Is. 6:1-7
Rom. 11:33-36
John 3:1-15 (16-17)

Sermon Overview (listen to the full sermon by clicking on Play above)

When a former head of GM was asked what the greatest mistake GM ever made he answered that it was in 1999 when they discontinued their electric car program.  Not foreseeing $4/gal. gas or green buying they didn’t know that their customers would end up wanting such a thing. Not knowing their customers cost them dearly.

Sometimes not knowing the translation of the message can hurt a business or organization. Years ago the American Dairy Association was promoting milk with their got milk campaign.  They thought it was going great here in America so they thought that they would promote it in Mexico.  However the translation of this slogan sort of lost it’s marketing impact as it was translated into Spanish that means are you lactating?

Words can trip one up too.  In our gospel lesson for today, a man named Nicodemus, a ruling pharisee comes to Jesus at night.  He begins by buttering him up by saying we know you are from God because of the great things you’ve done.  But his question to Jesus was, how do we get to heaven? Jesus’ answer to him was that in order to get to heaven, you must be born again. Nicodemus doesn’t have a clue what those words mean.  He tries to understand them literally.  That to be born again and go back into one’s mother’s womb is impossible.  But what Jesus means you must be born by the spirit.  Nicodemus had a hard time understanding that because he was Jewish.  He was taught that if you were Jewish it was your first birth that saved you.  But now he finds that he must be born again. To him, he knew no second birth, no birth from the spirit.

Today we do the same thing. There are people walking around thinking that they are destined for heaven because of the country they are from or because of the family they were born in, or because of their moral character, or the way they use their time and money.  But none of these things get us into heaven.  Nothing we do makes us a child of God.   nothing we do will get us the spiritual rebirth that Jesus says is necessary.  Jesus gives us that and he does it perfectly.

Another error we make is requiring God to think the way we think he should.  We go to God and think that our God shouldn’t send anyone to hell, except for people we consider to be bad.  And that this triune God stuff doesn’t make sense and God’s gotta make sense to us.

God reveals himself as the trinity, three people, one being.  And we don’t understand but who we are, as created beings telling God that he’s wrong because it doesn’t make sense to us.  And when Jesus tells Nicodemus that to get into heaven one must be born again.

When Jesus went to that cross, he did it for us.  And we have been reborn because Jesus promises to us.

Satan won’t leave us alone.  He is always telling us that it is our good deeds and it is the things we say that are important.  But God shows us his love in awesome ways and it is still hard for us to accept it.  God says don’t worry, I have everything in my hands.  God wsays trust me, I’ll tell you the truth and follow my directions.

Isaiah 25:6-9
Corinthians 15:1-11
Mark 16:1-8

Sermon Notes

People who see us celebrate Easter might not understand why it is so important.  On Easter we celebrate the Christ that rose.  We celebrate the command that the angels gave the women at the tomb, to go and tell the good news of his raising from the dead.  Why is this such good news? Because if Jesus had not physically rose from the dead, we’d all be pretty pathetic.  It would be so sad that we were all fooled by some guy that made empty promises.  The bible tells us that if Christ did not rise from the dead, we are still in our sins, we are still destined to go to hell and we might as well enjoy this short life because we cannot change it.  But Christ did rise, and because he did rise from the dead, his promises are certain.  The promise that all who believe in Christ will rise from the dead too.  That is the certainty of our faith.

Now, we have to tell people this, but be warned that people don’t only deny that Jesus physically rose from the dead but that we live in a world which claims that God himself is dead.

A couple years back, a few phycologists came out with a paper that said God is dead.  They based it on looking at the human state and saying that there would be no way that a loving God would let so much stuff happen in this world; God must be dead.  The other reason they used is that we humans are advancing in technology so that we no longer need a God to explain the questions in life.

Actually this idea nothing new. Adam and Eve acted like God were dead.  The thought their lives would be better if God didn’t exist. That they could choose their own route and go their own ways.  Today we are guilty of the same. Our sinful natures draw us away from God and tell us that we can be god, and we can do it ourselves.   That is our sinful nature.  And there is no way for us to change our sinful nature. We still need forgiveness. That is why Jesus went to the cross.

Sermon (Listen to the full sermon by clicking play above)

The people thought as Jesus entered Jerusalem that he would mount a revolt and save them from their Roman occupation.  But Jesus didn’t come to be the savior of a civilization 2000 years ago, he came to save all people of all times.  Jesus coming into Jerusalem that day marked the beginning of some of the most important days since the creation.  We see Jesus coming in and the people cheering him, all sure that Jesus will give them what they want.  We can all fall into that same misconception that if you follow Jesus your life will get better, you won’t have money problems, you will get along with your wife better….etc.  We come to Jesus the same way the people of Jerusalem did that Sunday.  We say hosanna, but we don’t always understand why he came.  Jesus knew that the week ahead would mean his separation from so many followers, his last supper, his arrest, mock trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection. Jesus knew what the week ahead of him held.  He knew the people that praised him today would a week later cry for his Crucifixion.

God the father knew that we were lost in our sins, and that we could not be saved in any other way.  He wanted for us to have our place in heaven so much that he was willing to punish his own son to save us.  This doesn’t make sense at first to our fallen nature.

Jesus came to give us life.  Jesus wants us to focus on him as the giver of and leader of our lives.

Jesus was motivated when he came into Jerusalem, he wasn’t side-tracked by the cheers and the applause.  He was focused on the cross for on that cross he would give his life so that we could serve him with our lives.

Readings:
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (New fellowship with God.)
Hebrews 5:1-10 (Jesus, our true high priest.)
Mark 10:32-45 (The measure of all greatness.)

Sermon The following is just some of the points made in the sermon.  Listen to the full sermon by clicking on play above.

In our gospel lesson today, Mark 10:32-45, James and John have a mentality that figures that they should be a part of Jesus’ upper echelon.  After all the did give up everything to follow Jesus. They gave up jobs, homes, time.  But their timing was really bad, you see in our gospel lesson, Jesus has just told these clowns that they are going to Jerusalem and he is going to be mocked, arrested and crucified. But the disciples just don’t get it.  They still view Jesus’ kingdom as earthly, a new reign to free the people from the oppression of the Romans.  They see the coming of the kingdom as a big fight.  They think Jesus is going to pull it out in the end, not die and be the victorious worldly king.  And when Jesus enters his kingdom, they want to be rewarded for their efforts.  They ask for a commitment from Jesus.  Jesus asks them what they want.  And they ask him “Well when you come into your kingdom, can one of us sit on your left and one of us sit on your right.”  Jesus tells them “you do not know what you are asking for.”  They still don’t understand.

Later when the other disciples hear about James and John asking for such a high place, they are upset with them.  Maybe it was for having the audacity to ask for such high places, or maybe it was for beating them to the punch. But Jesus draws them together and teaches them.

The same thing can happen to us that happened to these disciples; we can approach God and say, you know how much time i spend in your church, how much money i give to your offerings, how i am always there with a cheerful smile, how i really want the best–it is only natural that you should reward me.  And in the way our world works, that is appropriate.  But not with God.  For you see God flips the world upside down and teaches truth.  Jesus first dispels that we deserve anything from God.  For indeed our time is from God, our money if from God.  Everything we give to God was from him in the first place.  We are purely receivers in this relationship.

Jesus calls us to follow him. Jesus laid out for the disciples again what he had come to do.  Jesus, from God, to earth, came here to serve.  To pay the ransom for our sins.  A ransom is something that paid to get something more valuable back.  Jesus tells his disciples if you want to be great, be great at serving.  Just as the son of God came here to serve, so we serve too.  Serving does not get us into heaven.  But Jesus’ call is to serve others, to serve as he served us.

There is an old saying that we should expect great things from God, and dare to do great things from him.  We are really good at the expectation part, but we stumble a bit in doing great things for him.  Our lord calls us to serve in humility and love, but be ambitious for the right things.  We let people know how important they are to Christ by serving them.   Serving in love, in response to Jesus’ amazing love for us.

O God, from whom all good things come, lead us by the Spirit to think on those good and right things, and help us to do them. Amen.

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 1:1-11

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way–in all your speaking and in all your knowledge– because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

EPISTLE :  Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:24-31

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do….put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

HOLY GOSPEL:  Matthew 18:15-23

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

SERMON:  “Conflict and Stewardship”

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

1. The One Goal of our Church is to pack Heaven.
2. The way we fulfill that goal is in many ways.
3. We have what it takes to accomplish this mission!
4. Why did Christ save us according to Eph. 2:8-9:  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
5. What are we called to do according to Eph 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
6. If a fellow Christian offends you,  you must follow Jesus’ Matthew 18:
   • Go and talk to them privately
   • If they will not listen, then go again but with 2-3 others
   • If again they will not listen, then take the Pastor or an Elder along
   • If still they will not listen, then reveal it to others in the Church.
7. If the person hasn’t done these steps—IT IS GOSSIP.
8. Gossip hurts others because they can’t defend themselves, they aren’t aware of the attacks, and they haven’t been given the opportunity to reconcile with the person if they did cause offense.
9. Gossip hurts the person who hears it because it may be untrue; it pollutes the mind against someone; and it may enlist you in a battle that you shouldn’t be involved in.
10. If we hold up certain gifts/people over others—IT IS FAVORITISM.
11. Stewardship lets us rejoice in the proper use of all that God has given each of us.

God of all mercy, by Your power to heal and to forgive, graciously cleanse us from all sin and make us strong; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Readings
Numbers 21:4-9 (Impatience punished by serpents.)
Ephesians 2:1-10 (Saved by grace through faith.)
John 3:14-21 (Faith reaches for life.)

Sermon

It doesn’t take long in a newspaper to figure out that this world is beyond figuring out.  Jesus speaks about darkness, and how by nature we are creatures of darkness who choose to do wrong.  Our world minimizes this.  It says people were just misguided.

Click on the play button above to hear the full sermon.

Exodus 20:1-17 (The basic terms of the covenant.)
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (The power and wisdom of the cross.)
John 2:13-25 (Cleansing of the temple.)

Sermon

Listen to the full sermon (by clicking on the play button above) for an amusing antidote from pastor’s childhood and hear how his childhood “tire business” relates to our gospel lesson!

In our gospel lesson today, people were being ripped off.  People who were coming to bring their offering to the Lord were being robbed.  Faithful people who were coming to Jerusalem to worship their God were being stolen from.  And this angered Jesus.  Especially since it was going on in the area that gentile converts had to worship God.

We come to the church as pure receivers.  We are undeserving.  Jesus wants to make sure we come to church to do one thing, to praise the true God.  To worship him in truth and honesty and to come to him with our sins and know that we are forgiven.

When Jesus disrupted business at the temple, the Jews came running.  They were upset that Jesus had disrupted their commerce.  But when they hear Jesus condemning the actions, they cannot argue with it.  So the Jews try to attack jesus instead.  They question his authority.

O God, Your Son once welcomed an outcast woman and gave her faith.  Give us faith like hers, that we also may trust only in Your love for us. Amen.

Readings

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (The covenant name)
Romans 5:1-11 (God’s grace is for all.)
Mark 8:27-38 (Confessing the way of the cross)

Sermon
(Listen to the full sermon by clicking play above.)

First, sorry about the poor sound quality on this recording.

A question, On this powered microphone, where the soundboard puts out 47 volts, and the mic requires 4mA, what microphone resistance is necessary to keep the sound board from burning out? Is it 6.8 Ω or 6.8 kΩ?  I might assume that 1% of you know the correct answer.  Everyone else who then doesn’t know the right answer might pick one or the other.  So those who picked the wrong answer didn’t know and even those who picked the right answer didn’t know either.  (the answer is 6.8 kΩ)

In our gospel lesson today, Jesus asks his “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter answers that you are Christ, the one to save his people.  But Jesus sat them down and told them they are going to Jerusalem and he was going to be mocked and suffer and be killed.  But Peter, when he guessed that Jesus was Christ, he assumed that Jesus would be popular, go to Jerusalem and over throw the roman government and be great rulers with his disciples on earth.  But to die on a cross, they knew Jesus was better than that.  But they just say, “No Lord.”

Sometimes we fall into the same misunderstanding, that because we live as christians, we should get kick backs in this life from God.  That because we give up our time, money, talents and energy for God, that he should make it better for us.  But put this into perspective, that we should take everything from God on the cross and then give a little back and then saw “You owe us.”  And then beyond that to think that we should be rewarded here on earth when our saviour wasn’t.

God intended for us to have eternal life, and that is why Jesus came.  The disciples were mistaken to think that Jesus was going to establish a Kingdom and they would live in his protective shadow.  Jesus came to die for us on the cross, and take away our sins, and that is what gives us life.  We receive this life not because we earn it or because of our allegiance to him.  We receive it because he cares for us, not because he owes us.

Jesus tells us that whoever wants to follow him should pick up  their cross.  How much time do we spend a week reflecting that we are children of God? That a bird doesn’t fall to the ground without him knowing and that he cares for you.

The love of God is constant, steadfast, but we spend our time worrying about the events of this world.  There is a Philosopher who says really we are such worldly beings, and that is not right.  He says we think of ourselves as worldly beings who have spiritual experiences.  But he says that we are actually spiritual beings having worldly experiences.  We belong to Christ, we are his children.  That should be our number one concept and view.  Jesus says who ever wants to follow me should take up our cross.  We are blessed when we do; we are a blessing when we do.

Our call is to serve our lord, to reach people with Jesus, to serve our Lord, pick up our cross and follow him.

Lord God, our strength, the battle of good and evil rages within and around us as the devil tempts us with his empty promises.  Keep us steadfast in Your Word and restore us when we fail.  Amen.

Readings

Genesis 22:1-18 (Testing brings forth faith.)
James 1:12-18 (Steadfast in faith)
Mark 1:9-15 (Victory over temptation)

Sermon
(Listen to the full sermon by clicking play above.)

Remembering a child psychology class, one of the tests they would do is take a crawling aged child, put him on a ramp, and put some toys on the end of the ramp and the child would crawl towards the toys.  But then they would change it a bit, they took out the solid panel and put in a glass panel so it looked like there was a drop there.  And the child would consistently crawl up to the edge of the glass panel and the would hit at it and touch it but they wouldn’t crawl on it because it looked dangerous.  And so even though they wanted the toys again but they wouldn’t crawl across the glass panel.  In the third part of this test was still with the glass panel but instead of toys at the end, they put their mother.  And the mother would call the child to them.  And they would reach the edge of the glass on the ramp and would look to the mother, and if the mother reassured the child to come, the child would crawl across that glass panel.  A baby understands that trusting his mother can make them things that they normally would not do.  That when they trust, they can act on that trust.  And so it is with each of us.

In our first lesson for today, we have the story about abraham.  Abraham was told to take his one and only son and sacrifice him to God.  Abraham must have been so upset over this, wondering why would God expect him to do something so awful.  But Abraham knew God, and even though it didn’t make sense to him, Abraham trusts God.

Understand that even though Abraham in this story trusted God, he is no superhero.  In other stories of Abraham he often didn’t trust God before this.  But Abraham had learned by now through all these things that God had lead him through so far.  Abraham certainly was familiar with what not following God could do to his life.

Sometimes we misunderstand our faith, we think that faith is something we worship, rather than use.  A group of missionaries were going to north africa, and so they decided that a plow would be a nice gift for this tribe.  But no one there knew what a plow was.  And they found that instead of using it as a plow, the tribe had put the plow up on a pedestal, they thought it was something to be worshiped rather than used.

Abraham went up on that mountain and prepared his son to be sacrifice.  And suddenly a voice from heaven told  him not to touch the child.  That this was a test of his trust.

A couple thousand years later, God supplied the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus, to bare our sin on the cross.  It is through the cross that we have forgiveness and life, a place where our faith becomes not so much an object, but a tool.  We know that christ comes to us in every situation.

Listen to the full audio sermon that includes even more illustrations including a method of meditation for trusting God.