Words of Encouragement for May 26, 2010

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE PRODIGAL SON

Luke 15:11-32

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

In the first verses of Luke 15, we are told that the Pharisees and scribes murmured against Jesus because He received known sinners who came to Him to hear His life-giving Word. Rather than rejoicing with the angels of heaven over these lost sinners who were being converted and saved through Jesus’ Word, the Pharisees and scribes were critical of Jesus for receiving such persons. The parable of the prodigal son was told by Jesus to show them that they too should repent and that they should rejoice over the repentance of other lost sinners.

The prodigal son in this parable must certainly have been considered to be the worst of sinners in the eyes of the Jewish scribes and Pharisees. Not only had he wasted his inheritance on harlots and in riotous living; he even cared for, lived with and tried to eat with swine. Yet, when he came to his senses and returned to his father seeking forgiveness for his sins, his father forgave him and rejoiced at his return.

This is a beautiful description of our heavenly Father and His forgiveness for our many sins against Him. Our heavenly Father created us to serve Him and do His will. He placed us over His creation on the earth that we might use these things according to His will and for His glory (Gen. 1). But man disobeyed the LORD God and fell into sin. Instead of living for the LORD and using His creation in accord with His will, we have turned aside from the LORD and His holy will and have used His creation for our own selfish ends. Like the prodigal son, all of us sinners need confess: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in Thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son” (cf. Gen. 3; Rom. 3:9-20,23). Because God sent His only begotten Son into the world to suffer and die for our sins, we can be sure that our heavenly Father will also forgive us when we repent of our sins and turn to Him for forgiveness (cf. I John 1:9; 2:1-2; Rom. 3:23-26). Through faith in Christ, our heavenly Father not only forgives all our sins against Him; He receives us as sons and gives us an eternal inheritance with Him in heaven (Gal. 3:26-29; 4:4-5).

Jesus’ parable goes on to describe the great rejoicing which took place when the prodigal son returned, and the anger of his brother that such a wicked son would be received back with joy and celebration. Because the Pharisees and scribes did not see their own need to repent and receive forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, they, like the angry brother in the parable, could only see the great sin of those coming to Jesus. They did not see the great blessings of forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation which were being imparted to these penitent sinners for Jesus’ sake, and they were therefore unable to rejoice over the salvation of these lost souls.

Note the father’s response to the angry son: “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” When we remember that we too “were dead in trespasses and sins” and that “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:1,4-6), then we will be filled with joy when others also receive the salvation God has provided for them in His Son!

Alas, my God, my sins are great, my conscience doth upbraid me; and now I find that in my strait no man hath pow’r to aid me. Lord, Thee I seek. I merit naught; yet pity and restore me. Just God, be not Thy wrath my lot; Thy Son hath suffered for me. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #317, Verses 1, 3)

Pastor Randy Moll

Who watches over and keeps us in all our ways?

“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” John 6:15-21

Who is it who watches over and keeps us in all our ways? Who preserves our life and guards and protects us from all evil?

The Bible tells us in Psalm 91: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

But consider Jesus’ disciples. After Jesus had miraculously fed the five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish, he sent His disciples away in the boat while He himself went up in the mountain to pray. Cf. Mark 6:45-53:

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

When evening came, Jesus was alone on the land and His disciples in the middle of the sea, rowing hard and making little progress because the winds were against them. Jesus saw them toiling and rowing, but He didn’t immediately come to their aid. He continued to pray and didn’t come to them, walking on the water, until sometime between 3 and 6 a.m. – in the fourth watch of the night. Mark even tells us that He would have passed them by, but they saw Him walking on the water and were terrified.

There are times in our lives, too, when we struggle and struggle to make headway through the storms and troubles we face. Jesus sees. He sees us struggling and toiling, but He may not immediately intervene. But as He continued in prayer on that mountain through the night, we are also assured that He is constantly interceding and praying for us at the right hand of God the Father. The Bible tells us that our judge is “Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). Even when we sin, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2; cf. Isaiah 53:12).

Jesus prayed often. He prayed for His disciples, asking the Father to keep them in the true and saving faith and keep them from evil (cf. John 17). After praying for His disciples on that night when He was betrayed, He also said in His high priestly prayer (John 17:20-21, 24):

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me …Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

Jesus desires and prays that none of us be lost but be kept in the true and saving faith – kept in fellowship with Him and the Father through repentance and remission of sins for the sake of Jesus’ shed blood – until we are with Him forever in heaven. We often fail to trust. We fail to pray as we should and to wait upon the LORD God. But Jesus doesn’t fail to pray for us and to watch over us even if we don’t immediately see Him coming to our aid in the troubles of our lives.

Jesus did come to His disciples on the sea. He would have passed them by had they not seen Him and become terrified, thinking they had seen a ghost. What would we think if we were a few miles from shore on a wind-tossed lake late in the night and we saw a figure walking to us on the water? I have little doubt that fear and terror would grip our hearts as well.

But Jesus removed those fears. He said, “It is I; be not afraid.”

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Peter said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” (Matthew 14:28). When Jesus told him to come, Peter walked on the water too, until he took his eyes off Jesus, looked at the wind and the waves and doubted. Jesus caught him by the hand and saved him. He also rebuked Peter’s lack of faith – even though his faith was greater than most because he did step out of the boat upon the water to walk to Jesus.

And what happened when Jesus stepped into the ship? The wind stopped, and immediately they were at their destination.

Though an allegorical application, it is true that when we keep our eyes upon Jesus and trust Him, we can walk above the storm-tossed seas of life. When we take our eyes off Jesus and look at the wind and the waves, we doubt and begin to sink. All we need do is cry out, as did Peter, “Lord, save me,” and He will take us by the hand and walk with us. When Jesus is with us, He calms the storms of life and brings us safely to the shore of our final destination.

Yes, Jesus who fed thousands with a few loaves and fish is the very Son of God in human flesh. Who else can walk on water, calm the wind and the waves and carry a boat across the sea and safely to shore?

Who is it who watches over and keeps us in all our ways? Who preserves our life and guards and protects us from all evil?

But Jesus removed those fears. He said, “It is I; be not afraid.”

And what happened when Jesus stepped into the ship? The wind stopped, and immediately they were at their destination.

But this same Jesus, who is over all creation, loves us so much He prayed for His disciples and for us, and He continues to intercede for us. He desires that none of us be lost to His kingdom, but that we continue to trust in Him – and Him alone – for our forgiveness and for life everlasting. He went to the cross to suffer and die and pay in full the just punishment for your sins, my sins and the sins of the whole world. He rose again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and there He intercedes for us as we endure the struggles and difficulties of this life. He wants us to join Him in the mansions of His Father’s house.

He can still walk on water and calm the winds and the waves, but even more important to Him is that we trust in Him, pray to Him and know that He sees us, comes to us by His Spirit through God’s Word, and will lead us safely through the troubles of this life to Himself in heaven.

Had Jesus’ disciples kept in mind the promises of God’s Word, they would have known the LORD was with them even when they couldn’t see His presence. If we would read, study and keep in mind the Word of God, we would know and recognize that Jesus seeks our good even when He sends us out on stormy seas, that He prays for us, that He comes to us, that He stills and calms the seas of life for us in His own time, and that He not only died for us and rose again but leads us safely through this life to Himself in heaven!

The apostle Paul wrote of this confidence when he said, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

God grant to you and to me such faith in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pastor Randy Moll

The Brief Statement

of the

Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod as adopted in 1932

(Editor’s Note: This remains the official position of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod yet today, though in practice, many have departed from it.)

Of Sunday

41 We teach that in the New Testament God has abrogated the Sabbath and all the holy-days prescribed for the Church of the Old Covenant, so that neither “the keeping of the Sabbath nor of any other day” nor the observance of at least one specific day of the seven days of the week is ordained or commanded by God, Col 2:16; Rom. 14:5 (Augsburg Confession. Triglot, p. 91, @_ 51-60; M., p. 66).

The observance of Sunday and other church festivals is an ordinance of the Church, made by virtue of Christian liberty. (Augsburg Confession; Triglot, p. 91, @51-53, 60; M., p. 66. Large Catechism; Triglot, p. 603, @_ 83, 85, 89; M., P. 401.) Hence Christians should not regard such ordinances as ordained by God and binding upon the conscience, Col. 2:16; Gal. 4: 10. However, for the sake of Christian love and peace they should willingly observe them, Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 14:40. (Augsburg Confession. Triglot, P. 91, @53-56; M., p. 67.)

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 8; Acts 2:22-47; John 8:48-59. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Trinity Sunday. What is the theme of Psalm 8? What question is raised by the psalmist when he looks at the heavens? Cf. Psalm 19:1. What does this psalm say about man’s created position? How does this apply to Jesus? Cf. Hebrews 2:6ff. What did Peter, in Acts 2, say the Jews had done to the LORD’s Christ? How have we, too, done this? What did Peter direct the people to do that they might be saved? How do these words apply to us today? What did the new believers continue to do? Who added to the Church? Who, in John 8, did Jesus say His hearers did not know? Why? Did Jesus know the Father? Had Abraham seen Jesus? How long has Jesus been? Who did He claim to be?

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 6:28ff. Who gave the Children of Israel manna from heaven? How is Jesus greater than that manna? What did Jesus say He is? What did He offer His hearers? Did the Jews come to Jesus and receive the true bread from heaven? Who, did Jesus say, would come to Him? What is the will of God the Father in heaven? What is His will for you?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us; for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, for Christians who are alone and have no congregation, and for our adopted soldiers. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Thank You

Ray Hawes expresses his thanks to the ladies of the congregation for the lunch honoring him on the occasion of his birthday.

Events and Announcements

The Choir is practicing for upcoming services. More voices are always welcome.

Congregational Evening Bible studies will continue again at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

Psalm 119:1-8

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible]

Posted by Pastor Randy Moll on May 26, 2010.

Tags: Beliefs and Teaching, bible, Devotions, faith, good shepherd, lutheran, repentance, salvation, scripture, word of god

Categories: Announcements, Life Applications, Newsletters, Sermons

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church