Remember the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 8:10-18)

 Thanksgiving Day

November 21, 2012

 

Dear friends in Christ.

Ever since Thanksgiving became a holiday, many families have had the practice of taking time to think about and remember things that happened during the past year—things for which they are truly thankful.  Sometimes the things they remember are recent events in their lives, while other times the things they remember are things that happened a lot earlier during the past year.  Well, in the same way that we often take time to remember the things for which we are thankful on Thanksgiving, as Christians there are often times that we look back over our lives and remember the things that the Lord our God has done for us.  Though there are times that the difficulties of life sometimes cause us to forget our God’s faithfulness, so often when we look back we remember how the Lord has led us through our lives and how he has delivered us from troubles.  So often we remember the blessings he has given, the victories he won for us and the encouragements he has bestowed upon us in our lives.  So often, when we take time to remember the Lord our God, we are reminded of the great things that he continues to do for us.

The same was true for Moses and the Israelites.  For as we meet them, Israel is camped on the East Side of the Jordan River preparing to enter the Promised Land of Canaan for a second time.  The first time they were here, preparing to enter the Land, they sent Joshua, Caleb and 10 other spies into the land to scout it out.  When they returned, they reported that the land did indeed flow with milk and honey, but the people who live there are powerful and their cities are fortified and very large.  When the Israelites heard this, they did what they normally did in a time of crisis.  Instead of remembering the Lord and trusting him to deliver them, they began to doubt the Lord’s promise and grumble and complain. Joshua and Caleb tried to encourage the people to, “go up and take possession of the land, which the Lord has given us.”  But the other ten spies went and stirred up the people so that they began to grumble against Moses and Aaron. They even elected a leader who would lead them back to the land of Egypt. Because the people turned away from the Lord and sinned by not following his will, he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years.  One year for every day the spies had spent exploring the land. 

Now that the forty years of wandering were over and a new generation of Israelites was getting ready to cross the Jordan and enter the land of Canaan.  But before they entered, Moses calls on them to remember the Lord their God, he says: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Deuteronomy 8:10–14, NIV84)

With these words, Moses was calling on the people to remember the Lord their God because of his many blessings.  He was calling on them to remember how the Lord had blessed them as they wandered through the wilderness with manna and quail.  They always had water when they needed it and their clothes did not wear out during all those forty years.  Now the Lord is about to bless them again by leading them into the Promised Land of Canaan.  This was a land that Moses described as: “a good land–a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills,” (Deuteronomy 8:7b-9).

This is why Moses exhorts them not to remember the Lord who blesses you, because when they settled down in this land of plenty and their flocks and riches increased, it would be easy for them to forget the Lord. The same is true for you and me, and that is why Moses is reminding us to remember the Lord our God today.  He is reminding us to remember the Lord our God who has blessed us in so many ways.  Here we are living in one of the greatest countries in the world.  We have some of the most fertile farming land in the world.  We have running water; electricity that is seldom interrupted and there hasn’t been a shortage of gas since the 1970’s. Our God has truly blessed us and our nation of plenty.  That is why we have gathered here today.  We have gathered to remember our Lord who has blessed us and thank him for all his blessings.  We thank him for our nation of plenty.  We thank him for our friends and family.  We thank him for blessing us through in the past and years to come.  But most important of all, we thank him for the blessing of our Savior who came to earth to free us from our sins. Jesus death was our death and his resurrection assures our resurrection.  He is the greatest blessing we have ever received.  Yes, our Lord has indeed blessed us and that is why we have gathered here, to remember our Lord.  But that is not the only reason we remember the Lord today, we also remember him because he keeps his promises.

When we take a look at our history, we are able to see just how true it is that God keeps his promises.  The same was true for Israel, for as they stood by the banks of the Jordan River preparing to cross over, Moses was reminded them how the Lord kept his promises to them.  He says, “[The Lord] led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:15–18, NIV84)

As Moses spoke these words, he was reminding them of how the Lord had kept all the promises that he had made to his people Israel.  Even now, as they stood on the border of Canaan, preparing to enter and take possession of the Promised Land Moses is calling on the people to remember the Lord their God.  He is calling on them to remember the Lord their God as they crossed the river and took possession of the land.  He is calling on them to remember the Lord their God as they built up their homes and cities and businesses.  He is calling on them to remember the Lord their God as they became a new nation, as their flocks increased, and as their wealth began to grow.  Even in all this, Moses was calling on the Israelites to remain humble in their faith, remembering that it was the Lord their God who had given them all that they had. 

Moses is saying the same thing to you and me today.  He is calling on us to remember the Lord our God who keeps his promises.  He is calling on us to remember the Lord our God who has blessed us with everything we have.  He is calling on us to remember all his grace and blessing that he bestowed upon us through the death and resurrection of his Son, through which we have received the forgiveness of sins, and the promise of eternal life. 

So, as you gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, or simply celebrate quietly by yourselves, continue to remember all that the Lord your God has done for you.  Remember how the Lord has led you through your life and brought you to this point.  Remember how he has delivered you from countless troubles.  Remember the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon you, the encouragements he has given through numerous people, and the victories he has won for you.  Remember the joy that the Lord has planted in your hearts through the forgiveness of sins and grow in your faith and trust in the Lord you God, about whom it can be truly said, “Not one of his promises has ever failed.”

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

We are Heirs of Eternal Life (Titus 3:4-7)

Sermon

November 23, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

Is your will up to date?  Are all your important papers in order?  Have you decided who your heirs are going to be?  Though these might seem like strange questions to be asked at the beginning of a Thanksgiving sermon, I assure you they have bearing on what we are going to learn today.  For as we study the text before us we will learn one of the greatest truths our God has ever chosen to share with us.  We will learn that we are heirs of eternal life.  In fact, as we study this text we will focus our attention on that simple sentence, and it as our theme.  For today we will be assured that we are indeed heirs of eternal life.  Yes, According to Christ's mercy we are heirs of eternal life!  Yes, Through the washing of the Holy Spirit, we are heirs of eternal life!

What greater news could we receive on this national day of thanksgiving!  What greater knowledge could we obtain than the knowledge that we are heirs of heaven according to the mercy of Christ and not because of anything we have done!  In truth, I can think of no better news than this, because the knowledge that eternal life in heaven is now mine according to Christ's mercy and not because of anything I have done is the greatest news I could ever have received.  It's the greatest news because I know my sinful condition.  I know how I struggle and struggle to keep God's laws as he demands, but continually miss the mark and fall short of his glory.  I know how easily I get distracted and start thinking about all sorts of other things while I'm praying to the Lord.  I know how often I fall asleep at night while I'm in the middle of a prayer to my God.  I know how hard it is to set aside time to read the Bible for the strengthening of my own faith, so that I might always be prepared to strengthen yours.  I know the temptations that never fail to lead me into sin.  I know the pet sins that plague me like an addiction.  No matter how hard I try to give them up, I keep coming back to them like a dog returning to its vomit.  I know the pitiful sinful creature than I am, and you know the pitiful sinful creature that you are.  If the Lord had left eternal life up to us and the righteous things we had done, we could never have achieved it.  For if the Lord had left it up to us, we would be as far away from heaven as Pluto is from the Sun.

But even though we are sinful creatures who deserve nothing but God's eternal wrath and punishment, we can take comfort in the fact that we are indeed heirs of heaven!  We are heirs of heaven not because of anything we have done, but because of everything our Savior has done!  For it is according to the mercy of Christ our Savior that we can look forward to the glories of eternal life. This, in fact, is exactly what Paul is assuring us of as he writes in our text: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." (Titus 3:4-5)

Yes, it was Christ and his mercy that has made us into heirs of eternal life!  Though we have done nothing to deserve his love, Christ loved us so much that he died for us while we were still his enemies.  Christ made sure that we were washed in the waters of Baptism so that the Holy Spirit might plant the seed of faith in our hearts.  Christ loved us so much that he made sure his Word was proclaimed to us so that faith might sprout in our hearts and grow there.  In fact, Christ loved us so much that he chose us to be his own even before the creation of the world, carefully writing our names into the Book of Life to make us children of God.  This is the mercy that Christ our Savior has bestowed on us and this is the mercy by which we are now heirs of eternal life.  For it is according to Christ's mercy, which our God poured out on us through the washing of the Holy Spirit, that we have been made heirs of eternal life.

There is no greater truth than this!  We are heirs of eternal life through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit!  For it was through our baptism that the Holy Spirit came into our hearts and created faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.  It was through the washing of the water with the Word that the Holy Spirit applied Christ's sacrifice to us completely washing away every spot and stain of our sins.  It is through that washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit that we have been sealed as children of God and made heirs of eternal life.  For this is exactly what our God did for us as Paul tells us in our text: "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:5-7).

And this is exactly what we are!  For through the washing of the Holy Spirit our God poured out his abundant grace on us and made us heirs of eternal life.  Through the washing of the Holy Spirit, the Lord poured his grace into our hearts though Christ Jesus our Savior.  For in the same way that a waitress will pour you cup after cup of coffee until you simply cannot drink anymore, our God has poured his grace into our hearts.  But unlike the waitress who will stop before your cup is so full that it starts to spill over, our God continues to pour his grace into our hearts even after it is filled to over flowing.  Even after his grace has so filled our hearts that it spills over into our bodies and our lives, God continues to pour out his grace for us through the forgiveness of sins that he grants us each and every day.  He pours out his grace into our lives as he works all things out for the good of those who love him.  He pours out his grace into our lives by keeping us faithful to him and giving us the courage and strength to continue on in his service even when things seem their bleakest.  This is the grace that God has poured into our hearts by the washing of rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit which we all received on the day that we were baptized.  For on that day, the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, and made us heirs of eternal life.

Though our Lord didn't have to sit down with a lawyer to get everything in order, we know that his will is up to date!  We know that we have been listed as his heirs and that when our time comes we will receive the inheritance that he has promised us.  This is what we have to be thankful for today.  For we are heirs of eternal life!  We are heirs of eternal life not because of anything we have done, but according to Christ's mercy and through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Give Thanks to the Lord for All Your Blessings (Luke 17:11-19)

November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving

Dear friends in Christ,

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Mine favorite thanksgiving memory is Thanksgiving with Grandpa and Grandma in Viroqua, WI. On Wednesday afternoon we would jump in the car and travel the 5 hours from New Ulm to Viroqua. We would get up early for 9 AM Worship, my Grandpa was the Pastor, and then, after church we would come home to Grandma’s amazing Thanksgiving meal. Sometimes it was just our family, other times all three of the daughters would make it home so Debbie and I would spend time playing with our cousins and sitting at the kids table while all the adults sat around the dining room table for the meal. Sometimes Grandpa would say a special prayer before we ate, sometimes we would talk about why we were thankful and how it was so good to get together with family, most of the time the husbands would clear the table and do the dishes (Grandma did not have a dishwasher), and then we would always wind up watching Green Bay play whomever they were playing on Thanksgiving Day. Though it’s been more than 20 years since we last gathered like that and both Grandma and Grandpa have been called home to heaven, every time I remember those times, I cannot help but give thanks to the Lord for that great blessing.

What about you? What is your favorite memory of Thanksgiving? What kind of things does it involve? How do you take time to give thanks to the Lord for all his great blessings? If we took the time tonight to go around the room, I’m sure that we would all have different memories to share, different things that were special to us from our childhood, and different traditions that our families follow. Yet, I’m certain that one thing would be the same, in expressing those memories we would all, in one way or another, be giving thanks to the Lord our God for all the blessings that he has showered upon us in our lives. We would be giving thanks to the Lord our God for all the blessings he has showered upon us, because giving thanks is a natural fruit of faith. It is the most natural way that our faith in Jesus finds expression in our lives. In fact, this is the very thing that happened when the Samaritan came running back to Jesus in our lesson today. Let’s take a look at this section together. Turn with me, if you would, to our lesson from Luke 17:11-19.

