Tag: sermon

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Joy of Christmas to Continue

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Today provides another reason to be grateful after all of the bonus Christmas services this past week: we get to gather for worship yet again to celebrate the gift of your birth. On this fourth day of Christmas, keep the joy of the season shining brightly in and around us. As we engage in the rich blessings of worship, lead your people to confession and repentance, so that you might renew and refresh them with the assurance of their forgiveness and the joy of their salvation. Let the announcement of Jesus’ birth and the news of peace on earth be clearly proclaimed today, and let all hearts that hear it be awakened to faith or strengthened in the faith. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless All Christmas Worship This Week

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Today and this week, you provide us with additional opportunities to gather in your house as we celebrate the Savior born to us. Fill your churches this week with saints and seekers, so that all may rejoice in the news of a Savior given to take away the sin of the world. Bless all of the final planning, preparation, and practice that goes into these special services, so that the good news may be clearly proclaimed, heard, understood, and believed. May worship everywhere magnify you, Lord, by keeping Christ at the center of all Christmas worship. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

The Imminent Arrival of the Messiah

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(Matthew 11:2-11)

Fernando Mendoza. You might not recognize the name, especially if you don’t follow college football (or, even if you do!). But you know a little bit more about Heisman Trophy Winner, Fernando Mendoza (assuming you know that the Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best athlete in college football). With that title, a person can figure out that this relatively unknown-until-recently quarterback of the Indiana Hoosiers is an athlete who probably stands to have a pretty successful future on the football field. A name tells us something; a title in front of that name tells us even more.

Jesus Christ. Did you know it isn’t just a name, but a name and a title? Jesus, which means “one who saves” or “Savior,” was the name given to Jesus. “Christ,” however, is a title. And not just any title, but the most significant title in history. It means “anointed one” or “chosen one,” and God’s people throughout the ages have always understood it as the title that referred to the promised Savior. It’s a title that says, “this is the guy the world has been waiting for,” “this is the One,” “he’s the man.” And this Greek title, Christ, has a counterpart in the Hebrew. It means exactly the same thing as Christ. What is that title? By now, you guessed it: Messiah.

What does this have to do with anything? Everything! When Matthew introduces this section, referring to the Messiah, he’s telling us everything we need to know about Jesus. He was not some imposter. He was not a backup, a reserve, or plan B after the original plan fell apart. No, Jesus was the One designated for the work of salvation that God promised. He was the man! But some needed assurance, which is why John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v.3). 

It’s natural for us to wonder why John sent his disciples – was it for his benefit or for theirs? It certainly makes sense that John was asking for his own benefit. Keep in mind where John was: in jail. You don’t have to spend any time in prison to know that those who have are left with plenty of time to think. While that can be a good thing, it can also lead a person to overthink things. When things look bleak, and one’s outlook doesn’t look very promising, as was the case for John, it’s not uncommon to second-guess and doubt. So he may have sent his disciples for validation during this low point in his life. 

Or, since John already knew his divinely appointed role of serving as the forerunner to the Savior, his request may have had nothing to do with him. It may have been entirely for the benefit of his own disciples. Remember how Jesus’ own disciples reacted when he was taken prisoner, put on trial, and crucified? They had their doubts! For John’s disciples to see him imprisoned, they may very well have had their doubts about whether all of this was really from God. So John may have sent them to Jesus with the question for their own benefit, to reassure them. Or, it may have been a little bit of both.

Finally, does it matter? Do we have to know what the reasoning behind the question was for us to benefit from Jesus’ answer? Absolutely not. After all, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God directed Matthew to record all of this in his Gospel for our benefit. And all who hear his response and combine it with faith have even more proof of who Jesus really was – the Messiah. Jesus confirmed who he was, and he did it in two ways. 

One, Jesus pointed to his own miracles. “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor’” (v.4-5). But, Jesus wasn’t just reminding John of all of the amazing miracles he had performed; rather, he was reminding them that all the amazing miracles he had performed were the very signs about which Isaiah had prophesied as a sign of the coming Savior, the Messiah, the anointed one! Isaiah wrote, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy” (Is. 35:5-6). Isaiah was essentially saying, “Look for these signs and you’ll know when the Messiah has arrived.” Jesus was connecting the dots for John to put it all together for a clear answer to his question. The Anointed One had arrived – the Christ had come – and his name was Jesus!

The second way by which Jesus confirmed he was the Messiah was to point to John the Baptist. He shifted his attention to John, but not to turn the attention off of himself; rather, it was to highlight his identity from another angle: from the perspective of the one who was also prophesied as the forerunner of the Messiah. Whatever a person’s opinion of John the Baptist was, Jesus set the record straight in exactly the same way he had just done regarding his own miracles: he pointed to the Scriptures, which had provided another sign of the promised Messiah. Isaiah didn’t just provide clues to the Christ through miracles, but also through his predecessor, sent to pave the way for Jesus. When that one arrived on the scene, it indicated the imminent arrival of the Messiah. As Matthew quoted, Isaiah foretold, “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you” (Mt. 11:10). The messenger had arrived – his name was John. So, then, had the Messiah – his name was Jesus. 

What a clear reminder for us who so easily lose the connection between Savior and Scripture! Jesus could have satisfied John’s question in any number of ways, but he chose to go back to the Bible. The One who had performed the miracle didn’t elect to perform more miracles to convince John’s disciples of who he was, but instead opened the Scriptures to them. Is that not a powerful testimony from Jesus himself? If the One who could have done literally anything to reassure John and his disciples of who he was chose to use the Word of God, can we take anything away from that?

Consider our congregation’s Core Values: Rooted in Scripture, Deliberate about developing disciples, Family-focused, Growth-minded, and Community-centered. Let me ask you, what happens when we say we value these things… but essentially set Scripture off to the side? To think we can claim that we value them while the Scriptures remain a foreign concept to us is to set ourselves up for failure. And, since we’ll fail to make a difference in any of those areas that we claim to value, it also makes us out to be liars. For our Core Values to mean anything, the Word of God is foundational. It isn’t optional. It isn’t occasional. It’s foundational.

If not for the Word, what else are we here for? What else draws us to this or any local congregation? The fun seasonal social activities we enjoy together? The amazing teachers at our school? The meaningful relationships we have with people and parents? Those are tremendous blessings that are not to be taken lightly! However, those blessings share a common denominator – the Word of God. 

To pretend those blessings can continue to flourish and thrive without the Word of God is like pretending a small flame will somehow ignite into a roaring fire in the fireplace without any oxygen. It won’t happen. It can’t happen. Just as that roaring fire needs oxygen to burn brightly, so do all of the blessings that we enjoy here need the Word of God to thrive.

So each of us individually needs what is essential for us collectively: the Word of God. How would you describe your relationship with your Bible? How would you explain your use of it to your children or spouse? Is it like your phone – it’s never out of reach and you’re constantly attached to it? Or is it like the exercise equipment covered up under a sheet in storage somewhere? Despite the Bible’s repeated directive to make it a regular part of our lives as believers, we somehow become very comfortable ignoring it, don’t we? 

Imagine piloting a plane without ever having taken a single flying lesson. Try competing in the Kentucky Derby without being able to ride a horse. Go scuba diving without any air tanks. Head off to war without any weapons. Such examples range from silly to downright dangerous or deadly. But how much more absurd is it to think of a Christian existing without the Word of God?!? 

Yet we don’t bat an eye about neglecting the spiritual lifeline that is our Bible. For that alone God ought to lose his patience with us and condemn us! He’s provided all that we need in it and we treat it as optional at best, or like some contagious disease to be avoided at all costs at worst! What an insult to God! If we’re not going to use it, he might as well take it away from us. 

Instead, he continues to point us to it. If Jesus pointed John and John’s disciples to the Word, it’s no surprise that he also points us to the Word, too.

And why does Jesus point us to his Word? Because the Word points us to Jesus.

Just like it did as Jesus demonstrated to John’s disciples. The more time we spend in the Word, the more our faith lights up at the truth that Jesus is the man, the chosen one, the anointed, the promised Savior. The more time we spend in the Word, the more we marvel at how forgiven we are. The more we see how deeply loved we are. The more clearly we see our names written in Jesus’ blood in the Book of Life. And the more time we spend in the Word, the more certain we are that everything is going to be OK. Everything.

John needed to hear that. John’s disciples needed to hear that. Jesus’ own disciples would need to hear that – again and again. Everything is going to be OK – Jesus is the Messiah!

Where do you need to hear that reminder in your life right now? What is going on that needs to be brought under the certainty that everything is going to be OK, because Jesus is the Messiah? Parenting struggles? Marriage tension? Academic stress? Friendship frustrations? Job irritations? Health questions? Retirement concerns? Or, just the unbelievably heavy burden of guilt and shame from sin? Listen again: everything is going to be OK. Jesus is the Messiah!

The person without the Word, though – believer or not – blows off the idea that everything is going to be OK. Because that person cannot escape the tunnel vision of this world and its problems. For them, spiritual sentiments won’t make a difference for real-life problems. 

But the person in the Word, living and breathing it, soaking it up and pondering it and searching it – the Holy Spirit opens that person’s eyes to see that the world’s problems are but a grain of sand on the beach of eternity with Jesus. The Word is everything, for it reminds us that Jesus, the Messiah, the chosen one, is everything we need. Therefore, everything is going to be OK.

The Imminent Arrival of the Judge

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(Matthew 3:1-12)

Remember the name George Santos? He was viewed by some as a rising star in his political party. And, despite concerns that were expressed about the reliability of his biography and past track record (including those claiming that already in childhood he had a reputation for being deceitful and untrustworthy), he did end up being elected into office. Eventually, though, it was discovered that Santos had in fact lied about a number of details about his past, including his education and employment history. Many of his business dealings and financial history were also found to be inconsistent and fraudulent as well. As it turned out, George Santos was not at all who he made himself out to be. It took official legal action and investigations to eventually discover the truth and convict him. 

John the Baptist, preacher of repentance, reminds us this morning that judgment is also imminent for each of us. But it won’t be an investigation or any legal action that will determine our judgment; it will be the Lord Jesus himself. Like Santos, we might be able to fool or deceive others – and even ourselves – for a time, but when it comes to the judgment of Jesus, the truth about each of us will come out. 

For some, that day will be terrifying. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day would be among them. Notice how suddenly the tone of Matthew’s account turns harsh as he records for us how John addressed them. “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, “‘We have Abraham as our father’” I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire’” (Matthew 3:7-10). 

“Brood of vipers” was a loaded term! First of all, one can hardly miss the connection between viper and the Satanic serpent back in Eden. And John doesn’t just call them “vipers,” either, but a “brood” of vipers. By referring to them as a brood, or offspring, John was also making a clear connection with their wicked ancestors, those who persecuted and even put to death God’s prophets in Old Testament times.

His follow up question – “Who wanted you to flee from the coming wrath?” – was intended as a satirical shake-up, since their soaring confidence in their own self-righteousness had them convinced that, unlike everyone else flocking to John the Baptist, they actually had nothing to be afraid of. So although they weren’t really concerned about that wrath, John was plainly telling them they very much needed to be!

To emphasize his point, he used additional illustrations. First, they weren’t the ones who got to determine what kind of fruit they were going to produce. That was their entire modus operandi when it came to religion – delighting in defining what they considered to be appropriate fruit. “We’ll just insert a few extra requirements here and sprinkle some added laws in over there.” But John was specific: fruit “in keeping with repentance.” In other words, contrition that was accompanied by appropriate actions. Not just, “I’m sorry you were offended or hurt,” but “I’m sorry for what I did, and I want to make it right.” That’s fruit in keeping with repentance. It’s fruit that reinforces the remorse of repentance. 

Then John reminded them that their religious version of “Who’s who” would get them nowhere. When it comes to name-dropping before God, there’s only One name that matters, and it wasn’t Abraham – or any of the patriarchs or OT prophets, but the name of Jesus.

Next, John raised the level of urgency by warning them that the ax wasn’t in the shop somewhere being sharpened, nor was it off in the distance somewhere being given a few warm-up swings. Rather, it was already at the root of the tree, ready to take out all trees without good fruit. And he wasn’t talking about pruning, mind you, to provide another opportunity to bear fruit, but utter destruction right at the roots, where, the tree would be hacked away from any chance at life and burned up in a fire!

That same picture of fire was what would happen to all of the chaff – unbelievers – after having been separated from the wheat with the winnowing fork. There was no doubt remaining as to what warning John was giving: that time of judgment is imminent, and it is going to be an eternal disaster for all who ignore John’s message of repentance. 

Thankfully, we see others also flocking to John. We see others who have nothing to fear. They heeded John’s urging to repent.  “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River” (v.5-6). It’s a small phrase, but with huge implications: “confessing their sins.” That phrase was absent in Matthew’s description of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But without it, baptism is nothing special, it is a splash of water or a quick wash. There’s nothing more to it if there is no sin to be washed away.

Those other people going to John did so with purpose. They brought their filth with them. They dragged their shame along. They confessed it, demonstrating their understanding of and need for baptism. They had real sins that really needed to be washed away. They took to heart the words of the Baptist and the prophet Isaiah, who foreshadowed him. In repentance they prepared the way for the Lord and his gracious forgiveness.

In biblical narratives like this one, when different groups or types of people are present, we naturally identify with a certain individual or group, or at the very least rule out any association with one. Isn’t it safe to say that wherever the Pharisees or Sadducees are present, we pretty much rule out any association with them? After all, we don’t pretend we’re saved by our own righteous good works, like the Pharisees, and we don’t deny the supernatural, like angels or resurrection and an afterlife, like the Sadducees do. Therefore, John’s warnings aren’t addressed to us, right?

Permit me to encourage a different approach to Scripture. Do we truly wish to avoid ending up on the same path as the Pharisees? If so, then whenever we see a warning in Scripture, let’s first assume that it’s a warning that is in place for our benefit and one which we need to hear.

In other words, rather than writing off every warning in Scripture as being directed at someone else, first consider how it might apply to me. Does John’s general warning about a coming wrath have anything to do with me? It absolutely does, if it exposes me as a fraud, a fake, or a false follower. But how would we know? 

That’s where it gets tricky, because when a person falls into that dangerous category, or even anywhere near it, he usually isn’t aware of it. The individual who has become disengaged from the local church, disconnected from the Bible, and is devoid of any displays of the Christian faith, yet still wholeheartedly identifies himself as a Christian, needs to hear John’s warning about the judgment of unquenchable fire that is waiting for fruitless trees and chaff. The believer who wants to selectively pick and choose certain teachings from Scripture and discard others, may align more with the Sadducees than she is aware, and needs to hear John’s warning. The believer whose idea of repentance involves merely the lip service of “I’m sorry” without any change in actions or attitude, needs to hear John’s warning. The believer clinging to the lie that grace and forgiveness are a license to sin as freely as he wants to because no matter what, he’s covered by Jesus, needs to hear John’s warning.

Consider a church member who hasn’t been in church for a year or more. In his mind, he hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong. He hasn’t committed a crime. He’s not absent because of some division or doctrinal disagreement. When the topic of church membership comes up, he struggles to see why his church membership should be questioned. “Isn’t it only those who disagree or have done something wrong who get dropped from church membership?”

But here’s the thing: if it doesn’t concern you that you haven’t desired to be in church, to receive the sacrament, to hear the absolution, to receive the encouragement of fellowship with other believers, and to want to serve and be served by them, that should be a red flag! John has something to say to you: judgment is imminent!  

And because it is, how necessary it is for us to cling to the part of John’s message that came after the word repent. He promised, “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (v.3). What is the kingdom of heaven? When Scripture uses the term “kingdom,” it is not a reference to a physical location, with borders that can be drawn on a map. It is instead referring to the unique activity of the gospel as God’s Word rules in people’s hearts, bringing them to faith and sustaining and strengthening them in the faith. It’s the work of grace changing and transforming us from the inside out. It’s the peace of forgiveness that softens our hearts and equips us with patient compassion toward others. It’s the joy of salvation shaping our speech and aligning our attitudes more and more with Jesus. All of that, and so much more is included in Christ’s kingdom work. 

And take note, for even in his own lifetime, John pointed out that the kingdom “has come near.” To put the word “near” into proper perspective, look who John quotes immediately following – the prophet Isaiah, who was preaching the same message as John, but 700 years earlier than John. Yes, “near” had finally arrived. Not only had God’s people been waiting those 700 years since Isaiah, but also for the centuries that were stacked up long before Isaiah even came along!

Yes, “near” was imminent. Jesus had arrived on the scene, born some thirty years ago by the time John the Baptist started proclaiming. Now, through his own public ministry, Jesus was going to continue carrying out and completing the saving work he came to do. That would ensure that his kingdom would be established and continue to grow and be strengthened through the work of the gospel – even to this day. John was the one preparing the way for him. And, if he was near then to carry out that work, then his return to judge on the last day was also that much nearer! 

What was true of John’s day is even more true in ours: Jesus’ return is even nearer. Remember Paul’s encouragement from Philippians in recent weeks? “The Lord is near!” Rejoice! Always (cf. Philippians 4). It’s still true, isn’t it?

John’s warnings are not worrisome for repentant sinners who know that Jesus’ righteous blood solidifies our status as saints. We don’t have to fabricate our past or falsify our biography to somehow pretend we can fool the righteous Judge, Jesus. We come clean to him in confession, confident of his unconditional grace, and absolutely assured of the joy that accompanies Jesus’ judgment: not guilty. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. On this first day of Thanksgiving week, we are especially thankful for the blessing of worship, by which you dispense the riches of your grace. Where your Word is preached and your sacraments are administered, there you are placing your divine banquet before your people. Through it, let the Holy Spirit continue to kindle in believers old and new a genuine longing for and love of worship. Use worship to draw them more deeply into your Word and to strengthen their faith’s grip on your gracious promises. As believers grow in their appreciation for worship, lead them to be protective of their time in your house and encourage each other to do the same. The more they come to gather, equip them also to go, shining the light of their faith brightly, and eagerly speaking about what they have seen and heard. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Faith Fuels Faithfulness

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(Hebrews 11:32-40)

“You’re in good company.” The scenario doesn’t really matter, does it – it’s never a bad thing to hear those words. They are often spoken by someone else to reassure us when we’re afraid of failure or something else we did or said that might embarrass or isolate us. We feel like we’re the only one in that specific situation, but those words reassure us, revealing that someone else we may have never expected has actually experienced the same thing, and that everything ended up turning out just fine for them. 

The church recently observed All Saints’ Day. What is All Saints’ Day? It’s a reminder that you’re in good company. The best, in fact. Not just the company of those sitting with you on a Sunday morning. Not just the believers of a certain denomination or church body. And no, not just all the believers spread all over the earth, but even our fellow saints in the heaven-side of church, those saints who have gone ahead of us and are where we want to end up one day. Yes, fellow saints, we’re in good company. And the best chapter in the Bible to remind us of that is Hebrews 11. 

For us to really appreciate Hebrews 11 though, let’s see how it’s introduced at the close of the chapter that precedes it. Before we come across the Hall of Fame list of saints, listen to how the writer to the Hebrews assures us that we’re in good company. He writes, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39). I don’t know that there are words in Scripture that are more well-suited to serve as a rally cry for believers than these! “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”

Let us rejoice and rally behind these words, celebrating both the saints we’re surrounded by here on earth, as well as those who saints rejoicing with us in the Church Triumphant in the halls of heaven. Make no mistake, though the temporary matter of physical life/death may separate us from those saints, we share the same rallying cry, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”

But who exactly are those we belong to who have faith and are saved? People like Noah, who dedicated decades of his life to building a boat with not a drop of water in sight while surrounded by scorn and skepticism! Or like Abraham, who followed God’s lead to move from point A to point B, without even knowing where point B was, and who was willing to sacrifice his own Son – the son who was supposed to be the first of countless offspring to follow! People like Moses, who chose to identify with slaves rather than royalty. People who crossed dry ground while flanked by walls of water, and people who believed that marching in circles would collapse the towering walls of an enemy city.

And those are just some of the saints listed before we even arrive at today’s verses! In that list we have survivors of starved lions, saints unflustered by flames, and those willing to endure a martyr’s death. No, we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. 

Take note how the writer the Hebrews classifies all of these saints – our fellow saints: he writes that “the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38). Let that sink in. Let it sink in, especially in light of how easily we find ourselves wanting the world’s recognition and renown. How much time do we spend chasing after the praise of people when Scripture’s praise is the other way around! Men and women of faith stand out so much that the world isn’t even worthy of them. Now that’s a compliment! 

Then the writer restates a point he has made repeatedly throughout the chapter, and one that we want to make sure we apply today and for the rest of our lives: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised…” (v.39). Surely their acts of faith would have been exemplary on their own, but they’re even more remarkable when considering they never received their reward on this side of heaven. That’s because God had something better in mind for them, just as he does for us. “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (v.40).

We don’t get the rewards or the results here because God’s got something better waiting for us. 

We forget that, don’t we? We want better right here and right now. And, if we could be so bold, we’d also like it with as little effort as possible. “What good is all this church and Jesus stuff if things don’t get better for me right here and now?” “What’s the point of church membership if there’s no additional benefits – like the free shipping I get from my Amazon membership or the great bulk prices and return policy I get from my Costco membership?” “Why put up with the inconvenience and the sacrifice of putting my faith into practice if I don’t receive what’s been promised during this life?”  

Let’s be very careful, brothers and sisters. God’s got something better waiting for us. That is for certain. But don’t let your desire for a better here and now convince you that it’s worth trading for the better that God has planned. 

No – look at Jesus’ words elsewhere in Scripture and get a clear glimpse of the better that God has planned for us. Let that fuel your faith. What’s the better that God has waiting for us, the better being experienced to a degree right now by the saints who’ve gone to heaven before us? “God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Rev. 21:3-4). Jesus told his disciples they were in good company whenever they suffered for their faith, and that they should “rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven” (Luke 6:23). The “better” we’re promised is not here and now, but in the future, and faith guarantees it. 

Let’s let that faith fuel our faithfulness, just as it did in all of those names listed in Hebrews 11. These names are attached to remarkable deeds of faithfulness. Let the lukewarm, indifferent, casual Christian take note: faith fuels faithfulness. It is not stagnant. It is not powerless, useless, or worthless. No, we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Let your name be listed in the addendum to the Heroes of Faith chapter! What bold act of faith will accompany your name?

By faith, will you positively impact thousands through active ministry or volunteer work? By faith, will you become a leading evangelist, responsibly for bringing hundreds or thousands to faith? By faith, will your network and your connections open doors to help churches thrive? Will your bold acts of faith fall into the category of those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (v.33-34)?

But beware. The list of examples in Hebrews 11 is not only examples of saints who were extraordinarily empowered conquerors, but also saints who were extraordinarily empowered to endure persecution and even martyrdom.

Are you prepared for that? Are you just as eager and full of faith to embrace that maybe your faith fueled faithfulness will be known not for the greatness God achieved through you, but for resilience and perseverance through suffering and trial which God highlights through you? 

By faith, you may grapple with a chronic health issue with patience and poise. By faith, you may stand firmly on Christ even in a relationship with a spouse or S.O. who does not. By faith, your generous giving is never stifled by your perennial financial struggles.

Will your bold acts of faith fall into the category of those “who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated…” (v.35b-37). Some of the saints stand out, not because of their super strength, but because of their suffering!

In the same year that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the door of the Castle Church, he taught on this section from Hebrews and said, “He who relies on Christ through faith is carried on the shoulders of Christ.”

Picture a father and his toddler making their way on foot through a sea of people to find a good spot to watch the parade. As the child, you are staring up at the waists of people all around you, clinging desperately for dear life to your father’s hand as he leads the way through the crush of people. Then, dad grabs your other hand and swings you up onto his shoulders where, rather than fearfully looking up at a smothering crowd of giants, you now suddenly find yourself squared securely on your dad’s shoulders, with both of his hands at his chest, firmly clinging to your legs while you now have a clear view of the crowd beneath you.

Which do you prefer? The sidewalk, shrunken beneath the towering passersby, or the shoulders, where you’re safely propped up above the current of the crowd beneath you?

That is the difference faith makes as you navigate not through a crowd of people, but through a cruel and pressing world: by faith you are carried on the shoulders of Christ! Those shoulders, dear friends, are the same shoulders which bore the cross for you and were condemned for you, and the same ones which rose triumphantly to guarantee you a better resurrection than just those women referenced who received their children back from the dead for a time, but a permanent resurrection that is for eternity. 

The words “by faith,” purposely repeated throughout Hebrews 11, are powerful not because of the people who demonstrated such faith, but because of the One on whom their faith rested: the conquering Christ. Faith that is in Jesus Christ is assured of something better to come. And in the meantime, that is also the kind of faith that fuels our own faithfulness. So go, be who you are by faith and show it powerfully through your faithfulness, always remembering and being encouraged by the fact that you’re in good company. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thanks for Those Serving on Sundays

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. While the pastor preaches and leads worship, and the musicians and instrumentalists are responsible for the music, thank you for everyone else who is involved in some capacity or another. Before any attenders arrive, set up and preparations are made, sometimes by a few; others times by many. Greeters and ushers help worshipers feel welcome and at-home. Those working in audio and video help ensure that the Word is communicated clearly, allowing those present or those at home to hear and see. Some use their gifts to provide care for children during worship. Others teach. Coffee and refreshments are prepared and served. Afterward, once the service is over and the worshipers have left, others take pride in tidying up and making the space presentable for ongoing ministry that occurs during the week. Thank you for those who serve in so many ways on Sunday, so that you can serve us with your Word and Sacrament. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Undeserved Generosity Generates Unparalleled Gratitude

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(2 Corinthians 9:10-15)

Ihope October is not too early to start talking about gift-giving. Yes, reminders about Christmas being only 74 days away or that there are only 9 Fridays left until Christmas cause many to cringe.

But I’m not one of them.

I love Christmas, so without apology I never find that it’s too early to start thinking about gift-giving and all things Christmas. I mean, if we can start cluttering front yards with two-story tall skeletons and inflatable Halloween displays two-plus months ahead of time, then surely starting to think about Christmas gifts can’t be a crime. After all, remember the whole reason behind giving gifts at Christmas was originally intended to be a reflection of THE Gift of all gifts: Jesus.

If you’re wondering what all this talk of gift-giving has to do with anything, it’s really what Paul is writing about in the verses from 2 Corinthians: a gift. The early church in Paul’s day was taking up a special gift offering from congregations for the purpose of being taken to Jerusalem to help those in need. The congregation in Corinth had pledged a generous gift. In chapters 8 and 9 of this second letter, Paul is following up on their commitment and using it as an opportunity to teach about godly giving, previously highlighting biblical principles to guide their giving. Now, he was wrapping up the topic in his letter by encouraging them to follow through with their good intentions and bring their offering to completion. So Paul is talking about a gift.

But one does not have to be a biblical scholar to read between the lines and see that their offering is not the only gift to which Paul is referring in these verses. No, Paul, as he so often does, beautifully weaves together the subject matter of the Corinthians’ gift offering and God’s gift to them in and through Jesus Christ. Any effort to address the topic of gift offerings or giving in the church apart from God’s gift to us in Jesus Christ is not just a missed opportunity; it misses the point altogether. The whole life of the believer – including giving – has the gift of Jesus Christ as its foundation and purpose.

As we being to look closely at Paul’s words, take note of the tone and type of language he uses in this section – words like “increase, enlarge, enriched, generosity, overflowing, surpassing.” Without going any further, just pause on that and consider what conclusions we can draw about the relationship between God and believers.

There are many in the world who have negative opinions about God for a variety of reasons in their own mind. Some of those negative opinions are shaped by traumatic or troubling personal experiences, while others are drawn from faulty conclusions about worldly distress that is either pinned on God or attributed to God’s indifference. Still others were brought up in a religion that portrayed God as an exasperating, impossible-to-please, perfectionist who has us under constant surveillance to ensure that no failure goes unnoticed and that every act of disobedience is tracked. That kind of misunderstanding of God leaves crushed consciences that can end up turning against God in bitterness and resentment because of his impossibly cruel burden of expectation.

But do any of those takes line up with the Paul’s description of God in these verses? What do words like increase, enlarge, enriched, generosity, overflowing, and surpassing actually reveal about God? He is a Giver – and a generous one at that!

God is not about getting and demanding from us, but rather giving and distributing to us all that we need for life – both physically and spiritually. And, it isn’t as if this section of Scripture from 2 Corinthians is some stand alone exception in a Bible that otherwise reveals God’s true colors. These ARE his true colors. This IS how God reveals himself repeatedly throughout the pages of the Bible. God is a Giver – and a generous one at that!

How do we come to this conclusion that God is generous? For starters, we look at the scale or size of what’s given. Imagine yourself in a bind needing to get from point A to point B, but you your car is at the mechanic, so you don’t have a ride. A friend hears about it and offers to cover your Uber or Lyft. Your neighbor, who just yesterday pulled into his driveway with a brand new car that he just drove off the lot, tosses you his keys and says, “Take me car. In fact, why don’t you just keep it – you need it more than I do.” Both individuals were very thoughtful, but which one was more generous?

Now consider everything that belongs to you. In respect to all that you have, has God has merely offered to cover the cost of your ride share, or has he given you the keys to a new car? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? God is a Giver – and a generous one at that!

Can’t the same be said of his spiritual blessings to us? God doesn’t just hand out tiny bite-size free samples of his spiritual blessings, like what you might get walking past the food court in a mall. His spiritual blessings overflow! We aren’t promised little pockets of peace here and there on occasion in our lives, but a 24/7 permanent peace that exists between God and us! And that peace doesn’t come from a forgiveness that God reluctantly issues only if we’re sorry enough or do enough to make up for our wrongs, but a forgiveness that smothers every sin ever associated with us! The joy of our salvation that is tied to that peace and forgiveness can never be stolen away from us by a bad day or when things don’t go our way; rather, that joy is always there to buoy us up no matter how down our circumstance or situation may leave us. The size and scale of these spiritual blessings that God lavishes on us cannot even be measured, for they are without limit and never run out!

What’s more, Paul describes the impact our lives can make through the spiritual goods God delivers to us. God will “enlarge the harvest of your righteousness” (v.10). As you grow in your Christian living, he will bear more and more abundant fruit through you! “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (v.11). Through the Holy Spirit, God’s generosity is always enhancing you and upgrading you to follow in his footsteps as a generous giver.

So we see how generous God is simply from the size or scale of his gifts to us!

But there’s also another way that generosity can be measured. Rather than focusing on the size or scale of the gift that is gvien, we can consider the worthiness… or rather unworthiness of the recipient.

When our jaws drop in response to hearing about a generous gift given to someone, yes, it can be because the gift itself is so substantial, but it can also be because the recipient is so undeserving in our minds. It’s why a presidential pardon from prison can be so powerful – the more serious the crime, the more generous the pardon appears to be. This is also why we balk at nice gifts given to people we think are jerks – it’s not the size of the gift that makes it generous, but rather how undeserving the recipient is. We just can’t help ourselves – we are constantly judging not only the magnitude of the gift, but also the worthiness of the recipient. The gift stands out all the more not just when the gift itself is so great, but also when the person receiving it isn’t.

When I realize that is me, when you realize that is you – it reveals God to be even more generous, doesn’t it? His grace sees to it that not only do we not get the punishment or consequences we deserve, but that we do get so much more than we deserve.

This has a lot to do with why we start out worship with confession and absolution. We are not mandated by God to worship that way. But, doesn’t this matter of God’s generosity and our unworthiness help us understand one of the benefits of it? When we are reminded of the sin that ought to disqualify us from so much as an ounce of God’s grace and forgiveness, it reveals to us every week how good and generous he truly is! We deserve nothing; he withholds nothing. We deserve punishment; he took our punishment. We are completely unworthy; he makes us worthy. 

How generous is God?!? The size and scale of his goodness to us is beyond measure. That he gives anything to undeserving us is beyond comprehension. Only faith can grasp such a truth… and only faith will respond to such generosity with gratitude.

I know it’s not Thanksgiving just yet, but isn’t every day? Do you wake up every single morning, grateful for the abundance of God’s goodness to you in meeting all of your physical needs, and then surpassing all of that with his treasury of spiritual blessings? That kind of gratitude can’t help but express itself. 

How? I suppose I could provide a list for you. But maybe we turn it around. You tell me. How do you normally express thanks to someone who is generous to you? What do you naturally desire to do for them to let them know how grateful you are? Do you treat them differently? Do you send them a thank you card? Do you more readily look for ways to serve or help them? Do you tell others about their generosity? Do you want to do nice things for them? Do you find yourself simply being in a better, positive, pay-it-forward type mindset when on the receiving end of someone’s generosity? 

Can’t we do those same things for God? And, hasn’t he been exponentially more generous to us, given that every need for this life and for the next has been freely provided to us by him?

I can confidently say that if you find being a believer, being a Christian, belonging to God as his treasured possession, merely “ho-hum” or not something that really makes much of a difference in your life, that you’re missing out on freely embracing the privilege and joy of following in God’s footsteps to become more and more of a giver in all areas of life. Talk to others you consider generous in more ways than one. Take note of their attitude and demeanor. They aren’t grumpy. They aren’t begrudging. They aren’t unkind or uncaring. I guarantee you they are none of those things but are the exact opposite.

Now, do you think they are just generous because they’re the type of people who are that way, or are they that way because they’ve allowed God’s grace to lead them to a place of generosity? What Paul is indicating in these verses is that God blesses generous giving in so many positive ways.

But it isn’t the promise of blessings attached to our giving that prompts our generosity. Paul does a beautiful job of wrapping up his teaching on gifts and giving in the last verses. Our gifts are given in response to “the surpassing grace God has given you” (v.14), Paul concluded, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (v.15). God is a Giver – and a generous one at that! The size and scale of his gifts to us are and always will be unmatched. And, they are and always will be undeserved.

How can we possibly ever respond? With our own gifts, which express our unparalleled gratitude for his generous giving.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Worship with Intention

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. As your Word is spoken and sung this morning, give me ears to listen to whatever message your Spirit knows I need to hear. I ask this for my own personal growth and sanctification. At the same time, keep me open-minded and perceptive enough to also consider what truths I might be able to pass along to others. Let me be especially attentive so that I may focus on both potential blessings. That way, I can be stretched and strengthened in my own faith, and I may also have a word of encouragement or edification to share with others. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

What We’re Given Guides Our Giving

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(1 Chronicles 29:1-2, 10-18)

It could have gone differently. We know it because we see it repeatedly in rulers and kings throughout history. We know it because we see it repeatedly in rulers and kings in Scripture. Nebuchadnezzar fell into the trap of thinking his kingdom was his own doing. “As the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:29-30). Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t the only one. About a century later, in Esther 1, we read that “For a full 180 days [King Xerxes] displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty” (v.4).

So it isn’t uncommon in history that, anytime a ruler is showered with exorbitant riches and wealth, he falls into the trap of thinking that it’s a reflection of his own magnitude and achievements. And, he wants to let others know. Why? To show off their wealth. To display their success. To prominently display all they had achieved to ascend to such greatness.

But David, who was not a man of meager means by anyone’s estimation, strikes a different tone. Oh, the opulence is there, the wealth and riches were definitely a part of the picture. “With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities” (v.2). He spared no expense! 

But David wasn’t self-aggrandizing. He was God-adorning. David explained to the assembly gathered on the occasion, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God” (v.1). None of this was “for man but for the Lord God.” This wasn’t about David. This was about David magnifying God. In all of these words, David directs the attention to God, not himself. The praise belongs to God, not himself.  

What accounts for the difference? Why is it so common for kings and those in power to make their wealth about them, while David rightly makes his wealth about God? Because David recognized and acknowledged this about his wealth: it was all God’s. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (v.14). “Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you” (v.16). It’s all God’s! David clearly acknowledges that there is no discussion about his giving or contribution toward the temple apart from an awareness of what he had already been given. 

This is not a natural concept for us to grasp on our own in this fallen world. We think that what we have is ours and we deserve credit for all it took to acquire it. A person looks at his own situation and wants to claim responsibility for his successes. He can probably detail for someone else all the hard work and steps it took to get to where he is and to have what he has. We don’t hesitate to claim credit for anything we’ve achieved or accumulated. 

And this isn’t just a nonbeliever thing; believers struggle with it, too.

For some believers, this is a new concept to consider, that it’s all God’s. If we’re newer to the faith or not used to talking about how to manage our finances and belongings, we may have always thought of our stuff as our stuff. But the Bible has pretty clear reminders that everything is God’s, and he simply entrusts it to us to manage and care for. So nothing is really ours.

For others, perhaps those who have been life-long believers, or who are more familiar with the Bible’s topic of stewardship – a word that simply refers to the management God’s blessings – this isn’t a new concept at all. We have been taught and understand that everything is God’s, and we gratefully manage it to the best of our ability.

But… if we stick with this thought for a little while and assess our relationship with our belongings, isn’t it true that there are maybe a few things that, while we pay lip service to everything being God’s, we kind of think of as more of our own? In other words, this thing or that thing which we aren’t quite so willing to part with? Don’t touch my phone or laptop. That’s your car and this is mine – drive your own. Don’t eat my __________ in the pantry or fridge – those are my thing. This gift of money or gift card was given to me to use, so I don’t have to share. So yes, we know it’s all God’s, but when it comes to managing the use of it, we can be quick to claim full ownership of certain things.

Now some of you are reading this and thinking about someone else right now that you think is too stingy because they won’t share with you. This is not an invitation for you to argue that “since it’s all God’s, you have to let me use your thing.” No – there may be a very good reason someone has not let you use their thing – because you yourself haven’t managed it well in the past! You’ve lost it, broke it, or damaged it, which leads others to think twice about letting you borrow anything. In that respect, you’re guilty of the same wrong – caring poorly for something as if it were yours to mistreat instead of God’s possession that he entrusted to you through someone else letting you borrow or use it.

All of these challenges to managing God’s blessings to us make David’s relationship with his wealth stand out all the more. He did not only pay lip service to the truth that all that he had was God’s, but he also to reflected it in how he actually lived. To help us see things the way David did when he stated, “we have given you only what comes from your hand” (v.14b), maybe the following imagery helps.

Picture it like this. God has two open hands extended to David. His left hand is empty. His right hand is filled with all of the wealth and possessions he was entrusting to David. What did David do? He simply took some of what was in God’s right hand, and he placed it over into his empty hand. So then, what did David actually give to God? Nothing that wasn’t already his! He simply moved it from one hand to the other, but it was all God’s the whole time.

Do we view giving that way, that we are doing nothing more than giving God what was already his in the first place? That shift of perspective on giving has to happen if we are ever to “let go” of what we mistakenly consider ours in the first place. We need to start with the understanding and hold to the truth that everything is God’s. And, in order for us to follow in David’s footsteps with the level of generous giving that he demonstrated, we always start with looking first at what we’ve been given.

Isn’t it so much easier to zero in on what we don’t have instead, as we compare ourselves to those around us? Someone always has more, has better, has newer. And we convince ourselves we’re struggling, we’re just not well-off, we’re maybe even victims or definitely got a raw deal.

But, if we took the time to compare our situation with the vast majority of the rest of the world’s population, we’d have a better grasp of and appreciation for how good we have it and how generous God has been to us! Guess what percentage of the world’s storage units are in the U.S? 90%! And did you know that it’s been figured that we have enough storage unit to place the entire U.S. population inside of one. Only in America would we understand and laugh at George Carlin’s joke about a house just being a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff. We have such a high standard of living that we easily take it for granted and overlook how generous God is to us.

Now we could certainly keep going down this path, but we haven’t even hit the real treasure yet, have we? Think of what we have in Jesus. Really think about it.

From the moment you wake up until you hit the pillow at night, you could have the absolute worst day. Everything imaginable could go wrong. Yet all day long, you are able to remind yourself that no matter what, you are loved by God. When overwhelmed by all of the distressing local, national, or international news stories, you can find peace in Jesus’ promise that he has overcome the world. If you don’t fit in, struggle to make friends, or worry about the opinion others have of you, you know that Jesus’ perfection on your behalf means that God always cares about you and is always delighted in you. When you don’t have the answers or feel like you’re in control, you can relax knowing that God does and is. When you are stuck on that sin that you thought or said or did that made a royal mess of things, you can reassure yourself as often as necessary that you are fully and freely forgiven in Jesus. How can we possibly put a price tag on this treasury of rich promises from God? 

Of course there was a price. But you and I didn’t have to pay it. Jesus did. And as a result of his willingness to serve as both our Substitute and Sacrifice, we have treasure that is real, genuine, and eternal. 

David didn’t just know from first-hand experience how generous God was in providing him with an abundance of wealth. Remember that David had experienced something far greater, a gift that was lovingly wrapped up and delivered by the prophet Nathan long before the events recorded for us this morning. That gift was a story that served as a call to repentance for David. When that gift did its work, David’s crushed spirit confessed his sin – his scandalous sexual encounter with Bathsheba, his murderous cover-up, and all of the fall-out that followed. At that point, through Nathan’s promise of God’s forgiveness, David’s crushed spirit received the approval and acceptance from God that will always surpass any amount of wealth or possessions that a person could ever accumulate. 

We have to understand that about God. Even when he chooses to lavish a person with worldly wealth, it is never just the wealth – the stuff – that leads a person to stand in awe of God’s goodness. Rather, it is always the incomprehensible, mind-blowing reality of grace and forgiveness which opens my eyes and my heart to how good God is, and then appreciates God’s temporal blessings, too. Take it from David, who penned these words of Psalm 32: 

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Everything David expressed in this psalm is true for you and me, too. Brothers and sisters in Christ, look at what we’ve been given. And let that always guide your giving.