Sin

Not everyone wants to hear the truth. They will rally against Christian truth-tellers. They will accuse them of being unchristianlike. No one likes to hear that they what they do is a sin. Well, Jesus was a truth-teller. He did not condone sin as some would have us believe. He was not a pushover as some would have us think.

Remember the money changer's tables in the temple that he turned over and then drove those making a profit in God's house out of the temple with a whip? (Matt 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:14-15) How meek and mild does that sound?

If you think your pastor or teacher are acting in a manner not befitting a Christian because they call a sin a sin; think again, please. When was the last time one of them actually told you to "get behind me Satan" because you rejected the word and will of God? (Matt 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-38) I can just imagine the reaction if I said that to someone. I confess. I am a wimp. I have thought it. I have even implied it. But, never actually had the courage to use those words (except with a person or two very close to me).

And... please, don't bother using the story of the woman who had been brought before him accused of adultery. No, he did not condemn her. But, he not only confronted her with her sins when he told her to go and sin no more; he confronted the sins of the Scribes and Pharisees when he told them that the one who was without sin should cast the first stone. No one cast that first stone. (John 8:1-11) We are all sinners. That doesn't make sin something to be ignored. Jesus did not ignore it. We ought not ignore it in ourselves or anyone else.

Jesus did not ignore sin. He was tough on sin. In fact, he was so tough on sin that he was willing to hang on that cross for us so that sin would have no power over us. (1 Cor 15:56, 57) Bearing the sins of the world; now, that takes courage! (Rom 5:7-9) Jesus was and is no pushover and he does not call his followers to be, either. He spoke the truth. He lived the truth. He is the truth.

Jesus died for our sins; that is true. St. Paul wrote to the church: "What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (Rom 6:1-3) 

May God grant that we should acknowledge our sins and live so that we might glorify his holy name.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Before one accuses another Christian of being unchristianlike in order to justify our own sins; it would behoove us to read your Bibles thoroughly so that we get to know who Jesus really was and is and not just the verses we think might justify our own actions. Justification comes only through Jesus' death on the cross for you.

Honor Your Father and Mother

The Fourth Commandment.

Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother [that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long upon the earth].

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise nor anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve, obey, and hold them in love and esteem.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

In this fourth commandment we are told that we are to honor those who have authority over us so that it may be well with us and that we might live long upon the earth.  Think about the chaos in so many homes and our school systems because many young people; rather than honor their parents or teachers, are allowed (and sometimes encouraged by other people in authority) to be outright disrespectful; defiantly rejecting all authority. How much learning can be done in this kind of environment? How many children are being taught to disrespect and connive against our police officers who have sworn to protect us? It makes it very difficult to serve and protect or teach anyone when one is being cursed at or emotionally or even physically attacked.

 

God has given each of us people in our lives who are meant to teach and guide us; to care for us. Parents, police officers, teachers, doctors, employers are just a few examples of such people today. Sadly, not all of them have our best interests at heart. There are those who think that everything should be done for their glory to the detriment even of their children and those who might work for them.  Martin Luther reminds us, in the Large Catechism, that even though the Commandments do not speak directly to the duties of those in authority; scripture reminds us all that we are to love and care for one another. This applies to parents as well as others who might have the duties to teach or care for or protect us. If we teach our children that it is all right to disrespect others; they may also learn to disrespect us.

 

We should honor all in positions of authority and those in authority would be wise to guide those who they have authority over; to teach them the ways of the Lord. If honor, respect, and even integrity could make a come-back; then we would all live long and peacefully upon the earth.

 

Pr. J

 

P.S. I confess that while writing this blog this morning, I have been biased by knowing too many   parents who encourage their children to be blatantly disrespectful toward others and who also encourage their children to use alcohol and other drugs as well as to promiscuity.

2 Peter 2 Not Everyone is Saved

2 Peter 2 NIV
Peter is pretty straightforward in his warning to the people to beware of and not follow false teachers They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done." (vs 13) that come among us. They are ungodly people; people who secretly introduce heresies and blaspheme in matters they do not understand; following the corrupt desires of the flesh; and despise authority. "

Do not follow them on the road to destruction. Do not fall into their trap. God will take care of them. Justice will be meted out. Not by our hands; but, by the hand of God. Just as God did not spare the people of Noah's time (except for Noah's family) or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (except for Lot and his family), He will visit justice upon those who would teach others to follow in ways that they should not go even as He will uphold those who love and trust in him on the day of judgment.

So many would consider this warning a judgment in itself. It is not. It is a reminder and a warning that God is the judge and he will indeed judge all people. There is time to change (although, we do not know how long). Jesus died so that all who believe in him might be saved and enter into the Kingdom where he reigns. We are saved by faith in Christ alone and faith inspires us to do God's will, not our own. Faith directs us to build up the Body of Christ, which is the Kingdom of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 3 Teachers

James 3 NIV

Youth praying with and for their teachers.

"We who teach will be judged more strictly." (vs 1) Although, my major was in education, I do not consider myself much of a teacher. It is included in my call; therefore, I teach. I teach cautiously and with the help of God. I pray that I do not damage anyone by teaching falsely. There are many others in my congregation who are more gifted at teaching than I and I thank God for them. This blog is, in a way, an attempt at teaching. However, I also attempt to keep the blogs short. They are mostly the first things that come to mind as I read the scriptures one chapter at a time. I cannot possibly cover everything that is possible to be taught each day in a blog. While they are meant to stimulate the readers thoughts, I am well aware that I have no immunity against making mistakes.

I confess that as this daily blog gets closer to the end of the Holy Bible and closer to the book of Revelation I am getting just a little apprehensive.  Revelation is something quite different. It is a vision and as such is full of symbolism, which should not be taken literally and about impossible to interpret since many of the events have not yet transpired. John's vision has already been interpreted in so many ways. They simply cannot all be right. I do not ascribe to the notion that there are opposing interpretations of  scripture; all equally valid. So, I have been praying for the last month or so, through a couple of books already, that God will guide me and I will more carefully listen through that upcoming and final book of Holy Scripture.

As teachers, we must be very cautious as to what we say and write. We are warned that teachers will be judged more strictly. As we do not wish to offend God or steer others in a way that they should not be going; we will be much more cautious in what we say as well as in what we do that others may come to know the joy of their salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 13:1-3 Praying For Those Whom God Sends

Acts 13:1-3 NIV

Barnabas and Saul were called by the Holy Spirit to be set apart to serve the Lord as, what we today would call, missionaries. The people of the church at Antioch prayed and laid their hands upon them before they sent them off to do the work which they were called to.

Bp. A. Malasusa, Bp. T. Skrenes, Rev. J. Wrege
Pr. J (kneeling) and Rev. Jimalee Jones (behind pulpit)
 

We ordain and install Pastors with the laying on of hands and prayer. At the beginning of each school year, we pray for those whom we are commissioning or installing as teachers of our youth. After our annual congregation meeting, we do the same for new council members. And, when the Spirit calls sets apart one of our members to visit the sick and our elderly neighbors we have a special service at which we pray for those going out to serve. That is not to say these are the only ones that visit our shut-ins. We have many who do this. But, usually one or two or set apart at any given time to ensure that those who cannot be with us; hear the Word and receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion on a regular basis. These are set apart to pray with those whom they visit.

To what have you been called? We know that God gives to each of us gifts for the good of all. (Romans 12:4-8) What gifts has He given you so that you might answer the call that He has called you to?

Let us pray:  May God who has called you to serve, bless every step that you take. May he bless the work of your hands and the words of your lips that all that you say and think and do may be acceptable in His sight and glorify He, who is our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 22:1-6 Too Many Witnesses

Luke 22:1-6 NIV
Yep, the less witnesses the better if you're planning on doing something that Satan is encouraging you to do. That would be the way to go. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, even Judas did not want too many witnesses for about what they were about to do to Jesus. They wanted to get rid of Jesus, but the people loved him. They didn't want the people turning against them, So, they needed a plan on how to get rid of him without anyone figuring out that they were setting him up.

The moral of the story: Beware of joining any group that thinks the way to do things is to get rid of their enemies when there are no witnesses.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 12:35-40 - Teachers Don't Know Everything

Mark 12:35-40 NIV
The teachers of the law have knowledge; but, they don't know everything. They can't comprehend how Jesus is David's Lord; they spend much time making a display of their own piety to build up their own egos; their own honor. They live by the letter of the law to make themselves look righteous. Yet, they forget or do not have any understanding of the spirit of the law; to serve others, to support those (like widows) in need.

The teachers of the law have knowledge of the letter of the law; but, have very little knowledge of the spirit of the law. They have very little understanding of what it really means to "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Mark 12:30-31 from yesterday's reading)

There are times in our own lives that we might want to ask ourselves if what we are expecting and demanding of others is because of our love of the written law (our personal interpretation of the law) or if it is born of a genuine love of God and others. May the Spirit of Jesus, the Messiah, fill each of us that we might have more discerning and loving hearts and minds.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 23 - Open The Door

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matt 23:13 NIV)

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we should or should not do here in this world, we forget all about the Kingdom of God. We forget to tell people that the door to the Kingdom is open to all who believe. If one doesn't even know that it's open, how will they know to enter through it?

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were like that. They were so busy worrying about appearances; they were so worried about looking good; they were so worried about making sure that every little ordinance that they came up with was obeyed to the letter that they either didn't know how or maybe they forgot to just "be" and "live" in God's presence. Consequently, since they did not enter into God's presence, they were not able to teach others this great mystery, either.

God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, so that we might be reconciled to God in His Kingdom and not just in the future life after death (as seems to be a popular notion); but, in the here and now. He desires that we should be reconciled; to "be" with Him; to "live life" in Him; in His Kingdom, even now.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." (Matt 23:37)

Will you enter through the door of the Kingdom? It has been opened for you, by Jesus Christ, our LORD.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 111 - Fear and Wisdom

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever." (111:10 NRSV)

Now, we know that we are to love the LORD, our God, with all our heart, our soul, and our strength (Deut 6:5), so what does this mean that we should fear the LORD? Doesn't scripture (1 John 4:18) also say: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  All of this seems to be a contradiction, does it not?

Think of it in this way. Last week many of our children brought their report cards home from school.  Some of them were afraid to show their parents their grades. They love their parents and their parents love them, yet they were a bit anxious about their parents finding out that while they were in school they were not focusing on the main objective and that would be to receive a good education so that they might have prosperous futures in this world. They had been busy doing their best at something other than what they should have been working on. So they were afraid because they did not want to be exposed. They did not want their parents to know that they had dishonored and disrespected their parents and themselves as well as their teachers and peers, by doing what they ought not and not doing what they ought to. It is not, hopefully not, that they were afraid of their parents. They feared the disapproval of their actions and inactions. They maybe even feared losing their parents love and respect. Maybe, some were just afraid of the consequences; that they might be grounded or have some privileges taken away until they can get back on track and start studying a bit harder. Out of love, parents will give consequences for not going in the way our children should be going. But, in all this, they do not stop loving their children.

There is no fear in love, yet do we not all, in some way, fear not being loved? And, who could love us more than He who was willing to die so that we might live in His loving presence forever?  Over and over again I hear the worries of the people that they may have done something so horrible that God cannot forgive them. How could He possibly love them after all they had done? Like a loving parent, He corrects us, but He never stops loving us. For those who have the wisdom to know that they have not been following in the way of the LORD, our God and Father forgives you all your sins. In this you should trust and have no fear. Do not fear that you cannot be forgiven or loved. He loves you enough to die for you.

Praise the LORD, extol Him with all your heart! Thanks be to God for, in Jesus Christ, His love is made perfect for you!

God's Peace - Pr. J