Now, this section of Scripture is very familiar to all of us, because it is one of the Bible History Stories that we learn as little children. Often times this story is repeated on a yearly basis, because it is an account that teaches about Jesus power to heal along with the difference between a thankful heart and 9 unthankful hearts. Take a look at Luke 17, beginning with verse 11: “Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11–19, NIV)

When these lepers saw Jesus, they knew and they believed that he was able to heal them. Even though they were forced to live away from people, separated from society because of their incurable disease, they had still heard about Jesus and what he was able to do. When they saw him passing through where they were, their hearts must have leaped with joy as cried out to Jesus asking for his mercy. Their hearts must have fluttered with hope, anticipation, and even a little worry as they asked Jesus for healing. Though they may have been a little fearful that Jesus might say no, Jesus blessed them with his healing. As verse 14 tells us, “When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Though this was undoubtedly the very last thing that they expected to hear, they trusted that they would be healed and as the rest of verse 14 tells us, “As they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:14)

In his great mercy and compassion, the Lord Jesus showered upon these 10 lepers the blessing of healing from an incurable disease. By healing them he restored them to society, he restored them to the assembly of Israelites who could go to the Temple and worship the Lord, he restored them to their wives and children, he gave them back the ability to work and provide once again for their families; in short with this great blessing, Jesus returned their lives! Now, if this had happened to you, if you had cried out to the Lord and he healed you from an incurable disease, how would you react? Would you simply go on with your day as if nothing happened? Or would you go running back to your Savior who healed you thanking and praising the one who had blessed you in such an amazing way by healing you? Sadly, only one of them came back to give thanks to the Lord Jesus for his great blessings, as verse 15 and following tell us, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:15–19, NIV)

Though there were ten lepers, nine of whom were undoubtedly Israelites who should have been the first to return to the Lord Jesus to give thanks for his blessings, it was only the Samaritan who returned. It was only the Samaritan whose faith in Jesus’ ability to heal him grew into saving faith when he saw that he was healed. It was that saving faith that moved him to stop where he was, turn around, and run back to his Savior as quickly as he could praising God in a loud voice, glorifying him and thanking him for the great blessing that Jesus had bestowed upon him in curing him form an incurable disease!

Well, in the same way that this leper returned to give thanks to the Lord Jesus for the great blessings of healing and salvation that Jesus had bestowed upon him, so also we have gathered to give our heartfelt thanks to the Lord for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us today! Though there have been times when we have acted exactly like the thankless nine and simply gone on with our lives when the Lord has blessed us, today, as we take time to thank the Lord for all the blessings he has given us, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by our Lord’s love for us. We cannot help but be moved to live a life of thanks and praise! Take a moment, now, and just let your minds wander as you think about how the Lord your God has blessed you. Close your eyes, and visualize yourself standing in your kitchen and look around. What do you see? Do you see food cooking on the stove? Do you see dishes lined up on the counter, waiting to be washed? Do you see cupboards filled with seasonings, cups, saucers, plates, and bowls? Do you see drawers filled with silver ware, cooking utensils, dish towels? Do you see that drawer where you keep everything that doesn’t have a home? Do you see your cell phone charging on the counter? Do you see your kitchen light glowing brightly against the night? Do you hear your refrigerator running? Do you hear the water boiling on your stove? Do you feel the heat that your furnace is providing?

I could go on and on and have you walk through every room in your house, out to your garage, even to your workplace, and we could spend the rest of the night counting the many blessings the Lord has given us and giving him our praise and thanks. But even if we did that, our night would not be complete unless we took a look at the cross behind me and remembered the greatest blessing our Savior has given us! For it is from that cross we hear our Savior speaking to us and telling us: “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18, NIV)

Is there any greater blessing that the Lord could bestow upon us? Is there any greater reason for us to give thanks to the Lord God, our Savior? For just like the leper who came to faith in Jesus as his Savior when he was healed of leprosy, we have come to faith in the Lord Jesus who healed us from our sins by his death and resurrection from the dead! No matter what we may have done, it is forgiven! No matter what sins we may have committed, they are forgiven! No matter how far from the Lord we may have wandered, he has called us back to his side, washed us clean in his blood, and he calls us his children! Let us run together, with that Samaritan leper, who ran back to Jesus. Let us run to Jesus praising him, thanking him and glorifying him with our all our hearts for all the blessings that he has bestowed upon us. Let us run to Jesus praising him and thanking him for all our blessings. Amen.

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