For I am not aware of anything against myself,

but I am not thereby acquitted.

It is the Lord who judges me.

–1 Corinthians 4.4–

A few years ago, I read the testimony of a pastor and theologian, who, for the record, I am at odds with when it comes to her Biblical interpretation and practical theology. However, the one thing that struck me from this person’s testimony was how she found herself believing in Jesus Christ as her Savior.

The individual, now testifying to God’s grace and mercy, had a background of addiction and abuse. One Sunday, a friend invited her to attend the weekly service at a Lutheran church. After participating in the events of a regular church service (i.e. singing, confession, absolution, listening to a sermon, communion, etc.), she asked the friend who invited her, “If I come back next week, will I do those same things, say those same things, have those same things said to me?” When her friend responded, “Yes!” the newly believing woman proclaimed, “Great! Because I need to say and hear those same things every day!”

Throughout my many years of ministry, I have heard a wide range of comments pertaining to the liturgy used during the divine weekly Sunday morning service.

Some have said, “If we serve communion too often, it will just become a dead ritual and won’t mean anything anymore.”

While others have chimed in, “Confessing our sins together with the same words every week makes our confession dull and meaningless.”

Pastors are not some superhuman creation. So, I often find myself in the same place as those making such comments. I can end up doing and saying things week after week without having my heart fully involved in God’s gracious speaking and acting in both my life and the life of the congregation I serve.

Statements and thoughts such as these, that show a disdain for doing the same things over and over throughout a life of faith, also show us clearly the filth of the human heart. When we find ourselves producing such sentiments whether internally or externally, we are denying some of the means of grace that God has put in place in order to do His work in our lives and in the world.

The means of grace are the ways God offers, bestows, and seals to people forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The means of grace are God’s Word and the Sacraments, namely, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Concordia Publishing House. Lutheranism 101: Second Edition, Kindle Locations 2082-2086).

When we think that communion can be done too often and that confession is useless when the same words are used to recognize sin and ask for forgiveness, we are tempted to replace truth with entertainment and gratitude with judgment.

It is the sinful heart that says there is such a thing as too much communion, too much of Jesus’ blood and body, or too much forgiveness. It is a sinful heart that puts us in a place of saying I don’t need this prayer anymore or I don’t need to confess again.

A heart that says I don’t want to do the same things week after week is a heart that is saying, “I no longer need Jesus.”

The moment when your heart becomes hard and you no longer recognize your need to be united to the body and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins is actually the same exact moment you need to come to the table of communion and are be met by God’s amazing saving grace.

The moment when your heart has gone numb to your disobedience to God and you no longer recognize your need for confession is actually the same exact moment that you need to confess your sin of lying to and about God (1 John 1.8).

Communion and confession always have meaning. Our always-changing feelings about communion and confession cannot negate God’s unchangeable promises.

Jesus commands us to confess our sins and come to the table of communion (Luke 22.14-23; Mark 1.15) with God promising to actively work in the lives of those who obey Christ’s words (Matthew 11.28; 1 John 1.9).

I am a saint in God’s eyes because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that covers me and has become mine through faith.

But, I am still a sinner in the flesh and bones of this body here on earth.

That being said, confessing my sins, having my sins absolved in the name of Jesus, and receiving the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of my sins, week after week after week, is an integral part of my Christian life.

There never comes a point in the body that you currently inhabit at which you are no longer a sinner/saint. Because of that, you need to continually confess your sins publicly, as God’s church, and privately, in prayer, to God. You also need to continually hear of the promised forgiveness that is yours through faith in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

The apostle Paul addresses all of this when he writes to the Christians in Rome saying,

“I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but 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. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-24).”

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

August 11, 2017

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

–Ephesians 6.10-20–

When my oldest son gets ready for trick or treating on Halloween (Yes, we allow our children to dress up, have fun with their imaginations, and collect candy from neighbors, without fear that they will grow up to bow down to the evils forces of the world and sacrifice infants on an altar dedicated to Satan), something in his brain is triggered that makes his imagination run wild.

He becomes convinced that he is actually the character the costume depicts. One of his favorite outfits and constant go-tos over the years has been Iron Man.

With each piece of Iron Man’s armor that my son puts onto his body, he is truly believing that he is suiting up to join his teammates in the Avengers to participate in an intergalactic battle between the forces of good and evil.

When he is dressed up as Iron Man, wearing his full suit of armor, my son believes that he is unstoppable, that he is able to stand up to every and any bad guy or destructive force that he encounters while out in the world.

Most of us begin our day with the same excitement and gusto as a child on Halloween.

We get out of bed, grab a cup (or pot) of coffee, take a shower, pick out an outfit (costume) and get dressed, fully believing that we are unstoppable and able to stand strong against every thought, word, and deed from every person and place that we will encounter during our waking hours.

However, as the day goes on and we come up against,

• whiny, cranky, and always demanding kids
• whiny, cranky, and demanding spouses
• whiny, cranky, and demanding bosses
• images that tell you that you are not thin enough
• images that tell you that you are not muscular enough
• the lies that tell you to work harder, put in more hours, in order to collect more earthly possessions
• feelings and thoughts that tell you that you are not good enough
• feelings and thoughts that tell you that you are not lovable
• feelings and thought that tell you that you are not valuable

we come to a place of realizing that we are not as ready as we thought we were to face the day we have been given.

A new record that I have been listening to on repeat recently, has the following lyrical advice,

What are you waiting for?

You gotta get yourself alright!

(Rex Brown, Get Yourself Alright, 2017)

Sayings, such as those found melodically offered up here, are common advice that we will hear throughout our days on earth.

You are told that you are on your own and that in your power you have to get yourself ready to face the world and the challenges it will offer up.

However, the truth of the matter is that when left alone to get ready for the day, you are not properly dressed to face the many battles that will come your way during your waking hours.

The good news is that you are not alone.

The good news is that God, the Creator of all that exists, gives you the outfit you need to face the day and that He helps you put it on.

When God stepped into the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, He suited up to participate in a spiritual battle between the forces of good and evil.

When Jesus wore the armor of God and wielded the sword of truth, the Word of God, the Bible, He was unstoppable and He was able to stand up to every and any scheme of the evil one that he encountered while out and about in the physical world.

Being protected by God’s armor, Jesus stood firm in the face of danger and defeated the power of sin and death that could separate you from God forever.

Through faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God puts His own armor on you, getting you ready for the day.

The same armor that Jesus Christ wore in life, in death, and in the resurrection, is the exact protective gear that God dresses you with on a daily basis.

With God’s armor on, you are unstoppable, you able to stand up to every and any scheme and destructive force that you encounter while out in the world.

That is God’s promise to you.

You will be comforted by God’s truth in the face of lies.

You will be discerning when it comes to right and wrong.

You will bend toward the will of God and not away from it.

You will never be destroyed.

In the end, on the last day, God will look at you and not judge you based on your own life, but God will look at you and judge you based on Jesus’ perfect life lived for you.

In Christ, you have the strength of God.

In Christ, you can stand up against the lies, the lies that you whisper to yourself internally and the lies that others speak at you and about you externally.

In Christ, you can be confident that God speaks to you through His Word, the Bible, and that God hears you and answers you when you pray.

In Christ, and only in Christ, can you live every second of everyday with hope—a hope that you are the recipient of God’s promise, to protect you and provide for you until your last breath on earth and then eternally after that.

Stand confident today.

No matter what comes your way.

No matter how you are treated.

No matter what is said about you.

No matter what is given to you or taken from you.

No matter what you are thinking about yourself.

Without Christ, you are not ready for the day.

In Christ, you are fully dressed for battle.

I want to leave you with the lyrics to another song, a song that reminds you of your weakness but of Jesus’ strength for you,

“The arm of flesh will fail you,

Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor;

Each piece put on with prayer.

Where duty calls or danger,

Be never wanting there.”

(Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, LSB 660: 3)

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

August 6, 2017

He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and a buckler.

–Psalm 91.4—

Many years ago, when I was a wee little lad, probably around the age of 6 or 7, I went on a road trip with my Grandmother. We drove from New York down to South Carolina to visit an aunt who was living in that State at the time.

One of the only memories I have from that trip is the memory of hiding under a kitchen table.

I was outside riding a bike with my cousin when all of a sudden we heard an ear-piercingly loud siren that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Without hesitation, my cousin jumped off of his bike and started running to the house. I had no idea what was going on but it seemed important so I also left my bike in the middle of the street and ran into the house closely behind my cousin.

When we got in the house, we found my aunt and grandmother huddled under the kitchen table and frantically waving for us to come and join them. So, we got down, and wiggled our way under the table and into the comforting arms of the two women who were caring for us that week. The siren continued to fill the air the whole time this frantic search for a covering was going.

While under the shelter of the table, it was explained to me that this was a hurricane and tornado safety drill. In places like South Carolina, these sort of safety drills happen randomly at all times of the day and night. The purpose of the siren and mad dash to gather under the kitchen table was to provide protection from the forces of nature associated with extreme weather conditions.

The kitchen table above me, and the arms of my grandmother and aunt were all providing protection for me in the event of the house collapsing above me.

When the crowing, hissing, or growling of an animal predator is heard, when the crunching of leaves under the boot of a human hunter is getting louder, when the clapping of thunder and the flashing of lightning fill the sky, when strong winds start bending the trees above, when the smoke and heat of a brush fire approach, the mother spreads her body out and calls her babies to run under the pinions of her wings to find refuge and a shield.

The pinion is the outermost part of the bird’s wing. So, in order for the baby birds to be under the pinions of the mother’s wing, her wings have to be fully extended and completely stretched out. In this position, the mama bird ensures maximum and complete protection for her children. In this position the mother bird is making herself vulnerable to harm. This act of the mother shows her love for her children through her willingness to give up her own life to save theirs.

On the cross, Jesus fully extends and completely stretches out his arms. In this position, your Savior ensures maximum and complete protection for you. Jesus spreads out His body, making Himself vulnerable to harm and in that act He shows you His love for you through His willingness to give up His own life to save you.

Many years ago, the rock band Creed wrote and recorded a song that quickly became an international anthem. Without directly knowing it, people all around the globe connected with and sang in unison words that spoke the good news of Jesus Christ on the cross when they participated in repeating the following chorus (read from the perspective of God speaking to you):

With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I’ll show you love
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open

On the cross, the siren sounded because the wrath of God was coming to crush you who are sinful by nature.

At the cross, God, your Father in Heaven, calls you to stand under His Son so that you are shielded from the destruction and death that your sin deserves.

On the cross, Jesus spread out His arms and protects you from the wrath of God that should be fully poured out on you.

On the cross, Jesus paid the price for your sins in full.

You have been shielded from ultimate destruction and are continually shielded from ultimate destruction.

Today, know that God is alive and active and has his arms fully spread out, holding you close, and keeping you safe in the midst of trials and temptations that are attempting to destroy you by distracting you from loving God and loving one another.

Jesus has protected you and shielded you with His arms wide open on the cross.

Go into the world today with your arms wide open protecting and shielding others.

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

July 28, 2017

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and the LORD tests hearts.

–Proverbs 17.3–

This coming September, my wife and I will be celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary. What most people don’t know is that I have cooked almost every dinner for us over that time period. That statement is not an exaggeration.

This arrangement works for us because I love to cook. As an artist, it is a creative outlet for me and therefore is very calming and relaxing.

One of my wife’s favorite meals is mussels.

The problem with mussels is that they need a lot of work done to them to clean them so that they can be cooked with.

Due to their natural state of living in sand and mud, the mussels have be soaked in a flour and water bath for 45 minutes which causes them to spit out any sand or dirt that is inside the shell. Next, they must be scrubbed with a wire brush to remove the caked on debris from the outside of the shell. And, finally the tough fibers that hold the mussel to the pier, rope or rock, must be pulled out.

The truth is that mussels are naturally impure and cannot clean themselves.

A chef needs to come to them and remove the impurity.

A crucible is a ceramic bowl. In that bowl, a metal smith will heat up silver that by nature is unclean and impure.

By heating the silver in the crucible, the dirt deeply imbedded in the silver separates out rises to the top of the crucible. At that point, the metal worker skims off the junk from the top and removes the debris that makes the silver impure. At that point the smith now has material that is useful for making products to help him support his family and work.

The truth is that sliver is naturally impure and cannot clean itself.

A metal smith needs to come to the silver and remove the impurity.

Romans 3.23 says, “for [you] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

And, Romans 7.18 says, “nothing good dwells in [you], that is, in [your] flesh. For [you] have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

Due to your natural state of being, born into and living in sin, you heart is impure and unclean when tested against God’s standards for life and love. Therefore, you need a lot of work done to you in order to make your heart clean you so that you can be acceptable to God in Heaven.

The truth is that you are naturally impure and cannot clean yourself.

You need someone to come to you and remove the impurity of sin.

The amazing thing is that the Bible also tells you exactly who it is that comes to you to remove impurity in your heart.

Romans 5.8-8 tells you that, “while [you] were still weak, at the right time Christ died for [your ungodliness]…God shows his love for [you] in that while [you] were still [a sinner], Christ died for [you].”

Through faith Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for you, Jesus has done the work of making you into one with a heart that is called clean and pure before the throne of God in Heaven.

As the days go on, the Lord will continue to test your heart, reveal your sin, and speak to you the forgiveness and purity given through faith in Jesus Christ.

Rejoice in your salvation!

Amen.

Pastor Fred

July 24, 2017

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

–Matthew 4:19–

On Sunday morning my oldest son came downstairs after dressing himself for church and proclaimed to the family, “This shirt is the perfect shirt! It says, ‘Follow My Lead!’ So, the other kids will follow me to Children’s Church!”

As a parent, it is amazing to see the boldness of my son as he joyfully walks in the faith that he received in baptism.

Despite my failures in parenting him (i.e. letting laziness take over and choosing many nights not to read the Bible with him), God, his Father in Heaven is faithful in parenting him.

Alongside his desire for sharing the love of Jesus with others, my son loves to pray. The one thing he WILL NOT let me forget to do is pray with him every night before bed.

One of my son’s nightly prayers that he prays without prompt from me is, “God, let more people come to church to hear about Jesus.”

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He gathered men and women to himself with the call to “Follow me,” (or, in order words, “Follow my lead!”) and gave them the promise that He would do all of the work in their lives to “make them fishers of men.”

What God, the Father in Heaven was saying through Jesus in that simple call and promise was that Jesus would forgive sins and change hearts to bend to the will of God. By following Jesus’ lead, they would first be loved and would love in response.

At the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, in the ultimate act of love, He put the cross on His back, on which He would die, gathered men and women to himself with the call to “Follow me,” and led them to the place of crucifixion where He received the wrath of God poured out on Him to point of death to pay the price for your sin.

Today, walk boldly and joyfully in the saving faith you have received.

Follow Jesus because He has first followed God, the Father in Heaven, all the way to the cross to save you from your sin.

Despite your failures this week, God is calling you and leading you with the gentle and comforting words, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Today, you are metaphorically dressed in a shirt that says “Christian.” In other words, your shirt says, “Follow My Lead!” People will follow you. Lead them to the cross of Jesus for forgiveness, rest, and peace.

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

July 21, 2017

“…you have given the command to save me…”

–Psalm 71.3–

My 5-year-old son recently received a backyard explorer’s kit. The kit includes a small, clear plastic, oval container with magnifying glasses built into the structure. The container is supposed to be used to capture insects and provide the chance to examine the creepy crawlers up close and personal.

With each insect caught and housed in the scientific study capsule comes the question, “Can we keep it in the house?”

As parents, we do not want to see the bug wither away and die (or maybe we don’t want them escaping into our residence and making themselves comfortable under our couches, in our cabinets, or in our beds), so we give the command to release the creature into the environment that provides for their needs, keeps them safe from death, and promotes life. Because of our child’s new found love of trapping bugs, we are continually speaking words that save life, “Let that insect go!”

We see the insect trapped and unable to help itself. So, we pour out compassion toward it.

In these words from Psalm 71, the psalmist is reminiscing about his life with God. In written form, the author reveals that the trials of his time on earth were always met by God’s goodness working to strengthen and rescue him. In moments where he felt trapped and was unable to help himself, God intervened. God had compassion on him and gave the command from His Heavenly Throne that saved him.

Caught without faith in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins, the magnifying glass used to examine the I ntricacies of your being, reveal that in the womb you were hostile to God (Psalm 51.5) and outside of the womb you continue to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23). Upon further examination, it is shown that because of your sin, your brokenness, your corruption, your self-centered living, your lack of love for God and your lack of love for those around you, you are separated from God and deserve to die being separated from God forever (Romans 6.23).

As your Creator, God, the Father in Heaven, does not want to see you wither away or die. He does not want you escaping into the residence of the fallen world and making yourself comfortable, so He gives the command to release you from the burden of the Law that crushes you with it’s demands (Colossians 2.14) into His eternal environment where He provides for your needs (Matthew 6.8), keeps you safe from death (John 10.28-30), and promotes life (John 10.10). Because of your love for the momentary pleasure and gratification of sin, God is continually speaking words that save your life—“Let my people go!” (Exodus 9.1; Mark 1.15; 1 John 1.9; John 3.16-17).

God sees you trapped and unable to help yourself and pours out compassion toward you in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Amen.

Pastor Fred.

July 13, 2017

Grace and peace— these two words embrace the whole of Christianity. Grace forgives sin, and peace stills the conscience. The two devils who plague us are sin and conscience, the power of the Law and the sting of sin (1 Cor. 15: 56). But Christ has conquered these two monsters and trodden them underfoot, both in this age and in the age to come. The world does not know this; therefore it cannot teach anything sure about how to overcome sin, conscience, and death. Only Christians have this kind of teaching and are equipped and armed with it, so that they can overcome sin, despair, and eternal death. It is a teaching that is given only by God; it does not proceed from free will, nor was it invented by human reason or wisdom.

These two words, “grace” and “peace,” contain a summary of all of Christianity. Grace contains the forgiveness of sins, a joyful peace, and a quiet conscience. But peace is impossible unless sin has first been forgiven, for the Law accuses and terrifies the conscience on account of sin. And the sin that the conscience feels cannot be removed by pilgrimages, vigils, labors, efforts, vows, or any other works; in fact, sin is increased by works. The more we work and sweat to extricate ourselves from sin, the worse off we are. For there is no way to remove sin except by grace… Because the world does not understand this doctrine, it neither can nor will tolerate it. It brags about free will, about our powers, about our works— all these as means by which to earn and attain grace and peace, that is, the forgiveness of sins and a joyful conscience. But the conscience cannot be quiet and joyful unless it has peace through this grace, that is, through the forgiveness of sins promised in Christ… Therefore your bones and mine will know no rest until we hear the Word of grace and cling to it firmly and faithfully.

–Martin Luther–

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol. 26: “Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4;” J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, ed., Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis.

Preface:

These words are for you.

If you are currently married, these words provide understanding for your current situation.

If you are single, dating, or engaged, these words provide understanding for your future situation.

If you are divorced, first, I want to say that I am truly sorry for the pain, suffering, anger, bittiness, and hurt that you have experienced. Second, I want to comfort you with the good news that we all have, the good news that you are Jesus Christ’s bride, first and foremost, and that marriage is perfect in every way and will last forever. It is a marriage in which you will never be hurt, never suffer, and never be forsaken.

Whether you are young or old, married, engaged, dating, or single, male or female, God has been gracious to you and gives you these words about marriage.

[22] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

 [25] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30] because we are members of his body. [31] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [33] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

–Ephesians 5.22-33–

Theologians Andreas Köstenberger and David Jones sum up the West’s current situation well when they write,

“For the first time in its history, Western civilization is confronted with the need to define the meaning of the terms “marriage” and “family.” What until now has been considered a “normal” family, made up of a father, mother, and a number of children, has in recent years begun to be viewed as one among several options.” (God, Marriage, and Family, 25)

That being said, Biblical Scholar John Stott summarizes God’s definition of marriage for us.

“Marriage is an exclusive heterosexual covenant between one man and one woman, ordained and sealed by God, preceded by the leaving of parents, consummated in sexual union, issuing in a permanent mutually supportive partnership, and normally crowned with the gift of children.” (Involvement, 163)

In response to God’s ordaining of marriage, Paul gives the Christians in the city of Ephesus instructions for their relationships.

Paul’s instructions are simple and he defines each gender role with one command.

To the woman he says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands.”

And, to the men he says, “Husbands, love your wives.”

In the sports of ultimate fighting and wrestling, there is something called a submission hold. When one fighter has his opponent held in a painful position where he can’t move or escape, this is a submission hold. Left without any other options, the opponent is forced to either submit (give up) or deal with the extreme pain of a dislocated joint,torn tendons or worse.

Our self-centered mindset causes us to get caught up in the commands present in this section of Paul’s letter as if these instructions for marriage were putting us into a submission hold where we either give in or suffer pain for the rest of our lives.

With this self-centered mindset, we only hear, “Wives, SUBMIT to your own husbands!” and “Husbands, LOVE your wives!”

When we only hear those two sentences and neglect the rest of the words surrounding them, we immediately react with an attitude that says, “Oh, no he didn’t just say that!”

We experience feelings of anxiety and anger believing that Paul’s commands demand us to be slaves to our spouses.

We believe that these commands hold us in a position where we can’t move or escape.

We believe that if we want to make it out of marriage alive, we have to give in, give up, and begrudingly do what the other desires for us to do.

We begin to feel like we are going to spend our lives as prisoners.

We huff and puff while thinking, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do” or “I make the money and that makes me king of this castle and everyone else in it is my servant!”

We also begin to justify our selfishness with thoughts such as, “I have a college degree and I am going to get exactly what I want out of life!,” “I have a job and I am entitled to get my way!,” “I spend my day busting my hump, I deserve to disappear into my man cave when I get home!,” and “Weekends are for sports and beer. Stop bothering me!”

When we ONLY hear, “Wives, SUBMIT to your own husbands!” and “Husbands, LOVE your wives!,” we are missing out on the good news found in the majority of these 12 verses.

These two commands that define the gender roles within a marriage relationship are beautifully tucked into a thick nest of good news.

All around the commands for a woman and a man bound together in marriage are words telling us who Jesus Christ is and what Jesus Christ has done for us.

You who find yourself having faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are included in the Church and are therefore part of Christ’ living and active body. As a member of Jesus’ Church, you have the grace of God poured out upon you and Ephesians 5 tells you that:

• Jesus is your Savior.
• Jesus gave Himself up for you.
• Jesus sanctified you.
• Jesus cleansed you.
• Jesus washes you through Baptism and His Word, the Bible.
• Jesus presents you to God the Father in Heaven without any wrinkle or blemish.
• Jesus makes you holy.
• Jesus nourishes you.
• And, Jesus cherishes you.

You are loved by Jesus.

Through Jesus’ submission to the will of God the Father, the will that sent Jesus to live, die, and rise again, Jesus holds you close, gently assuring you that you are loved, cared for, and provided for.

God’s grace has been poured out upon you and your sins have been forgiven and eternal life is yours.

God looks at you and calls you perfect and holy because of Jesus’ completed work for you.

When you believe in the incomprehensible love that Jesus has for you, a love that caused Him to die on the cross for you, you cannot help but want to submit to Him and His authority because you know that He will never harm you but will always love and accept you.

One thing becomes clear to you is that Jesus does not have you in a painful submission hold, forcing you to obey Him and love Him.

Through His Spirit placed in you, you now want to do those things!

Outside of Christ, you are resistant and you hate.

In Christ you are submissive and loving.

Charles Spurgeon, the 19^th century English preacher, said this about Jesus’ love:

“This love of Christ is the most amazing thing under Heaven, if not in Heaven itself. How often have I said to you that if I had heard that Christ pitied us, I could understand it. If I had heard that Christ had mercy upon us, I could comprehend it. But when it is written that he actually loves us, that is quite another and a much more extraordinary thing! Love between mortal and mortal is quite natural and comprehensible, but love between the Infinite God and us poor sinful finite creatures, though conceivable in one sense, is utterly inconceivable in another. Who can grasp such an idea? Who can fully understand it? Especially when it comes in this form—“ HE” (read it in large capitals) “loved me, and gave Himself for me”— this is the miracle of miracles!” (“ Christ’s Love to His Spouse,” emphasis in original)

If the starting point for marriage is me, then I am starting at the wrong place. Marriage exists for Jesus Christ’s glory. Let your marriage be an offering of worship as you love each other, forgive each other, and serve each other. Let your relationship serve as an aroma of Christ before a watching world.

Because Jesus submitted to God and loves you without limit, wives, submit to your own husbands as the Church submits to Christ.

Know that your husband loves you.

Know that your husband cares for you.

Know that your husband provides for you.

Know that your husband is willing to give Himself up for you.

Husbands, love your wives as Jesus loves the Church.

Care for her.

Provide for her.

Put your wife’s needs above your own.

And always be willing to give yourself up for her.

In all of this, prayerfully dwell on the love of Christ daily, as you seek to live out a Spirit-filled marriage.

Amen.

Pastor Fred

July 9, 2017

“I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.”

–Joshua 24.13–

Each of us lives on land on which we labor. In order to sustain and maintain the property that our homes occupy, our hands have to get dirty, our clothes have to get torn and worn, and our muscles have to ache. Mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, raking the leaves, weeding the garden, power washing the siding and/or deck, and shoveling snow, are just some of the physically intense activities that require our blood, sweat, and tears on a regular basis in order to keep our land safe, healthy, and hospitable.

We also live in cities that we help build. Some help build the cities that they live in directly through the vocations of construction, carpentry, iron working, electrical engineering, etc. While others help build the cities that they live in through the indirect work of paying taxes to support the vocations that are directly involved in planning, creating, and executing the livable space that they occupy.

And, finally, each of us eats from the fruit of vineyards, orchards, and farms that we plant. Again, some do the direct work of providing food for themselves through the vocations of farming and husbandry. While others do the indirect work of providing food for themselves by purchasing the fruits, vegetables, and meat, that in turn pay those in the vocations that do the hands on, blood, sweat, and tears, work of planting, harvesting, and raising of animals.

You know what it is to work hard and earn what you have.

You also know what it is to work hard and fail.

There are times that you labor for hours, days, weeks, months, and even years without being able to obtain what you need and want.

You have pulled many all-nighters while in school only to receive a failing grade, or a grade less than you hoped to receive.

You have worked overtime, hardly ever called out sick, and worked every holiday, and never received a raise, a raise that reflects the work you have done, a promotion, or even simple recognition for the dedication you have shown.

You have loved as best as you could only to end up divorced, separated from your children, or both.

You have served in any and every ministry at church, put countless hours in behind the scenes as well as in front of the scenes, never to be thanked privately or publically, and never to have been offered the position within God’s local kingdom that you have desired more than anything else.

You have done your best in life but still lack confidence that God loves you and cares about you.

God’s promise to you is the promise of the rest and peace that comes from having land and food that will never fade, decay, rot, be stolen or destroyed.

The land that you are promised is a place in God’s Kingdom of Heaven.

The food that you are promised is the provision for all of your needs today and forever.

Due to the sin that corrupts, you see this promise of God as something that will only be received as a compensation for the hard work you have done.

However, you fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23) and cannot offer God anything in exchange for God’s land and food. Only a completely different person, a completely new person with a new mind can know, understand, and believe that their work leads only to death and separation from God (Romans 6.23). Only a new creation can believe and trust in the truth that Jesus Christ did all of the work to provide for their needs and secure a place in God’s Kingdom through the forgiveness of their sin (1 Corinthians 2.16; 2 Corinthians 5.17).

God, the Father Almighty, speaks to you through His servant Joshua and gives you the good news that He is giving you the gift of land in a city and food to nourish your body without any work on your part. God, the giver of good gifts, is providing you with confidence, security, provision for your needs, and hope in a perfect and eternal future.

Through faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God, your Creator and Redeemer, promises you and inheritance with all of those that He calls His children. God promises you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29.11).

