The Righteous will live by his faith (Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:1-4)

November 4, 2012

Dear friends in Christ.

If there is one question that all of humanity has in common, that question may well be, “How am I going to live?”  For, if we listen closely, we hear people constantly asking this very question: “How am I going to live if I lose my job?”  “How am I going to live if I don’t get the job I’m after?” “How am I going to live without that special ‘someone’ in my life?”  “How am I going to live until retirement with all these bills?”  “How am I going to be able to live in retirement if I can’t afford to save?”  “How am I going to live in retirement when I’m on a fixed income and nothing else stays fixed?”  For many people, this is an all consuming question.  It is one that keeps them up late in to the night.  For others it is a question that they seldom worry about.  But for the Prophet Habakkuk, it was a question that he may not even have realized that he was asking.  Yet, it was a question that the Lord answered when he told him, “The Righteous will live by his faith.” 

Now, when we meet Habakkuk in our lesson this morning, he has a serious problem.  He is frustrated and upset by all the wickedness and evil that he saw around him day after day. He couldn’t understand why he saw violence, destruction and corruption everywhere he looked.  He couldn’t understand why the Lord seemed to allow the wicked to prosper while the righteous were struggling to get by.  But on top of that, he was tired.  He was tired of living in a nation that had kings who continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord by actively worshiping false gods and goddesses rather than worshiping the true God, and in his frustration he cries out to the Lord. “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (Habakkuk 1:2–3, NIV84)

Though it may have seemed to Habakkuk that the Lord was no longer listening, the Lord heard Habakkuk’s complaint.  But when the Lord answered and revealed his plans for Israel to Habakkuk, Habakkuk was quite surprised; for the Lord’s answer was to prophesy that he was going to do away with the wickedness in Israel by sending the Babylonians.  He was going to send the Babylonians, a people who were known for their ruthlessness, a people who were know for their wickedness, a people who were known for their destruction.  The Lord was going to send the Babylonians in to conquer Jerusalem, destroy it, and take the people off into captivity.  This didn’t make any sense to Habakkuk, because he didn’t understand how the Lord could do away with the wickedness and evil in Israel by sending a nation that was even more wicked and evil to conquer them, destroy them, and lead them off into captivity.

Yet in the midst of Habakkuk’s confusion, the Lord takes an opportunity to teach Habakkuk a very important lesson as he says, “‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith—" (Habakkuk 2:2–4, NIV84)

When Habakkuk heard this prophecy, he knew that it would come true, because the Lord had declared it. Most naturally, Habakkuk would have been afraid because the Babylonians were the most feared nation on the earth.  He knew that they would destroy the city of Jerusalem just as they had destroyed every other city.  But the lesson that Habakkuk learned through this prophecy gave him strength and comfort; for he had learned that no matter what happened, the righteous would live by his faith.  Though the times were evil and they would soon be getting much worse, Habakkuk had learned the lesson that the righteous will live by his faith, and now that Habakkuk had learned this beautiful lesson, his mission was to spread the news to the rest of the Israelites.  It was his job to let them know that they did not need to fear the coming destruction because God himself had promised that the righteous will live by his faith.

Well, that lesson, which the Lord taught Habakkuk so many years ago, is the same lesson that he is teaching us today, and what a beautiful lesson it is for us to learn in these last days.  Even though we might be separated from Habakkuk’s time by nearly 3,000 years, the times in which we live in are not much different than Habakkuk’s day.  No matter where we look, we see the results of sin on every side.  We see violence and destruction and corruption wherever we look.  Like Habakkuk, we are living in a nation that is falling farther and farther away from the true God each and every day.  We are living in a land where many of our leaders have openly lived immoral lives and yet received overwhelming support from their continuants.  We are living in a land that has been actively pushing God out of the picture every chance it gets. 

We are living in a world where Evolution is taught as a fact.  We are living in a world where absolute truth is no longer valued as more and more people seek to find their own truth in this world.  We are living in a world where more and more people are claiming to be Christian, yet fewer and fewer of those claiming to be Christian see any value in growing in their faith or even revealing their faith through their lives.  We are living in a world where we are continually seeing an increase in the number, scope, and ferocity of violent crimes.  We are living in a world whose lust for blood is on the rise, as movies add bloodier, gorier, and more horrific scenes than ever before.  We are living in a time when violence is a way of life, because it is all around us!  Even here in Le Sueur, there are certain times when we would do better to stay off the roads because of the violent ways in which people drive!  Add to that the fact that we are only days away from election day and candidates and their supporters are fighting tooth and nail to discredit their competitors and gain as many last minute votes as possible.

Just like Habakkuk, we are living in troubled times that often caused us to cry out with Habakkuk, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (Habakkuk 1:2–3, NIV84)

Just like Habakkuk, there are many Christians, even faithful Christians who have been tempted to give up, throw in the towel, and simply live like the unbelievers.  Just like Habakkuk, each and every one of us has found ourselves at the end of our rope, angry with God and crying out to him, asking him why he allows the wicked to get away with so much while we who believe in him have to suffer and endure so much.  Each and every one of us has been to that point that we were ready to simply throw our hands up to God and say, “I give up!”  Yet it is in those very moments when the Holy Spirit whispers to us those beautiful words of comfort: “Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith—" (Habakkuk 2:3–4, NIV84)

Though at first glance these words might not seem all that comforting, when we take even just a slightly closer look at them, we realize that with these words, the Lord is reminding us of all that he has done.  Though we are not waiting for the judgment of the Babylonians against the sinful nation of Israel, we are waiting for the judgment of the Lord Christ against the sinful-unbelieving peoples of this world.  For on that day, our Lord Jesus will separate the believers from the unbelievers as easily as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.  On that day, we who have believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior, will be recognized as his people made sinless through faith in the one who gave his life to free us from our sins and evil.  On that day, we will hear our Savior welcome us to the kingdom he has prepared for us—not because we had earned it in any way, but because he loved us and freed us from our sins by his own blood.  On that day, the Lord our God will declare that we are his holy and righteous people through faith in Jesus Christ, and will lead us to his heavenly home were we will live with him forever because of the faith instilled in our hearts by his Son.

Though it may linger, wait for it, because through faith you have been declared righteous.  Through faith, you will live.  Though it may be a long time in coming, know that the Last Judgment will come.  Though it may not appear during our lifetime, we can take comfort that we, who are righteous by faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, we will live at our Savior’s side for all eternity.  Though we have all had days like Habakkuk, we can take comfort in the life of righteousness that is ours through faith.  Though it still may seem that the Lord is doing nothing to hinder the evil of this world, we know that he is prolonging this world so that even those who are evil might have ample time to turn from their evil ways and live.  Thus we can take comfort in the Lord’s promises and our knowledge that once made, they will be kept!

What a comfort!  What a comfort, indeed, to learn the lesson which the Lord is teaching to us as he taught to Habakkuk nearly 3,000 years ago.  What a comfort it is to know that the Righteous will live by his faith!  For it is faith in Jesus Christ our Savior through which we live as his children here on earth, and will live as his children forever in heaven. Though there may still be some in this world who think of this kind of living as difficult as living on a fixed income, we know that it is the richest living in all the world.  Though here on earth we may seem to be the poorest of the lot, as we look forward to the day of our retirement, we take comfort in the wealth of the riches of our Savior’s home of glory, in which we will live forever through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace EvangelicalLutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

Series: What I'd Like to Know Is… (1/6)

July 29, 2012

This series was created by requests from our congregation.  The six most requested topics were chosen and made into a six week sermon series.

Dear friends in Christ.

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

We don’t know exactly when the Prophet Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, because the book of Jeremiah was not written in a chronological order so much as it was laid down topically.  It was laid down topically according to the prophecies that the Lord gave to Jeremiah throughout the many years that he served as prophet proclaiming the truth of God’s Word to all those living in Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  But even though we don’t know exactly when Jeremiah spoke these words, our best guess is that this all took place about 2,600 years ago, somewhere around 597 BC. 

