Two Things God Has Ordained Psalm 8 Trinity Sunday

Two Things God Has Ordained

Psalm 8

Introduction

     I want to begin with a few comments about the Athanasian Creed that we just confessed on this Trinity Sunday. Then I want to focus on the things God has ordained for our salvation and for the good of this world. We will especially we looking at Psalm 8 which we just said in our introit (entrance) psalm at the beginning of our worship this morning.

The Athanasian Creed

     A creed is a succint summary of the Christian faith. Once a person told me that they grew up in a church that didn't believe in creeds. They despised them. The only thing they used was the Bible. I responded, "So when you worshiped, the only thing that was ever spoken was the Bible." "No," they said, "The pastor talked about the Bible and even used flip-charts to explain it." I then explained that when that pastor or any other person says, "This is what the Bible teaches," whatever comes out of his mouth next is a creed. All Christians rely on creeds whether they admit it or not. The only question is whether the creed they are using or making up at any time is a good creed. Is it a good summary of the Bible or not? When Jesus gave the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, He didn't say, "Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and hand them a Bible and walk away." He said, "Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." In order to teach, we have to summarize. We have to use concise statements of truth drawn from the Bible so that we can memorize them and hold on to them. 

     The Bible uses many creeds such as Deuteronomy 6.4 "Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one." Peter spoke a great creed when he confessed to Jesus, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16.16). The earliest Christian creed is found in 1 Corinthians 15.3-4 when Paul said, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 (and that) He was buried, and (that) He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

     As Christians began to baptize and teach they had to develop other creeds or statements of faith especially when they responded to false teachings. One of the oldest creeds is the Apostles' Creed used to prepare people for baptism. The Nicene Creed expanded this creed to combat the false teaching that Jesus wasn't really true God. The Athanasian Creed went even further to emphasize the complete unity of the Triune God and also the two natures of Jesus as God and Man. These creeds and others are used to lock down the important truths that the Bible teaches us for two important reasons: 1. So that we can remember them ourselves; and, 2. So that we can teach them to others. Now look at Psalm eight with me to see what it teaches about God and about all of us. 

God Is Above the Heavens

     Pantheism is a very old, and still a very popular, false teaching about God. The word pantheism literally means all is god. Pantheists believe that the mountains and rivers, the sun, moon, and stars, and you and I are all a part of God. I believe that this view of God began when men didn't want to be subservient to God or to think that anything was above them. Yet they wanted to hold on to some belief in God. So they made themselves God along with the rest of the cosmos. Pantheists love nature because they believe nature is God, and they love themselves because they believe they are God also. Pantheism is the religion reflected by the account of the Tower of Babel. There men rejected the Creator and attempted to build a tower that would reach to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. Pantheism is the religion reflected in modern humanism in which men think they are the most highly evolved creatures and that it is their duty to keep the universe going. 

     But all of this contradicts obvious truths. We didn't create ourselves, and we are not accidents of nature. The sun, moon and stars are glorious, but whoever made them is even more glorious. This is why David said, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

     When I look at the heavens, what should I think? Should I think the sun is God? Many have believed that. Should I think that I am God or a part of God? Many believe that. Not at all. As David said the Lord is above all that. His glory is above the heavens. But as soon as we believe that we also have to wonder, why does God care about me? The doctrine of Creation by itself is a very scary doctrine? If there is a God so great and powerful as to create the entire universe, then how do I stand before Him? God wants us to be intimidated by this. He wants us to stand in awe and fear before Him so that we don't attempt to raise ourselves up as God. For as soon as we do that, we cut ourselves off from His salvation.

God Crowned Man with Honor and Glory

     David answers his own question with another profound truth: "Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

     Just as God ordained Himself above heaven and earth, so also He crowned man with honor and glory. Human beings are a very special part of God's creation. God created them to have dominion over the works of God's hands - His creation. One of the great false teachings that has emerged from the pantheists and evolutionists is that man is just another animal. A popular online biology textbook, CK-12, teaches that human beings are primates very similar to chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Many years ago I was given a tour of the gross anatomy lab at Washington University School of Medicine. In this lab you can see the whole human body dissected and perserved in glass cabinets. The professor, a creationist, showed me the dissection of human skin - All the various layers. He then asked, what animal has the closest kind of skin to a human being? I couldn't really think of anything. Then he said, "the pig." Humans actually bear some similarity to swine. This is why insulin was first taken from swine and why we still use heart valves from swine in human beings. Human beings share similarities with many different kinds of animals. But those similarities are far surpassed by the differences. Human beings surpass all animals in language skills, intelligence, abstract thought, conscience, creativity, emotions, and in many other ways. To say that humans are just animals is a glaringly ignorant thing to say. 

     But an even more important thing to think about is the question "Why?" Why did God crown mankind with honor and glory. Psalm eight doesn't really answer that question, but many other psalms and the rest of the Bible do answer it. God created the world to show forth His great wisdom and power. God created man to show forth His great love. Only man was created with the ability to reject his Creator and to rebell against Him. Sadly this is exactly what happened. But God showed His love by sacrificing Himself through His Son Jesus to save, redeem, and reunite Himself with the crown of His creation. The Apostle John wrote: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4.10 NIV). And again, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us, as it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'" (Galatians 3.13). 

Conclusion

     Right now you may not feel that you deserve to be crowned with honor and glory. You may feel weighed down with sin and guilt. But God knows, and God forgives in Christ, and God wipes all of that away. You may feel worn out and wrecked by disease. But God doesn't think this way. Remember that He is the one who takes what sin destroys and heals. "By His stripes," Isaiah said, "we are healed" (53.5). You may feel abandoned by family and friends. Maybe it was something they did, or you did, or both. No matter. The Bible says, "For it pleased the Father that in (Jesus) all the fullness (of God) should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:19-20). 

     All these things are the true teachings of the Bible. They are the great things that God has ordained and that we confess to ourselves and to the world in our creeds. I believe in God the Father, the Maker of heaven and earth. I believe in God the Son, the Savior of all. I believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Sanctifier of my soul. Amen. 

