Services/Sermon in LLC Summer Services in Rockford 01.07.2006 02.00 pm UTC

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we will continue our services this afternoon with that continuing prayer of heart that the Heavenly Father, the Giver of all blessings and gifts, would continue to bless His Word.

And brothers and sisters, we know that unless God opens His Word, and unless He blesses His Word, His Word is not spoken. And so when we, at these services of God's children, gather, we truly ask that the Heavenly Father would bless according to His will.

And I will read for a text from the 10th chapter of John. It's a very familiar portion of God's Word. It is the part that John has written and relates to us about the... They even tempt you with these new kind of microphones. The familiar portion of God's Word is in the 10th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. And I will read beginning with the 7th verse.

Then Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. For by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in faith, I with joy bring you the loving greetings of God's children from our small flock of believers there in Colorado. Most of us will be here this weekend enjoying the services that you brothers and sisters here in the Rockford, Colorado, and Minneapolis area have planned and have promised to host. And we already thank you for the diligence and the service of love that God has instilled in your hearts where you have served us so well, so that we as God's children can come to the hearing of his precious word. Many loving greetings from home.

But also more delayed, I was fortunate this winter to be given the opportunity to go to Finland as the servant from the United States to serve there in Finland. To enjoy the speakers' meetings there in Oulu and a short service trip then through Finland. And we experienced the great measure of love and the unity of spirit there in our sister congregations in that beautiful country of Finland.

It is a marvel, brothers and sisters, that the Heavenly Father has so perfectly, with seamless love and unity, kept his flock here upon earth as a place of refuge, as a place of comfort. And through our brothers, we have already heard so preciously how God has protected this kingdom and left this kingdom here on earth for the benefit of his children, but also for this, that the word of God would go forward and to call those who are on the outside of this kingdom. So, many loving greetings from there as well.

As you brothers and sisters can imagine, and surely you brothers in faith who have come to this place before me and who have turned after me know and experience the temptations and the doubts that one comes to this place of service with. And I would ask in the beginning that could I, for my doubts and temptations, can I already be reassured of that gospel? Can I have my sins forgiven? I promise to believe.

This parable, this story, this experience of which Jesus recorded, it speaks of God's kingdom. And it speaks of this kingdom in this way that it says that there is a sheepfold and there is a shepherd of this sheepfold. And it speaks of God's kingdom and the shepherds of this kingdom.

There are many children here, and as our brothers have already commented, and I also, I rejoice and I thank God that he has given to you children this kind of desire to be able to sit here and hear and listen to the sermons of God's kingdom. There are so many children here, I sometimes wonder where are the parents for these children. But isn't it a precious thing that this is the future of God's kingdom? And this is that which God has done. He has given all of these little ones to us to enjoy.

And with that comes this matter of teaching. And this matter of encouraging and raising these children that falls on the mothers and fathers, on the aunts and uncles, and to you dear and precious grandmothers and grandfathers. These children that God has placed into our midst are his own. And we have experienced many times in recent weeks and months how the psalmist says that the fruit of the womb is God's reward.

And so these children whom God has allowed life, and that's you children in the bleachers. You are those whom God has called. You are those whom God has given life. And you children are a part of this sheepfold. You are a part of this kingdom that God has placed here upon earth. And we've heard through our brothers already of this kingdom.

And this kingdom has a border and a boundary to where the Spirit of God reveals to those on the inside of the kingdom his will. But those on the outside are left without the guiding hand of our Heavenly Father. We don't understand with our human mind, really, how precious the matter this is.

We, as our brother has just spoken of this treasure, we have an earthly treasure. We have temporal blessings and treasures. But how do we compare that? And it is impossible, and I've tried many ways and many times to compare. What is this gift of faith and eternal life? And how does this measure? And how does it compare with those matters of eternity? I can't even approach this. And perhaps you brothers and sisters have had better luck than I have.

But my mind is so incapable of comprehending these matters of eternal life in heaven. What is it? And what waits for the child of God? We have heard at these services already how it is not always easy, in fact, seldom easy, to remain believing.

And I would ask you children, and there's many of you who probably even go to this school here in Monticello. You have friends at school and your classmates. Is it easy for you to remain as a child of God? Is it easy for you to admit to your friends? When I was your age, and we would have these kinds of summer services. Mom and Dad would ask that we would sit there in the chair and listen.

I have a boy now that fusses and worries that when Dad comes to speak, he's going to speak too long. And so I remember as a little boy that's the same kind of worry. That is, that minister is going to speak too long. But now as I've grown older, it's a very special matter for me that God has kept me as one of his children. And that he's even given me this opportunity to come here to these services that have been prepared, that I can be refreshed. And that I can be counted as one of these sheep of which John here has written. Of these sheep, of this sheepfold.

But it is not easy. And I'm sure you young ones can admit, and freely admit, that when you told your friends at school, or your friends in the neighborhood, that I'm going to go sit there in that gymnasium at Monticello High School and listen to the sermons that the ministers preach, they probably thought that you were quite silly. And when you told them, perhaps you didn't even tell them. I wouldn't have even had that kind of bravery to even tell my friends, but to quietly go to services.

But you know, when I was young, and I remember some of those old preacher brothers, and they would preach from this place, and they would remind the older ones. And then some of those older ones would raise their hand and ask for a blessing at services. And then the ministers would preach that gospel to them.

I would, as a little boy, wonder, and I would ask in my own heart, is it possible that maybe my sins could also be forgiven? So even now, today, in the beginning of this sermon, I would encourage, especially you beloved young ones, you little boys and you little girls, that you can believe your sins forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

This is the voice of the Good Shepherd. And this is the voice that calls.

We were recently in Colorado. We had an opportunity to take our little ones, the youth, into the mountains there. And we had a little youth camp. It's much different than Stoney or Haskin. We were there in the mountains. And in the morning, when we had our morning devotion, this matter of the sheep and the shepherd was the theme for the camp.

And we were having our morning devotion, and we sang a song in the morning. And as those little songbirds sang, the little children, the believing children sang, those birds in the trees sang with us. They chirped and they sang also that same message of joy to the Heavenly Father for the blessings and gifts of their life.

And in so many of the songs that we sang, in that song before this sermon, it speaks about how precious it is to be a child of God in this sheepfold.

But we also know that as much as we want to remain and as much as we desire to remain as a child of God, it's also this way that there's someone else that wants us for himself as well. And not only does God want your children to remain as his children, and he sent his son Jesus so that we can trust and believe in him, but so also does the enemy of souls, we call him the devil, we call him Satan, he wants you for himself as well.

And then he places all kinds of tricks in your pathway to make you stumble and fall, and only for one reason, so that you would become his.

And in this text it speaks of this kind of enemy, and it speaks of the devil. How does the enemy of souls approach? First of all, when we understand and believe that there is God's kingdom here upon earth, there is a group of believers, a group of people whom God has saved and given the grace gift of faith.

It is the brothers and sisters here this afternoon gathered, and it is those brothers and sisters in faith who are listening on the internet, and those who have accepted and been humbled unto repentance that I am now a child of God.

There are those who have come from the outside of God's kingdom as a grown man or woman, and have been granted that grace to believe. God's kingdom has approached them. The preaching of the gospel has gone forward, and they can then believe, and they have faith in their hearts.

Many others of you who have been much more fortunate have been granted a very special blessing. You children have been granted a very special blessing, and that is that you have been given a believing home in which to live. It probably won't be until we are in heaven that we will understand completely what a gift this was.

Those mothers and fathers whom God gave the responsibility to rear you with many prayers that would God protect you because they know that once you are a child of God in this kingdom and you are growing in faith, there is the enemy of souls who covets and wants your heart, and he wants you to follow after him and to go into the ways of the world.

We had a little exercise there, if you will, at camp, and I had the boys create and build the little sheepfold, and I brought some rope from home, and the boys then were diligent, and the girls were diligent in stringing the rope around some trees in the campground there, but we left one little opening so that we could go in and out of this sheepfold.

And once this sheepfold was built, then I called the little ones to come to the sheepfold and to be a part of now our kingdom. And we had a border, we had a boundary to this kingdom, and now we needed some sheep.

And so we called those little ones, and they came, and it was such a marvel to see how this worked. There were some of those rambunctious boys who wanted to go over the top of the wall. They didn't want to go through that door.

Nor did they want to go as the little ones. We had little ones that were, you know, second grade and third grade. And you know where those little second and third grade children went? They huddled together in the middle of this little sheepfold. There were four or five of those little ones. And they wanted to be protected there in the middle of this sheepfold.

Those big tough boys, those seventh, eighth grade boys, they were leaning on the edges of the ropes, and they were on the edges of this little sheepfold. And it is such a picture, is it not, of God's kingdom.

And even today, I would be, in fact, I will say, that there are some of you young people who have come to these services of God's children who have come with matters of sin on your conscience. This is the nature of this sin-corrupt man.

And you've sat here at services, I'm sure, with this thought that the minister preaches about this grace gift of forgiveness and sins are forgiven. But in my heart, there is sin. It is the devil who has done this. And it is the devil who has tempted you young ones that he has not approached you.

And the devil doesn't come. He didn't come into this assembly here today. He's here with us. I've felt him myself. And I'm sure you brothers and sisters have felt him. And he hasn't walked visibly down this center aisle, but he's here with us.

And he's come in very sly and evil and cunning ways. And he places into the hearts of you young children what's out there on the outskirts of town. What about those movie theaters or those... In the car we have radios and we can listen to the music of this world and he places all of these things as enticements for you, beloved young.

And he wants you to look not to this center of this sheepfold where the sheep of God's children are gathered, but rather to the outskirts and what can I, as a little boy or young man, a little girl or a young lady, what can I do as a child of God? I don't want to totally accept and believe that I want to walk and travel as one of those older ones who seemingly only listen always to the teaching of God's kingdom.

But I want to taste and test a little bit of what it is in that world that is there for me. He paints such a beautiful picture of sin. He doesn't label it as it is.

I asked the girls last night and I thought of this from time to time that how many of you knowingly would drive to the most evil parts of the city in Minneapolis and there are some very poor and difficult parts of the city. How many of you would knowingly drive to the center of that corruption and that danger and put yourself in that place?

When we go through those areas, I lock the door, my wife locks the door, and our children are very hasty to tell us that we shouldn't be here in this part of town. But we can very easily allow our minds and our hearts and our thoughts to go to those places that are evil and corrupt.

And the enemy of souls is so cunning that he uses all means and wherefore to try to snare God's children from the hand of our Heavenly Father.

He has given us a very wonderful tool, the Internet, and it's an important part of our life today. But also in that Internet there's guilt and there's sin. And who of you, especially you young people, and I as a male cannot say that I have not been tempted with this matter.

There has been a matter of grace and forgiveness for me to speak of these. And in some ways I think that would it have been better if this instrument or tool was never ever given? But it is so. And it is part of our society. And I don't think there's any way that we can remove ourselves from this.

So what is it then? It is a place of watching. It is a place where we would not go as we would not drive to those ugly parts of town where there's danger and where there's threats. Let us not either go to those places that would even be more hurtful. Not a temporal danger but a spiritual danger. A spiritual disaster if this faith that we have in our hearts.

And you little children who have this faith in your heart. If some way the enemy of souls was able to paint such a beautiful picture that you would leave the preciousness of this kingdom. May God give you young ones and old ones alike this kind of heart.

That as these little ones, these little girls and these little boys saw to the center of God's kingdom may I also be there in the center of God's kingdom. May I be one of those sheep who are protected in this kingdom here upon earth.

And I think this is what really the essence of this gospel text is that Jesus has for us. Where it says that Jesus is the good shepherd.

There is another spot in this same tenth chapter. And this question is that how do these sheep follow? It says that the sheep follow because they hear the voice of the good shepherd.

What is this voice brothers and sisters? It is the voice of the Holy Spirit. That spirit that is as later if we would have read in the 30th verse of this text at the conclusion of this whole parable and thought Jesus says that my father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand and Jesus says I and my father are one.

And when we look at this matter it says in many parts of scriptures that God and Jesus are one and we believe that God is the father, the creator, Jesus is his son redeemer. But there is a third part of that trinity. It is the Holy Spirit.

And this is also we could include this now and we're not going to add the scriptures of course but we could say that I and my father are one with the Holy Spirit. Those three are one.

And it is the spirit of God that leads and guides the kingdom here upon earth. It is the spirit that enlightens and gives utterance and speech and all things as the apostle has written to Timothy that the spirit speaks expressly in the later times.

These later times that we live and we say that God's kingdom is being attacked by the enemy of souls in many different ways. The enemy of soul hates the unity and love of God's children and he devises any way that he can to divide and to break that love and unity of God's kingdom.

Because he knows and scripture says that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

And in a part of this text it also speaks of those false prophets those who have lived during the time of Jesus and he knew would come after. And even before during the time of the prophets there were those false shepherds who preached the wrong word.

They did not preach the right word. And they lured those unsuspecting sheep out of God's kingdom.

And so it's so important now and as our brothers spoke just before us that there is this richness of this world that is around us and it is true there is so much wealth and abundance that sometimes it comes into my thoughts and heart that would God protect us from this richness of this world.

Luther says and he speaks much of trials and we've also spoken heard of trials of life during these services and those brothers and sisters today who are suffering loss. We suffer with them. The loss of loved ones in death in illness but brothers and sisters we would even suffer more in the loss of the spiritual life of those children.

Spiritual life of those who once believed but have given in to that temptation of the enemy of souls.

If the enemy came in here as he truly was Peter says that he is as a roaring lion if a roaring lion came through that front door we would all clear out the back as quickly as we possibly could.

But he doesn't come in such a way he comes in very evil and sneaky ways.

And I have to admit and perhaps you would admit with me that this has been my experience that when I have been sleepy, when I have been tired, when I have been unwatchful, then sin has come.

So we have brothers and sisters today the voice of this good shepherd. And that good shepherd is that one that is calling and reminding and conjoint.

How does a shepherd work? There are two different ways that shepherds might lead or work. One shepherd might lead and another shepherd might push.

When we were in Ecuador a few years ago, we were there at the hacienda, and last night when we sang that song in Spanish that Jesus loves me, I couldn't sing that song. It brought my mind to those brothers and sisters in faith many, many miles away.

There, in the fields of Ecuador around the hacienda, there are those today shepherds watching over their flocks.

And we were hiking above the hacienda one day. It was a beautiful day and I don't remember if it was with Ron or Howard, but we were hiking and we watched a far away shepherd bringing her flock of sheep along the highway and looking back to see where are those sheep of mine and are they protected?

Right along the main highway there it's very busy and buses and cars roar at a very high rate of speed and those sheep were in danger if they strayed from that shepherd's care to be hit and killed.

And inevitably there are those sheep even and it's according to God's word. Jesus says that if there is one sheep who would leave, that he would leave the ninety and nine to find that one.

So there are those who are prone to be disobedient to the word of God.

And is it such that you children, any brothers and sisters, are you those that would want to be disobedient to the voice of the shepherd? Or with me, would you want to be one of those counted as one of God's own children?

It is my prayer and it has been my firm prayer that would God protect me in this precious kingdom. May he give to me a humble heart to accept the teaching of God's word and the precious teaching of this kingdom.

Because this kingdom is that kingdom that instructs, that carries, that leads, that calls those ones who tend to stray.

We need patience, brothers and sisters, with those whom the enemy of souls can easily tempt. We need with the patience of those forefathers and those elders and those brothers and sisters before us.

They came many times to us and they reminded us. They reminded us of our styles of dress. They reminded us of our hair length.

And our kids laugh today because they look at our graduation pictures from the 70s. And they think that, oh, those people there, they were funny styles and dresses.

But we had this time also where the world had long hair. And it was not easy for the child of God to be different. And it was a temptation for us that we would want to be like those in the world.

And I thought of those days many times that why would one waste those years of youth with this sometimes rebellious attitude. That the teaching of God's kingdom is this, that in moderation in all things, but yet we would be stubborn.

We would be as one of those sheep who would begin to stray to the outside of this kingdom. We would be those leaning on the fence.

And you know what happened at that camp when these boys, they were the older boys, and this is kind of typical of boys, isn't it? That they were leaning there on the fence, and they were away from the middle, and they really didn't want to be counted as those little sheep.

And we had one of the big brothers. I'm not going to say who it is, because he has already been given that nickname Satan by some of those campers that were there.

But I asked him that now you can, with any cunning way possible, see who you can snare. And he couldn't get to those ones in the middle of the flock, but he could get to those boys who were on the edges of that kingdom.

It pictures, doesn't it, the work of the enemy of souls.

If we are in the center of God's kingdom, and if we are believing and with heart of faith, with a clean conscience believing, it is impossible then that we would ever not make it to heaven.

This is the word of God, and the promise of God's word is this, that he who is faithful unto the end, him I will give a crown of life.

It is this way. And so we, because we have faced this threefold enemy, not once or twice, but daily, and even today, I'm sure you with me have faced the temptations of the enemy of souls, that would I be preserved?

But God's kingdom, brothers and sisters, is this kingdom that has been shepherded by the good shepherd. And the good shepherd is Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us, that we can believe through him.

And in one of those songs of Zion we sing, that this body of sin and death will one day perish and die, but we will there in heaven be glorified by Jesus.

Jesus' sin, the death of sin has been paid for by Christ and that robe of righteousness and that robe of heaven will be given to us.

The apostle Paul writes in the book of Corinthians how it is that there in heaven we are given this new robe of righteousness, this old sinful, corrupt flesh is gone and there in heaven we are as new and as perfect people.

We also there at that camp we discussed heaven and as our brothers have mentioned already that how do the ministers know what heaven is? And when he was saying that none of the ministers have been to heaven, I said amen.

But I have been as the psalmist says in one of those psalms, I think it's the 113 psalm, he says that perhaps I should find it and read it. He speaks about our lives of faith and lives of children.

And he says that the Lord is high above all heaven, or all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and also in the earth.

And it is Jesus that says, he raised up the poor out of the dust, and he lifted the needy out of the dunghill.

Have you brothers and sisters ever been to that place that we could call the dunghill, that place of sin and corruption? You have been there, and I certainly have to admit that I have been there.

But the more precious matter is this, that it is Christ who has lifted us out of that dunghill.

And now today, as God's children are here gathered together at services, when we, in our own heart, we search and we consider that how are my matters, that am I? And we have these doubts. That am I one of God's own? Am I acceptable? Am I forgiven?

It is, brothers and sisters, the nature of God's kingdom. It is the nature of Christ, the nature of the Good Shepherd, to lift those needy, and those of you, and I would even encourage, especially you young ones, if there are some of you who have come with burdened consciences, you can even believe now, those sins that are there forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

I have often said it, and I have experienced it, we are not beasts of burden. We aren't horses or oxen or cows that can, with four legs, carry burdens. We are people with two legs, and we're weak and faulty. And we need the help and the care of the Good Shepherd.

And it is this, the care and the love of God's kingdom, in which we have been carried and we have been lifted. We have been lifted through the preaching of the precious gospel, that your child of God, your sins are all forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus.

This is the essence. This is the joy of God's kingdom.

It also speaks in this text of the teaching and the instruction that we have been entrusted with also. We are also shepherds of this kingdom. You mothers and fathers are shepherds, shepherds of those children that God has given.

Many young parents here, many young mothers, many young fathers. May God give you the strength to take those seedlings that God has entrusted you with, to rear them, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

When we consider, and we have often even now visited with our young married children, our married children, about their young children that they're raising, they ask for instruction, they ask for guidance.

And how would you, how do you parents feel when there are those that come asking advice? How can I and how should I raise my little ones? I have no answers.

The parents feel the responsibility of rearing those little ones. And you have been entrusted with this, that God wants you to do that which he entrusts you with.

One matter remains true. As our brother has already spoken, that you would preach the gospel of forgiveness to them. That this message of comfort would be central in the rearing of those little ones.

My prayer was always this, that how can I as a father instill that desire in the children to believe. I found it impossible to instill this. But there is one who is able to instill this, and it is the heavenly Father.

He is that one who is able to give to these children the desire to believe. And then it is our responsibilities only to feed, to water that which God has done.

It can be a very simple job. On the other hand, it is a very difficult job, because you parents with me feel the burdens of your own flesh. You lament of your own weakness in raising these little ones that God has entrusted you.

But God's kingdom also is this same kind of kingdom, where we are all together in the same boat. And when we lament of our weakness, then we are strong, God works with us and for us. And He then is that one who is able to increase that which we have done.

One of those other things we did at that camp was this, that we had those children, we had one of the boys, and he was my son. We blindfolded him.

And when I thought of this place in scriptures, that it talks about in another place, that it says that, we didn't read this, but Jesus was asked of the Jewish people, and they were wondering when Jesus said that, I am the good shepherd. I am the door to the sheepfold. I am that one who allows those to come and go.

We have heard that it is God and his son that allow these things to be. Those Jewish people questioned this and wondered, how can it be? This man must be crazy.

And another one said that he is a devil, or he hath a devil, and is mad, and why do you listen to him? But others said that these are not the words of him that hath a devil, can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

So they were able to see in some small way that Jesus was different because he was that one that was doing those kinds of miracles, opening the eyes of the blind and giving hearing to those deaf and so on.

So they were able to see in part.

So this question then, and later on Jesus said, and he answered and said, I told you, and you believe not the works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

He says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

How do we know the voice of the shepherd? I have also, and as I said, we did this little exercise at camp, and we took my boy that was there, and we blindfolded him, and then we had the other teachers, the other male teachers go off into the woods, and then we each called his name.

And I said, we'll see if he recognizes the voice of his father. And you parents, it might seem funny, but I was worried that would my son recognize the voice of his father.

But when those other staff members went in the surrounding area, and some of them even tried to copy my voice, they were not able to trick my son. He was able to determine the voice of his father.

And this was very comforting to me, in that it is my hope and prayer that the voice, not the voice of a temporal father, but the voice of a spiritual father, those children of mine would always recognize that this is the voice of God's kingdom.

Have you parents also had this same kind hope? That would my children also recognize and hear the voice of the father? It is our prayer.

But this prayer will be answered. And in God's word, as this was promised, it says that God does hear the prayers of his children.

And so even today, there are those of you who have already raised your family. We have many grandmothers and grandfathers here in the congregation and in the midst.

And you brothers and sisters, you grandmothers and grandfathers have done a very precious work in this kingdom. And you're remaining to do a very precious work.

You are encouraging the work of those parents. You are adding to that blessing of those believing homes and families.

And you are those that can even remind us that stubborn parents are stubborn fathers that it is not so important that everything is perfect, but that this gospel is preached.

May it be, even today, that this kingdom of God would remain precious to all. But also this, isn't it this, that I might remain to the end.

Peter writes that, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, we are doing today the work of the kingdom. And we are shepherds, and as prophet Isaiah has written so preciously in his 40th chapter, when he writes of this job of a shepherd, he says that, O Zion, that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain, O Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say to the cities of Judah, behold your God.

Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand and his arms shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work is before him.

And then it says, he shall lead his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

This is God's kingdom. This is, and you can see the evidence of God's kingdom around us. The young people who are sincerely and soberly believing, they are the joy of the elders.

But you elders are such a joy and a source of strength. You have often lamented, and I've heard them with my own ears, that what is my role? Why am I left here?

There is a place of work yet here in this kingdom. We are as those shepherds tending after the sheepfold of God's children.

May God give to each of us that kind of heart to serve the work.

But I would in closing remind and encourage you brothers and sisters, you mothers and fathers who have been entrusted in this work, that continue, do not tire.

Preach that word as Timothy was instructed to be instant in season and out of season. Do not tire in this that has begun.

When we think of the events that have occurred recently, and we have seen how quickly death comes. One has fell, another has lingered with some longer term illnesses.

This is according to God's plan. And we see how close and how fragile life is. We don't know of the end.

But may it be that our end is this, that it is a victorious end on the shore of heaven.

The parents' job never ends. Even your grandmothers and grandfathers who have aged already and with many rich years, does your job end? Your job now perhaps is mostly prayer. Prayer that your children would be able to do that which God has entrusted them with.

But I have related of the event there in Colorado many times of the passing of our dear brother, Bill Haru, and how the parents of that child were given an opportunity to do that which was a very special task.

They were given the care of that child from the day of birth. But as that child Bill was nearing his end, and he had leukemia, he had cancer, and doctors had exhausted all of the possible avenues of help, and it became clear and evident that his life would soon end.

We were called by the family, and the family asked that we would go and spend the last time with them and their son.

So Maggie and I went and we shared with them those last days and moments of his life.

And I was on the way there and I was considering what would it be like when we get there and how and what should we say.

I was encouraged by one brother to go there and to be there with them and let them decide what they would speak of.

But we were able to see such a preciousness. And it may be a prayer of even you young believers that God would protect you in such a precious way.

That you would have this kind of testimony if it would be that your life would end at a young age. That you would be with this kind of testimony acceptable there in heaven.

And as we visited there on the last moment the brothers and sisters of that family were able to care for the everyday needs of their brother.

But the last words that the father spoke to his son was that the dear child I will see you in heaven. He preached that the gospel of forgiveness that assurance that even now with the doubts and fears the shore of heaven waits.

That parent had that opportunity to say to that child and present that child with this robe and garment of righteousness perfectly seen there in heaven for this child.

And he was then blessed into eternity.

It was a difficult time. On the same hand it was a very precious time. One of God's children made it surely to the shore of heaven.

Those of you today who with the doubts with me worry that will you or will I make it. Be not with doubts but believing it is to God's rich grace and pleasure to give you today his kingdom.

Believe doubts and sins of this journey forgiven in the name and precious blood of Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen.