January 16, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
So how have you enjoyed this first week of Exploring God’s Islands of Adventure? Have you jumped right in and read or listened to the Word of God as you planned? Did you face any time thieves this week and find that you hadn’t accomplished all the reading you planned on? Or are you still undecided as to which plan you are going to follow? Well, if you are still undecided as to which plan to follow, I hope I’ve made it easier by including in the bulletin the chronological schedule that I’m using for our weekly Bible Study and worship. If you’ve faced time thieves this week, you’re not alone, the same thing happened to me on Tuesday! Suddenly it was Wednesday and I realized I had not read my Bible the day before. If you’ve accomplished your reading exactly as you planed this week, then good for you! In fact, my congratulations to all of you who read or listened to even the slightest little bit this week, and my encouragement to those of you who haven’t yet begun! I say this because the truth is whenever you make a decision to change and grow in any way; you suddenly have a struggle on your hands—especially when you make the decision to read the word and grow in your faith.
Yet, as I said last week, I so badly want each and every one of you to be reading or listening to the Bible this year, because when you do, you will grow in your faith and your knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Savior. As you grow in your faith and your knowledge we will grow together as an even more closely knit family of believers. In fact, just think about how your faith would grow if you were in the word for an entire week. Just think about how your life would change for the better, how your faith would grow, and how you would walk with confidence in your salvation if you were in the word of God for an entire month. Just think about how your live would change for the better, how your faith would grow and be as strong as steel, how you would walk with absolute confidence in the knowledge of your salvation through faith in Jesus, and how you would be constantly, passionately ready to share the comfort of God’s Word with those who were hurting, and share your faith with those who do not yet know the Lord Jesus as their Savior if you just spent the next year reading or listening to God’s Word for yourselves.
This is the growth that I long for, for you. As I said last week, I’ve spent the last six months reading this schedule so that I could stay ahead of you and share with you the beautiful truths I’ve found. Yet, while I keep reading to stay ahead of you, I’m also starting over at the beginning so that I can read with you and share with you the beautiful truths and amazing connections that I’ve discovered, while at the same time learning from you through the insights you will be placing on the navigation board in this next year. In fact, today, I want to share with you an amazing connection that I discovered. It is a connection between some of the words that Job speaks in chapter 19, which is part of the scheduled reading for today, and two of the lessons that I’ve already read as part of our worship today. It is a connection that will lead us to Praise the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing at his baptism today.
I invite you to open your Bibles to Job 19:23-27. As you are turning to Job 19, let me give you a little background. Though we’re not exactly certain when Job lived, our best guess is that he lived around the time of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). This is why we read only the first 11 chapters of Genesis and then jumped right into Job. Now, the book of Job is an interesting book. In fact, it has been said that without the first two chapters none of the book would make sense, and yet, as we read through it, we see a believer dealing with some of the most horrendous hardships, frustration, sickness, and accusations that friends could bring against him. As we read through the book of Job, we see Job proclaiming the same frustration and anger that we all have directed at God or others when we’ve faced difficulties, hospital stays, life threatening illnesses, financial ruin or any other hardship. Though there are times that Job blames God for all his troubles and God confronts him at the end of the book, Job never lost his faith and the Lord always counted Job as his child. Even in the midst of his pain and anguish the Lord allowed Job to praise the Lord his Savior because Job knew that one day his Savior would appear. Take a look at Job 19:23: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, 24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! 25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:23–27, NIV84)
In the midst of struggle and hardship, pain and anguish, Job utters such beautiful words of praise for the Lord his Savior whom he knows will one day appear. He utters words of praise that Christians have sung since they were written in hymn form by Samuel Medley in 1775. He utters words of praise that I have used as the closing of my grave side service since the day I heard the pastor under whom I served as a bishop speak them as the close of his grave side service. Thus, we these words, Job reminds us and assures us that no matter what we face in this life, no matter what struggles or hardships we might have, even if we should lose our health or our ability to work, even if gas should make it to $4.00 a gallon as is being predicted; no matter what might come our way, we can still give praise and thanks to the Lord Jesus, our Savior, as we celebrate his appearing today. We can praise our Lord and Savior because we know that when he appeared here on earth, he came as the Lord’s servant, just as Isaiah told us in our first lesson today.
Turn with me now, if you would, to Isaiah 42 and we’ll see how verses 1-7 connect with what we just heard from Job. Now, as you are turning to Isaiah 42, let me give you the setting. At least 2000 years have passed since the days of Job. Israel has been living in the Promised Land for roughly 700 years and there were roughly 700 years remaining before the Savior would be born. Now, as Isaiah speaks the words in chapter 42, the complete destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is close at hand. Yet, even in the midst of pending destruction on the Northern Kingdom and rampant unbelief that Isaiah faced in the Southern Kingdom, the Lord gave Isaiah a beautiful message for those who still believed. The Lord gave Isaiah a message that would lead believers to praise the Lord their Savior for the promise of his appearing. Take a look at what Isaiah writes in chapter 42 beginning with verse 1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” 5 This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1–7, NIV84)
As Isaiah speaks these words, he gives us, and the faithful Israelites of his day every reason to praise the Lord Jesus at his appearing, because from these words we learn exactly what our Savior will do and has done for us. As Isaiah said in verse 3-4: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:3-4, NIV84) In other words, when the Savior appears, if someone is dealing with the bruises of doubt in their faith, or if someone is so weak that the flame of their faith is but a smoldering wick, Jesus will build them up and strengthen that faith through his comforting word. As he preaches he will proclaim the truth of salvation to his people and through that message he will establish his justice and his forgiveness. In fact, it will be in that message of salvation that the Islands—the gentiles like you and me—will put our hope.
Well, just as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus appeared and did all these things and even more. Jesus appeared to proclaim the message of salvation to us. Jesus appeared to be our Savior and free us from the curse of our sins. Jesus appeared to give his life in our place so that we might live eternally with him in his heavenly kingdom. Jesus appeared just as was promised throughout the ages and that is why we have gathered to give praise to the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing today. We have gathered to give praise to our Savior because he appeared just as Job hoped and just as Isaiah prophesied. He appeared as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, just as Matthew records for us in our gospel lesson for today.
Turn with me, if you would, to our final lesson for today. Turn to Matthew 3:13-17, and we’ll take a look at how our lesson from Job and Isaiah connect to our Savior’s appearing at his baptism today. Now, as you are turning to Matthew 3 the stage has already been set for Jesus appearing at the beginning of his earthly ministry. In fact, if you take a look at the first three chapters of Matthew you can see just how he set the stage for us. He told us about the genealogy of Christ, showing that he was a descendant of David as the Lord promised. He told us about Jesus birth in Bethlehem and the visit of the Magi. He told us how Jesus escaped to Egypt and then returned to Nazareth in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that he would call his Son out of Egypt, and now at the beginning of Chapter 3, Matthew tells us about John and how John was preparing the way for the Savior, proclaiming the Word of God and baptizing people in the Jordan River. Now, on one day while John was baptizing, Jesus appeared there at the river, coming to be baptized. Take a look at Matthew 3:13: 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13–17, NIV84)
As hoped for by Job, as prophesied by Isaiah, Jesus appeared to his people Israel when the time was right. He appeared at the Jordan river and was baptized by John to mark him, anoint him, if you will, as one of us. Thus, his baptism was the beginning of his earthly ministry and the time when Jesus actively began his work of living a perfect life in our place even as he preached God’s Word. It was on that day that the Father gave approval to his Son so that all present would know that this Jesus who had suddenly appeared among them was the Lord and Savior for whom they had waited. He was the one whom John had spoken about, whom Isaiah prophesied, and for whom Job had hoped.
This is our Lord and Savior whom we praise today! We praise him that he appeared for us just as he promised. We praise him because he freed us from our sins by his death and resurrection. We praise him because we know that through faith in him eternal life is ours. We praise him because we know that one day he will return again. Just as Job said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25–27, NIV84)
What an amazing reason for us to praise the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing today! What an amazing connection between the words of Job, Isaiah, and Matthew! What an amazing thing that we have discovered them simply because we are exploring God’s Islands of Adventure together! May the Lord bless you in the coming week as you continue your reading of his Word for the strengthening of your faith and our growth together as a family of believers.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
Showing posts with label Effort. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Effort. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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
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
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Make Every Effort to Enter through the Narrow Door! (Luke 13:22-30)
Dear friends in Christ.
For quite a number of years the Mankato Clinic, the clinic in Mankato connected to ISJ, had a special play room just for children. It was a little room in which the tables, chairs, and bookshelves were all the perfect height for children. The acoustically tiled ceiling was set at a mere 7’ tall, making the room feel especially cozy and perfectly proportional for the children who played in there. The length of the room was approximately as long as one of our benches, from armrest to armrest, while the width of the room covered an area similar to that of the front of the front bench to the back of the fourth bench. There was a window on each of the short ends of the room and a door in the very middle of one of the long walls. But while this door was very easy for children to pass through, when it came to the adults who were often invited by their children to come into the room, entering through that narrow door took a little bit of an effort. As it was, the door was only about 4 ½ feet tall and 3 ½ feet wide, so when adults tried to enter, it took a little extra effort. It was always fun to watch parents putting forth the effort to enter that narrow door. Some would duck, while others would simply crouch. Some would squat down and sort of scuttle in sideways, while others would get down on all fours and crawl in. Personally, I found that squatting down and sort of scuttling in sideways was the best solution. However, at that point in my life, I had a greater girth than I do now, and often times sliding my belly through the door took a greater amount of effort than I expected. Yet, for every parent that made the effort to enter that room, the reward of seeing their children’s faces light up with delight at their presence was worth the effort.
Well, in the same way that so many parents, myself included, made every effort to enter into that children’s play room through an incredibly narrow door, so also Jesus, our Savior, is calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door, which is standing open for us! This, in fact is the very exhortation that Jesus is making in our Lesson today from Luke 13:22-30. Turn with me, if you would, to Luke 13:22-30. Now, while you’re looking that up, let me give you an interesting tidbit of information. The first thing that Luke is going to tell us in our lesson today is that Jesus was traveling through the towns and villages and teaching the people on his way to Jerusalem. Now, you might remember how we heard Luke mention something like this before. In fact, it was about two months ago, when Luke recorded how Jesus resolutely set his face to travel to Jerusalem, thus beginning the last six months of his earthly ministry. As Luke mentions it again in 13:22, he is not only reminding us of where Jesus is now and giving us the background for what is following, he also seems to be dividing what he recorded between Chapter 9:51 and Chapter 18:30 in to two parts. He may even be indicating that we are now passing into the last 3 months of Jesus’ earthly ministry. I don’t know if that is what he is trying to do, but if it is, it makes sense why Jesus is so intently and passionately calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door! Luke tells us, beginning with verse 22: “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13:22-24, NIV)
Did you hear the intensity and the passion in Jesus’ voice? Make every effort to enter through the narrow door! Now, if you took a look at that phrase in the Greek language, you would find that the verb Jesus used was “agonidzomai”. Agonidzomai is the very verb from which we get our English word, “agony” and “agonize”. This is the very word that Paul used in 1 Corinthians 9:25 when he described the competitors in the games and how they would undergo strict training so that they could be the victors. This is the same Word that Paul used in 2 Timothy 4:7 as he said his farewell proclaiming that he had fought the good fight and done everything he could to proclaim the gospel. This, in fact, was the very same word that Jesus used in John 18:36 as he stood before Pilate and told him that if Jesus’ kingdom was of this world his servants would fight to prevent his arrest. In other words, his servants would make every effort to free Jesus, just as Paul had made every effort to serve the Lord and athletes went into strict training so that they could make every effort to win the race.
