Services/Sermon in Cokato 09.02.2020

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten our hearts and minds in thanksgiving and prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, holy and righteous God, we come here, dear Father, once again, to gather around Your holy and undying Word. We come here this evening, dear Father, desiring to lift up our thanks unto You, thanking You for the many, many blessings that You have bestowed upon us here in this temporal life that we dwell in.

But above all these temporal gifts and blessings, dear Father, we desire to lift up our humble thanks. We are so slow to thank You for this most precious gift, this gift of Your dear Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom You saw it good, dear Father, to send down from heaven to save sinful mankind.

Dear Father, we ask that You would continue to preserve us, continue to lead us, continue to guide us, continue to forgive us, as we endeavor on this way that one day leads us to heaven's shore, where we can lay down and truly rejoice and see Your full glory.

Dear Father, increase our weak faith. Dear Father, remember those who cannot be gathered here with us, comfort, that may be even be listening online. Comfort, uplift, strengthen them in each one of us as we endeavor on this narrow pathway that leads to heaven. Comfort and uplift even the weariest one.

Dear Father, as we gather here around Your holy and precious Word, we ask that You would continue to bless, give words of utterance unto those who are serving You this night wherever Your Word is preached. All of this we ask in Your dear Son's name, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Amen.

Before reading our texts this evening, dear brother and sister, I wish to bring you many greetings from the children of God there in Monticello where I served there a couple weekends ago. They wish that their greetings would be brought here and assured me that they remember us here as we remember them as well.

I thought for this evening I would read from the Old Testament a portion that is set aside for this Sunday. It is found in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and we will read verses 6 through 8. The theme for this day is unmerited grace. We read these words in Jesus' name.

"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Amen.

We think of the theme for this Sunday which is unmerited grace. Dear brother and sister, as we already heard this morning so preciously, we have been gifted a great gift, this gift of living faith.

One of the gospel texts set aside for this Sunday speaks about, I think it's called the parable of the laborers. There speaks about those that are toiling in the field, speaks about those that have begun there in that first hour of the day toiling in the field, and there were those that were called later, later, and even those that were even called later that day. Some had probably only worked maybe even an hour, and when the wages were given they received the same reward.

Dear brother and sister, as we all know, this gift of grace, this gift of faith, is a gift that we pray that everyone could have, lead them to have never been a part of God's kingdom, that God could lead them and guide them to the grace fountains, and He does and He continues to do.

We also especially pray for those who have lost the way, the knife for men, and how do, what do, how are back up, and they today. You very quickly find out that there's certainly nothing you can do, nothing you can say. I know one thing that I can do and do. Let's pray.

It is such a precious gift. It is such a precious gift. It is not unspeakable yet.

These children of Israel in this portion were reminded by the words of God through Moses. He said, "The Lord did not set His love upon you nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people."

We are reminded in this text that we haven't chosen God, but God has chosen us. He has gifted us with this gift of faith.

Dear brother and sister, cherish it. Take care of it. God.

If we were to read the beginning portion of this chapter, it speaks of those many nations that the children of Israel were to battle against. Sure gives us a picture of this life that we live today. It's a battle, isn't it?

And how do we battle? Is it on our own power and strength? Power and strength comes from the gospel. This gives us strength to battle against the enemy.

And it's this kind of source of strength that we need to again and again dip into those wells of mercy. For Satan is this kind of enemy that he taunts and tempts us with many things, faith and with many things, with many orphans.

When we stop and consider this gift of faith, I know there has been much talk on our board meetings. I know our dear brother put a message on GroupMe. And it's something very important to stop and ponder. That what does this gift that God has gifted me, what does it mean to me? Does it mean to me that I just come here, take everything for granted, come here Sunday morning, here for services, and that's enough? Or does it mean more than that?

When we stop to consider our life, everything about our life, everything that we have in this life, everything that we have in this life, dear brother and sister, everything is a blessing from God. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, that first breath we take, without God, we wouldn't take it.

God has gifted each one of us with many, many gifts. The gifts vary from person to person. We each have our own talents. But is it our own? Or are they God's gifts? I would say it's the latter. They are God's gifts right from the beginning to the end.

Each temporal gift that we own is from God. God. Those children that God has blessed us with are from God. God. Our spouses are gifts from God. God. Your friends are gifts from God. Our jobs that we have are gifts from God. God. Everything in this life is a gift from God. God.

When we were visiting about that at our board meeting, that what does living faith mean to you or mean to me? It makes you stop in your tracks and think, doesn't it? That without God, we aren't here. We aren't here.

God's blessings are so abundant. And the most important blessing, dear brother and sister, is this gift of living faith.

We have not chosen God, that God has plucked us out of this world. Millions of people in this world and has gifted us a gift that is an unspeakable gift. This gift of living faith.

We can so easily even become complacent even in this and forget to thank God for the many, many blessings, the most important blessing. Forgiveness of all our sins.

But God knows how poor and weak we are. This is why it's important that we make this gift of faith the most important treasure. And it is a treasure.

Teach of this treasure in our homes. Encourage one another. But oh, we are so lacking. At least I am.

Can I hear that gospel? Can I hear that gospel? Can I hear that gospel? Amen.

You dear brother and sister, you too can uplift your hearts and believe all of your sins and doubts and fears forgiven. In Jesus' name and precious blood.

We have a good God. A God that will continue to lift and carry us all the way home to heaven's glory. It pays to believe.

We have done nothing to merit this gift of grace. But God has seen it good to call each one of us into His precious kingdom.

May this gift of faith remain in your heart as the most precious gift that man can own. Continue in this battle. Putting sin away when it besets. In so doing, this gift will remain precious.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

God has promised He will not forsake us. Oh, what a precious gift we have. It pays to believe. Uplift your hearts. Believe all sins forgiven. In Jesus' name and precious blood, we have a good God.

God has 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.

Forgiveness in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.