Matthew 13.10-17 Mysteries of the Kingdom

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois July 26, 2026

Mysteries of the Kingdom

Matthew 13.10-17

 

Main Teaching: God’s kingdom is the best kingdom of all. It is a kingdom of power, a kingdom of grace, and a kingdom of glory. There is no other kingdom like it. Believe in it. Live in it. Bring it to others.

 

1.     Why do we have kingdoms?

2.     How is God’s kingdom different from other kingdoms?

3.     How do Christians live in two kingdoms? 

 

Introduction

     The past couple of Sundays the Gospel lesson has featured Jesus’ kingdom parables. We have heard the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, and today the Parables of the Hidden Treasure, Pearl of Great Price, and the Net. All these parables begin with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” Today I would like to take a step back and encourage you to think about the Kingdom of God and what it means to be part of the kingdom of God. I especially want to focus on these words that Jesus spoke when the disciples asked Him, earlier,  why He spoke in parables. Jesus said: 

 

“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

 

     Today we will consider why we have kingdoms; why God’s kingdom is different from other kingdoms; and how we live in God’s kingdom and man’s kingdom. 

 

Why Do We Have Kingdoms?

     When sin came into the world human beings became selfish. Men began to steal and murder. In a sinful world only the strongest survive, and humans quickly realized that there is strength in numbers. However, to keep the numbers together and to survive as a group, you need leaders. In Genesis eleven men had united to create a global kingdom of power and attempted to displace God. This was the first attempt at a one world government, and it was symbolized by the Tower of Babel. This tower was to reach to heaven and to be a symbol of man’s autonomy. God confused their languages and forced them to become many nations. Among these nations some were better, and some were worse. God used the better nations to hold the bad ones back from their destructive aims. Evolutionists have told us for years that human beings are not much different than animals. Yet, seven thousand languages and five thousand tribes and kingdoms confirm the Biblical teaching of God’s creation and His creation of nations to preserve life by curbing the evil of men.  

     

How Is God’s Kingdom Different from Other Kingdoms?

     Yet over all these kingdoms there is a Divine Ruler. The Bible says He is: “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6.15-16). Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, asked Jesus at His trial, “Are you king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world… I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18.33, 37). Before His ascension Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 20.18). The apostle Paul said, “[God] raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1.20-23). 

 

     Jesus’ kingdom is different from all those of men. First, it is a kingdom of ultimate power. In Revelation 17.14 John said that the kings of this world will make war with the Lamb, the King of kings, and He will overcome them. The kingdoms of men increase and decay, they rise and fall. But God’s kingdom will never fail. His kingdom is a kingdom of truth, justice, and peace. All who resist this will be destroyed. 

 

     That is why it is important to know that Jesus’ kingdom is also a kingdom of grace. All of Jesus’ preaching and teaching is summed up by St. Mark who recorded Jesus’ words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Gospel” (1.15). There is no birthright citizenship to this kingdom. No one can buy their way into this kingdom. The only way to come into this kingdom is by grace, the grace of the gospel. This gospel teaches us to repent of our sins and be forgiven by the love of God in Jesus, who gave His perfect life on the cross for our imperfect lives. We come into this kingdom by baptism as Jesus said, “God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.19-20). 

 

     Finally, Jesus’ kingdom is a kingdom of glory. In the kingdoms of men, as they struggle with each other there is suffering. But St. Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8.18). And again: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3.20-21). When we die and when Jesus comes again, all those who were with Him in the world will also be with Him in the glory of heaven. 

 

How Do Christians Live in Two Kingdoms?

     Two of today’s parables focus on the value of the kingdom of God – the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price and the Parable of the Treasure Buried in a Field. This kingdom is so valuable, it is worth everything we have in this world to obtain it. The greater miracle is that we don’t buy it ourselves with everything we have. God has bought it for us giving up what He loved most – His own Son, so that we could be included in His kingdom of power, grace, and glory. 

 

     Once two businessmen were riding on a train late at night. One was an American and the other was a Korean. The Korean man sat near the American and wanted to have a conversation with him. But he didn’t know English, and the American didn’t know Korean. That didn’t stop the Korean man from trying. After a while he started to annoy the American, and the American was just about to tell him to be quiet when he heard a word from the Korean that sounded familiar. It sounded like “Yesu.” The American looked at the Korean and asked “Jesus?” “Yes” the Korean man responded nodding his head joyfully. “Yes.” It turned out the Korean and the American were both Christians. While their earthly nationalities and languages separated, their common faith in the eternal Kingdom of God united them. Suddenly, with just one word “Yesu,” the two men were united in the one kingdom to which they both belonged. 

 

     All Christians belong to God’s kingdom. They also belong to one of man’s kingdoms.

Jesus was a Jew, a subject of King Herod. Jesus was also king of His own kingdom. Paul was a Roman citizen and a citizen of God’s kingdom. On Pentecost there were people from seventeen different nations from Libya to Rome who were baptized into Christ and were “supernaturalized” into God’s Kingdom. This kingdom has been spreading ever since to Europe in the north, to Asia to the East, to Africa to the south, and to the New World to the west. The Kingdom of Christ is the most ethnically diverse kingdom of the world. 

 

     How we live in the Kingdom of Christ and in our respective earthly kingdoms is important. First, we recognize that the Kingdom of Christ is preeminent because God is the creator and ruler of all nations. Jesus is also the Savior of all nations and the only hope for the curse of sin and evil in this world. Secondly, for this reason, Christians pray for their earthly kingdoms that they would abide by the will of God as much as possible. Thirdly, Christians are always ambassadors for God’s kingdom wherever they live. They are always pointing people beyond earthly leaders to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Earthly leaders can help us, but only God can save us through the forgiveness of sin. Don’t put your faith in earthly leaders. Put your faith in God. Fourthly, when earthly kingdoms turn against God, and many do; Christians must faithfully resist just as Peter and John and Paul refused to stop preaching the gospel when they were ordered to do so by earthly authorities. 

 

     Jesus specifically said that He taught with parables because many people are stubborn and sold out to sin. They do everything they can to stop people from believing and belonging to God’s kingdom. Yet the parables and all the teachings of Jesus and His apostles have a powerful way of breaking through. This is why Jesus said: “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” 

 

Conclusion

     Jesus spoke more about the kingdom of God than anything else. In the Lord’s Prayer, He taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come.” Our little catechism explains this beautifully: “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy word and live godly lives in time and in eternity.” I encourage everyone to look to Jesus and to ask for His help to live a godly life now in our earthly kingdom and forever in His eternal kingdom. You will never regret that. Amen. 

Matthew 13.24-43 Resident Evil

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois July 19, 2026

Resident Evil

Matthew 13.24-43

 

Introduction

     The lessons we read each Sunday come from a long Christian tradition. The lessons are divided into seasons. Advent is the season of the coming of Christ. Christmas is the season of the birth of Christ. Epiphany is the season of the realization of Christ as the Son of God. Lent is the season of Christ going to the cross and dying. Easter is the season of Christ's resurrection. Pentecost is the season of the church. The first five seasons focus on Jesus bringing salvation to the world and to us. The Pentecost season focuses on the church bringing Jesus and His salvation to the world and the church's enduring faithfully trials, troubles, and persecutions unto the Day of Judgment. 

 

     The Bible tells us that Satan attacks the church constantly. We usually think of those attacks coming from the outside as Peter said, “The devil prowls about like a roaring lion...” (1 Peter 5.8).  But in the Parable of the Weeds, our text today, we see how Satan works from within the church to try to destroy it. 

 

The Problem of Evil in the Church

     What about the Devil's work inside the church? There are two ways that evil works within the church. One way is simply through the weakness and bad behavior of its members. No one in the church is perfect, and sometimes people make the mistake of thinking everyone should be perfect. So someone says something or does something they don’t like. Or perhaps they fail to say something or do something they should. They feel offended and leave the church.  I meet people all the time who have spent many years away from the fellowship of the church, and that is almost always what happened.  This is one problem that we need to avoid. We are to bear one another’s burdens, as Paul says, and so fulfill the Law of Christ (Galatians 6.2).  But Jesus is talking about something else in this particular passage today. Let me reread the explanation that Jesus gives to this parable:

 

Text:  Matthew 13.36-43

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

The Weeds of Satan

     Jesus tells us in this parable that there are true believers in the church, and there are hidden unbelievers or hypocrites. They are the “weeds.” They are very destructive precisely because they grow up in the midst of the true believers and are thought to be believers by association. Jesus says they "cause sin." The Greek word is scandalon, and it gives us the English word scandal or scandalize. He also says they cause "lawlessness." They are not true Christians, yet they do things in the name of Christ and of the church that are sinful, and they bring ruin to the church. When you look at the reasons atheists give for not believing in God, they will often say it is because Christians are hypocrites. They love to focus on those weeds that Satan himself has planted in the church to discredit it. They say, "The church has a very checkered history." Yes it does, because it has always been infiltrated by hypocrites. 

 

     What kinds of sins do they cause? All Christians are sinners, and we all struggle with temptations. The difference is that in the case of the weeds there is no real repentance, no love of God's forgiveness and no desire to do better. They want the name "Christian," but they aren't committed to Christ. They are really of the world and not of Christ. When I began serving in the church more than forty years ago, only three percent of Americans would have considered themselves "non-religious" or the "Nones." Today that number is thirty percent. Many people try to blame the church for this which is exactly what Satan wants. But I believe the "Nones" were there all the time. Christians in name only has always been a problem in the church as this parable of Jesus shows us.  

 

What We Should Not Do

     There are three things we shouldn't do. The first "don't" is don't leave. Don't leave the church because it has problems. As long as the God allows the Devil to cause problems, there will be problems. The Christian church will never rest from it's efforts to stop false doctrine and practice from emerging within its midst. The second "don't" is don't go on a witch hunt. The Christian church is founded on grace. Unfortunately, the Devil teaches some people to take advantage of the grace and misuse it. But we can't stop teaching grace because of this. The third "don't" is don't give in to the resident evil. Many churches today are watering down their doctrine and practice to accomodate the "Christians in name only" to keep them in the pews and to prop up the outward institution of the church. Eventually such churches become an outershell that crumbles. 

 

What We Should Do

     There is a saying that you may know: "Don't let perfection become the enemy of the good." It almost seems as though Jesus is saying something like this. The church and the world aren't perfect, but don't give up trying to do good. I once met a retired man who had been the mayor of a small town. I asked him how he liked his job as mayor. "Well," he sighed, "the problem with a job like that is... you have to work with people." He then went on to quote this verse from Romans 12.18 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Basically he was saying that in an imperfect world, you just have to do your best. 

 

    Indeed the Bible does teach us that we should always work for the good even in an imperfect world and an imperfect church. St. Paul also said in Romans, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12.12). Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5.16). Solomon said, "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who observes the clouds will not reap" (Ecclesiastes 11.4). It is true that we shouldn't expect perfection in this world in which the Devil is still at work, and we do have to keep working for the good. 

 

     However, this is not all. Remember how the parable ends. The farmer told the servants not to tear the field up trying to remove every weed. He told them to wait until the harvest, and then separate the wheat from the weeds. The Bible indeed teaches us to do good in an imperfect church and world. But it also teaches us not to give up on the perfection of Jesus and the coming divine justice of Judgement Day.  The church may not be perfect, but the foundation of the church – Jesus – is perfect. In fact the only way we can do anything that is actually good in this imperfect church and world is to do it in the name of Jesus. The Book of Hebrews reminds us of this assuring us that, "having been perfected, [Jesus] became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (5.9). 

 

Conclusion

     I'd like to conclude this sermon by asking you to take out your hymnals and turn to hymn number 452, "O Perfect Life of Love." This hymn was written by an Anglican pastor in the 1800s. His father had been an admiral in the British navy. I'm sure that Henry W. Baker was very familiar with the problems and imperfections of the world and church. But his answer to that was to focus on Jesus. We have four of his hymns in our hymnal besides this one: "Of the Father's Love Begotten," "The King of Love My Shepherd Is," and "O God of Love, O King of Peace." 

 

    This particular hymn was written for Good Friday. Look at stanzas six and seven: "In every time of need, Before the judgment throne, Thy work, O Lamb of God, I'll plead, They merits, not mine own. Yet work, O Lord in me, As Thou for me hast wrought; And let my love the answer be, To grace Thy love has brought."  In the midst of resident evil and imperfection, Christ is our perfection and the author of all that is good. Cling to Him, and look forward to Judgment Day, when the struggle against evil will be done. 

Romans 7.14-25 Wretched, Thankful & Blessed

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois

July 5, 2026

Wretched, Thankful & Blessed

Romans 7.14-25

 

   ¹⁴We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

     ²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

Introduction

 

     All of us would like to think that we are pretty good people. We work. We pay our taxes. We obey most of the laws of the state. We try to get along with other people. We even help people out from time to time. Compared to mass murderers and zombified drug addicts, we are certainly very good people. But all of that is really on the outside. All of that is based on comparisons to other people. What about the inside? What about all our thoughts, feelings, and desires? It's easy to live by the standards of men especially when they tend to be lower. What about living to the standards of God? Should we think of ourselves as relatively good people or relatively wretched people? Paul called himself a "wretched man," and "chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1.15). David said he was brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin (Psalm 51.5). Job said "man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward" (5.7). Jesus said all people are evil and that His main purpose was to call men to repentance (Matthew 7.11, 4.17). Are we to take these men seriously? Why do they have such a negative view of humanity? Is that good view to have? This sermon will answer all those questions. 

 

1. What Is the Law, and What Are It's Three Uses?

 

     When God created the universe, He created it to move according to His laws of nature. The speed of light, the force of gravity, and the charge of an electron are all under His divine control. We know this must be true because we live in a universe that has more than twenty of these physcial constants, each of which is necessary for life as we know it. The universe is not an accident. It is not random. It is perfectly ordered, and the One who has ordered it all is God. 

 

     Yet even more important than these laws of nature are God's spiritual laws. Paul said in our text that the law is spiritual. There is more to God's law than the laws of nature. God created us with bodies and souls. Our souls are spiritual, not material or physical. My body needs air, water, and food to live. My soul needs words of truth and love to live. When we look at our children, we don't just see the offspring of our bodies. We see them as unique persons, and we love them body and soul. If they become weak or sick, we don't just cast them off like we might cull a sick animal. In every courtroom in American men and women are tested with words to determine the soul and character of their actions, whether they were good or evil.  All of this is spiritual law.

 

     Even without the Bible men can know the basic laws of God. The Bible says these laws are written on their hearts (Romans 2.15). In every culture there are laws against murder, adultery, stealing, and lying. The Bible hones these laws and perfects them. The first use of the law is to keep men from going completely evil and annihilating all humanity. Since it is written in all hearts, even though it is disobeyed, it still curbs the evil that has invaded this world. The second use of the law is to show us our sins. Here it isn't just holding us back from doing really evil things, it is bringing us to repentance to turn us to the forgiveness of God so that evil no longer dominates our life. The third use of the law is to guide us in the will of God so that we, by faith in God, learn to grow  and increase in our obedience to God's law. 

 

2. Why Does Paul Give Thanks in His Wretchedness?

 

     All of this is good and sensible, but what about this business of wretchedness? Can't we all just learn the commandments of God and begin to do them? Imagine if it were that simple – Everyone obeying God's law. There would be no more need for discipline, for police, for lawyers, or courts. Everyone would be happy. But this is not reality. 

 

     Everyone struggles in one way or another with evil in their souls. For some the struggle is very obvious as they find it difficult to control their lying, or violent behavior, or love of money, or love of pleasure, etc. But no one is without sin. No one has perfect thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions. "We all," the Bible says, "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 6.23). There are two great lies that control people's minds today. One is that they are basically good. This is a very easy opinion to hold of yourself as long as you really don't take God's laws seriously. Jesus taught the law in two parts: Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul; and, love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22.36-40). Can anyone say they have done this perfectly? Even adequately? The second great lie is that little sins aren't that big of a problem. Imagine it this way: If I drop a lit flare into a five gallon bucket of gasoline, I will start a huge fire. If I drop a tiny lit match onto some dry newspapers that are lying next to a five gallon bucket of gasoline, I will also start a huge fire. It may take longer, but all sin leads to death and destruction sooner or later. 

 

     Paul had been a Pharisee, and the Pharisees were zealous keepers of God's law. However they kept it only in an outward way – only in a way that it could be seen by other men. Paul did this to perfection. But deep inside, he knew something was wrong. His heart wasn't right. The law against coveting, sinful desires, was still raging in his heart. There is an old story about this that helps us understand. A younger and an older Buddhist monk were travelling. They came to a rushing river, and there was a woman who was afraid to cross it. The older monk offered to carry her on his back. They crossed the river, and the monk set the woman down. She thanked him, and they went on their way. Many hours later the younger monk was troubled. "Master," he said, "It is wrong for us to touch a woman. Why did you carry the woman across the river?" The older monk replied, "I carried her for a minute across the river. You have been carrying her in your mind for hours." Jesus taught: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew 15.19). 

 

     Paul couldn't get rid of his sin no matter how hard he tried. But then Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, the one man who had never sinned. Jesus told him to stop pretending to be holy, and instead to repent of his sin. He told him to believe that He came into this world to take sins away through His own innocent suffering and death. Once there were two soldiers. One was sold out to sin – always causing trouble. The other had a remarkable control over his sinful feelings. He wasn't perfect, but he obviously wasn't a slave to sin. A grenade fell in front of them both. The good soldier immediately threw himself upon the explosive saving the other man's life while losing his own. For years this troubled the sinful man. "It should have been me. I am the worthless one. Why?" One day the old, guilt ridden soldier started reading the Bible. He saw how Jesus, the perfect Son of God, died on the cross for all the sinners – including a Roman centurion. It was then that he realized there is a way out of this trap of sin. It doesn't help to ignore it,  give in to it, or think you can fight it on your own. There is only one escape from it – through Jesus, through His blood shed forgiveness. Finally he found the same peace his friend had many years before. More than that, he actually began to live a better life in Christ. Like Paul, he was thankful because he knew that his wretchedness had been taken away by Jesus. 

 

3. Thankful, Wretched People Are the Best Citizens

 

     The founders of our nation all held to this view of life. John Adams wrote: "Human passions unbridled by morality and religion... would break the strongest cords of our constitution." Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it?” (Letter to Joseph Priestly, 1780). George Washington wrote: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports" (Farewell Address 1796). It was this view that made our country one of the greatest of all time. 

 

     Yet many people today are trying to suppress this, and rewrite the history of this country by writing the concern for sin and God out of it. That is because they have a totally different view of life. They are gods unto themselves. They believe that they are inherently good, and that they need no commandments from God or forgiveness from God to live. On the one hand we have a Christian view of life and on the other a humanistic view of life. In one we have fathers and mothers. In the other we have parent one and parent two. In one we have freedom that comes from God, and on the other we have freedom that comes from the government. In one we have freedom of conscience and speech, in the other we have punishments for those who use the "wrong pronouns." 

 

    It is as I said last week, in "The Battle of the Prophets."  It is nothing new. It is an ongoing confrontation between the Christian view of life and every other view of life. What can we do about this? We do as Paul did. We say, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." The battle of worldviews is the same battle that goes on every day in our own hearts. We can give thanks that Christ has gotten the victory for us. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2.20). Every day I thank God for His creation, His laws, and His judgments. I know they are true. Every day I thank God for His love by sending His own Son to die on the cross for my sins and for yours. Every day I thank God for the Spirit of Holiness, who has given me faith and comforts me in all my battles with sin. The battle has been won in our hearts by God. Now we live to see that battle won in the hearts of all who are around us, in our families, in our communities, in our country, and in the world. 

 

Conclusion

 

     What can we do to make this a better country as we look back two hundred and fifty years? Well, I will take you back exactly 251 years, to July 4, 1775. On that day General George Washington gave his first general order. His order was: "The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier." It only gets better. One month later, on August 3, 1775 he ordered: "The General... requires and expects of all officers and soldiers not engaged on actual duty to attend divine service." That remains my hope and trust for myself, for all of you, and for all people. Take this view of life. It will serve you well. It will serve your country well. Amen. 

 

Amen, The Truth Is Marching On Jeremiah

 Amen! The Truth Is Marching On!

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois

June 28, 2026

Jeremiah 28.5-13

Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the LORD, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! The LORD do so; the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the LORD’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.”

Introduction

     This morning we are giving thanks for the opportunity we had this week to teach over fifty children the important truths of the Christian faith. We learned from the Bible that Jesus is God’s Promised Son, His Perfect Son, His Powerful Son, His Proven Son, and God’s Plan for the forgiveness of the whole world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8.23). But what is the darkness? Surprisingly more than a few children did not know what sin was. Our culture tries to hide it and deny it. So we also studied the Ten Commandments and the reason why Jesus always called people to repentance. Sin is whatever contradicts God’s word and God’s will. 

Jeremiah and Truth

     Our Old Testament lesson today comes from the prophet Jeremiah. Like Isaiah and John the Baptist, God called him from the womb even before he was born to be His prophet, His mouthpiece. This shows us an important truth that is commonly challenged today that life comes from God and  begins at conception. As a youth Jeremiah was called to do two things: To tear down and destroy the lies that people were being told as well as the evil life this is always built upon lies – regardless of how beautiful and peaceful it was said to be. The second thing Jeremiah was called to do was to build up the truth and the life of truth by holding the promises God had given and especially the promises of a New Covenant found in Jesus. A covenant of righteousness that comes from God not from our own efforts.

     Jeremiah used the Hebrew word “shuv” more than any other prophet. This simple word means “repent,” or “turn back.” It was the word a Hebrew farmer would call out to an ox that was pulling a plow when it came to the end of a row. “Turn,” Jeremiah warned Israel, from path of lies and evil that would only lead to judgment and destruction. They worshiped Canaanite Baal, god of sexual promiscuity, and sacrificed their children to Molech. They oppressed the poor and cheated one another in business. They were sexually immoral, and Jeremiah gave some of most graphic descriptions of this in the Bible. Worst of all, they covered all these lies and sinful lifestyles with a thin veneer of religiosity.

     In our text today, Jeremiah had used an object lesson. He wore a wooden yoke to show how Israel would be enslaved. But another prophet, Hananiah, undermined him and said that he was the one spreading lies and misinformation. The battle of the prophets ensued, and Jeremiah simply said, “Amen. The Lord do so… As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.” Within one year the Hananiah was dead, and within six years Jerusalem was destroyed and a remanent of Israel was sent to Babylon.

The History of Truth

     The battle of the prophets, the battle between the truth of God and the lies of the devil has continued throughout history. Six hundred years after Jesus brought the truth– teaching repentance and the remission of sins based on His own sacrifice on the cross, the prophet Muhammed came along and denied the cross, the resurrection, and replaced “remission” with “submission” as the key to salvation. Twelve hundred years after Christ the papacy emerged claiming to be the voice of God and that Jesus forgives you “partially” not totally. Eighteen hundred years after Christ, the philosopher/prophet, Nietzsche taught that God is dead and there is no such thing as truth. Christians are right now in the thick of this battle of the prophets. 

     The battle of the prophets, the battle between the truth of God and the lies of the devil has been going on since the Garden of Eden. God’s word always teaches us the truth, and the truth leads to life. “Do this,” Jesus said regarding the Ten Commandments, “and you shall live” (Luke 10.28). And again, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14.6). Like Jeremiah, Jesus called all to repentance, to turn from their own self-righteousness and to take the commandments of God seriously and deeply. Do I really love God? Do I really love my neighbor as myself? Paul, the former Pharisee, recognized the problem of his own self-righteousness. He loved the Law of God as we all should. But he loved it for the wrong reasons. He thought the Law would save him through his own efforts to keep it. If that were the case, he wouldn’t need God. But the purpose of the Law is to show us our sin and, as he said in Romans seven, to make “sin exceedingly sinful” (7.13). All of this was designed by God to bring us to Him through in His Son, Jesus.

The Future of Truth

     What about the future of truth? Our country was founded two hundred and fifty years ago not as a Christian country, in the sense that you have to be a Christian to be an American. But it was obviously founded by Christians and on Christian principles. In the Declaration of Independence, which we should all read this week, Thomas Jefferson appealed to the “Laws of nature and nature’s God,” and to the truth that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (not able to be transferred) Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yet it has been hard to implement these truths faithfully. The stain of slavery gave rise to the Civil War. In the early stages of that war Julia Ward Howe recognized the battle of the prophets that was at the root of it all. She wrote the poem, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in which we read these words repeated, “His truth is marching on!” Would that all countries would recognize the importance of the pursuit of truth, the truth that comes from God!

     Today we live in a time when people still challenge the truth of Nature and of Nature’s God. As Paul said to the Philippians: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (3.18-19). Not only do they reject the truths of man and woman, marriage and family, the right to life from conception to grave, the freedom of speech and religion, economic justice and the freedom for charity, creativity & progress; they suppress this truth, attempt to rewrite history, and compel everyone to fall line with their views. 

Conclusion

     Like the prophet Hananiah in the Old Testament, these modern prophets all say the people who follow the Biblical prophets and Jesus are the hateful ones. We are ones who don’t understand God. We are the hypocrites who practice the wrong religion. Theirs is the religion of peace and love, of true freedom and justice. The battle of the prophets is old and new at the same time. The battle for truth will never end. Yet for those who follow Jeremiah, Jesus, and the Apostles, there is a simple response: “Amen… As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.” Jesus said it this way: “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7.35). In the battle of the prophets and in the battle of the truth, the results will tell the tale. 

     A pastor once described this battle by comparing to what happens when you give a dog a bath. Anyone who has had to do this knows what happens. You soak the dog with water and soap, and you better move fast. For that dog will only endure this for so long. Eventually he will shake all that water off. In a similar way the false prophets pour out their lies by the bucketful upon the Bible. What they cannot suppress, they twist and reshape to their own liking. But God’s word will only be patient with this for a while. God will raise up His true prophets, His true mouthpieces, and all the nonsense and foolish teachings of unbelievers will be shaken off. Listen to the Jeremiahs of this world who teach repentance in the law, forgiveness in the cross, and new obedience in the Spirit, not to the Hananiahs who teach tolerance of evil, pride of sin, and hide from you the destruction that will follow. Amen. 

Jeremiah 20.7-13 Don't Be Silenced

                                    Don't Be Silenced!

Jeremiah 20.7-13

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois June 21, 2026

 

Introduction

 

     A Christian student was sitting in a college psychology class in which the professor said that the Bible was a book of fairytales and should not be taken seriously. After going on about this for several minutes, the student raised his hand and asked, "Have you ever compared the Bible to actual fairy tales? Do fairy tales have historical facts in them such as names and descriptions of real cities, geography, weather, systems of money, roads, maritime, military, and politcal procedures? Do historians use fairy tales to create chronologies, or do archeologists use fairy tales to locate the remains of cities?" The professor was flumexed and quickly returned to the teaching of psychology rather than theology. After the class something very interesting happened. As the students were leaving at least three of them came up to the Christian student and said, "I was thinking the same thing. I'm so glad you spoke up!" 

 

     We all have the temptation to be silenced by those who do not want God's word to be heard or believed. Those who don't believe in God ignore His word, reject it, and even reproach it. Today we are going to see how a prophet of God, Jeremiah, handled those who were trying to silence him in order to keep people from hearing and believing God's word. We will especially see how God gives us grace not only to believe His word for the forgiveness of our sin and our salvation, but we will also see how He strengthens us to speak it faithfully to others so that they might believe and be saved. 

 

1. The World's Reproach Against God and His Word 

 

7 O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. (Jeremiah 20.7-8)

 

     Jeremiah lived six hundred years before Jesus. He  began serving God as a priest, teaching God's word and leading people in worship. But God called him to be a prophet during the reign of Josiah, the last good king of Judah. After him, all the kings were bad, and they were leading Judah into evil and toward the wrathful judgment of God. Is wasn't long before Jeremiah realized that the task God had given him wasn't what he signed up for. In chapter 20.7 he said to the LORD, "you have deceived me, and I was deceived." The Hebrew word here (pthha) means "to persuade." However the root meaning of this word is "to be simple" or "to be gullible." What Jeremiah was saying is this: "When You called me to be a prophet (1.4-10), I was recluctant, and I told You that I was a youth! You said, 'Do not be afraid... for I am with you..." Now look at the mess I'm in. Your enemies are trying to kill me. This is way more than I bargained for - You 'decieved me!'" Jeremiah was overwhelmed as we certainly would be if we were in his situation. No one likes to get yelled at or threatened, let alone know that people are plotting against your life. 

 

     All of the prophets of the Old Testament faced either strong opposition to the messages that God had given them, or they were ignored. The Israelites rebelled against Moses. Ahab and Jezebel tried to kill Elijah. Isaiah was ignored. Jeremiah was beaten, thrown in stocks, and into a cistern. This why Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23.27). 

 

     So what was this prophetic message than no one wanted to hear and for which they got so mad they wanted to kill the prophets? It was the main message of the Bible throughout: Repent of your sins, believe in God's forgiveness and grace, and begin living according to His will. This is the message than stired up so much anger and opposition. It did this in the past, and it still does so today. The Bible calls this opposition "reproach." In Hebrew this means that they didn't just disagree with the prophets, they hated their message and considered it evil and shameful. Because of this they thought that the message of repentance and faith in the grace of God had to be mocked and silenced. There was no tolerance for it. 

 

2. The Temptation to Keep Quiet

 

9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. 10 For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.” (Jeremiah 20.9-10)

 

     What do we do when people tell us the things we believe from the Bible are fairy tales or worse that they are hateful, bigoted, and evil? The great temptation that we all feel and that Jeremiah felt was to be silent. If people tell us to shut up, we often comply because we don't want to start an argument, and we don't want to become the "skunk at the garden party." Our first thought is that this is not the right time, and in some cases this is true. But we have to remember that in the minds of some people there will never be a "right" time to hear anything from the Bible. They don't want to hear it, and, much worse, they don't want anyone to hear it. When we find ourselves in this situation we must not take the silent approach. 

 

     Jeremiah tried the silent approach, but he could not do it. He said there was "a burning fire shut up" in his bones and he couldn't hold it in. Even though people were whispering and plotting his destruction, he had to speak up for God. We have all been in situations where someone says something that is completely wrong. Often times we just let it go especially when the matter under discussion doesn't really matter that much. But when the discussion is about God and our relationship to Him, we must not lay back and let the unbeliever and God-scoffer hold the floor.  We can't hold the truth of salvation in because we know that this truth does matter. It matters more than anything else in the world. Is God real? Did He give us commandments to show us our sin and the way we must live our lives? Does He love this world, and did He send His Son into this world to suffer and die for it and rise again for the forgiveness of all? Does His Spirit unite with our spirit through His word to give us faith and to transform our lives? Does He hear our prayers for holiness and healing, for faithfulness and endurance in the face of evil? The answer to all these questions is "Yes, yes, and Amen." 

 

3. God's Desire for Us to Speak Up and His Grace to Do So

 

11 But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior. (Jeremiah 20.11a ESV)

 

     God does want everyone to hear what He has promised for their salvation. In Matthew chapter ten Jesus sent the twelve apostles on a mission trip to the villages and towns of Israel to proclaim the kingdom of God. That is short hand for, "Tell them what they need to believe in order to be saved." But Jesus also knew there would be strong resistance. "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves" (v. 16). God met that resistance with a very special promise: "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (vv. 19-20). Jeremiah said it this way: "The LORD is with me as a dread warrior." 

 

     Those who hate God love to use threatening words and violence to accomplish their goal of eliminating any faith in God. But this is never their first step.The first step is to sweet talk people away from God, to speak of peace and love. But it is not the peace and love that comes from the repentance of sin, its forgiveness and living by God's will. It is the peace and love of the acceptance of sin and the denial of God's will. We see that clearly in the denial of marriage, the denial of creation, the denial of human life, the denial of justice for all, the glorification of indecency, and the excusation of indulgence and indolence, and the ultimate false teaching that we can all somehow be happy without God. Jeremiah had already seen this. That is why God had told him in chapter twelve: "Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you" (v.6). 

 

     When the smooth words fail, the sharp words follow. When the sharp words fail, the sharp knives come out. This is reality. This is why there was a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem long ago. But "the LORD is with me as a dread warrior." To understand what this means let's go to the next verses in our text. 

 

4. God's Response to the World's Reproach

 

... therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. 13 Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. (Jeremiah 20.11-13 ESV)

 

     The Christian faith is known for its love. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. When people come to hurt us because of our faith and in order to drive that faith out of our hearts, we don't respond with violence. This doesn't mean Christians can't defend themselves against those who just want to rob us or hurt us because they are full of hate and sin. Yet even this is done in defense and never in revenge. But when the issue is faith itself, love is our only defense just as Jesus' only defense against those who wanted to silence Him was love. Why is this? Why doesn't God want us to take up weapons to further His kingdom? The first answer is because His kingdom is built on love and forgiveness. Thus the only way we can build it and defend it is on the foundation of love and forgiveness. 

 

     But there is a second answer. There is a second reason, and Jeremiah knows it well. We don't respond to those who hate God and suppress His word with violence because we know what is coming to them when God's patience with them runs out. This is the Bible teaching of judgment. The Bible very clear about this: "I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to the thousands who love Me and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20.5-6). Jeremiah knew that though God had sent him to the wolves, those wolves would not have the last word. Some would believe. Thank God for that. But for the rest, they would meet God, who is "the dread warrior." The book of Revelation John also said that those who hate God and refuse to repent will one day pray for the mountains to fall upon them so that they do not have to face "the wrath of the Lamb" (6.16). 

 

     The truth of God's ultimate judgment upon this world is a great motivator for us to speak up. When we face those who hate God and want to silence us and even crush us if they have to, we just have to remember what they will face one second after they die. They will face the dread warrior, the jealous God, and the wrath of the Lamb. This thought will drive all hatred of them from our hearts and replace it with pity. This thought will cause us, like Abraham, to plead to God for their deliverance just as he prayed for the deliverance of Sodom and Gomorrah. God's love inspires us to love, but His promise of judgment also inspires us to love while there is opportunity. 

 

Conclusion

      Today is Father's Day, and this message based on the ministry of Jeremiah is very fitting for it. God called Jeremiah to say what God wanted all people to hear whether they wanted to hear it or not. What are fathers called to do according to the Bible? They are called to point their children to the ultimate Father - to God the Father. In this world that is never easy. There will be push back. Expect it. You won't always be popular. But do not be silenced, if indeed you really do love God and the children He has allowed you to raise. Talk to them about God's laws and God's love. Bring them to Jesus, to God's beloved Son, whom He gave up for all of us and for our salvation.   Amen. 

The Problem of Worry Romans 5.1-11

Faith Lutheran Church, Beaufort, SC

June 14, 2026

God's Answer to the Problem of Worry 

Romans 5.1-11

 To All Saints in Christ and to All Who Will Become So,

 

     Please turn with me in the Bible to Romans 5 verses 1-11. As you do so, let me prepare you to better understand and appreciate this passage by considering the problem of “worry.” This is a problem that all of us will face at some time in our life. As we consider this passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, I want to ask, “Why Do We Worry?” “Did Jesus Ever Worry?” and “How Can We Overcome the Problem of Worry?”

 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Romans 5.1-11)

 

Why Do We Worry?

 

     I will admit to you that I sometimes struggle with the problem of worry. I worry about whether or not I’m doing what God wants me to do? I worry about my family. I worry about this church and all of you. Sometimes I am incredibly overwhelmed by worry when I’m in a large crowd of people and I begin to wonder what will happen to all these people? Do they believe in God? Do they have faith in Jesus? Sometimes I worry about finances? Sometimes about health? Sometimes I just worry about getting into a traffic accident, or mine subsidence, or whether the sump pump is going to quit on me during a big rain storm? Worry can be a big burden that can crush us. It can cause sleeplessness and stress that can have bad effects on our physical health. Worry is destructive. 

 

     We worry because God created us with the ability to think deeply about the future. Most psychological approaches to the problem of worry say that it is normal to think about the future – and to think about it as both good or bad. The problem is when we focus excessively the possiblities of the bad. The psychological remedy is to look at life reasonably and to conclude that the bad things we really worry about won’t actually happen. But can we really be sure of that? In this world, without God, statistical probability is really our only hope. And we all know that we are not statistics. We are real people, and we face real problems. On the other hand, God really can help us with the problem of worry, and He very much wants to do so. Which brings me to this question...

 

Did Jesus Ever Worry?

 

     The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4.15). So Jesus worried, but He did so without sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life... Don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of its own things” (Matthew 6.25, 34). But the Bible tells us that He was “troubled and deeply distressed” in the Garden of Gethsemane before He died on the cross (Mark 14.33). Luke tells us that He sweated “great drops of blood” (Luke 22.44). He knew the future, and He knew that His own personal future was bad – He was headed to the cross of suffering and death. But Jesus also knew the good – He knew the suffering would be followed by the resurrection. And this focus on the good – the true good that God guarantees –  is our key to overcoming the problem of worry. 

 

How Can We Overcome the Problem of Worry?

 

     Sometimes you hear people say things like, “It’s all good. Don’t worry. It’s all going to be okay,” as well as the popular song lyrics: “Don’t worry. Be happy.”  Those can be very comforting words, but they can also be very empty words. How can we really be sure that “It’s all good. It’s going to be okay.” This is exactly what St. Paul was speaking about in his letter to the Romans. “Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

 

     It is true that to overcome worry we need to focus on the good that lies in our future more than the bad. But this is not enough. For how can we be sure that the good will prevail over the bad? God is realistic. He tells us that the bad things of this life, past, present and future, are all caused by sin and our failure to live without it. As we heard last week from James, “... desire gives birth to sin; and sin... brings forth death” (James      1.15). But God wants us to see and believe in this ultimate good: He “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8). God has dealt decisively with sin through His Son on the cross. This is what the word “justification” means. The divine judge has so ordered: Case dismissed. The empty tomb of Easter morning is God’s affirmation that the good that comes from Him does in fact prevail over the bad that comes from us. Therefore, “... we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ...” (Romans 5.11). 

 

Three Applications

 

     So how does this apply to the person who is about to lose their job or has just been told that they have cancer? It applies in three ways:

 

     First, I address the problem of sin. Did I do anything directly to bring this trouble into my life? If so, I can ask God for forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. If I did not do anything directly that I can think of to bring on this trouble, I have to remember that I am far from perfect, and that it is not right for me to demand that God always bless me. I have sinned in many ways as has everyone else, and for that reason there are going to be many problems in this life. I still ask God for forgiveness, and I still know that I have it and have peace with Him through Jesus. Even if this problem means great hardship or the end of my life, I know that God loves me and will a save me. I am always assured of that.

 

     Second, after looking to the cross for my forgiveness and to heaven, my ultimate good, I look back to my problem and begin to do something about it. Worry and fear paralyze us. They accomplish nothing and bring about nothing good. Faith and hope activate us. Even though we may be weak, yet in Christ we can be strong. After praying for forgiveness, I continue praying for God’s help. I ask, “Lord, what should I do in this bad situation?” His answer to that prayer is always the same, “Michael, continue steadfast in My word. Follow Jesus.” So I open my Bible and read. I come to church and listen. I seek the help of others who can point me to those places in God’s word that will help the most. God’s word calms my heart, guides my mind, and strengthens me to do what I can in a bad situation.  

 

     Third, I recognize that all crossbearing in life, no matter how it turns out and when approached with faith, will bring out some good somewhere, somehow. Peter did not want Jesus to go to the cross because he was thinking only about the things of this world. Jesus could see things from God’s point of view. Suffering without faith produces nothing but despair and destruction. But suffering with faith will always result in good. Paul said, “tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint...” (5.3-5). 

 

Conclusion

 

     This is how I overcome the problem of worry:  I fold my hands for prayer. I open my Bible for wisdom. And I roll up my sleeves for work. I stand in grace, and I rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. I have and you have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – God’s Word, Faith and Salvation! How can the problems of this world that arise from sin and cause us to worry stand before these things!  They cannot. God has guaranteed that that His good will prevail over our troubles. Let me conclude with this little poem by an unknown author. It is titled “Out of the Darkness.”

 

Out of the dark and forbidding soil

    The pure white lilies grow.

Out of the black and murky clouds,

    Descends the stainless snow.

Out of the crawling earth-bound worm

    A butterfly is born.

Out of the somber shrouded night,

    Behold! A golden morn!

Out of the pain and stress of life,

    The peace of God pours down.

Out of the nails – the spear – the cross,

    Redemption – and a crown!