Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Inspired By Awe

Psalm 34.11-14

In 2022 Chapman University surveyed adults on 95 fears. It turns out that the majority of Americans suffer from tremendous fear. Many–perhaps as high as 85 percent of the population–live with a sense of impending doom. (This is) a classic sign of clinical anxiety.

The survey follows trends over time and identifies new fears as they emerge. The survey is a nationally representative sample that gives us insight into what terrifies America. Fears are ranked by the percent of Americans who reported being afraid or very afraid.

Top 10 Fears of 2022 by % of Very Afraid or Afraid were:

  1. Corrupt government officials 62.1

2. People I love becoming seriously ill 60.2

3. Russia using nuclear weapons 59.6

4. People I love dying 58.1

5. The U.S. involved in another world war 56.0

6. Pollution of drinking water 54.5

7. Not having enough money for the future 53.7

8. Economic/financial collapse 53.7

9. Pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes 52.5

10. Biological warfare 51.5

A general overview of America’s top 10 fears in the 2022 survey suggests that Americans’ fears center on five main topics: corrupt government officials, harm to a loved one, war, environmental concerns, and economic concerns numbers.

Do you fear anything on this list?

Do you have a fear that you would add to this list?

What are you afraid of, right now, as you sit there in the pew on this beautiful September Sunday morning?

In this morning’s Biblical text, once again from Psalm 34, we are going to hear King David talk about fear.  But, the fear he is going to talk about is not a fear that makes you run away, cover your eyes, and cower in a corner.

Instead, King David is going to talk about a fear that gives you hope and confidence for today and tomorrow.

Let’s return to Psalm 34 together now.

Psalm 34:11–14 says:

[11] Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

[12] What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good?

[13] Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

[14] Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.  (ESV)

The first thing that King David does in these verses is to ask us to listen to him.

Now, in my arrogance, whenever someone says, “Listen to me,” I angrily and internally ask, “Who are you? Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?”

So, let’s ask that question, “Why should we listen to King David?”

Well, as we read through King David’s life story in the Bible, we come to learn that he has had many experiences with God providing for his needs, protecting him from harm, and most importantly forgiving his sin. (See the past two messages on Psalm 34)

King David isn’t just talking talk.  

King David is walking the walk about which he talks.

So, in listening to King David, and being obedient to what he says when he instructs us to repent of sin, believe in a good and gracious God, and rejoice in the forgiveness of sin and enteral life that God freely gives us, we can trust the source.

When I teach leadership courses, I always teach that a leader can only lead someone as far as they have personally gone in their life. 

David has gone all the way into the hell of sin and has been brought all the way back to joy of Heaven by God’s grace alone. 

Therefore, since King David has been there, he is able to help us know and understand that the only way from the hell of sin to the joy of Heaven is through the help of a gracious and merciful and loving God who is found in the person and work of Jesus for us.

Ok, now we are trusting and listening to King David (hopefully).

The first thing King David tells us to do is to fear the Lord.

What does it mean to fear the Lord?

Does it mean to be scarred of him?

In one sense, yes.  We should have a healthy fear of God because in His holiness and power, he could choose to crush us and destroy us for our sin which is disobedience to him and his commandments for life and love.

However, to fear the Lord also means to stand in awe of him.  

Awe is a feeling of reverential respect and/or healthy fear mixed with wonder.

We stand in awe of God because even though he has every right to punish us at ever turn because of our sin, he instead chooses to love us and lead us to repentance and forgiveness of sin through faith in the work that he has done for us and completed for us in Jesus’ perfectly lived life, Jesus’ death on the cross, and Jesus’ resurrection from the grave.

In one simple statement, we stand in awe of God because he is nothing but gracious to us.

Now that we understand what a healthy fear of God is, let us see what the Bible tells us about this healthy fear of God.

Job 28:28 says:

[28] …‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” (ESV)

Psalm 111:10 says:

[10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

His praise endures forever! (ESV)

Proverbs 1:7 says:

[7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction. (ESV)

Proverbs 8:13 says:

[13] The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate. (ESV)

Proverbs 10:27 says:

[27] The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short. (ESV)

Proverbs 14:26 says:

[26] In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge. (ESV)

And, Proverbs 14:27 says:

[27] The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. (ESV)

The Bible says many more things about the benefits of living with faith in awe of God.

But, in these few examples, we hear that for you who trust is God’s power, grace, and mercy, and stand in awe of God, you will be wise.

When you stand in awe of God, you will turn away from evil.

When you stand in awe of God, you will will have a Godly understanding and knowledge to help you make decisions day after day.

When you stand in awe of God, you will have a strong distaste in your mouth for evil and wrongdoing.

When you stand in awe of God, you will have a prolonged life.

When you stand in awe of God, you will have confidence and hope for the day because you know that regardless of what happens to you, you have a God who loves you and will bring you home to His Kingdom in the end.

When you stand in awe of God, you will have life eternal in Heaven and not death eternal in Hell.

The March/April 2016 issue of Psychology Today attempted to give readers several reasons to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder with their article “It’s Not All About You!” The article mentioned the following non-biblical sources about our need for awe and wonder:

  • University of Pennsylvania researchers defined awe as the “emotion of self-transcendence, a feeling of admiration and elevation in the face of something greater than the self.”
  • A popular theoretical physicist wrote: “Awe gives you an existential shock. You realize that you are hardwired to be a little selfish, but you are also dependent on something bigger than yourself.” Being enraptured is a way “to remove the tyranny of the ego.”
  • Therapist Robert Leahy, PhD writes: “Awe is the opposite of rumination. It clears away inner turmoil with a wave of outer immensity.”
  • Social scientists have found that when people experience a sense of awe, they feel more empathetic and more connected with others. One scientist concluded, “Wonder pulls us together—a counterforce to all that seems to be tearing us apart.”
  • The Wharton School of Business evaluated the New York Times’ most emailed articles and found that the ones that evoked awe were the most shared.

In his book, Desiring God, pastor and theologian, John Piper, wrote the following:

Suppose you were exploring an unknown glacier in the north of Greenland in the dead of winter. Just as you reach a sheer cliff with a spectacular view of miles and miles of jagged ice and snow covered mountains, a terrible storm breaks in. The wind is so strong that the fear arises that it might blow you and your party right over the cliff. But in the midst of it you discover a cleft in the ice where you can hide. Here you feel secure, but the awesome might of the storm rages on and you watch it with a kind of trembling pleasure as it surges out across the distant glaciers.

At first, there was the fear that this terrible storm and awesome terrain might claim your life. But then you found a refuge and gained the hope that you would be safe. But not everything in the feeling called fear vanished. Only the life-threatening part. There remains the trembling, the awe, the wonder, the feeling that you would never want to tangle with such a storm or be the adversary of such a power.

God’s power is behind the unendurable cold of Arctic storms. Yet he cups his hand around us and says, “Take refuge in my love and let the terrors of my power become the awesome fireworks of your happy night sky.”

Where do we learn to stand in awe of God?

In His Word, the Holy Bible.

Why do we learn to stand in awe of God?  

We learn to stand in awe of God because He, the Creator and Redeemer of all that exists in time and space, has the power to punish us because of our sin against Him but, instead, has chosen to continue to love us to the point of dying for us.

In the person and work of Jesus Christ, God, our Father in Heaven, stepped into the flesh of Jesus Christ and lived a perfect and innocent life when measured against God’s standards for life and love, died a sacrificial death to pay the price of the debt incurred because of our sin, and rose from the grave three days later completely defeating the power of sin and death that had a hold on us.

And, simply through faith in Jesus alone, we are given credit for that perfect and innocent life when measured against God’s standards for life and love, that death to sin, and that defeating of sin today, tomorrow, and forever.

David next moves on in this Psalm to encourage us to properly respond to God’s goodness that leaves us standing in awestruck fear of a grace that is unlike anything else we have ever known or experienced.

In response to God’s unconditional and unending goodness toward us, David tells us that our response should be both faith and action.

King David mentions two faith empowered changes in our life that affect our actions.

King David encourages us to live our faith in Jesus through honoring God with the words that come out of our mouth and always choosing to seek peace in relationships instead of conflict.

These life changes that come through faith have benefits for us and the world around us just like fearing God did.

Let’s hear a bit about words and seeking peace from other places in Scripture.

Proverbs 18:21 says:

[21] Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits. (ESV)

Ephesians 4:29 says:

[29] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (ESV)

Psalm 37:37 says:

[37] Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is a future for the man of peace. (ESV)

And, Matthew 5:9 says:

[9] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (ESV)

In Jesus, we don’t just have forgiveness and a place in Heaven.  We also have a new life on this earth where we are empowered everyday by the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus on this earth.  We are strengthened and given the ability (although still often tainted by sin) to love God and love our neighbor.

As you walk in faith this week, living in awe of God’s goodness and grace toward you, make Psalm 19.14 your morning prayer.

Psalm 19:14 says:

[14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 15, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

I Lack No Good Thing

Psalm 34.8-10

For those of us that grew up in or around the church, and maybe even if we didn’t, Psalm 23 is probably familiar.

The beginning of Psalm 23 is usually read or memorized as “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

However, when I was studying Hebrew and began to read the Old Testament part of the Bible in the original language, I noticed something very different if Psalm 23.

The word that is often translated into English as want, is actually the word need in the original Hebrew.

So, it would actual state that, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack [any good thing].”

This brings a whole new level of confidence to our relationship with God when we realize that, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack [any good thing].”

To lack means to not have or to be in need.  

To lack means that something is missing from your life.

In our Biblical text for this morning, continuing in Psalm 34 where we left off last week, King David, the writer of this song, as well as Psalm 23, returns to the theme of having everything we need for life and love when our trust in God, the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth and the Redeemer of humanity.

Let’s hear King David’s words now from Psalm 34.8-10.

[8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[9] Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.(ESV)

Here in this morning’s Biblical text, King David is confidently stating that when you walk this world with faith in God, the God who stepped into the flesh of Jesus Christ to deliver you, save you, and redeem you from the death and destruction that comes because of you Sin, you will never have an unmet need.

King David assures you that God, as revealed only in the Holy Bible, gives you every last thing you need to make it through this day, this week, this month, this year, this life, and into His eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

This means that everything you need physically, you will have!

This means that everything you need mentally, you will have!

This means that everything you need emotionally, you will have!

This means that everything you need spiritually, you will have!

Now, here’s the thing.  You may be sitting here and saying, “But, Pastor Fred, I am in need.”  

And, my first question to you would be, “Do you have actually have a need? Or, do you just want something that you don’t have and are mislabeling it a need?”

Do you have food for today?

Do you have clothes for your body?

Do you have a roof over your head?

Do you have faith in Jesus as both Lord and Savior—as the only one who is able to provide forgiveness for your sin and reconnect you back into a relationship with God?

If you answered, “Yes,” to all of those questions, then you have everything you need!

However, let me tell you, we are REALLY good at mislabeling our wants as needs.

For example:

If you have food in your home, then a meal at a restaurant is not a need. It is a want.

If you have clothes on your body, then a new addition to your wardrobe is not a need.  It is a want.

If you a have a consistent way to get from point A to point B, then the newest model of a car or a classic model of a car is not a need.  It is a want.

A lavish vacation is not a need.  It is a want.  

An glass of wine or a gummy laced with cannabis is not a need.  It is want. 

A new video game system is not a need. It is a want.

What are you saying you “need” today, but is actually just something you want?

I am confident you have a long list of wants that you labeled needs because I have a long list too!

In order to understand God’s goodness in always giving us what we need, let’s remember that King David is writing this song, found in Psalm 34, while living in the sufferings of the present age.

As we started to see last week, king David has a one track mind in Psalm 34. God has just rescued king David from the hands of the Philistine people shortly after he killed one of their heroes, Goliath, the giant soldier.

It is important to note that even while experiencing hardships, David is still able to say God has given him everything he needs for the day.

It is because of this great deliverance and salvation, or delivering and saving from fear and trouble, that king David is ecstatically excited, and wants to tell you about how good, and great, and merciful, and loving, and kind, God the father in heaven is.

I was reading something written by one of my mentors this week in which he addressed the topic of God providing for all of our needs even while we suffer from the brokenness and fallenness of our world.

He said:

Living in the “sufferings of the present age” means living with the lot of wanting more. In this agony where Christ hung, he calls out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” John’s Gospel puts it only slightly differently: “It is finished.” This is what we have, the basis of our faith, that holds on, as David Ford says, during our overwhelming. “This overwhelming,” writes Stanley Hauerwas, “[allows] us to live not because we have answers to all the world’s troubles, but because God has given us a way to live without answers” (88). 

But before we grow our beards out, throw up our hands and retreat into the mystery of [the monastic cave life], let us be clear about what we can say, because too often the “sufferings of this present age” force pastors and theologians—and I am as culpable as anyone—to unanswered, unfinished speculation about the cross that subverts Jesus’ very cry.  

What’s worse, today’s moral teachers, across the political and theological spectrum, have turned this end into a beginning. “See,” it is argued, “Jesus did it all, now get going and do (or stop) x-y-z, because that can’t really be all there is to it.” 

This is a tragic irony: the very words signifying an actual end to something are parlayed into motivational grist for the mill of the suffering soul.  

In direct and steadfast opposition to this, we never tire of insisting that “it is finished” means just that. Everything that ever needed to be done or ever will need to be done by us to be reconciled to God has been done. 

God is in control. 

He is redeeming the world. 

We cannot mess up His plan because, well, “it is finished.” 

We are free to live as people in the “sufferings of this present age,” living squarely in the shadow of the crucifix, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks a reason for the hope” (1 Peter 3:15). In this hope we wait, because although our end has not yet come, the only “it” that matters is already finished.

Because God provides for our every need, even our most pressing need—the forgiveness of sin which reconnects us back into a relationship with God today and eternally and the daily empowerment of the Holy Spirit to love God and love our neighbor, let’s ask God to make the words of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount a reality in our lives today and this week.

In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus says this to you:

[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

[34] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

When I was in seminary, we had to listen to sermons on cassette tapes. 

(I know, some of you are asking, “What the heck is a cassette tape?” — it is just a sign that I am an old man).

Anyway, one preacher on one cassette tape told this story about a little boy:

He was just a little fellow. His mother died when he was just a child. His father, in trying to be both mommy and daddy, had planned a picnic. The little boy had never been on a picnic, so they made their plans, fixed the lunch, and packed the car. 

Then it was time to go to bed, for the picnic was the next day. He just couldn’t sleep. He tossed and he turned, but the excitement got to him. Finally, he got out of bed, ran into the room where his father had already fallen asleep, and shook him. His father woke up and saw his son. 

He said to him, “What are you doing up? What’s the matter?”

The boy said, “I can’t sleep.”

The father asked, “Why can’t you sleep?”

In answering, the boy said, “Daddy, I’m excited about tomorrow.”

His father replied, “Well, Son, I’m sure you are, and it’s going to be a great day, but it won’t be great if we don’t get some sleep. So why don’t you just run down the hall, get back in bed, and get a good night’s rest.”

So the boy trudged off down the hall to his room and got in bed. 

Before long, sleep came–to the father, that is. It wasn’t long thereafter that back was the little boy. He was pushing and shoving his father, and his father opened his eyes. Harsh words almost blurted out until he saw the expression on the boy’s face. 

The father asked, “What’s the matter now?”

The boy said, “Daddy, I just want to thank you for tomorrow.”

The preacher followed that story with this comment:

When I think of my past and the fact that a loving Father would not let me go, reached down in his divine providence, and lifted me off of the streets…, when I think of what he has done for me and then think that he is planning a new thing for me that will surpass the past, let the record show this night in this place that [I] testified, Father, I want to thank you for tomorrow!

This little boy was excited about doing something that he had never done before — a family picnic.

The preacher was excited about two things.  First, he was excited about what God the Father had already done for him — saved him from the problems of the inner city streets.  And, second, the preacher was excited about what God was doing and would do for him — prepare a place in Heaven for him and call him home to that place that is better than we could ever imagine.

When giving encouragement and instructions to the church, the Apostle Paul spoke these words:

[17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17, ESV)

And,

[12] We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, [13] and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. [14] And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. [15] See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. [16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18, ESV)

This morning and this coming week,

Taste and see that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are good!

You are blessed if you have faith in Him and take refuge in Him!

Trust and fear the Lord you who have been made holy through Jesus Christ you already have everything you need for today and for eternity.

Seek the Lord and you will lack no good thing.

With Jesus, nothing is missing from your life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 8, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Overflowing With Excitement

Psalm 34.1-7

What gets you excited?

What fills you with enthusiasm and passion to the point you want to tell everyone you come into contact with about what is happening in your life?

Do you get excited when you buy tickets to see one of your favorite musicians perform in concert?

Do you get excited when a new book is released by one of your favorite authors?

Do you get excited when you and your spouse get a much needed date night out and away from the kids?

Do you get excited when you hear that you are receiving a tax refund?

Do you get excited when the next season of a TV show begins?

As a student, do you get excited when the last day of school arrives?

As a parent, do you get excited when the first day of school arrives?

This morning, we are going to hear about what makes King David excited.  We are going to hear about what fills King David with enthusiasm and passion to the point he wants to tell everyone he comes into contact with about what is happening in his life.

Now, you may be asking, who is this King David and why does what he thinks or experiences matter?

Well, if you have spent time in church, or maybe even if you haven’t, you may know a piece of King David’s story that has become legendary both inside and outside the church.  In King David’s younger years, he was the one who killed the giant Philistine soldier Goliath with nothing more than a slingshot and one stone. But, more on that in a bit.

This morning, to hear about why King David is filled with excitement, we are going to return to the songs of King David found in the book of Psalms. 

Let’s turn our attention to the first 7 verses of Psalm 34 now.

Psalm 34:1–7 has King David saying this:

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

[4] I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

[5] Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

[7] The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them. (ESV)

Right out of the gate in this song of King David, we learn that he is excited about telling the world how great God in Heaven is.

In the first seven verses of this Psalm, King David tells us that:

  • He will bless the Lord at all times (to bless is to praise)
  • And, then, he doubles down on that commitment to praise God by saying that the words of his mouth will always and forever tell the world about who God is, what God has done, and what God is always doing for him and us.  
  • David also says that his soul — his inner most being, the part of him that is spiritual and eternal— will make no claims to personal greatness or personal worthiness (David knows his many sins against God, and has confessed and repented many times for walking out of step with God’s standards for life and love), but will only make claims about God’s greatness and worthiness to be praised and listened to and obeyed because of his love, mercy, and grace, that lead him to forgive us and welcome us home with eternal life in His Kingdom of Heaven.
  • Along those lines, David also says that He will magnify the name of the Lord and exalt the name of the Lord so that by making God a bigger and bigger part of his conversation, more and more people will have a chance to hear about God’s love, God’s protection, and God’s provision for them, and by believing in the God revealed in the Scripture of the Holy Bible, be delivered from eternal separation from God, death, and destruction due to the effects of sin in their life.

David is so excited about the real presence of God in his day-to-day life, that overflows with joy to the point where wants the people around him, including you here this morning, to see, hear, believe, and experience the goodness of God in your day-to-day life as well.  

So, where did King David’s confidence in God and excitement about God’s real presence with us in this world come from?

All of this confidence and excitement had to come from somewhere. Right?  

Well, here is a bit of history behind Psalm 34:

Psalm 34 is one of only 14 Psalms that give us the direct historical context in which it is written.

The superscription to Psalm 34 says, “Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed.” 

The specifics of this story, if you are interested, are recorded in 1 Samuel 21, and it is one of the most interesting moments in David’s life. 

While Saul was still king, David was rising in prominence. When David was seen, people would chant, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam 18:7). As a result, Saul became jealous and angry, and he was consumed with trying to kill David. 

As David was running for his life, he fled to Gath. This was an interesting place for David to hide because it was the hometown of Goliath, whom he had killed a few years prior. Everyone in Gath knew who David was. 

David was recognized, and news got to the king that he was there. 

David, while trying to save his life, ran into a town filled with people who wanted to end his life. He was trapped, but he had an idea. He decided to act like he had lost his mind. He let his saliva run down his beard and he began to scratch at a doorpost. When the king saw him, he said, “Look! You can see the man is crazy!” And David left Gath unharmed. 

From that situation David wrote Psalm 34. 

Now, as you read this psalm with this situation in mind, you sense how overwhelmed David was by the goodness of God in sparing his life. 

Much of Psalm 34 is personal testimony (vv. 1-7,15-22). David sought the Lord, and God heard him and delivered him from all his fears (v. 4). When David looked to the Lord, his face was radiant, and he was not put to shame (v. 5). He cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles (v. 6). In a moment in which his life was in danger, the angel of the Lord protected him and rescued him (v. 7). As David walks out of Gath alive, he cannot help but be overwhelmed by God’s goodness. You feel his utter joy in the first two verses as he exclaims, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad.” In other words, you could not stop him from praising the Lord if you tried.

When David prayed to God in this specific troubled and fear inducing part of his life, he uses the words delivered and saved as God’s response to him.

David is ecstatically excited because God delivered him from all of his fears and saved him from all of his troubles.

Because of that, David’s excitement causes him to want to tell the world about God’s goodness and He wants the world to join him in knowing and experiencing God’s goodness.  That is why Psalm 34 offers several invitations for you to join him in praising God and worshiping God and sharing the good things that God has done for you in delivering you from fear and sin and saving you from trouble and death through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In a Biblical devotion that I sent out to the church on Thursday, the author said this:

Many years ago, a TV comedian wearing judicial robes would walk on stage while another person shouted, “Here comes the judge! Hear comes the judge!” Laughter ensued. I remember hearing [one Christian theologian] respond to that skit, preaching, “One day, nobody is going to laugh at that line anymore.”

Surely the judge of all mankind is coming. The Bible repeatedly warns us to be ready. When that Last Day comes, how shall we face Him? In complacency? In fear? No, with faith and joy, for this is the One who has granted to all believers the right to eat from the tree of life (Revelation 22:14). We enter at His invitation and because of His work on the tree of the cross. We enter because He has washed us in His blood and cleansed us from our sin. He died with forgiveness on His lips, promising cleansing to all who believe in Him. Cleansing? Yes! Although our sins “are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

The Spirit calls to us to accept Jesus’ invitation without any merit or worthiness in us. It’s all by grace and love, which are in Christ Jesus. This is the gate of the Lord. As we come into His presence, let us enter and face Jesus with joy!

Being released from an impossible-to-complete to-do list—one that would earn us favor with God—should hav no less a reaction than to us us overflow with joy, excitement, and thanksgiving, and to desire to share that Jesus’ blood-bought freedom with others.

But, let’s be honest, we are more likely to get excited over Taylor Swift concert tickets than the goodness of Jesus’ forgiveness.

So, what do we do when we find ourselves in this place — more excited about the things of the world than the things of God?

We repent and pray!

Several times throughout each day, I have to pray these two prayers directly from Scripture.

Psalm 51:12:

[12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit. (ESV)

And,

Psalm 19:14:

[14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

David extends many invitations to you at the beginning of this Psalm for you and me to join him in his excitement about God and praise of God.

King David invites you and me this morning to believe in God as Lord and Savior—the Deliverer from sin and death—and be glad.

King David invites you and me this morning to magnify God’s name with him.

King David invites you and me this morning to exalt God together in song and testimony of personal experience.

David’s life is aligned with a focus on God who made Him and God who continually delivered him and saved him.

David is excited about God’s love and goodness because of the things he personally experienced.

David is overflowing with excitement because God answered David’s prayers.

David is overflowing with excitement because God delivered David from all of his fears.

David is overflowing with excitement because God made David’s face radiant meaning that David’s face wasn’t red with shame and embarrassment, no, David’s face was at peace and resting in God’s grace and mercy toward him.

David is overflowing with excitement because God would not let David’s fears consume him.

And, David is overflowing with excitement because God sets The Angel of the Lord around him to protect him and provide for him every day.

This morning be excited and align your life with a focus on God who made you and God who continually delivers you and saves you.

This morning, be excited about God’s love and goodness because of the things you have personally experienced.

Be excited because God answers your prayers.

Be excited because God delivers you from all of your fears.

Be excited because God makes your face radiant meaning that your face isn’t red with shame and embarrassment, no, your face wis at peace and resting in God’s grace and mercy toward you.

Be excited because God will not let your fears consume you.

And, be excited because God sets The Angel of the Lord around you to protect you and provide for you every day.

This morning, Jesus promises you that He will be with you always until the very end of ages— you who have faith in His life, death, and resurrection for you as the only way to deliverance and saving from your fears and your troubles in this life and the next.

Be excited and shout it from the rooftops that your sin is forgiven, your mind has been transformed to think and see as God thinks and sees, and that you already have a place prepared for you in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Like King David, sing your song of excitement and invitation, maybe in similar words of post-rockers Close Your Eyes, who leave us with this chorus:


“This is my worship, this is my life

To bring hope into this broken world.”

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 1, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Cancels Tiredness

Psalm 6

An elementary school photographer was snapping pictures of first graders, making small talk to put his subjects at ease.

“What are you going to be when you grow up?” he asked one little girl.

She looked at him, shaking her head back and forth, and said, “I am going to be just like my parents when I grow up.  I am going to be tired all the time!”

As a full time parent with a full time job, let me tell you, that little girl is right.  I am tired ALLLLLL the time!

Let me ask you, “Are you tired this morning?”

And, I don’t mean, are you tired from not getting enough sleep last night.

What I mean is, are you tired from the relentless demands of life?

Listen to this list of words and ideas:

  • Troubled
  • Fading strength 
  • Failing strength
  • Weary
  • Whimpering
  • Sobbing
  • Tears welling up
  • Weeping
  • Grief
  • Burdened
  • Weak
  • Desperate
  • Desperately wanting help
  • Desperately needing help
  • Wanting to scream
  • Worn out
  • Burned out

What were you thinking as I read off that list?

I tell you what I was thinking.

I was thinking…

  • “Yes.”
  • “Check”
  • “That’s me!”
  • “That’s how I feel”
  • “Amen”
  • “Preach it”
  • “Was somebody listening to me share my feelings with my wife this week?”

Maybe you are in the same boat now, or have been in this boat before.

So, I ask you again, “Are you tired?”

Well, if you are tired from the relentless demands of life that seem like crushing weights on your back, you are not alone.  Not only am I here with you feeling that way, King David, the writer of this morning’s Biblical text is here with you as well.

Let’s hear about the tiredness that Kind David experienced as he brings his life to God in prayer.

King David’s prayer is Psalm 6 says this:

[1] O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath.

[2] Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;

heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.

[3] My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O LORD—how long?

[4] Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

[5] For in death there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who will give you praise?

[6] I am weary with my moaning;

every night I flood my bed with tears;

I drench my couch with my weeping.

[7] My eye wastes away because of grief;

it grows weak because of all my foes.

[8] Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

[9] The LORD has heard my plea;

the LORD accepts my prayer.

[10] All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Listen to the words that King David uses to describe his mental and physical state.

He says:

  • His bones are troubled
  • He is languishing (which is a fancy way of saying weak)
  • His soul is greatly troubled
  • He is thinking about death
  • He is weary
  • He is moaning in pain and agony (both mental and physical)
  • His tears are flooding his bed
  • His couch is drenched with weeping
  • He is filled with grief
  • He is weak
  • He is screaming at God asking “How long do I have to suffer? When are you going to rescue me? Don’t you love me?”
  • And, he is tired of the people around him.  He wants to yell at the top of his lungs, “Leave me alone!”

The list of words and ideas that I shared with you a few minutes ago—the list that described what it feels like to be tired from the relentless burdens of life—is actually a list of words and ideas about how King David felt—straight from the Bible.

Let me ask you another question.

Have you ever been worried to the point that it made you physically sick?

Our mental burdens often have the ability to affect us physically.

When we are overwhelmed and burdened with worry, we experience headaches, anxiety attacks, nausea, sometimes to the point of throwing up, we have trouble focusing on one task, and we can’t shake tiredness.

King David’s mental tiredness, that led him to be physically sick and tired, stemmed from his worry over two separate issues.

The first issue that made King David tired of life was his worries about other people. 

He was mentally and physically tired because he was worrying about what other were saying, or could possibly say about him.

And, he was mentally and physically tired because he was worrying about what other people were trying to do, or could possibly try to do to harm him.

The second issue that made King David tired of life was his worries about God.

He was mentally and physically tired because he was worrying about what God would and could do to him because of his sin.

In 2005, A store called MinneNAPolis opened in Minnesota’s Mall of America. It rents comfy spots where weary shoppers can take naps for 70 cents a minute. Founded by PowerNap Sleep Centers of Boca Raton, Florida, the new store includes themed rooms such as Asian Mist, Tropical Isle, and Deep Space, and the walls are thick enough to drown out the sounds of squealing children outside.

The company’s website says, “Escape the pressures of the real world into the pleasures of an ideal one.” “It’s not just napping,” reads the press release. “Some guests will want to listen to music, put their feet up, watch the water trickling in the beautiful stone waterfall, breathe in the positive-ionization-filtered air, enjoy the full-body massager, and just take an enjoyable escape from the fast-paced lifestyle.”

David wanted rest more than anything else.

He wanted rest from his manic state of worry and panic.

In his words and thoughts in Psalm 5, which we heard from 3 weeks ago, King David knew that his disobedience to God’s laws for life and love put him in a position where God have every right to punish him or destroy him.

But, his prayer showed that he knew the truth about God, the Father in Heaven, the Creator of all that exists.

King David knew the truth that God offers forgiveness for disobedience, forgiveness for ungodly thoughts, forgiveness for unGodly words, forgiveness for unGodly deeds, forgiveness for wrongdoing, and the forgiveness for sin, whatever you call it—the stuff that goes completely against God’s holiness.

King David’s prayer, here in Psalm 6 shows King David’s confidence in God to heal, deliver, punish sin, rescue him, guide him, protect him, and provide for ALL his needs—physical, mental, emotional, and relational.

David’s prayer starts with the plea, “Help me! Save me from myself!”

And, David’s prayer ends with the confidence that because of God’s grace, God will save him and allow him to rest.

King David could rest because the most important thing in his life was fixed and could never be broken again—his relationship with God.

The bottom line in this morning’s text is this:

King David was tired from the relentless burdens of life but God and his grace allowed David to rest.

King David’s words in Psalm 4 say:

[7] You have put joy in my heart…

[8] In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:7–8, ESV)

God took David to his own MinneNAPolis.

God’s promises and God’s active work in David’s life canceled David’s ultimate tiredness.

The bottom line for you this morning is this:

You are tired from the relentless burdens of life but, God and his grace allow you to rest.

For you, Jesus cancels tiredness—the tiredness that comes from worrying about what other people think about you and what other can can and will do to you.

For you, Jesus cancels tiredness—the tiredness that comes from worrying about what God thinks of you and what God can do to you because of your sin.

The first question that is proposed and answered in Luther’s Small Catechism, one of the books we use to teach our Confirmation class is:

What are God’s thoughts about me?

And, the answer given and the Bible verse quoted are:

“God’s thoughts about me are thoughts of love and blessing.”

John 3:16—For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus calls his followers to obey God and rest.

Mark 6.31 has Jesus commanding his disciples with these words:

[31] … “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

The idea of resting in and with God was not new to Jesus’ ministry.

God built rest into Creation. So, rest is natural — regardless of what your anxiety, workaholism and worry tell you.

[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2] And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. [3] So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1–3, ESV)

And, God made rest one of the Ten Commandments.  Rest is good for you.

[8] “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8–11, ESV)

In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus tells you how that Godly rest comes about for you.  Jesus says:

[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

With faith in Jesus, you can rest, because all of the work that needs to be done to restore your relationship with God is done. It is completed 100%. It is finished.

Those are Jesus’ exact words to you as he looks at you from the cross.  As he breaths his last breath on the cross, bearing all of the guilt for all of King David’s sin, for all of my sin, and for all of your sin, Jesus says to you,

“Rest because the ultimate work of pleasing God is finished for you!”

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

July 28, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Your Great Physician and Savior

Mark 5.21-43

Mark 5:21–43 tells us this:

[21] And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. [22] Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet [23] and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” [24] And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. [25] And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. [27] She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. [28] For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” [29] And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. [30] And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” [31] And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” [32] And he looked around to see who had done it. [33] But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. [34] And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

[35] While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” [36] But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” [37] And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. [38] They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. [39] And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” [40] And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. [41] Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” [42] And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. [43] And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (ESV)

This Biblical text from Mark’s account of the Good News of Jesus Christ, tells us two stories at the same time.

The first story is about a man named Jairus.  Jairus, we are told is a ruler in the local synagogue.  Jairus comes to Jesus because he has lost all hope in the powers of this world.  

Jairus’ daughter is on her death bed.  In contrast to many of his Jewish friends at the synagogue, Jairus finds himself believing in Jesus as the person who possesses the full power of God, the Father in Heaven, and can therefore help his daughter.  

Jesus, knowing Jairus’ faith, goes home with him and brings his daughter back to life after she dies.

The second story is about an unnamed woman who has been physically suffering (and we can assume mentally suffering) for 12 years with a condition that caused her to bleed without stopping.  The woman hears that Jesus has come to town and has faith that He is sent by God as the Healer/Great Physician and Savior.  This woman also believes that Jesus’ power is so great that even if she simply touches a piece of his clothing, God’s power will stop her bleeding and restore her to life.  

So, the woman follows Jesus in a crowd, reaches out and touches His robe.  She is immediately healed of her debilitating illness.  

Jesus senses that power has gone out from him and has changed someone’s life for the better.  After the woman admits her doing, Jesus commends her faith for believing that He is God present with her.

The faith of Jairus and the faith of the bleeding woman caused them to do what Paul encourages us to do in our faith.

In 1 Peter 5:6–11, Paul gives these instructions for Christian living:

[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)

And, Jairus and the bleeding woman also knew, possibly from hearing King David’s words in Psalm 34 that:

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:17–18, ESV)

In our Biblical text for this morning, in contrast to these two people of faith, we see great numbers of faithless people breaking God’s commandments.  

Many do not believe that Jesus is God’s Messiah—the Savior of humanity.

Many do not believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person.

Many do not believe that Jesus is able to heal those that He comes into contact with.

Many laugh at Jesus and mock Him when he talks about raising the dead the life.  

Many have other false gods that they follow.  

They trust and follow rulers of this world who promise to save them from the discomfort that is often part of daily life.  

They trust and follow religious and spiritual gurus who promise inner and outer peace by meditation and good and sacrificial works.

They trust and follow philosophers who promise a better world through reason, logic, and knowledge.

They trust themselves to be able to change and prove their worth and value and lovability to the world and to their god (their unBiblical and false conception of God that they came to in their own darkened and broken understanding).  

The faithless ones all look at Jesus and say things like:

“You don’t have the power to heal!”

“You don’t have the power to save us from our Sin!”

“You are such a silly man for saying you can heal a person or raise someone from the dead.  That is simply illogical and unreasonable.  All I can do is laugh at you.”

We are often the faithless men and women in this morning’s text instead of the faithful Jairus and sickly woman.  

So, what hope do we have?

We have the hope that comes from Jesus in our place.

Jesus completely trusts God, the Father in Heaven. From conception to death to resurrection and ascension Jesus never wavered in his trust of God.  There is never a moment that Jesus does not trust God’s goodness.  Even in the moments of facing the excruciating torturous and painful death on the cross, we hear Jesus pray to God in the Garden of Gethsemane and say, “Not my will, but yours be done!”

Even when we are faithless, Jesus is faithful for us.

And, through faith in Jesus as fully God and fully man, as God’s Messiah—the Savior and Great Physician, just like the synagogue ruler, Jairus, and the bleeding and unclean woman, we are united with Jesus and the power of God is released into our lives for healing and salvation because we are given everything that Jesus did as if we did it ourselves.  

This is the love of God for you in action!

God, in Jesus Christ, did for you what you could never do for yourself—perfectly obey every single one of God’s commands for loving Him and loving others.  

Jesus has the faith in God that you need because you do not always believe.

Jesus has the trust in God that you need because you often doubt and laugh at His promises and power.

Jesus has the constant focus on God that you need because you rely on the things and people (including yourself) of this world for help and hope—only to be let down over and over again.

It is only through Jesus that we receive the forgiveness of our sin, the eventual full healing of our bodies for an eternal existence in Heaven, and peace and hope for today, tomorrow, and forever.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah speaks of Jesus many years before He would walk the earth.

In Chapter 53, Isaiah speaks about Jesus in a way that has caused us to label Jesus The Suffering Servant.

In verses 3-6 of Isiah 53, the prophet says this:

[4] Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4–6, ESV)

As the Suffering Servant, Jesus has come to suffer for and serve you.

The prophet Hosea spoke of God’s heart when he shared this:

[6] For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6, ESV)

Many years later, Jesus uses these same words to describe his ministry to you.

In Matthew 9:10–13, you hear Jesus describe the reason He is here with you.

[10] And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. [11] And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [12] But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (ESV)

In this text, we see that God in the flesh, Jesus, considers mercy greater than sacrifice.

Jesus does two things in that prove He cares more about taking care of you than He does about doing things according to the religious rulers misinterpretation and misunderstanding of God’s Law. 

First, Jesus touches a sick and unclean woman.

Second, Jesus touches a dead body.

Both of these things were forbidden by Jewish Law and made the person who did them unclean in return and therefore unable to participate in the temple and synagogue rituals.  And, what they means is that they were cut off from God for a set period of time and weren’t allowed to experience his love, grace, and mercy.

Jesus will do whatever it takes to heal you and save you from the sickness and sin that leads to the ultimate death of eternal separation from God so that you can continually experience the love, grace, and mercy of God.

In an interesting textual note from this morning’s Biblical text, the Greek word that is translated as heal can also be translated as save.

So, we are being told in these two personal encounters that Jesus does whatever is takes to heal you and save you.  

Because of sin, our disobedience to God’s standards for life and love, we have both a sickness and death that we cannot escape or overcome on our own.

Therefore, Jesus dies on the cross the pay the price for your sin and carry you into God’s presence in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In that crucifixion that Jesus experienced, your life was crossed with his.

For the young girl who died, Jesus took her death and gave her life.

For the sick and bleeding woman, Jesus took her uncleanness and gave her purity.

Jesus is the Great Physician.  He came to heal you and save you too.

Jesus comes to you right now to reach out and touch you so that you receive the healing from and forgiveness for your Sin that you need in order to be reconnected back to God in Heaven for eternity.

When you come into contact with Jesus, he takes your sickness and death and gives you purity, righteousness, and life.

Repent and believe this morning.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 30, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

You Shall Not Perish

Mark 2.23-28

In August 2000, 118 Russian sailors perished when the Kursk nuclear submarine suffered an underwater explosion and became disabled in the depths of the icy Barents Sea. High-level Russian sources recently told Time magazine that some of the men could have been saved had rescue gear aboard the Russian submarine been tested. According to studies done after the mishap, 23 surviving crew-members rushed to a floating rescue capsule located in the rear of the submarine. But the capsule failed to disengage and surface because of mechanical problems that existed from the time the sub was commissioned. It seems the ship’s completion was behind schedule and “orders from the top” demanded that shortcuts be taken to make the construction deadline. One such shortcut was failing to test the capsule to see if it could handle the pressure of a rescue procedure.

Over 100 men perished on a disabled and sinking ship because their escape plan was unreliable.  The thing and the people that they trusted did not deliver on their promises to save them in their moment of need.  So, instead of continued life, death was on the menu for them.

This morning’s Biblical text is about death. (I know a very light topic.)

We are going to see and hear from the disciple Mark that Jesus’ followers were seeking rescue from a sinking and disabled ship so they they didn’t die.

Mark 4:35–41 tells us this:

[35] On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. [38] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” [39] And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” [41] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (ESV)

The first thing we should always do after reading a Scripture is to summarize the facts of who, what, where, and when.  This gives us the only context to understand what God is teaching us through Jesus’ words and actions.

In this morning’s text from the good news according to the disciple Mark, we have Jesus and his disciples crossing a lake in a boat.  While they are in the boat, a storm overtakes them and begins shaking, rocking, and filling the boat with water.  The disciples enter into panic and survival mode and go to Jesus for help.  When they approach Jesus, Jesus is sleeping and the disciples immediately, without a second thought, question Jesus’ concern for them.

Doesn’t that all sound familiar?

When there are no considerable troubles in front of us, we live day to day like God doesn’t exist and we don’t need the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

However, the second life gets uncomfortable and troubles arise that threaten our peace of mind, we, without a second thought question Jesus’ concern for us.

In the past, I have focused on the fear and the lack of trust in Jesus when approaching this passage. 

Now, to be clear, both of those things are important and true applications of this passage.  But, this week, I realized that I have spent decades missing a key point in this piece of Biblical text.

And, that key piece comes from the question that the disciples ask Jesus.

I have come to love the question that the disciples ask because it is the peak of irony.

The disciples ask Jesus, “do you not care that we are perishing?”

The disciples think that because Jesus was resting from the travel, teaching, and constant care of all of those that he came into contact with (or, finding a few minutes of Sabbath in the context of last week’s message), that he just didn’t care if they died.

This is ironic because they overlook Jesus’ primary purpose in coming to them and being with them.

Jesus was present with them in this life so that they would not perish.  

The most famous Scripture of all time, which we probably gloss over in our minds at this point because we have heard it so many times, says this:

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16–17, ESV)

The very reason that God is with the disciples in the flesh and bones of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ is to ensure that they do not perish—that is, so that they do not die.  And, by death, Biblically, we mean being separated from God the Father in Heaven eternally.

What the disciples forgot in their moments of being afraid and uncomfortable is that God is with them in the person of Jesus to save them from the effects of death due to sin.

You see, because of sin—our inborn desire to deny and disobey God for our own immediate pleasure and satisfaction—each of us is on a disabled and sinking ship and we need a reliable escape plan in order to spend eternity with God in Heaven instead of spending an eternity separated from God in a place that is described over an over again with images of torture and pain such as “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In sin, they, and us, deserve to die and be separated from God forever.  We have broken God’s commandments for life and love and mocked him by thinking we know better and don’t need an invisible, possibly non-existent, tyrannical overlord.

However, God’s grace and love is shown to the disciples on the boat that day, and to you and me, in the fact that even in the midst of not trusting him and questioning his goodness and motives, Jesus acted miraculously to save them from perishing in the storm and flood.

One very important part of this morning’s Biblical text that we cannot skim over is the call to repentance.

Although Jesus very much cares about the lives of those on the boat with him and does not want to see them perish in that moment or eternally, there is a need for each of the men to repent of their sin and confess their sin and therefore confess their need for a Savior.  

The disciples, in the moments of uncertainty, lost trust in Jesus’ love and promises to take care of them today, tomorrow, and forever.

This lack of trust in Jesus and this doubting of his goodness is pure evil and sin.  

So, the disciples have to ask Jesus for forgiveness for their lack of peace in his presence and for their fear that they let overcome their faith.

2 Peter 3:8–10 tells us this:

[8] But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [9] The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (ESV)

And, Matthew 18:10–14 has Jesus telling us this:

[10] “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. [12] What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? [13] And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. [14] So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (ESV)

Jesus is always running after you.  

Jesus is always offering himself to you.  

Jesus is always calling your name.

Jesus is always willing to rescue you.

Do what Jesus asks, “Repent and believe.”  

Know that when you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you of all of your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness, giving you the reliable escape plan that you need to defeat death and live eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven with your Creator and Savior.

The Scriptures are clear as we have heard.  God, the Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ, His Only Son, do not want anyone to perish—they do not want anyone to be eternally separated from them.

However, the Scriptures are also very clear that many will see that end—they will perish and be separated from God the Father and Jesus the Son into a place of eternal suffering.

This week, I looked up and read every single verse in the Bible that contains the word perish.  What I was looking for was the good news that God does not wish anyone to perish but instead He wishes for everyone to find forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus.

And, of course, I found that because it is abundantly clear.

But, I was shocked at how many more times the Bible uses the word perish as a warning. The idea is spoken over and over and over again that the wicked, the unrighteous, the unrepentant, the self-centered, the godless, the self-sufficient, the denier, the liar, etc., will die apart from God’s grace and find their eternal existence spent in the suffering and pain and torture of the hellfire.  

To give you an example of this from another recent sermon, Psalm 1:5–6 make this point unquestionable clear when King David, inspired by God, says:

[5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

[6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish. (ESV)

John Lennox (an author and professor of mathematics at Oxford University) tells a story about touring Eastern Europe and meeting a Jewish woman from South Africa. 

The woman told Lennox that she was researching how her relatives had perished in the Holocaust. 

At one point on their guided tour, they passed a display that had the following words written on it: Arbeit macht frei” (or “work makes free”). It was a mock-up of the main gate to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The display also had pictures of the horrific medical experiments carried out on children by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele. At that point of their tour, the Jewish woman turned to Lennox and said, “And what does your religion make of this?”

Lennox writes:

What was I to say? She had lost her parents and many relatives in the Holocaust. I could scarcely bear to look at the Mengele photographs, because of the sheer horror of imagining my children suffering such a fate. I had nothing in my life that remotely paralleled the horror her family had endured.

But still she stood in the doorway waiting for an answer. I eventually said, “I would not insult your memory of your parents by offering you simplistic answers to your question. What is more, I have young children and I cannot even bear to think how I might react if anything were to happen to them, even if it were far short of the evil that Mengele did. I have no easy answers; but I do have what, for me at least, is a doorway into an answer.”

“What is it?” she said.

I said, “You know that I am a Christian. That means that I believe that Yeshua is the messiah. I also believe that he was God incarnate, come into our world as savior, which is what his name ‘Yeshua’ means. Now I know that this is even more difficult for you to accept. Nevertheless, just think about this question—if Yeshua was really God, as I believe he was, what was God doing on a cross?

“Could it be that God begins just here to meet our heartbreaks, by demonstrating that he did not remain distant from our human suffering, but became part of it himself? For me, this is the beginning of hope; and it is a living hope that cannot be smashed by the enemy of death. The story does not end in the darkness of the cross. Yeshua conquered death. He rose from the dead; and one day, as the final judge, he will assess everything in absolute fairness, righteousness, and mercy.”

There was silence. She was still standing, arms outstretched, forming a motionless cross in the doorway. After a moment, with tears in her eyes, very quietly but audibly, she said: “Why has no one ever told me that about my messiah before?”

Jesus, your Messiah, your Savior, defeated death for you.

In Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you have the 100% reliable escape plan from the suffering that comes from remaining separated from God today, tomorrow, and forever.

Jesus perished on the cross so that you do not have to be punished for your sin and perish as you deserve to.

In this act of pure grace and love for you, have peace—you have been made right with God, be still—stop the never ending and never successful task of trying to earn God’s love, and walk in faith this week simply confessing your sin and believing in the forgiveness that is yours through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

It is with Jesus alone that you will not perish but be rescued for eternal life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 23, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Prayer: Jesus Cancels Silence

Psalm 4

How’s your prayer life?

When do you pray?

Where do you pray?

How much time do you spend praying?

What do you say when you pray?

I shared this story a few years ago, but I return to it again and again because of how clear it describes genuine prayer.

A pastor from Florida told the following story about a woman he knew who showed up at church and prayed the same simple prayer. “O Lord, thank you Jesus,” she prayed week after week. The kids at church would start laughing every time she opened her mouth because they knew it would be the same prayer—”O Lord, thank you Jesus.”

Finally somebody asked her, “Why do you pray the same little prayer?” She said, “Well, I’m just combining the two prayers that I know. We live in a bad neighborhood and some nights there are bullets flying and I have to grab my daughter and hide on the floor, and in that desperate state all I know how to cry out is, ‘O Lord.’ But when I wake up in the morning and see that we’re okay I say, ‘Thank you Jesus.’ When I got to take my baby to the bus stop and she gets on that bus and I don’t know what’s going to happen to her while she’s away, I cry, ‘O Lord.’ And then when 3:00 P.M. comes and that bus arrives and my baby is safe, I say, ‘Thank you Jesus.’”

She said, “Those are the only two prayers I know and when I get to church God has been so good I just put my two prayers together, “O Lord, thank you Jesus.”

Prayers come in all shapes and forms.  

Some are elongated dissertations on the eternality and efficacy of the triune Godhead.

Others are just a simple statements that say the same thing; like, “O Lord; Thank you Jesus.”

But, one thing is for sure…

All prayers offered in Jesus Christ-centered faith are heard by God the Father in Heaven, Maker of Heaven and Earth.

That being said, the question, “How’s your prayer life?,” can bring up two totally opposite emotions or thought patterns.

The first is, “My prayer life is amazing.  I love getting up early each morning to have my coffee while I prayer for each item and person on my prayer list.  I feel so connected to God in those moments because I know he hears me and I see the answers to my prayers piling up in my life in real time.”

And, the second response is, which is my personal response, as I always try to be honest with you from the pulpit, “Prayer is hard.  I struggle to do it.  I don’t often do it. Don’t get me wrong, I want to do it more.  I want to be one of those first thing in the morning people.  But, I continually struggle to pray because I find prayer hard.”

For many of us, prayer is hard.

And, prayer is hard for many reasons.

Prayer is hard for some of us because we get distracted.

We have kids knocking on our bedroom or office door in need of help getting a snack or changing the television channel.

Or, we have cell phones at our side that are always ringing, vibrating, and giving off text alert sounds.

Prayer is hard for some of us because of busyness.

We have school buses to catch, laundry to do, groceries to buy, dinner to cook, and bedtime stories to tell.

We have 5 AM alarms, 60-90 minute commutes to work, 8-10 hour work days, 60-90 minute commutes from work, and midnight bedtimes.

We have classes to attend, homework to do, papers to write, teams to practice with, television shows to binge watch, and boyfriends or girlfriends to hang out with.

Some of us are all too familiar with the line, “I will prayer after I….” (Fill in the blank).  But, we are also familiar with the truth that the “after I….,” never comes.

Prayer is hard for some of us because of we just don’t want to do it.

We don’t think we have the time.

We think it is a waste of time.

We think our prayers fall on deaf ears.

We don’t think we know how to pray correctly.

We think it is boring.

And, for some of us, we are afraid of silence.

Prayer can make us uneasy if we aren’t use to quietness.

Regardless of how we feel about prayer, as pastor Bill Hybels famously said and then titled a book, “We are too busy not to pray!”

The German Lutheran Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who served and was imprisoned during Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror, highlighted the utmost importance of prayer for the Christian life.

He said, “Prayer is the heart of the Christian life.” 

He said, “Where a people prays, there is the church.” 

And, he said “Prayer is necessary for the Christian life and necessary for life together in the church.”

In this morning’s text, which once again comes from the book of Psalms, King David is praying to God asking him for help at a time when the people around him are gossiping about him and spreading lies about him.

Let’s hear about King David’s prayers and prayer life from his words in Psalm 4.

King David says to God:

[1] Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

[2] O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

[3] But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

[4] Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

[5] Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the LORD.

[6] There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

[7] You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

[8] In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

It is in this prayer of King David’s that he complains that enemies are speaking badly of him in an attempt to shame him.

After voicing the problem and naming the problem people that he is dealing with, he turns away from his problem and makes statements reminding himself (and all that would hear his prayer throughout history) that God protects the faith-filled from those who do the things that these problem people are doing.

It is true that we often find ourselves in the same position as King David.  We do have points in our lives where people try to cause problems for us.

But, how often do we find ourselves in the same position as those speaking badly of King David, their leader?

We are often quick to open our mouths and share our opinions about how terrible people in positions of power around us are.  We speak badly about our bosses, our teachers, our principals, our presidents, our elders, and our pastors.  

So, we are in the same position as King David’s enemies.

And, what position is that?

The position where our sin completely breaks our relationship with God and communication back and forth between us and God becomes impossible.

Because of sin, there is silence when we pray.  

Like King David’s enemies, we pray but do not trust God. 

Therefore, God does not respond or answer us.

We find ourselves experiencing silence from Heaven.

In June 1730, a handful of Cherokee Indian Chiefs crossed the Atlantic seeking an audience with King George II. They first appeared in court at Kensington Palace. They were there to sign treaties, to present their grievances against the French, and to petition the king for aid and support. They had to wait in the lobby for days, returning again and again until the king granted them an audience. They were finally granted their opportunity to present their petitions. Custom dictated that the king would signify his acceptance of their petition by giving them gifts. King George II gave the Cherokees clocks. 

They were fine clocks, no doubt. Any English nobleman would be honored beyond words to have such a gift, and he would be just as sure to display the clocks prominently. But these Cherokee had no idea what these clocks were and had no use for them whatsoever. It’s not even clear that they took the clocks home with them as they crossed the Atlantic on their return to the colonies. History is clearer on what became of the treaties King George II made with the Cherokee. 

How opposite is prayer to the almighty God, sovereign King of the universe. We do not need to board a ship and travel thousands of miles and wait for days in a grand entrance hall. And when we do get an audience with this King, he does not give us clocks. He graciously grants to us exactly and precisely what we need. And we know that his promises are sure. He does not break treaties. 

Bonhoeffer reminds us that the journey of prayer is actually far more costly than a transatlantic trip. Our journey of prayer into the presence of God cost the precious blood of Christ, God’s Son. Christ’s sacrifice grants us entrance to the Father’s court.

This morning, me and you have the good news that the line of communication between us and our Creator has been repaired for us.

In his first letter to his student and mentee, Timothy, the apostle Paul reminds you that the connection between man and God, that is, between you and God, that was severed and broken because of sin, has been repaired.

In 1 Timothy 2:5–6, Paul tells Timothy, and in turn through the canonization of the text, us, that:

[5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (ESV)

When you find yourself believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior, as the one who lived a perfectly righteous life for you, obeying all of God’s commands for you every second of every day, as the one who gave his life over to death on the cross to forgive your sin, and as the one who defeated the power of death and sin for you by raising from the grave on the first Easter morning, 

silence is broken, 

silence is canceled, 

and your prayers fall of the loving ears of God, your Creator, who hears and responds to you in any and every moment of need.

Without Jesus, there is silence when you pray.

But, Jesus cancels silence.

Jesus cancels silence for you.

And, we can, like King David say, 

the LORD hears when I call to him.

That means that we can talk to God in prayer, whenever we want, with big words or small words, with run-on sentences, or simple statements, always trusting in the promise that God gave to his people through the prophet Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 29:12–13, God promises:

[12] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. [13] You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (ESV)

And, we can say with confidence, alongside the psalm writer who wrote Psalm 66:

[18] If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

[19] But truly God has listened;

he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

[20] Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me! 

(Psalm 66:18–20 ESV)

The German Lutheran Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that we heard from earlier, also said these Biblical things about prayer:

He said, “Christ is the ground and basis for prayer, Christ enables us to pray, and Christ even teaches us to pray.”

He said, “Prayer means bending our desires o God’s determinations, bringing our petitions in line with his priorities, and having the kingdom and our agenda at the center.  Simply put, prayer is the orientation of one’s life to God.”

And, he said, “prayer is about God first; then it is about us.  It’s wrong to think and pray otherwise.”

The comforting thing for us is that God knows our weakness so well that he has even safeguarded prayer for the times we pray for the wrong things and the times we neglect prayer.

In his letter to the Christians gathered in the city of Rome during the 1st Century, the apostle Paul lets them (and you by extension) know this:

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26–27, ESV)

Although you start out in the same position as the problem people in King David’s life, as enemies of God who hear nothing but silence when we pray because our relationship with God is cut off due to sin,…

You, by God’s grace alone, find yourself faith-filled, believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, with the silence canceled and God graciously hearing and answering you when you pray.

So, I leave you with this encouragement for the week:

[16] Rejoice always, 

[17] pray without ceasing, 

[18] give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God for you [that you have an open line of communication with him] in Christ Jesus. 

(1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 2, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Known by God

Psalm 139.1-16

Have you ever felt lowly?

Have you ever felt lost?

Have you ever felt unnoticed?

Have you ever felt unremarkable?

Have you ever felt excluded?

Have you ever felt powerless?

Have you ever felt broken?

Have you ever wanted someone to wrap their arms around you and let you know with full assurance that, “Everything is going to be alright,” that, “You are known and loved and are cared for?”

Maybe you know the feelings that Foreigner described in their 1984 hit, when they said:

In my life, there’s been heartache and pain

I don’t know if I can face it again…

I want to know what love is!

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary, we are going to return to the book of Psalms.

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs written mostly by King David.  

King David was the 2nd King of Israel and is famous for battling Goliath.  King David is also infamous for lusting after another man’s wife, Bathsheba, using his power to force her to sleep with him, getting her pregnant, and then ensuring that her husband is killed in battle in order to cover up all of his misdoings.

Like all of us, King David had ups and downs along his journey.

This morning, we are going to be hearing from the beginning of Psalm 139 in which King David let’s us know that the maker of Heaven and Earth, God the Father, knows us and is with us every second of everyday.

Psalm 139:1–16 says this:

[1] O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

[2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

[3] You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

[4] Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

[5] You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

[7] Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

[8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

[9] If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

[10] even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

[11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

[12] even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

[13] For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

[14] I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

[15] My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

[16] Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them. (ESV)

There are three big theological truths that we can use to describe what we hear about God in these verses from 139.

Those three truths are:

God is omniscient.

God is omnipresent.

And, God is omnipotent.

These three truths work individually and together to bring us comfort in our daily lives.  

First, the fact that God is omniscient means that God knows everything.  In relation to these verse from Psalm 139, God knows everything about you.

In this Psalm, King David makes it clear that God knows each human being, that includes you!, and will always be with you.

King David tells you that God knew you from the moment of conception.  God knew you before you physical entrance into the world.  And, God knows each day that you will have on this earth and what you will face during those days.  

God knows your heart.

God knows your actions.

God knows when you sit down and when you stand up.

God knows when you travel.

God knows when you lie down and go to bed.

God knows you during the day and during the night.

God knows your words.

And, in all of that, God has his providing and helping hand placed on you when you walk with faith in Jesus Christ, His Son, who died to forgive you of your sin, who gave you his righteousness and perfection so that you could be reconciled to God the Father in Heaven, and who makes it possible for you to live eternally with God in His Kingdom.

Second, the fact that God is omnipresent means that God is everywhere.

You cannot run and hide from God, even though you try.  

God is in all space that has been created.  He is above and he is below us.

God is in all time that has been created.  He is there when the sun rises (East) and he is there where the sun sets (West).  And, in all of the time that we have been given God holds onto us and leads us.

And, God is present in the darkness and the light.  He in fact is the light that shines in the darkness that we try to hide in.  

Finally, the fact that God is omnipotent means that God is all powerful and can do anything.

King David applies this to the truth that you are here on this earth today because God created your body.

So, when we piece his all together, we are comforted because we are never alone.  The God who created the Universe knows our name, our thoughts, our words, and actions, and amazingly, He still loves us!

God chose you!

God foreordained your life.

And, because God created you and guides your development from the moment of conception, you have value!  And, because your life is eternally precious to God the Father in Heaven, He will be everywhere you go and do everything possible (even dying on a cross) to ensure your eternal safety, security, and comfort.

In Jesus Christ, the place where God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence meet, you have comfort and hope for today and for tomorrow!

In a recent issue of CT Magazine, Astronomer David Block tells how he learned that the same God who numbered the stars knew and loved him personally.

He tells his story this way:

I grew up a Jewish boy in a South African gold-mining town known as Krugersdorp. I remember sitting in (synagogue), enthralled as our learned rabbi expounded how God was a personal God—he would speak to Moses, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to many others. Growing up, I often pondered how I fit into all this.

By the time I entered the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, I was deeply concerned that I had no assurance that God was indeed a personal God. I was confident that he was a historical God who had delivered our people from the hands of Pharaoh. But he seemed so far removed from the particulars of my life. Where was the personality and the vibrancy of a God who truly could speak to me?

I became friendly with Professor Lewis Hurst. He had a great interest in astronomy, and we would discuss the complexities of the cosmos for hours at a time. I remember attending a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society graced by Stephen Hawking. The atmosphere there was intellectually stimulating, but inwardly I could tell that something, or someone, was missing. To be brutally honest, I did not know God.

Back in South Africa, my friendship with Professor Hurst grew, and I started sharing with him my thoughts and feelings about the cosmos. I said, “The universe is so beautiful, both visually and mathematically.” The idea of the universe being designed by a Master Artist continued to resonate with me, but I struggled to find evidence that this artist had any interest in knowing me personally.

I shared further doubts: “Are we,” as Shakespeare said in Macbeth, “just a fleeting shadow that appears and then disappears? What is our reason for living? What is the purpose of life? Is it possible to have a personal encounter with the creator of the cosmos?”

Hurst listened intently. He said, “There is an answer to all the questions you are asking. I am well aware that you come from an Orthodox Jewish family, but would you be willing to meet with a dear friend of mine, the Reverend John Spyker?”

My Jewish parents had taught me to seek answers wherever they might be found, so I consented to meet with this Christian minister. Taking the Bible in his hands, Spyker turned to Romans 9:33 where Paul affirms that Y’shua (Jesus) is a stumbling stone to the Jewish people but that those who freely choose to believe in him will never be ashamed.

By divine grace, suddenly everything became perfectly clear. Y’shua was the stumbling stone—my stumbling stone! Jesus had fulfilled all the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures (where the Messiah would be born, how he was to die, and much else besides). While most Jewish people today are still awaiting the Messiah’s coming, I knew I had found him and that all I had to do was respond to his free offer of grace.

Immediately, I asked Spyker to pray for me, which he did. And on that day, at the age of 22, I surrendered my heart and my reason to Christ Jesus. His Spirit spread through every cell of my being.

(Reflecting on my early days), I realize they had been infused by God’s grace. He had been planting spiritual seeds every time I gazed up into the heavens. And I still marvel that a God so majestic and powerful would know my name—and love me as intimately as his own begotten Son.

Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes had just limped his way through a last-minute, game-winning drive in the 2023 AFC Championship when he gave the credit for his performance to someone that even the biggest Kansas City Chiefs fans had never heard of. 

“Julie WAS the reason I was the guy I was on the field today!” Mahomes wrote to his millions of followers on Twitter that night. 

Her full name is Julie Frymer.

Who is she and why is she so important to the team? She’s the assistant athletic trainer. Frymyer had one of the NFL’s most important jobs in the 2022-2023 season: She was in charge of putting Mahomes through rehab for his injured ankle and getting the star quarterback ready to play for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Hobbling through a nasty sprain that often requires weeks of recovery, Mahomes wasn’t just able to play against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was fantastic. He was clearly gimpy, grimacing through several plays, but he was mobile enough to make several key plays, including a crucial run setting up the last-second field goal that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mahomes going out of his way to praise her was the first time most people in Arrowhead Stadium had ever heard the name Julie Frymyer, but the Chiefs knew her value long before the guy with a contract worth nearly half a billion dollars, might as well have given her the game ball.

Julie Frymyer wasn’t known by the world, but she was known by those that she closely worked with, loved and helped to succeed in life.

You may not be world famous, but you are known by God the Father in Heaven, the maker of Heaven and Earth, and Jesus Christ, His Only Son, your Savior, who work with you, love you, and help you succeed in life by strengthening you by faith to live a life of love for God and others. 

You may, or I should say, you will, have moments, days, weeks, or even years of feeling lowly, lost, unnoticed, unremarkable, excluded, powerless and broken.

But, know this: 

God your Father in Heaven, maker of Heaven and Earth, and Jesus Christ, His Only Son, your Savior, know your name and speak it constantly in the Kingdom of Heaven as they are preparing an eternal place for you.

King David knew what it was like to feel lowly, lost, powerless and broken.  Because of his great sin against God he knew what it was like to feel unremarkable and excluded from God’s Kingdom.  

However, King David also knew the greatest truth that there is…While he was still a sinner God knew his name and loved him the same.

For us, we know this same great truth…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us to rescue us and redeem us for God’s Kingdom.

In Jesus Christ alone, you know what love is.

John 15:12–13

[12] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (ESV)

In a book I read this week that summarized Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Theology of the Christian Life, he is noted as saying:

“God draws near to the lowly, loving the lost, the unnoticed, the unremarkable, the excluded, the powerless, and the broken.”

Or, using Bible words, Psalm 34:15–18 says it this way:

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit. (ESV)

When you are feeling lowly, when you are feeling lost, when you are feeling unnoticed, when you are feeling unremarkable, when you are feeling excluded, when you are feeling powerless, when you are feeling broken, read Psalm 139 and be reminded of the comforting truth that God knows you and God is always for you as you live with faith in Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the Only One who is able to bring you to the Father in Heaven.

I leave you with two more comforting truths from Scripture, God’s Word to you.

1 Corinthians 8:3 says:

[3] But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (ESV)

And, Romans 8:35–39 says:

[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

May 26, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Cancels Fear

Psalm 3

What are you afraid of?

What do you fear?

Some famous people would answer those questions like this:

Jennifer Aniston, Cher, and Whoopi Goldberg are all aviophobes. They are afraid of flying. 

Barbra Streisand is xenophobic—she is uncomfortable around strangers. 

Michael Jackson was haunted by the fear of contamination, infections, and diseases. He was mysophobic. 

Woody Allen is afraid of insects, sunshine, dogs, deer, bright colors, children, heights, small rooms, crowds, and cancer.

Famous people of the past were no different. 

George Washington was scared to death of being buried alive. 

Richard Nixon was terrified of hospitals,.

And, Napoleon Bonaparte, the military and political genius, feared cats.

H.P. Lovecraft, the 20th century writer of very weird science fiction, once said,

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

We humans like to be knowledgable about what is going to happen next in our life and also have the ability to control what is going to happen next in our life.

We are all control freaks!

However, as we can all attest too, we don’t always know what is going to happen and we don’t have the ability to control everything that happens.

Therefore, we often live in fear.

Fear is a strong emotion, often an unpleasant emotion, caused by the anticipation or awareness of danger.

When we don’t know all things about a person, a place, a situation, or an event, we sometimes find ourselves fearing the possible danger that could come as a result of being around that person, in that place, from that situation, or at that event.

The list of things that we fear is unending.

Some of the things that we fear are:

Spiders

Flying in an airplane

Needles at the doctor’s office

Being in large crowds

Snakes — think “Indiana Jones”

Being alone

Germs

Sickness

Disease

Heights

Closed/Tight spaces

The dark

Death

Public Speaking

We fear:

Bad news from a doctor

Not being liked by someone in power

Being gossiped about

And, having that false gossip believed by others

We fear:

Losing a job

Losing a spouse

Losing our kids

Losing a friend

Losing a position that we enjoyed holding

In this morning’s text, we are going to hear that Kind David, described as a man after God’s own heart and the writer of many of the songs in the book of Psalms was afraid at times and had fears of his own.

In Psalm 3, King David talks about the fear that he experienced during a very troubling time in his life.  

King David’s words describe a time when his own son, that’s right, his very own son, was trying to stage a coup to have Him  at the very least kicked off of the throne, if not killed.

Let’s hear about one specific fear of King David’s that he wrote about in Psalm 3.

Psalm 3 says this:

[1] O LORD, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me;

[2] many are saying of my soul,

“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

[3] But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

[4] I cried aloud to the LORD,

and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

[5] I lay down and slept;

I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

[6] I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have set themselves against me all around.

[7] Arise, O LORD!

Save me, O my God!

For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;

you break the teeth of the wicked.

[8] Salvation belongs to the LORD;

your blessing be on your people! Selah (ESV)

The first thing that David tells us in Psalm 3 is that his faith was being attacked by his son and his son’s allies.  They were attempting to instill fear in him.

Specifically, they were saying that God isn’t real, God isn’t alive, God isn’t active, God doesn’t care about him, and God can’t save him.

We have probably heard someone make those statements at some point during our life.

Those accusations and attacks against God have become more common in the Westernized world which we live.

I think back to the famous cover of Time Magazine from 1966 that had a solid black background and bold red typeface letters asking the question, “Is God Dead?”

And, let’s be honest, when statements like these, that bring God’s existence and activity into question, arise, fears start to creep in.

We pour over questions like:

What if God isn’t real?

What if I have believed in lies all this time?

What if God doesn’t care about me?

What if God can’t save me?

A few minutes ago, I shared a quote from H.P. Lovecraft that went like this:

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

In one of Lovecraft’s books that I read this week, The Nameless City, he tells the story of an explorer making his way through the remains of a primordial and antediluvian city.  

(Antediluvian means before the flooding of the earth that happened in Genesis 6)

Each step and each turn in the pitch black underground tunnel system of the city causes the explorer to make the decision between fear and curiosity.  

Will the fear of, “What will he find or what will find him?,” win and cause him to turn back to the world he knows. 

Or, will the curiosity of, “What will he find or what will find him?,” win and lead him to venture on?

Lovecraft’s explorer mentions that fear doesn’t triumph over him.  Fear of the unknown doesn’t stop him from living his life.  Curiosity wins every time and therefore he ventures on into the unknown only to ultimately be undone by what he finds [was] finding him.  

For Lovecraft’s explorer, curiosity canceled fear.

Just like Lovecraft’s explorer, King David doesn’t let the fear of, “What will he find or what will find him?,” stop him from living his life.

That’s what he tells us in Psalm 3.

Through the grace and faith strengthening that God provides for him, King David goes to sleep at night in peace and wakes up refreshed in the morning ready to face the next day, regardless of the good or bad that it will bring.

And, King David is able to stare his fears in the face because he remembers three things from his lifetime of walking with trust and confidence in God’s grace and goodness.

After admitting his fear of his son Absalom and his son’s allies in verses 1-2, King Dvid remembers three things about God’s grace and goodness.

He remembers that God promises to be his protector when he is afraid.

He remembers that God promises to be his helper when he is afraid.

And, he remembers that God promise to listen to and respond to his fears when he bring them in prayer.

For King David, faith canceled fear.

Now, follow his logic into verses 5-6.

Even though David should fear his son and his son’s allies as they are seeking to have him dethroned and/or killed, because God makes and keeps his promises to him, King David can lay down at night and sleep peacefully.

King David can lay down and sleep peacefully because regardless of what people or places are trying to do to him, God graciously holds King David in his hands, the same hands that created and redeemed the world.

King David even says that because of God’s control and power over all people, places, and things, he can wake up each morning fully ready to face the day knowing that no matter what comes his way, the maker and savior of the universe is on his side.

I am sure that each of us is familiar with the tossing and turning, the restless nights, the sleepless nights, that invade our lives when we are overwhelmed by our fears.

We each have fears.  Some of us have fears on top of fears on top of fears.

So, what do we do about it?

The only thing we can do is the only thing King David could do.

We look at God and remember what he has done for us. 

We remember his grace toward us.

We remember all of the good that he has done for us.

God’s grace led him to send his son, that’s right, his very own Son, Jesus Christ into the world, to us, to you and me, to die for our sin, to pay the price for our sin, and to forgive our sin, which includes the sin of fear (fear being a sin because it is not trusting God to be who he said he was and not trusting God to do what he says he will do—including forgiving us and saving us from that sin).

In another book that I read this week which summarized Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anit-Nazi dissident during Hitler’s reign of terror, theory of the Christian Life, Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life: From the Cross, the author says that Bonhoeffer was adamant about this truth: 

To set everything right, we need Christ. Christ remakes us. In Christ, we are again reconciled to God and again reconciled to each other. In Christ, we are truly persons. Christ overcomes the human condition. The crucified and risen Christ becomes “God’s incarnate love for us—as God’s will to renew the covenant, to establish God’s rule and thus to create community.” It is Christ’s action as “vicarious representative” that makes the crucial difference. The community between God and humanity is restored, and “the community of human beings with each other has also become a reality in love once again.”

For us, Jesus cancels fear.

First and foremost, Jesus cancels the fear of receiving the punishment of God’s wrath.

And, secondly, Jesus cancels the fear of people and places being able to harm us by somehow overthrowing God’s promises to us.

Just like King David, we remember all of the good that God has done will continue to do for us.

We remember that God promises to be our protector when we are afraid and that God has protected us in the past when we were afraid.

We remember that God promises to be our helper when we are afraid and that God has helped us in the past when we were afraid.

And, we remember that God promises to listen to and respond to our fears when we bring them in prayer and that God has heard us and responded to us in the past when we brought our fears to him in prayer.

This week when you wake up and before you go to bed, repeat King David’s words which are powerful enough to calm and squash all of your fears.

Say with confidence:

[3] But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

[8] Salvation belongs to the LORD;

your blessing be on your people!

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

May 19, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Cancels Opposition

Psalm 2

Have you ever felt like the whole world was against you?

Have you ever felt like every person, place, thing, and institution had it in for you and was trying to make your life as miserable and unbearable as possible?

Maybe you have heard over and over again, “You can’t do that!”

Maybe you have heard over and over again that you are not smart enough, you are not wealthy enough, you are not skinny enough or pretty enough, you are not physically fit enough, or you are not experienced enough.

Maybe the opposition came at school.  Maybe you were constantly in the sights of a bully or bullies.  Maybe you felt like a teacher had it out for you because no matter how hard you worked they just wouldn’t give you an A.

Maybe the opposition came at work.  Maybe your ideas were constantly rejected or unheard.  Maybe your co-workers looked down on you and spoke badly about you.

Maybe the opposition came from your home.  Maybe your spouse didn’t support your hopes and dreams.  Maybe your parents had rules that prohibited you from having the freedoms that you wanted to have.  Maybe your kids were disobedient. Maybe you were abused.  

Maybe the opposition came from your church.  Maybe the passions that you had and the gifts that God gave you were denied or went unused.

Each of us faces opposition from a variety of people and places throughout our life.

And, sometimes opposition can come from many different places at the same time making us feel like the whole world is against us.

In this morning’s text, King David, the writer of many of the songs recorded in the book of Psalms, feels like many of us do on a daily basis—like the whole world was against him.

Let’s hear about the opposition that King David faced from his own words which are recorded for us in Psalm 2.

In Psalm 2, King David says:

[1] Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

[2] The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

[3] “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

[4] He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

[5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

[6] “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

[7] I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

[8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

[9] You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

[10] Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

[11] Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

[12] Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (ESV)

Let me break down this Psalm for you into 4 parts.

Part 1 comes from verses 1-3.  

It is in these verses that King David describes his problem.

And, the problem is that when he examines the motives of the leaders of his world, he sees them making decisions and carrying out plans that go completely against God’s standards for life and love. 

He sees the leaders asking their subjects to bow down and worship the king instead of bowing down to worship God, the Father in Heaven.

He sees the leaders of the nations around him conquering, killing, and enslaving people, instead of gathering, protecting, and providing for people.

I didn’t mention this in the beginning examples, but maybe we are like David and experience opposition from the leaders and nations that have ruled throughout our lifetime.

In our recently deeply divided nation, people, including each of us, have been very vocal about the opposition that we felt was limiting our ability to live the way we wanted to.

From 2016 to 2020 some of us believed that our government and leaders were our enemies.  It seemed to us like every decision and move that was made was against our belief system and way of life.  We felt like those who were supposed to take care of us and protect us were actually opposing us.

And then,for the next four years, from 2020-2024, some of us believe that our government and leaders were our enemies. It seems to us like every decision and move that has been made is against our belief system and way of life.  We feel like those who are supposed to take care of us and protect us are actually opposing us.

When we live feeling opposed by the leaders and nations that are in position to rule and make decisions, we live in fear.  We fear what they are going to do to us.  We fear for our lives.

However, the next part of this Psalm brings some comfort to King David and to you.

In verses 4-6, King David talks about God’s response to those who think, say, and do things that oppose His rules for life and love.

King David says that God sits on His throne in Heaven and laughs at all of those that oppose Him.

God laughs at those who oppose Him because He sees the silliness that exists in anyone who thinks they can do whatever they want without any care or regard for their Creator who also happens to be the One responsible for the existence of the Universe.

God’s laughter at those who think they have more power than Him brings comfort to King David while he is being opposed for his belief in God because it reminds him that God is always in control, God is always in charge, and God will always be victorious.  No one can ever overthrow God or His good and gracious plan for humanity.

Part 3 of the psalm is found with verses 7-9 and tells us of God’s solution that he will use to defeat any opposition.

God’s solution is His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus will rule the universe eternally with justice and love.

That means that those that do not find themselves believing in Jesus and openly oppose God’s standards for life and love will receive exactly what they deserve—punishment for their sin.  Justice will be served and the guilty will be punished—opposition to God and His Kingdom will be squashed!

However, those that find themselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be recipients of the grace that flows from Jesus’ eternal reign. That grace that Jesus lovingly and willingly bestows gives forgiveness of sin through His death on the cross for you, eternal life in God’s Kingdom of Heaven, and righteousness.

A few years ago, the song Old Town Road came on the music scene fast and furious.  The world-wide popularity of the song had it playing on the radio, in commercials and ads, and in stores.  It seemed like you couldn’t make it through one day without hearing the song in some capacity.

Although the song became an instant world-wide success, it has a very interesting story attached to it.

When newcomer Lil Nas X was told his viral single was being removed from a Billboard chart, that might’ve looked like the end of his run of success. As it turns out, it was just the beginning.

“Old Town Road (I Got Horses in the Back),” is in many ways a country record. Its subject matter (riding horses) and slight vocal drawl are evocative of new country stylings. The official YouTube video consists entirely of footage from a popular video game set in a sprawling epic Western adventure.

Nevertheless, it still has a distinct hip-hop influence. Thus, after complaints from several unnamed Nashville country music gatekeepers, Billboard announced in a statement that “Old Town Road” was removed from the country music charts:

Upon further review, it was determined that “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard’s country charts. When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first is musical composition. While “Old Town Road” incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it did not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its original version.

The subsequent fan outcry produced allegations of racism. Several industry analysts compared “Old Town Road” to country-chart-topping crossover pop singles with hip-hop influences from megastar artists like Taylor Swift.

But Lil Nas X has since gotten the last laugh. The controversy subsequently rocketed “Old Town Road” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spawned a remix collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus of “Achy Breaky Heart” fame … which also charted on the Billboard country charts.

When you are feeling like the world is against you, like you meet opposition at ever turn, know that God in Heaven knows exactly what you are thinking and experiencing in each of those moments because in Jesus God felt and experienced opposition in this world as well.

We say that we feel like the whole world is against us but,

because of sin, the whole world was in fact against Jesus.

But, Jesus, through the complete presence and power of God that dwelled in Him, overcame the power of sin, overcame the forces of the Devil and evil, and overcame death, all which opposed him and tried to cancel Him.

Instead of being able to cancel Jesus, the opposition found it self canceled.

In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus cancels opposition.

And, he cancels opposition not just for himself, but for you as well.

Colossians 2:13–15 tells us this good news with these words:

[13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (ESV)

Jesus knows what it feels like to be opposed on a daily basis.

You know what it feels like to be opposed on a daily basis—

opposed for who you are, what you think, what you say, and what you do, and, like the Psalm writer King David as well, for your faith in God.

The truth is that we have spiritual opposition that tries to separate us from God.


But, Jesus, on the cross and at the grave, has been 100%, completely, victorious over the opposition of Satan and his evil spiritual forces and temptation that try to keep us separated from God.

And, Jesus has been victorious over this opposition for you!

So, the question now is, “Will we have completely peaceful lives once we find ourselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior?”

And, the answer that can be shouted from the rooftops is:

No!

Absolutely not!

No way!

Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 of this when he speaks these words:

[33] I [say] these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (ESV)

In a book that I read this week, the author says this:

Christian believers can be assured that the weight of brokenness is no longer theirs to bear; Christ covers all our brokenness in His redemption. Yet we live in a now-and-not-yet world. While all brokenness has been redeemed on the cross, there remains this time we live in when we wait for all brokenness to be restored. We will still feel brokenness pressing in, and we will bear some parts of brokenness in our lives until we see the Bearer of every shame face-to-face. In Christ Jesus, we live in the knowledge that there is something better to come, that sorrow and hurt last for the night, but joy will come—joy does come—in the morning (Psalm 30:5). What we see in front of us won’t be broken for all eternity. 

This awareness of brokenness brings struggle and wrestling into our lives. God will certainly use this wrestling for His good, but it won’t be removed until Christ comes again. The force of the wrestling feels all too reminiscent of the weight of our sin. Satan will use this constantly to his advantage. He wants our awareness of brokenness to weigh us down in the shame that was lifted from us on the cross long ago. When we don’t talk about the concept of brokenness or understand its impact on our lives, we can end up applying shame to ourselves and to others around us who are asking for help in this broken world. 

Brokenness isn’t always about what we individually have done wrong, although that’s part of it. Brokenness also isn’t always about what we as humanity do wrong. Sometimes it simply means that we reside in a sinful world and we are all people impacted by sin in every area of our life.

Finally, part 4 of Psalm 2 has King David leaving us with words of encouragement and exhortation to live with faith, love, and hope everyday.

He tells us to:

Be wise.

Serve the Lord.

And, rejoice, because you are saved from opposition, and God will protect you and provide for you all the days of your life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

May 12, 2024