This would mean that when Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, roughly 125 years had passed since the Assyrian Empire had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and taken them off into captivity—a captivity from which the nation never returned.  Roughly 80 years had passed since the Prophet Isaiah had been martyred, as tradition suggests, at the hand of evil King Manasseh.  Less than 25 years had passed since King Josiah, the grandson of evil king Manasseh found the book of God’s Law and begun a religious renewal in the Kingdom of Judah.  A renewal unlike any that had ever been seen before!  However, when Josiah died fighting against Pharaoh Neco at the battle of Megiddo, about 15 years before our lesson takes place, things began to go downhill quickly.  Things began to go downhill quickly because the next two kings that followed faithful Josiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord just as their predecessors had done.  Though Josiah turned to the Lord unlike any other king in the history of Judah, and though he worked very hard to bring about religious renewal and lead the people back to the Lord their God, the kings that served after him did the very opposite.  They did evil in the eyes of the Lord.  They worshiped false gods.  They bowed down to idols and by their example they led the people of Judah away from the worship of the true God.  Thus they were destroying and scattering the sheep of the Lord’s pasture.

So, by the time that Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, it was the 11th hour.  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had either sent, or would very soon be sending Babyloniah, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against the land of Judah to devastate the land and punish the nation because their king had tried to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar.  Then, as history shows us, not long after those raiders were sent, Nebuchadnezzar himself would advance on Jerusalem, lay siege to it, and carry its people off into 70 years captivity in Babylon.  So this was the political situation in Judah.  There were maybe 11 years left until King Nebuchadnezzar would march in and completely destroy Jerusalem and its temple before the captivity would begin. There was not much time left until the Righteous Lord would fulfill the words he had proclaimed to the people for centuries, the words that Jeremiah so recently spoke to them, saying: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

This was the political situation in Judah during the days of Jeremiah!  But is the political situation in America all that different today?  Are our leaders leading us by example, and encouraging us as a nation to live in our faith?  If you look back in history it seems that some did and some did not.  Take a look at Mr. Jimmy Carter.  He is a man known for his faith and his trust in God.  No matter how you felt about him as president or what kind of job you believe that he did, it seems that he sought to lead this nation based on his faith in God.  The same thing seems true about the years that Mr. Ronald Reagan was president.  His words in speeches seem to convey a personal faith in God his creator, and it seems that he sought to rule our Nation from that perspective.  Again I’m merely bringing these men up as examples.  You may or may not have liked them as leaders or how they led, but their words and actions often show them as leaders who either sought to lead based on a faith in God or without a faith in God.  The same thing can be said about Mr. George Bush Sr. and Jr.  By their words and their actions they seemed to seek to lead the nation based on their faith.  However it seems that the exact opposite can be said about Mr. Bill Clinton and Mr. Barack Obama.  With their words and actions they demonstrated themselves to be men who do not hold to the same faith to which we hold.  They have demonstrated themselves to be men who have more of a secular attitude to the leadership of this country and by their examples, Americans have felt justified to emulate the actions and the beliefs of these presidents and turn away from the truth of God’s Word. 

Please understand what I am saying here.  Under every president countless people have come to trust in the Lord and countless others have fallen away from the Lord.  However, in the same way that the leaders of God’s people greatly influenced the faith of God’s people in Jeremiah’s, so also the leaders of America greatly influence the spirituality and the faith of Americans.  For example, in the last 20 years or so, Christians have grown more and more silent.  Christians are finding that they are facing much more mocking and ridicule than they once did.  Christian children are growing tired of following the faith of their parents because more and more of their friends do not see the need for worship or God’s word.  On top of this, the President of our nation stated in a number of different speeches, “Whatever we once were, we’re no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation and a nation of nonbelievers”[1]   Add to that the surge in faith that took place after September 11, 2001, which has since dissipated, and even though we have been struggling through an economic down turn for the past six or seven years, how many people in our world and in our Nation have stopped putting their faith in the Lord for help, but have turned their faith toward themselves, or the banks, or even the government to provide for them.  This is the political situation in which we find ourselves today!  This is the reason why Jeremiah’s words are so relevant for us today: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

