Services/Sermon in Rockford 25.03.2020

Let us join our hearts together this evening in opening prayer and thanksgiving. Holy and righteous God, our beloved Heavenly Father, this evening as we've been granted grace to gather around your holy and precious Word, we first pause with thankful hearts and thanksgiving, remembering the many blessings that you've granted unto us, we, your children.

We awakened this morning to a new day of grace, and through the day, you have cared for us. You have given us our daily bread. Lord, you have gifted us with a home in which we can live. You have also given us loving families and dear ones who are special and close to us. They bring such joy into our lives, dear Father. Father, we are surely thankful for this kind of blessing.

Dear Father, you have also given us this country in which we live. This country where, by your grace, we have been called, and we have been allowed to gather freely around your holy and precious Word. And even during these times of difficulty, dear Father, you have arranged it so that your Word can still be spoken and preached, and your children can receive it with believing hearts. We understand at least a little bit, dear Father, of this blessing.

But you have also gifted us with your kingdom, this kingdom of grace, where we dwell this evening as your children. In this kingdom, there are those kinds of believing escorts, dear and loving friends, that although even during this time of separation we long for, yet we know that they carry us, and we carry them in our hearts of prayer. That, dear Father, strengthen them, each of them, in their place of watching. Strengthen them in their time of sorrow, in their time of fear and worry.

We trust, as we sang in the opening song, that you, dear Father, know all things. This evening, again, we place all of our worries and concerns into your hand, your loving hand. And yet say, 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. 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.

This evening, dear brothers and sisters, as we gather around God's Word, my thoughts today went to a time many, many years ago, in the Old Testament time. The time of Moses. A time when the children of Israel were released out of the bondage of Egypt, and they began their journey homeward to the promised land.

And I will read for our text this evening from the 14th chapter of Exodus, beginning with verse 10. The words are as follows in Jesus' name:

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord, and they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou not dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again, no more, forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Amen.

When we ponder and think of the situation we're faced with today, and the life with which God has blessed us, there are often times when we might think that certainly or surely we are all alone. These children of Israel, I think, perhaps often felt that way. They lived for many, many years in the land of Egypt. It says earlier in this book of Exodus that they lived there for 430 years, in bondage to the Egyptians.

And it was at the time of Joseph, way back during the time of the patriarchs, that they were sent there to Egypt. That was a difficult time as well, because there was a famine, or there became a famine in the land of Israel. And because of that, the children of Israel were sent there to seek food. And who did they find there? But Joseph, who had been sold into slavery by his brothers.

And you remember from Joseph's life, and I was thinking about Joseph and how, in God's Word, it reminds us of how much Joseph believed and trusted God. But yet it must have been, I suppose, to some degree, difficult for Joseph. Leaving, or being sold from his family, being sent to Egypt, into prison there. Certainly there would have been quiet and lonesome days. Especially because Joseph had done no wrong to be there in that prison.

But God knew of all things, and still to this day knows all things. And if we remember and go back then some years later, when Joseph's brothers came there to find food, and Joseph had been elevated to a point of leadership in the land of Egypt, and his brothers finally found out that they were facing their brother Joseph, the same one that they hated, they were jealous of, and they had sold into slavery. But yet, Joseph loved his brothers.

And he told his brothers that you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. He was able to see through the eyes of faith that which God revealed to him. Oh, by doing it in this way, God was able to save many souls alive.

So, after Joseph met his brothers, and he sent them back to retrieve his father, Jacob and his family then moved with all of their possessions to the land of Egypt. And there, they worked under the Pharaoh, and there for 430 years, they lived and dwelt.

But we also remember that God had promised to Jacob that he would provide a way for them to return, that it was okay that they could go there to Egypt, and that God, at his appointed time, would allow them to return to their homeland. Certainly, the children of Israel would have heard that promise, and they would have pondered that promise, and even prayed that God would, at his appointed time, allow them to return home.

Again, today, dear brothers and sisters, we heard of the sudden passing of a dear sister who left this life and gained her final place of victory. The prayer of a child of God is this, that at the end of this life, would God carry us to the glory of heaven? God, in his word, promises that he will care for his own. And God has left many of these kinds of examples when we see one by one these elders being taken to their final place of rest.

It gives us courage, it gives us hope that one day, we will be called to our homeland, our eternal home in heaven. This would have been the same prayer that the children of Israel had when they were there in bondage, in slavery. Many would have been the prayers that dear Father lead us home one day.

And so it was as it happened. And we remember at the appointed time, God sent Moses. He was born. He was raised by his own mother in the house of the Pharaoh. The book of Hebrews writes of how Moses could have chosen to stay there, but rather he chose to suffer the affliction with the people of God, and to live in the pleasures of sin for a season.

So he had chosen and he wanted to remain as a child of God. He wanted to remain obedient to God's calling. And God prepared him for that journey. For 80 years, Moses was prepared in God's way to lead the children of Israel to the promised land.

And so our text now is when that journey begins. Prior to this, there had been those many plagues that God had rained down on the land of Egypt. The Pharaoh was not willing to let the children of Israel go. I'm sure for many reasons, but one was this, that as servants there in the land of Egypt, it would have been very beneficial for the country.

But we remember how God blessed the children of Israel. They prospered. Children were born. Families lived their lives. But yet, now, it came time for God to work His miracles in the lives of those children of Israel, and also in the midst of those Egyptians, and those many different plagues came.

And each time a plague came, Pharaoh's heart was softened. But then shortly thereafter, after the plague was stayed, Pharaoh's heart was hardened again. And it was for this reason that God allowed it to happen so that everyone in the land would be able to see that there certainly is a God.

Today, brothers and sisters, as we ponder the events of our day, we have seen how God has allowed the events that we're experiencing to happen. And we find how little, if any control at all, we have for this life. God has used a virus to again make people stop and consider and pause of this life and of our calling.

And the biggest fear, I think, for most of us is this, that we have no control over what has taken place. But we also, according to God's word, trust and believe that God does know these things. Just as He did know during the time of Moses and those times of the children of Israel, how much He cared for and led through His word and His servants, the children of Israel, safely to the promised land.

But they were not easy days and easy years. And it began in that way that although the children of Israel were thankful to leave, and when we read from scriptures, it's interesting to see, when they left Egypt, the children of Israel could have traveled a more direct route through the land of the Philistines, but God didn't allow it to go that way.

But rather, He sent during the day this pillar of a cloud and that same pillar turned to fire at night. And those children of Israel followed that pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night. And it led them on a wandering way to the shore of the Red Sea.

And this, brothers and sisters, is where this text is that we spoke and how when those children of Israel were in camp there, they looked back and they saw the Pharaoh drawing nigh. And not only the Pharaoh, but behold, the Egyptians marched after them. And here it says, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

And how quickly we see the unbelief of the children of Israel. But, brothers and sisters, I don't think it's so far from any one of us. During the time of prosperity, it's very easy for me in particular to be thankful and trusting in God's goodness. But in times of difficulty, it's not nearly as easy to trust and to believe.

And for that reason, God allows trials for us, that when trials come, we would be mindful of who is giving them and how those trials are also eased and taken away. The psalmist in the book of Psalms, when you read from the book of Psalms, many, many times laments of how during the times of trials, a child of God turns to the heart of the Heavenly Father in prayer.

I think it would be much better, even during the time of prosperity and abundance, we would remember to turn to God in prayer. But for me, I know too often, I take those moments for granted, those blessings for granted, even so much so that even the gathering at services, the gathering around God's Word, can easily become something that I take for granted.

During times like this, when services are much more limited, and God's children are separated upon the wall of Zion, we ache to hear that voice of the trumpet, the voice of God's Word, the voice calling out and reminding us that God promises to care for His children. We ache to hear the gospel that we so often take for granted.

So in that sense, it's not a bad thing that we are gathered even in this way this evening because we are again reminded that although around us in the world there wages, the unrest and the difficulties, I think of the Apostle Paul's writing in the second epistle where he talks about this treasure of living faith.

How we have this treasure, he says, in earthen vessels. And we find it so. And the reason the Apostle says that it's in earthen vessels is that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are, dear brothers and sisters, safely and securely in God's hand. God, He loves us as His children. He promises to care for us. The Apostle Paul also says that we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair.

And I would venture to say that probably all of us during this time are certainly perplexed, wondering, pondering, what's going to happen, how long will these things last, and so on. But as Paul writes, we are perplexed, but as God's children, we are not in despair. We needn't worry.

You know, God, Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, He reminded His children how much God loves them. He told His disciples to look at the birds of the air. And this morning as I went out of the house, you could hear the robins singing and chirping. It's a sure sign of spring when the robins return. There's hope in the air for a coming summer.

This is what God, through His Son, Jesus, wanted us to be mindful of. That we are even more precious than those birds and the flowers of the field which God has made.

Children of Israel quickly forgot this. They said to Moses, remember they had been there for those hundreds of years and they had prayed that they would be able to go to their homeland. And now they were leaving on that journey and they said to Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?

How quickly they forgot that God had sent them, this servant Moses, to lead them. Initially they were trusting of him, and how quickly they forgot. And they said, and they pointed to Moses, is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.

All along I'm sure they were looking behind them, and seeing the Egyptian army approaching, the Pharaoh with them. But now we see the sermon that God gave, sermon of faith, that same sermon of faith, dear brothers and sisters, that is still important for us, as God's children, who are yet on the wilderness, traveling towards heaven.

Moses said unto the people, fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, he shall see them again, no more, forever.

How did it happen? Did it happen as Moses spoke? It wasn't long before night came, and certainly those children of Israel, as they were camping up against the Red Sea, with nowhere to go, and the Egyptian army coming behind them. They had been led to that spot by this pillar of cloud, and night was coming.

But then the Bible says that a miracle took place, and that same pillar that was leading up until this point, it went to the rear of the children of Israel. And on the side of the Egyptians, it shone light, or on the side of the Israelites, it shone light, but that same pillar on the side of the Egyptians was dark as night.

And it confused the Egyptians in such a way that they needed to stop, they couldn't advance any further. It was like a heavy fog came over them.

Don't we see, even here, how God can create miracles, and create things for the benefit of His own?

Today, at the office, as we were visiting about the events of the day, of the times we are living, we were remembering what took place last weekend in Phoenix. When winter services that have become such a blessing for God's children needed to be canceled.

And then in quick haste, the congregations in Phoenix and Glendale, they arranged so that there would be some possibility for online services.

When we reflect on how God directed even that, it feels like God is preparing us for something. I don't know what it is, but God is preparing us for something.

We received word, an email today that came to our info email. It was from a person in Chile who had mentioned that they had been studying Luther, and they found it interesting how from the time of Luther and Pietism, how it ended up in Scandinavia, in Sweden, and in Finland.

And this person wrote how interestingly that Holy Spirit led it to that point, and now it dwells among the Lestadians. This person was asking that they would like to connect somehow.

And as we as staff were visiting over this, one of the staff members asked, how is any of this possible? When we've had requests from South America, and recently, just this last weekend, there were brothers who traveled to a new country in Africa, and there they kept services for the first time.

The field is ripe for the harvest in so many of these countries. How can it be that one small little flock of God's children who are gathered here in the U.S., in Finland, in Sweden, in Africa, who seem to have so little resources, how can it possibly be that this work can be done worldwide?

This evening, brothers and sisters, is one of those ways. God has stopped us again. He's given us pause to consider even this very delivery of services.

This evening, there's only a small handful gathered here at the Rockford Church. Last weekend, it was even with fewer congregation members. There was only a couple of members there when we gathered in the Phoenix Church.

But yet, God's Word is going out even through these kinds of broadcasts. One simple broadcast can be heard throughout the whole worldwide net.

Is it this way that God is going to allow His Word and His work to move forward? It's impossible for us to send seemingly enough ministers to those many different places of requests now that are coming more and more.

Are we seeing, as God's Word says, before the end of time, His Word will be preached into the uttermost places of this earth that we live? It seems to me that it is that kind of miracle. That God is fighting for us, even in these difficult times.

There's blessings. If we continue to charge ahead to do that which we know to do, how easy is it for us to lose sight that this is God's work? It is His kingdom. And He will fight for us.

He knows, brothers and sisters, where His children are gathered today, and where they will be gathered to the end of time. Let us with faithful hearts trust.

And may we again be reminded, as those children of Israel needed to be reminded, when Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today.

And it was so, a few days later, a short time later, that the children of Israel did. As the Red Sea parted, and God's children of Israel started across that sea, and the Egyptians followed again, somehow the children of Israel were able to go across on dry ground.

But as those Egyptians followed, their chariots became mired in the muck. They were trapped there, slowed them enough that the children of Israel could escape, and those Egyptians were swallowed up, along with the Pharaoh, into the depths of the sea.

The last verse of our text, Moses said, the Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. I think it could mean two things. Of course, God will fight for us. Jesus has led the way, He's paved the way for us to make it to heaven.

But God will also fight on our behalf. He will fight for us that we will be able to make it one day to the glory of heaven.

We remember how Paul himself, when he wrote both Timothy and Titus, he mentioned to those young men of the battle, the life that he had lived, the battle he had faced, but how God protected him and cared for him in his walk of living faith.

Paul says, I have fought a good fight. I have fought the good fight. I have run the race. I have finished the course. That's also for us this evening, dear brothers and sisters.

And you can, with hearts of faith this evening, as those children of Israel needed to be reminded, not just this time, but time after time, for the length of that wilderness journey, that God fought for them, until that day, that they were able to gain their victory in their homeland.

The victory awaits in our homeland. The victory in the glory of heaven.

Dear brothers and sisters, do not doubt, do not fear, but trust in God and believe upon Him. And you can this evening uplift your hearts to believe. Latest doubts and sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious atoning blood.

This gospel will strengthen us and carry us all the way to the glory of heaven. In Jesus' name, amen.

Let us quieten this evening as we go to our night's rest in prayer and benediction.

Dear Heavenly Father, this evening we want to, with faithful hearts, go to our night's rest, putting all of our worries and cares into your loving hands. And this evening also trust in that which your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has done for us in that He has paved the way to the glory of heaven.

During this time of Lent, soon to be Easter, we still want to remember that greatest gift, the gift of your Son, when He took our sin debt to that middle cross of Golgotha, suffered and died on our behalf, also suffered there in the depths of hell, but yet rose victorious on Easter morning, so that we also have hope of resurrection one day.

Care for us, dear Father, now and always, and we have to say, 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.