Words of Encouragement for Sept. 1, 2010

Meditations in Genesis

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth….” Genesis 1:1 (Read Genesis 1 and 2)

How did the heavens, the earth, and everything in them come to be? The Bible clearly tells us that the one true God – Jehovah God, who is one God, yet three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – created them out of nothing by His almighty Word. Reading on in the first two chapters, we see that He said of that which He created, “Let there be….” and “there was.”

It is as the Scriptures teach: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6); and, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

That the LORD God created the heavens and earth and everything in them in six days is taught not only in the Genesis account, but is repeated as a basis for the observance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament Scriptures. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).

The Church, which is made up of all true believers of all time, has always held to the truthfulness of the Genesis account of creation and confesses with Nehemiah the prophet: “Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worhippeth Thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). So also, in the ancient creeds still used today, believers confess: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth….”

This same God, who called all things into existence by His almighty Word, has also created each one of us. He formed the first man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). He created the first woman from the rib of Adam (Genesis 2:18ff.) and He created and formed each one of us in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13-16).

Not only has He created us and given us life, He sent His only begotten Son to die for us and bear the guilt and punishment for our sins that we might have life eternal through faith in Him; and He calls us to faith through the hearing of His life-giving Word.

This means that the LORD God has created you, forming you in the womb. And, even though you knew Him not because of the sin inherent in each of us through Adam’s fall (Genesis 3), He came into this world a true man to pay for your sins and make you His own, and He calls you to faith in Him through His gracious word of forgiveness and life in His Son, Jesus Christ!

O LORD God, Creator of the heavens, the earth and all things, thank You for making me, giving me breath and for giving me life through faith in the Son. Graciously keep me in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Amen.

My Dear Children

The Unchangeable God

O LORD God, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” O unchanging God, grant that we hold fast to You in faith, knowing that You are always the same and that Your lovingkindness toward us in Christ Jesus will not pass away. Amen. (Psalm 102:25-27 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Everything is changing around us. Schools change. Jobs change. Our world changes. People change. Relationships change. We change. We grow up and grow old and change in our appearance and our thoughts. Finally, we die. But God does not change. Not only is He eternal, without beginning and without end; He does not change! What was true of God at the beginning of the world is still true today. What God judged as wrong in the days of the Old Testament prophets, He still condemned in the days of Jesus and does so in our day. Not only do God’s judgments remain immutable (unchanging), His love for us in Christ Jesus does not come and go, but remains constant and never ending!

1. In Psalm 102:25-27, the Bible tells us: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” What does God here tell us about His immutability (unchangeableness)? Will the heavens and the earth change? Will God change?

2. In Malachi 3:6, we read: “…I am the LORD, I do not change….” What does God say of Himself?

3. In Psalm 33:11, the psalmist writes: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever; the plans of His heart to all generations.” What does this say of God’s thoughts and plans? Do they ever change? Does His Word ever change? Does the counsel of the LORD change from generation to generation? What does this mean for us?

4. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Who is the giver of every good and perfect gift? Is there any variation or shadow of turning with Him? What does this mean?

5. In Hebrews 13:8, we read: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Is Jesus unchangeable? Will His teaching ever change? Will His love and mercy upon His children ever change?

6. Consider what it means to us that God is unchanging. Will His Word ever change? Cf. Matthew 24:35. Will God’s Word ever become outdated? Will our generation be treated or judged any differently by God than other generations before us?

7. What of God’s love toward us in Jesus, will it ever change? Read Romans 8:31-39. If we repent of our sins and turn to God to forgive us for Jesus’ sake, will He always pardon us and wash away our sins in Jesus’ blood? Cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2.

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 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8

[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 X: Of the Lord’s Supper

Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.

Living in Denial of the Truth

People today are living in denial of a fundamental truth which affects us all, and that denial has far-reaching implications for all of us in every station of life. And, sad to say, this denial has infected churches and religious organizations as well as governments, schools and other secular organizations.

The truth of which I speak is the fall of man and the resulting fallen nature and curse upon all of creation. Not only do people question and deny the truth of the Genesis creation account, but many – even within the visible church – do not accept and take to heart the truths taught in Genesis 3 and related passages of Scripture, and this affects everything, from how people live their lives, to church activities, to government roles.

Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator and brought upon themselves and all mankind spiritual death and alienation from God. As a result of their sin, all are born sinners, turned in upon themselves and in rebellion against the LORD God (cf. Romans 5:12). As a result of Adam’s sin, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Or, as Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).

When God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden, “Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:16-19).

What people deny and do not take to heart is the depravity of all mankind, the wickedness of our hearts and the inclination to evil. People fail to realize and accept man’s – and especially their own – capacity for evil.

Again and again, when a horrible crime comes to light, we hear people express shock that one who was “such a good person” could do something so evil. But I put forward to you that no one is above the most hideous of crimes – most have already contemplated such things in their hearts and minds.

And if any of you are thinking, “I could never….” you had best reconsider. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Secondly, they fail to recognize and acknowledge that this sin which infects us all has brought with it consequences which also affect us all; namely, spiritual death (or a lack of true love for God and others and the inability to please God), sorrow, pain, suffering, hard work, temporal death and eternal condemnation.

And what are the implications of this denial? I’ll name just a few.

In governments, this denial leads to philosophies and dreams of a utopia on earth. Under Marxist communism, there was the foolish notion that the forced destruction of classes and the holding of all property and industry in common under state control would lead to an end of wars and revolutions and to a united world working together for the common good of all. But because it was based on fallacy, it only led to wars, bloodshed, a police state and, of course, to financial ruin.

Not accepting the truth about man’s nature, rulers today – regardless of whether they call themselves Republicans or Democrats, Socialists or Progressives – still strive toward the goal of absolute democracy and one-world government and somehow believe if they can gain enough power and rid themselves of dissenters, a new world order in which wars and killing will cease and people will all work for the common good is achievable. But they fail to acknowledge the depravity of man – that people are by nature self-seeking and sinful, that there will always be evil in this world, that there will always be wars and bloodshed and wickedness.

Remember what Jesus said: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

How different this denial of the truth is from the way America’s founding fathers defined the form of government spelled out in the United States Constitution! They recognized the sinfulness and weakness of men and divided the federal government’s powers into three branches – executive, legislative and judicial – to guard against tyranny and the foolishness and wickedness of man. They recognized the constant dangers of war and cautioned against foreign entanglements. They realized the danger of mob rule and established a republic with checks and balances rather than a pure democracy in which simple majority wins the day. They also recognized the fact that the government they established could not survive if the people abandoned the moral principles taught in the Bible.

In churches, this denial leads to a false understanding of the gospel and misguided programs. Instead of preaching the gospel of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world and of pardon, forgiveness and everlasting life in heaven through faith in His name, churches have turned their attention toward trying to heal this present world and making it a better place to live by encouraging acts of love and charity, working for equal rights, fighting poverty and saving the environment. Because so many church leaders do not truly accept the truths taught in Genesis 3, they fail to preach the truths taught throughout the Scriptures about man and his sinfulness and about the redemption God provided in His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.

As individuals, we all tend to lead our lives in denial of our own sinfulness and propensity to think, say and do evil. We like to think of ourselves as basically good rather than evil and full of wickedness. For as long as possible, we refuse to face the fact of our own mortality. We place our hopes in diets, exercise and vitamins, but death still comes to us all. We don’t wish to accept the fact that living in this world means hard work to earn our daily bread – along with suffering, pain and sorrow. And, without acknowledging our own wickedness and just condemnation, we fail to grasp the need of a holy and righteous God-man Savior who shed His own blood on a Roman cross to make atonement for the sins of the world and make us acceptable unto God the Father.

My point is not just to show the pivotal importance of Genesis 3; it is to show the foolishness of denying it. We can live in denial of sin and the curse, but the consequences will not go away. We and all people are by nature inclined to evil and sin. Wickedness and evil will continue until God judges and purges His creation of all sinners. No church outreach and no ruler or government program will ever heal this fallen world. There will be no lasting peace, no utopia and no paradise in this present world. To think we can achieve it is a denial of the truth!

We – everyone of us – are sinners and suffer the consequences. We are born into this world in spiritual death and alienation from God, and that leads to eternal death and condemnation. We will all die temporal death. Because of sin, this world is under a curse. It’s dying too and, while we can conserve it, care for it and make wise use of its resources, we can’t change its ultimate end.

Rather than living in denial of the truth, we need to acknowledge and accept it. Governments must rule with a right understanding of God’s truth, of sinful people and the fallen world in which we live. Only then can its decisions and policies be wise. Churches need to refocus on preparing lost souls for the world to come rather than trying to preserve the world that is. And individuals need to recognize their own wickedness and guilt before the almighty and holy God that they might also, by God’s grace, come to know and accept the redemption He has provided for all in the sacrifice of the Son, Christ Jesus!

“Our Lord Jesus Christ … gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Acts 13:1-13; Luke 14:25-35. 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 10:1ff. What parable did Jesus speak to the people in the opening verses of this chapter? What is the earthly story? What is its heavenly meaning or application? What is the sheepfold? Who is in this fold? Who is the door of the sheepfold? How do the sheep enter the fold? Cf. John 14:6. How do thieves and robbers seek to enter into the sheepfold? Who are these thieves and robbers Jesus describes? Cf. Jeremiah 23:1-2; Matthew 7:15-23; Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:17-18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:10-11; Colossians 2:8ff. Why do the thieves come? How is this true yet today? Why did Jesus come? How does this apply to us yet today? Whose voice does God’s flock hear? Will God’s children hear the voice of a stranger? What will they do when they hear a strange voice? What will God’s children do when they hear teaching which is not that of their Shepherd and Savior? Cf. Matthew 7:15-23; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17-18. Who is the Good Shepherd? What did He do for the sheep? How does Jesus’ parable compare to Psalm 23 and other Old Testament usage of the illustration of sheep and their shepherd?

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 is recovering from knee surgery today; Dick Stueland, also 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

A 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 and the resumption of church choir practices. A special cookout is being planned for the event.

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.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

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