Perhaps the economic situation in our country is the beginning of God’s punishment against our Nation for turning away from him.  Perhaps the financial ruin, which is predicted to be worse than the Great Depression, is this generation’s Babylonian Captivity designed to destroy the power of the false gods of our society and world and lead people back to the Lord.  Perhaps just the idea of what is coming our way, according to many economists, will be just enough to turn many back to the Lord to trust in him as it was with the Israelites!  Though it is true that Jeremiah’s message to the people of Judah was indeed a message of harsh judgment, because there were still many who were faithful to the Lord, the Lord filled their hearts with comfort even as Jeremiah spoke.  In the midst of harsh judgment and woe, the Lord also gave great comfort, saying: “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:3–6, NIV84)

Even in the midst of looming destruction and captivity, the Lord still comforted his faithful people with the promise of the Messiah.  Though the tree of Jesse would be cut down and left as a dead stump through the coming captivity, the Lord would cause a new branch to sprout when he sent Jesus as the Messiah.  He would be the king who preached the message of salvation to all his people.  He would be the king who would lead his people to the green pastures and quiet waters of his word.  He would be the king who would fight head to head with satan and his evil angels.  He would be the king who granted victory to his people through his death and resurrection.  He would be the king who led his people to the complete safety of his heavenly kingdom when their time on earth was done.  Though it was clear that all of Judah and Jerusalem would face some terrible times at the hands of the Babylonians, those who trusted in the Lord had his comfort and assurance.  They knew that the Lord was their Righteousness.  They knew that the Lord was their Savior.  They knew that no matter what evil they faced by trusting in the Lord they would be delivered to their kings side where they would live with their Righteous Savior.

The same thing is true for you and me today.  Even though we are living in a world that daily grows darker and more evil, we are looking forward to the day when we will be gathered with the remnant of the Lord’s believers.  Even though we are facing ridicule and persecution we know that through faith in the Lord our Righteousness, we will never be missing from his side.  We know that even though we may be facing some financial dark days in the next years, by trusting in the Lord he will provide for us all that we need.  We are looking forward to the day when we will see the Righteous Branch of Jesse, our King, the Lord our Righteousness, gathering us before his throne where we will live with him forever in safety and security.  No matter what we face in this life, we know that heaven is our home.  No matter what temptations come our way, we know that the Lord Jesus has forgiven us.  No matter hardships we face, we know that the Lord is with us, just as he was with his people even when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. 

So now, as God’s children, continue to grow in your faith by reading and studying his Word.  Teach your children and your grandchildren the precious truths of salvation.  Bring them with you as you worship the Lord so that they learn the habit of taking time out for God.  Schedule extra time each Sunday for Sunday School and Bible study so that you and your family may grow in your faith and your love of the Lord.  Though the days are growing darker, the days are coming when the Lord our Righteousness will raise up the righteous Branch of Jesse.  This will be the day when our Savior returns in glory and judgment. This will be the day when we see the Lord our Righteousness face to face and he welcomes us into his heavenly kingdom forever.  Until that day, grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Encourage each other in the faith, and know that no matter what you might face in this life, we have the Lord’s promise:  “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:3–6, NIV84)

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

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[1] From a speech on June 7, 2007 referenced at: http://www.christianwebsite.com/obama-america-no-longer-a-christian-nation/  also from a speech on March 9, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmC3IevZiik  also a speech on April 9, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVd7YT0oWA  All sites accessed July 28, 2012.

The Lord's judgments are just and righteous! (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

February 5, 2012

Dear friends in Christ.

