Services/Sermon in Rockford 15.03.2020

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. We'll continue our services this Mary's Day morning, services, with that prayer in our heart that our Heavenly Father would yet continue to open His Word unto us and to open His ears that we might hear this living Word of God and that we might believe, even as we have heard through our dear brother, that our sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood. Amen.

We are living an interesting time. Many of us who are older, we haven't experienced perhaps a time like this. And for sure, many who are younger have not experienced a time like this. When the entire world has been thrown into chaos, people have become fearful. Death is touching countries all over the globe. And oftentimes when these kinds of situations occur, I think it causes each person to pause and to think. What is life? What happens to us when we lose this life? Am I ready to meet my Maker?

God is our Creator. He's created the world all around us. He's created everything we see. He has created you and I. And He is the one who has determined the exact number of our days on this world. Our life is in His hands. And it doesn't matter what happens in the world. God already knows that day which we will be called from this life. God wants that when we are called from this life, that we would be leaving with the name of a child of God. Which we are born into this world with living faith, with this faith of a child. God wants that. God wants that. But unforgiven sin breaks that connection. And so, many in this world have lost that gift of living faith.

But Jesus was sent by our Heavenly Father to open a way for each person that lives in this world. To open a way to eternal life in Heaven. His hope would be that we would believe upon His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so, also I think He allows these times of trial, whether it be war, whether it be earthquakes, whether it be pestilences, to cause many in this world to consider matters of eternal life, to consider what happens when we die. What happens to us.

And so, even though this morning we are gathered few in number here in the church in respect for the instructions of our government to not gather in large gatherings, for we know this weekend, our Mary's Day services this morning, our church would be filled completely. The sanctuary, the dining area, there would be many children of God here. Gathering to hear God's Word. Gathering for this fellowship which believers have.

And yet we know that though we have arranged it so our home services groups are here, there are many listening through the technology of the internet. The interesting thing, brothers and sisters, is not only those who would have been here at our Mary's Day services, but many others. Not just from our congregation, but from other congregations. I would venture to guess also many others from different parts of the world. Perhaps some who haven't even gone to services, gone to church for some time, have paused to think about God, about Jesus, and seeking for the Holy Spirit, which is God in the third person here in the midst of this world today.

For our text, that was bouncing back and forth in my mind also, as our brother mentioned, many texts. And certainly, one could speak on the text for this, would have been for this service weekend, this Mary's Day services, even though this isn't quite yet the weekend for Mary's Day, we were planning to hold our Mary's Day services this weekend and today. So there would be that Mary's Day text, which is found in the Gospel of Luke from the first chapter, where it speaks of a beautiful home service visit between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

Mary had, in that portion of Scripture from Luke, had been visited by the angel Gabriel, and she had been told that God had chosen her to be the mother of the promised Messiah, of Jesus. Because not of her own merit or works, God had chosen her, had called her to serve Him, because she had the gift of living faith and the desire to keep faith in a clean conscience. Believing on the promise of the Savior, a humble child of God, she did not desire even the praise and honor of the world, but she had answered simply to the angel that it sort of these words that if this be God's will, so be it, God's plan in her life. That she would want to be obedient to God's plan in her life.

And then she went to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who was beyond the age of having children, but God also in His wisdom had given her a child who was John the Baptist, who was to be the forerunner to Jesus, to call sinners unto repentance. When Mary and Elizabeth met, the Bible relates already there in the womb when they greeted that the baby John leapt in the womb for joy. Already there in the womb, he knew that the Messiah was being carried there in the womb of Mary. And John was faithful to that calling which Jesus, which God had given him to do, which to preach repentance and to proclaim the arrival of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ some 30 years later.

The text though that I thought that I would use was the gospel text that was said for this Sunday which speaks of Jesus being the victor over the power of evil which is found in the gospel of John beginning with the 37th verse through the 43rd verse. These words are in Jesus' name as follows.

But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him.

Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

This text here speaks of the times of Easter. When I said we are living in an interesting time, it's also an interesting time on our church calendar because we have celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, there in our Christmas services not long ago. We are now in that time of Lent and we are awaiting for the events of Easter when our Lord and Savior Jesus suffered and died on the middle cross of Golgotha for the sins of all the world and rose again victorious over death and hell. And on that Easter morning was seen by those who believed in Jesus. And he yet today is seen only by those who believe in him.

Jesus here in this portion of John, he was there in the flesh. He was alive. He was in fact, this was I think his last actual speech before his suffering and death. And he had done many miracles in his time of teaching. He had been some three years teaching and preaching to the people all around him, calling the sinners, the poor ones in heart, the blind, the maim, the halt. As he told John the Baptist when he was in prison, that to the poor the gospel is preached.

Now his time here on this earth was coming to an end. And he knew this was coming. He had said earlier in the same gospel of John in the 26th. I'll begin with the 24th. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be. For if any man serve me, him will my father honor.

So he spoke already foretelling of his death, used that example of a corn of wheat falling into the ground and rising up again. And it included that call, that to serve God and to serve Jesus, to be a child of God, to believe in to him, and foretelling of his death. And he went on to say then, that now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour.

So now his time was come to suffer and die in our behalf. And even as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane that if it would be God's will, the cup would be removed. He said, not as my will, but as thou will. And we know that it was God's will then that his only begotten son would fulfill that promise that he made to Adam and Eve there in the garden of the Savior which was to come.

And when Jesus spoke of this death to come here, he said, Father, glorify thy name. And then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

We remember when Jesus was baptized there by John the Baptist. Remember how God spoke and said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Christ. And now again when it was the end of Jesus' time here on this earth, God again spoke from the heavens. And he said, as we read, that I have been both glorified it and will glorify it again.

God's voice from heaven had the same effect both times on the people. There were those who believed in Jesus, who heard the voice of God and what it said, what God said. And there were those who doubted that this was Jesus, doubted that this was God's kingdom, we could say. And they only heard thunder.

It is interesting, I think, here we see how the hearts of men are revealed even through how they hear God's word. The Bible says that God's word is a two-edged sword, a word that either heals or offends. Those who hear this word. Some hear God's word and they rejoice. Others hear the same word and they are angry. They are upset. They are doubting. They don't hear the same word which God has spoken.

And here again, Jesus spoke clearly of his life and his suffering and his death. And yet, the people answered him. And they said, the people answered him, we have heard out of the law that Christ abides forever. And how sayest thou? The Son of Man must be lifted up.

Who is this Son of Man? The mind and the reason of man cannot understand and cannot figure out the will of God. As much as one tries, as much as one even prays to God that forgive my sins and that's all that's needed. We see from the teaching of the Bible that prayer is a good prayer to have but that one needs to hear this audible gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

Sins cannot be forgiven directly from God. And Jesus also has gone into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And so he also is not here on earth to do those miracles in that same way. But rather the work of God's kingdom yet continues through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is God in the third person.

And Jesus said when he was leaving from this earth, he said, I will send the comforter unto you and he will teach you all things. And on that Pentecost Sunday we see how the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in a visible way. And how it moved the hearts of the disciples who had been in obedience to Jesus' instruction there waiting in Jerusalem.

And when the Holy Spirit descended on them in this visible way, they began to speak of the joy of a believer and of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and of the forgiveness of sins. And many people heard it, many different nations, for we know that it says in the Bible that those who receive the grace of repentance marveled that they heard this instruction and this teaching in their own language.

When God opens our ears to hear, we hear his word. And it's remarkable even in this way that the languages were interpreted in such a way that the people heard the message and the call of God. And so also yet today through the power of the Holy Spirit that call of God's kingdom goes out into all the world. Even through this internet now in our time to many nations and to many people is this word of God preached and offered that if there is one listening out there one who is awakened by God's word that they are a sinner and wondering how can I have these sins forgiven?

It is as we heard through our brother in this first sermon it is through the message of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation unto everyone that believes and we do not know this morning who is listening who through this trial in this world has received a seeking and searching heart.

We do know this that in the end times God's word goes out to all corners of the world and if there would be one listening and seeking and searching this morning believe your unbelief and all your sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious atoning blood. God is calling unto you dear sinner.

God's kingdom is a kingdom of sinners. God prepares our hearts. God wants us to make it to heaven so even this morning he is calling those from the darkness of this world into this marvelous light into his kingdom. He has not forgotten his own brothers and sisters in living faith who travel already in this kingdom perhaps have been traveling as childhood believers perhaps are traveling as a gift of a prodigal son or daughter who has returned from unbelief in this world traveling in God's kingdom perhaps even wondering this morning are my sins forgiven am I a child of God.

And me his souls he wants to put those doubts there before us wants to try to cause us to stumble and to fall puts many temptations in front of us. We heard of those temptations through our brother already of the sins we could say of drugs and alcohol and addictions and lots of the flesh and so forth but also the enemy of souls puts those temptations before us of self righteousness and our own goodness that somehow through our own works our own understanding our own knowledge our own wisdom our own prayers that we can be saved but that of course is also thin in God's eyes for the Bible says even that kind of righteousness is a filthy rag before God.

This understanding which we have been given from God is a gift from the heavenly father to even help us to navigate through the things of this world even we see how this gift of our mind and reasoning is at work here as we make plans on how to address the challenges facing us today.

But one thing we know brothers and sisters is this mind is a gift from God. This mind is part of our temporal portion it doesn't go to heaven the Bible doesn't speak anything about our mind going to heaven it speaks about our undying soul that's all our undying soul this temporal body and this mind returns back to dust but our undying soul comes before Jesus.

This same Jesus who was speaking here to the people in this text Jesus is that fiery eye judge to those who have believed in him to those who have had their sins forgiven believed their sins forgiven in Jesus name and blood owning the name of a child of God to such a one he will say come ye blessed of my father and inherit eternal life in heaven.

This is that reward brothers and sisters which a child of God longs for here in this life to hear that message that we can reach the eternal shores of heaven when Jesus knows our name knows that he has paid the debt in for us through his blood and through his body.

There is that one other choice for that undying soul for those who have not needed this gospel who have not needed forgiveness who have chosen to live the life of the world or chosen to live the life of righteousness self righteousness to such one Jesus will say depart from me you worker of iniquity for never have I known you hard words for the undying soul to hear eternal damnation.

So Jesus he gave these instructions to the people when they asked this question about him being lifted up and who is this son of man same question perhaps that many are asking this morning and Jesus said unto them yet a little while is the light with you walk while ye have the light lest darkness come upon you for he that walk in darkness knoweth not whither he go while ye have light believe in the light that ye may be children of light these things spake Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them.

So this was Jesus last speech and he encouraged exhorted we could say that while ye have light believe in the light so this light is still here today dear listeners this light is the light which shines from God's kingdom which is the light of God which is that light that calls sinners to repentance it is that light of grace which shines on believers who no longer live under the law that light of grace which teaches how we should walk in our everyday life in obedience of faith trusting in our heavenly father for all blessings in life those good blessings and also trials in our life that bring us again closer to the feet of Jesus when we perhaps have begun to drift away.

But then our text also says that there are those because of the condition of their hearts who have blinded their eyes have hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them.

So we see that it is God's grace it is God who calls and brothers and sisters in living faith rejoice and be thankful this morning that your sins are forgiven in Jesus name and blood and that you are walking as a child in his kingdom by his grace and by his love and that he has given you that kind of desire and even given you that kind of strength to come to the hearing of his word to gather the blood drops which fall into our hearts through the preaching of the word to gather the crumbs of grace which fall from the master's table which we receive when we are in the hearing of God's word and be thankful that God opens your eyes to see and your hearts to believe.

God it is not of our own doing but we have been chosen by God even as we remembered in our Bible class last Wednesday how Jesus came and called Matthew there from that exchange table where he was stealing money from the people yet he was called into God's kingdom he received that kind of heart to serve God the rest of the days of his life as one of Jesus disciples.

God had chosen him even as he has chosen you and I even as he has chosen perhaps even this morning one who has received the grace of repentance from unbelief in this world.

There are those who hear but because of the fear of what others might think passed by this opportunity to be a child of God.

Here in the end of our text it says that nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

So here we see this final word of caution instruction and teaching in this portion of God's word that we would not put the praise and honor of this world before our faith and the matters of our undying soul but pray for that kind of heart to confess your faith.

And even brothers and sisters as you go about your daily calling perhaps if you encounter those who are fearful that now perhaps this virus might take hold of them and cause them to die may God give you strength to open your mouth may he give you words even to speak to your neighbors and your friends that the most important matter in life is to have our sins forgiven in Jesus name and blood and to own the name of a child of God.

In this way we have two blessings we have the blessing in this life being able to journey freely as a pardoned sinner and that promise of the reward that awaits that blessing in eternal life when there will be no more sin no more trials no more tears no more difficulties only love and joy that God has helped us through our journey of life in such a way that we were able to receive the eternal reward there in heaven as so many saints have already before us.

The Bible relates of many of those who by faith endeavored to travel in obedience to God's word in the Old Testament believed on the promises and the sacrifices that were made and in this New Testament time now which Jesus opened the way that we live that have believed in the power of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins that washes away all sins and doubts.

And so again this morning dear brothers and sisters I bring this simple message of the gospel to you which we have heard through our brother uplift your hearts believe all your sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood be of good cheer and be of good comfort.

I also want to hear this same gospel from you can I believe my sins forgiven in Jesus name my blood I want to believe God has set an example of a child simply believing and simply trusting even as this little child there's no doubt in his mind as their brothers and sisters no doubt he is on the way to heaven sins are forgiven in Jesus name and blood and so are ours believe as a child in Jesus name amen.

Let us see in our hearts in the Lord's 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 the Son and the Holy Ghost Amen.