The hope you have been given is the hope that you are and will always be called right and just before God’s throne because of Jesus Christ’s work on your behalf. Jesus worked during His life to be completely obedient to God for you. Jesus worked on the cross to release you from your debt before God, incurred by your sin, and forgiven by His gracious and merciful death (Colossians 2.13-15). God worked when He miraculously raised Jesus from the dead, defeating the power of sin and death for you (Romans 6.8-10).

The future that you have been given is defined by rest and peace. It is a future defined as being free of pain, free of suffering, free of mourning, and free of tears (Revelation 21.4).

You did not labor for land that lasts.

You have not built the Heavenly city.

You have not planted food that truly nourishes.

Because of God’s love for you, you have been gifted land and a city for which you did not work, but for which Jesus worked to obtain for you.

Because of God’s love for you, you have been given food to eat for which you did not labor, but for which Jesus labored to obtain for you.

You will live on the eternal land that God created for you in the eternal city that God built for you, being sustained by the eternal garden that God planted, harvests, and uses to provide for all of your needs.

Amen.

Pastor Fred

July 6, 2017

While at the gym this morning, attempting to lose weight and shape what I have been given by God back into something that resembles a human body (a common personal thread here on this blog), the following lyrics streamed from my playlist and coursed through my ear canals,

“Show me a leader that won’t compromise

Show me a leader so hope never dies

Show me a leader that knows what is right

Show me a leader so hope can survive.”

The band is Alter Bridge. The song is titled, “Show Me A Leader.”

Written and released during the 2016 Presidential election, the song comes with politically charged words from musicians writing from inside a politically divided nation.  To those watching the debates, tweets, smear campaigns, and verbal attacks of the candidates and their respective representative political parties, all hope seemed to be lost for a truthful, just, and upright leader.

What the boys in Alter Bridge are asking to see is impossible to find when looking only at finite men and women.

Every man and woman is brought into this world corrupted by sin and separated from God.  When these men and women are put into positions of leadership, they will only do what comes naturally.  They will act selfishly.  They will put themselves and their personal needs above others. They will lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead in the race.  They will hide, deceive, and bend the truth to accomplish their agendas.

When looking at candidates from the human race,

you will not see a leader who won’t compromise,

you will not see a leader with whom hope never dies,

you will not see a leader who knows (and does) what’s right,

you will not see a leader with whom hope survives.

However, when you look at the Godman, Jesus Christ, you see the perfect leader sent to take you back to your Father in Heaven by forgiving your sins and giving you eternal life.

Jesus came proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1.15).  Jesus also offered leadership to those who heard and believed the good news of God’s grace when he spoke the words, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4.19).

While Jesus was alive and active in the flesh of His human body, He trained the men and women who answered the call to be led by Him, with words and deeds of mercy and then commanded them to follow His example as they lived their individual and corporate lives (John 13.1-20).

In the person and work of Jesus Christ, God has given you a truthful, just, and upright Savior.

Jesus is the leader that won’t compromise and who knows (and does) what’s right.  When offered the riches, power and status of the world, in exchange for denying God the Father’s goodness, Jesus spoke the truth of God’s provision for all of His needs  (Matthew 4.1-11)

Jesus is the leader with whom hope never dies and with whom hope can survive. The hope that you have in Jesus as a leader comes from the fact that He is unchangeable.  You are reminded by the author of Hebrews that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13.8).  You will not wake up tomorrow or the day after that to find that Jesus has lied to you, given you false hope, or harmed you.  Because of God’s love for you, you can live confidently knowing that Jesus is leading you every day to His cross for forgiveness and out of the grave for eternal life.

God has shown you the leader that won’t compromise.

God has shown you the leader with whom hope never dies.

God has shown you the leader who knows (and does) what’s right.

God has shown you the leader with whom hope can survive.

Today, follow Jesus (Matthew 16.24-25).

Today, perform acts of grace and mercy out of the love with which you have first been loved (1 John 4.19).

Today, lead others to the cross as you have been led to the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Today, lead others out of the grave as you have been led out of the grave into eternal life.

Amen.

Pastor Fred

July 5, 2017