Sermon in Phoenix 14.10.2012

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us unite our hearts in opening thanksgiving and prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, this evening you have granted an opportunity for us once again to gather around your holy and undying Word. Father, you have brought us here. You know our trials. You know our joys. You know our needs even better than we. And you have heard our prayers, some which have been formed in words, and perhaps also those prayers that have been a quiet sigh in the heart. Perhaps a prayer for a loved one, one who maybe is struggling in their journey of faith. Perhaps one who has been deceived by the enemy of souls. Perhaps for one who has been burdened with health issues. Perhaps even those prayers that rise from the heart that, Father, help me make it to heaven.

For we all understand that we cannot reach heaven by someone else's faith, but it is personal faith. And you know our hearts, Father. We want to make it to heaven. So we ask for your help. And we thank you for that gift of your dear Son, through whom we can believe our sins forgiven, even those sins for this day, in His name and in His blood. And we join into that prayer which our Savior, your Son, the Lord Jesus, has taught us.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

For our study this evening, I will read God's Word, which is found in the book of Mark, the Gospel of Mark, from the ninth chapter, beginning with the 33rd verse, through to the 37th verse. And the words are, in Jesus' name, as follows.

Apostle 6. And he came to Capernaum. And being in the house, he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace. For by the way, they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all and servant of all. And he took a child and he set him in the midst of them. And when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Amen.

Amen.

In the beginning this evening, I want to bring each and every one of you very heartfelt and warm greetings of love and God's peace from the ministers and wise camp there at Camp Kippa, where we have just been these last few days. There, visiting around God's Word and speaking of the way and the journey. Certainly, we experienced there in our camp that the Lord and Savior, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was there in our midst. That gospel freely flowed often during our days together. It was strengthening for the journey of faith. It was heartwarming and uplifting to experience the unity there among the speaker brothers and their wives who endeavor to serve the congregation.

You have called as God has revealed His will to you those servants to speak God's Word here in His kingdom, not for their honor and glory, not because they had such great wisdom and understanding, but simply to preach the gospel of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name and blood by that power and authority which God has given to not only the speaker brothers, but to each and every child of God. You have those keys to the kingdom to preach the gospel to each other. As you have also received of this gospel, preach it one to another. Do not be ashamed of this gospel, as we heard even this weekend at our camp, and do not be tired of preaching this one to another there in your homes, that we might be preserved as little children in God's kingdom.

And I also wish to bring the greetings here from our home congregation there in Rockford. Lord, there we also endeavor battling against that threefold enemy: the temptations of the world, the temptations of the enemy of soul, and the temptations of our flesh. Is it any different here in the Phoenix congregation, brothers and sisters? Is it an easy journey? Has God somehow spared you from the temptations of this world? Or has the enemy of soul tried to come in and to break the love that is found in God's kingdom? I don't know for sure. We certainly didn't visit about the matters there in our camp, but I would say that I suspect that the enemy of souls has not been idle here.

And why is that? Because he knows he doesn't have much time. He goes about as a roaring lion. He knows that you are children of God. He knows you are on that narrow way that leads to heaven. And he doesn't want you to get there. But God does. And God is more powerful. And he hears the prayers in your heart. He knows how you pray to him, even in a weak way, that one day faith might be changed to seeing.

In this text that we read, there are perhaps two or maybe more matters that are spoken of, but our text begins in this way, with the Lord and Savior Jesus there in the house with the twelve disciples. Often I wonder what it would have been like to be there traveling each and every day with the Lord and Savior Jesus. Some ways I have thought that it would have been such an easy journey. There, the Lord and Savior was there in their midst. They could see him with their eyes, touch him with their hands. It seems like it would have been so easy to believe.

But then I think about our day and our time. And is it not so, dear brothers and sisters, that Jesus is here in our midst? Every day he is here with us. And yet we struggle in our faith with our doubts. We are tempted and we stumble and we fall. We battle our flesh which is so easy to be angry and to be upset or to be on the other side self-righteous and bright-eyed and thinking that somehow we are successful on the journey. The enemy works from both sides. He is so sly and cunning. One side building us up and the other side tearing us down, each with that intention to draw us away from God's kingdom.

So when we think about it from our own journey of faith and how we stumble and fall even though we have the Lord and Savior Jesus in our midst, we can see and we can understand how those disciples also were flesh and blood. How they battled against many temptations. How they battled against their own flesh. And how they were even tempted by the world. So many times, doubt-ridden and fearful. Even though they had witnessed many miracles, they had seen the power of God.

But have we not also witnessed miracles? Haven't we also seen the power of God? And when we ask this question, perhaps we might be led to think in this way of somebody else's life, but what about our own life? When we reflect on our life, is it not a miracle even that we are here this evening as children of God? That even though we are so many times doubt-ridden, so many times we fall into sin and in the same sins even over and over again, yet God continues to love us. God continues to give us those dear escorts who are able to preach the gospel to us, encourage us in this journey of faith, to continue believing.

And they don't say for years and years what they say for this day, for this moment. Simply believe. God will provide His Word to us each and every day on our journey to heaven.

The disciples here in this portion that we read, they were traveling and they thought, I suppose, that they were traveling by themselves. They thought that Jesus was away from them and they were just journeying together, the twelve of them, and they began to talk among themselves. And sometimes I guess when we think, isn't it maybe so children and youth, and maybe also all of us, sometimes it seems like maybe when we're off in our own group, when perhaps we've left the services and there's just a few of us, perhaps we begin to talk about things. And perhaps we begin to question God's Word.

We heard that in the sermon. And you know it was the same thing we've heard in our homes. And it's the same thing we've heard in our Sunday school, perhaps even something you've heard in Sunday school this evening. But yet the enemy comes just as he did to Adam and Eve in the garden. And he says, Did God really say so? Put those doubts in our minds.

Or in this case here with the disciples, he approached from the right side. And he planted this kind of a question in their discussion there: Which one of us twelve would be the greatest in God's kingdom? Who has been more successful on this journey? Is it this one or is it that one?

And we see even where a question like that might come out. God's love. It comes from our pride. It comes when we start to think that we are somebody in God's kingdom. Start to think that we have some answers, some knowledge, some special gifts. Perhaps we see something so clearly. Perhaps we haven't had that kind of temptation or that fall. And we start to compare to our neighbors. And we start to wonder who is greater. Am I greater? Or how would they be greater? We might even wonder if they're even believing.

We start to go into those thoughts and the enemy wants to divide. He wants to build up. He wants to puff us up when there are matters that somehow we have been more successful. And somehow we think that how could they have fallen in such and such a matter? And yet the Bible teaches there is nothing new under the sun. Sin has been here on this earth from the beginning when Adam and Eve fell in the garden. And sin will be on this earth till the end when Jesus comes the second time to judge all people from the beginning to the end of the world.

The disciples, they had fallen into that kind of question too. Which one was greater? And they thought they were in a safe place. They thought that they were away from the Lord and Savior Jesus, that He wouldn't hear this discussion. But Jesus then, when He came to Capernaum and He was in the house, He asked a question. He said this way, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

Can you imagine the thoughts that rushed to their minds? Even perhaps the fear that came to their heart? Because I'm sure even there in that discussion had perhaps come some uneasiness that should we be talking about this? Should we be questioning God's kingdom in this way? And now Jesus, whom they thought was not part of their discussion, had not heard, He asked them a very direct question, What was it ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

He doesn't ask what did you talk about? It wasn't a general question, but he knew that they had been in dispute, they had argued over these matters. And we see here from this portion of scripture how it is in God's kingdom. We don't hide from God. We can't cover up our conversations from God, even if they would be far away from the church here, far away from mother's or father's ears. Doesn't matter what mother and father hear. Doesn't matter what our believing neighbors hear, but what matters is what does God hear in that conversation.

And Jesus reveals this, that he heard them. And many times in the scriptures we are reminded of this when the Pharisees disputed matters of faith. And when they had these discussions, oftentimes we see that Jesus knew what they were thinking. He knew what was in their hearts. He knew what accusations they might have had against him. They could not hide from God. They could not hide from Jesus because he was the Son. He was God in the third person.

We know that God is a triune God. He is God the Father. He is God the Son. And he is God the Holy Spirit. Three in one.

And when we think of this dispute here, there was a reference in Proverbs in the 13th chapter in the 10th verse. I looked that up and it said it in this way: Only by pride cometh contention, but with the well advised is wisdom.

So when we think about contention, when it comes in our journey of faith, it comes from pride. It comes from when we think we begin to know something. When we begin to reason about matters. When we begin to see ourselves somehow higher than God's kingdom. We see the instructions and teaching as perhaps old fashioned. We see that somehow we are stronger than those that have gone before. When our parents warn of dangers, the enemy of souls comes and puts that kind of thought in our head that mom and dad are old fashioned. Mom and dad are just overly worried about things. That's what the enemy of souls wants us to think.

And I think of a dear brother who often teaches in this way that when we hear these kind of speeches from the enemy of souls, that we flip that around the other way and we realize and we think that this is a dangerous place. When I am questioning God's kingdom, when I am questioning God's word, when I am somehow thinking that I am stronger, our pride is rising, our flesh is coming strong, our reason is taking over. And this is a dangerous place to be.

And in Proverbs, how it warns that only by pride cometh contention. If we were simply believing as little children, there would be no contention. Contention, simply believing as little children, there wouldn't be contention. Something to make us stop and think on the way and the journey. But have I grown? Have I become so wise? Have I lost my childlike faith?

What is wisdom? It speaks of wisdom here in this portion but with the well advised is wisdom. Do you know what wisdom is? I think probably even the Sunday school children would know what wisdom is. You have perhaps studied that in some of your lessons especially those perhaps in the confirmation and the little bit older grades have perhaps talked about this matter of wisdom.

Because I know like already at fifth grade when I was teaching in fifth grade years ago it seems like there starts to come that kind of a change when we start perhaps to question more things and we wonder what is really wisdom and understanding.

I think it speaks of it clearly in the book of Job in the 28th chapter in the 28th verse: And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. The fear of the Lord is wisdom.

And what does that mean, fear of the Lord? That means that we fear sin. We fear that sin would lead us away from God's kingdom. We fear that sin would cause God to be angry over our matters and we become fearful even in that way that what if God became so angry that he turned his face from me, that I was left on the outside of God's kingdom, that I no longer had this gift of living faith, I no longer had this childlike understanding. It would be a fearful place to be on the outside of God's kingdom.

And so we are instructed and taught that wisdom is fear of the Lord. It isn't some understanding of our own. It isn't some special gift that we have in that way that we know matters better than our neighbors. It isn't that we are greater than somebody else but rather we are as little children and we have this correct and healthy fear of the Lord.

And perhaps that is also why you have come this evening, for we remember that loving call that comes from the heavenly Father. I believe in the Psalms when it says it in this way: Come and hear all ye that fear God. We fear God in that way that we fear sin in our life. We want to come to the hearing of God's word because faith comes by hearing and hearing by and through the word of God. We want to be strengthened in our journey of faith. We want to even be humbled in this way that if we had grown and become wise that we would be made low as they talked about the hills that would be lowered or shaved down, that we would be a level-headed flock.

And also in that 28th verse in the 28th chapter of Job it continues that to depart from evil is understanding. That's when we understand matters in God's kingdom, when that desire is to depart from evil, to put our sins away.

And so then Jesus here, he had asked this question and it had that kind of answer or result that when he asked the question, What was it that ye disputed amongst yourselves by the way? These disciples then who traveled with Jesus every day in their life, who thought that they had been away from a place where Jesus could hear them, it says here that they held their peace. They held their peace. They didn't say anything. They didn't want to talk about matters.

And isn't that how it so often goes when a brother or sister in faith approaches and they ask us how matters are? We become like these disciples. We want to hold our peace. We want to maybe cover it over, even say, Oh, everything is going well.

But I remember so often a dear speaker brother who often approached us young ones. I have to say many times in my life when I saw him coming even I wanted sometimes to run the other way. I knew what was going to happen. I knew that he was going to come and he was going to take my hand. He had that kind of gift that he reached out to the young and he would come and he would seek one out and he would come and he would take my hand and he would greet with God's peace.

But he didn't let go of that hand. He held on to it and I would have wanted to get away from there. But he would continue with this kind of question. That dear brother, he would say, How are matters? He didn't ask that question in an accusing way. He opened up the door. He had that kind of gift to ask that, How are matters?

So many times under that question one had to be even as these disciples that we knew, we realized that we didn't hide anything from God. We knew our brother perhaps he didn't know exactly what had happened, but God knew, just as God sent Philip to preach the word to that Ethiopian eunuch there traveling back to his home from Jerusalem. He had a prayer in his heart and perhaps many times we have a prayer in our heart and God sends those escorts, those angels, those dear brothers and sisters in faith, whether they might look like our mother or they might look like our father, they might look like one of our friends from the outside, but they want to help us get to heaven.

And so when that question was asked, How are matters? There wasn't any place to go except to say, I need to hear the gospel.

What beautiful services there. What a precious way to start services even in those days in my youth coming there to services knowing that I could believe my sins forgiven already in the beginning. Oh, how uplifting it was to be there at services even though perhaps many times my flesh would have rather gone someplace else, would have rather been out even perhaps with some unbelieving friends.

But when one was there in the hearing of God's word and it could begin even with that precious message of the gospel that believe all sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood, what a beautiful beginning to those services.

And then to be there in the hearing of God's word and to be reassured again that yes, God knew where I had fallen, that God knew that prayer in my heart that I didn't want to commit those sins and God answered those prayers with that preaching of the gospel.

And this is what Jesus wanted to bring out here then, that he knew what had happened. He knew what they had said. He knew what they disputed. It wasn't just a discussion but a dispute.

And he sat down and then it says, and he called the twelve. We remember what happened there when Adam and Eve fell in the garden. Didn't God come and call out to them, That where art thou? This is the same way Jesus approached these disciples who had fallen into this battle of their own pride and their own reasoning and understanding.

And he called to them and he saith to them very clear and very concise speech. He said here that if any man desire to be first. So he reveals here he knew exactly what the discussion was about: who's the greatest.

So he says, If any man desire to be first, here's the answer to the question: the same he says shall be last of all and be servant of all.

Wow. This isn't anything according to man's reason or understanding but Jesus says if you desire to be the greatest, if you desire to elevate yourself and to be wiser than God's kingdom, that one would be the last.

God's ways are not our ways. God does not look at our outward wisdom or understanding but simply this: do we believe? Do we believe that he sent his only begotten Son to travel on this earth, to be born of the virgin Mary and to travel on this earth and to teach and instruct and to heal the maim and the halt and the blind? Do we believe that on that good Friday that he suffered and died on that middle cross on Golgotha? Do we believe that he was three days there in the depth of the earth and he was victorious then over death and hell? And on that third day he rose again from the dead?

Many in this world do not believe that that happened, but with childlike faith, even these little ones here gathered this evening, they understand in that simple way that yes, Jesus was born there in that lowly manger there in Bethlehem, that he did die on that cross there on good Friday and rose victorious on Easter Sunday, that he suffered and died on our behalf, that our sins could be washed away and drowned in the sea of grace, that we could be made acceptable to God through this believing of the gospel of forgiveness, that our sins are washed away and God no longer sees them. We are heaven acceptable.

This is what Jesus taught to the disciples then when he took that example and he took a child and he set him in the midst. And when he had taken him in his arms he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name receiveth me. Whosoever receiveth one of such children in my name receiveth me.

That when we have childlike faith, when we believe that these little children, the youngest one here, is that greatest one in the kingdom because they rely on the care of the mother and the father for everything they need. They live off the milk of that mother just as we as God's children live off the milk of the word.

When we hear and believe this word of God, our faith is strengthened. We are given new strength through that power of the gospel to begin a new, a fresh start.

Imagine that here at the end of the day you have this opportunity to have a fresh start, a great ending to the day that all sins can be washed away and drowned in the sea of grace.

And this is that gospel message that is offered to each and everyone here this evening. As you find yourself, even if there would be one who has come here seeking and searching for God's kingdom, wondering, Is there life after death? And how would I attain eternal life in heaven?

Such a one has come to a good place here this evening because that gospel is freely preached in God's kingdom. It is like a river that flows from the heavenly Father.

And so believe even this evening all who are gathered here, one who perhaps is in unbelief seeking and searching, you can uplift your heart and you can believe all your sins and that mother of all sins, your unbelief, forgiven in Jesus name and precious atoning blood.

But we all need this kind of care in our journey, don't we brothers and sisters? Don't we find how the dust so easily attaches on the journey to heaven? The dust has even gathered this day that we have perhaps fallen in one way into our flesh and perhaps been impatient or angry, perhaps said wrong words, or perhaps we have gone the other way and we have started to see ourselves somehow better than others, seen ourselves greater. Our pride has grown and swelled within us.

But even these sins can be forgiven and uplift your heart even now. Believe all your sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious atoning blood.

And believe as a little child. Cling to this gospel in your life. Continue to come to the hearing of God's word and don't be taking it so lightly as the enemy of souls would so easily want us to do that, Oh yeah, we have so many occasions together that I could decide today to go or maybe I'll just wait and I will go tomorrow.

The enemy is told he often wants us to wait for tomorrow, but we don't know the length of our journey. We don't know our days. God knows the beginning of our life. He gives that life and he knows the ending of our life. He has that appointed day and that time and he only teaches in this way that just to simply believe each day your sins forgiven in Jesus name and blood.

Believe as a little child. Continue to look to that example as you journey on this narrow way that leads to heaven.

Am I believing as a little baby, as a little child, as simple understanding, not needing wisdom and wise things but simply believing?

And I also need to hear this same gospel this evening that can I believe all my sins and my failings and doubts forgiven?

And I want to believe with you dear brothers and sisters and pray that God would continue to help and to guide on the journey that one day faith would be changed to seeing.

And even here in the end it even perhaps struck me as we had the opening song here this evening that I don't know how the song leaders went about choosing these songs but how we even believe that God guides these services.

And what song did we sing in that pre-service song? But it was a song of children and the words began in this way: Friend of children, God's dear Son Jesus is a friend of children. He is a friend of children. He is our friend and he looks on me, thy little one, whither in this world I wonder, thou art there to guide me ever, fortune ever changes here. Heavenly Father shield me ever so.

That song and then the song we sang after that for the opening song and in that fourth verse the songwriter writes in this way: In grief he comforts me, from bonds and shame reclaims me a child of God, he names me, from death he makes me free.

So even these songs joined to this text that spoke of humility and of little children in God's kingdom. May we always be little children in God's kingdom.

So continue to believe and to remember to pray for one another that it is good to pray. God hears those prayers. He answers those prayers in his time.

And even pray for those who have been deceived by the enemy of souls. Do not forget them. Do not give up in your prayers that God hears your prayers and perhaps they would even remember that love that they found in God's kingdom and the food that was there for them, that they would return to God's kingdom and be able to journey again as a little child.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Let us join in the Lord's benediction:

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.