Words of Encouragement for August 25, 2010

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK AND ON THE SAND

Read Luke 6:46-49

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

Upon what have you built your life? Is it built upon Jesus Christ and His Word? Or is it built upon some earthly foundation? Jesus told this parable because of those who addressed Him as “Lord” and listened to His teaching but did not do what He taught. They heard Jesus’ words with their ears and called upon Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (cf. Matt. 15:8). They did not trust in Jesus for salvation or seek to live their lives as He commanded.

The first man in Jesus’ parable, the man who dug down deep and laid the foundation of his house upon the rock, is like the one who hears Jesus’ Word and then trusts in Him and His redemptive work for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. As a child of God through faith in Christ’s shed blood, he then seeks to live his life for his Lord and Savior by hearing and doing His Word. When floods of trouble, suffering and persecution come his way, he is not moved because his faith and life are built upon Jesus Christ and His eternal Word.

The second man, who built his house upon the earth without a foundation, is like the man who hears Jesus’ Word and even calls himself a Christian; but he does not truly trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, nor does he truly seek and desire to live in obedience to the Word of God. His life is not built upon Christ, but upon the earth and its vain philosophies. When trouble, suffering or death come his way, his life crumbles because all that his life was built upon washes away.

Upon what have you built your life? Is it built upon Christ and His Word? or upon the unstable sands of this world? If you live your life according to the ways and standards of this world, both you and your works will not stand in God’s judgment. But if you build your life upon Christ and His Word, you will be “as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever” (Psalm 125:1).

Hear Christ’s Word and build upon it!

In faith, Lord, let me serve Thee; tho’ persecution, grief, and pain should seek to overwhelm me, let me a steadfast trust retain; and then at my departure take Thou me home to Thee and let me there inherit all Thou hast promised me. In life and death, Lord, keep me until Thy heav’n I gain, where I by Thy great mercy the end of faith attain. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #381, Verse 3)

My Dear Children

The Omniscient God

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” O LORD God, open up our minds and give us an understanding of Your Word that we might know You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Psalm 139:1-4 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Our knowledge is limited – we do not and cannot know everything. The more we learn, the more we find out that there is so much that we do not yet know and understand. Only a foolish man thinks he knows it all. But though we only learn and know in part, God knows ALL! Nothing is hidden from Him. This too is beyond our understanding to comprehend. God is omniscient; that is, He knows and possesses all knowledge.

1. In Psalm 147:5, the Bible tells us: “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” What does God here tell us about His knowledge and understanding? What does this mean?

2. In 1 John 3:20, we read: “…God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” Is there anything that God does not know?

3. In Psalm 139:1-6, David writes: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” What is David, by inspiration of God’s Spirit, teaching us about God? Is there anything that God does not know about us?

4. Hebrews 4:13 says: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Is there anyone or anything hidden from the presence or knowledge of the LORD?

5. In John 2:24-25, we read that “Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Is Jesus omniscient? Does He know everything about us? Does He know what is in our hearts?

6. Read John 16:30. Jesus’ disciples said of Him: “Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” Why did Jesus’ disciples believe that Jesus was (and is) the only begotten Son of God, come into this world?

7.In 1 Corinthians 2:10, St. Paul writes: “The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” Is the Holy Spirit omniscient.

8. Considering what you have just learned about the LORD God, is there anything hidden from His knowledge? How is this frightening to us as sinful people? How is this comforting to us as forgiven children of God?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 139:1-4

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article IX: Of Baptism.

Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace.

They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.

Hear, O Israel

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God commanded His people to listen carefully and hold fast to this truth. The God of Israel was different than the many false gods of the peoples around them. “Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one.” The God of Israel, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. Psalm 2; Isaiah 48:16ff.; Matthew 28:19) is one God – He is the Triune God. In 1 John 5:7, we read: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Though any who reject the truth that Jehovah God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is one Jehovah do not know and worship the true God, we (by the grace of God) know Him – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But to just know and profess that God is one still comes far short of what God requires of us. It is not enough to just profess and believe that the true God is the Triune God. In James 2:19, we read: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

To worship and believe in the Triune God – Jehovah God – of the Bible is also to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength. It is to treasure His Word in our hearts, to teach His Word to our children, to talk about His Word at all times and to keep His Word continually before our eyes (vv. 5-9; cf. Matthew 22:37; Colossians 3:16; Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 6:4). As we consider who the true God is, we ought also remember how He would have us regard Him and live for Him!

We know who Jehovah God is – the Triune God, three Persons and yet one God – but do we love Him with all our heart, soul and strength? Are we living our lives for Him? Have we studied His Word and kept it in our hearts and before our eyes? Do we speak of Him to our children when we sit in the house, when we walk (or drive) down the road, when we lie down and when we rise up? Our shortcoming and failure is clear. We profess to believe in the true God and to love Him, but our actions reveal the weakness of our faith and the shallowness and absence of our love!

Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah God in the flesh (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:30ff.; 2:10-11; John 8:58; etc.), so loved us that He went to the cross and died for our sins (cf. Rom. 5:8; Rev. 1:5). He paid in full that we might have pardon and forgiveness and life everlasting! The Bible tells us that “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). Jesus redeemed us with His holy and precious blood that we might now trust in Him, love Him and serve Him with all our heart, soul and might. He also dwells in us by His Spirit and strengthens us that we might truly worship and serve Jehovah God – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one Jehovah, forgive us for our failures to love Thee, keep Thy Word before our eyes continually, and teach our children of Thee. For the sake of Jesus’ holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead, pardon our iniquity and sin, and strengthen us that we might live our lives for Thee. Amen.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 131; Acts 12:1-25; Luke 14:1-14. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 9:1ff. Where were Jesus and His disciples? What did Jesus’ disciples ask Him? Why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sin or the sin of his parents? What miracle did Jesus do? How did He do it? On what day did Jesus heal this man? What did the people who knew the man think when they saw the blind man made whole? What did the Pharisees think? What did they do to verify that a miracle had indeed taken place? Why were the parents unwilling to tell all? Are people like this yet today?Did they then believe on Jesus? What did they say of Jesus? How did the healed man answer them? What did they do to the man who was healed? Why? Did Jesus leave this man to suffer alone for the consequences of his witness? What did He reveal to the healed man? How did the healed man respond to Jesus’ words? What did Jesus then say (v. 39)? How are Jesus’ words true today?

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 – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who will undergo knee surgery on Sept. 1; Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. 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.

Events and Announcements

The special congregational dinner has been rescheduled for the second Sunday in September (because of Labor Day weekend) to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year. Please see the bulletin or next week’s newsletter for more details. A cookout may be in the works.

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.

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]