Sermon in Rockford 01.01.2015

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

Dear Heavenly Father, today we have awakened to a new day of grace, the beginning of a new year on our calendar. And we come before you with hearts of prayer. Father, as we have needed your care, as we have needed your grace, your love, your truth, your guidance in our life to this day, we pray, Father, that you would continue to bless our journey, that you would continue to keep us in your care.

Father, as we come before you, even this day with sinful hearts, knowing that it is only through your love, your grace, your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we can own the name of a child of God. We need your help, Father. And so we pray that you would open your word, bless our services here today, strengthen our faith, teach and instruct us, and help us on the way. We thank you, Father, for these many gifts.

May this be the day. May this be the year, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so we pray as 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.

This Sunday is the—this, actually not Sunday, New Year's Day—is the day, first day of this year, a day that God has again granted unto us wherein we can travel as His children, wherein we can gather those blood drops of the Lord and Savior Jesus, wherein we can speak of this most precious matter in our life: the gift of living faith.

And one of the texts for this day is found in the book of Psalms, the 8th Psalm, the entire Psalm, verses 1-9. And I will read these words in Jesus' name as follows:

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hath set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained,

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.

Hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field,

the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Amen.

This song is a song of David, a song that the children of God sing on the way and journey in their time. A song that speaks about God's creation, a song that speaks about God's grace, begins with words of thanksgiving and prayer, praise, and it ends with the same words of thanksgiving and praise to the heavenly Father.

When we think of the Old Testament travelers, I think sometimes one can read of the Old Testament and think of those writings as perhaps old, old times. But when we think of our life and our journey here today, when we think about the trials, the temptations we have, and the joys that we have, think about our own life, and then we read these writings of the Old Testament, and doesn't our heart so often say Amen? That's just how my journey goes yet today.

And in many ways, that brings reason for joy into our heart. That is it not precious that we have the same sorrows and same joys as those Old Testament travelers? Because, as the writer to the Hebrews records, how by faith they believed, by faith they reached the destination, that goal that we have in heaven to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus and our Father God, our Creator, and also those saints who have gone before.

And so we, as children of God, we, I think many times, feel refreshed reading the Old Testament travelers' journey about their journey because we see how so many times God was able to help them, so many times when the way seemed impossible, it seemed so difficult. And truly, when you think about it from man's perspective, it was impossible, it was difficult. But for God, it was not. He was able to open the way. He was able to help so many, many times in the times of need, and He helped in His own way and He helped in His own time.

And so often the children of God prayed to the heavenly Father for help, and God answered those prayers in His time.

And so this Psalm of David also is a Psalm of thanksgiving, a praise to the heavenly Father for those many wonderful works that God did in his life. And what was the greatest was that he could own the name of a child of God. And he realized, because of God's grace, he realized how sinful he truly was and how special it was, especially when God sent that servant Nathan to speak to him of his matters and to help him to repent from his sins.

God knows our needs, as we even say in this song here, how God sees everything in our lives, and He also hears the prayers that rise from our hearts, and He sends those escorts to help us. They are dear and precious escorts.

Oh Lord, our Lord, He is praising God and also saying He's our God, He's our Father. He's not a God of this world, as the Grecian people of that day—or maybe not quite that day of the New Testament time—they in Athens had their own beliefs and their own idols and their own gods of this world. But even in the Old Testament time, there were those travelers who had their own gods that they believed in. But as we have so often read, they could not help in time of need.

But God is our God. We believe in God, as those Old Testament travelers believed in the promise of the Savior. We also believe today in this time that Jesus was born in that manger there in Bethlehem, and that He lived a perfect journey here on this earth. He overcame the temptations, as the Gospel text even relates for this day, of those temptations that He experienced in His life there when He had fasted for forty days, and then the enemy of souls tempted Him with those three temptations.

But He was of the flesh that we carry, and He was of God, and He lived that perfect life and died on that middle cross on our behalf. He overcame the enemy of souls there and rose again on that third day, that Easter morning.

And this is that Jesus in whom we believe. This is that Jesus whom we have seen in our own life when we have been able to believe our sins forgiven, been able to be free to that burden on our heart and our conscience, and it has given such love for the children of God and such peace and joy into our hearts.

So this is that God, our God, whom we give thanks in all things.

How excellent is thy name in all the earth!

The theme for this text is how God is present everywhere in this world and especially in our life, and also speaks of the name of Jesus, how our Lord and Savior Jesus makes it possible for us to see this kingdom here on earth, makes it possible for us to walk as a child. And in His name are many wonderful and mighty works done in this world, not in any name of man, not in the name of any false gods, but in the name of Jesus.

In this way, we are able to travel on that narrow way that leads to heaven.

Excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who has set Thy glory above the heavens, and then continues that out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou might still the enemy and the avenger.

So we see how the journey is for each and every one of us, from the youngest to the oldest. It is a journey where we daily need and are able to gather the blood drops of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We know from that first pair in the Garden of Eden how the enemy came unto them, tempted them there, and they fell into sin. And we remember how then God called unto them, "Where art thou?" and came looking for them in the garden with this loving call and invitation.

It was that they were hiding, or so they thought, but God knew very well wherever they were, for He sees all things and He knows all things. He sees into the hearts of men, for He has created them. And so He knew where they were, He knew what they had done, and He called yet unto them with that calling, "Where art thou?"

I think this question is not just a question of where they were physically, but where were they in their life of faith.

We know from the visit that He had there with Adam and Eve that they had to confess that they had fallen into sin.

God still approaches us today in the same way because of that fall in the garden. We also have that inherited sin, don't we, brothers and sisters?

Is there anyone gathered here today who feels they are not a sinner, who feels they are not in need of the forgiveness of their sins?

We are truly grace beggars here, every one of us, I would say.

When God calls to us with that call, that "Where art thou?" doesn't it cause us to pause on the way in the journey even now on this new first day of this new year?

We know how so many make resolutions: they're going to do this or to do that. I have also been one of those in my life who made resolutions. They're like, we could say maybe even promises that we make to ourselves or others that we're going to do this. Maybe it's an exercise program, maybe it's a work habit or organization or something, or maybe I will even read the Bible every day or some type of goal.

But I would say probably for most of us here, don't we find how quickly that promise is broken, that resolution is broken? We have in the busyness of life laid it aside, forgotten about it, and pretty soon perhaps even been discouraged about it and abandoned it completely.

I think for a child of God, each day is like the beginning of a new year. It is a new day of grace.

And isn't it so often that we begin the day with that thought, with that hope, with that prayer in our heart: wouldn't it be a wonderful day if I could go through this day without any sin? If I could love my neighbors in the way that God wants me to love them? If I could just say the right words? If I could do the right things? If I could think the right thought?

Perhaps you have experienced this again today, those kinds of resolutions and promises. But don't we find how so quickly those vanish? Sometimes we don't even make it to the breakfast table, and our flesh has gotten the better of us.

Perhaps we have been grumpy. Perhaps we have said words to our family members in a cross way. Or perhaps it's just a parent, the bristles are up, and nobody approaches us because they know they can see that we are in a poor mood.

I don't think there is anyone of us who is able to get through even one day without sin.

Oh, it would be such a wonderful day, wouldn't it, in a way. But we even know that if we did, wouldn't the enemy be right there and saying, "You are such a good believer, you made it a day," and in this way try to puff us up and try to make us proud that we did it of our own strength?

Believe for five, come to where that imagine and a grace mind much.

That isn't it a great blessing that God has not broken His promises to us there in that garden? He promised to Adam and Eve that He would send a Savior, and we have celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ here these days, and I'm sure every day we celebrate and give thanks for His birth.

God's promises are sure. When God promised to Abraham that he would have many children, He took them out in the dark, dark night where there was no light in that day, not even the candles were shining. And if you've ever been out in a dark night with no other light around, oh, how many stars we see.

God took Abraham out to look into the sky and to say that he who had lived so long without children would have such a blessing.

God can do many, many miracles that seem impossible for man, and Abraham, by faith, he believed God. It was the simple childlike faith.

Surely reason would be arguing there that how could this be possible? How could this happen? But it comes from childlike faith by trusting in God and letting His will be done.

As we have recently been visiting about this will of God, His care for our lives and our journey.

And so it is then that the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus continues yet today, as we heard in our services recently how Jesus told the disciples that I will send the Comforter unto you, and He will show you all things.

That is how we journey today with God in that third person, the Holy Spirit, that Holy Spirit that leads and guides His flock here on earth.

And God has set that tower with the children of God here in this kingdom here on earth.

As we know, when Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom, how He said in His truth that whatsoever you forgive here on earth is also forgiven in heaven.

And why is that? Is it the man, the hearts of men, that are forgiving our neighbor of their sins? I would say that when I've asked this question and you've thought about your own situation, you have said together with me that no, it's not from me, it's not the work of man, but God has simply made us mouthpieces, mouthpieces for His word.

That when we preach this gospel one to another, "Believe your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood," it is God who is opening that mouth. It is God who is proclaiming that glad tidings, the message of the gospel through the brothers and sisters in faith, those who themselves have believed of this gospel, who have this love of God in their life.

And it speaks of those children of God in this way: out of the mouth of babes and sucklings says, "Thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

Are we not truly children of God, brothers and sisters here today? There is not one that is any better. There is not one we could say that is any wiser. We are simply little children of God, and we offer that gospel which we ourselves have been able to believe.

And so in this way, from children in God's kingdom, even from the smallest one, the proclamation of the gospel goes forward today.

Son and daughter, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

This washes away all sin from the life of one who is seeking and searching or requesting this forgiveness.

And in this way, as it says here, the enemy has been defeated, defeated. The enemy of souls has been defeated, and the life has been restored, that living hope of eternal life.

The gospel crushes the head of the serpent, as God promised. It has no power over us. It cannot keep us from reaching heaven when we believe our sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

And in this way, the enemy has been stilled, the avenger has been put away, put at bay, I suppose you could say.

Even as we think of that example when Jesus was there tempted by the enemy of souls, how He was able to stop the enemy of souls with the word of God when the enemy tempted Him.

Even though we could say after 40 days of fasting He probably would be very, very hungry and could have turned the stone into bread and easily eaten it, we know that was truly possible.

Jesus did many, many miracles in His day, but Jesus did not do that because it would have been bending to the power of the enemy, but rather He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from God our Father."

God's word is the most important matter in our life, not those temporal things, not those temporal cares, but rather that we would come to the hearing of God's word.

And so this is also reason for our joy today that we live in that kind of a country where we are able to gather freely at our worship services, and we give thanks to God for that.

And it is so uplifting to know that we are able to come to the hearing of God's word here in our local area as often as God arranges for it, as often as God gives us strength to come to the hearing, or even if we are not able, gives us that kind of strength to log in on the internet and to listen.

And we have that blessing also that we can listen to God's word even more today than we could in the past when we can go to the archive sermons and listen to them, have them on our technical devices, I guess, whether they be iPods or iPads or iPhones or Androids or whatever they might be.

But we can have maybe even some songs playing there, and then those sermons that we have downloaded from time to time, they pop in there the next piece, and yeah, we sit and we listen to God's word, recall those sermons, and are strengthened and uplifted.

And I think the reason for that is we live in perilous times. We live in a time when there is so much around us, whether we are at our work or school, whether we are even just traveling or going about our daily life, there are so many different temptations today that just kind of pop in at us, even again from our computers when we maybe open up a web page and there's inappropriate ads or things that would appeal to our flesh calling to us to click here, to see more, to go that way.

I think about when I compare, you know, times today and times past, as a young person remembering how it was then, that in our home area, in our home congregation, we didn't have a minister that kept services every Sunday. It was different.

We had a minister, sometimes two together, that would come to our area in the spring and come to our area in the fall, and we would have services then for about a week in each of those times, and there would be services in the afternoon and services in the evening, many times at least two sermons each time every day for the week, and then that would be it.

It was like sort of like summer services, I guess you could say, in a way, and then there would be months again without any services.

There was no internet then to listen to sermons from other congregations. There was sometimes maybe a tape sermon that somebody might have that we could listen to. Oftentimes there was humming and scratching and blanks in there.

But times were different as well, too. There wasn't the internet, there wasn't the material of today. There were farming communities that I'm thinking of here where most of the time all you saw during the day was your own family members and maybe once in a while you heard the news of the day if you happened to turn on the radio at the news hour to listen.

A lot of the news in the summertime, when I spent summers on the farm, it came over the telephone at one o'clock in the afternoon. There would be a long ringing sound, and everybody would get on the party line, and they would hear the local news of the day.

So you could see it was a much more quiet time. Certainly it wasn't a time free of sin and temptation, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying it wasn't like the bombarding like we see today.

It seems we can't go anywhere, do anything without the enemy of souls putting his temptations there before us.

And so I think God is caring for us in this way, and we can give thanks to Him for this, that we have many more occasions to gather together for services. We have opportunities to listen to sermons online or in archive sermons.

And this is for a reason. It's not just more busy work, but it is to help God's children to stay in living, in living, to be reminded of the preciousness of faith and to keep that foremost in our mind because it would be so easy to go to the left or even to the right.

So God is caring for us today, and God shows His power to us through the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus when we are able to pause in the busyness of the day, when we are able to visit with those escorts or to come to services to visit about the way and the journey, to gather the manna that falls from heaven.

In this way, God cares for us.

So we have come this day, the beginning of a new year, and we have come, have not we, come with prayerful hearts that God would feed us yet again today, that we would be uplifted and refreshed in faith, that we could believe yet for today, not needing to worry about the 360 some days ahead, that how will it be next year? Will I be a child of God?

God does not set so high goals for us, but rather you can believe for today.

And so is the message this afternoon, dear brothers and sisters, dear listeners: uplift your heart, believe your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood, and be comforted.

God knows your needs. He is taking care of many matters in your life, even as this last portion assures us and gives us confidence that God is present and God is caring for things.

The writer here in the Psalm of David says:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained,

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas.

So we see God's purpose for us in our life. We see how He has set us just below the angels. In other words, we are very, very important to the heavenly Father who has created us.

He has given us this knowledge of heaven and eternal life of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

He has given us a special duty and calling.

When we read the words of Jesus there at the end of Matthew, that to go forth and to teach all nations, and we know that this power to go forth and to teach all nations cannot come from man but has come from God.

And so what does that mean? Does it not mean that we must personally believe, that we ourselves need to have this gift of living faith in order to do the work which God has given us to do?

For if we do it without faith, it is not able to help anyone.

As we see in that parable of the good Samaritan, how those who did not have living faith could not help that wounded man there lying on the road to Jericho.

But the good Samaritan, that picture of the Lord and Savior Jesus, He was able to help. He was able to take them up, to clean the wounds, and pour that oil in, and to wrap them in bandages.

This is how it is. We have our wounds. We are as that wounded one on that road to Jericho so often, and we need the care of the good shepherd in our life to cleanse our wounds, to pour that holy oil, the oil of God's Holy Spirit, into our vessels and to care for us.

There in the end, we are in this kingdom of God here on earth, and we have this dominion over the things that God has created.

And so we think about our journey in our life, and we think, has God forgotten us? And the answer to that is certainly not. He has not forgotten anyone here on the way in the journey.

If you doubt that, look at how God has remembered every day to take care of all the details of this earth and this world we live in: the snow that fell, the moisture that comes, the wind, the plants—they grow, the animals are cared for.

God is truly busy all around us, showing us that He is present here.

Take any one of these things. How could it happen except that it comes from God?

So He is taking care of these details every day here.

This word assures us that God has set us even in a higher place than the things of this world. He is caring for us in our life. He is there in our journey, guiding and leading, granting those escorts to help us when we need to be lifted, and also giving power to those escorts to even come and approach us as Nathan was able to or Ananias was able to approach Saul there.

And so that kind of work continues today, not only in Ecuador and Africa and other countries, but it's here in our home congregation. It's there in your home congregations, dear brothers and sisters.

When that gospel is preached one to another, this is what strengthens us every day in our journey of faith, and this is the reason for joy and thanksgiving in our life, as this psalm and "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth."

We have a good God. We have a dear brother in faith, our Lord and Savior Jesus, who cares for us and washes away all sins and doubts.

So even again today, believe all sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And I also desire the same gospel: can I believe my sins and doubts forgiven? My desire to believe with you, dear brothers and sisters.

May God bless our journey to heaven, however many days or hours may be left. God knows. May He give each one strength to continue to believe for this day and for this moment in Jesus' name. Amen.