If you were to find yourself on trial for one reason or another, I’m sure you would want to have the best legal defense team you could find.  You would want an attorney who would calmly, confidently, and persuasively argue your case before a jury of your peers.  You would want a jury that would carefully weigh all the testimony made in that courtroom and come to the verdict which the evidence clearly showed.  You would want a judge who would make just and right judgment based on the verdict rendered by the jury.  Well, as Christians, this is what we have.  For we have a just and righteous God in heaven who has never in his life made a snap judgment based on a whim or other emotional factor.  Rather, it is our God in heaven who has provided the world with the documentation of his law, and now judges the world on the basis of that law.  Because of this, we know that when the Lord makes his judgments they are both just and righteous.  This is something that we will see more clearly as we study the text before us today. For through this lesson recorded in Jeremiah 17 we will see that even though those who turn from the Lord are cursed, those who trust in him are blessed, because the Lord’s judgments are truly just and righteous!

Take a look at what Jeremiah has to tell us in the first two verse of our lesson today:  “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives." (Jeremiah 17:5–6, NIV84)

Now, when Jeremiah first spoke these words to the Israelites living in the Southern kingdom of Judah, he spoke them as the Lord’s judgment against all who had turned their backs on him.  For in the days of Jeremiah, the people of Israel had all but forgotten about the Lord their God.  They had turned to the worship of idols made of wood and stone.  They had forsaken the Lord’s temple, and they had killed many of the Lord’s prophets rather than listening to them.  Though they were still one of the most prosperous nations at the time, they were not living under the Lord’s blessing, but under his curse.  Though to an outside observer they looked like a strong and healthy nation, spiritually they were nothing more than a dead and dried up old bush in the middle of a burning desert wasteland.  And because of this, all those who had turned their backs on the Lord had nothing to look forward to but the curse of eternal death and damnation forever in the fires of hell.

The same thing is true today!  We are living in a land that is quickly turning its back on the Lord.  So many of our leaders in every level of government are turning their backs on our Nation’s God fearing roots, and encouraging us as a people to do whatever they want and believe whatever they want to believe.  Though as a nation, we may be the wealthiest, most prosperous people on the face of the earth, spiritually our nation is quickly becoming a scorched and burning desert wasteland.  Though our country may have been founded on Christian morals back in the 1700’s, those morals are constantly be challenged, cut down, and tossed aside.  For example: 30 years ago, when the Rowe v. Wade decision made abortion legal, murder was suddenly made convenient, abstinence was no longer an issue, sexual immorality was given an open door, and human life was no longer regarded as sacred.  Now today, our nation is quickly sliding down the path, which leads only to the Lord’s righteous judgment and destruction.

How long will it be until we are overrun like the Israelites, who were overrun by the Babylonians?  How long will it be until the Lord says, “Enough!” and simply allows our nation to collapse from within?  I do not know. But I do know that if our nation continues on the course it is following now, turning its back on the Lord and relying on its own ingenuity, all that will be left for it will be the Lord’s curse and his righteous judgment of destruction. Though this might be a disturbing picture for us as Americans, this is the warning that the Lord is directing not only toward our great nation, but it is also the warning which he is directing toward you and me as Christians.

Yes, this is the warning which the Lord is directing even toward us as Christians!  For with these words our Lord is telling us that if we turn our backs on him we will face his fierce and righteous judgment.  If we grow weary of drinking the water of life found in his word, we will be surprised at how parched we will quickly become and how none of the world’s beverages will be able to slake that thirst.  If we find ourselves wandering away from him, growing lazy in worship, or simply giving up to embrace our sins, we know that we could be facing the double barreled curse of eternal death and damnation forever in the fires of hell. This is why the Lord is so fervently warning us with the consequences of turning our backs on him.  For if we, who know the truth of God’s salvation, turn our backs on that salvation there will be nothing left for us except eternal suffering in the burning wasteland of eternal damnation; burning under the scorching heat of the Lord’s justice and punishment for all who turn their backs on him.  Which is the heart of God’s Righteous Judgments!

But this is not the end of the story, for if it were, we would have nothing to look forward to.  We would find no joy in the service of the Lord our God because we would see him as nothing more than an angry and vengeful God.  But this is not the way we see him, and this is not the way we know him.  For we know the Lord as the God who has told us: “all who trust in him will be blessed.”  This is the other side of our Lord’s just and righteous judgments!  For though he will truly curse all those who forsake him, we know that he will indeed bless all who trust in him.

This was the message, which Jeremiah also carried to the people of Israel.  For even though nearly the entire nation of Israel had turned their backs on the Lord there were still those who had remained faithful to him, and it was to those people that Jeremiah said: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7–8, NIV84)

With these words, not only was the Lord assuring his faithful people that they would be blessed if they trusted in him, he is also assuring us that by trusting in him, we will truly be blessed no matter what we might face in this life.  For when we trust in the Lord we are those who listen to the Lord’s Prophet.  We are like trees planted by streams of water.  When our trust is in the Lord we are able to sink our roots down deep into water of his word.  We are able to grow tall and strong because we are constantly receiving all the nutrition that we could possibly need.  We are able to spread our branches high and wide so that we might provide shade and comfort to those who need it most.  Even though we might face the severe heat of trials and hardships in this life, though we often face the blistering sun of temptation, when we are rooted in the word, trusting in the Lord our God, our leaves will not wither or fall.  For when we place our trust in the Lord, it is the Lord who sees us through every trouble.  When we place our trust in the Lord we have the ability to let go of our worries and simply follow where he leads.  When we trust in the Lord, we are able to accept whatever challenges or hardships he might place on us, and wear them with joy, knowing that if he asks us to bear them he will also give us more than enough strength to stand up under them.  We will be able to stand up as his children under his just and righteous judgments.

This was the very privilege that the Lord gave to a family in my neighborhood while I was still in grade school.  For when I was in seventh grade, the smith family down the street lost their 18-year-old son in a car accident.  The son, who had been out deer hunting, was returning home when a deer jumped out in front of his car, it crashed through the windshield, broke the son’s neck, and he died that night even before he reached the hospital.  On top of that, a few short months after his funeral, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and even though the doctors did everything they could to fight it, she died less than four years later.  Though I don’t remember much from the son’s funeral, I remember clearly the events of the wife’s.  I remember standing in the receiving line at the funeral home.  I remember countless friends talking with the husband and crying with him.  I remember even more people hugging him and offering their words of sympathy.  I remember wondering how someone could ever endure the death of his son and wife within a few short years of each other.  But the most amazing thing I remember is the solid rock of faith that this man was when it was our turn to talk to him.  I remember his unwavering trust in the Lord his God.  I remember how he accepted this new tragedy, confidently assured that the Lord had not forsaken him, and knowing that he would see both his wife and his son again when the Lord called him from this life to eternal life in heaven.

This is the justice and the righteousness of the Lord’s judgments.  These are the kinds of blessings that we also receive here on this earth when we trust in the Lord.  Though we may not have a stress free life, though we may not have all the money or possessions we might want, though our eyesight may not be the best, or our hearing might be failing, though our heart might not work the way we want or we find ourselves living away from family and friends, when we trust in the Lord we can still find joy and fulfillment in all these situations through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior!  When we trust in the Lord our God, we find his blessings in every aspect of our day to day lives.  When we trust in the Lord our God, our greatest blessing is the forgiveness of sins that his Son won for us through his death and resurrection.  This is the just and righteous judgment that the Lord has for you and me as his children, and this is the judgment with which he longs to bless the world.

Though our world may have turned its back on the Lord, sliding ever closer to the curse of damnation there is still hope for each and every person who trusts in the Lord.  For just as those in Israel who trusted in the Lord were saved when the Babylonians came, those in our world today who trust in the Lord will be saved by their faith.  This is the message that we as Christians now bring to the world at large.  Though we may not be able to lead all the people of the world to turn their trust to the Lord, through the working of the Lord, and the power of his word, we will be able to lead some to place their trust in him as their God.  Those who do will no longer face the Lord’s curse, but will look forward to the Lord’s righteous judgment, which will shower his blessings upon them. These are the Lord’s just and righteous judgments!  Though they are different than the judgments handed down in a courtroom, they are based on the law of the Lord our God.  May we never be found among those who turn their backs on him and look forward to nothing but his curse, but rather let us always be found among those who trust in him and live in his blessings.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN