Luke 12.38-40

Right now, who is speaking into your life to lead you?

Right now, who are you letting influence the way you think, speak, and act?

Is it a family member or friend?

This election season, is it a politician or political party?

Is it a journalist or podcast host?

Is it a famous actor or musician?

Is it a TikTok or YouTube star?

Is it a parent?  Is it a child?  Is it a spouse?  

Is it a teacher or principal?

Is it a pastor or theologian?

Or, is it God and His Word, the Bible?

We have all made choices throughout our years to let other people, institutions, philosophies, and theologies control some of our personal internal and external narrative. 

And, as we can all confess, we have learned over time and will continue to learn over the time that has not yet come, sometimes we choose good mentors and sometimes we choose bad mentors.

In our text for this morning, chosen by the lectionary for this November, we receive a warning from Jesus.   

In this section of the disciple Mark’s biography of Jesus, we hear Jesus telling those in his presence 2000+ years ago, as well as us today, that we need to carefully choose who we listen to and follow because many who claim to be wise are actually fools.  And, many who claim to be holy and righteous are actually sinful and corrupt.

Let’s hear from Mark 12.38-40 together.

Mark 12.38-40 says this:

[38] And in his teaching [Jesus] said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces [39] and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, [40] who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (ESV)

In these words, Jesus is warning the people against following those that were claiming to be God’s representatives on earth.

These religious leaders, known as scribes, or, as Martin Luther renamed them, “the Scribblers,” were putting on a show for the world, claiming to be wise and holy, when they were in fact fools and sinful.  Their actions proved that they did not understand God’s ways for life and love.  

God works and loves through being selfless.

The scribes words and actions were self-centered, self-righteous, and selfish.  Their words and actions were the opposite of how God works and loves.  

Here are the problems with the scribes behavior according to Jesus, who I like to remind you is God in the flesh:

The scribes did things for recognition.  They wore long robes, or they dressed fancy, so that people would compliment them and think highly of them for having access to such garments.

The scribes lived with a sense of entitlement.  They expected special treatment.  When they went to the synagogue, they expected to have reserved seating up front so that they would always be seen by the other worshippers.  When they went to someone’s house, they expected a seat next to the host so that they would always be seen by the other guests.

The scribes did not show mercy.  They were always looking out for themselves first, or, in the words of our culture, they were looking out for #1.  In fact, they actually cheated and oppressed the poor and helpless to get everything they could out of this life.  Jesus says they “devoured” the widows.  Scribes lived off the donations of others.  When they went to the widows and the poor who had no one to help them, the scribes would demand large sums of money from those who were themselves in need.

The scribes showed off their theological knowledge.  When they prayed in public, Jesus says they prayed long prayers with many words to indirectly say to the people, “Look how much better I am than you.  I know many scriptures and many big theological words. Be impressed with me!”

Here are a few Scriptures from the Bible that show how far off the scribes were from a Godly way of life.

James 2.1-4, 8-9 say this:

[1] My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. [2] For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, [3] and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” [4] have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

[8] If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. [9] But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-4, 8-9, ESV)

James 1:27 says this:

[27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)

Matthew 6:5–13 has Jesus teaching this:

[5] “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[7] “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. [9] Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

[10] Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

[11] Give us this day our daily bread,

[12] and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

[13] And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. (ESV)

With all of that being said, Jesus says this to his followers in Matthew 23:1–12:

[1] Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, [2] “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, [3] so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. [4] They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. [5] They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, [6] and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [7] and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. [8] But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. [10] Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. [11] The greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (ESV)

Several year’s ago, NBC’s show The Good Place, was a humorous depiction of life after death. The creator Michael Schuur said it’s based on “the idea of an omniscient [point] system, like we’re all playing a videogame that we don’t know that we’re playing. And someone’s keeping score, and the 10 highest scores out of every 10,000 people get rewarded.”

Let’s take a look at the show intro to see how they understand getting in Heaven.  

After her death, the character Eleanor Shellstrop finds herself with this small minority of the world’s best people in the good place. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t belong there. She was actually a pretty awful person. When Michael, the architect of the Good Place, finds out she is there by mistake, he gives her a questionnaire to determine her worthiness.

Did you commit murder?

Did you commit arson?

Did you take off your shoes and socks on an airplane?

Did you ever have a vanity license plate?

Did you ever reheat fish in an office microwave?

Have you ever cared about The Bachelor and any of its attendant spinoffs?

Michael lets Eleanor know that they are going to watch some highlights from her life as Michael tries to determine if she is good enough to stay in the Good Place. Eleanor says, “It doesn’t make me look great, so don’t judge me.” To which Michael replies, “That’s literally the purpose of this entire exercise.”

We may sit here and laugh at this clip from a television show but I would argue that most people think that this is exactly how one gets into Heaven.  The religious leaders known as the scribes, the ones that Jesus is saying are working hard in this life only to earn condemnation and eternal separation from God, certainly thought this way.

I saw someone on Facebook this past week post this statement:

“God, please let the good I have done outweigh the mistakes I have made.”

This is the problem—we are not just mistake makers.  We are all law breakers in God’s eyes.  We have been the scribes in this text more times than we would be able to count.

We like recognition from others.  We get dressed up to hear, “You look hot!” Or, “I can’t believe you could afford that brand!”

We have a sense of entitlement. We believe we deserve to get more than we are often offered.

We like special seats at special events.  We like to be seen with the popular people in popular places.

We often live to get all we can out of life with no regard for others.  We don’t show mercy because we are always “looking out for #1.” 

We like to show off our knowledge and be praised for our wisdom, insight, and intelligence.

Martin Luther, the 16th Century Church Reformer, in His Large Catechism says this:

“The devil has deceived us to such an extent with false holiness and the glamour of our own works.” (Large Catechism, page 514)

And, in his essay, On Translation: An Open Letter, Luther wrote:

“I want to give such offense; we preach so strongly against works and insist on faith alone, for no other reason than that the people may be offended, stumble, and fall, in order that they Amy learn to know that they are not saved by their good works bu only by Christ’s death and resurrection…Now it is Christ’s death and resurrection alone that save us and makes us free from sin, as Paul says in Romans 4[.25], ‘He died of our sins and rose for our justification.’…Faith alone, indeed, all alone, without any works, lays hold of this death and resurrection when it s preached by the gospel.” (Luther’s Works. AE 35, pages 196-197)

Historically, people have thought and continue to think that they can earn their way into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.  This is their own fault for two reasons.  First, they are at fault for not reading the Bible and knowing what God actually says about forgiveness and Heaven.  Second, it is there own fault because without knowledge of God and his ways, they follow false shepherds disguising themselves as religious leaders teaching this false theology of works based righteousness for personal gain from their sheep.

In our Biblical text for this morning, we hear Jesus warning against this wrong way of thinking.

All the inspired authors of the Bible, God’s revelation of His love for you in the person and work of Jesus Christ, make the bottom line of forgiveness of sin clear — you cannot earn enough “good” points to make God love you and accept you.

God’s forgiveness and love come to you ONLY through FAITH in the person and work of HIS ONE AND ONLY SON Jesus Christ.

However, because this burning sinful desire to take credit for saving ourselves by proving to God how good we are continues to exist in our human nature, the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Christians in the city of Rome during the first Century, says this:

[20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:20–25, ESV)

Because of God’s great love for you and God’s desire to have you with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forever,

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your search for recognition and compliments by dressing up and putting on a show.

And, Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your favoritism in giving recognition and compliments based on what someone else externally shows you.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your sense of entitlement and your giving into others entitled requests.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your lack of mercy, your selfishness, your self-righteousness, and your self-centeredness. 

And, Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your misuse of wisdom and knowledge to gain another humans praise and adoration.

Romans 8:1–4 gives us the final good news for this morning.

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. [3] For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

This week we are celebrating Thanksgiving.

As we prepare to be thankful, we have to realize that “Gratitude most naturally springs from an awareness that we have been given something we do not deserve or have not earned.  For believers, then, the eternal wellspring of gratitude flows directly from the atoning cross of Christ.  In other words, there is a beeline between Good Friday and Thanksgiving.”

Today, tomorrow, and this week, listen only to God’s Word and allow only Jesus to lead and influence your thinking, speaking, and acting, because this is the grace of God that turns you away from condemnation and death and holds your hand all the way into glory and eternal life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November 24, 2024.

Prayer:

We thank You, God our Father, 

for all Your gifts so freely bestowed upon us.  For the beauty and wonder of Your creation, in earth and sky and sea.  For all that is gracious in the lives of men an dwomen, revealing the image of Christ.  For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends.  For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve.  For health and strength to work and leisure to rest and play.  For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity.  Above all, we give Your thanks for the great mercies and promises given us in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace, this morning.  Follow Jesus who alone takes away your condemnation and reconciles you to God your Father in Heaven.

psalm 9

Have you ever thought that you did something or could do something, now or in the future, that would make God stop loving you?

If you have, what you are actually thinking is that men and women are more powerful than God.  Or, more specifically, that you are more powerful than God, the Creator of the Universe.

You are thinking that men and women are more powerful than God if you think you can do something that would make God stop loving you because you are saying that you have the power to overthrow God’s promises of love and forgiveness by your own thoughts, words, and actions.

It isn’t uncommon for humans to think they have power over people, places, and things. 

Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, who was responsible for the deaths of 168 men, women, and children, and the injuries of 800 more, embraced the poem “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley. 

According to Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck, in their book, American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing, McVeigh intended to include some of its lines in his last words, which he did in fact end up doing.

Invictus, the Latin word for invincible, was published by the obscure British poet in 1875 as a tribute to self-reliance. The last stanza is not only an apt picture of Timothy McVeigh, but of much of our society:

It matters not how straight the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Author Os Guinness traces our contemporary idea of human freedom, or human power to affect all things, that “began in the Renaissance … blossomed in the Enlightenment and rose to its climax in the 1960s.” 

The classic understanding of human freedom comes from the statement of Pico della Mirandola, during the Renaissance period, as he imagines God addressing Adam: 

He imagines God as saying this to Adam, his creation:

“You, who are confined by no limits, shall determine for yourself your own nature …. You shall fashion yourself in whatever form you prefer.”

Throughout the centuries this same view of human freedom—limitless potential apart from God—has been expressed by other key thinkers.

Some of those expressions from the 20th and 21st centuries are:

• President John F. Kennedy: “Man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.” (20th century, America)

• Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand: “Man’s destiny is to be a self-made soul.” (20th century, Russian-American)

• American biologist, naturalist, and author E.O. Wilson: “Humanity will be positioned godlike to take control of its own ultimate fate.” (21st century, America)

In this morning’s text, we will hear, once again from King David in the book of Psalms.

In Psalm 9, King David reveals the conclusion that he comes to after looking at both God’s power and humanity’s “perceived”power.

Psalm 9 says this:

[1] I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

[2] I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

[3] When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.

[4] For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

[5] You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

[6] The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

[7] But the LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

[8] and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness.

[9] The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

[10] And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

[11] Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his deeds!

[12] For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

[15] The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;

in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.

[16] The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

[17] The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

[18] For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

[19] Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

[20] Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but men! (ESV)

Have you ever asked yourself, 

“Where is God?”

If you have, there is a good chance that one of the times you have asked that question was this week.

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while the people of our nation are spewing hate at one another over a Presidential Election?”

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while Hamas is attacking Israel?”

Or, maybe you have asked, “Where was God  over two decades ago when the Twin Towers in NYC fell?”

Well, as we have heard in Psalm 9, King David certainly asked similar questions from time to time as he was coming to the conclusion that he presents to us this morning.

When he looked at the world in which he lived, King David would have asked questions like,

Where is God while my enemies are attacking my nation?

Where is God while my life is being threatened?

Where is God when evil men get away with torture and murder?

Where is God when innocent civilians are being oppressed?

Where is God when human rights are being taken away?

And, a few years later, Jesus even asked a similar question to “Where is God?” from the cross when he, an innocent man, was being crucified for sins of the entire world.

From the cross,

[46] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, ESV)

It would be easy to come to the conclusion that all of this points to a blind and deaf god, or an uncaring sadistic god, or no god at all.

However, the exact opposite is true.

As King David pointed out in the middle of his own questioning of God’s whereabouts and God’s ways, “the LORD sits enthroned forever…he judges the world with righteousness…the LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed [in their time of trouble].”

You see, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God entered the flesh and lived among us.   He did so for my good and your good.  God’s time in this world, in the person of Jesus, gave him experience with human trouble and human feelings so that he could relate to you, sympathize with you, empathize with you, in the hardest and most difficult times that you will face and while you are asking questions that seem to have no immediate answers.

We are reminded of this good news in the book of Hebrews when we are told:

[14] …we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

Jesus knows the things you are thinking while the world seems to be falling apart.

Jesus knows how you feel when you are being personally attacked.

And, in all of that Jesus assures you that he, through his life, death, and resurrection has canceled the power of man.

Humanity thought they could get rid of God by crucifying Jesus on the cross, but God was powerfully triumphant when he defeated the power of sin and death by walking out of the grave on the first Easter morning.

Humanity cannot overthrow God. 

Humanity cannot take a step or make a move without God allowing it (and I admit that some of those things that God allows will be hard to understand this side of Heaven).

Proverbs 16:9 let’s us know this truth when it says:

[9] The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps. (ESV)

What Psalm 9 is making clear is that God is always in control and cancels the power of humanity.

The Recovery Bible makes the following comment:

“If we think we can control our own destiny or the destinies of others, we have a terrible surprise in store.  One day God will step in and demonstrate who is truly in control. Since God is ultimately in control, the only wise plan is to follow God’s plan.”

Returning to where we began…

Sixteen years after Henley first published “Invictus,” the British preacher Charles Spurgeon offered another philosophy of life. On June 7, 1891, in the closing words of his final sermon, Spurgeon urged people to submit to a better “Captain” for our soul. Spurgeon said:

Every [person] must serve somebody: we have no choice as to that fact. Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ. Either self or the Savior. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the uniform of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls …. If you could see our Captain, you would go down on your knees and beg him to let you enter the ranks of those who follow him. It is heaven to serve Jesus.

The apostle Paul’s words from Romans 8:31–39 preach good news to us when he says:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

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

A social media post that I saw yesterday said:

“Caesar is now a salad dressing but Jesus is still King.”

Go in peace this morning and trust in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.

Pray with David this week:

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November, 10, 2024.

Prayer:

Mighty God, 

The forces that are arrayed against us in this life far outmatch our little strength. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powerful spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Our enemy is strong and crafty, and if we try to stand against him in our own strength we will inevitably fail. Yet, Father, we confess that we often trust in our own wisdom and strength, as if we were mighty and self-sufficient. We go through life oblivious to the dangers around us and not heeding the warnings of your Word. When we find ourselves defeated yet again, we complain and moan as if you had let us down, when the fault is entirely ours. Instead of praying and asking for your help, we grumble and resent our weakness. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you that you have entered the battle on our behalf, leaving the safety of heaven to engage the challenges of living as a human being. You felt all of our human weaknesses, yet you endured without sin, because you constantly entrusted yourself to your Father’s mighty power. Thank you that you were triumphant for us, redeeming us and giving our souls complete safety in you. The strong forces that are arrayed against us can never separate us from you, and so our ultimate victory is secure. 

Holy Spirit, thank you that you are at work strengthening us daily. When you give us the grace to stand, depending upon you, help us to remember that the strength is yours and not ours. When you leave us to ourselves and we fall, show us your good purposes in that, too—help us to learn our own weakness, to become more watchful and distrustful of ourselves, to pray more frequently and fervently, and to become more eager for the final day of our victory in Christ. Thank you that he is even now interceding for us and that he will continue to do so throughout our earthly warfare, until he welcomes us into his closer presence. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace this morning knowing that trusting in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.

John 8.31-38

We have all been the victims of false advertising at one point or another in our lives.

False advertising is the use of misleading or blatantly untrue statements when promoting a product.

In other words, false advertising is making a promise that it cannot keep or that cannot be kept.

Maybe you ran to a restaurant to get that picture perfect burger that you saw on TV but were met with something that looked like it was run over by a car before they served it to you.

Maybe you chose your favorite cartoon character to help cool you down on a hot summer day after seeing the picture on the side of the ice cream truck but were met with something that resembled a blind person’s attempt to draw that character when you pulled it out of the wrapper.

Or, maybe you got a bait and switch—you were promised one item but after making the purchase, you realized they gave you something else.

The one who believes the false advertising’s promise is left disappointed, monetarily burdened after wasting their money,

and often angry.

In this morning’s Biblical text, Jesus’ is warning his hearers of false advertising.

Let’s hear from our lectionary text chosen for this Reformation Sunday.

John 8:31–38 says this:

[31] So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (ESV)

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were advertising that God would accept a person into His Heavenly Kingdom based on who they were related to and the tasks that they performed throughout their lives.

However, this was false advertising because the Bible makes it clear that no one will be forgiven of their sin and accepted by God because of human relationships or good deeds or having your Confirmation picture hanging in the hallway of the church.

The religious leaders surrounding Jesus were telling others that things like church attendance, family name, good works, donations of money, and volunteer service would make one qualified to be accepted and loved by God.

Because this false advertising places power in our hands to get something from God, the if you do this for God/then God will do this for you relationship, it tickles our ears and attracts our attention.

However, this advertising by religious leaders is false because it makes a promise that it cannot keep.

In fact, even though it promises eternal love and freedom, it actually delivers the exact opposite.

The promise of a good deeds based forgiveness does nothing but enslave the one who buys it because it piles burden on top of burden as you try to do more, try to do enough, and try to do something of value that will please God. 

You live life worried and weary believing the fake claim that God will accept you through the life you have lived. 

You end up regularly disappointed in yourself as well as angry at God for making His love so hard to obtain.

I have a movie clip, from the greatest Christmas movie of all time, that I want to share with you now.

For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, Elf is the story of a human that is raised by Elves in the North Pole.  The Elf in this clip, named Buddy, has traveled back to New York to find his birth parents.  He is confused by everything in what we would call “the real world” because he was raised under the nonsensical rules governed by fun and Christmas magic in Santa’s town and workshop.  Therefore, when he sees the department store Santa, he knows that this isn’t “the real Santa” because the real Santa smells like candy canes and hot chocolate not beef and cheese.

Today the Christian Church around the world is celebrating the 508^th anniversary of the Reformation.

For those of you unfamiliar with this history-changing event, the bass player from Megadeth, yes, you heard that correct, the bass player from Megadeth, also an ordained Lutheran pastor, sums up the Reformation succinctly and beautifully for you.

In his biography, My Life With Deth, he says,

“In 1517, the German theologian, Martin Luther challenged the political agenda of the [serving] priesthood, which taught at the time that believers could buy their way into heaven.  Luther went back to Scripture, read it, and declared that the church was doing it all wrong. They were not following what Jesus said.” (Dave Ellefson, My Life With Deth, 174)

Martin Luther was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Luther was standing in classrooms, and in the church pulpits;

Luther was standing on on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

And, all of what happened 508 years ago during the Reformation was nothing but an echoing, a retelling, a return to what Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day 2000 years ago as recorded in this morning’s Biblical text.

Jesus was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma

of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was standing in temple courts, and in the synagogue podiums;

Jesus was standing on the mountainsides and on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

Jesus brought you the good news of God’s grace.

God was not a God of burden.

God was the God of love.

God was the God of forgiveness.

God is the God of freedom because God requires NOTHING from you in exchange for His love, forgiveness, and eternal freedom.

Everything God required from you was completed for you in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It was a freely offered gift from Him to you. 

A gift that was purchased by Him, for you, with the blood of His own Son.

This is the truth that sets you free.

Jesus lived the perfect life of obedience to God the Father.

Jesus took on your sin and died on the cross to take the punishment that your sin deserved.

Jesus rose from the grave defeating the power of death once and for all.

And all of that perfection,

all of that complete work,

all of that victory,

all of the meeting of God’s requirements

was completed for you because God is gracious and God loves you.

God knows that you could never complete His requirements for perfection by yourself but He still wanted to accept you into His Heavenly Kingdom.

At the theological conference I attended a few years, one of the speakers shared this thought,

“Without Christ, you are in bondage to sin, trying to buy and earn God’s forgiveness.

With Christ you are free because forgiveness has been bought for you.”

Only if Jesus Christ, the Son sets you free, are you free indeed.

“Because Jesus gave you His righteous, you are free to live and love your neighbor because you don’t need anything from them.” (Elyse Fitzpatrick, Here We Still Stand, San Diego, October 20, 2017)

This morning,

here I stand,

proclaiming to you the unquestionable truth that you are saved and set free from your sins, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Jesus’s words remind you of this good news.

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8.12, ESV)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6, ESV)

This morning, repent of your sins, confess them to God, and believe in the truth that sets you free—in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God forgives everyone of your sins.

Go into the world today trusting in God’s Word alone which proclaims this truth to you.  Do not believe any other false advertising which places a to-do list into your relationship with your Maker and Creator.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

October 27, 2024.

Prayer:

Glorious heavenly Father, 

We admit that we don’t see your glory very clearly. In heaven we will be captivated by your beauty, but now we are weak and sinful and do not adore you as we should. We do not have clean hands and pure hearts, but have wandered away like lost sheep. Our idolatrous hearts desire many things besides you; our days are filled with other thoughts; we live in a world full of strong temptations and have an enemy who knows how to draw our eyes away from you. Father, forgive us for finding so much glory in your creation while failing to see you in all of your wonder and radiant majesty. Our souls are darkened and all our motives mixed, yet you allowed your perfect Son to die in our place. Help us to see the great glory of your love and forgiveness through the outrageous sacrifice of the cross. 

Jesus, you preserved purity in both your heart and your hands. You touched lepers and brought them wholeness instead of becoming defiled by them; you ate with tax collectors and sinners and called them away from their sin rather than being drawn into sin by them. You used your hands to glorify and praise your Father, and now you have ascended into the heavenly sanctuary, which you purified once for all with your own blood. Now you grant us access to the Father through the gift of your perfect cleanliness—what a privilege is ours! 

Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the magnificence of our great Savior. Lovingly strip away the idols and trinkets that seem so priceless to us, yet keep us from worshiping him alone. Wean us from our strong attachments to your wonderful gifts, and quiet our anxious thoughts when you take them away. When we see our impure hearts and unclean hands, give us the gifts of godly sorrow and swift repentance. May the darkness of our sin magnify the glory of Jesus Christ, whose perfect heart and spotless hands have been credited to us. Make us grateful that through him we are worthy to belong to the King of Glory, to fall at his feet and join in worshiping him forever. Until then, may we live as joyful and grateful debtors to your mercy alone. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  In Jesus Christ alone, you are free, free indeed!

Psalm 36

In a recent issue of CT (Christianity Today) magazine, Carrie Sheffield tells us her story as she shares how politics had become an idol to her and how she discovered a deeper source of purpose and meaning in Christ.

Carrie Sheffield was raised in extreme religious trauma in an offshoot Mormon cult. Her father believed that he was a Mormon prophet and was eventually excommunicated by the LDS church for heresy. She grew up with seven siblings in various motor homes, tents, houses, and sheds. Carrie attended 17 different public schools and when she took the ACT test, the family lived in a shed with no running water in the Ozarks.

All the children inherited trauma from their tumultuous family life. Two of her siblings have schizophrenia, including one brother who tried to rape her. Carrie has been hospitalized nine times for depression, fibromyalgia, suicidal ideation, and PTSD.

When she left home to attend Brigham Young University, her dad declared that she was satanic and therefore disowned her. As a student, she felt disillusioned by a growing list of unanswered questions about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the prospect of polygamy in the afterlife. After receiving her journalism degree, she stopped practicing Mormonism, formally renouncing it in 2010. For years she assumed she would never return to belief in God or organized religion. She writes:

To fill the void, I threw myself into work, schooling, dating, friends, and travel as ultimate sources of meaning. I worked as an analyst for major Wall Street firms, earning unthinkable sums for a girl from a motor home. I launched a career in political journalism at outlets like Politico, The Hill, and The Washington Times.

But ultimately her career goals left her unfilled. It was during the 2016 election that she felt an existential crisis. She realized that when she’d lost faith in God, she had allowed politics to become a substitute religion. She had built her career toward working on a [political] campaign or in the White House. She had appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, and other networks, even sparring on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. She says:

During this crisis of meaning, I felt distraught and adrift. So, I turned to church, first to Redeemer Presbyterian, founded by the late Tim Keller, and later to Saint Thomas Episcopal. It was during a service that I encountered Scripture’s answer to career and political idolatry in passages like Mark 8:36–37, which asks, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Studying Christianity felt like uncovering buried treasure discarded by intellectuals who had discounted its scientific and philosophical heft.

I joined the [Christian] [C]hurch.  My baptism day—December 3, 2017—was the happiest of my life. A group of about 30 family and friends watched me vow to “serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself” and “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

More than six years since my baptism, I enjoy a healthier relationship to politics. I still have strong convictions, which I don’t hesitate to share in columns, speeches, or TV appearances, but I know God is far bigger than any puny manmade system. As I returned to a walk with God, I felt enveloped with a sense of peace that surpassed understanding.

Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end (whether you like it or not).

Carrie Sheffield’s story began with spiritual abuse and political idolatry.

In the middle, Carrie Sheffield’s story had her meeting the loving Creator and Redeeming God revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Now, Carrie Sheffield’s story will end with her loving God and loving others all the way into the glory of eternity.

This morning, tell me your story.

Whether you have 10 or 20 years under your belt, or 50, 60, or 70 years of life on this earth, tell me you story.

What were you like in the past?

What happened to you along the way to influence and/or change the way you think, speak, and act?

And, what are you like today?

We all have a personal story that contains many subtitles, chapters, footnotes, and appendices.

In the AA, or Alcoholics Anonymous, program, we have a three strep process for speaking and giving our testimony of how we recovered and are staying sober 1 day at a time. And, as we also say, this is how we share our strength and hope.

Those three steps of testimony telling are:

1. Where I was.
2. What happened.
3. What I am like now.

This is one of many things in the AA program that I believe relate to and can help us in our daily life as we walk as Christians with faith in Jesus Christ.  This overlap is no surprise as the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were personally familiar with the Christian faith and quote the Bible directly and indirectly throughout the entire Big Book that is used as the guide for the actions that lead one to becoming and staying sober.

In this Biblical text for this morning, from Psalm 36, King David shares the beginning, the middle, and the end, the “Where I was,” the “What happened,” and the, “Where I am now,” of every person who has the blessed assurance of God’s forgiveness as found and received only in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Let’s hear from Psalm 36 now.

In Psalm 36, King David says this:

[1] Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;

there is no fear of God

before his eyes.

[2] For he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

[3] The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

[4] He plots trouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in a way that is not good;

he does not reject evil.

[5] Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

[6] Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O LORD.

[7] How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

[8] They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

[9] For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

[10] Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

[11] Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

[12] There the evildoers lie fallen;

they are thrust down, unable to rise. (ESV)

It is in these 12 verses that King David describes the 3 phases or our life.

Verses 1-4 tell the story of what we were like without God.

Before we had faith in the Creating and Redeeming God, revealed to us only in the Bible, we did not fear (or stand in awe) of God; we thought better of ourselves than we should have—thinking we could do no wrong and were never guilty; we used our words to lie and deceive; we acted in selfishness and did unGodly things; and we created trouble for ourselves and others.

Verses 5-9 tell the story of what happened to us.

God was loving and faithful to us.  He came to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ, living a perfectly righteous and innocent life when measured against God’s commands for life and love, dying on the cross to forgive us by using his life to pay the debt that our sin created, and rising from the dead to defeat the power of sin and death which separated us from God.

In the person and work of Jesus Christ, God saves us, God loves us, God protects us, God provides for us, God makes us joyful, and God brings us out of the darkness and into the light.

And, verses 10-12 tell the story of what we are like now.

We live everyday with God’s love leading us and guiding us.

God continues to forgive us and make us righteous—we are always ready for His Kingdom of Heaven.

God daily empowers us to choose right over wrong and love over hate.

And, God daily lifts us up from the low places we often find ourselves. 

We have many examples in the Bible of people telling the story of how they moved from wickedness to righteousness and from condemnation to salvation.

The author of our Psalm for this morning, King David, has his story told throughout the book of 1 Samuel but he tells us his story personally, over and over again, in the songs and poetry that he wrote and are now contained in the book of Psalms for us.

David was the youngest and least impressive of many siblings.  However, God chose him at a young age to be the next king of Israel.

Although David had an impressive start—being the only one in the entire nation of Israel brave enough to defend God’s name and honor by fighting and killing the giant Philistine solider, Goliath, his journey was not all up hill.  David spent many years in the dark valleys of life, so dark that he, in Psalm 23 called them the valleys of the shadow of death.  

David’s initial success at a young age caused the sitting King of Israel, Saul, to become jealous to the point of misusing all of his power and resources to attempt to have David killed.

David spent many years on the run and in hiding from the King and his armies.

Once David because King, he too misused his power and resources to steal another man’s wife, Bathsheba, and ended up getting her pregnant.  To cover his tracks and guilt, David sent her husband to the front lines of battle to ensure he would die.

But, God in his grace and mercy, sent a friend to show David his Sin against God and the people he was supposed to protect, so that David could repent and be forgiven.

In this meeting, after recognizing his Sin and disobedience to God the Father in Heaven, David cries out:

[13] … “I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:13, ESV)

And Nathan [whom God sent to David to show him his sin] said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Samuel 12:13, ESV)

Where did David start?

David started out living his life not fully devoted to God.  When the rubber met the road of daily life, David chose to follow his own passions and desires for worldly unGodly pleasure.

What happened?  

God lovingly visited and spoke to David so that he could repent from his sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and have a new life devoted to loving God and loving others.

Where did David end up?

After encountering God’s grace and mercy and love, despite his record of wrong doing, David lived his life devoted to God and in service to others to the point that we hear this about King David:

[22] [God] raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22, ESV)

God wants you to have the same story as King David.

God comes to you in the person and work of Jesus Christ, to meet you where you are at, even in the midst of Sin against him, so that you can repent, believe, and be called “one after God’s own heart who will do His will.”

We hear this desire of God laid out in 1 Timothy 2:1–6.

1 Timothy 2.1-6 says this:

[1] … I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (ESV)

In 1980, the year I was born, Eugene Peterson, an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet, said, 

“There is a general assumption prevalent in the world that it is extremely difficult to be a Christian. But this is as far from the truth as the east is from the west. The easiest thing in the world is to be a Christian. What is hard is to be a sinner. Being a Christian is what we were created for. . . . In the course of Christian discipleship we discover that without Christ we were doing it the hard way and that with Christ we are doing it the easy way. It is not Christians who have it hard, but non-Christians.”

Without Jesus, you do not have the strength or hope you need to face life 1 day at a time.

But, with Jesus, you are given the strength and hope you to need to make it to the end of each 24 hour period that God blesses you with on this earth.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for you to keep you story of his grace,  mercy, and love to yourself.

Your story of Jesus’ sacrifice for you, Jesus’ forgiveness of your sins, and Jesus’ giving you his righteousness, is meant to help others find hope in God’s love for them.

If you don’t know where to start in telling your story, just begin by sharing the lyrics from the song we sang a few minutes ago, Blessed Assurance.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.   

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest;

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 29, 2024.

Prayer:

Almighty God, 

You never change. From age to age you are faithful to your promises, and you love to pour out generous blessings on your children. Like a good earthly father, you enjoy giving good gifts to those you love, and we have so much to be thankful for. We know that we are safe in your love, because your kindness to us does not depend on our faithfulness to you. We praise you, Lord, because you raise up the poor and needy; and, as spiritually poor and needy people, we need your constant care and attention. 

Father, we should be filled with gratitude to you every minute of every day. We owe you everything, so our lives should be devoted to acts of generosity to you, to your church, and your family. We ought to give the very best that we have of our gifts, time, and material possessions to you, with glad and joyful hearts. Yet we confess that we don’t even come close to honoring you in this way, Lord. We are often stingy in our giving to you and resentful of the demands that church and people place on our time. We are generous to ourselves and to those whom we love or wish to impress, but we rob you frequently by not giving to you in proportion to our great debt. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you for giving your life and yourself so generously for us. You lived each day in perfect gratitude to your Father, giving thanks for your daily bread and giving your mind, heart, soul, and strength to serving us. In the end, you even gave your body as a sacrificial offering on the cross. How can we repay such amazing love? 

Holy Spirit, teach us to excel in the grace of giving. Help our hearts to overflow with generosity to others in response to the outpouring of grace that we have received. Make us quick to identify and meet the needs around us, whether they are the needs of our church or the needs of one another. And, when we have done all that we can do, help us not to take pride in our giving, but to recognize that it is only a small return for your great generosity to us in Christ. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Go in peace and share your strength and hope.

Benediction:

Go, tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born

Psalm 34.15-22

In their 2003 hit song, Bring Me to Life, rock band Evanescence sang:

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can’t wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

Call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up)

Before I come undone

(Save me)

Save me from the nothing I’ve become

And, more recently, in 2018, metal band Underoath sang:

Open up my eyes and show me salvation

Wake this body up ’cause I’m tired of sleepin’

Our Biblical text this morning from Psalm 34 makes it clear that we need to be woken up to the truth of our relationship with God the Father in Heaven if we are going to live every day with hope for better tomorrow.

Psalm 34:15–22 says this:

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

and his ears toward their cry.

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

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

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

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

[20] He keeps all his bones;

not one of them is broken.

[21] Affliction will slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[22] The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (ESV)

Our piece of Scripture from Psalm 34 lets us know that there are two categories of people that God sees when he looks at humanity.

When God looks at you, God either sees you as righteous or evil.

As King David, the writer of Psalm 34 tells us, those that God calls righteous have the grace, mercy, love, and goodness of God poured out on them every day of their life and eternally.

King David, who is writing Psalm 34 after being rescued by God from the hands of the king who wants to kill him, and the people of Goliath’s hometown—Goliath being their champion, the giant solider that David killed with a slingshot and a stone, names some of the benefits of being labeled righteous by God.

According to our final verses from Psalm 34,

the righteous have God’s attention as God’s eyes are always on them, watching them to provide for their needs and protect them from ultimate harm.

The righteous are heard by God when they cry to Him for help in prayer.

The righteous have their cries and prayers for help answered by God.

The righteous are delivered from their troubles by God who hears and answers them.

The righteous always have God near them, especially when they are brokenhearted.

The righteous are saved by God when they feel crushed by their sin and the sin of the world around them.

The righteous find comfort in a God who cares for them.

The righteous are redeemed by God from their sin.

So, what does it mean to be righteous?

To be righteous means to be morally perfect when measured against God’s standards for life and love which are laid out for us in the 10 Commandments as well as the other 600+ commandments found it Scripture.

To be righteous means to have lived every second of every day with a record of 100% compliance to every single thing that God tells us to do and not to do.

If you are like me and think about your past and your present when you hear this, you are hopefully realizing that you are in trouble because their is absolutely no way you can claim to have a 100% record of compliance to every single thing that God, as only revealed in the Bible, has told us to do and not do.

When measuring ourselves against God’s standards for right and wrong we have to agree with the Scriptures that say:

[10] …“None is righteous, no, not one;

[11] no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

[12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.” (Romans 3:10–12,ESV)

[23] …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

(Romans 3:23, ESV)

And, Isaiah 64:6, which tell us that,

[6] We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (ESV)

So, if we are living in an evil state, constantly failing to measure up to God’s standards for life and love because of the Sin that corrupts us, what is our position before God’s throne?  

Well, it would be the opposite of righteous according to our text for his morning and that puts us in God’s category of “evil.”

So, what is the life of an evil person like?

King David addresses that as well in this morning’s text.

He says that God looks away from the evil person.

He says that God does not remember the evil person.

He says that God will allow affliction to define the life of the evil person.

He says that God will condemn the evil person to an eternity separated from Him and separated from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Again, hopefully, we recognize our problem.

Our problem is that everything that King David says here about the evil person is our natural state of being because of Sin that is inborn and overflows from us.

But, because of God’s love for us, even in our evil state, He is gracious and merciful towards us giving us the ability to be transferred into the category of “righteous” where we receive all of the benefits of a reconciled relationship with Him that we heard King David mention a few minutes ago.

And, here’s the thing, to become righteous in God’s eyes isn’t something you can earn by doing good deeds or attempting to be the best person you can be.

To become righteous, all you need is faith in Jesus Christ, God-in-the-flesh, who is God’s freely given gift to you so that you can be delivered from slavery to sin, saved from death and separation from God, and redeemed for Kingdom life that is begun to be lived here and now and that will be lived eternally in Heaven.

Simply put, the righteous are saved by faith in Jesus.

In what may be familiar verses to you, John 3:16–17 lays out God’s deliverance, salvation, and redemption plan.

John 3.16-17 says this:

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

There are a bunch of verses in the Biblical book of Romans, which is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in the city of Rome during the 1st Century AD, that put our problems and and God’s solution for us together in a wonderful way that has become an easy way to sum up the good news of Christianity.

This collection of Bible verses has become known as Romans Road.

Let’s hear the good news of God’s love making us righteous for in the person and work of Jesus Christ through Romans Road together.

Romans 6:23

[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

Romans 5:8

[8] …God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Romans 10:9

[9] …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. (ESV)

Romans 10:13

[13] For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (ESV)

Romans 5:1

[1] Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Romans 8:1

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

And, Romans 8:38–39

[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

Have you ever heard the saying, “All roads lead to Heaven,” or, “All roads lead to God”?

Well, that is one of, if not the greatest, lies that exists.

Our Scripture from the Bible for this morning, along with every other Scripture that exists in the Bible, makes it explicitly clear that ALL ROADS DO NOT LEAD TO GOD THE FATHER IN HEAVEN.

And, to make sure we know this, Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, makes it unquestionably clear when he tell us,

[6] …“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, ESV)

Without Jesus, God calls you evil and your end is punishment and destruction because of sin.

However, with Jesus, God calls you righteous and you are delivered, saved, and redeemed from the hell of being separated from God today, tomorrow, and forever.  And, your new life is led by God, protected by God, and all of your needs are provided for by God.

May your daily prayer this week be:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, wake me up inside; call my name and save me from the dark; save me from the nothing I’ve become; open my eyes and show me salvation.

I leave you with this promise from Psalm 91:14–16:

[14] “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

[15] When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

[16] With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.” (ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 22, 2024.

Prayer:

Holy Lord, 

We are not fit to come before you. We have no righteousness of our own to offer, and we possess nothing to sacrifice that is worthy of the great debt that we owe you. We have not done what is just and right, but instead have frequently sinned in our words and our actions. We have not loved kindness and delighted our souls in doing others good. Instead, we have delighted in harming those whom we deem our enemies, and even when we have done good to others, we have resented them in our hearts. We have not walked humbly and wisely before you, but rather we have walked in our own wisdom and followed the counsel of the world around us. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, you are our righteousness, and you have made the perfect offering to atone for our sin. You walked humbly with God every day of your life, you loved faithfulness and mercy, and you burned for justice. These glorious attributes are our only hope of entering God’s presence, yet we wanted you dead because of them, and so we crucified you. What great arrogance, hatred of kindness, and injustice belongs to our race—and to us as well! Thank you for your great mercy in which you come to sinners like us, cleanse us with your precious blood, and clothe us in your perfect righteousness. Hallelujah! What a Savior you are! 

Holy Spirit, work in us true righteousness. Take away our hard and stony hearts and create in us true goodness and beauty. Give us a new desire to walk in your statutes and to live by your rules, out of the thankfulness of our hearts for our rich salvation. Give us deep and abiding joy in the gospel—a joy that neither our circumstances nor our sin can take away. Fix our eyes increasingly on the everlasting inheritance of righteousness that is ours in Christ—on the new heavens and the new earth where we shall finally be able to enter your presence, by your grace alone, standing on the righteousness of Christ alone. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace this morning.  Jesus has transferred you from the domain of evil and darkness to the domain of light and righteousness.

Psalm 34.8-10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To lack means that something is missing from your life.

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

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

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

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

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

for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have food for today?

Do you have clothes for your body?

Do you have a roof over your head?

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

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

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

For example:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said:

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

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

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

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

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

God is in control. 

He is redeeming the world. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The boy said, “I can’t sleep.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The preacher followed that story with this comment:

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

This morning and this coming week,

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

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

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

Seek the Lord and you will lack no good thing.

With Jesus, nothing is missing from your life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

September 8, 2024.