This is the very thing that Jesus is calling on each and every one of us to do! He is calling on us to make every effort and push every muscle and nerve as far as it can go and then just a little farther to make certain that we are able to enter the kingdom of heaven through that narrow door while it is still open, because the time will come when it will no longer be open. Take a look at verse 24 again. Jesus says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:24–30, NIV)
Make every effort to enter through the narrow door! Not only is this Jesus’ exhortation to us, this is his warning to us as well! He is warning us to make the most of our time of grace and enter now, rather than waiting until it is too late; for the truth is, unless we enter while we can we will be barred outside of the kingdom of heaven, forever. Though we know that the door to the kingdom of heaven will be completely shut to all people on the last day, the Lord has also closed that door for a time when his longsuffering patience comes to an end for any nation or any individual. This was the very thing that happened to the Jews in 70 AD when the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem. This is the very thing that happened to the 7 cities listed in the book of Revelation. This is the very thing that has happened in nations like Germany, France, England, and many other European nations. Though at one time these were strongholds of God’s Word and the message of the Gospel, the gospel has run its course and like a passing shower has moved on to a new place. Though the Gospel, which was once so prevalent in these countries, has come to America, how much longer will we be privileged to proclaim it? How much longer will we be blessed with God’s patience? How much longer will he allow our country to snub him before he closes the doorway to heaven and sends his gospel on to another stronghold in another nation? We don’t know! That is why our Savior is so passionately calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter into the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door!
But how do we do that! It’s not like we can just walk up to that narrow door, squat down, and scuttle through on into the kingdom of heaven! Rather, we enter through that narrow door, as Freshman College Religion Professor explained, by living in the Word and Sacraments. We enter by means of sorrow over our sins and repentance for them. This is the strenuous effort or the struggle that we face on a daily basis. This is the struggle that Luther described as he explained the meaning of baptism. He wrote, “It means that our old self with its evil deeds and desires should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and die and that day by day the new self should arise, as from the dead, to live in the presence of God in righteousness and purity now and forever.”
This is where you and I are! Through faith in Jesus, we have entered the kingdom of heaven through that narrow door. Through faith in Jesus, our lives are now hidden with God. Through faith in Jesus, we know that our Old Self has been drown along with its evil deed and desires, and we now seek to live in the presence of God. The problem is, however, that satan is constantly trying to win us back to his way of thinking. He is constantly enticing us to squeeze back through that narrow doorway and meet with him in the living room of temptation, where we can sit in the lazy boy of our favorite sins, prop our feet up and just relax before his plasma screen of worldly enjoyments instead of making all that effort to squeeze through such a narrow doorway into the kingdom of God!
This is why our Savior is passionately calling on us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door by taking every opportunity to hear his word as it is proclaimed to us. He is calling on us to take time out of our busy schedules to read and study his word for ourselves, to meditate on it and to pray about it. He is calling on us to make every effort to live our lives according to his will rather than according to our own feelings. He is calling on us to turn to him in repentance whenever we find that we have grown weary and have sat for a time in the easy chair of our sins, and he is assuring us that when we turn to him in repentance he will forgive us. He will shower us with his blood, dress us in the robes of his righteousness, and lead us once again through that narrow door which leads into the kingdom of heaven.
Knowing this; knowing all that our Savior has done and still does for us to help us make every effort to enter through the narrow door, it is clear that our Savior has also called us to help each other make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is clear that our Savior is calling on us to share our faith with others so that they too, might know, all that Jesus has done for them. It is our mission to share our faith and encourage our brothers and sisters who have simply stopped struggling to enter the narrow door and have drifted away from our fellowship here. It is our mission to speak to them, encourage them, assure them of our love and their Savior’s love for them so that they might once again begin to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven before the Lord closes that door for good.
So do just that! As you strive and struggle, sorrowing over your own sins, repenting and seeking to live in our Savior’s Word, continue to pray for those who have left our fellowship. Pray that the Lord would lead them to return. Pray that the Lord would give you opportunity to speak to them. Pray that the Lord would bless your efforts, so that when you do meet them, you can encourage them and invite them back so that they too can continue with us, striving to enter the kingdom of heaven. For the truth is, in the same way that every parent saw that their struggle to enter that little children’s room was worth all the effort of passing through the narrow door, so also when our Lord calls us home to his heavenly kingdom, we will see that every moment of our struggle and our effort to enter through the narrow door of the kingdom of heaven will have been worth it too.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church,--Le Sueur, MN
For quite a number of years the Mankato Clinic, the clinic in Mankato connected to ISJ, had a special play room just for children. It was a little room in which the tables, chairs, and bookshelves were all the perfect height for children. The acoustically tiled ceiling was set at a mere 7’ tall, making the room feel especially cozy and perfectly proportional for the children who played in there. The length of the room was approximately as long as one of our benches, from armrest to armrest, while the width of the room covered an area similar to that of the front of the front bench to the back of the fourth bench. There was a window on each of the short ends of the room and a door in the very middle of one of the long walls. But while this door was very easy for children to pass through, when it came to the adults who were often invited by their children to come into the room, entering through that narrow door took a little bit of an effort. As it was, the door was only about 4 ½ feet tall and 3 ½ feet wide, so when adults tried to enter, it took a little extra effort. It was always fun to watch parents putting forth the effort to enter that narrow door. Some would duck, while others would simply crouch. Some would squat down and sort of scuttle in sideways, while others would get down on all fours and crawl in. Personally, I found that squatting down and sort of scuttling in sideways was the best solution. However, at that point in my life, I had a greater girth than I do now, and often times sliding my belly through the door took a greater amount of effort than I expected. Yet, for every parent that made the effort to enter that room, the reward of seeing their children’s faces light up with delight at their presence was worth the effort.
Well, in the same way that so many parents, myself included, made every effort to enter into that children’s play room through an incredibly narrow door, so also Jesus, our Savior, is calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door, which is standing open for us! This, in fact is the very exhortation that Jesus is making in our Lesson today from Luke 13:22-30. Turn with me, if you would, to Luke 13:22-30. Now, while you’re looking that up, let me give you an interesting tidbit of information. The first thing that Luke is going to tell us in our lesson today is that Jesus was traveling through the towns and villages and teaching the people on his way to Jerusalem. Now, you might remember how we heard Luke mention something like this before. In fact, it was about two months ago, when Luke recorded how Jesus resolutely set his face to travel to Jerusalem, thus beginning the last six months of his earthly ministry. As Luke mentions it again in 13:22, he is not only reminding us of where Jesus is now and giving us the background for what is following, he also seems to be dividing what he recorded between Chapter 9:51 and Chapter 18:30 in to two parts. He may even be indicating that we are now passing into the last 3 months of Jesus’ earthly ministry. I don’t know if that is what he is trying to do, but if it is, it makes sense why Jesus is so intently and passionately calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door! Luke tells us, beginning with verse 22: “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13:22-24, NIV)
Did you hear the intensity and the passion in Jesus’ voice? Make every effort to enter through the narrow door! Now, if you took a look at that phrase in the Greek language, you would find that the verb Jesus used was “agonidzomai”. Agonidzomai is the very verb from which we get our English word, “agony” and “agonize”. This is the very word that Paul used in 1 Corinthians 9:25 when he described the competitors in the games and how they would undergo strict training so that they could be the victors. This is the same Word that Paul used in 2 Timothy 4:7 as he said his farewell proclaiming that he had fought the good fight and done everything he could to proclaim the gospel. This, in fact, was the very same word that Jesus used in John 18:36 as he stood before Pilate and told him that if Jesus’ kingdom was of this world his servants would fight to prevent his arrest. In other words, his servants would make every effort to free Jesus, just as Paul had made every effort to serve the Lord and athletes went into strict training so that they could make every effort to win the race.
This is the very thing that Jesus is calling on each and every one of us to do! He is calling on us to make every effort and push every muscle and nerve as far as it can go and then just a little farther to make certain that we are able to enter the kingdom of heaven through that narrow door while it is still open, because the time will come when it will no longer be open. Take a look at verse 24 again. Jesus says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:24–30, NIV)
Make every effort to enter through the narrow door! Not only is this Jesus’ exhortation to us, this is his warning to us as well! He is warning us to make the most of our time of grace and enter now, rather than waiting until it is too late; for the truth is, unless we enter while we can we will be barred outside of the kingdom of heaven, forever. Though we know that the door to the kingdom of heaven will be completely shut to all people on the last day, the Lord has also closed that door for a time when his longsuffering patience comes to an end for any nation or any individual. This was the very thing that happened to the Jews in 70 AD when the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem. This is the very thing that happened to the 7 cities listed in the book of Revelation. This is the very thing that has happened in nations like Germany, France, England, and many other European nations. Though at one time these were strongholds of God’s Word and the message of the Gospel, the gospel has run its course and like a passing shower has moved on to a new place. Though the Gospel, which was once so prevalent in these countries, has come to America, how much longer will we be privileged to proclaim it? How much longer will we be blessed with God’s patience? How much longer will he allow our country to snub him before he closes the doorway to heaven and sends his gospel on to another stronghold in another nation? We don’t know! That is why our Savior is so passionately calling on each and every one of us to make every effort to enter into the kingdom of heaven through the narrow door!
But how do we do that! It’s not like we can just walk up to that narrow door, squat down, and scuttle through on into the kingdom of heaven! Rather, we enter through that narrow door, as Freshman College Religion Professor explained, by living in the Word and Sacraments. We enter by means of sorrow over our sins and repentance for them. This is the strenuous effort or the struggle that we face on a daily basis. This is the struggle that Luther described as he explained the meaning of baptism. He wrote, “It means that our old self with its evil deeds and desires should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and die and that day by day the new self should arise, as from the dead, to live in the presence of God in righteousness and purity now and forever.”
This is where you and I are! Through faith in Jesus, we have entered the kingdom of heaven through that narrow door. Through faith in Jesus, our lives are now hidden with God. Through faith in Jesus, we know that our Old Self has been drown along with its evil deed and desires, and we now seek to live in the presence of God. The problem is, however, that satan is constantly trying to win us back to his way of thinking. He is constantly enticing us to squeeze back through that narrow doorway and meet with him in the living room of temptation, where we can sit in the lazy boy of our favorite sins, prop our feet up and just relax before his plasma screen of worldly enjoyments instead of making all that effort to squeeze through such a narrow doorway into the kingdom of God!
This is why our Savior is passionately calling on us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door by taking every opportunity to hear his word as it is proclaimed to us. He is calling on us to take time out of our busy schedules to read and study his word for ourselves, to meditate on it and to pray about it. He is calling on us to make every effort to live our lives according to his will rather than according to our own feelings. He is calling on us to turn to him in repentance whenever we find that we have grown weary and have sat for a time in the easy chair of our sins, and he is assuring us that when we turn to him in repentance he will forgive us. He will shower us with his blood, dress us in the robes of his righteousness, and lead us once again through that narrow door which leads into the kingdom of heaven.
Knowing this; knowing all that our Savior has done and still does for us to help us make every effort to enter through the narrow door, it is clear that our Savior has also called us to help each other make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is clear that our Savior is calling on us to share our faith with others so that they too, might know, all that Jesus has done for them. It is our mission to share our faith and encourage our brothers and sisters who have simply stopped struggling to enter the narrow door and have drifted away from our fellowship here. It is our mission to speak to them, encourage them, assure them of our love and their Savior’s love for them so that they might once again begin to make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven before the Lord closes that door for good.
So do just that! As you strive and struggle, sorrowing over your own sins, repenting and seeking to live in our Savior’s Word, continue to pray for those who have left our fellowship. Pray that the Lord would lead them to return. Pray that the Lord would give you opportunity to speak to them. Pray that the Lord would bless your efforts, so that when you do meet them, you can encourage them and invite them back so that they too can continue with us, striving to enter the kingdom of heaven. For the truth is, in the same way that every parent saw that their struggle to enter that little children’s room was worth all the effort of passing through the narrow door, so also when our Lord calls us home to his heavenly kingdom, we will see that every moment of our struggle and our effort to enter through the narrow door of the kingdom of heaven will have been worth it too.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church,--Le Sueur, MN
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