Services/Sermon in Rockford 19.08.2018

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us thank and pray.

Righteous God, our own dear Heavenly Father, we want to join our minds and hearts and voices together to thank and praise you for your goodness, faithfulness, wisdom, grace. You are all in all for us. You have granted so many blessings unto us. You have protected us and blessed us in so many ways that we cannot enumerate them.

Dear God, now when we start reading your word, we humbly ask that you would bless our gathering. Amen. Please open our minds and hearts to believe, to receive, and keep what you graciously will give unto us tonight. We pray.

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.

I will read from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, Jesus' words from 19 to 24. Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me, O my Father, and no man knoweth who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son. And he to whom the Son will reveal him.

And he turned him unto his disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them. Amen.

Jesus had sent seventy disciples to preach the kingdom of heaven. And they had made their rounds and returned joyfully because God had blessed the work. In that connection, Jesus spoke unto them. There were seventy that he sent, and in the latter part it seems that he spoke to his disciples only. But Jesus spoke to the believers of the gifts which God gives to his own. He spoke of his protection. He spoke of how many blessings and what kind of blessings God has given unto us.

Our text started with this promise of the heavenly power. It is so interesting in one way contrary and the other way very logical. When Jesus said when he sent his disciples he once said that I will send you like sheep into the pack of wolves, which of course is an impossible situation. We understand how one wolf could hurt many sheep. There is no such a big sheepfold that they could battle against even one wolf.

And now Jesus says that I will send you as few sheep amongst a huge pack of wolves, which we all understand does not make sense or is kind of unnatural. They cannot survive. And that's how we find ourselves, don't we? We're weak. We're tempted oftentimes and doubting and we constantly fall into sin so often that the enemy oftentimes teases and tempts us saying that wouldn't it be better if you gave up your faith? That you are an eyesore in God's kingdom. You're the weakest one. You only cause hurt and harm to God's kingdom and for sure to God. That's what the enemy says.

And the truth is that we are sinners. But where would you go? There is no better place for a sinner than the kingdom of grace. This is the place for sinners to encourage, embolden, help, and give advice to the other sinners. We together struggle, we share our sorrows, our pains, and our joys because we do not need to battle with our own strength. If we would, we couldn't.

So this text is kind of a text of extremes because it describes what we are in the eyes of God. Jesus said that God has hid the matters of faith from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes. Again two extremes. Those who are wise and who are something, God has hid the matters of faith. It's God who hides them. It's God's decision. As Jesus said he thanked God that you saw it good to do it that way. And who are we to change it? And how could we change it if we even wouldn't like it? It is as it is.

These matters, the matters of faith, do not open based on wisdom. It's very clearly said in the Bible in many places, especially 1 Corinthians comes to my mind. You remember how Paul preached in Athens, in the cradle of human civilization of that time. It was a time when great mathematicians worked there, when great philosophers worked there, those whose work even now is being taught in schools. So they laid a foundation in many ways for human wisdom, which we admire.

Men were together. But it didn't lead to faith. It only led to human wisdom in kind of enriching the human life, which in itself is good, but it does not save anyone. So human wisdom can never reach that high that he would understand God's lowly, simple wisdom. It's again two extremes.

God is so big that he doesn't need to show off. He does not need to be someone. He is someone. As we prayed, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God's will happens in heaven. Whatever God wants, it happens. He doesn't need to ask. He just tells it and it happens. And so it should be here amongst us. We should obey God's will. We should honor and love him from the bottom of our hearts that we want to obey his will.

And that approach or that perspective shows us the wisdom or reveals unto us the wisdom of God and his majesty and might. So Jesus said that he will give us power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. So what does it mean? I would say it means this: that the enemy cannot take and steal away our faith.

Although the enemy has powers which we cannot even dream about, the enemy of the souls is a fallen angel. He wanted to be like God. He was a powerful figure in the host of heavens. And he wanted to become bigger. And because of envy he started battling against God. And he was thrown down from heaven after the battle.

So we should never underestimate the power of the enemy of the souls. We should never think that I can easily handle the temptations. But God has given us power to battle against them. And what is that power? Again these extremes come when this power of God flows in this lowly simple message of the forgiveness of sins. It's nothing in human eyes puffy or great or magnificent. It's the preaching of the forgiveness of sins.

I know that along with me you have experienced that numerous times. When you have been hit down with sin you have felt the pain and the pangs of wounded conscience and you have wondered how did it happen to me? How did I fall into this sin? I feel so bad. I feel so weak. And when the gospel has been preached it's like salve of the soul that has been poured on your wounded conscience and it has healed it. The peace and the joy and the new hope has come into your hearts and you have thanked God for his goodness and for his forgiveness.

That is how these extremes battle constantly. It's like waves or tide going back and forth. With God dear brothers and sisters everything is possible even that we will make it to heaven. It is possible with us I would say nothing is impossible faith wise. Of course in temporal life we do this and that but even that we should with wisdom say if God so wills.

Whatever plans we make now the school year is starting soon and I would say to you young folks who are busy making plans for your lives it is wisdom after you have made your plans to say in your hearts, "Thy will be done." God lead and guide, you know it best, you know if these plans are good for me, you know what is in store for me, you know what's behind the corner, please prepare me for that.

And oftentimes we who have lived longer when we look back we see God's mighty wisdom in his power, how he has guided us well. Isn't that so brothers and sisters? God has guided our life so well we couldn't have done it better. And if I would say if we could accept his plan on the first try we would save much sorrow from ourselves.

I'll give you one example when Lot was in Sodom and the men of God came to him and brought him the message from God they said escape and flee for your life and go unto the mountains and live there. For Lot it didn't seem like a good plan. He did not fight against it I don't say that but he pleaded to God that would it be possible that he would flee into the little city of Zoar. It is such a small place he could please flee there and live there.

It seemed to his eyes like a better place and God allowed him so he fled to Zoar and that city was spared for his sake but the ungodly people in Zoar didn't understand that he lived there. And of course we understand at that time and that life there was nomadic lifestyle they lived off the land and when he had to flee from Sodom he had to leave his fields, his olive trees, whatever he had there he had to leave everything behind.

So when he went there of course he could only carry with him what he was able to carry and with that he started kind of new life, new phase in his life in Zoar and of course it means that he had to find a lodging, he built a house, he possibly bought new fields, started making fields and so on and so forth. He lived there for a few years and then being a believer these unbelievers around him became impatient and unhappy with him and they said to him that you came here and now you want to be a leader of us or superior over us. They didn't like about it and he had to flee from there and guess where he went to the mountains, the place that God had told him from Sodom.

He would have spared much work, much vain work. It was just a vain few years, much work that he caused on himself because he did not accept God's plan. Of course I understand that I don't understand all ins and outs of that but that's my understanding and if I'm wrong it wouldn't be the first time that's my understanding that if he had accepted God's plan and went into the mountain to live there at the very start he would have spared much futile work for himself.

So now when Jesus gave this power unto the disciples he said nothing shall by any means hurt you. In Psalm 91 the enemy of the souls used pretty much this promise against Jesus. You remember when Jesus was tempted and one of the temptations was that the enemy said to Jesus to jump down from a pinnacle of the temple and it because the temple was built on top of the mountain that was flattened so that the drop was I would say maybe 30 feet or something like that.

We all understand that if somebody would jump down from there if you would climb up to the ceiling of the church on the roof I mean and I would jump down from there you would hurt yourself and would it be wise to do that would you think it would be good to think that oh yeah maybe God will allow his angels to protect me. Jesus said to the enemy of the souls, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

What does it mean? Of course this is a spiritual picture. How could we jump spiritually from a high cliff and put our trust in a wrong way into the hands of God? If we start going to places where the temptation is available we put ourselves into danger especially you young people it's very important that you don't begin to play with fire. Don't go into the places where you know there are dangers.

If you start circling around the places of movie theaters or places where people consume alcohol or you know there are drugs available or whatnot you put yourself in danger. It's like standing on a pinnacle at the temple and the enemy says just go God will protect you. This protection of God does not mean that we can tempt God.

If God gives us power to tread on scorpions and serpents it does not mean that it's okay for us to put ourselves in danger. We're tempting God with that.

And then Jesus said do not rejoice that the spirits are subject unto you. These 70 disciples were 35 pairs of ministers who had traveled and kept, we could say, kept services. They went to villages and spoke the message of God's kingdom. They told them according to the advice of Jesus the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you repent and believe the gospel.

That was the text that Jesus gave to every one of those 35 pairs of ministers. They preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. They did not preach some kind of a generic good message of God. They preached very specific message, the message of forgiveness of sins.

And the spirits were subject unto them. God blessed the trip there were repentances and I know from a personal experience how good it feels when I've been on mission trips and there have been people who have wanted to believe. It feels very good especially when you see the joy and the new freedom and the love which God gives to those who repent.

If you have seen a repentance you don't need to doubt if this is God's kingdom or not or if this gospel message which is just a few weak words from our mouths if they carry divine power or not. They do. This gospel is a living message from God and it gives what it promises. It forgives sins. It frees this person from the bondage of sin. It lifts a huge load from their shoulders, from their consciences when God forgives them their sins.

I've seen it enough times and it's always a very joyful experience. But do not rejoice at that said Jesus. So what should we rejoice of? Because your names are written in heaven. Do you understand that your name is written in heaven in the book of life? Your own name is written there and that's the book which will be opened on the last day and every name which will be found there will be written aloud and every one of those will be granted a permission to go into the glory of heaven.

Your name is there. Who wrote it there? I don't know the exact procedure but I say simply God took care of that. It's God's book. How it happens in heaven I don't care but I'm thankful to know that my name is there. How can it be taken away? What is the power that can take it away? I will say simply unforgiven sin.

Unforgiven sin leads into the world. What is unforgiven sin? God is full of grace, he's full of mercy and he wants us to believe our sins forgiven. When we fall into sin the spirit of God warns us before and testifies or witnesses when we fall into that and then it starts reminding us. We feel the wounded conscience. It's the work of God's Holy Spirit that he reminds us from that sin and encourages us to put the sin away.

Unforgiven sin is the sin that I know that bothers me and I refuse to put it away. I can't explain it any better. I know and I humbly admit that this mystery of forgiving sins is too much for me. I can't dig any deeper but if some sin bothers me let me ask instead of explaining it why wouldn't I speak about that if it bothers me if it hurts me if I feel it why wouldn't I talk about that? That is what Bible calls repentance.

There are two kinds of definitions for repentance: repentance from unbelief that's different but now I'm talking repentance of sin, repentance from sin. If a sin bothers me why wouldn't I talk about that and ask to hear the gospel? Have you experienced this? I know you have. You know what I'm talking about. I don't need to be able to explain any better. You know what I'm talking about. You know the gift of God. You know the peace, the joy, love, freedom, whatever God pours into this wounded heart. It's a salve of our soul and we thank God for it and we keep it in honor because it is the gift of God.

And then Jesus said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent. How is it possible that the wise and prudent cannot understand this? This should be so simple. This should be so easy to understand that God is God of forgiveness and he has given us this gift of asking for forgiveness and believing it forgiven as often as we feel the need. It shouldn't be a mystery. It's very straightforward and simple, is it? I think it is.

But for some reason the enemy of the souls wants to mix this mystery of faith and put all kinds of extra questions in between these truths of God, unnecessary troubling hurtful questions. If we start battling with those, if we demand to understand, are we demanding to become wise and prudent? What does prudent mean? Does it mean that the person who gets things done, go get something that they're good at and they have strength to do it, they're willing to do it? Is that being prudent?

So if someone is wise they understand and they're prudent that they get things done. Believing should be very simple but it is not. God has hid this mystery of faith from those people. Is it unfair? I don't think so. I think if that would be the case only the wisest, only the most noble people could believe. The weak ones couldn't at all. They would have no hope.

Now wise and prudent can, if they choose, if they accept to humble themselves with us to be like babes. I know many wise and prudent people in God's kingdom and I marvel at their gifts but they have humbled themselves. They don't go by their human wisdom. They push that aside and they believe.

So I think that's more fair to everybody that even those fools, those who have little faith have hope because it is this way and not the other way around. And Jesus says even so Father for it seemed good in thy sight. God did everything right. God is just. I don't know what all this just means but this is my simple understanding of God's justness that he's even with everybody. He does not give someone more and someone less.

It may appear to us in our human sight that for instance life is easier for someone and more difficult for the other but I bet that the reason why it appears to us that way is that we don't know all the facts. We don't have all the variables because this God has innumerable amount of variables that he can move, change to make everything even I think because God is just, he is wise, he is good, he is full of love, he is not partial, he treats everybody fairly.

So if the enemy comes to you and says that it's so much easier for someone else don't go there. That's a seed of bitterness. It's like a grain of salt into your soul thrown and it doesn't come from God it comes from the enemy. Don't believe it. Push it away immediately. Don't compare. Don't think that it's so much easier with the others. It's so much better with the others. The enemy never gives the full picture, never ever. So don't believe.

And then Jesus said all things are delivered to me and my Father and no man knoweth who the Son is but the Father and who the Father is but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him. So Jesus can reveal God to whomever he wants to. God hides these things from the wise and prudent and Jesus reveals himself and God to the babes.

Clear God so it is good to be a babe. It is very wise to be humble, to be of little faith, to accept to be of little faith because God loves you because of that reason. If you accept, if you admit that that's my situation God loves you and cares for you.

Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see. Blessed are the eyes of faith. By faith we see. These matters are hid from the wise and the prudent. Wise and prudent cannot see. If God hides something it's hidden. Nobody can see things which are hid from them by God. But God can reveal.

Blessed are the eyes that see and blessed are the ears that hear. You hear what I speak. Do you believe? You decide. If there are two messages which are being spoken you have to decide if those are opposing. You have to decide which one of them you like. You cannot believe them both if they disagree with one another.

You have to. If you try to be neutral you are in no man's land. And the old warfare everybody knew that's the most dangerous place. These both parties shoot through it. No man's land doesn't exist in spiritual battles. And we are in the battle. We battle in ourselves against ourselves. We battle outside to this world. We battle against the enemy of the souls.

And there's turmoil in God's kingdom. So there's lots of battles. Don't stay in no man's land. Beg and pray to God that you would not be counted as wise and prudent. That God would not hide the matter of faith from your eyes. That you could be one of those of whom Jesus says blessed are your eyes because they see.

That you could see God's kingdom that you would not see a group of people but you would see God's kingdom. What makes a group of people to become God's kingdom? Their savior. The king of the kingdom. Jesus Christ who is with them. Who helps them. Because they need much help. Because they are weak and sinful. And they have little understanding. They are not wise and prudent. But they are babes. They need much help. And they receive much help from Jesus.

And God does not hide God's kingdom from them but opens their eyes to see and their ears to hear.

The theme for this Sunday is Jesus our healer. He healed many blind people and deaf people. He opened their eyes to see and their ears to hear. And if you see and hear that this is God's kingdom, blessed are you. Because then you don't hear a lacking human but you hear God. And God's message is pure and precious. And it is this: Uplift your heart and believe your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And if you believe it, if you accept it, God forgives you your sins. What better can we ask for? That's all that we need. Can I believe my sins forgiven? I want to believe together with you. In Jesus' name, Amen.