Eldad and Medad Numbers 11:24-31 Pentecost

Eldad and Medad

 

Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets,

that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (v. 23)

Numbers 11:24-30

 

Introduction

 

     Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4.24). This means that God is not made of atoms, molecules and cells like we have been made. Yet He is a person who is all-powerful, all-knowing, merciful and gracious. He is God, the Creator, who made the world out of nothing with His word and breathed the spirit, the breath of life, in to Adam, the first human being. He is God, the Savior, who sent His Son, the Word made flesh, to suffer and die and save us from evil. He is God, the Holy Spirit, who now comes into the hearts of His believers so that we might live by faith and proclaim that faith to this world. The miracle of Pentecost celebrates this great work of God - the sending the Holy Spirit to cause us to be born from above, to be reunited with God, and to be God's voice to all. 

 

     On December 12, 1901 Guglielmo Marconi sent the first radio transmission from Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, a distance of over 2,000 miles. It was an amazing accomplishment and the beginning of a new age of communication. Soon radios would be broadcasting vital information to homes all over the world. What was the message that Marconi sent on that first radio transmission?  It was simply the Morse Code letter "S." Why "S," you might ask? He chose the letter "S" because it is the simplest letter in the Morse Code. It is nothing more than three dots. I can't help but see some irony in this. Here we have men trying to send vital information across the ocean beginning with three simple dots. In the Bible we have God crossing from outside this universe that He created to communicate to us that He is God - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God. This is the beginning of the most vital information there is in this universe. In this Pentecost message I want to go back to an important Old Testament story to help us understand God's desire to communicate to us and to save us from evil. This is the story of Eldad and Medad. 

 

What Happened to Eldad and Medad?

 

     In Numbers chapter eleven the sons of Israel had been in the wilderness for one year. During that year God had provided manna for them to eat. Manna was a unique kind of food that fell from the sky overnight each day. But the people wanted meat, and so they started to complain. Moses complained to God, and God answered by providing seventy elders or leaders to help Moses. God summoned them all to the Tabernacle at the middle of the camp where He would give them the same Spirit that He had given Moses. What was this "Spirit"? It was the power of God to know and speak His word. After receiving this Spirit, the elders prophesied. "Prophesy" is often misunderstood to mean "telling the future." It can be that, but it is always much more. It comes from the word "to call" or "to announce." A prophet is simply one who is a mouthpiece for God. When God did this, He showed the people of Israel that these men were His servants gifted to know and speak His word. 

     But there was a little twist in this story. Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, didn't make it to the Tabernacle for this special outpouring of the Spirit. We don't know why they were absent. Nevertheless God did pour out His Spirit upon them. This upset Joshua, who thought they might be hypocrites or usurpers who would not follow Moses. But Moses responded with the famous statement: "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11.29) This event reminds us of Jesus' words, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3.8). It teaches us that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of God not of man. It controls man and not the other way around. 

 

The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Man

 

      Let's think about the Spirit of God and the spirit of man. Atheists deny the existence of God and the existence of the soul and spirit of man. They claim that all human behavior is controlled by chemicals in the brain, genetics, upbringing, and chance. In the book Determined, the author, a neuroscientist, argues that there is no place for praise or punishment in this world because no one can help the way they behave.  We are all the product of the random molecular activity. The author's solution to the world's problems is to show more compassion. But this is where he falls into the hole of absurdity and meaninglessness as all atheists and agnostics eventually do. What is compassion? Is compassion determined? Is it an accident? If so, how can you call for more of it? This view of life is what the Bible calls futile: Those who deny the Spirit of God and the spirit of man "became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1.20). By denying God they have denied the one thing they need above all else, and that is God's compassion. This is the heart of all the problems in the world today. The world has turned from God and has become lost in sin. The results are growing lawlessness and evil, not growing holiness and good. In their misery they cry out for love and compassion, but they know not where it comes. It comes from God. 

 

     This is why Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit, and the Bible are so important to us. At the creation of man, God gave him a spirit. He was different from the animals in that he knew God and could love Him. Originally his spirit was holy and in the image of God, but sin corrupted that. Sin didn't destroy his spirit, it just turned his spirit against God. God's answer to this was to come back to man with His Holy Spirit to save him. His Spirit is a spirit of judgment that condemns sin for what it is. His Spirit is also the spirit of compassion and love that bring forgiveness of sin and healing for our spirits.  The whole Bible is the story of God coming back into a sinful world to turn it from selfishness and hatred to repentance, faith, and love. This is the Spirit that God gave to Moses and the elders. This is the Spirit David prayed for in Psalm 51 when he said, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This is the Spirit Joel foresaw when he said, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh...," and "whoever calls on the name of the LORD, shall be saved" (2.29,32). And this is the Spirit that fell upon Peter, the apostles and all the people at Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirits to bring us out of the slavery of sin to the freedom and joy of salvation. 

 

Does the Spirit of God Speak Through People Today?

 

     The Spirit of Moses and the seventy elders, of Joel, and of Peter and the Pentecost converts is still active and working among us today. At Pentecost we are not just looking back to a time when God was intervening in this world to save it. That same work of the Spirit is going on today. It is going on through me and all other pastors as we preach the word of God. Our churches are like the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Jerusalem. They are places were God's word is spoken to bring people to Jesus, His Son and His sacrifice for our sins. But the Spirit of God is not limited to pastors. This is one of the important lessons from Eldad and Medad. Remember what Moses said, "Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” The work of God's Holy Spirit calling our spirits back to God also works in you. 

 

     How does the Holy Spirit come to us today? Let me answer that question by steering you away from the wrong ways people think the Holy Spirit comes. Some people think the Holy Spirit comes through emotions and ecstatic experiences. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was experienced by the people who heard Peter preaching in their own languages. Later in the early church, some Christians were given the sign of the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues. In Greek the word "tongue" is the same word for "language." So when the Bible says people spoke in tongues, it would be just as correct to say they spoke in known human languages. The miracle was that they had never learned the language. This is also confirmed by St. Paul's requirement that if other languages are used in worship, they must be interpreted for everyone to understand. The bottom line is that the Holy Spirit is not the author of gibberish and confusion. So don't think you're going to get the Spirit of God by trying to speak emotional nonsense. That's the flesh, not the Spirit. 

 

     But as Moses said, "Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” How does this happen? It happens when we read, mark, and meditate on God's written word that He has handed down to us through the Prophets and Apostles. More than that it happens when we pray for the Holy Spirit to help us believe and understand those words ourselves, and when we ask the Holy Spirit to help us live them and teach them to others. Jesus said in Luke 11.13 that God gives His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Peter said that when we repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, we receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts chapter four, the Sadducees arrested Peter and John for preaching in the name of Jesus. But they were not silenced. Instead they went to their friends and together they prayed for God's help. Luke tells us "the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (4.31). That is the miracle of Eldad and Medad and of Pentecost that continues to this day. God has answered Moses' prayer! 

 

Conclusion

     Martin Luther is recognized as one of the greatest preachers of all time. But what enabled this poor Augustinian monk to preach so boldly of the grace of God in Christ? The answer is found in His devotion to God's word and his devotion to God in prayer. He realized early that the reformation wasn't about him, it was about God. He was constantly setting aside his own strengths to rely soley on the strength of God. You can really see that in a little prayer that he wrote called "The Sacristy Prayer." The sacristy is where pastors put on their robes and make their final preparations for leading worship. Here is his prayer: Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon You Word. Use me as Your instrument -- but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all. 

     Moses wanted you and me and all Christians to have the spiritual strength to believe and to proclaim the Gospel. When you need this strength to talk to a stranger, friend, or family member about Jesus, turn to these two things: First, to God's word in study and meditation; and, Second, to God's Holy Spirit in prayer for faith, for boldness, for wisdom. Amen.

 

 

 

The Ascension of Jesus and What It Means to Us Luke 24:44-53

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24.44-53

Video - https://youtu.be/xehlGxdhBH4

Summary Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and promised the Holy Spirit so that He could be closer to us in a new way - through the Spirit and the Word, and so the Gospel could be preached to the end of the earth. 

 

Introduction

 

     Do you ever feel that your faith would be stronger if you could just see Jesus face to face, touch Him, and listen to Him speak? Many have wondered about that. Many more have turned away from God because they don’t think He has given us enough evidence of His existence. Forty days after He rose from the dead, Jesus ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and His physical presence was hidden from this world. As important as His physical entrance into this world was – Jesus physically taught, healed, suffered, died, and rose from the dead – His physical hiddenness and the giving of the Holy Spirit was just as important. Jesus’ physical presence was a good thing, but it severely limited the number of people who could benefit from it. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and particularly the New Testament and those who believe it, the miracle of Jesus and the blessings of His salvation are going out to the ends of the earth. Let’s think about the impact the ascension of Jesus makes upon our lives as Christians. Let me begin by pointing out the three basic views of life.

 

Three Views of Life

 

     The first view of life is that it is all an accident. The world is an accident. We are all accidents. In this way of life, the goal is to be as happy as you can in any way that you can. Some may choose a path of good morality, but others may not. I strongly suspect that this is the view of life of the mass murderers that we see so often in the headlines. In the end it doesn’t matter what we do because there is no eternal justice in their minds. No matter how much happiness you create, no matter how much good or bad that you do, everything is haunted by the inevitability and the utter annihilation of death. There is no eternal life or eternal joy here.

 

     The second view of life is that there is a god or gods who created the world. Some say they don’t talk to us or help us. That puts them in the first category – Just try to find happiness, but death is the final result. Others say they do talk to us and help us, but everything is based on performance. This is the common view of all man-made gods. They are rewardersnot saviors. They are reflections of ourselves. They are the idols we see in our mirrors. Any eternal life or joy they offer is a deception, a self-deception. How can we reward ourselves with or earn eternal life?

 

     The third view is the one taught by the Bible. God created the world and ordered it in perfection. Sin created disorder and destruction. God immediately called for repentance and gave forgiveness. This call for repentance and gift of forgiveness continued through the ages and culminated in His coming into the world and making a sacrifice of love for the forgiveness of all. Jesus made that sacrifice as God’s Son. His resurrection and ascension are the signs that it was a divine sacrifice of salvation. Though we must die because of our sins, through our repentance and forgiveness we will rise, and we will also be taken to heaven. Filled with joy in this divine love, we live by faith doing good that glorifies God and promotes His grace. 

 

     Of these three views of life – The reality of the first is that life is a flickering fumble of nature that quickly falls back to vast expanse of nothing. The reality of the second is that life is a futile effort to climb an imaginary stairway to God. The reality of the third is that life is a gift of God. The flaws of sin that we know so well have been healed in forgiveness of Jesus, and His Spirit testifies to our spirit, “that we are the children of God” (Romans 8.16). 

 

     Let’s take another look at the last words of Jesus just before His ascension to see how they teach this third view of life and assure us that life is a gift, that forgiveness heals sin, and that we will be God’s people forever. 

 

Jesus Explained: Everything Written About Me in the Law of Moses and the Psalms & the Prophets

 

     Jesus went back to the books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets and showed how they all pointed to Him. After He had healed the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda the Jews wanted to kill Him because it was on the Sabbath Day when no work was to be done. Jesus explained that He was God's Son, and that He was doing the work of God - the work of redemption and salvation. What better day to overcome sin and death than on the Sabbath Day? But it wasn't just the Sabbath Day that concerned the Jews. It was that He claimed to be the Son of God. It was then that Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." All of the Old Testament points to Jesus, the Son of God. Without Him the Old Testament is like a book that is missing its last chapter. But together, the Old and New Testaments are a migthy affirmation of God's salvation. The Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament fulfills. 

 

     But, if someone gives me a check for a large amount of money, it remains nothing more than a worthless piece of paper until I believe what it says and act upon it. God’s word and the message of Jesus is like that also. The sixty-six books of the Bible are a much heavier than a single check. But if we do not believe them and the Author who wrote them, the Bible becomes for us nothing more than a paper weight. But if we will believe in these words, we will receive the gift that money could never buy. All three views of life that I mentioned above involve death. But only in the Christian view of life from the Bible is death a temporary reality. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though He may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11.25-26). I urge you with all my heart to cash that check. 

 

Jesus Said: It Was Necessary that the Christ Should Suffer, Rise, and that Repentance and Forgiveness Be Proclaimed to All Nations. 

 

     If I have an infected wound in my body, I can take two approaches. I can live with it by always covering it up and scraping away the scabs and pus and hoping it will get better eventually, or I can clean it out with peroxide and alcohol. It is amazing how tempting the first way is. But experience teaches that while it may be less painful in the beginning, it will be much worse in the end. Better to take the pain of wound dressing and the good benefit of healing that will result in the long run. Sin is an infection in our souls. It takes the form of bad thoughts, bad desires and bad feelings. These eventually lead to bad decisions and actions that hurt us and others – and worst of all – spreads the disease of sin to others. 

 

     God has given us bandages, slings, and crutches in the form of good morals, education, psychology and medicine. These things can help us in some ways. But the deep infection of sin can only be cured through the medicine of Jesus’ blood. In repentance we open the wounds of our souls and cleanse them with the love of God in Jesus. The cure of our souls begins when we say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Help me.” Into these open wounds of our souls God pours the words of forgiveness: To the paralyzed man Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9.2). Regarding the woman who wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears, He said, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven” (Luke 7.47). Jesus came to live, to die, and to rise again in order to provide the medicine of forgiveness for the infections of our souls. And this is why, secondly, He told the disciples before His ascension that the most important thing in this world is the preaching of repentance and forgiveness. This is the key to life and to everything. 

 

Jesus said: Stay in the City Until You are Clothed with Power from on High.

 

     Thirdly, when Jesus ascended to heaven, He didn’t leave us. He told us in Matthew, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.20). Here in Luke we see that the disciples “worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” after His ascension. The ascension does not mean that Jesus left, but that He is still with us in a better way – through the gift of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist referred to this at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He said, “I baptize with water... but one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3.16). The Holy Spirit works through the word, and even in Jesus’ earthly ministry this was something that He stressed. Once a woman cried out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you” (Luke 11.27). She recognized that Jesus was an amazing man, and that those who were close to Him – and especially His own mother Mary must be truly blessed. But Jesus replied indeed she was, but, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11.27). 

 

     In the 1800s an Arab guide told a story to Russell Conwell about a man who wanted to get rich prospecting for diamonds. He sold all his property and spent the rest of his life unsuccessfully in the search for diamonds. One day the man who bought his property saw an unusual stone in a stream. It turned out that this stone was a huge diamond and that the stream was full of diamonds. Russell Conwell became a Baptist minister. He took this story and turned it into a famous sermon titled "Acres of Diamonds." The sermon emphasized that we are tempted to seek true happiness far and wide, but that the happiness of salvation is right in front of us. He preached that sermon more than 6,000 times, and he used the proceeds from that sermon to build Temple University in Philadelphia. 

 

     Many people do not realize the blessings that are right in front of them in the New Testament that Jesus gave us after His ascension into heaven.  God gave Abraham one of the first promises of a Messiah.  It was just a few verses long, not nearly as much sacred scripture as we have in our hands right now. And Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8.56).  Moses was given the Law on Mt. Sinai, but he was also looking far ahead to Jesus. Again Jesus said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me" (John 5.45). Peter talked about this in his first letter. He said that we who have the gospel preached by the Holy Spirit have the things “which angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1.12). At any time we can open the pages of the New Testament and receive the very power of the Holy Spirit. This book has transformed more lives than any book that has ever been written. It will transform your life and your world as well. 

 

Conclusion

     

     One of my favorite bluegrass songs is titled "Dust on the Bible." The song is about a Christian who visited and friend and noticed all the books and magazines in their living room, but the Bible was covered with dust. It includes these words: "There's dust on the Bible, dust on the holy Word, the words of all the prophets and the sayings of our Lord. Of all the other books you'll find, there's none salvation holds. Get that dust off the Bible and redeem your poor soul." 

 

     That's my advice for this Ascension week and the last week of Easter. You have Jesus at your fingertips. God bless you for taking time to be with Him in this service of Word and Sacrament. But don't let it stop there. Take up your Bibles this week and redeem and refresh your soul with the words of life and salvation in Jesus. Amen.

COEXIST or Christ? Acts 17 Paul at Athens

COEXIST or Christ?

Acts 17.16-34

 

Summary

Some people push the COEXIST image/bumper sticker from religious tolerance to religious pluralism. All religions, it is thought, are valid paths to heaven. When Paul came to Athens, he encountered many different religions, even an altar to the "Unknown God." Paul took the opportunity to teach the difference between all the religions of the world and the one religion of the Bible. 

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/Pi44SpCnyP8

Introduction

 

     Many of you have probably seen the "COEXIST" bumper sticker in which each letter represents a religion. The "C" represents the crescent of Islam. The "O" includes the peace sign. The "E" represents the Hindu Om. The "X" represents the Star of David in Judaism. The dot of the "I" is the pentacle of Wicca and old pagan religions. The "S" represents the Yin-Yang of Daoism, a religion from China. The "T" finally represents the cross of Christianity. Originally this was a piece of art submitted by a Polish artist for a museum in Jerusalem, and it simply meant to express the need for religious tolerance. We do need religious tolerance in order to have freedom of religion. No one should be forced to believe any certain religion. 

 

     But many people take the idea of religious tolerance much further. They see all these religions as different paths leading to the same place: Heaven or Nirvana or Valhalla or some good future existence. This is probably what the Apostle Paul encountered when he came to Athens and noticed all the different altars dedicated to different gods and one altar even dedicated to the Unknown God." Why are there so many different religions and gods, and what should we think about these? Are they equal paths leading to salvation? Does it matter what you believe? 

 

     Paul was on his second missionary journey. His preaching of Jesus the Messiah had caused so much controversy that he had nearly been killed. His friends wanted him to take a break and rest. But when he came to Athens and saw the plurality of religions and especially an altar to "The Unknown God," he couldn't resist the opportunity it gave him to preach the one an only true God of the Bible, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and the one and only promise of forgiveness of sins and true salvation. The philosophers of Athens invited him to present his teachings at a special "lecture hall" called "The Aereopagus." Let's listen carefully to what Paul said about this to the philosophers of Athens and to what the rest of the Bible says.

 

The God Who Created the World and Man

 

 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.

 

     The protestant theologian John Calvin said, “The human mind, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols" (Institutes I.11.8). The Bible tells us that God created the world, and the first two believers were Adam and Eve. But their two sons, Cain and Abel, were split. Abel believed God and Cain didn't. By the time of Noah, ten generations from Adam, most of the world had followed the path of Cain. The world was so full of unbelief and evil that God was sorry He had created man (Genesis 6.6). This pattern continues throughout the Bible. God establishes faith, and gradually that faith falls apart. Men decide they want a different God than that of the Bible. Why do men want a different God than that of the Bible? We can answer that question by looking at the differences between the God of the Bible and the gods imagined by men. 

 

     The God of the Bible is all-knowing and all-powerful. He is the Creator and Judge of everything. At the same time He is kind, gracious, and eager to forgive men their sins and disobedience. In the Old Testament the sacrifices given to God were two kinds: sacrifices of repentance and sacrifices of thanksgiving. The sacrifices were never payments given to receive God’s blessings. God is not a paymaster, paying men off for their good works. God is a Savior, delivering men from evil. But men do not want to repent of their sins and turn from their evil whether that evil be great or small. They imagine their own self-righteousness. They rewrite God’s commandments for themselves. For this reason they invent gods and religions that reward them, and reject the God who wants to forgive them. The gods of the COEXIST list and the gods of ancient Athens, apart from Christianity, are and were all gods that reward. This is why Paul says that God is not worshiped “with men’s hands,” as though He needed something from us. He doesn’t need anything from us. He made us and sustains us. The one thing He wants from us is a repentant heart. Therefore Paul says,

The God Who Judges the World in Righteousness

 

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17.30-31)

 

     The God who created this world does not look upon it and say, “Pay me back for all your sins.” He “commands all men everywhere to repent” and judges “the world in righteousness” by Jesus. Some do repent, and their sins are washed away by the sacrifice of Jesus who died and rose to take away our sins. Peter said, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3.18).  Others reject this repentance and gift of forgiveness and new obedience by faith and are therefore rejected by God. You can do all the good works in the world, but none of them take away sin; and God allows no one to be with Him as long as they hold on to their sins. 

     The Athenians had never heard anything like this. They believed in many gods and many ways to gain the favor of these gods and to achieve some hope of a better after life. It is no different today. A man named Ray went to a family Mother’s Day celebration. A discussion arose regarding salvation. He objected to the idea that Jesus was the only way of salvation. He didn’t think it was important whether one followed Christ or Krishna or Mother Earth. He thought his family was narrow-minded and bigoted to think that Jesus was the only way of salvation. He would have been correct if Jesus were another god like all the others – a god who simply asks for works in return for favors. Kathy, the matriarch of the family, the one who gave physical birth this family, stepped in like every good mother should for the sake of her children, and for the hope that they would all be born again! “Christians are not narrow-minded,” she quietly said. “The question isn’t who is good enough to be saved? Of course there are many good people in many different religions. The question is, ‘Who will save us from our sins?’ No other god or religion imagined by men does this. They all imagine self-righteousness and rewards.” But, Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10.45). If anyone paid a work for salvation, it was Jesus, who paid the ransom for our sins on the cross. I hope all of you children will think carefully about that.

 

Three Responses

 

     Luke went on to report the outcome of Paul’s sermon: 

 

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them (Acts 17.32-33).

 

          A missionary to India once went to several villages explaining the way of salvation in Jesus.  In sermon after sermon he noticed that the people all were nodding their heads approvingly.  Gradually it occurred to the missionary that these people believed there were many paths to salvation.  It was easy for them to accept Jesus as another way. They weren’t grasping the truth that good works are only good works when our sins have been washed away by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, the missionary changed the emphasis of his presentation.  He spoke directly of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  Instantly the approving nods gave way to intense expressions of thought and consideration.  Every religion has a grave.  Only one is empty.  Every religion has works. Only one has forgiveness. 

 

     There were three responses to Paul’s message.  You can remember them as the three “L’s.”  Some laughed.  They mocked Paul and his talk about the resurrection.  Others said they would hear Paul about this later.  The last group loved the message.  Luke tells us they “joined them and believed.”  Of the group that believed two are mentioned by name: Dionysius the Areopagite and a lady named Damaris.  Many people today are still laughing when they hear this message or when they see people taking it so seriously.  They doubt the resurrection of Jesus, but they do not doubt their own self-righteousness. Many others are still putting their response off till later. They recognize that it might be true, but they aren’t ready to give up their sins just yet. You and I are among the group that loves this message.  We know that we must give an account of life before the almighty God, who made heaven and earth, and we are glad to know that He has accounted to us the life of His dear Son for our salvation.  

 

     The tomb is empty.  Christ’s righteousness is my righteousness.  Now I want to live with Him and for Him.  Now I want to put away all the words and works of darkness.  As Jesus Himself said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14.23).  As God makes His home with us now by faith, I promise that you will not be estranged from Him in the judgment.  Many will weep and cry for having laughed or for having waited until it was too late.  But many will shout for joy.

 

Conclusion

 

     Should we COEXIST? Yes, let there always be the freedom of religion. But I pray that all people will see the difference in the “T,” in the cross of Christ. All religions may have some good in them. But only one has grace. Only one has salvation. Only one gives true hope that rests in God, not in ourselves. Therefore, only one religion brings eternal joy. Before the sermon we sang part of the hymn, “Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice.”  As I finish this message, we will sing the rest of it. This was one of Martin Luther’s earliest hymns.  He heard the happy tune from a traveling artisan.  He wedded to it the happiest thoughts of his life—the Gospel story of Jesus and our salvation by His righteousness.  Dear Christians, the Holy Spirit wants all of us to be lifted out of the mire of a sin-controlled life to the life of hope and assurance of salvation in Jesus.  

 

Gazing Into Heaven Acts 6-7

 Gazing Into Heaven

 

“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7.54-60 ESV)

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/CLLSxb0SnqU

 

Summary

The persecution of Stephen for preaching the Gospel reminds us to pray for those who are being persecuted right now. It also shows us how we should prepare to endure persecution if we are called to suffer for the sake of Jesus. 

 

Introduction 

     When Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you..." (John 14.2) He was preparing His disciples for His own persecution and theirs. His would be the crucifixion. There's would be stoning, crucifixion and many other ways that those who hate God torture and murder God's servants. 

     

    The hymn we just sang, "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" was written in honor of a Christian missionary named Henry Martyn. Martyn became a missionary to India and Persia (modern Iran) in 1806. He worked very hard to translate the New Testament into Urdu and Farsi, the languages of Pakistan and Iran. Weakened by disease, he tried to return to England in 1812. But he died along the way in Turkey. This was his last journal entry ten days before he died: "Oh! when shall time give place to eternity? When shall appear that new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness?" In his suffering he was looking to heaven.

 

     When Stephen was dying for his efforts to preach the Gospel, he also looked to heaven. When we suffer for living and proclaiming the Gospel, we can remember him and also sing with Psalm 123 "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens... Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt... (and) with (the) scorn... of the proud" (1, 3-4). 

 

What Happened to Stephen?

 

     When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples, they began to preach Gospel message of repentance and forgiveness. Many people were converted to this true and only saving faith. They left behind the pride of self-righteousness and the doubt of self-reliance. And, along with this growing faith came growing love. They didn't look down on other people and think, "If they obeyed God they way I have, they wouldn't be so poor or sick." They used their earthly blessings to help those in need. This formed the first church budget with only two line items. One was support for the pastors who were faithfully preaching the Gospel and ministering to men's souls. The other was for the deacons (Greek for "servant") who were ministering the love of Christ by providing food and physical needs to all who wanted to follow Jesus. 

 

     This aid was never just a matter of handing out meals. That often causes toxic charity which only enables people to continue in sinful living. Christian charity was and is always accompanied by the teaching of the Christian faith: repentance for our sins, forgiveness for the sake of Jesus, and new obedience in the Holy Spirit. This angered the Jews from one of the synogogues, and they argued with Stephen that Jesus was not the Messiah. Luke tells us, "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke" (Acts 6.10). They accused him of blasphemy just as they had accused Jesus. He was put on trial before the high priest, wherein he gave his famous testimony - the longest sermon in the Book of Acts. 

 

     Stephen went through the history of Israel showing how God called Abraham and Moses to establish the people of Israel. But he also reminded them of the Greater Prophet that Moses had prophesied (Deuteronomy 18.18). God sent a number of important prophets, but the most important of all would be the Messiah, the only prophet truly greated than Moses. This is the prophet to whom all the other prophets pointed who would bring salvation through His suffering for us. Yet Israel had rejected these prophets and especially the Messiah, Jesus. At that point Stephen said he could see the Son of Man standing at God's right hand" (Acts 7.56). At this they "cried with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran at him" (Acts 7.57). They took him outside the city and stoned him to death. While he was dying he prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers. 

 

Praying for the Persecuted

 

     Religious persecution is an old problem. But there is a difference between unjust persecution and just judgment upon nations. God punished Egypt for its unjust enslavement of Israel. He punished the Canaanites for their great wickedness and depravity. He even punished Israel in the same way when they later joined in the same evils. Throughout history human evil has been overthrown by God. At the same time this world has attacked God's people not because they have done anything evil, but for exactly the opposite reason: Because they have pursued righteousness. This is persecution: When people attack those who are just and upright because they are just and upright. This is why Cain murdered his brother Abel, why Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, why Absolom revolted against David, why Jezebel tried to murder Elijah, why Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, why Herod tried to kill Jesus in Bethlehem, why Jesus was harrassed by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, why He was finally crucified, why Peter and John were imprisoned, why Stephen was stoned, why Saul persecuted the church before he was converted, why Herod killed James, the brother of John, why Paul was stoned, and why John was exiled to the Island of Patmos. 

 

     I call this the Rage of Unbelief. It's not just hurting people because you are angry or want to take something from them. It is a hatred driven by the faith and righteousness of their victims. The Bible speaks of this rage in several places. In Psalm 69.7 (ESV) David said, "The insults of those who insult You have fallen upon me." In Psalm 44.22 he said, "Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." In John 15.18 Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."

 

     Open Doors is a ministry is dedicated to helping persecuted Christians. It was founded by Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. You can read about his work in the book God's Smuggler. Open Doors maintains a watchlist of the the most extreme levels of persecution today. On that list are countries such as North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Nigeria. We need to pray for and help Christians who are suffering for the name of Jesus!

 

Preparing for Persecution

 

     What about you and me? When we remember what happened to Stephen and to so many other Christians before us, are we prepared to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus. Jesus said that as the world comes closer to its end there will be wars, and famines, and pestilences. He also said that these are just the beginning. In Matthew 24.9 He said, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." In our own country we are seeing softer forms of persecution.*  Students have been denied admission to college because they said their faith in God was important to them. Bakers and florists have been sued for not celebrating same-sex marriage. Employees have been fired from companies for expressing their beliefs about the Bible outside of the workplace. Younger Christians find it challenging fit in to a culture that is increasingly hostile to the Bible. You're weird if you believe in creation or that Jesus is the only way to salvation. There was a time when these issues could be debated, and both sides could still be friendly to one another. Now Christians are just shouted down and ostrasized. Parents and grandparents walk a thin line trying to maintain friendship with their children while not opproving of all the behaviors in which they may engage. How do we respond to all of this?

 

(*Note: I haven't provided references. Search on all these statements, and you will find the sources.)

 

     Here are three things we can do. First, trust God's word. In the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," there is this verse: "Take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife. Though these all be done. Our victory has been won. The kingdom ours remaineth." If we want God to help us face persecution, we have to be able to let go of everything except Him. The world has criticized and rebelled against God's word since its beginning. But year after year, century after century, that word still stands true, and it always will. Even if your own children turn from God, you will never help them by turning from God yourself. Their salvation depends on you trusting in your salvation. I have seen people who walked away from God to the great sorrow of their parents. The parents died believing they would probably never see their children again. And yet, some of those same children did come to Christ when they grew old and remembered the steadfast faith of their parents. We can trust God's word that "All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28). 

 

     Second, pray for spiritual wisdom. Stephen confounded the enemies of Christ with his spiritual wisdom. Jesus said that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11.13). The Spirit always comes to us through God's word, so always remember that prayer is two-way: God's speaks to us in His word, and we respond. When the world starts showing its hostility to Christ, we need the Spirit coming through the word of God in worship, Bible study, and prayer. I am now old enough to see this pattern: Someone says something threatening about Christians or the Christian faith. At first I feel a little weak and unable to push back. But when I go to God's word, I always find the "five smooth stones" of David, simple Bible verses, to sling back at any Goliath who arrogantly condemns God and God's people. 

 

     Third, love your enemies. When Stephen died, he prayed for the forgiveness of his persecutors. Satan would love more than anything for you to hate the world that hates you because of your faith in Christ. When you see a person persecuting a Christian, do not let sinful feelings of revenge fill your heart. Do not wish for their destruction. Remember that God loves them as much as He loves you. Jesus said, "God so loved the world..." even the world that hates Him. It is from that love that we are able to love our enemies. They may need to be subdued. They may need to be destroyed. But let that be God's decision, for He has said, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay" Romans 12.19. For our part, we love as much as we can, even those who hate us and revile us. This drives the devil crazy! 

 

Conclusion

 

     In the heat of his debate with the Christ-haters, Stephen's mind was on God's word and on God Himself. Luke tells us that He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus standing at the right hand of God was the assurance Stephen needed that Jesus had indeed conquered sin, death and the devil in His death and resurrection. No anger or violence of men sold out to sin could take that from him or from us. Amen.  

Hymns

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuQqGkzpAzJ8jbYFc9eFff6R_Ckc3li2w&si=bEFdaO3DOYxY7KIB

Predators, Prey, and Protectors John 10:1-10

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

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

Summary: The Bible portrays believers as sheep who are preyed upon by forces of evil. The predators come "over the wall," dishonestly disguising their goal of separating us from God and destroying us. Jesus comes through "the door," honestly and justly to save us from our sin. I contrast five examples of predatorily lies with Biblical truth. 

Video Link: https://youtu.be/GPuQ6S-zI3s

Introduction

     I saw an internet post recently in which a horse owner was appealing to motorists to slow down when passing a horse and rider. She pointed out that in nature horses are that they "prey, not predators," and their natural instinct is to flee when trouble is near. That is why a strange sound or rocks kicked up by a passing car and send a horse into a frenzy. Predators are naturally stealthy, and they do all they can to separate their prey from the protection of the herd. The prey are naturally cautious, and will quickly flee from danger.

 

     This compares well to the spiritual side of life. There are predators of our souls, and we need to know when to flee from them and seek a protector. This is why the Bible so often compares believers to sheep. They are the spiritul "prey" of evil. It is important to know who and what is trying to destroy our souls and who and what is trying to save our souls. In John chapter ten, notice how the verses go back and forth between the Evil One and his servants and the Lord and His servants.  Jesus teaches us the their approach, their voice, and the results of their efforts so that we are not drawn off and away from God and destroyed. This does not mean that predators are the only thing Christians should avoid. They also must face their inward sinful self. But I have and will also address that in other sermons. This passage and this sermon will focus on these spiritual predators.

 

Approach of Spiritual Predators and Spiritul Protectors

 

     “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way is a thief and a robber. He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep” (10.1-2). 

 

       God wants our souls and so does Satan. Both sides use human beings to gather us into their respective kingdoms of either evil or good. Jesus calls the servants of evil “thieves and robbers.” He calls the servants of God “shepherds.” These thieves and robbers and shepherds work within different realms such as family, friendships, religion, education, entertainment, and government. Some families are blessed to have parents and siblings who are shepherds. Some families are full of spiritual thieves. Some friends are shepherds and some are robbers. Some pastors and churches are shepherds and others are thieves. Some teachers are shepherds and others just want to rob your souls of faith and life. I think you see the pattern here as it extends to elected leaders, singers, writers, podcasters, and so on. They all fall into one of these two camps: Either they are leading toward God or away from God. 

 

     Jesus begins to show us the difference between the two when we consider the approaches they use. The shepherds who want to lead us toward God come through the door. That is to say, they come openly and honestly. They tell you up front: “I care about your soul. I want you to know, believe and live in the good grace of God.” Spiritual thieves and robbers climb into our lives “by another way.” They avoid talking about the soul, matters of faith, and of God. They assure you that that is your own private matter and that they are not really interested in that. They claim that their schools are not religious, their songs and books are not religious, and that their ideas are not religious. But this is a completely false and dishonest “over the wall,” if you will, claim on their part. Everything in this world is religious whether you want to admit to it or not. Those who say they are not religious are actually hiding their religion. All people have a religion of some kind. They all worship a god of some kind. That God may be the God of the Bible, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or it may be a god of their own imagination. All people have a moral compass. It may be that of God’s word or it may be the rules of life that they have chosen themselves. All people have a savior or some kind. It may be Jesus, or it may be something or someone else. The first difference between spiritual thieves and robbers and good spiritual shepherds is their approach – whether it is open and honest coming through the door of “this is what I believe and this is the God that I follow,” or, “I don’t really talk about things like religion. That’s your own private matter.” 

 

Voice of Spiritual Predators and Spiritual Protectors

 

     Next, Jesus says, “The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (10.3-5).

 

     Last week I was working with the computer application called Google Earth. This app lets you zoom in on almost any part of the world using the technology of satellite images. Just for the fun of it and for memory’s sake I zoomed in on the city of San Diego, to the airport, and to the Marine base that is next to it. I saw something that had made a big impact on my life when I was younger. There is a huge rectangle of asphalt that you can see in the satellite image. It is affectionately known as the “Grinder.” On this Grinder on any given day many platoons of Marines are drilled for hours – marching in formation – “Left , Right, Left, Right…” “Column Right…”  “Column Left…”  “Left Oblique… “ “Right Oblique…” “To the Rear March…” and so on.  On many occasions the drill instructors deliberately march their platoons right next to each other to see if the Marines will follow their orders and not those of another instructor. At first I thought this was a big waste of time. But eventually I saw that they were simply inculcating an instinct – the instinct to follow the correct orders from the correct leaders. Every battlefield is full of confusion. Only the good orders from the good leaders can save. 

 

     Life is full of confusion. Satan loves this confusion and often exploits it when people don’t have the instinct to follow the voice of Jesus. Sometimes he even tries to imitate the voice of Jesus. For example, can you tell which of these statements come from Jesus and which do not:  “Go make disciples of all nations…” Or “Different faiths, like different paths lead to the same place." How about these two: “The Bible was written by men." Or, “God’s word cannot be broken.” Another pair that people often get wrong: “You can do nothing without Me.” Or, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” How about this pair: "Follow the truth in your own heart.” Or, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” 

 

     The voice of Jesus is the voice of truth. It is the voice that calls us to repentance and the voice that calls us to forgiveness for the sake of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. The voice of Jesus does not tell us that we can do whatever we feel or may want to do. The voice of Jesus challenges us to engage in the battle between the sinful flesh and the spirit of faith. The voice of Jesus calls out our pride, lust, deceit, manipulation, jealousy, greed, and indulgence. When we do these things, we remember the voice of Jesus and like the Apostle Peter we weep bitterly. The voice of Jesus also inspires us to faith, hope and love, to humility, kindness, and self-sacrifice. The voice of Jesus bids us to follow in His footsteps as He leads us to the green pastures and cool waters of His word which nourish and satisfy our souls. Our “grinder” is our church, our worship, our Bible study, our family and personal devotions. All these things inculcate the instinct to hear and follow the voice of Jesus. 

 

Results

 

      After explaining the different approaches of the thieves and the shepherds and their voices, Jesus explains the results of following either one. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (10.10).

 

     This is the key difference between the spiritual predators and the spiritual protectors. Jesus taught that the devil is a "murderer" (John 8.44). On the other hand, John said in chapter one, verse four, "In Him (Jesus) was life." When we dig a little deeper into the character of each ,we see why one is the murderer and the other is the life-giver. The murderer is also the father of, and constant promoter of sin. The life-giver is the Savior from sin and the constant promoter of forgiveness, faith, and new obedience. One leads to death and the other leads to life. We can use this distinction to avoid the spiritual predators of the world and seek the spiritual protectors. 

 

     Peter said that the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5.8). Paul said that Satan "transforms himself into an angel of light." And then he goes on to say: "Therefore it is no great thing if his (Satan's) ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2 Corinthians 12.14-15). This is what Jesus means by the thieves and robbers. How are the ministers of Satan, as Paul calls them, transforming themselves into "ministers of righteousness"? 

 

We see this in those who say:

 

* A child conceived in love is a child, but what is conceived by accident is not a child and can be discarded. The Bible says that God forms us in the womb. (Jeremiah 1.5) No conception is an accident.

* You are guaranteed health and wealth if you have enough faith. Paul, Christ's apostle, said "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6.10).

* Homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage is okay because Jesus never addressed it. Jesus said "He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.'" (Matthew 19.4-5). God created marriage for a life-long union of one man and one woman. 

* All religions are willed by God and can lead their followers to salvation. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14.6), and "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me he will be saved" (John 10.9). While any religion may have some truth in it, only Jesus gives us the truth of forgiveness and salvation, therefore only Jesus saves.

* The Bible teaches there should be economic equality for all. The Bible actually teaches "You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19.15). The Bible teaches just economic opportunity not unjust economic equality. 

 

     These are just a few examples of the way that "thieves and robbers" attempt to draw people away from the God of truth and mercy to the gods of lust, self-righteousness, and materialism. They all lead to death and destruction. 

 

          Let’s think a little more about this “life” that Jesus gives “abundantly.” The word for “abundant” is simply the word “more.”  Jesus promises to give life and more and more of it. It doesn’t degrade, deteriorate or diminish over time. Rather, it increases and improves. It literally overflows. How can He say this when it is obvious that our physical lives are always declining from the time we are born? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, promises an abundant life because He alone came to take away the malady of sin that undermines and destroys all life. When you look at the list of false teachings that I just gave you, you will notice that they all focus on the abundance of the flesh, not the abundance of faith, hope, and love. Our physical lives are important because God created them. But if you really want to improve your physical life, you have to begin with the improvement of the spiritual life - and that means addressing sin through repentance, forgiveness, and striving for new obedience to God's will. We don't improve our physical lives, contrary to the false teachers, by denying sin, avoiding repentance, and not following God's will. I love this promise from 2 Corinthians 4.16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” In Christ we are never just dying. We are always dying and rising just like Him. We have an “inward man.” We have a soul. And God wants that soul to live by faith in Him more and more and forever and ever.

 

Conclusion

 

     One of the greatest lies of spiritual predators use to capture their prey is the promise of freedom. "Come over the wall with me," they say. "Don't follow God's commandments or trust in His only way of salvation. You will have a better life." But the Bible and life experience tell of a much different outcome. Freedom from God is not freedom at all. It is slavery and destruction. On the other hand, the sheepfold, the Shepherd, and the pasture promise us protection and life. Amen.