Sermon in Seattle 15.05.2011

Great be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten this morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we Thy children come before You this morning with much thanks and in prayer. We thank You, dear Father, above all that we have been able to awaken this morning to a new day in grace, owning the gift of faith in our hearts that has come from You as the greatest of blessings, dear Father, that You have given Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus, as our Savior, who has died for us and for the sins of the entire world. He has died for the sins of the entire world, dear Father, that all those who believe upon Him could have the hope of everlasting life in Heaven.

We would pray this morning, dear Father, for Your continued guidance and protection as the world around us grows ever more dark and evil in its ways. And the enemy of souls goes about as a roaring lion. And as our own flesh continues to battle within us, we so many times stumble and fall, dear Father. Help us. Pick us up and give us strength to put sin away when sin comes on our hearts and on our conscience. That we could be given grace to believe and could be given strength to continue on the pathway that leads to be with You and our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit in Heaven forever one day.

Hear our prayer this morning, dear Father. We also pray for those on the outside of Your kingdom. Those who do not own this most precious gift of faith. Those who are on the outside of Your kingdom in darkness and unbelief. We even would pray this morning on their behalf. If it would be Your will, dear Father, that Your kingdom could be revealed unto them. That they could humble themselves and come unto repentance. And through repentance, own this grace gift of faith. But this is Your work, dear Father. And not our work. And it is according to Your will. As You see us fit.

That we remember our government and the land in which we live. Bestow Your protection and guidance there to Your Father. That we could live a peaceful and godly life. That we could continue to freely gather about Your holy and precious word. Free from the persecution of government. We thank You even for this blessing this morning.

We remember all of Your children wherever they may be gathered on this earth, dear Father. Father, this morning hour, give them strength. Those in the military serving in those faraway outposts. Those in small families of two or three in faraway places. Remember them also and help them. Keep us all in this most precious space.

And we enclose these prayers in the prayer of Your dear Son. Saying, 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.

For our study of God's word this morning, we will hear from the Gospel of St. John. The 17th chapter. Verse 11 through 17. And yet with that prayer of faith. That God would bless our services here with His word. And open His word according to His will. And unto His eternal glory. These words are in Jesus' name as follows.

And I am no more in the world. But these are in the world. And I come to Thee. Holy Father. Keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given me. That they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name. Those that Thou gavest me, I have kept. And none of them is lost. But the son of perdition. That the scripture might be fulfilled.

And now come I to Thee. And these things I speak in the world. That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy word. And the world hath hated them. Because they are not of the world. Even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world. But that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world. Even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth. Amen. Amen.

In the beginning, I would first like to bring greetings of love and God's peace from the brothers and sisters there in Canada. There at Easter time, I was in Dunblain with Dan Rintamacki. And he shared greetings and many of the believers there. There was an area-wide meeting that the brothers there on those boards held from Lethbridge and Dunblain and Outlook and Saskatoon and Regina. And they all wished that these greetings would be shared.

And also, a couple weeks ago then from Longview where I was on rotation, they also remembered you brothers and sisters here. And it's with joy that we share these greetings one with another. That we dwell in the same kingdom of God and live of the same gospel. United by the one Holy Spirit of God and His congregation.

Also in the beginning here, finding myself in need of the gospel, I would ask, can I yet believe my sins forgiven? I desire to believe along with you, dear brothers and sisters, this portion of God's word that we have here is from a prayer that our Lord Jesus kept. I think it's been sometimes referred to as the prayer of the high priest. Jesus being our high priest.

In the beginning of this 17th chapter, it tells us how this began. These words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. And He went on then to pray to the Heavenly Father of many matters. He noted here how God had given Jesus power over all flesh. And that God would give eternal life to as many as He had given Jesus.

And here, Jesus relates this in the second and third verses of this gospel of John. As Thou hast given Him, being Jesus, power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. This is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

How is it, dear brother and sister, that we are able to comprehend matters of faith? Is it of our own power, our own strength, or our own knowledge from our own mind? We would have to say that certainly, no it isn't. But it is only through God's grace. He has given, to whom He has given, living faith. And when living faith dwells in the heart of a child of God, there also dwells the Holy Spirit.

And earlier in this Gospel of John, He speaks about, Jesus told about the Comforter, and how He would teach in all things. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

He was here visiting with His disciples, and in this prayer that Jesus spoke here, in our text, He knew that His time was short. Meaning that He was surely to go to the cross to be crucified. And He had His final farewell there, sermon with, or instructions and discussion with His disciples in these last chapters, verses 16 and into 17, where He has this prayer with the Heavenly Father.

He said how He comes to Thee, meaning He was going to go to the Heavenly Father. And He prayed on our behalf, Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as we are. Amen.

We are, as God's children, part of that living body, the living branches. Jesus, in another one of His parables, related how He is divine, and we are the branches. That as His children, how we are connected and attached to this vine, the Lord Jesus. And we are one.

Jesus, earlier in the Gospel of John, related even also how we are His sheep. Here in the tenth chapter of John, Jesus related in this way. He had been there in the temple at the feast of the Passover, or it wasn't the feast of the Passover, but it was a dedication feast in Jerusalem in the wintertime in the tenth chapter. He was there on Solomon's porch, and he went on to speak and related how we are His sheep.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.

And here Jesus related in His prayer that we would be one with them. He noted as we are, meaning Him and His Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Father. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name. Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Here he was relating about, we know, the Easter events that we not long ago paused and remembered, spoke about how Jesus, above all, we remembered how our Lord Jesus rose victorious there on Easter morning, but in those events leading up, how He was betrayed, Judas the betrayer had betrayed Jesus. And even this was a fulfillment of the scriptures.

Jesus goes on to relate how the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

When we think about our places, each of us in our lives, some of you are just young little children there at home, some are in school, some are in college, many are in the workforce, some are retired as grandparents and grandmothers. But whatever our station in life, we certainly experience, do we not, dear brother and sister, how the world is around us.

We live in this world and we are a part of this world in this sense that we all, in our calling, some of you we have school, we have work, and so forth. But we are not of this world in a spiritual sense.

How are we different? Is it not in this way that we are able to have our sins forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus? That we do not partake of the things of this world. Many of the things that wound our conscience. We do not live of a list of do's and don'ts. We travel endeavoring to keep faith in the good conscience.

This is a good reminder for us that we are not of this world. John and his epistle relates of this and instructs of this in the first epistle of John. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him.

He goes on to remind for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

This is a good reminder for us even as believers for you young people especially experience the temptations even of the world here. Pressure to conform perhaps to dress like those in the world not all of course dress in sinful manners but we know that when we see this in our lives that so many do.

You young ladies have even these temptations to dress in a way that of the flesh with revealing clothing and so forth that is the way of many in the world but this isn't in harmony with the instruction from God's kingdom.

Even amongst you young guys even there's pressure or even temptation to dress in like manner many young guys even in our time we see many with longer hair much longer hair perhaps even on this matter it is a concern.

One would then ask how are matters with you dear brother what is the God's word even teach us on these matters of our appearance in our speech in our dress and so forth.

Paul in his letter to Timothy touches on this let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the believers in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity be thou an example of the believers.

It would be our heart's desire that even in these matters dear young brothers and sisters that you would remember this that you'd want to dress modestly that you'd want to keep your hair trimmed to a modest length it's not a rule even here but you know yourself perhaps friends or family have asked and even in this area but it's with love not to drive you away but with love that we would want to have a modest appearance as believers.

Jesus related how we would want to let our light shine in the gospel of Matthew in that sermon on the mount we could even find that there part I don't remember specifically now in the sermon on the mount Jesus touched on spoke of and instructed and taught on many matters but he related in one part about being a light unto the world here in the fifth chapter of Matthew the fourteenth verse.

You're a light of the world a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

When we dress in a way that is similar to the world or we with our appearance we are not being this light but we are rather than conforming and we are not we are hidden under a bushel then blending in.

It is not that we would stand out on a corner either and broadcast but that as fruits of faith we would be modest in our appearance and not be of this world.

Jesus related that we are not of the world this is a reminder for us earlier in this gospel of John also he spoke how the world hated him here in the 15th chapter.

If the world hate you you know that it hated me before it hated you. If he were of the world the world would love his own but because you are not of the world I have chosen you out of the world and therefore the world hated you.

Remember the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater than his lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you if they have kept my thing they will keep yours also but all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake because they know not him that sent me.

We feel the pull of this world certainly dear brother and sister do we not in our own flesh the enemy of souls they team up and we fall so often but even here this morning you can yet be uplifted and comforted that even here in these fallings sins can be forgiven sins are forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus.

Leave all your sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood.

We have a good and a gracious heavenly father and we wait for a better place. We are on a journey that leads one day to the homeland shores of heaven. Our time is not here in this world our time awaits one day there in heaven.

So we must continue to battle in faith to strive to believe and when matters come up when sin comes on the heart and conscience let us go to a brother or sister a trusted escort in faith and care for those matters in the name and blood of Jesus.

This is our source of strength dear fellow traveler and we are not left to travel of our own power or strength. We know we would all be lost if it were this way.

We have the good shepherd our Lord Jesus the perfect shepherd he cares for even the smallest lambs he prays here to the heavenly father even that I pray not that thou should take them out of the world but that thou should keep them from evil.

This is the prayer that our Lord Jesus has had on our behalf dear brother and sister that we would be kept from evil.

I don't know how it's been for you but many times for me to wonder we can doubt and am I even yet believing does God yet even remember me will I reach the destination.

We can trust in the surety and the truth of God's word Jesus prayed on our behalf here and God hears our prayers God heard Jesus prayer he hears every prayer even the smallest sigh.

So though we are many times tempted and tried for our faith as believing families with large families for many whom God has granted many children even here we feel the can feel sometimes the persecution or the ridicule from the world questions that do you haven't you figured out where such little ones come from or how you can stop these little ones.

And of course with our own mind and our flesh we could respond that yes we know that we could take matters into our own hands as many in the world have this is according to the mind of man but this is not leaving matters with God as the creator allowing him to give as he sees fit.

And this isn't easy for us in our world and in the time that we live many of you young couples will face this and middle aged couples and so forth all families having children and this temptation doesn't go away until one grows past this stage of child birth.

But here even we can pray for God's strength that God would give obedience to us as parents in this time of our life that he would help us and guide us even here.

And you grandmas and grandpas who have been through these years already serve as an example to us with families and how God has helped you here that he will truly help us younger ones.

And as we notice God hears our prayers the world also for you young dear single ones would call and would beckon perhaps to seek a spouse there from the world but even these matters we would want to leave in God's hands that we wouldn't seek a spouse from the world this isn't according to God's word but that he would give strength and contentment even in this area if there would for you precious ones yet single that he would help you and keep you in faith.

Also sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth. This is a living and unchanging word God's word.

And Jesus earlier in this gospel of John also related how he is the way the truth and the life. His disciples have been questioning Jesus to show us the way and Jesus went on to preciously remind them.

Thomas was there we remember Thomas how he was one who at that time in his life had experienced those heavy doubts and said that unless he could see and touch the nail prints in Jesus hand and touch his side that he wouldn't believe but here he was questioning an honest question from he wanted to know.

In the 14th chapter Jesus had told his disciples let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you.

And he went on to continue and then Thomas asked him Lord we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way.

These thoughts I'm sure have come to us from time to time the enemy souls would wish us to doubt that is this really God's kingdom is this really the way.

How did Jesus answer Thomas? I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me.

I am the way the truth and the life through our Lord Jesus dear brother and sister is our pathway open to heaven through the blood that he shed he gave his life for us and we are able to be cleansed we are able to wash our garments our journey garments in his name and blood and in this way we are given strength yet continue believing.

Be uplifted this morning and comforted be encouraged that your way yet continues heavenward believe all sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood in Jesus name amen.

Let us close our morning service this morning in closing benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make 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 of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Song 482: O Father, oh Father, bless my time of spring with love eternal fire and warm my heart with rays of grain, uplift me when I tire.