Services/Sermon in Cokato 06.05.2018

We will yet continue our services this day. In Jesus' name, with that prayer that God would continue to open His Word unto us as He has this day. It seems such a blessing. God has given us these songs and hymns of Zion where we can thank and praise God.

That tune that we had just sung, I had never heard before, but it is so beautiful. The words and songs of Zion comfort us. And when we have this joy, it's as if our heart wants to thank God and these songs help us.

I thought I would read a text from Psalms in the 84th chapter. It is the first four verses. And I'll read these words in Jesus' name. Amen.

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be praising thee, Selah. Amen. Amen.

This text came to my mind as God's Word was opened in our last service of our brother. When he spoke of heaven and he spoke of this congregation of God, this fellowship of the believing people, and our heart rejoices. My spirit has rejoiced to be in the hearing of God's Word, and I've been uplifted.

And so this psalm came to my mind and my heart: How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God.

Our Heavenly Father knows what each of us needs. He knows what I need. He knows what you need. And it is these times when we can gather together around His Word and hear His Word spoken and hear the unity of speech through the Spirit.

Doesn't it bring such joy to our hearts? And we can echo the psalm, hear the song of the psalm writer: Father, I have felt this, and I'm sure you have, that our soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God.

And God gives us this place where we can go to be strengthened, where we can come and hear. And the Word goes forth, even as it says in Isaiah. And God blesses it.

We were even visiting about that portion, and maybe I'll read it since it comes to my mind if I can find that place in Isaiah in the 55th chapter, how the Word of God goes forth and it does not return void.

This is the way the Spirit works, that God knows what each of us needs and He feeds us. He comforts us through His Word. And it brings comfort as a servant of the Word to know that it is God's work.

We are mouthpieces. We are servants. We do as we are told. We preach the Word, but it is made alive by the Holy Spirit.

As it says here in the 55th chapter of Isaiah, Isaiah, and we'll read the 11th verse:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

It is a comforting message in a comforting matter that we can trust in this, that the Spirit works in the congregation in God's Zion.

And that we are like these, this psalm writer writes, we are like these sparrows that have found a house and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

God has given us this spiritual dwelling place here on the earth, even though it speaks in the Bible that here we have no continuing city, but it is a haven. It is a rest stop.

We can be like that Keith's son who sat down there and rested for a while on the journey when we can come to services and hear God's Word and be fed through the Spirit.

And it is such a blessing that God has given us this where we can come and where He can feed us, and it is a good place to be.

Such a blessing God has given us this congregation, this cloud of witnesses, this group of believers where we can live and dwell.

And He has even given you, you, younger adults, even those precious cloud of witnesses, those classmates or those friends. Those are a great blessing from God.

God has given you children, many of you, brothers and sisters. He has given many of us spouses. He has given us those who can help us get to heaven.

And how do we help each other get to heaven? We want to speak about the way and the journey, warn each other of sin, correct each other even as Keith said and brought forth in love, and preach the gospel one to another, help each other get to heaven.

These friends that God has given us are so precious, and we cannot get to heaven on our own, but we need this flock of believers.

And it even brings to my mind, and I had thought about it last night during the discussion, but it kind of went away, but this was such a picture and a lesson to me.

What are one of these activities that we had done at a confirmation school a couple summers ago at Stoney Lake where we had like, like we've heard already today, we had a journey that we had to take from one place to another, from the staff cabin to the boys' dorm on that one side.

And we had to go maybe a hundred yards or something, and we are each given a candle representing our faith.

And the little children there were little children with us. They were given a big candle, faith of a child.

And my immediate thought when I had to go from point A to point B, make it to heaven over there in this example, they had set the enemy out to try to blow out our candles as we walk.

And my immediate thought, and it came from my mind, I, I, I going, going to run all alone, way around, no one is going to catch me.

But then I realized, what if my candle goes out? No one there to be it.

So you know how we travel, we put the young child in the middle with the big candle and we gathered all around him and we held our candles close together.

And then when the winds came and they tried to blow out the candles, we were able to travel and we made it together.

It was a picture for me that we need each other.

And so when our candle is flickering and we have our doubts and we fall into sin as we often do, we can turn to one another and get our candles relit.

Preach the gospel one to another, and then the candle of faith burns bright and we continue traveling.

We don't want to go off on our own, our own understanding. We want to listen to the voice of the Spirit, hear what the Spirit says unto the churches as it says.

Continue traveling with the flock of believers, trusting in the Mother and our loving Heavenly Father.

Father.

And the last verse here says that blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee.

We are so blessed, so fortunate to live, to dwell in God's house. It is His kingdom here on this earth.

And we are a traveling flock, and we are, as it's even been brought out and the thought had come to my mind, we are traveling toward heaven.

Let us keep the destination in our hearts and in our minds.

That is why we endeavor in faith, why we want to fight the good fight of faith.

Of course, the strength does not come of our own, but may God give us this heart and mind that we would always be looking toward that destination.

As it is often said, let's not look down at our feet which are dirty from the journey. Let's keep our gaze toward heaven, to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus, who has gone before us, who has prepared the way.

And another text that had come to my mind, and we can read that about heaven, it says in John in the 14th chapter:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; and where I am, there ye may be also.

And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

We know Jesus went before us to heaven, and He has left with us that teacher, that Holy Spirit, who will guide us, who will show us the way even through the troubling times.

And I have come to my heart and my mind sometimes also that picture of the Old Testament travelers where the cloud led them during the day and a pillar of fire led them by night.

Even in the dark times, God will lead us through His Spirit. He will not leave us alone. He will be with us.

May we trust in Him because we want to go there to heaven. That is our destination. That is our goal.

You probably have friends, maybe even spouses, those you know who have gone to heaven who died in faith.

I want to go there, and we have the assurance through God's Word that by faith we will get to heaven.

But it is a battle, and we have instructions, and we could even read in Ephesians that portion also came to my mind when we speak of this battle and this way that we travel.

It says in this way, and God's Word is so precious, and there are so many portions in God's Word that teach us so preciously, that it says in this way about the journey:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It is a battle, and we are told to stand, not to lie down, to stand. That is the way in a battle one fights.

We need to continue.

And it tells us here, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about you with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

When we believe, we have faith. We believe our sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood. That's what quenches the fiery darts that the enemy throws at us, these sins that we fall into.

But by faith, this shield of faith, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

And we have noticed in Bible class, and we have had this in our discussions, what is the weapon? All of the other things that in the armor of God are for defense, the shield of faith.

But what is the weapon? It is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, the Word that is made alive through the Spirit.

It is important for us to read God's Word to see what it says in the Bible, but above all that God's Word would be made quick and alive through the Holy Spirit.

There are many in this world that read the Bible and know it from cover to cover, but if they don't have the Holy Spirit, the Word does not open unto them.

That's what makes God's kingdom different, God's love.

I once came home from school and I said, this boy in my class, he seems like he's a believer. He said all the right things, and I was confused.

Do you know what my mom told me in this simple way? She said, he doesn't have the Holy Spirit.

That was a good teaching that my mom had for me.

That's what makes the Word alive, the Spirit, and that's what we have as God's children, this Holy Ghost that gives us the power to preach sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood, which gives us strength on the way.

This faith will carry us one day to heaven to be there with those that have gone before.

And even we can have that boldness of faith, that when even as Paul wrote to Timothy, if I can find that place where he said, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course.

I'm not finding it here. I thought I had marked it, but I think it was in Timothy.

He had this confidence of faith.

And we, dear brother and sister, God's Word assures, even though we are often weak, we have this, we can have this boldness that even Paul had, that when we die by God's grace believing our sins forgiven by faith, we will get to heaven and join those saints, those who have died in faith, those who have gone before.

So continue, dear brother and sister, to fight this fight of faith.

God will give us strength. He gives us strength through the power of the gospel.

And that is the gospel that belongs again, even though it's been preached many times this weekend, we don't tire of it.

Let us never tire of the gospel.

You can believe yet again all of your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood unto peace, freedom, and joy.

And this being my last turn of service here, I would ask that you remember us in prayer in Seattle.

Remember me, this duty, and all brothers this duty that God has given us to serve.

May we serve with those gifts that God has given us, but may we always remember that it is God's work and that His Word is made alive through the Holy Spirit.

And I yet in closing ask that I could yet believe my students forgive.

It's been good to be here with you, fellowship of God's children, and I thank you for your kindness and love in Jesus' name. Amen.

Time. Thank you.