Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

W Is For Worker

Galatians 6.1-2

Our family has recently been using a wonderful book from the Scottish-born, American Pastor Alister Begg and his The Good Book Company for our nightly devotions.  The book that we have been using is called C Is For Christian and provides an easy to understand theological point for each letter of the alphabet.

This week, as we were heading toward the end of the book, we came to the letter W.

I want to share with you some of the content from the entry for the letter W.  

W is for Worker.

2 Timothy 2.15 says,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.”

God gives all of His people work to do for Him, every day. It might be caring for someone else. It might be saying something kind. It might be teaching someone something about Him from His Word. It might be giving your time to help someone out.  It might be using your talents in a church service.

Christians don’t work hard so that we can be loved and forgiven by God. No! Christians work because we are already loved and forgiven by God, just by trusting in Jesus. 

Christian work is often hard work. And God wants you to “do your best.” Some people do the very least that they need to do. They put in as little effort as they can. But other people do the very best they can possibly do. They try as hard as they can. As we live the Christian life, that’s how we are to do the work God gives us.

If we do this, then we will have “no need to be ashamed.” Imagine a school student doing some work in class. When they have finished, if they have done their best and tried hard, then they can give their work to their teacher with pride. But if they know they have rushed their work and not done it as well as they can, they will hand it in with shame. As we live the Christian life, God wants us to do our work in a way that means we can say, “That’s my very best.”

That’s the kind of worker who is “approved” by God. We work hard so that God will approve of the way we live for Him and obey Him. It’s exciting to think that, as you work hard for Him, God will look at you and say, That’s great. I really approve of what you’re doing. You’re the kind of worker I’m looking for!

W is for Worker.

The book then encourages us to think about and answer the following two questions:

What good works does God give you to do each day?

Do you think you will work harder if you remember that God is watching and approves of your hard work? Why?

This morning, we are returning to the book of Galatians to finish out our sermon series from this year.

This morning, we are up to Galatians 6:1–2 which says:

[1] Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. [2] Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV)

I don’t know if you caught the tone of Paul’s words, but in these verses, Paul is naming the work you should be doing as a Christian.

Paul is saying that in the Christian life, “W is for Worker.”

Martin Luther, the 16th Century monk, teacher, and theologian— who helped the Christian church get back on track by putting physical copies of the Bible into people’s hands in order to rescue them from the corrupt religious leaders of the day who were adding and subtracting from God’s Word for their own personal gain—masterfully summarized the Christian life when he said,

“God doesn’t need our good works, but your neighbor does.”

This is what today’s text from Galatians is all about.

Today’s text from Galatians is about doing good works as Christian for the good of those around you.

When the Apostle Paul wrote letters to the early churches in the 1st Century A.D., to help them stay and track loving God and loving others, and often get back on track doing those things, he almost always wrote in a two-part fashion.

The first section of Paul’s written communications would include the truth of the Gospel.  Paul would begin his letter with a proclamation and reminder that Jesus Christ is God’s Savior.  He would proclaim that faith in Jesus Christ is the one and only way that a person can be forgiven of sin, justified, declared righteous, reconciled to God, and brought home into God’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven.   And, that all of this great blessing is freely available to every human being when they confess that they are a sinner in need of saving and trust the truth that God’s love drove him to provide that saving in Jesus, life, death and resurrection.

Following that outpouring of good news that brings hope to broken people in a broken world, Paul’s second section of each of his letters would then move on the practical aspects of living as a Christian.  Paul’s words of exhortation, command, and encouragement were for those who had experienced the life altering, heart and mind transforming grace of God.

As a brief reminder, in chapters 1-5 of Galatians, we heard the Apostle Paul tell us the good news that we find forgiveness of sin, justification, righteousness, and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through faith in Jesus, we are called sons and daughters of God and given all of the benefits of being an heir to all that God has created and done.  And, through faith in Jesus, we are also set free from the burden of Sin that keeps us enslaved to the idea that God needs our good works in order to accept us, approve of us, and love us.

At the end of chapter 5, in the typical Pauline way, he begins to transition into the practical aspects of the Christian life.

To return to Luther’s quote, “God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does,” we have to remember that the things that Paul is telling the Christians in Galatia to do aren’t a series of good works that will earn them God’s love and approval. 

No.  The things that Paul is telling Christians to do are the proper responses to God’s love and approval of them despite their sin and selfishness. And, the proper response to God’s love for us is to love others as we have first been loved—with grace and mercy.

In these first two verses of chapter 6, Paul tells us that as Christians, living together in the Church on earth, we have accountability partners and are to be accountability partners.

As Christians, we are to know the Word of God.  We are to know what it commands us to do and what it commands us not to do.  And, we are to help each other live up to God’s standards for life and love.

Now comes the uncomfortable part.  This means that sometimes we have to correct others in the faith and sometimes we have to be correctly by others.  

Hearing the truth that God allows others to take moral measurements on your life using the Bible as the measuring stick so that the faith you profess on Sunday morning matches the thoughts, words, and actions of your Monday-Saturday living, may scare you because we have come to a place in the Western world where the idea of “being judged” is used negatively and as a threat to personal freedom.

We are all familiar with colloquial mantras of, “Don’t judge me!,” and, “Who do you think you are to judge me,” and, “The Bible says not to judge others.”

Well, this morning’s Biblical text proves that God not only desires but commands us to make judgments on one another for their temporal and eternal good.

To understand how the process of helping to restore a brother or sister into a right relationship with God works, let’s dig a little deeper into the Scriptural words that Paul has written and left us.

Let’s begin by highlighting the phrase, “You who are spiritual.”

This command to be an accountability partner to others all hinges on your faith of being known by God and knowing God and living in such a way that you are always working to cultivate and grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ and prayerfully seeking that God would work out the fruits of the Spirit in your life.

This means being humble.  This means knowing that you are no better than anyone else around you.  This means that you acknowledge that you too need help.  This means you will correctly declare, “I am not perfect.” This means that you are quick to confess your own Sin and seek God’s forgiveness where it is found—in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

This faith filled and faith guided lifestyle will allow you to know what God commands and forbids and not rely on what you alone have decided is right and wrong for yourself and for others.

Here is a bit of a warning for you: In fulfilling this command to restore those caught in transgressions, you need to be aware of what is sin in God’s eyes and what is not.

In our own sin, we often like to create our own categorical imperatives for this life.  However, we have no right to do that.  It is God the Father in Heaven who created life, who sustains life, and who makes the rules for life.

So, after examining the human’s natural condition from the very moment of conception—the human condition of being corrupted and enslaved by Sin which lies to us and tells us that we are always right about everything and everyone around us should bow down to our lordship over them—what hope do we have to be able to do what Paul is telling us we should be doing as Christians?

Well, 1 Corinthians 2:14–16 speaks about the Christian’s wisdom and ability to correct others and be corrected by others as well.

These verses say:

[14] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15] The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. [16] “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)

If you are spiritual, that means being filled with and led by the Holy Spirit of God, you will exhibit humility and therefore be gentle in your leading and guiding of others to a place of confession and repentance.  You will do this in this way because it is how God has led you to confession and repentance and how you would like others to treat you in leading you to confession and repentance.

God wasn’t a jerk to you, but He was patient, kind, and gentle, always leading you to the cross for the forgiveness and healing that He provides for you.

And, when you need to be corrected and pointed back to God in Christ on the cross, you don’t want others to be a jerk to you.  You want them to be patient, kind, and gentle.

As I like to paraphrase the greatest two commandments, “Love God and Don’t Be a Jerk to your neighbor.”

In a sermon that Jesus preached, he smooths out some of the edges on this for us when he says:

[37] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; [38] give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

[39] He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? [40] A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. [41] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:37–42, ESV)

At one point, U.S. Men’s Soccer Team star Christian Pulisic was dropped from the starting lineup by head coach Gregg Berhalter. Pulisic said, “There were moments when he benched me and I wanted to kill the guy — I hated him, I was so angry. But then the next game comes along, and then I find myself in a better place. The way he handled a lot of situations, I have to give him a lot of credit.”

Pulisic said that he developed an understanding for Berhalter’s coaching methods during his first camp under the coach. In that camp, Pulisc suffered a slight injury. After getting a scan on the injury, Berhalter summoned Pulisic for a meeting. The coach suggested that the injuries may have happened because Pulisic wasn’t training with the intensity at which he played in games. Pulisic was taken aback at first, but eventually he took in the advice. He said:

It changed the way I look at training, even today. … Listen, it wasn’t easy, and it took me a little while, but I said “Let me take this onboard,” and since then I’ve been in a much better place. It’s things like that. The way that he deals with players, you can tell he is passionate, and he cares about his players. He’s not going to tell you it easy, or what you want to hear, he is going to tell you what he feels is going to improve you.

To be honest, sometimes we hate God and His people because the process of growth is difficult for all of us.  To grow in our faith often means looking into the mirror and seeing how far away from God’s standards for life and love we actually are.  And, even when we are treated with patience and kindness and gentleness, we still initially react out of our old nature with the colloquial mantras of, “Don’t judge me!,” and, “Who do you think you are to judge me,” and, “The Bible says not to judge others.”

But then, by God’s grace, the next day comes along, and then you find yourself in a better place. The way God handled all of your situations in such a way that you have to give him all the credit.

God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Church (if the Church is doing it correctly) are not going to tell you it is easy, or what you want to hear, they are going to tell you what they know is going to improve you.

This morning, Paul wants you remember that the letter W is for Worker.  

As a Christian who is automatically a part of the body of Christ, His Church, you are called to work for the good of your neighbor.

In the context of today’s text, Paul is focusing on your Christian neighbor.  

1 John 4.19 reminds us that “We love because [God in Christ] loved us first.”

Go today and do the good work of helping your brothers and sisters in Christ to live in a such a way that the love, grace and mercy of God is known by them and the world around them.  And, be prayerfully open to God using your brothers and sisters in the faith to do the same 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 27, 2025.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank You that You love us not because we work hard but because we trust Jesus. Thank You that You do give us good works to do for You. Please help us to work hard and to remember that You are pleased when Your people do their best in the work You’ve given them. Amen.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Tired of Life

Matthew 11.25-30

Have you ever felt tired?

I don’t mean the kind of tired that comes from a lack of sleep.

I mean the kind of tired that comes from working non-stop and feeling like you are never going to be able to finish the job?

In our house with two kids, three if you include me, which my wife does, there are never ending piles of dirty dishes and never ending piles of dirty laundry.  

Just when you think you have washed the last plate or folded the last pair of underwear, someone needs a snack and then drops that snack all over their clean shirt. 

Do you sometimes feel like the list of burdens of life, the to do list at your office, the to do list in your home, the to do list in your marriage, the to do list with your children, and the to do list at your church are too much to handle?

Today, heavy, unimaginable, and overwhelming burdens are being felt because:

Our kids are rebelling against what is good and right for them.

Our marriages aren’t experiencing all that was promised in the vows at the altar.  Instead, we are experiencing daily struggle and the hardest of hearts — things we could never have imagined when getting married. Stubborn disagreement. Refusal to compromise. Addiction. Insurmountable debt. Verbal abuse. Mental abuse. Physical abuse. The Jumbotron Kiss Cam at a Coldplay concert.

Today, heavy, unimaginable, and overwhelming burdens are being felt:

Because of the constant news of natural disasters taking human life.

Because of worry about tomorrow.

Because of personal failure in the past.

Because of injustice.

Because of self-loathing and guilt over what we have thought, said, or done.

Because of wars and possible wars with Middle Eastern countries, Russia, and China.

Because of the decisions of politicians to fight each other instead of fighting for the good of the American people.

Burden stinks.

When we are burdened, we can’t sleep, we find it hard to breath at moments, we can’t focus, we can’t move forward, and we can’t accomplish the simplest of goals — like taking a shower or getting dressed, just to name a few of the side effects of burden.

And, all of that to say that when we are burdened, we just can’t rest.   

There is too much to do and not enough time to do it all.

If all of this sounds like the way you feel, and I am sure it does, there is good news for you this morning as we hear much needed good news from one of the four (4) biographies of Jesus.

Our Biblical text this morning comes from the Biblical book of Matthew.

It is here that we are told about living at rest instead of living with burden.

Matthew 11:25–30, brings us the words of Jesus, assuring us that life with Him is a life of rest.

Let here what Jesus says about rest:

[25] At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; [26] yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. [27] All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. [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)

In these words, Jesus tells us that when we go to him, that is, when we have faith that He is God’s gift of a Lord, Savior, and Friend, we can rest.

And we can rest because of who Jesus tells us he is and what Jesus tells us he does for us.

This is what Jesus tells us about himself in these words:

Jesus speaks to you.

Jesus prays to God the Father in Heaven for you.

Jesus thanks God for you.

Jesus who alone knows God the Father, because He is One with Him, reveals God the Father to you.

Jesus reveals God’s grace to you.

Jesus is in charge of all things for your good.

Jesus calls you to come and be with Him.

Jesus gives you rest because of who He is and what He does for you.

Jesus teaches you who God is and what God is like and what God’s standards are for life and love.

Jesus is gentle with you.

Jesus is humble with you.

Jesus’ yoke is easy for you.

And, Jesus’ burden is light for you.

Writing about this morning’s text, one author says,

“At the end of the day, the Christian life is not about what you and I can do in and for the kingdom in our own effort; that’s a recipe for failure. Following Christ is about Jesus the Christ living in and through and for us on a daily basis. He helps us in our struggles with sin, in our battles with temptation, and in our suffering in trials. Believers are in the yoke with Jesus, and the One who calls us to righteous living is the One who enables us to live a righteous life. The One who beckons you to trust the Father is the One who enables you to trust the Father. And the One who calls us to preach the gospel to the nations is the One who empowers us to preach the gospel to the nations.”

The first thing we are going to briefly examine is the good news that Jesus speaks to us and reveals who God the Father in Heaven is and what God the Father in Heaven has done and is doing for us.

Ultimately, Jesus reveals himself.

Jesus reveals salvation.

Jesus reveals the way to forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life.

In another biography of Jesus, John, a personal friend and follower of Jesus tells us that Jesus said:

[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. [4] And you know the way to where I am going.” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1–4, 6,  ESV)

This is good news because God did not have to make Himself known to us.

Because of our ungodly thoughts, words, and behavior, we broke off our relationship with God.  In effect, we sent God divorce papers.  We told him, by our ungodly thoughts, words, an behavior that we thought our life would be better without him.

However, God refused to sign those divorce papers and instead did everything in his power to fix our relationship with him.

Because of God’s great love for me and for you, He chose to let us know that He would forgive us and forget our wrongdoing.

And, He would forgive our sin and forget our wrongdoing by paying off the debt that our sin incurred by trading the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross for ours.

The second thing that we are briefly going to look at this morning, flows directly out of the first.

We find rest in what Jesus reveals to us about God the Father and Himself.

We can rest in the truth that that God provides all we need to be accepted by Him today, tomorrow, and forever, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

There is nothing left to do to gain God’s approval.

In the person and work of Jesus Christ, God has come alongside of us and rescued us from the burden to work hard to perfectly complete the over 600 commandments in the Bible.

When I was in high school and had a day off, I would often go with my Dad to his job in New York City.

Back in those days, my Dad worked for a company that dealt with marine insurance claims.  

I know, I know, it sounds exciting and fascinating — just the place a high school student would want to spend an 8 hour work day.

But, I really like to go to help my Dad catch up on the stack of claims that he had to process and record.

Now for some of you, this is going to shock you, but there were no computers back in those days.  Every insurance claim had to be recorded by hand with a pen in a giant log book.   It was tedious work.

On those days that I went to help my Dad with his work, I would get up early, travel with him from Staten Island into Manhattan by train, boat, and subway.  

And, before heading up into my Dad’s office in midtown, we would stop at the deli for buttered bagels and a Snapple.

I would then sit at the desk next to my Dad and log in dates, claim numbers, company names, and payouts for the remainder of the day.

I worked alongside my Dad, helping him with the work he had to do.  Or, in other words that come from our Biblical text for this morning, I was yoked to my Dad on those joint work days, sharing the burden created by the job he had to complete.

Now, when I say “yoke,” I am not referring the yellow center portion of an egg.

I am referring to the farming tool that would hook two animals together.

This is what a yoke looks like.

And, this is what a yoke looks like on a pair of oxen.

The yoke would be used to help the oxen share the burden of plowing a field.  Instead of one animal bearing the weight and physical exertion of pulling a plow all day long, the farmer would yoke two oxen together and then hook up the plow to the yoke so that the weight and physical exertion would be shared by the two animals.

As a Christian, have you ever felt tired?

I mean the kind of tired that comes from working non-stop to prove that you are a good person or good Christian?

good enough for God and His Kingdom of Heaven; 

good enough for the people in your church; 

good enough so that you don’t feel like a hypocrite?

Do you feel like the burdens you read about in the Bible, learn about in Bible study, and hear about in sermons are too much to handle?

Well, if you feel that way, you are right.

The to-do list of what it takes to please God by obeying all of His laws for life and love is too much for you to handle. 

The laws of God and His rules for life and love are actually impossible for you to live up to.

However the good news for you this morning in our text, is summed up by author Todd Brewer in his latest post for the culture meets theology blog Mockingbird, when he says:

“Christianity is not a road-map of rules to follow before gaining eternal life, or a set of general principles that govern God’s creation and our ethical decision-making. Christianity believes in a personal, benevolent, creative God who has already and is in the process of fundamentally altering the course of human history. Christianity posits itself as the one truth that changes everything.”

The good news for you this morning is that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has altered human history and changed everything for you!

He comes to work with you to help you catch up and finish the stack of claims piled up against you and in need of recording as being “finished” in God’s logbook.

However, when you are yoked to Jesus, you are yoked to someone who has already finished the job before you got there. You are partnered with someone who has first finished the job that needed to be completed.  You are connected with someone who leaves nothing left for you to do.

In the yoke, Jesus takes the full weight of our sin and Jesus gives us full pardon for our sin on the other side.

Therefore, you can always rest with peace before God in the completed work of Jesus Christ.

When you feel the burdens of the world piling up on you and when you feel the burdens of trying to please God pile up on you, remember the good news that Jesus speaks to you when He says:

[27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14.27, ESV)

[33] I have said 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.” (John 16.33, ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

July 20, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Writes Your Name In Heaven

Luke 10.1-2, 16-20

The late Bible scholar John Stott once said, “Pride is your greatest enemy, humility is your greatest friend.”

According to the National Geographic’s kid’s website, the Pufferfish can inflate into a ball shape to evade predators. Also known as blowfish, these clumsy swimmers fill their elastic stomachs with huge amounts of water (and sometimes air) and blow themselves up to several times their normal size … But these blow-up fish aren’t just cute. Most pufferfish contain a toxic substance that makes them foul tasting and potentially deadly to other fish. The toxin is deadly to humans—1,200 times more deadly than cyanide. There is enough poison in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

Like Pufferfish, human beings can blow themselves up with pride and arrogance to make themselves look bigger than they are. And this pride can become toxic to a marriage, a church, a friendship, and your faith.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary, we are going to be hearing from Luke 10.1-12 and 10.16-20.  

In this piece of history, we are going to hear Jesus sending out 72 of his followers to do the work of God in the world.  However, while doing God’s work, these disciples slipped back into the sin of pride and self-righteousness, finding purpose and meaning in their good deeds instead of remaining focused on God’s good deeds toward them in saving them and allowing them to be part of His mission of loving others into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let’s hear from our text now.

Luke 10:1–20 tells us this:

[1] After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. [2] And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. [3] Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. [4] Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. [5] Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ [6] And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. [7] And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. [8] Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. [9] Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ [10] But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, [11] ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ [12] I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

[16] “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

[17] The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” [18] And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. [20] Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)

Last week, we heard that Jesus was on a mission from God.  

Jesus’ mission from God was to deliver forgiveness for Sin and eternal life in Heaven to those who repented and believed in His sufficiency to do those promised things.

This week, we hear that as believers, as Christians, as disciples of Jesus, we are commanded to go out into our homes, work places, schools, and towns, to be active participants in Jesus’ mission on earth.  We are given the blessing of doing the same work that Jesus’ was doing on His mission from God.

As a Christian, Jesus’ mission supernaturally becomes your mission.

Can you believe that?  Through faith, God considers us to be worthy of partnering with Jesus in this world to verbally share the Good News of salvation, while loving others with grace and mercy so that they ultimately know and understand and find comfort in the love, grace, and mercy of God toward them!

In our Biblical text for this morning, we are told that Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples—in teams of two so that they are not alone and will have support, encouragement, and a prayer partner along the way.  Jesus sends them into the surrounding towns, villages, and cities to preach the Good News of Jesus come to them as God’s Savior.  

As they travel from place to place, they will be proclaiming the same message that Jesus proclaimed.  They will be proclaiming, “Repent and Believe for the forgiveness of your Sin.”

This mission was not only an active mission while Jesus was alive with them, the mission is an active mission for Jesus’ followers until the day He returns and brings us home into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.  That is why after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, which defeats the power of Sin and death for you, Jesus’ final words were words of command and blessing to you, reminding you of the active mission that you are on while waiting to be brought home into God’s arms.

In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus says this to His followers before He leaves them and ascends back to His throne in Heaven:

[18] …“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

Let’s be honest.  Being saved from our Sin and being daily empowered by God to choose the good part of every hour, we get to do some really cool things.  We get to love God and love others.  

However, while doing that Godly stuff, we can easily and quickly slip back into Sin and become conceited and prideful.  

That’s what happened to Jesus’ disciples as He empowered them to heal the sick and preach the Gospel.

When Jesus’ disciples did those things, seeing the power of God, the Creator and Redeemer, flowing out from them, pride creeped in and they became more excited about the awesome things they were doing than they were about the awesome thing that God had done for them in sending Jesus to save them.

When the disciples return to Jesus after being out in the mission field, they are overwhelmingly excited because they saw miraculous things happen.  They were celebrating because when they preached and exalted Jesus alone for salvation, they saw demons run away and Satan fall from power.  They saw people turn from their Sin and find forgiveness and life.  

Even though those were great things that they were seeing done through their words and actions, the disciples were taking the credit for making all of that happen instead of giving the credit to God, the Father in Heaven, and Jesus, the Son, who were the actual power behind the miracle of saved and transformed lives.

So, even though good things were happening for the Kingdom of God through the disciples work in the world, they forgot that they were doing these things for God’s glory and began glorifying themselves and each other.

So, Jesus graciously and gently rebukes and corrects His disciples, pointing them back to the real Good News in their lives.

Jesus says to them:

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. [20] Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus points out their sins of pride, conceit, and self-righteousness, showing them that they have returned to finding comfort in their good deeds instead of Jesus their Savior.

In other words, Jesus was retelling them what was said by God in Proverbs 16:17–20.

Proverbs 16.17-20 says:

[17] The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

[18] Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

[19] It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

[20] Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. (ESV)

Let’s be honest once again.  It is easy to get lost in the amazing good deeds that God lets us do and lose sight of the greatest good—God’s saving of us in the person and work of Jesus Christ in His life, death on the cross for our sin—sins like pride, conceit, and self-righteousness.

Let me give you and example from my week.  

This week, I got to do one of my favorite things that I get to do as a pastor.  This week, I got to stand alongside a family that lost a loved one.  

I got to send notes of condolence.  

I got to pray for a family who was grieving and mourning.

I got to offer my unconditional availability for any of their needs or wants during this time of loss.

I got to attend the funeral of the lost loved one.

I got to attend the burial of the lost loved one.

I got to attend the family lunch in remembrance of the lost loved one.

Not just as a Pastor, but as a brother in Christ, as a Christian, as a disciple of Christ, I got to be an ambassador of Christ, and a reminder and example of Jesus’ presence with them as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

But, in order to do all of these good Godly things that I am called to do, I had to give up a full day of my normal church work.  That meant no studying, no sermon writing, no contact with the other sheep in the flock, no administrative work.

After the church service, as we were doing the slow caravan-like drive along the Southern State Parkway from the funeral in Patchogue to the burial in Farmingdale, going 25 miles on the highway, attempting to stay connected to the processional of cars in front of me, I began to think about all of the good deeds that I didn’t have to do, but that I got to do as a Pastor and Christian when it came to this family’s loss.

And, as I said a few minutes ago, it is very easy to get lost in the amazing good deeds that God lets us do after we come to a saving faith and lose sight of the greatest good—God’s saving of us despite our inability to earn His love through good deeds.

So, that is what happened to me.

In my thoughts, while driving in the processional, I very easily and quickly began to pat myself on the back for all of the good deeds that I was doing for this family.  I was feeling really good about myself and all of the sacrifices I made during the week to support this grieving family.  

Pride rushed in.

Conceit rushed in.

Self-righteousness rushed in.

And, I began to think about how thankful the family should be for my sacrifices and how pleased God should be with me because of my sacrifices.

But, thanks be to God for His grace in using His Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance what I read and learned in preparation for this morning’s sermon.  As I was detouring back onto the road of pride, conceit, and self-righteousness, I remembered the last line of today’s Biblical text which says, 

“…do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Again, only by the grace of God in my struggle with Sin, was I led in that moment to confess my Sin, ask for forgiveness, and rejoice in my forgiveness secured for be my Jesus, while also thanking God that my name is written in heaven.

You may be wondering about that phrase, “your names are written in heaven.”  And, you may be asking, “Is there a literal place that my name is written in Heaven?”

Well, the answer is, “Yes! There is a book in Heaven that your name is written in if you repent of your Sin, your disobedience to God’s rules for life and love, and place your trust in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only path to God, the Father in Heaven.”

In Revelation 20:11–15, the Apostle John describes this book containing the names of the saved when God graciously allowed him a peek into Heaven.

John tells us this:

[11] Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. [12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. [13] And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. [14] Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. [15] And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (ESV)

If you are sitting here this morning, knowing that your name is not written in the book of Heaven, this is the day of forgiveness and salvation for you.  Hear Jesus’ words, “Repent of your Sin and believe.” Jesus is calling you! Respond with faith in His sufficiency to forgive your Sin and write your name in God’s book of life in Heaven.

This morning, take your responsibility seriously and be an ambassador of Christ every day in every place that you go.  Always pray for the fruits of the Spirit to overflow out of you and rely on the Spirit to give you the words to say in all situations.  These things are promises from God to you.

However, along the way of living in a manner worthy of Christ out in the broken and fallen world, as a sheep among wolves, prayerfully ask God to guard you from falling back into the sin of pride, conceit, and self-righteousness where you find joy and hope in your good deeds.  And ask that instead, you would keep focused on Jesus’ good deeds of living, dying, and rising from the grave in order to ensure your name is written in the book of life in Heaven.

This is the Word o God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

July 6, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

A Mission From God

Luke 9.51-62 / Galatians 5.16-26

In his 2017 book, The God Shaped Heart, author Timothy Jennings writes of the dangers of unrecognized heart issues:

Hypertension—high blood pressure—has been called the silent killer, but medical professionals didn’t always realize this. In fact, some doctors argued that hypertension was a made-up disorder that didn’t need to be treated at all. For instance, in 1931 Dr. J.H. Hay proclaimed, “The greatest danger to a man with high blood pressure lies in its discovery, because then some fool is certain to try and reduce it.”

Tragic results followed from this idea. Consider the true case of Frank. Frank was diagnosed with hypertension in 1937 at the age of fifty-four. His blood pressure was 162/98 and was considered by physicians at the time to be “mild hypertension.” No treatment was initiated. By 1940, his blood pressure was running 180/88. In 1941, his pressure was 188/105. He was encouraged to cut back on smoking and work. But his condition didn’t improve.

By 1944, his pressure was running higher, and he suffered a series of small strokes. This was followed by classic symptoms of heart failure, so he was placed on a low-salt diet with hydrotherapy and experienced some improvement.

But by February 1945, his pressure was 260/145, and on April 12, 1945, he complained of a severe headache with his blood pressure measuring at 300/190. He lost consciousness and died later that day at the age of sixty-three. Perhaps you know him better as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States.

In this morning’s text, chosen for us by the lectionary, we are going to hear more about the dangers of unrecognized heart issues. However, the heart issues that Jesus tells us about, in this Biblical text, have more than immediate physical consequences.  The heart issues that Jesus points out have spiritual and eternal consequences.

Luke 9:51–62 shares this piece of history with us:

[51] When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. [52] And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. [53] But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. [54] And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” [55] But he turned and rebuked them. [56] And they went on to another village.

[57] As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” [58] And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” [59] To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” [60] And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” [61] Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” [62] Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (ESV)

The first thing we hear in this text is that Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem.

Why does the Gospel writer Luke tell us this fact? What does this mean for Jesus and His disciples?

Well, borrowing the words of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in 1980’s, The Blues Brothers, Jesus and His disciples could answer “our faces are set on Jerusalem because,” “We’re on a mission from God!”

And, what was the mission from God that Jesus was on?

The mission from God that Jesus was on was to save you and me, and every other man, woman, and child, at every point in mankind’s history, from having the wrath of God poured out upon us condemning us for our Sin.

When asked why the baby given to Mary and Joseph should be named Jesus, the answer was, “for He will save people from their sins” (Matthew 1.21, ESV).

On His way to Jerusalem, where Jesus would would solidify the forgiveness of Sin by dying on the cross in our place, Jesus was stopping along the way to prepare the people to be reconciled to God with His simple message of, “Repent and Believe.”

However, just like today, people reject that message for many reasons.

Some think, “Who are you to tell me that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness? Don’t judge me!”

Some think, “I am a good person doing good things that will certainly earn me points in the afterlife—whatever that looks like. I don’t need to confess anything or ask for forgiveness.”

While others think, “There is no god.  Or, we can’t know if there is a god.  Stop throwing that God-talk in my face.”

Something similar happened in the village of the Samaritans that Jesus wanted to visit.  The Samaritans made it clear that they didn’t want or need Jesus.  They didn’t want or think they needed His message of Good News.  And, they didn’t think they needed what He was offering them—forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God, their Father, their Creator and Redeemer.

So, as today’s Biblical text tells us, Jesus was never able to set foot in the Samaritan village to bring His Good News of forgiveness and eternal life because His disciples were told that Jesus wasn’t welcome in that place.

In reaction to the Samaritans rejection of Jesus, Jesus’ disciples do what we often do.  Jesus’ disciples jump to immediate and total judgment of those that deny Christ.  They ask Jesus if they can call down fire from Heaven to completely destroy these unbelievers and wipe them off the face of the earth with eternal punishment.

At this point an interesting thing happened.

The interesting and Good News for you and me is this part of the story where we see Jesus’ reaction to the the Samaritans rejection of Him and His disciples sinful quick-to-judge attitude.  

Jesus tells His disciples that He does not wish for them to punish the Samaritans for their unbelief.  In fact, Jesus rebukes His disciples for their sinful attitude of being quick-to-judge others.

This is the interesting part because it shows us nothing less than the overwhelming patience and grace of God with sinners like you and me.

It is God’s desire, as Scripture tells us, that every man, woman, and child come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for their eternal good.

In order for that to happen, God is patient with us along the way because He knows that Sin makes us stubborn and we will be quick to deny Christ, like the Samaritans did.  And, like His disciples, we will be quick to claim self-righteousness, and quick to Sin in ways such as judging others for their faults while we are unrepentant sinners ourselves.

God loves us.  So, God gives us more than one chance, more than 1000 chances, more chances than we will ever know, to hear about Jesus Christ and respond with faith.

After this incident with both the Samaritan villagers and the disciples following their hearts into the Sin of denying Jesus and His Commandments, which prompt us to love God and love others, we are given a few more examples of people wanting what their sinful hearts want and not the blessings that Jesus offers them.

One person wants to follow Jesus for all of the blessings that He has to offer them, but doesn’t want the suffering and rejection that come from doing what God commands instead of doing what the broken world encourages.

And, two other separate individuals want to follow Jesus only after they have take care of matters at home and feel like everything is in order as they would like it to be.

In 1862, American Poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care.”  This quote has made it’s way into popular culture in numerous ways.  Two examples from my lifetime were Woody Allen using it in an interview in the 1990s and Selena Gomez stealing it for a song in 2014.

The sad reality is that we hear Dickinson’s quote and miss the warning in it.  We don’t hear that our heart is selfish and doesn’t care about anyone or anything except what will make us happy in the immediate moment.  We only hear what we want to hear. So, we hear that our heart should be our light and our guide, leading us to true happiness.  

When my son was younger, he watched a show on the Disney Channel called Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  In one segment of one of the episodes, Jake danced around his pirate ship  encouraging children with the terrible advice to “always follow you heart.”

What we miss in all of this heart-talk is the truth of humanity.  The truth is that the heart is sinful from the moment of conception.  Our default setting is to follow the heart and what the heart wants, even though what the heart wants is to deny God and destroy others.

In 2 Peter 3:8–18, the Apostle Peter, speaks of God’s grace-led patience with us.  Peter says:

[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.

[11] Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, [12] waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! [13] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

[14] Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. [15] And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. [17] You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (ESV)

Jesus was on a mission from God.

The mission from God that Jesus was on was to fix the ultimate problem with your heart—the problem of Sin that made you selfish, self-centered, and self-righteous, denying your need for God’s intervention to forgive you and give you the new life that leads to an enteral home in His Kingdom of Heaven.

And, as you are told, Jesus’ mission was completely successful.

Through Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial atoning death on the cross, and victorious defeat of death in the resurrection, your Sin is forgiven, you are made righteous and sinless in God’s eyes, and you have been made victorious over death’s power to kill and condemn you.

So, today, as we have been set free by Jesus Christ to live and love with brand new hearts set on God our Father in Heaven and the things above, not the things of this earth, I ask you to hear and heed Paul’s words from Galatians 5:16–26 which say to you:

[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

[25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (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 29, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Who’s Your Daddy?

Galatians 4.21-5.1

Today, we celebrate Father’s Day.

We are called to celebrate Fathers because when they are functioning in the God designed way, they are head of the family unit, the provider and the protector of their wives and kids.

Fathers are meant to be the Christ figure in the home, loving and giving of themselves for the good of those that God has given them to care for.  

Now, here today, I know that not all of us have had that experience of a Father functioning in our life as God designed them too.

Some of us do have a Father that we call our hero and has loved us as Christ has loved the Church.

Some of us have a complicated relationship with our Father.

Some of us have been abandoned by our Father along the way.

And, some of us sit here this morning not knowing who are real biological Father is.

Because of the corruption of Sin, all families experience some form of dysfunction.  

However, despite sin driven dysfunction, some families do promote a picture of Godliness by being examples of love, grace and forgiveness.  While other families unfortunately lean into sin driven dysfunction and  promote a picture of Godlessness with their trauma, grudges, and division.

Family is important to God.  God created the family to be a place of safety and security, of peace, love, and grace.

Economic expert, Robert J. Samuelson says, ”Along with the budget deficit, we have a family deficit…We’ve learned that what good families provide cannot easily be gotten elsewhere. For the nation, it is [the family] deficit that matters most.”

In this morning’s Biblical text, from the the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we hear the Apostle Paul describe two different families.  In one family, the Father, Abraham, dysfunctionally leads his family in disobedience away from God.  In the other family, the same man and Father (I know complicated situation), Abraham, overcomes sin-driven dysfunction and leads his family in obedience toward God.

Let’s hear about these two families now.

Stick with me through this text thick in Old Testament history and I will help you understand it on the other side.

Galatians 4.21-5.1 says this:

[21] Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? [22] For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. [23] But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. [24] Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. [25] Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. [26] But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. [27] For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;

break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than those of the one who has a husband.”

[28] Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. [29] But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. [30] But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” [31] So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

[1] For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (ESV)

In these words, the Apostle Paul tells a tale of two families. 

For one family, it was the best of times.

For the other family, it was the worst of times.

Let me tell you about the bad news family first.

The first family is made up of Abraham as the Father, Hagar as the mother, and Ishmael as the son.

This family came to be by disobeying God’s design for marriage and parenthood.

When God called Abraham into his family, God made a promise to Abraham.  God told Abraham that despite his old age and the old age of his wife Sarah (both close to 100 years of age), God would allow Sarah to get pregnant and bear Abraham a son to be his heir.

However, as time went on and Sarah’s womb remained barren, Sarah and Abraham decided to take matters into their own hands (and loins) in order to have a child.

So, the plan they came up with was for Abraham to break his marriage commitment to Sarah and commit adultery by sleeping with one of their younger servants named Hagar.  In their selfish plan, Hagar would get pregnant and they would take the child from her and raise the child as their own.

As you can hopefully see, a sin soaked agenda from the very beginning that went from thought to action.  

To create this family, Abraham and Sarah stopped trusting in God and attempted to get the blessing of a child their own way.

A problem arose, not surprisingly.  After Hagar became pregnant and bore a son named Ishmael for Abraham, Sarah became jealous and treated Hagar so badly that Hagar ran away.  

This family consisting of Abraham, Hagar, and their son, Ishmael, was a family created by sin.

When we fail to rest in God and instead seek to be our own savior, the result is havoc and disintegration—spiritually, psychologically, and relationally.

Disregarding God and trying to forcefully find blessing and life apart from God’s grace led everyone involved back into slavery to sin creating a havoc filled family.

The second family that Paul mentions is made up of Abraham, Sarah, and their son, Isaac.

This family came to be completely by God’s doing.  God intervened in an impossible situation and allowed childless 100 year olds to get pregnant and birth a healthy son.  This happened by God’s forgiving of the parent’s sin and then God doing what God, the Creator and Redeemer, does best.  God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah despite their wrong doing in attempting to find blessing and life apart from Him.

The late NYC Pastor Timothy Keller explains this better than I ever could.  Keller says:

“Taken in this narrow, figurative sense, Hagar’s son represents seeking salvation by works, and Sarah relying on salvation by God’s grace. This is a really interesting analogy. The gospel is that we do not try to attain a righteousness that our abilities can develop. Rather, we are to receive a righteousness provided through supernatural acts of God in history—the miraculous birth, sin-bearing death, and death-defeating resurrection of Christ. We need to rely on God—just as Abraham eventually learned that he needed the miraculous work of God to provide him with a son and heir. As Abraham needed to switch his faith from his own efforts to God’s supernatural work, so these Galatian Christians need to look back to Christ’s work, rather than at their own law-keeping efforts.”

The first family is the “have to” family. They are slaves to working as hard as they can to try to make things happen for themselves because they don’t trust God is for them.

The second family is the “get to” family.

The second family was built on knowing the truth of Psalm 118:5 which says:

[5] Out of my distress I called on the LORD;

the LORD answered me and set me free. (ESV)

It is in the freedom of forgiveness, living with the knowledge that God loves you despite your past and regardless of your future failures because of Jesus sin forgiving death on the cross, that Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac can love without fear of failure.  Failure doesn’t define them.  Being God’s sons and daughter through grace and faith defines them.

In the upside-down world of the gospel, failure equals free-dom. To fail is to be crowbarred from the lockstep lunacy of success at all costs. To fail is to be forced to drop that weight which has withered your humanity and your childlikeness. To fail is to have the chance to look God straight in the eye.

Janis Joplin once sang about failure: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”

In their 1968 hit single, “Time of the Season,” The Zombies, asked both “What’s your name?,” and, “Who’s your daddy?”

This morning, I ask you, “Who’s your Daddy?,” and, “What family do you belong to?”

Are you still living apart from God?  

Are you without faith in Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior who can help you?

Are you part of the first family described by the Apostle Paul that is defined by slavery to sin, attempting to do things your own way because you don’t believe God is good and faithful, walking a path to ultimate eternal destruction and condemnation?

Or, are you living with God’s presence forgiving you and comforting you because you find yourself believing in Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior who can help you?

Are you part of the second family described by the Apostle Paul that is defined by God’s forgiveness, serving God and others because you have first been loved and served by God, your Creator, through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, doing things empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, walking a path to ultimate eternal life saved and redeemed for God’s Kingdom of Heaven?

If you are in the first family this morning, living as a slave to sin, finding yourself hopeless because you know there is no real way to find peace with God and blessing from God in the things you are trying to do, I want you to know the Good News that God is calling you right now to join the second family, the family that He has created for you.

So, join God’s family defined by promises and blessings, grace, mercy, and love, by repenting and believing.  That’s all.  Confess your Sin to Him and He will immediately forgive you because God paid for your Sin in the death of Jesus on the cross for you.  And, confess your faith in Jesus as your Savior.  

As one of our Confirmands shared with us last week, Romans 10:9–10 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

God wants way more for you than for you to remain flailing around in sin like a pig rolling around in a pile of crap and food scraps.  

That’s why God came to you in the person and work of Jesus Christ, to live a perfectly righteous life for you, to die a sacrificial death on the cross to pay the price for your Sin, and to rise from the grave defeating the power of sin and death to separate you from God forever.

And, because of all of that, rejoice with the Apostle Paul that it is For freedom Christ has set us free; [and, today] stand firm..and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 15, 2025

Prayer:

God our Father, 

You see Your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show us that Your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following You is better than chasing after selfish goals.

Help us to take failure, not as a measure of our worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give us strength to hold our faith in You, and to keep alive our joy in Your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (For Young Persons – BCP p. 829)

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Confirmation Testimonies 2025

These student testimonies are unedited. I am sharing them just as they wrote them.

Andy Ghibaudi

I was raised in a catholic home and I was baptized. We try to go to church every Sunday.  If not, my mom will put mass on the TV, but we always went to church during the holidays like Easter, Ash Wednesday, midnight mass, and Christmas Day because it is also my birthday.

I learned that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior by accepting Jesus as my Savior and following him.

Jesus Christ is important to me because when I feel lost, I know I can count on him for guidance and strength to keep going. If I do something wrong, I can pray for forgiveness.

My faith in Jesus Christ affects my daily life by the way he guides my choices, and when I am having a bad day, I know I can pray to him.

Confirmation is important to me and my family, and it makes me feel closer to god.

My favorite verse is Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Emily mcguinness

I was 3 months old when i was baptized. Growing up I went to children’s church most Sundays, there I would learn about the story of God and Jesus while doing fun crafts. 

I learned that Jesus Christ was my lord and savior by going to children’s church and reading  the children’s bible at home with my older brother and mom.

 Jesus Christ is important to me because he loves me and he saved me. He gave his life for the forgiveness of our sins. We  need Jesus because he offers forgiveness for our sins and shows us how to live a life that’s pleasing to God.

  My faith in Jesus Christ influences my daily life by shaping my desicions.My faith encourages actions that reflect compassion, forgiveness, and kindness toward others, shaping interpersonal relationships and community involvement. In the end, it offers a sense of purpose and direction, guiding decisions and bringing resilience during the face of challenges.

 Confirmation is very important to me because it’s a chance to confirm my faith as my own decision and to receive the Holy Spirit’s gifts. When I was a baby I was baptized so i didn’t really have a say in it or understand what it was.Now that i am older I will be able to understand the word of God better than before. 

 My favorite bible verse is romans 1:16, in romans 1:16 it states “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”.This is my favorite scripture because it means that us Christians shouldn’t be embarrassed to share our faith because the gospel has the power to save anyone who believes, no matter who they are.

Kenzie Moore

Growing up, I was not raised by christian parents. 

Here and there I would go to church with my god mom. 

I was not baptized at a young age because my family didn’t go to church. This means that I didn’t grow up surrounded by the Christian faith. 

I learned that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior because of my family. My mom found an advertisement for Bethel’s VBS where my two younger sisters went for their first time. From that point on, me and my family have been going to church every Sunday. 

Jesus Christ is important to me because he never lets something happen that I can’t handle. I need Jesus in my life because he knows what’s best for me in life. 

My faith in Jesus affects me in my daily life because with Jesus’s faith, life is so peaceful. 

Confirmation is important to me because it helped me get closer to God. 

My favorite bible verse is Proverbs 3: 5-6. This verse says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path”. This is my favorite bible verse because it talks about putting all your trust in God and not doubting his abilities.

skylar Reign Moore

My mom was raised catholic and my dad was raised christian. Even though they were both raised religiously my siblings and I were not.

And of course my parents didn’t stop us from learning about God, we were just never given the opportunity to. I’ve always known God existed but I never knew anything about him or his story. That is until my family and I moved to this town. The summer my family moved here was the summer of 2020. My grandma had mentioned a vacation bible school at Bethel Lutheran and Brethren Church. I went to the Vacation bible school with my little sister. That was the first time I really got to know God. That week I learned so many things about God and I also learned about God’s love for me. 

After that week I asked my parents if we could go to church every Sunday. And that is what we did. Ever since then I found so much love for going to church. I started learning that Jesus is my lord and savior by reading the bible. Reading the bible has answered so many of my questions. 

My faith in Jesus gives me purpose, comfort, and a sense of community, making my daily life feel more meaningful and guided. Confirmation is super important to me because it helps me feel closer to my faith and my church. It’s like a big step in showing that I’m serious about my beliefs and ready to grow more in my christian journey. Confirmation is also a special time to celebrate with my friends and family. 

One of my favorite bible verses is Ecclesiates 3:11.

This bible verse states “He made everything beautiful in his time”. 

This verse means a lot to me because it makes me realize that everything is God’s creation. No matter if you think something is not the best looking. God created everything and everyone. Thank you for listening to my journey. I hope my story inspires you to seek and strengthen your own faith. God bless you.

Drew Schumacher

Very early in my childhood, my family was part of an Evangelical Lutheran church. I was baptized in that church, and my family was very active. We left abruptly after the passing of my brother and my parents never returned. My family really ceased activity together after that as well.

I knew from a young age about Jesus, but my family and the world told me He wasn’t for me. As a result, it pushed me so far away from God that it was like He was never there. Through a chain of fortunate coincidences you might say, or divine intervention I think, I ended up here at Bethel and unwittingly befriended Pastor Fred. My friendship with Him and my marriage to a God-fearing Christian woman opened my eyes to the fact that Jesus was most definitely for me.

Jesus takes my heavy burdens and life in His service has awarded me a peace that I could never imagine. I need Jesus because even on my worst days with Jesus in my life, they far exceed my best days without Him.

My life today is no longer just my own selfish desires and no longer a life of self-servitude. As a result, I get to bring altruism into aspects of my life that used to only serve as an opportunity to run on self-will alone. Outside of being a husband and a father (which I couldn’t do without Jesus), and outside of taking care of this church (which I wouldn’t do without Jesus), I get to conduct business in a moral, Christian manner. And my life is happy as a result.

For me, even though it may have felt strange being the only adult besides Pastor Fred in confirmation class, I felt a strong desire to do what would have been asked of me at their age had I been brought up in the church. Being called into ministry, it seemed important to put the work in even while taking seminary courses: And if I’m being honest, there’s nothing that interests me more to learn about than God.

My favorite Bible verse is Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may now what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.”

This verse reminds me not to give in to Earthly desires and ambitions but to instead focus on what Jesus has done for me in His life, death and resurrection, and to align my compass with Him and His perfect will. 

fred scragg 6

I was raised by Christian parents. I was baptized when I was three months old at Bethel. At my baptism my parents and the church agreed to help me grow in Christian faith. I know these people pray for me. When I was baptized I was let into the family of God.

I learned that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior in many ways. My preschool teachers at Bethel taught me about Jesus. I went to Bethel Kids and Children’s church and now Youth Group. Most importantly my family and I read the Bible and pray every night.

Jesus is important to me because he is the only way to heaven. Jesus helps me know how to act and be kind to others. Jesus is always there and I can talk to him about anything. I need Jesus in my life because he forgives me even though I am not perfect.

My faith in Jesus affects me in daily life today by helping me when I do something wrong. Jesus helps me know how to do the right thing. Jesus helps me act right because he helps me understand I do things wrong. Jesus helps me not worry when people I know get sick or bad things happen to them because he will help them.

Confirmation is important to me because it helps me come to a deeper understanding of Christianity. Confirmation helps me get to know Jesus better. Confirmation lets people know who prayed for me that I want to learn more about the

Bible and Jesus. 

My favorite Bible passage is Psalm 23.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is my favorite Bible passage because it lets me know that God is with me and will help me in times of need.

vera shamara

Christian parents raised me. They did not go to church a lot when i was younger and we really only started to go regularly when i was 11. The very same year we started going ,me and my sister got baptized. My mom made the decision to baptize us as she was looking for a church for quite some time.

When I started going at eleven years old I went to children’s church where Cristie taught me a lot about Jesus and what he did for me. Through her teaching I started believing more and more. Later during the summer during VBS when I was still young enough to participate in games and crafts Pastor Fred came in and told us about Jesus’ resurrection and what he did for us and that really solidified my faith.

Jesus is very important because he is the way to eternal peace and happiness. He saved us from sin not letting sin devour us. He is important in my life because he keeps me from falling into the endless bottomless pit of sin saving me from it. 

My faith has changed me, making me nicer and more thoughtful. I don’t fall into sin as often as I would have before believing in Him. I am more knowledgeable in terms of the bible understanding it much better and its meaning.

Confirmation is important to me because it really solidifies my faith in Christ. I learn more about what God’s intentions are for me. Confirmation teaches me about the history behind God’s word and amplifies my learning experience. 

My favorite verse is Luke 1:35 “ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” This verse is important to me as it describes how Jesus will be born and how the promise of a Savior is fulfilled. The verse is all about how Jesus was conceived and came to us.

jacen talleur

I was baptized by my Godfather, Pastor Fred, at Bethel. I attended Bethel Nursery School and both my parents were involved within the church.  Growing up my parents and I attended church and I was able to hear and learn about Jesus

I learned that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior by attending church, talking to my parents and attending Confirmation. I have also learned this through prayer and reading the Bible.  I also learned about Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior through events at the church such as VBS.

Jesus Christ is important to me because he helps me in my everyday life and gives me faith that I can be better person if I do something wrong. I need Jesus Christ in my everyday life because having him in my life makes me feel safe and happy. He is always there for me in times that I need him.

My faith in Jesus Christ affects my daily life because I know I can always trust him. I can also rely on my faith in Jesus Christ to help me be hopeful that I can do the best I can through everyday life. Another reason why Jesus Christ affects my daily life today is that help spread his good word to my peers.

Confirmation is important to me because attending Confirmation has taught me the importance of Jesus Christ. It has also helped me build a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and the church.  I also got to share Gods Word with the other confirmands.

My favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It is my favorite verse because it helps me with overcoming challenges. I especially use this verse when I play basketball because it reminds me that Christ is always with me and it gives me strength to do my best.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Wasted Years?

Galatians 4.8-20

Every human has an intimate relationship with time. 

A few years ago, someone in this room today, was telling me about a lesson they were trying to teach their boys.  The lesson was that the one thing you need but can never get more of is time.  The example he used was his boys wasting their time with long showers.

To this very day, I can’t take a quiet, peaceful shower without thinking of the “big mistake” I am making.  Thanks, a lot!

The Oxford English Dictionary informs us that the word “time” is the most commonly used noun.

Researchers have found that the average person sleeps, or attempts to sleep, about nine hours a day. If the person lives to 80, he or she will sleep for 30 years. People who die at 80 will also have lived 700,000 hours, with 90,000 of those hours on the job.

What are we doing when we aren’t sleeping or working? 

In the US, the second-largest use of our time is … television. 

According to Nielsen, we spend four hours a day watching it. We’re not talking about YouTube, TikTok, Instagram reels, or Facebook stories.  Just plain TV. 

If you are watching live TV, nearly a quarter of that time is commercials. Multiply the numbers out over a lifetime, and you’re likely to spend well over two years of your life just watching commercials. And, the crazy thing is that TV isn’t even a majority of the media we consume. 

According to the same Nielsen study we spend 11 hours a day consuming media, which includes reading, listening, and watching.

The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote:

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing.”

We live in a world with innumerable distractions from productivity.  

Where have you found yourself wasting time? 

Have you spent large amounts of your time paralyzed from getting things done because of worry and anxiety?

Have you found yourself thinking, “I can’t believe 2 hours went by,” after you stopped scrolling through social media?

Do you find yourself binge watching shows and movies now that almost everything is available immediately with the simple click of   button?

Have you felt guilty for sleeping and sleeping and sleeping until most of the usable portion of the day has passed?

Do you find yourself often incapacitated and slowed down and useless because of the amount of drinking or drugging you allowed yourself to partake in?

We all waste time even though we often feel the guilt of doing so afterward.

In this morning’s text, from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches gathering in the region of Galatia during the first Century, Paul is questioning if he wasted his time with the Galatians because they seem to have forgotten everything he taught them about Jesus and Christ-like living.  Specifically, Paul sees the Galatians wasting their time with false beliefs like Jesus isn’t enough and wasting their time by going back to their sinful ways of living after having been forgiven and set free through God’s love and grace.

Let’s hear the Apostle Paul’s words of rebuke together now.

In Galatians 4:8–20, the Apostle Paul says this:

[8] Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. [9] But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? [10] You observe days and months and seasons and years! [11] I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

[12] Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. [13] You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, [14] and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. [15] What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. [16] Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? [17] They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. [18] It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, [19] my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! [20] I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (ESV)

Paul begins this section of his letter by reminding the Galatian Christians of the dichotomy of who they used to be and who they are now.

Paul begins with the bad news of their former life without God’s love poured out on them in Jesus Christ.

Last week, from Galatians 4.1-7, we heard that before we were included in God’s family as a son or daughter through faith in Jesus, we were a son or daughter of Satan, the devil.  We were living in opposition to God’s standards for life and love by living and loving ourself more than anything else.

Paul returns to this theme of wasting time in sin by mentioning that before we found ourselves in believing in Jesus as both Lord and Savior, we were wasting our time as slaves to false gods.

Interestingly, this week, I saw yet another pathetic attempt by an atheist or, more likely, agnostic, to disprove the Bible by claiming they clearly see a contradiction within the words of Scripture. 

The uninformed and obviously Biblically illiterate challenger stated something like, “If the Bible says there is only one God, how come it also tells you to not put other gods before the One True God?”

What this disgruntled keyboard warrior didn’t do was their homework.  If they did their homework, they would have known that the Bible calls anything that we consider more important than the One True God, the Creator and Redeemer of humanity, a false god.  The Bible calls these things—things like money, power, sex, relationships, friendships, family—false gods.  They are labeled false gods because we are attributing to them the ability to sit over us and give us meaning, purpose, and a reason to exist, when in fact they have no living power to do such things.

Paul’s rebuke of the Galatians here is similar to the correction that he provides to the Christians in another city, the city of Ephesus.

In his letter, to the Ephesian Christians, Paul says this:

[20] But that is not the way you learned Christ!—[21] assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, [22] to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, [23] and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, [24] and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20–24, ESV)

After reminding them of who they used to be, Paul reminds them of who they are now because of Jesus.  They are known by God the Father in Heaven and in turn know God the Father in Heaven as their are officially His eternal sons and daughters.

But, the problem is this.  Even as eternal sons and daughters of God, they are still struggling with believing the truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  They are also struggling with acting as good representatives of God the Father in Heaven.  

Paul sees the Galatian Christians wasting their time with lies that lead them away from the rest and peace that Jesus died to give them.  Paul also sees the Galatian Christians wasting their time by returning to a life of loving themselves and forsaking God and the people around them that need to know the love of God for themselves.

Because of their struggle to firmly believe in the truth that faith alone through God’s grace also forgives and saves, as well as their struggle with doing the right and Godly things all of the time, the Apostle Paul fears that his time working with them was a waste of his time.

Was Paul wasting his time?

Absolutely not.

How do we know that Paul wasn’t wasting his time preaching and teaching the Gospel, also known as the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Well, the same way we know everything else that is important.  The Scripture tells us.

First, Paul confessed in the book of Romans that he too struggles with sin even after being saved by God through faith in Christ.

In the book of Romans, also found in the New Testament part of the Bible, Paul says that he struggles everyday with knowing what is right but doing what is wrong.  That is why he comes to the conclusion of praise to Jesus who forgives because with Jesus there is now no condemnation and damnation for the sinner.

So, Paul is thankful for the Bible and for Bible preachers and teachers who remind him of his salvation and his responsibility afterwards to walk and live in a manner worthy of Christ striving after Godly thoughts, words, and actions with the help of the promised and given Holy Spirit.

Second, as Isaiah 55:10–11 says:

[10] “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

[11] so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV)

And, as John 12:32 has Jesus saying:

[32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (ESV)

When I was being trained in the church for pastoral ministry, I would meet in the church office in Staten Island with my then mentor and pastor, the church’s worship leader, and any elder that was in attendance that morning.  My mentor/pastor, would pray every Sunday and ask Jesus to draw men and women to himself as Jesus was lifted up through His Word during the service.  My pastor/mentor was praying for what Jesus promises to do as found in John 12.32.

The Apostle Paul was not wasting his time preaching to and teaching the Galatians from God’s Word, the Bible, because it is living and active and when Jesus is exalted as the only one who forgives sin and gives righteousness, He is always at work drawing men and women to Himself for rest, and peace, and hope in what He has accomplished for them in His life, death, and resurrection.

After lamenting the time he wasted away from family and everyday life while endlessly touring with his band Iron Maiden,

Adrian Smith penned what has become one of the band’s biggest hits throughout their 50 year career.

In “Wasted Years”, Smith says:

So understand

Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years

Face up, make your stand

Realize you’re living in the golden years

It is here that Smith urges us to not waste more time worrying about the time that we wasted.  Realize that you have the gift of today and can make different and better choices.

The same is true for you this morning.  Jesus’ death on the cross has provided you the forgiveness from God that you needed for misusing and wasting some of the limited time that God has given you on this earth.  You don’t have to waste more time worrying about the time you wasted disobeying God both before faith and even going backward into sin after faith, like the Galatians were.  

Through faith in Jesus, your Sin, that wasted your time on this earth by stealing time you could have been joyfully loving God and loving others, has been removed from your record and will never see the light of day ever again.  That is God’s grace working for you because of God’s love for you.

Psalm 118:17–24 says:

[17] I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the LORD.

[18] The LORD has disciplined me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

[19] Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the LORD.

[20] This is the gate of the LORD;

the righteous shall enter through it.

[21] I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

[22] The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

[23] This is the LORD’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

[24] This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. (ESV)

Like God’s ambassador, the Apostle Paul, did with the Galatians, God has also done with us.  He has shown us our sin and corrected us.  He has answered our confession of sin with forgiveness.  God as provided salvation for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  

So, let’s live today in the day that the Lord has made and given to us by rejoicing and walking in a manner worthy of Christ, choosing the best part of every hour.

I am going to rewrite the quote from Seneca, the Roman Philosopher, that heard at the beginning, to fit the truth of today’s Scripture.

Even though we have a short time to live, we waste a lot of it. A sufficiently generous amount of time has been given to us for the highest achievements (of loving God and loving others) if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing.

Without Jesus and His Word, you are always wasting your time living apart from God going the wrong way down a one-way road hitting everything in sight.

However, with Jesus and His Word, you are making the best of every hour being led to repentance and faithful living through the correction and guidance of God the Father in Heaven.

With faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are living in the golden years!  

With faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are living in the time when God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s mercy are being poured out upon you every second of every day. 

This morning, repent of your Sin and believe in Jesus, God’s Savior.  Then, go out into the world and live in a manner worthy of Jesus so that others are drawn to the love of God in Christ that brought you peace and can also bring them peace.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 1, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Adopted Heirs

Galatians 4.1-7

A few years ago, Shaquille O’Neal — NBA legend, business owner and all-around big personality — made headlines after an interview in which he said that he isn’t about to let his kids coast on his fortune. 

Despite being worth an estimated $500 million, Shaq’s set some serious ground rules for passing down his wealth. In his eyes, “Daddy’s cheese” is off-limits unless they meet one big requirement: education.

Shaq doesn’t want his six kids growing up relying on his money. 

He wants them to build their careers and make a name for themselves. In a 2022 podcast, Shaq spelled it out, saying he expects his kids to get at least three college degrees before they even think about his money. No degrees, no inheritance – it’s that simple.

“I tell them, ‘We’re not rich, I’m rich,'” Shaq explained, clarifying that he wants his kids to understand the value of hard work and education. Shaq joked, “Somebody give me a law school, somebody give me hedge fund.” He’s thrilled about his daughter Taahirah, who works as a marketing director at Pepsi and hopes the rest of his kids find success, too.

For Shaq, this approach is all about building generational wealth in a lasting way. He’s not just thinking about passing down money; he wants to set his kids up with tools and mindsets that will keep them successful for the long haul. Shaq focuses on motivating his kids to work hard and create something they can be proud of, not just to live off what he’s made.

Shaq’s way of parenting is about more than setting rules; it’s about teaching values. By raising the bar and prioritizing education, he’s sending a clear message: success isn’t just about money or fame – it’s about personal growth and hard work. Shaq’s kids may have one of the world’s most famous fathers, but with him at the helm, they’ll have to earn their spot in the world.

In this morning’s Biblical text, as we return to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches, we hear about inheritance.  Not the inheritance that Shaq’s kids have to earn, but the inheritance that God, the Creator of all that exists, freely and abundantly gives to those that He calls His sons and daughters.

Let’s look into Biblical Scripture and hear about those that are God’s heirs and how they become God’s heirs to love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and life eternal.

Galatians 4:1–7 says this:

[1] I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, [2] but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. [3] In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. [4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (ESV)

As we heard last week from Galatians 3.15-29, God’s Law is given to us for three reasons.

First, God’s Law is given to us to curb our behavior.  The 600+ individual laws and commands in the Old Testament show us what God wants us to do and what God wants us to avoid doing.

Second, God’s Law is given to us to convict us of our sin.  As we hear the laws and commands of God, we are confronted with the many ways we disobey God’s will every single day.  This conviction of sin and guilt shows us our need for a Savior.

And, third, God’s Law is given to show us how we are to live our life after coming to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Here, in Galatians 4.1-7, the Apostle Paul is saying that God gave us His law and commands to help us understand who He is and who He wanted us to be while we were waiting for Him to fulfill His promise of giving us a Savior.

Paul’s language puts it this way: God’s Law was a guardian, or, manger, watching over us and making sure we understood how to live and love the way that God lives and loves.

However, God’s Law didn’t have the power to deliver us the promise of God to forgive us and save us.

So, at a later time, approximately 2000 years ago, God the Father sent His One and Only Son—Jesus—to take us away from the guardian/manager and bring us fully home into the Father’s house. In the Father’s house, we fully enjoy the benefits of living in the family’s residence with complete protection and provision of the Father of house.

When we come to find ourselves believing in Jesus Christ as God’s Lord and Savior for us, we are adopted into God’s family.

What does it mean to be adopted?

Adoption is the action of legally taking another’s child and bringing it up as one’s own.

If God is adopting you into His family and calling you His son or daughter, who’s family is He taking you from?

Well, as insane as this may sound, God is taking you out of Satan’s family and saving you from eternal damnation.

In sin, you are separated from God and living the unGodly life that God’s enemy wants you to live.  You are living a completely self-centered, self-righteous, and selfish life.  

Isn’t it crazy to think that without faith in Jesus Christ, we are a living and active enemy of God in Satan’s family!

However, not wanting you to be separate from Him, God sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the debt that your sinful life accrued.  This sacrificial and atoning death of Jesus takes you away from Satan’s realm and triumphantly brings you across the line in God’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

This good news is spoken of in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church when he says:

[13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV)

Being transferred into God’s family by faith in Jesus, His Son, we become full heirs to God’s riches.

What does it mean to be an heir?

To be an heir means to be legally entitled to the property of another.

Through faith in Jesus, as an officially adopted child of God and an heir to His Kingdom, what do we receive?

Ephesians 1:11–14 says this:

[11] In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12] so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13] In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)

Some of the things we inherit from God as His children are listed here and others are listed in other Biblical passages.

Some of our inheritance includes:

1. Salvation.  You are saved from being separated from God and eternally punished for our Sin.

2. Hope. You are given the knowledge and trust that the pain and sorrow of this life is not meaningless and is not the end for you.  Jesus has been victorious over the power of Sin, evil, and death and will one day eradicate them completely from your experience.

3. Forgiveness. Every thought, word, and deed that was disobedient to God’s Law for life and love has been paid for by the death of Jesus on the cross.  God has separated you from your guilt for Sin with the same distance that separates the east from the west.

4.  Righteousness.  You are given credit for perfectly obeying every one of God’s laws by your faith-initiated union with Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ record of perfection according to God’s laws becomes your record of perfection.

5.  The Holy Spirit. Jesus’ promises you the Holy Spirit’s entrance into your life after He ascends back to His Heavenly throne post-resurrection.  The Holy Spirit is Christ’s presence with you until the end of the ages. 

6.  Assurance.  You are given confidence over and over again that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to God the Father in Heaven expect through Him.  

Hebrews 9:15, 24–28 tells us that:

[15] … [Jesus Christ] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

[24] For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. [25] Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, [26] for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, [28] so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (ESV)

Unlike Shaquille O’Neal’s kids, God’s doesn’t require you earn your spot in your Father’s luxurious world. 

God’s doesn’t require you to earn your inheritance in His Kingdom because He knows that your sin makes that path impossible for you.

The Bible is clear—You can’t earn the inheritance that God wants you to have.

So, God came in Jesus to earn the inheritance for you.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says;

[9] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (ESV)

You don’t need 3 degrees to receive God’s “cheese.” 

You don’t need a record of good to get into God’s hood.

We only need faith in Jesus to have God free us.

God is rich in love, mercy and grace.  And, God freely gives you access to all that is His through faith in His Son—Jesus.

In Christ, God makes you successful for the long haul of eternity.

It is because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for you that you can call God, “Abba,” your Father in Heaven.  

Go, this week, and rejoice that your Creator and Redeemer has adopted you and put you on his list of heirs who will receive life in His Kingdom of Heaven. And, as sons and daughters, represent your Father well so that those around that aren’t part of the family yet will be drawn to the grace, mercy, and love of the Father forever. 

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

May 18, 2025.

Prayer:

Father, 

As the book of Galatians has been telling us, we are children of promise. We are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.  We’re born through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We refuse to remain in slavery. This week lead us by your Holy Spirit to confident and courageously take up the inheritance that You’ve given us. Intensify the work of the Spirit within our lives so we can obtain our full inheritance in this life and in the age to come. 

Do this in Jesus name, amen. 

Benediction:

Go, in peace this week, rejoicing that your Creator and Redeemer has adopted you and put you on his list of heirs who will receive life in His Kingdom of Heaven.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

The Promise Keeper

Galatians 3.15-29

Have you ever experienced a broken promise?

Do you know what it feels like to have a promise made to you only to have the promise maker break that promise to you?

Here’s a more personal question…

Have you ever made a promise to someone only to break the promise you made to them?

Life is filled with promises made and promises broken.

I don’t believe there is a more public example of broken promises than those that exist in the realm of politics.

Every politician and every political party makes promises to you, promises that they know they can not ultimately keep.

Here are a few examples from the last 100+ years in the United States of America:

Woodrow Wilson won re-election in 1916 with the slogan “He kept us out of war,” only to enter World War I a year later.

Lyndon B. Johnson promised in 1964, “We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.” During his presidency, the U.S. entered the Vietnam War and Johnson did not seek reelection.

Richard Nixon in 1968 claimed to “have a secret plan to end the war” and promised to find a way to “peace with honor” in Vietnam, but American troops were not withdrawn until 1973 — a little more than a year before Nixon resigned.

Jimmy Carter campaigned on solving the energy crisis, but his speeches about conservation and attempts to add solar panels to the roof of the White House weren’t good enough. He was unable to get support for a gas tax, and the energy problem only worsened during his presidency.

Ronald Reagan promised to make a constitutional amendment allowing school prayer during his campaign, and although he proposed the amendment in 1982, it never went anywhere.

George H. W. Bush famously promised in 1988: “Read my lips: No new taxes,” only to sign a bill raising taxes during his first and only term.

Bill Clinton campaigned on a renovation of the health care system before he took office in 1993. Although he attempted health care reform — “Hillarycare” — it ended in failure.

Politifact tracked Barack Obama’s 533 promises and found that he broke 52% of his promise while in office as the President of the United States of America.

In our Biblical text for this morning, from our very slow crawl through the New Testament book of Galatians, we are going to hear the Apostle Paul speak about the difference between God’s Law and God’s Promise.  More specifically, we are going to hear that we only have hope in life because God is both the Promise Maker and the Promise Keeper.  He will never leave us or fosake us.  He will ensure that we will be brought home into His Kingdom of Heaven.

Continuing on in his letter to the churches in the region of Galatia during the mid-first Century, the Apostle Paul says this:

[15] To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. [16] Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. [17] This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. [18] For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

[19] Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. [20] Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

[21] Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. [22] But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

[23] Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. [24] So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (ESV)

The driving force behind Paul’s words in this section of his letter is the desire to make the purposes of God’s Law and God’s Promise clear to the churches that he is writing to.

Let’s start with the purpose of God’s Law.

In Confirmation, I have the students memorize the following paragraph because it is pivotal for understanding our Christian faith.

The paragraph that explains the purpose of God’s Law goes like this:

The Law is that part of God’s Word which tells us what we must do and what we must not do.  It has two, possibly three uses: 1) to curb our natural tendencies by telling us what we must do under penalty of punishment or failure; 2) to convict of sin by describing where we have failed to keep the law, thus showing us our need for a Savior; and 3) to coach the believer regarding what Christ has given the believer to do.

There are three uses of God’s Law according to the Bible.  None of those uses of God’s Law provides you with a way to earn forgiveness of sin or reconciliation with God.

That’s means, God’s Law does not have the power to save you. 

Over and over again, Scripture makes it explicitly clear that due to the corruption of sin in the human heart, it is impossible to please God by keeping His Law.

The purpose of God’s Law is to show you what he wants you to do and not do.  The purpose of God’s Law is to show you that you do not measure up to God’s standard of holiness.  The purpose of God’s Law is to show you your need for His help.  The purpose of God’s Law is to lead you to your need for His Savior—Jesus.  And, the purpose of the Law is to guide you in living your life in a Godly and Christ-like way after you come to faith and find yourself believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 11.6 speaks this truth when it says, 

[6] And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (ESV)

Next, the Apostle Paul addresses the purpose of God’s promise.

What is the purpose of God’s promise?

The purpose of God’s promise is to give you hope for today, hope for tomorrow, and hope for a peaceful eternity with God.

God’s promise gives you this hope by assuring you that through Jesus’ life lived perfectly, death to pay the price for sin, and resurrection from the grave to beat the power of sin and death to separate us from God, you are forgiven of your sin, set free from condemnation, and rescued from destruction.

In this Scripture, Paul gives the history of God’s promise.

Paul makes a few things clear. 

First, Paul mentions that God’s promise came to humanity before God’s Law.

Second, Paul mentions that the fact that the Law came after God’s Promise doesn’t make God’s Promise void.  

And, third, Paul mentions that God’s promise was made official through a covenant made with Abraham.

Let’s discuss the absolute Good News of the covenant and the covenant process.

The Hebrew term בְּרִית bĕriyth for “covenant” is from a root with the sense of “cutting.”

In the ancient world, the process of making a promise official was to cut animals in half and walking between them.  This was a pledge, from the promise maker to the promise receiver, that if the promise keeper broke their promise may such a fate as being cut in half befall them.  

When God makes His promise to humanity, through the Father of God’s people, Abraham, God chooses to pass through the cut animals Himself.  He doesn’t ask Abraham to walk through the pieces and promise to be forever faithful in keeping God’s Law because God knows that sin has corrupted humanity and neither Abraham nor any other human could ever keep a promise to perfectly live according to God’s standards.

If the human, Abraham, was asked to make and keep a promise to God, we would all be damned to Hell because we are breakers of God’s Law by nature.

The Good News we have today and always is that God is the promise maker and promise keeper.

Even when you are a promise breaker, breaking your promise to love and honor God with your heart, mind, body, and soul, God keeps His promises to you.

God promises you that He will do whatever it takes to rescue you from the condemnation and destruction of sin.  

And, God did that by entering our world in the flesh of Jesus Christ to be condemned and destroyed for you.

In Jesus, God keeps His promise to love you.

In Jesus, God keeps His promise to forgive you.


In Jesus, God keeps His promise to save you.

In Jesus, God keeps His promise to be gracious and merciful to you.

In Jesus, God keeps His promise to lead you and guide you through His Word and His Law.

In Jesus, God keeps His promise to be with you always, to the very end of the age.

Even when we forget God and turn away from Him, God’s promise to us is never broken.  God  never forgets us and God never turns away from us.  

As 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us:

[13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself. (ESV)

The original owners of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company had the reputation for being people of integrity. The following story reveals their commitment to do the right thing—even when it cost them:

Northwestern Mutual was founded as the Mutual Life Insurance Company of the State of Wisconsin on March 2, 1857. Originally located in Janesville, Wisconsin, the fledgling company relocated to Milwaukee in 1859. Shortly after, the company experienced its first two death claims, when an excursion train traveling from Janesville to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, derailed, killing 14 people, two of whom were policy owners. With losses amounting to $3,500 and having funds of only $2,000, company President Samuel Daggett and Treasurer Charles Nash personally borrowed the needed funds to pay the claims immediately.

Later when asked why they didn’t simply default on the payments, they replied it would not have been the right thing to do to their fellow man. They both agreed they would rather see the company fail than neglect their obligation to those who trusted them to keep their word.

Lewis Smedes, the late Professor of Theology at Fuller Seminary,  says:

Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God.

What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, he reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: he will be there even when being there costs him more than he wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty.

With simple words of promise, “I will never leave your or forsake you”  and, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith,” God, our Father in Heaven, creates a island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty for you.

Hebrews 10:23 says:

[23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (ESV)

And, Hebrews 13:8 says:

[8] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (ESV)

This morning, as you stare into the mirror of the law, you see that there is no hope of you ever being an exact replica of God in thinking, speaking, and doing.  That type of Law abiding life is impossible because the original sin into which you are born.  You enter this life, at the exact moment of conception when male sperm combines with a female egg, already corrupted by the sin passed onto you by both parents.

So, being grace-filled and merciful toward you, God promises to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.  God promises to live the uncorrupted life for you in the human life of the God-Man, Jesus, that is required for entrance into His Kingdom.  And, God promises to give you full credit for that perfectly lived life simply through faith in Him and His Son Jesus who did it all 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.

May 11, 2025.

Prayer:

Mighty God,

Your Word penetrates our hearts and exposes the truth about our thoughts and intentions. It uncovers our self-confidence and self-centeredness, as well as. the secret sins that we hide so successfully from one another. The truth is that we cherish and love many evil thoughts in our hearts, even when outwardly we pretend to be full of spiritual desires. We harbor hatred and anger for those around us, along with jealousy and pride. We judge and condemn others in our hearts, or we envy them and lust after them. Even our good deeds are deeply stained by wrong motives.

We often wait to serve others until people are watching us, so that we may be admired and glorified. We speak your truth impatiently and harshly in order to prove ourselves. Father, forgive us not just for our sinful actions but for our corrupt and perverse hearts.

Jesus, 

thank you that you came to deliver us from our sinful self-centeredness. Your heart was always perfectly aligned with the Father’s Word. Your thoughts as well as your actions were always pure and undefiled, filled with love for those around you and compassion for lost people. You worked hard in the Father’s service, but you also rested confidently in the Father’s power. Even though you are the LORD of Glory and eternally deserving of praise, you never glorified yourself. Instead, you laid aside your glory and became a humble servant, defeating the forces of Satan through your own death and winning victory in our place.

Holy Spirit, 

teach us not to trust in ourselves or in earthly sources of power and strength. Enable us to trust completely in Jesus, our great High Priest, who faithfully intercedes for us. Help us not to be unduly discouraged by the heavy load of guilt that so easily clings to our hearts. Instead, whenever we see clearly the sins of our hearts, enable us to fly to the Scriptural truth that in Christ the penalty of those sins has been paid for, once for all. Remind us that we are now clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness, and that therefore there can be no condemnation left for us. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Crisis Management

Psalm 28

When was the last time you found yourself at a crisis moment in your life?

When was the last time you said or thought, “I’m not Okay!”

A crisis is defined as an extremely difficult or dangerous point in a situation where there is some degree of confusion, argument, or suffering and in which a solution is needed — and quickly.  

Within a psychological context, a crisis situation is a stressful time in an individual’s life when they experience a breakdown or disruption in their usual or normal daily activities or family functioning.

Crisis moments for us come all shapes and forms.

Some of us experience crisis moments due to things like the loss of a job, a car accident, loss of health insurance, conviction and imprisonment, and the inability to pay the bills for things like rent and groceries. 

Some of us experience crisis moments due to the extremes of physical abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and/or spiritual abuse. 

Some of us experience crises moments due to illness, either in ourselves or in family or friends, such as a cancer diagnosis or the need for surgery. 

Some of us experience family or relational crisis in the form of intense arguing, cheating partners, filing for divorce, custody battles, suicide, homicide, miscarriage, death, and addiction.

In all of these times we know we need to get out of the situation as fast as possible but often feel trapped.  In these moments we are left with feelings of anxiety and panic.

All that being said, I once again ask you, what was your last real crisis moment, or what is your real crisis moment this morning?

Today, we are looking into the book of Psalms. In this Biblical text, we hear from King David during a real crisis moment in his life. 

We are hearing the words and emotions of a man who feels trapped with no way out that he can see or understand.  He realizes that his own mind and reasoning are no help at all.  He is having a moment of anxiety and panic as he knows things are really bad and can possibly and my possibly get worse.

Let’s hear King David’s words and thought process in his crisis moment as found in Psalm 28.

Psalm 28 says this:

[1] To you, O LORD, I call;

my rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if you be silent to me,

I become like those who go down to the pit.

[2] Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,

when I cry to you for help,

when I lift up my hands

toward your most holy sanctuary.

[3] Do not drag me off with the wicked,

with the workers of evil,

who speak peace with their neighbors

while evil is in their hearts.

[4] Give to them according to their work

and according to the evil of their deeds;

give to them according to the work of their hands;

render them their due reward.

[5] Because they do not regard the works of the LORD

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and build them up no more.

[6] Blessed be the LORD!

For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

[7] The LORD is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

and with my song I give thanks to him.

[8] The LORD is the strength of his people;

he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

[9] Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!

Be their shepherd and carry them forever. (ESV)

Right out of the gate, David’s words tells us that he was in a crisis moment.

This crisis moment happened after David became the second King of Israel.

Many years into his reign, after a very turbulent relationship with his oldest son, Absalom, Absalom ran a coup and declared himself King and sat himself on David’s throne as the king of Israel.  

Absalom gathered his own followers and set out a military campaign against his Father, David, who was the actual anointed King of Israel. 


So, David found himself running from and hiding from his son.

Would he live?

Would he die?

Would he be King again?

Would he be imprisoned and tortured?

Would he live out the rest of his days struggling to survive in the wilderness?

David was full of anxiety and panic.

David felt backed into a corner.


David felt like he didn’t know if he was going to be ok today, tomorrow, or in the end.

David felt:

  • Hopeless
  • Helpless
  • Lost
  • Confused
  • Powerless
  • Scared
  • Fearful
  • And stuck.

And, to make it worse, it seemed like God, in whom he had trusted all of his life, had abandoned him in his moment of need.  It seemed like God was silent to the evil, wickedness, and suffering that he was experiencing.

This leads David to cry out in his crisis moment, asking God to not be quiet any longer.

David knows, as he mentions in verses 1, and 3-5, that if God remains silent to his cries for help, David will experience the effects of his immediate physical crisis — David will most likely be found and killed by his son and his son’s army.


David also knows, as he mentions in verse 1, that if God remains silent and doesn’t intervene in his life, David will experience the effects of his spiritual crisis — he will be punished for his sin and will be separated from God and God’s Kingdom of Heaven forever.

Back in September of 2015, a British Airways jet caught fire at the Las Vegas airport, sending smoke billowing into the air, after suffering what the pilot described as a “catastrophic failure” of the left engine. The plane—a Boeing 777 heading from the U.S. city’s McCarran airport to London Gatwick—could be seen with flames around its fuselage.

The pictures of a burning jetliner in Las Vegas were certainly riveting. But as the plane burst into smoke and flames, some observers saw something even more startling: People stopped during their evacuation to grab their luggage. Authorities are certainly concerned about planes that burst into flames, but they’re also worried that we’d risk our lives to grab our carry-on bags.

So what’s the big deal with grabbing one carry-on bag? The FAA requires planes to be evacuated within 90 seconds, but as a Chicago-based air traffic controller wrote:

Let’s say the average delay time per bag is 5 seconds. This includes the time needed to reach up to open the overhead compartment, pulling the bag down, and the extra delay hauling it through a crowded aisle. If half of the 170 people on board Flight 2276 took the time to take their bag the evacuation would have taken an additional 7 MINUTES longer than necessary. Imagine being the last one to exit the smoke-filled cabin knowing that your one minute evac time is now over 7 minutes!

One veteran pilot with a major U.S. airline said, “We’re always shaking our head. It doesn’t matter what you say, people are going to do what they do.” Or as one blogger summarized this news story: “People love their carry-ons more than life itself.”

The Bible warns us that there are many things beside God that we can place our trust in when we are in need of help — many idols, as the Bible calls them.

Just like some people worry about their luggage instead of their own life in the case of an airplane emergency, some of us place our trust in money, logic, reason, family members, friends, techniques learned in therapy sessions, advice given in self-help books, the words spoken from a mystic using a crystal ball or tarot cards, instead of of the God who is alive and active and can help us in our moments of need and crisis. 


But, as the Bible tells us, when the rubber meets the road, all of those things are powerless and leave us hopeless because they are dead and cannot hear, answer, or respond with the help we need.

Psalm 115:4–8 says:

[4] Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

[5] They have mouths, but do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

[6] They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

[7] They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

[8] Those who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them. (ESV)

In Psalm 28, in his crisis moment, David immediately reached for, grabbed, and held onto the only thing that could save him — David reached out to, grabbed onto to, and held onto God, the Father in Heaven.

And, what happened in David’s crisis moment?


God, who promises to hear, answer, and help those in need, heard, answered, and helped, David in his moment of need, in his moment of crisis.

One commentator writing about Psalm 28 speaks these words of hope to you:

Jesus is our own Word of promise, and it is this Word from God that we cling to. It is like Paul says about Abraham: “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4.20-21). And Paul says about himself: “For I am certain that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers…will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8.38-39).

So far so good. But this truth does not automatically end our inner wrestling match with doubt and despair, does it? Often the suffering that is part of our lived experience threatens to loosen our grip on this Jesus in whom we trust. Sometimes, in this life, God’s work is incomprehensible. Sometimes, in our individual lives, circumstances seem to deny the fact of God’s love.

This voice in Psalm 28, a prayer to God but also words from God for us to pray, invites us to cry out against this death-dealing God and plead that he make known the salvation the he has promised. We certainly know that in the past our God has intervened to save his people. He has acted in history to deliver them, and he has acted most decisively by sending his son in human flesh. In Jesus, God made his future plans for us clear. Jesus’s resurrection is our future, but it is also what we want to experience now. With the Psalmist, we want God to break the silence and bring us the salvation promised in Jesus and given to us personally in our baptism and in holy communion. In the terms of the Somme, we pray for the not yet to become the now, and we pray for an end to the tension between these two in which we presently live. If nothing else, the voice in Psalm 28 lives within the attention and teaches us how to live within it well.

But until that day how are we to live when the wait becomes so long that we can’t forget what we are waiting for? 

When it becomes so long that we may forget what God has promised? But even as we stand in the waiting line, God has promised not to leave us. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to minister to us in the meantime. The spirit is the one who strengthens us through the promises of God so that we can live by faith and not by sight, as the poet David dead. The spirit is the one who helps us make the words of psalm 28 our own.

Through the strengthening of the spirit, we can pray Psalm 28.6-8 with the certainty that God hears our cries. This reality gives us the ability to sustain our joy in this broken world. “We rejoice in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5.3). It is also why we can pray Psalm 28.9: “Save your people and bless your inheritance, and shepherd them and lift them up forever.” With these words, we pray that the salvation that is already ours in Jesus will come in its fullness for us all.

The lines of one of the hymns from The Lutheran Service Book is a companion to Psalm 28.

Hymn #732 sings like this:

When with sorrow I am stricken,

Hope anew my heart will quicken;

All my longing shall be stilled.

To His lovingkindness tender

Soul and body I surrender,

For on God alone I build.

Well He knows what best to grant me;

All the longing hopes that haunt me,

Joy and sorrow, have their day.

I shall doubt His wisdom never;

As God will, so be it ever;

I commit to Him my way.

If my days on earth He lengthen,

God my weary soul will strengthen;

All my trust in Him I place.

Earthly wealth is no abiding,

Like a stream away is gliding,

Safe I anchor in His grace (LSB 732:4-6)

In a daily devotional, a book that has Biblical scripture and a small explanation for each day of the year, that I read on Thursday, I read what I am about to share and I want you to hear Jesus saying this to you as well.

Jesus says to you:

Accept each day exactly as it comes to you. By that, I mean not only the circumstances of your day but also the condition of your body. Your assignment is to trust me absolutely resting in my sovereignty and faithfulness.

On Sundays, your circumstances and your physical condition feel out of balance: the demands on you seem far greater than your strength. Days like that present a choice between two alternatives – giving up or relying on me. Even if you wrongly choose the first alternative, I will not reject you. You can turn to me at any point, and I will help you crawl out of the Meyer of discouragement. I will infuse my strength into your moment by moment, giving you all that you need for this day. Trust me by relying on my empowering presence.

And, then the author reminds of this truths from Scripture.

Psalm 42:5–6 says:

[5] Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation [6] and my God.

And, Jeremiah 31:25 says:

[25] For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (ESV)

So, the next time you find yourself experiencing a crisis moment, and I can promise you, there will be another time, and you find yourself thinking or saying, “I’m not Okay!,” remember that Jesus Christ died on the cross in the most extreme crisis moment ever, for you.

And, because Jesus experienced that crisis moment, your sins are forgiven, eternal life is yours, and you will be today, tomorrow, and forever, 100% Okay, as God welcomes you into His family and Kingdom of Heaven through the faith you have in Him, His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

May 4, 2025.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

We live in a frightening world. In our fear, we often forget that you are powerful and loving and are devoted to your children. When we hear of wars and terrorists, we are tempted to turn to politicians to rescue us, and we panic despairingly if we feel we can’t trust them. When faced with illness and mortality, we turn to doctors, diets, and frenetic health strategies in order to avoid the inevitable. When friendships fail and relationships disappoint us, we struggle with bitterness, anger, and depression because we have looked to other weak sinners to find comfort and meaning in life. When our plans don’t work out, we scramble to construct self-salvation strategies in order to calm our fears and give us a measure of confidence and peace. Father, forgive us for forgetting that you love us, for stubbornly laying all our hopes and dreams at the feet of our idols, for despising you when you lovingly interfere with our self-salvation campaigns in order to rescue us from our pride and self-trust. 

Thank you for your great patience with weak sinners like us, who refuse to turn to you until all else has failed. Thank you for bringing suffering into our lives and for letting our sinful hearts pour out of us, so that we can see our sin and repent before you. Thank you for causing our best plans to fail so we will learn that you are wiser, stronger, kinder, and more loving than we ever dreamed possible. Thank you for Christ, who faced fear and suffering with great dread, and yet turned to you in his moments of terror and temptation, trusting in your plan in spite of his horrible feelings. Thank you that his faithful determination to fix his eyes on you and to trust you in spite of the evil that he faced has now been credited to our account, and that you welcome us as perfect trusters. Thank you that you hold this world in your hand and promise that all will be well in the end. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and is at work every moment to help us grow, to comfort us, and to help us look away from our scary world and scary hearts so that we may see the beauty of our remarkable Savior. 

Help us to remember your promises, to believe them, and to run to you in the midst of our fears with hearts that are bursting with gratitude and growing confidence in you alone. Amen.