Services/Sermon in Cokato 16.09.2018

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten this evening in thanksgiving and prayer.

Holy and righteous God, our dear Heavenly Father, as we have come once again, dear Father, to gather around Your holy and unperishing Word, we come desiring to thank You for this day. And we desire to thank You for the many, many blessings that You have blessed us with in this temporal life wherein we dwell. We thank You for our homes and our families and the work that You provide for us, dear Father, and all those blessings that You have given unto us. For we know, dear Father, that all these gifts and blessings come from Your Almighty Hand.

But above all these temporal blessings, dear Father, we desire to lift up our humble thanks for this greatest blessing of all blessings, this gift of living faith, which You have given unto us as a free gift by and through Your dear Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, we ask that You would continue to keep us as little children, desiring to dwell here in Your precious Kingdom, where we are fed with Your mercy and grace. Dear Father, remember those who are struggling with difficulties in this life. Remember those who have so recently lost loved ones. Comfort and uplift them in their time of trial. Give unto them reason to rejoice. For their names are also written in that Lamb's Book of Life there in Heaven.

Dear Father, we come again before Your holy face and holy word, desiring to ask again of Your blessing. Give us this evening as You see good at this time unto Your honor and glory. And we enclose all our thoughts and prayers in that perfect prayer Your dear Son 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.

Before reading the text for this evening, dear brother and sister, I wish to bring you many, many greetings of love and God's peace from the children of God there in Toronto where I was this past weekend. And they wish that their greetings be brought here and many special greetings as well. And they remember us here. Amen.

We were not here this morning, but had that opportunity to listen online. And God has given us a great gift there where if we aren't able to be here gathered at the services with God's children, we can still tune in and listen online. God's care for us is amazing.

But I thought, even continuing on that theme that our dear brother spoke from this morning, where it speaks about Jesus gives life, I thought we would read the Epistle text set aside for this Sunday. It may not even be on this calendar year. I'm not even sure. But it's found in 2 Corinthians 4. And we'll read verses 7-14.

With that prayer that God would open His Word as He sees good at this time. The words are in Jesus' name as follows.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken. We also believe, and therefore speak, knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you. Amen.

Coming here before you, dear brother and sister, I come with my own doubts and fears and ask if you can bless me with that gospel.

This portion of God's Word that we read was written by the Apostle Paul as a letter to the Corinthians. We know Paul had experienced many things in his life. Before his conversion, he was one that persecuted the believers for how they believed God. But God approached him on that road to Damascus where he was blinded by that great light which was Jesus, and there he was led to the grace fountains where he received the forgiveness of his sins.

God had a plan for him and God had gifted him with many gifts and he did that work that he was asked to do in God's precious kingdom. Paul understood that this gift that was given unto him was exactly this: a gift. Only by and through the grace of God was he able to own this gift in his heart.

And dear brother and sister, it's the same way with us. We have done nothing on our own part to merit such a gift. This gift of faith which we own in our hearts. But God has called us to be one of His children.

Take care of this gift, dear brother and sister. It's a gift that the human mind cannot even begin to comprehend. But by and through that Spirit of God that dwells within those who believe, we are able to comprehend only in part what a precious gift we have. But we live with this living hope of heaven one day.

This portion that we read, the apostle Paul spoke of this treasure and he says that but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. We dwell here on earth with a sin-corrupt body but yet we are found perfect before God when we endeavor to believe and endeavor to put sin away when it besets.

This is that earthen vessel that the apostle Paul speaks of. There is nothing good in it here. It is sin-corrupt but yet we have a gift inside it and it says here that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. That is how it is. That has nothing to do with our own strength, our own power that we are able to believe.

When we think about even this, dear brother and sister, where would we be without God? We wouldn't even be able to take one breath without God, would we? And it is God that has begun this good work in us, this faith that He has gifted us with. And we war against the enemy of souls. That is our battle here.

There comes many times in our lives where we might receive persecution or be made fun of in some way by the way we believe. The Apostle Paul had experienced many experiences after his conversion and how he was even beat to the point of death because of how he believed.

And he writes here that we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed.

We have a good God, dear brother and sister. A God that wants to care for us. Come what may come in this life, God cares for us.

The Apostle Paul, he spoke of those persecutions that he received. In the 11th chapter of 2nd Corinthians, he writes here that of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes, save one. If he had been beaten at one more stripe, it would have been death for him. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I have been in the deep in journeys, often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

We know the Apostle Paul experienced many, many persecutions and trials. But he had this, what he spoke of here, which you and I have, always remembering the mark that is before us, where Jesus continues to give life, even when we're at our weakest moment.

Maybe we have fallen into sin. Whatever the matter may be, there God is calling to come this way. This is where we are reminded as the Holy Scriptures tell us that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this here, and he says in our red text, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

How is this possible, dear brother and sister? Only possible by and through believing our sins forgiven. Then we remember that suffering and death that Jesus endured. Remembering that resurrection Easter morning where he was victorious over hell and death for you and I.

Dear brother and sister, we always want to remember this as we heard in our text that we bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

The apostle Paul in Galatians spoke of those fruits of the Spirit and he spoke what those fruits are: but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Then he continued there and said, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

So how do we do this, dear brother and sister? We do this only by and through believing our sins forgiven. We are unable to walk this life here on earth without sin, but dear brother and sister, it's important when we are endeavoring in faith, endeavoring and living in faith, that we put sins away when they beset. That's the endeavor.

We battle daily against the threefold enemy, just as the Apostle Paul battled. But as the Apostle Paul wrote, this battle was worth it. Nothing could be compared to what awaits us there in heaven.

I'm sure when we read these in our red text, how he writes that we are troubled on every side yet not distressed. We are perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken. Cast down but not destroyed.

It's amazing when we think about this. I'm sure everyone here could think about examples in their lives where they have received personal persecution for how they believe. I know I have. And by and through the power of God He has kept me in His care.

Sometimes these persecutions are hard. But yet remember, dear brother and sister, that this gift of faith that we own is the most precious gift. It doesn't matter what's happening around us. It doesn't matter what people say. What matters is if we're found believing on that last day when we can lay down our travel staff.

And it hasn't been your experience where even in those times God has cared for you. Maybe He's given you words to speak to confess your faith. In this way even the enemy tempts us, even by those who come to us in this world in some way, shape or form to try to persecute us or the way we believe.

But dear brother and sister, it's a worthwhile battle. Continue in this battle. Continue to put sins away when they beset. God.

And even now you can uplift your hearts and believe all of your sins and doubts of the journey forgiven. In Jesus' name and precious blood.

We have a good God. A God that wants each and every one of us to attain that reward there in heaven. And He has promised that He will not forsake us.

How has it been? God has been there every day for us, hasn't He? When we have needed that grace, when we have needed to put sins away, has God not been there? He's been there every time we have needed it.

He is a loving heavenly Father that wants us to make it to heaven's glory. He has gifted us with this gift of faith, dear brother and sister. A gift that with God's help we will be able to hold on to and gain that eternal victory.

It says, For we having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believed and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you.

This is the only way possible, isn't it? Is by and through the name and blood of Jesus we are heaven acceptable. No other way but by and through believing that message.

It's a simple way, dear brother and sister. But Jesus Himself said, I have hid these things from the wise and prudent. There are many in this world that believe they have to do something. Christ has done the work. All we need to do is believe it and endeavor putting sin away when it besets.

And when believing this way there is that peace in our hearts. That Spirit assures us that we are children of God. We are on the right road that leads to heaven's glory.

And may God preserve each and every one of us in that place. Remain in this battle. It is a good battle where Jesus gives life by and through the suffering and death and the resurrection there on that third day.

So be comforted this evening, dear brother and sister. Hold on to this precious gift. It's a treasure that we can't even begin with our own mind to comprehend. But may God keep us in the place of a child, believing our own sins forgiven.

In Jesus' name and precious blood. Uplift your hearts, dear brother and sister, and believe all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood. In Jesus' name and always blessed name. Amen.

Let us quieten our hearts in closing 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 of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen.