Marvel at the Lord's Work in your Life! (Gensis 37, 39-50)

July 10, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

Have you ever just sat back and marveled at how the Lord works in the lives of his people?  Have you ever considered just how the Lord has orchestrates the events of history so that all things do, indeed, work out for the good of those who love the Lord their God?  Though we may not always see it or understand exactly how the Lord does these things, we know that he is the one who is constantly working in the lives of his people.  He is the one who led the Israelites to the Promised Land and carried them on Eagles wings as he brought them to himself. (Exodus 19:3)  He is the one who saw to it that at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly so that we might be justified and declared not guilty by our God from whom we received reconciliation.  (Romans 5:6-11)  He is the one who provided the Apostles as his messengers and sent them out to proclaim the message of salvation (Matthew 10:1-8) Because they went preaching and teaching wherever Jesus sent them, that message of salvation was passed on from generation to generation until finally it came to you and you came to faith in the Lord your God who is constantly at work in your lives.

But the question still stands.  Have you ever just sat back and marveled at how the Lord works in your lives?  Though it is not always easy to see what the Lord is doing or what he is seeking to accomplish on a day to day basis, when we look back at our lives we can more easily see all that work that the Lord has done in our lives, and we can marvel at what he has done.  Take for example Joseph.  Though Joseph wasn’t able to see exactly how the Lord was working in his life until he hit certain milestones and looked back, from the Scriptures, we can see exactly how the Lord worked in Joseph’s life.  We can see just how the Lord orchestrated different events in his life that were designed to prepare him to be the second in command of all Egypt, the reigning super power of the day.  As Moses tells us in Genesis 41:44-44, “41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” (Genesis 41:41–44, NIV84)  But before we get too far ahead of ourselves this morning, lets take a few steps back and start at the beginning of the story, so to speak, so that we might more fully marvel at how the Lord was at work in Joseph’s life.

Now, you may or may not remember Joseph’s birth, but he was the first born son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. Of course he was born as the 11th of 12 sons.  Though Benjamin was born to Rachel as number 12 not long after Joseph, Joseph was his father’s favorite son, as Moses tells us in Genesis 37:3-4, “3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. (Genesis 37:3–4, NIV84)

Not only did they hate him because he was the favorite son of their father, they hated him for his dreams.  They hated him for his dreams of sheaves of grain; even the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him.  They hated him for his dreams.  They hated him for his robe. They hated him because he was the favored son. They hated him so much that when Joseph was 17 years old his brothers were willing to kill him, just to be rid of him.  I’m sure you remember how it was.  The brothers had taken the sheep up to Shechem and then up to Dothan (roughly 60 miles from home) for grazing and during the time they were away Joseph’s father decided to send Josef to check on them.  But, as Moses tells us verse 18, “18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father…25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. (Genesis 37:18-22, 25–28, NIV84)

Though the brothers intended to harm Joseph and take his life, the Lord worked in his life to spare him.  The Lord worked in his life through his brother Ruben and his brother Judah, to set in motion the events that would take place during the next 13 years; the events that would culminate in his becoming the second in command of all Egypt.  Jump with me to Genesis 39 where Moses tells us, “1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (Genesis 39:1–6, NIV84)

Though the Lord had given Joseph success in everything that he did, sadly, his position in Potiphar’s house was not to last, for we all remember the accusation that Potiphar’s wife made against him.  We remember how Potiphar burned with anger when he heard the story his wife had told him of how Joseph was supposed to have tried to seduce her.  Yet, here again we marvel at how the Lord worked in Joseph’s life.  Though we know that Potiphar was angry, we are not told exactly why.  It is possible that he was angry because he suspected that his wife was not telling him the truth and her lie was going to cost him an amazingly gifted, competent and conscientious business manager.  A clue to this is the fact that in the ancient world for a slave to make such advances toward his master’s wife that slave would almost certainly find himself facing the death penalty.  Yet this is not where Joseph found himself.  It seems that because Potiphar could not publically humiliate his wife by ignoring her accusation, Potiphar led Joseph off to the King’s prison.  Not a cell where he would await death nor a dungeon where he would simply be forgotten.  Rather he was led off to the King’s prison—a prison where the king’s prisoners were confined; prisoners such as the chief baker and the chief cup bearer.  Yet even in prison, the Lord was working in Joseph’s life.  Take a look at the middle of verse 20: “But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (Genesis 39:20–23, NIV84)

Instead of being in solitary confinement, Joseph was put in charge of the other prisoners, he had access to all the prisoners, and when the time was right the Lord introduced Joseph to the prisoner who would change his life as the Lord allowed Joseph to correctly interpret the dreams of the chief baker and the chief cup bearer.  Though Joseph would have to wait in prison for two more years, when the time was right, the Lord brought Joseph before Pharaoh, the Lord allowed Joseph to correctly interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, and when Pharaoh heard Joseph’s solution to the coming famine, the Lord placed Joseph in charge of all Egypt as Pharaoh’s vizier; Pharaoh’s right hand man.  Though the brothers intended to harm Joseph when they sold him into slavery, “it was to save lives that God sent [Joseph] ahead of [his brothers]” (Genesis 45:5, NIV 84)

Now, just think about this for a moment.  Just think about how the Lord worked in the life of his servant Joseph.  For 13 years Joseph dealt with all sorts of situations that were designed to prepare him for what the Lord had in store for him to do.  But while Joseph was living it, he wasn’t able to see how the Lord was working in his life to prepare him for the future.  He wasn’t able to see it until after he had passed through it.  Only then was he able to look back and marvel at how the Lord had worked in his life.  Sound familiar?  How often hasn’t it happened that you have passed through some frustrating hardship, only to discover after it was over just how the Lord was at work in your life even in the midst of that hardship?  How often haven’t you looked back on your life and recognized just how the Lord was working in your life as he moved you through one struggle or another, helping you to grow and stretch, as he prepared you for the next phase of your life?  

Just think back to those days when you were teenagers.  Do you remember that feeling that your life would never start?  Do you remember that feeling that you would never get your shot?  Do you remember wondering what the future would hold for you and how the Lord would work in your life?  Though you really didn’t know exactly what the Lord had in store for you then, you can look back now and see just how the Lord was at work in your life.  Even if you are currently a teenager or a young child, the same thing is as true for you.  Though you may be wondering what the Lord has in store for your future, you can still look back and see just how the Lord has been at work in your life up to this very day.  You can see how the Lord has led you through your lives so that you arrived at this very point at this very time.  No matter what age you are at, you can do that very thing.  You can look backward and marvel at how the Lord has been at work in your life leading you to this very point.  Though you may even now be at a sort of cross roads in your life, or may find yourself facing struggles or hardships, you can take comfort in the fact that the Lord your God is at work in your life even now. 

Though we may find ourselves like Joseph did, unable to understand why all these things were happening to him, we know that through the Lord’s work in our lives he is drawing us closer to himself, he is strengthening our faith, and he is preparing us for what is next to come.  Just think about the work he has already accomplished in your life.  He is the one who called you to faith through the waters of baptism.  He is the one who taught you the precious truths of salvation through your parents, through your Pastor, through your Sunday School Teachers, and if you had the privilege, through your Lutheran Elementary School teachers.  He is the one who has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts who constantly reminds us of all that Jesus did for us and how he freed us from our sins by his death and resurrection from the dead.  He is the one who shaped every single experience of our lives as he molded us and prepared us for the situation in which we find ourselves. Though we may not be able to see exactly how the Lord is using our present situation, be it the sluggish economy, the scarcity of the job market, the constantly changing gas prices, debts, payments, or whatever it is. Though we may not be able to see exactly how the Lord is using our present situation for our good, soon we will be able to sit back and marvel at what the Lord has accomplished in our lives, just as Joseph was able to do.

Though it is always difficult to see what the Lord is working to accomplish in our lives on a day to day basis, whenever we look backwards we are able to marvel at all that he has done.  After all, he is the one who led the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land carrying them on wings like an eagle.  He is the one who went to work while we were still powerless and brought us to faith in the one who saved us.  He is the one who prepared the Apostles and sent them out proclaiming the message of salvation.  He is the one who orchestrated the events of Joseph’s life, preparing him for his position of power, and he is the one who causes us to marvel every time we consider just how the Lord has been at work in our lives.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN

Dedicate Yourelsves to the Lord (Joshua 24:1-15)

Dear friends in Christ.

What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live? What would you do if you knew that in exactly 24 hours from this very moment, your life on earth would come to an end? How would you invest your time? Who would you want to see, one last time? What words of wisdom would you want to share? What places would you want to visit one last time? Though questions like these might seem a bit formulaic, we all recognize that they are simply designed to make us think about God’s gift of time and how we use it. For the truth is, time is truly a gift—a valuable, yet limited treasure that God places into our lives. Each morning we are credited with 1,440 minutes for us to use to spend with our God, with our family, with our friends, with our neighbors, even with the body of believers that make up the church of God. Yet, even though we are credited with 1,440 minutes each morning, our unused minutes of time to not roll over to the next day. We cannot borrow minutes from the future to add to this particular day. If we fail to use the time we’ve been given in any particular day, that time is gone and can never be retrieved. Not only that, but if you really think about it, when we go to sleep at the end of the day, we might be going to sleep for the last time in this world. We may be closing our eyes in sleep in this life only to open them by our Savior’s side in heaven, because our God has not told us how long we will live before he calls us home to heaven. Our God has not promised that we will a tomorrow. In essence, our God has orchestrated it that we live only 24 hours at a time!

Yet, how often don’t we spend our time in ways that suggest that we will live forever? How often don’t we find ourselves telling our children, tomorrow, tomorrow, and yet when tomorrow comes we still don’t have the time that we promised for them? How often don’t we find ourselves trapped in the cycle of the urgent, rushing from one thing to the next until we finally make it home, exhausted, with barely enough energy to heat something in microwave and collapse in front of the TV? How often don’t we find ourselves too busy reading the paper, listening to the radio, watching TV, or doing any number of other things, that we simply don’t take the time we need to grow and develop our relationships with our spouse, or our children, our friends, our relatives, our neighbors, our fellow members of the body of Christ, and especially with our God himself? How often don’t we find that we can make time for all the things that we really want to do, but we simply aren’t able to find time for the things that are most important for our lives?

Well, if you’ve ever felt that way, turn with me now to Joshua 24:1, and we’ll here Joshua himself calling on us to change. Now, as you are turning to Joshua 24:1 like always, here comes the context, the background. The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness had come to an end. The Israelites had finally taken possession of the land the Lord promised to Abraham 500 years earlier. Joshua gathered the people in the town of Shechem, which was the very place the Lord had given a 75 year-old Abraham the promise that Abraham’s descendants would be given this land. (Genesis 12:4-7). Shechem was also the place where Jacob and his family had buried all their household gods, after the Lord had appeared to him. (Genesis 35:1-5) Now, as Joshua stands before the community of Israel he is calling on them to renew their commitment to the Lord and in their commitment put the Lord first by making time for him. Take a look with me at Joshua 24:1-15

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 “ ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. 8 “ ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. 11 “ ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’ 14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:1-15, NIV)

In these verses Joshua took time to remind the Israelites of all the things the Lord had done for them as they traveled from Egypt to Canaan, as they wanted in the wilderness for 40 years, and as they finally entered into the Land of Canaan and claimed it as their own, in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise. Though there were still nations and peoples to be driven out of their territory, the Lord had given them rest from their constant warring and now their lives were about to change, because Joshua’s time as leader was coming to an end. Soon Joshua himself would be gathered to his people and no longer be the strong ruler and example of faith for the Israelites. So Joshua called all the people to himself there at Shechem, reminded them of all the Lord had done for them and then called on them to use their time to dedicate themselves to the Lord.

Joshua is calling on you and me today to do the same thing. He may not be calling on us to throw away the gods our forefathers worshiped, but he is calling on us to remember what the Lord has done for us as he urges us to use our time to dedicate ourselves to the Lord. For the truth is, even we, as Christians, need to be reminded of what the Lord our God has done because even our memories can become fuzzy. Even we, who know just how important it is to gather regularly to feast on the Flesh and Blood of our Savior, can become complacent in our spiritual lives. Even we can become indifferent in our worship lives, simply going through the motions of the liturgy and not really paying attention to what is going on. Even we can begin to feel that we are better than others or simply deserve more from the Lord because we put our time in each week or we pay our money each month. Even we can begin to think that if we simply focus on accomplishing the bare minimum, we should be blessed with the biggest and the best reward. This is This is why Joshua is encouraging us to remember all that the Lord has done for us, so that we might once again dedicate ourselves to the Lord.

If you think about it, what better message could there be for us today! What better message could there be for us than to consider all the ways the Lord has blessed us as we study his Word today! For the truth is, he is the one who has given us this great land in which we are free to worship him in the way that we have chosen. He is the one who has blessed us with this wonderful church where we can gather each week to hear about Jesus our Savior and how he freed us from our sins. Though this congregation started as a basement church, we now use that basement as a place to teach our children the precious truths of God’s Word in Sunday school. Literally, on top of that, the Lord has blessed us with a wonderful fellowship hall where we are able to gather each week for Bible Study for the strengthening of our faith as adults, and where enjoy sumptuous meals, potlucks and fellowship with each other. In addition to that it is the Lord who has blessed us with our childcare center, through which many children have heard the word of God and come to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior!

These are but a few of the reasons that Joshua is calling on us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord today! For it is the Lord who has not only provided for our spiritual needs, it is the Lord who has also provided for our physical needs! Just try to count the times that you went hungry or thirsty because you really had nothing to eat or drink in your house. He is the one who has blessed our town with a grocery store, convenience stores, a video store, a red box, a blue box, and if I counted correctly 10 different places in Le Sueur, a lone, where we can go out to eat if we don’t feel like eating at home. He is the one who has blessed us with the vehicles we have, regardless of the shape they are in, the places we live, and the friends we have. But the best of all the blessings the Lord our God has given us is by far the love he showered upon us by giving us his Son. For when we remember how the Lord showed his great love for us by sending his one and only Son to be our Savior; when we remember how Jesus willingly gave his life to forgive our sins and how he rose again to guarantee eternal life to us; when we remember all those things that the Lord our God has done for us, we cannot help but dedicate our lives to him. When we remember all that the Lord our God has done for us throughout all the days of our lives, we cannot help but choose to serve him with our lives.

It is so true, once we begin to think about and remember all that the Lord has done for us, we cannot help but be moved by his love to dedicate ourselves to him and choose to serve him with our lives. This, in fact, is what happened with the Israelites. For as soon as Joshua had finished reminding them of all that the Lord had done for them, he called on them and said: “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14-15).

This is what Joshua is calling on us to do. He is calling on us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord. He is calling on us to make time for the Lord, and he is calling on us to throw away all the other gods that steal our time and keep us from dedicating ourselves to the Lord. Now, in your bulletins, is a half sheet of paper titled, “Now fear the Lord… (Josh 24:14).” Take that out and start writing on it all the different “gods” that have kept you from dedicating yourself to the Lord—gods of anger, greed, frustration, malice; gods of discontent, gossip, selfishness, pride; gods of pleasure, TV, Internet, PSP, Nintendo, x-box, youtube, facebook, twitter, sports, or whatever it might be. Write them all down as you think of them, no matter what they might be. Write them down as we conclude the sermon, even as they come to you during the rest of the service. Then, as we leave the church we will throw them all away in a garbage can in the narthex. As soon as the last person has thrown his or her gods, I will personally close the bag, tie it tight and discard it so that no one need to be afraid that someone will read what you wrote.

So then, as you continue dedicating yourself to the Lord, let me end by asking you a question: “What are you going to do with the rest of the time that the Lord has given you on this day, which could very well be the last day of your life on the earth?

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Commit Yourselves to Christ (Luke 14:25-33)

Dear friends in Christ.

On February 19, 1812, 24 year old Adoniram Judson and his wife, Ann set out together with another missionary couple on their way to Burma, India. Once in Burma, Judson worked for 18 years without a furlough. During the first six years he worked he didn’t even have one single convert. He endured torture and imprisonment, and he admitted that he never saw a ship sail without wanting to jump on board and go home. When his wife's health broke and he put her on a homebound vessel in the knowledge he would not see her for two full years, he confided to his diary: "If we could find some quiet resting place on earth where we could spend the rest of our days in peace. . ." But he steadied himself with this remarkable postscript: "Life is short. Millions of Burmese are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to communicate salvation. . ." Though he dealt with some incredibly difficult circumstances, he remained committed to his mission because he viewed mission work as a job for life, not merely as a job for a few years. When he died in 1850, though he had not seen vast numbers of Burmese people saved through his ministry, his work in Burma and his translation of the Bible into Burmese revealed how he had totally committed himself to Christ his Savior.

Well, in the same way that Judson had so completely committed himself to Christ his Savior, so also Christ our Savior is calling on each and every one of us to commit ourselves to him. In fact, if you open your Bibles to our lesson from Luke 14, you will find that our Savior is calling on us to commit ourselves to him. While you are turning to Luke 14:25-33, let me set the stage for you. For some time now, Jesus has been teaching the people on the other side of the Jordan River, which was known as the region of Perea. This was the very region where Jesus had sent those 72 disciples to prepare the way for him. Now, as Jesus was traveling and making his way to Jerusalem, he was traveling with a large crowd of people. He was traveling with a large crowd of people who may well have been pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. As they traveled, Jesus took the time to teach them just how important it was for them, as believers, to commit themselves to Christ. Take a look at what Luke tells us in verses 25 and 26: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25-26, NIV)

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first read these words, I was shocked! I mean, what is Jesus saying here? Why is he telling me that if I want to be his disciple I have to first hate my parents, my spouse, my siblings, my family, even my own life? Isn’t Jesus the one who so regularly teaches that we need to love each other as ourselves? Isn’t he the one who teaches how important it is for me to love my enemies and pray for those who are persecuting me? What is he doing here? Is he contradicting himself? Is he introducing some post modern idea that hating is actually loving, and loving is actually hating? Is he setting me up for some kind of practical joke that will be revealed in the next verses of our lesson today? No. Jesus is not doing any of these things. Instead, what Jesus is doing here is using some very harsh language to help us understand just how important it is for us to commit ourselves to Christ our Savior. He is telling us just how important it is for us, as his disciples, not to allow anyone or anything to distract us from our commitment to Jesus Christ our Savior. In other words, we must be ready to turn our backs on anything or anyone that distracts us from our commitment to Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus is talking about when he says we must hate our parents, spouse, children etc. Though we will continue to love them as Christ has loved us, if they should, in any way, seek to hinder our faith or keep us from our Savior, then we must hate them by turning our backs on them, even breaking our association with them if necessary, so that we might continue on in our commitment to Christ.

This is the type of commitment that Judson demonstrated as he worked with the Burmese people, and this is the type of commitment that the Lord Jesus is looking for from us! For the truth is, now that we have been called to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, we have the gift of eternal life. Now that we have been called to faith in him and through faith have committed ourselves to Christ, we know the eternal joy that awaits us, and the eternal destruction that awaits us, if we should fall away. This is why our Savior is calling on us to consider the cost of discipleship now that we have committed ourselves to him, because being his disciple is much more than simply calling oneself a Christian. Discipleship is about being committed to Christ our Savior, living our faith in all that we say and do, feeding our faith by gathering for worship on a regular basis, growing in our faith by regularly reading the Word of God for ourselves, understanding that no matter what it might cost us to remain faithful to our Savior that price is mere pennies compared to the cost we will pay in eternity if we fall away from him. Take a look again at what Jesus is saying in verses 26-33: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26–33, NIV)

With these very clear examples; Jesus lays out for us exactly what committing ourselves to him is all about. Committing ourselves to him is all about walking the path he walked—the path that led him to the cross. Though Jesus knew what it would cost him to take on our human flesh and blood, he did it anyway. Though Jesus knew that going to Jerusalem would result in his crucifixion, the Bible tells us that Jesus committed himself to his heavenly Father, setting his face resolutely to go to Jerusalem. Though he knew the mockery and the beatings he would face, Jesus stood silently before his accusers and allowed events to unfold as they had to. Though he knew the pain that was coming, even as the soldiers nailed him to the cross, he breathed a prayer of forgiveness for them. Though he knew the abandonment and the suffering he would endure, Jesus remained on the cross because he was committed to his heavenly Father and to his mission of forgiving our sins. Because Jesus so willingly committed himself to the Lord and took up his cross for our salvation, we can be confident that our sins have been forgiven. Because Jesus so clearly demonstrated his love for us by his commitment to his heavenly Father, we now seek to show our love and our thankfulness to him by carrying our own crosses and following after him.

Yes, it is Jesus’ love for us that moves us to take up our own crosses and follow him. Though each one of us must carry a different cross through this life, we know that the Lord our God has not given us more than we can possibly handle. Though we each face a different set of burdens in this life when we remember how willingly Jesus suffered death on the cross for us and then rose to life again for our acquittal, those burdens become that much lighter as we commit ourselves more fully to Christ our Savior. Though today those crosses might seem all the harder to bear as the shadow of economic uncertainty hangs over us, our Savior has promised to help carry whatever burden we might have. For when we commit ourselves to Christ, it is Christ our Savior who walks beside us. Though he is the one who has give us the crosses we must carry, he is also the one who helps us when they become to difficult to carry. For when we find that we have grown too weary, or tired, or simply feel that we are unable to carry on, it is Jesus who take that burden from us. He places it on his own shoulders and carries us in his arms until we are once again able to carry on.

This is what the Lord did for Judson as he worked in Burma. Though he carried a heavy cross at times the Lord continued by his side and helped him through. Though he may not have had the success he had hoped for or of which he had dreamed, the Lord blessed his work and his commitment was rewarded in ways that Judson may never have realized. The same is true for us, though we may carry some heavy crosses through this life, it is the Lord who helps us through. Though we may be facing some difficult times with family, friends, or even the economy, we know that our Savior still walks beside us and will help us. No matter what crosses we might bear in this life, we are looking forward to the joys of eternal life by our Savior’s side forever because through faith we have committed ourselves to Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Come and sit at your Savior's feet (Luke 10:38-42)

Dear friends in Christ.

“If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!” (Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends,(9) New York: Harper and Row. 1974.)

When Shel Silverstein published his first collection of poems in the book entitled, Where the Sidewalk Ends, he began with the poem I just read to you. He began with an invitation designed to connect to his audience and invite people into his world. He began with an invitation to simply sit by his fire and join him in spinning some flax -golden tails; and his invitation worked! For since 1974, more than 4.5 million copies of Where the Sidewalk Ends have been sold, making it the bestselling children’s poetry book ever. Since 1974 millions, maybe even billions of people have accepted his invitation to come in, to sit by his fire, and to join him in spinning some flax-golden tales. Well, in the same way that Shel Silverstein came to his readers with an invitation, so also our Savior is coming to us with an invitation today. Though Jesus may not be inviting us to sit by his fire and spin some flax-golden tales, he is inviting each and every one of us to come and sit at his feet so that we might be built up in our faith through the better thing, the one thing needful, the word of God.

But even though Jesus is essentially standing before us this morning and inviting us to come and sit at his feet so that we might learn the precious truths of salvation, how often do we actually accept that invitation? Though we have gathered this morning to sit at our Savior’s feet, will we take time to sit at his feet tomorrow and read through his Word for ourselves? Will we take time to sit down at his feet at regular intervals this week and listen to Jesus speak the precious truths of salvation through the Bibles we keep so securely stored on our bookshelves and coffee tables? Will we take time out of our schedules again next Sunday to gather in this place to sit at our Savior’s feet, or will the busyness of Giant Days distract us from time together with our Savior?

Why is it, do you think, that so many Christians are so distracted by so many things that they simply cannot find the time to sit at their Savior’s feet in worship, or in their personal Bible reading at home? Why is it that we can find all the time in the world to watch TV, or get lost in a good book, read the newspaper without distractions, catch up on our blogging, search Youtube, connect on Facebook, and yet we can’t find 5 minutes during the week to pick up the Bible and read it? Why is it that when Sunday morning rolls around 9 AM is too early to gather for worship in the Summer and 10 AM is too late to gather for worship in the Fall? Why is it that we find it so important to send our children to Sunday School, but we can’t be bothered to take time for Bible Study ourselves, or to stay for worship after we’ve picked our kids up from Family Education Hour? Why is it that when we actually make a plan to sit down at our Savior’s feet with Bible in hand, we find ourselves distracted by so many of life’s worries? Why is it that we start off with a good Bible reading plan and yet find it difficult to follow through? Why is it that when we actually begin to make headway in reading the Word for ourselves we get bogged down in books like Deuteronomy, or Chronicles, or Kings, and before we know it we simply stop sitting at our Savior’s feet because we got frustrated with what we were reading in his word?

Why is it? Because the very last thing that satan, our enemy, wants us to be doing, is sitting at the feet of our Savior and learning the precious truths of salvation. He doesn’t want us in church because then we might be strengthened in our faith not only through the word but by all the other believers who have gathered and who are struggling with similar problems. He doesn’t want us reading the Scriptures for ourselves, because we might read something that makes us all the more committed to sitting at our Savior’s feet every chance we get. So he distracts us and does everything he can to keep us from our Savior, just as he did with Martha in our Gospel lesson this morning. Now, if you haven’t already done so, I invite you to open your Bibles to our Gospel Lesson, Luke 10:38 on page 1028. There, in Luke 10 we’ll take a look at how satan worked to distract Mary and Martha from sitting at our Savior’s feet and listening to the precious truths of salvation. As always, a little bit of back ground as you are opening to Luke 10:38. We’re not exactly sure when this event took place other than it was sometime after Jesus sent out the 72 and they returned. It has been thought that this event took place when Jesus came down to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which took place in late November or early December. But all we really know for certain is what Luke tells us in chapter 10 beginning with verse 38: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42, NIV)

Though these words are so very familiar to us, they still pack a huge punch today, because they so clearly show how satan seeks to drive us to distraction even as Jesus invites us to sit at his feet and listen. Just think about how satan was at work in the background through this whole account. Luke tells us in verse 38 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” (Luke 10:38, NIV)

Now, there really isn’t anything unusual about this. Jesus came to Mary and Martha’s home in Bethany and Martha opened her house to him. Yet, there are some commentators who suggest that this visit by Jesus and his disciples may not have been a scheduled visit. There are some commentators who suggest that the reason for Martha’s distraction was because Jesus had not called ahead to tell them that he and 12 others, at least, were planning to stay at her house this night. They suggest that Martha was so distracted because she had so many things to get ready now that Jesus had dropped in on them. While this may be the case, all we know for certain is that satan used this as an opportunity to keep Martha from sitting at Jesus’ feet as Mary was, and he used it as an opportunity to try to distract Mary who was so quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet. Just imagine the scene, Jesus and his disciples were welcomed into the home. Martha and Mary were probably quite busy making the preparations. Then Jesus sat down in a way that indicated he was going to do some teaching. Mary stopped what she was doing and sat down at Jesus’ feet to listen to what he had to say. However, as verse 40 tells us, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40, NIV)

Martha was becoming worried about setting a meal on the table that would be good enough for her beloved Master. Undoubtedly, out of love for her Lord, she wanted to put on the best feast for him and serve him the very best that she could possibly offer, yet doing this meant that she would be giving up the privilege of sitting at the Lord’s feet as her sister was. Can’t you just hear satan whispering in her ear, telling her how she was doing the right thing by forgoing her opportunity to sit at the Savior’s feet? Can’t you just hear satan planting seeds of jealousy and frustration against her sister who was just sitting there? Can’t you just see her going to Jesus, expecting that Jesus will agree with her and tell Mary to stop sitting there and get up and help her? Yet, as verse 41 and 42 tell us, something completely different happened. Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41–42, NIV)

In such a simply and loving way, Jesus thanks Martha for all the work of preparation that she had been doing, out of love for him. He chides her, even rebukes her for her sinful thoughts and attempt at trying to pull Mary away from sitting at his feet. He assures her that she is his dearly loved child who has been forgiven of all her sins, even this one of keeping Mary form sitting at his feet, and he even invites her to come and join them; to come sit at his feet and listen to the precious truths of salvation.

This is what the Lord Jesus is doing to each and every one of us today. He is chiding us, even rebuking us for being so distracted by all the things in life that we just simply cannot find time to sit at his feet in worship or in personal Bible readings. He rebukes us for our own attempts at keeping others from sitting down at the Savior’s feet by encouraging them not to come to church or read their Bibles as well as for those times when we have simply allowed friends, family members, even children to remain behind as we went to sit at the Lord’s feet. Yet, at the same time he is assuring us that we are his dearly loved children, who have been forgiven of all our sins, even our failure of sitting at his feet. And once again our Lord invites us to come and join him; to sit at his feet here in worship and at home in Bible reading as we listen to the precious truths of salvation that he has to teach us today.

But how do we do that? How do we answer his invitation to come and sit at his feet? The answer to that question is simple. First and foremost, we make the most of every opportunity to gather for worship on a Sunday morning, be it here at Grace, or at one of the congregations in our fellowship while we are on vacation. We make the most of every opportunity to encourage our children to seek out and find a congregation in our fellowship when they are away at school, or work, or have simply left the house. We make the most of every opportunity to sit at our Savior’s feet each day through worship and personal Bible reading each week. Maybe that means we take a paper copy of the sermon home with us, or we re-read it off our sermon site online. Maybe that means we schedule personal time each week when we can sit down and read the Bible for ourselves, or simply listen to it as we are commuting to and from work. Maybe it means that we set up a personal check list for the day including Bible Reading, and make sure that we are spending 15 minutes in the Bible each day, or simply reading through it a chapter at a time.

Now, understand that when you make a commitment to sit at your Savior’s feet, satan will do everything he can to distract you. There will be some days that you face quite a few struggles designed to keep you from sitting down and reading or listening to the word. There may be days when you wake up in the morning and realize that you missed the past day or the past few days, and satan has succeeded in keeping you from sitting at your Savior’s feet. When that happens, forgive yourselves immediately and pick up where you left off and continue on from that day forward. Continue on from that day forward because the more you are in the Word, the more your faith will grow. The more time you spend sitting at your Savior’s feet, the better you will understand the gift of salvation that your Savior has given. The more time you spend reading or listening to the Word, the more enjoyable worship will be each week, because you will begin to see connections you never saw before, like the connections that branch out from this lesson. In just a few months Lazarus will die, and both Mary and Martha’s faith will be intently tested. Yet through all that testing, they will confess their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior because they spent time on this day sitting at their Savior’s feet.

So, do just that. Make the most of every opportunity you have to sit at your Savior’s feet. If you haven’t been in the habit of reading the word for yourselves, use the 90 New Testament reading plan printed in your bulletins as a starting point for your own personal feet time with Jesus. For this is his invitation to us today. Though it may not be to sit by his fire and spin flax-golden tales, it is an invitation to sit at his feet as Mary did and learn from him. I pray that you would take hold of this invitation and make use of every opportunity you have to sit at the Lord’s feet and learn from him.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN

Commit Yoursevelves to the Lord's Service (Luke 9:51-62)

Dear friends in Christ.

What a blessing it is that today is Sunday and that today we are celebrating Independence Day. What a blessing it is that we have the opportunity to gather together in worship of the Lord our God who is solely responsible for bringing about our great nation. Though things could have gone a whole different way some 200 years ago, it was the Lord’s will to birth our nation and give us an annual weekend that we could take time to gather with family and friends for picnics, cook-outs, camping trips, and, of course, fireworks. But did you know that when the Declaration of Independence was signed and the revolutionary war began, only about 2% of the Colonists were behind the cause of revolution? Did you know that the vast majority of the Colonists, though they may have agreed that Brittan was wielding power in a rather unfair and abusive way, the majority of colonists were more content with the status quo than with committing themselves to the cause of independence? Why this was, exactly, I don’t really know. Maybe they were afraid of what they would have to give up. Maybe they were afraid of what they might lose. Maybe they were afraid of fighting a battle that seemed unwinnable. After all, if they committed themselves to the cause of independence, they would guilty of rebellion and high treason against the British crown. They would be worthy of death for their crimes, and, if caught, they would most likely lose their family, their wealth, their possessions, and even their lives, which is the very thing that happened to most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

As you may remember, there were fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence, and their convictions resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.

Well, in the same way that these men committed everything they had; their sacred honor, their fortunes, and even their own lives for the cause of freedom, so also, the Lord Jesus, our Savior completely committed himself to the service of the Lord God. He was the one whom the Lord God had chosen to be our Savior, even before the creation of the world. He was the one to whom the Lord referred when he promised that the Seed of the Woman would crush the head of the serpent. He was the one who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, and took on the very nature of a servant when he was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. He was the one who took on our flesh and blood and was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. He was the one who came to earth to completely and perfectly follow all of God’s Laws before he went to the cross to exchange his life in payment of our sins. He was the one who committed his soul to his heavenly Father before he gave up his life on the cross, and he is the one who took back his life on the third day, rising again to assure us that our sins are forgiven.

Now, as we meet Jesus in our text this morning, Luke gives us a very clear picture of how Jesus commits himself to serving the Lord. It is that very commitment, at which we want to take a look, so I invite you to open your Bibles to our Gospel Lesson, to Luke 9:51. While you’re turning to Luke 9:51 let me give you a little background. Though last week we had heard how Jesus had been staying out in lonely places where he could be alone with his disciples and teach them, that time was at an end. In fact, Luke 9:51 is essentially the beginning of the last six months of Jesus earthly ministry, and from this point on we see Jesus total commitment to the Lord as he now resolutely sets off for Jerusalem. As Luke writes in verse 51: “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went to another village. (Luke 9:51–56, NIV)

Though it was just last week that we heard Jesus telling his disciples about how we would suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders; how he would be rejected by them, killed, and on the third day rise again, Jesus was now deliberately traveling toward Jerusalem to make these things happen. So committed was he to serving the Lord, that he willingly began to make his way to Jerusalem where he would lay out each and every one of our sins at the checkout counter of the cross before paying off our debt with his blood and blessing us with the rebate of his righteousness and holiness.

Well in the same way that Jesus willingly committed himself to the Lord’s service, he is also calling on each and every one of us as Christians to commit ourselves to serving the Lord with our lives. He is calling on us to do this right now, because today is the only day we have. Yesterday is already past and gone and we don’t know if tomorrow will ever come. This, in fact, is the very thoughts that Luke records beginning in verse 57: “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57,58, NIV)

This man was truly excited and gung-ho about following the Lord Jesus. He was ready to travel with Jesus, wherever he went no matter what the cost or the concern. But when he conveyed his commitment to Jesus, Jesus answered him in a way that this man may not have expected. What Jesus simply said was, “Think about this.” He didn’t say, “No. Don’t follow me.” Instead he simply said, “Think about this.” In essence Jesus was telling this man to consider the best course of action. Would it be best for this man to follow after Jesus wherever he might go, or would it be best for him to follow Jesus by remaining where he was and committing himself to serving the Lord where he was. Either way he might be forced to give up a few things. He might face mocking and ridicule, but he would be serving the Lord in the best place for himself.

Jesus is saying the same thing to each and every one of us as he calls on us to commit ourselves to his service. He is not saying that we all have to run out and go back to school to become pastors or teachers. Rather, he is calling on us to make the most of every opportunity we are given in our situation in life to serve the Lord with our lives. Though we may face hardship or troubles, mocking or ridicule, Jesus will be with us as we serve him with our lives.

The second example: look at verse 59. He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59,60, NIV)

This time it was different. Jesus approached a man and called him to follow as one of Jesus’ disciples. This was a man who had undoubtedly followed Jesus before. This was a man who had been with Jesus and had been instructed by Jesus, as was Jesus’ practice before calling someone to be a disciple. The problem was that this call came at a very inconvenient time. The man had just lost his father, and was going to the funeral. He was essentially asking for a few days delay. But if you think about it, this invitation was coming as Jesus was passing through for the last time. This was the last time Jesus was coming through this village and Jesus is calling on this man to take hold of the invitation to serve today, because tomorrow might never come.

One last example: look at verse 61: “Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61,62, NIV)

Knowing this man’s heart, Jesus was concerned for him. He was concerned that if he went back to his family, they might steal his dream of following after Jesus. They might persuade him to remain at home rather than serving the Lord with his life. They might even challenge his faith or ask him to give up his faith in Jesus all together. The same is true for us. When we commit ourselves to the lord we may have to remove ourselves from some associations lest they seek to remove our faith and our commitment to the Lord, from us.

Though there may be times in life when we face hardships and difficulties because we have committed ourselves to the service of the Lord, we know that our Savior will be with us. Though we may be mocked and ridiculed for what we believe, we know that our Savior will help us through. Though there may be times when we find that serving the Lord isn’t the most convenient, we know that that it is the most important thing that we as Christians can do with our lives. Though there may be times when friend or family seek to lead us astray, we trust that the Lord our Savior will give us the strength we need to continue in our commitment to him. For the truth is, because we have committed ourselves to the service of the Lord, the Lord is always with us. He is the one who is by our sides. He is the one who will deliver us to eternal life.

That is our greatest comfort today. Though today is the fourth of July and the day we are celebrating our nation’s independence, more importantly we are celebrating our independence from sin and slavery to death. For it is through faith in Jesus that we have been freed from sin and death and are now able to commit ourselves to serving the Lord.
Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN