In Christ Jesus, Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, dear fellow redeemed:

By nature we as a people have quite a few issues.  In America in particular we have a problem which could be described as the over issue.  Something new comes along and it is very easy to overuse it.  A new technology is presented and it gets overused and overhyped.

It is easy to overdo it with something which is good, real good.  Take a simple example like cookies.  One or two cookies is great, but if you have a dozen your body will tell you that was way too many.  You would be oversatisfying your yearning for sweets.

We yearn for, we desire things which will give us satisfaction – that is our hope anyway.

The problem with all things in life, yes, all things is that they only provide temporary satisfaction and fleeting contentment. We might yearn for some indulgence, take it in, only then to be unsatisfied all over again sometime later.  So many times people do overindulge when it comes to the finer things in life.  Therefore for centuries the motto which attempts to temper this yearning for overindulging is this: Everything in moderation.  Why is it that that phrase is warranted with so many things?  It sure seems like all the best things in life need to be moderated.  A few sweets are good but too many is detrimental to health.  A few drinks is a nice relaxer but too many leaves one remorseful for having overindulged.  A moderate amount of exercise for the body is good but too little or too much leaves the body in a bad state.

While many of these things which we have spoken of so far can be put into the want category and in our yearning for these wants we overdo it there is one thing in which we need to be satisfied—our souls need.  That one thing is living water which Jesus provides, only He can provide.   That living water is Jesus Himself and His Word to us. Therefore we can and shall say that Living Water is Superlative Period.  Contentment abounds. We pray:  Holy Spirit sanctify us by the truth, your Word is absolute truth.  Lead us to be continually content with the gift which you have bestowed on us – living water. Amen.

As we approach this encounter of Jesus with one individual in the section of John’s Gospel this morning we notice that Jesus starting point in His discussion and teaching centers on one basic need of all people – an ordinary need. Let us see if you can catch what that basic need is.

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. ⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,“Give Me a drink.” 

What is a very basic need for all people of all time on a daily basis?  I will give you a clue while I take a drink. Water. How much water does a person need? 50 to 70 percent of a person’s body is water.  Therefore it stands to reason since we are made up of so much water that we need water.  The medical findings tell us that a person needs 8 to 13 cups of water each day to be taken in.

What happens a little while after you take a drink of water?  Inevitably we need to take another drink of water not too long after we just took one.  So we learn that we can never satisfy or quench that thirst for water once and for all. We thirst, we drink, we thirst, we drink.  This cycle goes on over and over again every day of our lives.  Now let’s get back to this ordinary instance with an extraordinary discussion of Jesus with a Samaritan woman.

⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Who does Jesus show Himself to be here in this discussion with this Samaritan woman?  Jesus takes this instance of a common need – the need for human beings to drink water – and begins to open up a spiritual discussion talking about living water.  What is Jesus up to here?  Does he want a drink of water from this woman?  Yes, He did ask for that but He wants her to realize who He is and what He alone provides.  Jesus is the One who alone can provide the quenching of our foremost need – spiritual thirst.  We long to be right with God.  We have this desire to indulge but most of the time we indulge and overindulge in the things which leave us unsatisfied and discontent. Let us not be like this Samaritan woman initially who didn’t know who Jesus was and what He alone provides.  Instead our continual prayer can go something along these lines.

We shall pray:  do whatever you need to do Lord, to keep me close to you.  Enact whatever you see fit in my life so that I can continue to have life eternal abiding in You.  Guide me and keep me from overindulging in the things of this world and draw me ever closer to Your side.

We can say for sure that at least to begin with this woman didn’t understand 1. Who Jesus was and 2. What the living water was that He spoke of.

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”   Practically speaking there were some problems and the woman detailed those problems.  She saw that Jesus didn’t have a bucket, she didn’t see any other water than what was in the well, and what was so bad with the water which she and many others had drawn for so long.  Her main question could go along the lines of – why speak of an alternative to this water when we are satisfied with what we have?

Let us read together verse 13and 14 wherein Jesus depicts the limits of regular water but emphasizes the glorious nature of the water He provides.

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”  The question is the same for us which the woman posed.  Why give an alternative to something which appears to fill our needs?  Notice what Jesus said.  He said that when you drink of that physical water from that well you will get thirsty again and again and again.  But this living water is far superlative (period).  We seek to quench our thirst in life with all sorts of things only to be left discontent. We figure that we will be happy, we will be satisfied when we have the right job, when we have enough money, when we can cross off all sorts of things on our bucket lists.  But what happens when we do indulge those thirsts?  We are left wanting more.  It is never enough!  We are told, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”(Luke 12:15) Also, “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (Matthew 4:4)

So then what is the mysterious living water which Jesus is speaking of?

First off, we do know that Jesus alone can provide this living water.

In this account gradually but surely Jesus brings this woman along to an understanding of what the living water is and the fact that He alone can provide it.

Let us compare the goodness which Jesus provides with the other supposed wonderful substances of this world.  Can, in fact, one compare the riches and the indulgences of this world with the heavenly riches Jesus provides Himself? We can but we would quickly notice that everything in this world pales in comparison to that which Jesus provides.  Answering the question point and blank the living water which Jesus provides is: Himself.  He is the gift of God which He referenced in His discussion.  He is the Way the truth and the life.  He alone can and does provide the need which we have to be right with God.

For the Samaritan woman the living water which was spoken of was standing right in front of her and asking her for a drink of physical water.  He certainly was greater than her ancestor Jacob who we can mention did have faith in the living water – Jesus.   Our living water is speaking to us right now through His Word.

Jesus our Lord is so much more than a good teacher and a wise instructor.  He is so much more than One who graciously provides us with fresh water to drink, food to eat, clothes to wear, a home to live in, etc.  He has provided nourishment for our souls and fully satisfies our spiritual thirst.

The next time you drink of cup of water, and hopefully you do drink many cups of water each and every day, be reminded of what a gift it is to know that Jesus is your Savior.  Be reminded of what Jesus has done for you and me, He is that fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.  There is no disclaimer on the Word of God – it does not say – Enjoy in moderation.  Therefore we shall continue to feast on the Word daily, being built up in our faith in Jesus as our Savior. We end with a prayer:  Lord, Jesus lead us in the way of life eternal and in the end take us to our heavenly home with You. Amen.

Tell me if you have heard these things or possibly said them yourselves. A sin is a sin. All sins are equal. There is no such thing as ranking sins. All sins are just as damning as all others. Are all those things true in describing sinful behavior? While it is true that every single sin without repentance does bring down on us the indictment of hell we are told by Jesus in this section of His Word that some sins are more disastrous than others. Some sins have further reaching consequences than just our own spiritual doom. Let us be further instructed by reading together verse 42 42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. After considering that do you think that every sin is just like another? No way. A sinful behavior engaged in which leads others into sin is much more dangerous than those which are private. That is why public sinful behavior is to be dealt with in a responsible manner by ones who take on the responsibility in love for that wayward person. In this we find a valuable aspect for being a part of a fellowship of believers. May each and every one of us be looking out for one another in love. If we see a fellow Christian leading others astray may we in love go to them and express our concern for their soul.
We do have the potential to lead others in one of two ways. We shall continually be asking ourselves the question: Do my life and my actions lead others to behold Christ or lead others to sin? Asking ourselves that question will lead us to consider the privileged responsibility we have. Let us not look at it from such a negative approach but indeed a gloriously positive one.
While each person individually will be held accountable for his own soul on judgment day and will have to give an account for his own actions may God help us to lead others to the One who is our sure defense – Christ crucified for us.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— We all should know full well up front that the Lord Jesus isn’t here instructing us to actually cut off our hands. He is making the point of how serious sin is and the importance of taking responsibility for our own actions. We shall be continually fighting against engaging in sinful behavior and not letting sin run its course. The point is…don’t let your bodily members dictate to your soul what you will do. Your soul’s destination is much more crucial than your members satisfaction. Notice what Jesus says, “if your hand, your foot, your eye causes you to sin cut it off.” If we were to play the blame game here it wouldn’t work. If you were to steal something with your right hand would it do any good to cut off that right hand? Would that stop you from ever stealing again? Anyone? No. In the first place that wouldn’t solve the problem because you are still left with another hand and in the second place it was your heart which directed your hand to do what it did. Individually we are responsible for what we lead our hands, our eyes, our feet to do. We could try to give excuses and say that we predisposed to a certain type of behavior. We could try to come up with reasons why we do what we do like saying,” I am a product of my environment” – like many psychologists do. But let us not go that route. Let us realize we have a sinful heart and study the Law of God which exposes the sins which we commit.
The Word of God is the only way to counter the selfish mentality which we have. Having our sins exposed by the Law of God and repenting of those sins is the Lord working in and through us. Having comprehended by faith that Jesus Christ kept the law of God for us, in our place, let’s us answer the question of “Am I my brother’s keeper?” with a resounding YES I AM.

The buck stops here, with me. I will not let the responsibility fall to someone else but take it up for myself. If there is a person whom we know to be truly destitute, that is not having the priceless resource of the Lord to depend on, then it is up to us to share the Word of God with them. We shall not pass the buck onto someone else and figure someone else is better equipped or more gifted than we. All of us have this treasure – God’s Word – in the earthen vessels. All of us have been brought to faith in the Lord Jesus as our Savior and we have the very means by which we were brought to faith to share with others.
49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” The salt is none other than the Word of God and the Spirit working through that Word. For us to continue to successfully fight against sin and its devastating consequences there is no substitute for the Word. This is an even more pertinent observation in the day which we live where there are so many attempts at substitutes. Just as manufacturers have devised substitutes for the common table salt which look, taste, and feel just like real salt so there are many messages which give the appearance as being God’s Word. My friends, don’t accept substitutes for the Word. Don’t listen to your heart and follow wherever it might lead you. Listen to the words of the Savior when He says, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” Many attempt to find peace within themselves with man-made practices and they give the appearance of working – but they don’t. Listen to the One who has taken on the responsibility for our soul’s care – the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord Jesus lead all of us to glory in Him and responsibly live according to our Father’s will. Amen.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; ² and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” ⁶ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. ⁹ Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” ¹⁰ And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. ¹² But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

What do these people have in common? A kid in a candy store, an avid football fan at the Super Bowl, and a dog enthusiast at theWestminsterdog show.  You might think for a long time with those seemingly unrelated people and what they have in common so here I will give the answer. All of these things are examples of instances where the people realize there is too much to take in – it is an overwhelming moment. Those people at those particular times wished I am sure that they could stop the clock and live in that moment forever.  Added to those three particular people are Peter, James, and John on the day in which Jesus was transfigured.

We are at the culmination, the end, the final of Epiphany – remember what Epiphany meant?  Manifestation or revealing….that is right.  Today we behold the total manifestation of the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ.  All His glory shone clearly, was not dimmed in any way shape or form.  Is this too much to take in for us?  All at once, yes.  But let us remember to live moment by moment listening to what our Lord says every step of the way.

We pray:  Holy Spirit, sanctify us by the truth, Your Word is absolute truth. Amen.

There are certain times in life when we wish we could stop time and on the flip side there are times as well when we wish we could speed up time when faced with an unwelcome moment.   None the less we so live moment by moment.  The disciples were not immune to this type of living either.  Here they were with the Son of God in all His glory and seeing two people whom were two of the highest profile figures in all of the Old Testament – Moses and Elijah.

They easily could have said to themselves this phrase “It doesn’t get any better than this!”  If they could just capture that moment and hold onto it forever – but just as soon as it happened, it was done.  What’s next is the thing that we ask a lot. They were saying that to themselves as well.

But wait, it gets better.   If it wasn’t  enough that they saw Moses and Elijah in glory, next they are standing face to face listening to the Almighty God Himself….how about that?!

⁵ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”  Be hearing Him.  Amidst all this fanciful imagery, the disciples get a message directly from the Almighty God Himself – This message came while Peter was bringing up his spur of the moment idea to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  In this moment, they got the boost they needed to get them ready for what was to come, what they would see the Savior of the world go through.  The two things of “hearing Him” and knowing what God Almighty is pleased with is what they needed to hear on this day.  They were to carry with them what they saw and heard in this moment to prepare them for what they would see Christ go through.  They very well did feel that it was too much to take in seeing Jesus transfigured before them.

It was a monumental moment, seeing all those things.  Don’t we need that experience too?  We have the fullness of the experience that day.  Whenever we hear the Word of God we are beholding His glory.  Overwhelmed leads to being overjoyed in the Lord.

Can we fathom what Jesus went through for us?  In a word no.

Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we can see Him in all His glory and ours on that final Day.  In our tough moments in life let us think on Jesus and what He means to us.

The Gospel (the good news message) which is included in this Transfiguration account can rightly be found in the words which the Father spoke concerning His Son.  Our sure defense is Christ and look at what God said in reference to His Son and what kind of a servant/Son he was.  In whom I am well-pleased!  The Sunday School children learned this passage this past week– You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy.  Having said that what kind of standards does the Lord have?  The bar is set wayyyy up here. It is His command that we are perfect and He will not accept any excuses whatsoever.  Turn to what our hope is knowing that we have not been holy or perfect.  Our hope is what was said by the Almighty God Himself concerning His Son. “ This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  If you think about it certain people’s words carry more weight than others.  This is one of the rare times when God the Father chose to speak to people on earth directly.  So consider the bar that was set by God, the high standards which everyone needs to meet and who is the only One who has met those standards.  It is His Son, Jesus alone who lived up to the expectations.  These are impactful words and a glowing commendation from God Himself.

When we get discouraged and disgruntled with the lack of success in keeping God’s Law remember these words which God spoke of His Son.  Remember these words because when God looks at us He sees Jesus’ perfection instead of our sins.

I want to for a moment, really focus in on that final phrase which God the Father spoke on Transfiguration.  Keep on listening to Him.  Not only was this spoken to those three disciples but we too are directed to the voice of Christ, to Christ’s Word, which is God’s Word, and not to wonderful visions. We have enough in His Word. That is a bright light, which gives light to us in this dark world, and shows us the way of salvation, and it will shine until the dawn of the bright day, and Christ, the Morning Star arises, and we then see the Light of His Light.

Today is another instance where we can pick on Peter, just a bit for we would have said something similar if anything at all.  Peter jumps at the chance to make the most of the moment.  It was clear from what he said that he surely needed a thing such as he saw in Jesus being transfigured.

Peter had made a brilliant confession of the Christ, the Son of the Living God not too long before this occurrence. This is now confirmed by what they saw. Jesus proved His divinity by Word and deed and now confirms it by sight for the disciples. His entire body and human nature were suffused visibly so that even His clothing was affected.  Therefore why did he say these words?

⁴ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

What was good about being there? It must have been a remarkable experience. And the suggestion about the three tents likely means that Peter wanted this to continue. He wanted this moment to go on.  But alas, what did happen after these glorious things took place?  ⁶ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”  ⁸ When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 

At the bidding of Jesus they got up, with fears dispelled. Quite naturally they looked about them, likely expecting to see something of which they had seen before.

First there was ecstasy over the sight. Then there was terror. But, finally, they heard and saw Jesus alone.   Can you imagine that moment?  Some might say, well, what is the big deal about seeing Jesus just as they had seen Him before all this occurred on this mountain?  That is exactly the point.  After seeing all this stuff that was way too much for them to take in now they saw the same person whom they had been following for many days.  They saw their loving Master and Savior as a man.  Instead of being fearful and running away they could walk and talk with Jesus just as they had before.

This is another example of just how constant the Lord Jesus is and how fickle we are as people.  In one moment we can be as kind and loving as the Lord Himself but in the next we spew hateful words and engage in despicable acts.  As has been said before, that is the reason why we so sorely need to follow the instructions of God the Father when He said, “Listen to Him – Jesus.”  Where we are fickle and going from one thing to the next jumping all over the place Jesus speaking to us gives us “a steady new spirit” and “strengthens us with a willing spirit.”

Sometimes life seems to race right by and it seems difficult to even catch our breath.  Other times it seems that it goes by in a crawling manner.  But still, different moments are afforded us all along the way.  Those three disciples were given that moment of the total manifestation of the glory of God to carry them through the upcoming days.  We are given the same thing – God’s written Word – the Bible. Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  We cannot make time speed up or slow down, that is an obvious fact.  What we can do however is take each step, each day, each moment living in the light of the Lord – applying His Word with each step we take.  Let us use our moments and our days to glorify our God – give thanks and praise to Him for giving us His Son.  Amen.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: ² You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.      

Dancing with the Stars. America’s Got Talent.  American Idol. The Voice – that last one is the latest show of it’s kind to hit the airwaves and will resume broadcast following  the super bowl.  Why are these shows particularly intriguing?  Whether you and I take interest in these programs is not what we are debating today; these shows are interesting to so many people because average people like you and me are thrust into the spotlight and are given a chance to display their otherwise hidden talents or gifts.  Years ago, back when these shows first came on there have been a number of people when given the opportunity on such shows consequently hit the big time in Hollywood and became famous.  Therefore aside from just the pure entertainment aspect for we the viewers the sole purpose for these people given these chances to display their talents or gifts is totally about self, I believe.  Is there any other way to look at it?  I don’t think so.  Average people are given the opportunity to display their gifts or talents. Those gifts are uncovered for that person’s best interest, so that they might gain fame, fortune, and prestige.  It is their moment in the sun so they can begin a career promoting self.  Those shows are flooded with the idea of look at me and what I can do.

In a sense but on a much deeper level the Word of God which we view today takes us through a searching for talent or gifts.  Upon delving into this section of the Word of God we are to uncover and discover anew what gifts or talents the Lord has bestowed upon us.  But we are not here to discover gifts or talents which we might have in order for them to make money or bring fame to us.  We are going through this exercise of discovering gifts not for personal gain but for the good of other people.  We want to uncover and implement these gifts which the Lord has given us for His glory.  Instead of America’s Got Talent, let us understand that Christian’s Got Gifts.  We ask though that the Lord would enable us to have a clear perspective on first of all who is the source of these gifts and secondly what these gifts or talents shall be used for.

Here in this season of Epiphany we discover many things.  All of know what Christmas is:  God the Father sending His Son to the earth to save His people from their sins.  We rediscovered that just a few weeks ago. However Epiphany is the next festival in the church year but is not as widely celebrated. What Epiphany brings is a time to discover and possibly rediscover the implementation of the Gift – Jesus Christ into the world – and the effects of that gift on us.

We alluded to it many times throughout the Christmas season the fact that the greatest gift which we possess is our Spirit worked faith in our hearts in Jesus Christ as our Savior.   This section of the Word makes that fact crystal clear and who alone it is that has provided that gift… ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 

The greatest spiritual gift which we have is our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  In that gift our Lord has taken care of us securing personal salvation for us, however there are gifts attached to that or springing from that gift which shall be used for other’s benefit.  That fact and that outpouring of love makes us realize just how gracious and good the Lord God is to us.

This section of the Word points out to us that there is one common denominator of all spiritual gifts – the provider of those gifts is the Triune God.  This whole discussion however isn’t limited to just gifts like speaking the Word of God eloquently or explaining the Bible’s teachings to someone.    ⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  You might have the gift of organization, of the ability to teach children, of fixing things, of being encouraging, of financial resources.  But no matter what particular gift you might have recognize the source of that gift – the Triune God and put it to work in His service.

At the beginning we spoke of those American shows which put on center stage people’s talents.  Taking musical talent for instance, there is a cost one must pay in a sense to have a refined musical talent – practice.  The cost that many pay to have a musical career is to be all about music…almost 24/7. Many people who pursue public music careers exchange the rest of their lives essentially for fame and fortune which their musical talent brings.  None of us here that I know of have paid that price and are on the eve of a famous musical career.  We are talking today about spiritual gifts today and that does apply to us.  So for us, what cost shall we affix to the spiritual gifts which the Lord has so graciously bestowed upon us?  Well, we didn’t pay any price to get spiritual gifts of any kind. As we read in this section the source of these gifts is not ourselves, instead they are freely bestowed on us by another.

⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

The source of all these gifts is God Himself. As I read about in a devotion recently consider the custom of what we do before we give a gift to someone – we almost always remove the price tag.  Have you ever wrapped up a gift, given it to someone and thought to yourself “oh, no, I forgot to take the price tag off?”  Why are we so concerned when that happens? Why do we do such a thing as removing the price which we paid for that gift?  We don’t want the recipient of that gift from us to know how much it cost us to purchase that gift.  I suppose we don’t want the person to know how much or how little we spent on them. Point and fact…We don’t want the people to know how much we value them in proportion to that gift.  What is the cost of that greatest spiritual gift which the Lord has bestowed on us?  The price tag was left on when God sent His Son into this world.  He won salvation and forgiveness of our sins for us by His perfect life and His innocent death on the cross.  We know the price God paid for the forgiveness of our sins and therefore we absolutely know the extent which He loves us.

One very specific point is made here in that there is no one Christian person who is better than another.  Sometimes we get the feeling that God loves one person more than ourselves because He has bestowed either more gifts or better gifts on them that we. In the first place let us be content with the Lord’s decisions to gift us with what He has decided.

¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.  Surely God knows what He is doing. Yes, we have different and a variety of gifts bestowed upon us but one is not better or more deserving of any gifts than another.  There are some in the world who refer to pastors and priests as men of God and somehow are more gifted therefore have a better standing with God.  That may be some people’s perception but that is not the reality of the situation.  The Word of God is clear and speaks of all individuals as being equally destitute and needing the same Savior for life and forgiveness.  Romans 3: 23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”  Therefore a word of encouragement is being proclaimed to you – don’t feel like a subpar Christian if you don’t see your specific spiritual gifts.  You have been granted the one gift necessary for eternal salvation, praise God for that very thing.

It is our natural tendency to have this view that the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”  I know I am not alone in this, we look at other people and are envious of their gifts.  But what we don’t see is all the heartaches and negative things which they have – we only concentrate on the good and desire that.  The Lord has made you in a particular way and gifted you with what He deemed wise for you, specifically you.  1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 “You are not your own, you are bought with a price, therefore honor God with your body.” With spiritual gifts the Lord tailor makes each particular gift for each specific person.  You may not have the gift of publicly proclaiming the Word of God as a pastor but that doesn’t make the specific spiritual gift which you have of any less value.  I would not be here as a minister of this congregation if it weren’t for you all as a whole – a group of people with varied spiritual gifts.  We are as a group a communion of saints. We pool our resources together, we implement our gifts for one another’s benefit, we do all these different things as a church for one common goal – working in the Lord’s kingdom…advancing the gospel in the world.

Backing up a bit, this chapter began with the Apostle Paul urging his Corinthian readers to view the station in life from which they came. They had no spiritual goodness and certainly didn’t make good, sound choices regarding religion any way you look at it. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:  ² You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.  He laid this groundwork to show that they didn’t earn or deserve these spiritual gifts which they currently had.  Therefore the encouragement was to not use these gifts for self, but instead in the service of God and for others. Finally that leads us to the very center of our discussion today, it is in verse 7.  Let us read that together. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: Those last four words tell the whole story.  The Lord has bestowed particular gifts upon you not so much for you.  He has given you a gift for the benefit of others.

This discussion and detailing of gifts today leads us to ponder what we are worth.  At times we feel like we aren’t worth all that much because we don’t recognize many gifts in ourselves. People have a problem with self-worth – even us.  Is my value as a person what I can bring to the table?

Because of Jesus you have eternal value in God.  Do you know who you are?  Yes, we all know our names, what families we belong to.  More importantly than knowing who we are and what gifts we have is to know whose we are.  We belong to Christ.  I urge you to resist this me first mentality.  Let us live life in faithfulness to Him for the sake of others.  All of you Christians have gifts, first and foremost the gift of faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Let us continue to put our gifts on display for God’s sake and for others.  May God help us to this end. Amen.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.²¹ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ²⁷ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Dear Friends in Christ,

On a reformation celebration it is very fitting that we have our view adjusted once again.  It is natural, it is easy, it is the customary order of things that we get into a routine and do not deviate from that routine.  But if that routine is one that goes against God’s Word the view needs to be adjusted.  One of the worst reasons to do something is because as the old adage goes, “that is the way we have always done it.”  That is not Christian and that is not the principle which Martin Luther acted upon.  If Luther would have just gone along with, we’ll do it this way because the church has taught this way for years, the 95 theses would never have been nailed to that church door.  He didn’t resist rocking the boat of the mainline church in his time because that was an awkward thing to do.  Instead God spoke to Him through His Word and convicted his heart of what he needed to do by faith.  Let us also be repentant, give all glory to God, serving the Lord.  Know this and know this well — Living and walking by faith will result in victory.  Living and walking by sight will result in failure and a departure from the Word.  It is on this Reformation celebration that we shall remember the three Scriptural principles which guided Luther and many other Christians: Faith alone, Grace alone, Word alone.  None of those things are the natural or our way of things but it is God’s way.  We pray:  Preserve Your Word and preaching, the truth that makes us whole, the mirror of Your glory, the power that saves the soul.  Oh, may this living water, this dew of heavenly grace, sustain us while here living until we see Your face. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Each and every day we wake up is a blessed day which the Lord has given to us.  This Reformation celebration is no different. When you woke up today what was your mindset?  Maybe you had thoughts or images of Halloween with many costumes and a plethora of candy in your head.  However today is no different than any other for God’s mercy is new every morning.  Lately there has been dew on the grass in the morning and that is a wonderful thing.  Some might not like that because that indicates it was cold overnight.  But recognize this about the dew, it is brand new every morning – it isn’t left over from the previous day.

This Reformation day is a brand new day in which we have the opportunity to celebrate God’s abounding grace.  We began talking about routines and customs.  Throwing rice at weddings is a custom many engage in but have no idea why. Rice was seen as a well wishing of fertility. Walk under ladder. Superstition. It is considered unlucky.  It just so happens to form a triangle. Walking through the triangle is a sign of disrespect for God.  Friday 13^th is considered unlucky and full of evil.  Why?  Most people don’t know the origins. It is believed that Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden on Friday.  The worldwide flood where only Noah and his family were preserve was said to have begun on Friday.

Many ascribe to those superstitions and have no idea why.

Why should reformation be remembered?  Is it just another custom that we celebrate just because? We know it is not just some superstitious event but do we do it because our Lutheran forefathers have celebrated it – but is that the reason—because that is the way we have always done it in the Lutheran church? Consider some probing questions first. Well just what happened on October 31 1517? Some 500 years ago Luther nailed 95 debating points on a church door.  How many know all 95?  50? 5? I must admit I had to look them up. Reformation can be summed up by view Scripture and what the Lord has us view in it. What we view today in Romans 3 is what was brought to light in Martin Luther’s life.  He operated according to the customs previously but then a zeal for proclaiming grace

²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;  Righteousness is offered in the Gospel. Hence it is something that comes to us offered as a finished product.  We cannot change it or make it better. All righteousness, all good things, and faith are offered to us as gifts and we know full well that a person cannot earn a gift.  A gift is something which comes to the recipient solely by the graciousness of the giver – the recipient has nothing to do with wondrous nature of the gift.

Take for instance a birthday celebration and the honored guest as an example.  Just because the birthday boy or girl uses their hands to unwrap the present or gift doesn’t mean that they did anything to earn that gift or bring it to themselves.

We find out once again today that we are the birthday boys and girls in the respect that we through faith are able to open and behold these great gifts which God has bestowed on us.  We can do that through faith and faith alone.  Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Word Alone is the motto we follow today.  First off faith alone needs to be explained a little bit to point out the true gift.  Faith is only as good as the object of that faith.  Your or my faith is really nothing if we don’t distinguish what that faith is in.  It is faith in Jesus Christ alone which saves us.  It is through faith in Jesus Christ alone whereby we are credited with His righteousness.  I was asked the other morning by my children if they could be called Christians.  Instead of coming back with a quick answer I asked a few questions.  Do you know Jesus Christ?  What did He do for you?  They responded as all true Christians do by telling that He died and rose again to pay for all sins.

They said that they have never seen Him though…But God’s Word responds to that longing for evidence.

The Bible defines faith in this way: Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is not the rational thought, the inner workings of our brain.  It is something which God creates and brings to apprehension.  There is no doubt that God is the One who wills us to follow Him and be under His care – nothing can deter us from that fact.

When it comes to our faith the thing which we shall again and again focus on is the object of that faith – not us but the Savior and the Holy Spirit which created the faith in that Savior.

It is not our faith that is anything which to applaud but only the object of our faith which is Jesus Christ. Look at that verse before us once again, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Look again at the symbol on the front of the bulletin. We have touched on the first of the 3 – Faith alone.  Let us now move onto the second – Grace alone.  GRACE ALONE…

There is no distinction to be made between you, me, or any other person concerning the cause that we have faith.  We read about that in verse 22 – no distinction can be made.  I did not bring it about, you didn’t bring it about, no one brought it about except for God working through His Word in a person’s heart.  This is total and complete grace –God’s undeserved kindness which God does for man.  Faith is ours sure, but God created it and uses it so that we can receive His Grace. Furthermore, God doesn’t play favorites – He really doesn’t.  In Romans 2:11 it is stated in no uncertain terms, “There is no partiality with God.” Furthermore we can say without a doubt that there is no merit or worthiness in us by which God justifies us or in similar terms, “declares us not guilty.”  It is solely by God’s grace that we are declared not guilty.

We can affix a cost or determine a value for virtually everything in this world.  There are people whose job it is to determine the value of items. What then is the value or cost of the grace of God?  The value of God’s grace it out of this world but at the same time the grace of God costs US nothing but is a free gift to us.  Let us read together  ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  The free part is ours.  That is how much we contributed to our salvation.  But just because it is free to us doesn’t mean a price wasn’t paid.  The highest price was paid which is the Son of God Himself – Jesus Christ.  If it weren’t for Him our sins would be charged against us.  If it weren’t for Him we would get the punishment we deserve.  Who can fathom the treatment we would receive from the Almighty God were there no Jesus Christ?

There is no wonder why the cross of Jesus Christ is directly in the center of Luther’s seal which you see on the front of your worship folder. God’s grace is summed up in what Jesus Christ did for us.

Many people like to talk of second chances.  People say, I might have messed up the first time, but if I only had a second chance I would get it right.  That seems fine for most things but not when it comes to securing your place in eternity.  We have chance after chance to get it right – to secure praise from God in a job well done yet we don’t, we sin over and over again.  We are not alone in this but in fact all of humanity has failed to secure righteousness through a keeping of God’s law. The evidence in quite clear for look at  ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Beyond a total missing of the mark which sin is we have not done anything by which we have earned a commendation from God, or in different terms “we haven’t earned God’s praise but fallen way short of that objective.”  There is nothing we can do which gives us a leg up on gaining God’s respect – nothing at all.  Again that is where God’s grace comes in.  Because of Christ we are declared not guilty.  Because of Christ we are seen by God as being righteous.

But at the same time our old Adam is constantly trying to deceive us into thinking that we can be justified by works. People try their best to rationalize a bad product as if it were good. For example, when a student takes a test and gives wrong answers he will often attempt to justify his wrong answers. We are no different. We sometimes have this feeling that we have been dealt a bad hand by God and we are only working with what we have. Let us stop.  Let us meditate on the Word of God and have Him reform us. Let us repent of our sins and hold fast to the grace of God by faith which the Lord has worked in our hearts. Thankfully it is by grace alone that we are saved.  GRACE alone – exclusively….

We began by speaking of the mentality – we are going to do things the way we always did things, the way our grandparents did them and their grandparents.

Instead of this is the way WE have operated, let us go forward saying, “Let us ascribe to the way God has always done it.”  In eternity God has acted toward sinful mankind by His grace.  He has continuously had His Word go out through His messengers like Luther and you and me.

These three:  grace alone, faith alone, and Word alone are so uniquely tied together and they sum up the whole disposition of God towards us.

If someone asks you what did you celebrate at your Reformation festival, what shall you tell them?  You can say we celebrated the Word of God and how God’s grace is abundantly showered upon us through that Word.  Make use of an opportunity when someone is speaking of Halloween to boldly proclaim we are all sinners deserving of hell.  But it is by faith alone, grace alone, and Word alone that we are saved from what we deserve.  Even though the world is full of all sorts of evil – God is our refuge and strength. Amen.

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, ³ and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. ⁴ Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ ⁵ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. ⁷ But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ ¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. ¹² So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

The time is winding down in the wedding season because summer is over and fall has begun.  In our day weddings certainly have gotten way out of hand as far as the details go, some would suggest they are out of hand anyway. This past week I was told of the frustrations an event planner who has a very difficult time in dealing with the bridezillas of up and coming weddings.  The brides are so often the most difficult to deal with because they want everything just so. It is tough to fault a bride for being so concerned about even the most minuscule details for this event is to be a once in a life deal. That brings our attention today to a wedding celebration which our Lord presents through a parable in Matthew.  This parable is another earthly story with a heavenly meaning in which the Lord desires to cultivate our view of His dealing with us.

On the whole, the picture of a wedding is very fitting for describing heaven because if you think about it, there is not a closer union on earth than that which God makes in marriage.  The essence of heaven is union with God forever, a union which will never be severed – not even by death for heaven is living forever with God.

Most of the weddings for 2011 are in the books, but the ultimate wedding celebration, well at least the picture of a wedding celebration which the Lord gives today through this parable is off in the future. We don’t know how far off but we have not gotten there yet.   The ultimate wedding is to come..let us find out some more details concerning it today.  We pray: Holy Spirit sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is absolute truth.  May You lead us to receive Your invitation with thanks and use us to offer life and salvation through Christ to all people. Amen.

As most of you know there is a whole lot of planning and attention to every detail in preparing for a marriage festival.  Furthermore, being part of a wedding is something which is very special. There are a couple of different facets to a wedding but one particular aspect which we shall focus on today for us being guests to a wedding. Virtually every wedding that I have known of includes one thing well before the wedding actually takes place: invitations to the celebration.  Invitations need to be sent out many days before that special day – months even.

If you get an invitation to a wedding it is totally the will of the ones getting married that made that happen.  Therefore we can say that being invited to a wedding is not earned in any way.  We cannot buy an invitation to any earthly wedding but instead are invited through the graciousness of the host.  When is the last time you went to a wedding in which you had to pony up some money as a cover charge?  None of you, me either.  It doesn’t work that way.  I want you to look closely at the invitations which went out for this heavenly wedding.

…and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. ⁴ Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ ⁵ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

In the context of this whole parable God’s compassion and longsuffering are brought to light.  The Lord has done everything necessary to provide life and forgiveness through His name.  God continually through His Word issues a glorious invitation to come, yet look at how many view this invitation in a disdainful fashion!  Many disregard the Gospel, make light of it, and continue with their own business. And still the Lord issues the invitation to come to the ultimate wedding.  Quite clearly the Lord has compassion and patience and His call continues to go out.

Let us turn our attention to ourselves.

Do you think you are a good judge of your own character?  It isn’t a trick question… ok then. How do you do in the area of patience?  We being critical Christian people of ourselves don’t have a very high regard for how much patience we have.  I am assuming all of you have difficulty with patience as I often do.

There are people in this world which really try our patience.  It could be someone at work, a shirt tail relative, a neighbor which we just don’t like very much. Listen well, God doesn’t call us to like people.  In this parable God doesn’t tell His servants to like those whom He desires to invite. There are some people whom we just don’t and will not like.  It is just a fact that all personalities do not mesh. However those people along with all other people are ones which we are called to love.  The Gospel message of Jesus Christ is much more important that we. One of the ways in which God calls us to love people is by us issuing an invitation to them.  You may not like a number of people in this world but we shall consider whether or not we desire that they be cast into hell forever.  When our will lines up with that of the Lord’s the answer will be no, we do not desire that any perish.  The passage which the Sunday School children learned this week was a great one: God our Savior desires that all men be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 2:3,4)  It is not up to us who receives this invitation from God with thanks or dismisses it, our privilege is to issue the invitation again and again and again.

It is through this gracious invitation which the Lord gave us whereby the Lord has granted us faith.  There are a number of invitations which Jesus sent out personally recorded in the Bible….”Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). But note especially the final invitation of the Bible, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”   (Revelation 22:17).

No delusions and even greater expectations are ours by faith in Christ Jesus.  Faith in Christ is the most important thing.  To persevere in faith is to put your next foot forward even though you don’t have the strength to do it. I don’t expect anyone to guess this person but give it a shot.  I was an NBA basketball player. I missed 9,000 shots, lost 300 games, lost 26 games when I took the last shot.  Who am I? Michael Jordan. He succeeded and became probably the best bb player ever because he had faith in himself.  But that is worldly success.  What does that have to do with this wedding in eternity?  We are to persevere as we wait for this ultimate wedding to begin.  We do view this invitation from God with distain sometimes but we can have the strength to persevere through Christ.

Getting back to the scene of this up and coming wedding which will ensue at the end of all time…The picture of this wedding is one which everything is just so.  The invitations are perfect, there is enough food which is ready to be consumed, the king has not forgotten even the smallest detail.  Even to the point where he supplies the wedding garments for all the guests. Even though everything has been arranged perfectly look at what happens. ¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. ¹² So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

I want each and every one of us to ask ourselves the question…

Are we that guy?  Are we ones who disrespect the Lord by considering this invitation and this wedding as being not so wonderful or important?  That is the main question we ask ourselves today.  We have been lead to believe through the Word of God and by conviction of the Holy Spirit that heaven is given to us as a gift.  We didn’t earn the invitation which went out.  We have nothing to bring as a gift for this wedding.  We cannot even come up with the appropriate and proper clothes to wear.  This wedding garment is a picture of faith which the Lord bestows upon people.  We are dressed with this glorious robe of righteousness which Christ has given us right now by faith.  Let this Word of God which we hear today instill comfort and assurance in our hearts that when God ultimately tells us to come, we will come being fully secure in Christ.

Finally, listen to this warning which displays what will happen to those who come to the wedding disrespecting Him who invited them.        ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

            We didn’t choose God but He chose us.  We shall not invite ourselves into heaven but the Lord has graciously invited us, even though we are unworthy guests.  Here is your invitation to this wedding (holding up invitation).  We have that terrible power to put this invitation in the trash, to let it get piled in with all sorts of other worldly invitations and lost, and to say “no thanks” because we have more pressing matters.  Also let it be known that we don’t even have the power to accept – to check mark this line to say we are coming.  But thanks be to God that through Christ Jesus, He has checked it for us.  Cross check mark…

The next time you go to a wedding consider how honored and privileged you are to be able to go.  Think about what lengths He went to and how many times the Lord has invited us to honor Him for granting us this indescribable gift – faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.  We have peace with God right now and will be joined with Him forever in heaven because of Christ’s work for us.  Thank you Lord for choosing us to be Your dear children. Amen.

Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” 21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

The golfing season is coming to a close but listen in to a neat golf story. One of golf’s immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, “There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.

Going from the physical to the spiritual we ask the question — Is there truly a purpose for all the things that God allows to happen to us?  Clearly we know and find out from God’s holy Word that the one true God is the creator and preserver of all things.  And yes, He has a purpose for everything that He orchestrates or allows to happen to us.  We are confident that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for everything even the most gloomy and sometime horrendous hardships.  Our theme clearly states that there indeed is a purpose for all things.  Dark days surround us so that God’s glory will abound with us.  It is this morning that we will view a tragedy and consider what the Lord’s purpose was in allowing that to occur.  Let us pray: We pray that the Holy Spirit will give us understanding in all tragedies and that He will lead us to give all glory to God in all things.  May the purpose of our lives be giving glory to God alone.

In this story from the Old Testament today we identify one main tragedy.  That main tragedy is a young boy dying, or as God puts it – there was no breath left in him.  Of all the tragedies that we read about in the newspaper or hear on the tv the death of a young person seems to take precedence over other things.  A child as opposed to an older person is much more tragic because they still have their whole life ahead of them – it isn’t expected that a child should die.

17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him

First of all what was the purpose for this young boy dying?  Before we answer that remember this fact.  In the midst of this severe drought in the land of Zarephath it was the Lord working through Elijah that kept the boy and his mom alive.  He did so not by natural means but instead by miraculously providing a literally bottomless bin of flour and jar of oil.  So after doing that, going to those extreme lengths, why would the Lord just let this young boy die – just like that?  Our initial reaction might be, “What a waste, why go through all that trouble of keeping a young boy and his mom alive in a miraculous way and then let him die….it would seem like a fruitless endeavor or at least very puzzling!

But peering into this story we realize that the Lord has a higher purpose.  The purpose of this boy dying so young and after the Lord physically sustained him through dire circumstances was so that the wonder of God’s glory could be displayed.  As we realize that from afar, here in 2011, the mother of the departed boy did not realize that at the time.  Instead she was very distraught and downright upset with the Lord and His prophet Elijah.  As we find out from what she says, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

            Was this indeed the case?  Could a particular sin of hers actually incite a specific judgment from God?  We know that it certainly is possible but is that the way that God operates?  No; in fact it is not.  No direct link between any specific sin of this mother and the death of this son is found here.

It is natural to assume that a specific sin against the Lord incites Him to punish that person in some way on earth, but that is not the case.

Of course there are earthly ramifications if you commit a grievous sin.  For instance if you murder someone and are caught – there is an earthly price to pay – you might get the death sentence or a whole lot of jail time.  But aside from that does God directly punish people while they are still living on earth for a particularly blatant sin?  Is a loved one taken away in death at an early age because his parents committed a more serious sin – deserving a judgment from God here and now?  No.

We make associations like that because that is the route we would probably take if we were God, orchestrating and directing all things.  We operate logically and with shortsightedness.  We would exact revenge and very quickly.  It isn’t just us either that would figure God makes us pay for sins by bringing hardships into our lives.  I turn your attention to the Gospel of John where Jesus was asked the same type of thing that this dead young boy’s mother assumed.

John 9: 1-4 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 Imust work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

            It was just assumed that a person who was cursed with being born blind was that way because of the sins of his parents.  People today make that unfair and unwarranted connection when a child is born with any sort of disease.

Note Jesus answer there: it is clear.  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”  That man was born blind so that all could see, and we could read about it, that Jesus, the God-Man, has all power in heaven and on earth.  It was worked out that way in order that God’s glory could abound – that all people could witness the glory of God.  Dark days surrounded that blind man so that God’s glory could abound specifically with him.

Many things happen in our lives where we wonder – what possible good can come of that situation?  How can God possibly use that terrible thing for good?  As an example I recently I heard of a woman who was pregnant and lost the child at 8 weeks old, still in the womb that is.  They found out the baby was dead at the first ultrasound.  Immediately when something as tragic as that happens a mother might be led to wonder what she did to God to incite that hardship.

Romans 8: 28 reminds us that God has a superior plan for every consequence, every hardship, for all believers… “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  That particular teaching of God has given great comfort to many believers throughout many ages.

No matter what hardships or tragedies beset us the Lord is calling us to always give all glory to Him.  All things work together for good – that includes you children being mistreated by other kids at the playground.  That can work for your good – an opportunity to show love to others and not hate.  All of us have our own specific ailment or deficiency of our bodies – those things too will work out for good.  This is not just a positive approach but listening to and believing the Word of God.

Jesus words to us are: John 9:4 Imust work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work”  In everything that we do, everything that we witness, we are as ambassadors of God appointed to give all glory to God.  Everything that we do should have as it’s underlying purpose – give glory to God.

J.S. Bach said, “All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul’s refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub.”  Even something so simple and varied as music shall have the underlying or blatant purpose of glorifying God.  How many songs on the radio these days glorify God?  If you listen to the popular country or hit songs on Froggy or Y94 we would quickly conclude there are few songs which emulate God.

Many things happen specifically so that we have opportunities to see the glory of God manifested in this world in our lives.  God is asking you today to make use of many opportunities to give glory to Him. Back in the story we are considering….how in the world does God deserve glory by preserving this child through miraculous means and then letting him die? It is with patience that we will see the answer.

We would think, and we would be right, that God’s glory would be manifested through His own prophet Elijah.  But it wasn’t right away that God used Elijah as His instrument to bring glory to His name. So lest we think it was just this mother who questioned God’s wisdom and will, we read on and see that God’s own prophet Elijah questioned God’s plan.

19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?”

Since we all are sinful, including Elijah, we do not understand the mind of the Lord.  Therefore we are not to question God but instead ask that He gives us understanding while we give all glory to Him.  We humbly submit to His will and ask that His will be done in our lives.  We are to go to the Lord in prayer humbly but boldly asking for all things.  And that is just what Elijah did.  He acted in accordance with God’s will and received understanding as well.

21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”

It was then after the fact that Elijah I am sure realized the purpose for allowing this child’s spirit to depart from him – it was so that all could see and realize who is in control and who gives daily breath and bread.  It is God.  It was through this miracle of raising this child to life again that God displayed His infinite power and wisdom.

It is the Lord who has worked faith in your heart.  It is the Lord that has come to you through the Word of God.  It is the Lord who continues to keep you close to Him.  We are powerless, we are weak, we are sinful.  On the opposite end of the spectrum God is righteous,  He demands that we are as well.  He says, Leviticus 19:2 “Be holy for I the Lord your God am holy.”  He demands that we are righteous and we are not – therefore we have earned everlasting hellfire.  We will have to make an account of all the sins we have ever committed against God before Him on Judgment day.   As we look forward to the final Judgment day we have no hope, no boldness within ourselves.  We know that we will stand before him fully deserving to be cast into hell.   We cannot pay for our sins, not even one.   So that leads us to the question — What do we have to be thankful for? While sickness and death surrounds us everyday what possibly reason can we have to be thankful?  You have a Savior from all your sins.  Jesus Christ went to the cross and took with Him all the sins you have ever and will ever commit.  Be assured that God’s righteous anger against you has been appeased on account of Jesus making peace between you and God the Father.   Surely peace with God through Christ is one of the greatest things we can be thankful for.

But the fact of the matter is that sickness and death surround us daily, we cannot deny that.  We can be thankful for even those things.  While sickness and death are not necessarily judgments from God here on earth they are reminders that we live in a sinful world and that we are sinful people in need of a Savior.  But how often and easily we forget that? For we put two and two together and figure we are being punished for something we’ve done.  We assume that is the case, because after all that is what any good parent does in a relationship with their child.  Parents set up rules and laws and if the children transgress or break those rules, consequences and punishments immediately follow as a direct result of those transgressions.

Whatever hardship or bad situation occurs in your life let it serve as a reminder Hebrews 12: 6-7 “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

            If the Lord allowed us to have an easy life, one free from pain and hardships, how strong would our faith be? Not very strong.  How much would we depend on Him if we lived under the false pretense that we have all power within ourselves?  We wouldn’t depend on Him at all.  How much would we appreciate our Savior and all that He has done for us if we thought we could go to Him at any time?  Not very much.  Therefore let us be thankful that our lives are filled with distress and hardships for in those things the Lord is drawing us closer to Him.

We hear this mother in anguish and frustration again.  Listen to the pain her voice. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”  Clearly her emotions got the best of her.  It is easy for us to sit here far, far removed from the incident and tell this mother such things as.  Don’t you know what the Scriptures say?  We are to have the attitude of Job in such things.  Job said this upon his whole families death, “ the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Job 1:21  And surely the Lord was patient with this woman and brought about fruits of faith.  We have evidence of that in the final words of our text.

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”

The word of the Lord is THE Truth. There is only one absolute guide in all our lives.  The is only one rock solid, concrete source of truth – that is God’s Word.

Many terrible things happen to us and in the world around us with the result that God’s glory and grace is able to shine in this world more brightly.  God permits vile things in this world to happen because through those things His glory and ultimate power is revealed.

So when we see disaster occur around us, the economy going in the toilet, many deaths every day in the Middle East,  let those things serve as reminders of our situation that we and the whole world are indeed lost and condemned sinners. Let those be reminders for us to repent of our sins and then firmly believe we have a Savior in Jesus Christ which we are told of in THE Truth – The Bible.  Let us depend on God for everything and continue to turn to His Word. We shall give all glory to God by proclaiming the truth which is unmistakably God’s holy Word.  In good times and in bad let us thank and praise our God for giving us salvation.

Let this resurrection of this young child that we viewed today remind us of our Savior Jesus Christ who died and rose again for us to give us victory over death and hell.  To God alone be all the glory. Amen.