garden to be sure that you harvest each fruit or vegetable at the right time. It is harvest time in the Church as well. Jesus compares unbelievers whom he wants to bring to faith to a crop that is ready to be harvested. And he gives Christians the important work of bringing in the abundant harvest.
Freedom! It is arguably the defining word of our American nation and culture. And the freedom we have as Americans affects how we live and act every day. But that freedom can't compare to the freedom we have in Christ, that precious freedom bought with the blood of Christ himself. Our freedom in Christ is an absolute freedom, an unconditional freedom, a freedom that can never be taken away, a freedom that changes our lives forever.
One of the most talked-about Supreme Court decision in recent memory happened this week. The decisions of worldly governments cannot affirm, deny, or change God's will or the truth of his Word. And we are not surprised when worldly ways roam far from God's ways. And we, who confess and believe what God says, can expect persecution from those who deny those truths. Is faithfulness to Christ worth the trouble it brings?
Father's Day is a day on which we take time to honor those men whom God has given to our families to be a blessing to us. In God's design for the family, he gives fathers a great deal of responsibility. But he doesn't leave them to carry out that responsibility alone. Whether you are a father or not, your heavenly Father calls you into a relationship with him, promises to love you, and wants your relationship with him to guide your life and decisions.
It can seem easy to trust in God when things are going well. But what about when things are not going so well? What about when your life or the life of someone you love hangs in the balance? What is in your heart in those moments? Fear? Worry? Sorrow? Perhaps, but through his Word the Holy Spirit puts one more thing there: Faith. And that makes all the difference.
"Faith" and "believe" are two words that society has taken far away from the biblical use of those terms. They talk about "faith in humanity" or "believing in yourself." But no matter how much you put your faith in humanity, it will let you down at some point. No matter how much you believe in yourself, there are certain things you just cannot do. But Christian faith trusts in a God who never lets us down, a God for whom nothing is impossible. Such faith is a tremendous gift of the Holy Spirit, for which God is worthy of our praise.
At the foot of Mount Sinai, the Israelites formed a calf out of gold and began to worship it. Yet there, the Lord gave the people a beautiful blessing, assuring them of their Lord's continued faithfulness, even in the face of their unfaithfulness. How impossible for human minds to possess a full understanding of the depths of God's grace! But the Spirit comes, planting confidence in the heart that clings to the Father's faithfulness and the eternal blessing he brings through the Son. On the road to the Promised Land or on the road of life, believers travel at peace in the Triune God's three-fold blessing.
Fifty days have passed since the Resurrection of Jesus, and the promised Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Church. The once-hidden gospel is no longer the possession of a chosen few. For the Spirit enables the message of salvation to enflame hearts for bearing witness to the ends of the earth.
Last week, we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus. This easily overlooked festival of the Church Year assures us that he who once was humbled to the point of death on a cross has been crowned with glory and honor, that he reigns in heaven for our good, and that he will return one day to take us to our eternal home. What a difference our ascended Savior makes in our lives!
Do you ever feel alone in this world? Like the whole world (or at least the majority of it) is against you? As Christians, it is discouraging to see our society (and even fellow Christians) become increasing apathetic or hostile toward our Christian faith. God's Word calms and encourages our troubled hearts.
It's the stuff that marriages are made of. It's the glue that holds families together. It's the one thing people who know nothing about Christianity expect Christians to do. We're talking about love. But real love is so much more than passion, emotion, preference, or measure of morality.
One of the most beloved pictures of Jesus in the Scriptures is that of the Good Shepherd caring for his sheep. Psalm 23, in which David confesses, "The Lord is my Shepherd," is often read at funerals. But we don't have to wait for heaven to experience the blessings our Shepherd gives to us.
He didn't expect it, and neither did anyone else. His unexpected encounter with Jesus on the road is a remarkable story of power and grace that changed his life and the world forever. In this sermon, his story becomes our story.
I Tell You the Truth...Your Grief Will Turn to Joy
4/5/2015Pastor Wagner John 16:16-22
The tears flow down her cheeks as she stands at the grave of the one she loved so much. You've been there, haven't you? Words can't express how much it hurts, how empty you feel inside. But Easter changes all of that. The news of Easter is news of darkness turned to light, death turned to life, grief turned to joy.
Our Lenten journey of repentance and renewal culminates this week. The journey of Lent has prepared our hearts to ponder anew the Passion of our Lord and his glorious triumph over death and grave. With repentant hearts we join our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, confident in his everlasting rule, hailing him as our Eternal King. At the same time, we are mindful that he is our King because he is the Messiah, the promised Son of David sent as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
"I'd rather be..." You've seen the bumper stickers or social media posts. And we can all think of places we'd rather be and things we'd rather be doing at certain times, especially when we are dealing with troubles and pain and persecution. But, as Christians, our perspective on what is most important and most desirable is shaped by faith and not by sight; by the world to come and not by this world.
You are not proud of what you did. You screwed up! And some of the damage you did simply can't be undone. What do you do next? Do you come clean or cover it up? Do you make excuses or make amends? Do you hide from God or hide in God? In God's Word for this week, a broken king and a loving Lord show us how to handle our guilt.
Lent is a season of repentance and renewal. We come before our God with hearts battered and bruised from the daily battles we lose against temptation. We come weary and burdened by guilt. We come, hoping to hear a word of hope and a promise of mercy. Of all of the reasons to come to church, this is the one that keeps us coming back. Here we find what we so desperately need--mercy, hope, forgiveness, life!
Imagine what it must have been like for him. He left heaven to rescue those who sinned against him. But many rejected him and even tried to stop him from doing what he came to do. How often he must have been tempted to give up, to abort the mission. But nothing would stand in his way. In his determination, we see his love and find hope and strength to go on when we feel like giving up.
Do you ever you just want to run and hide? One problem after another comes at you. One person after another seems to want to make your life difficult. But the truth is that you really can't escape. There's an enemy in your own heart that will always be there, tempting, taunting, and troubling you. Jesus was no stranger to troubles and temptations, either. His battle is the source of our comfort and confidence in our own daily battles.
