"The Sure Thing"
Text: 2 Timothy 2:8-13
The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of you, now and into eternity. Amen.
Dear Fellow Christians, one
of the more difficult lessons to learn in life is that success has little
meaning without failure. In fact success depends on failure for its very
existence. This lesson is almost never learned all at once. It is learned
little by little in a wide variety of life's pursuits. The home run in
baseball, for example, is nothing without the strikeout. The touchdown run is
nothing without the fumble or the tackle for no gain. The A is nothing without
the F, happiness is nothing without sorrow, and problem solving is nothing
without frustration. Even the weather needs the bleak, stormy day before we
will appreciate the fair and sunny.
It is most interesting to
realize that although our favorite athletes are those who always seem to come
through at the critical time, it is in fact the very
real possibility of failure that lends excitement and interest to competition
to life itself for that matter. Imagine how boring and predictable it would be
if there really was something in sports like a "sure thing" batters
who hit home runs every trip to the plate, quarterbacks who threw for
touchdowns every time they touched the ball, weather that was always 72 and
sunny, a life with no adversity.
The bottom line is that life
is interesting because there is struggle; success is only sweet when confronted
with the possibility of failure; we really only appreciate the good times
because there are bad times, and because there is no such thing as a "sure
thing" in a sinful world.
Yet while this sort of thing
might hold true in the secular realm of life, we need something more in the
spiritual. While a certain amount of uncertainty and threat of failure can lend
excitement and interest to certain elements of life, we don't want such things
when it comes to faith and eternity. There we want to take no chances we can
not afford to take chances. When it
comes to our faith and our eternal futures, there we want a sure thing.
Great news! There we have a sure thing. There we have a rock
solid guarantee from the only Entity that can ever guarantee anything at all.
This is the comforting message of our text for this morning, found recorded in
Paul's Second Letter to Timothy, the Second Chapter:
NKJ 2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of
the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9
for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect,
that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory. 11 This is a
faithful saying: For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
These are the verbally inspired
words of our Holy God. What a blessing to have such words of truth to guide and
direct our thoughts and actions in these turbulent and uncertain times. That
God the Holy Spirit would so direct, instruct, and inspire the hearts of each
of us this morning, so we pray, Sanctify us through your truth, O Lord.
Your word is truth. Amen.
Fellow Servants of Jesus Christ, take just a moment and consider what, in your life,
is a sure thing. (And no, you can't get away with the standard "Death and
Taxes" answer.) Pass this question through the old gray matter and try to
come up with something, anything, that in your life you consider to be a sure
thing.
The sobering answer is that
outside of the spiritual side of our existence there is not a thing in the world
that we can guarantee as a sure thing. Not one of us can know for certain which
breath we draw will be our last, which sunrise will mark the end of the world
as we know it, which loved one will still greet us among the land of the living
on the morrow. For children of a merciful and loving God, this realization
arrives at the doorstep of our realization accompanied by neither surprise nor
anxiety. Not so with the world around us. Such things terrify the Godless, who
tend to reach for the tranquilizers at the thought that if they themselves are
not in control, then the cosmos must certainly be spinning wildly out of
control. Then too polar icecaps are melting and will soon flood the planet,
meteors the size of Wyoming are even now hurtling toward the planet and will
end all life as we know it, and roughly half the earth's population will die of
the money SARS bird flu by next spring because of an appalling lack of vaccine.
Almost makes a guy want to take a couple hundred out of the 401k and live it up
a bit, doesn't it?
The world just plain does not
fancy the idea of being out of control in any situation. The truth of the
matter is that we are in control of very, very little in this life. If God
decides that our time of grace is at an end, no amount of medical prowess or
stem cell research will alter that decision. If, on the other hand, God decides
that our time of grace is to be extended, not even a chance encounter with a logging
truck can dictate otherwise.
The real problem that
unbelievers have is the realization (which they deny, of course) that God and
God alone is in control of all things. They are not comfortable with letting
God do the driving because they are continually plagued by questions like: "What if God does something to me that I
don't approve of?" "What if God, on a whim, brings some catastrophe
into my life, or happens to nod off at the wheel for just a second or two?"
These thoughts do not bring comfort to the unbelievers. In fact they seek
to bury the very notion that they do not control their own destiny under a
mountain of insurance policies, burglar alarms, bicycle helmets, and vitamins
-- anything to give them the illusion that they are, somehow and in some
measure, in control anything to give them even a false sense of the elusive
"sure thing."
You and I have been blessed
with a different take on the way things are. We take great comfort in the fact
that we are not in control. In fact it is one of our greatest joys and a source
of great solace to know that "our times are in His hands"
that our all-knowing, all-powerful God is calling the shots. We can ask God
for many things, but we are always asking under a profound disadvantage because
we cannot see the big picture, and we can therefore never really know what is
best for us or for our loved ones. No human being can. How
much better, therefore, to be able to relax and let God control our lives.
How much better to be able to accept whatever God allows into our lives with
the certain knowledge that our loving and merciful God always knows what is
best for us. This is our first "sure thing"
this morning our loving God holds each of us ever so gently in his
all-powerful hand.
Now while that is indeed a comforting thought, how do
we know that it is true? God in his Word leaves no doubt. "Let your conduct be
without covetousness; be content
with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you
nor forsake you.'" (NKJ Hebrews 13:5)
Again in Matthew 28:20 Jesus
assured us, "Lo, I am with you always, even
to the end of the age." And again in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone
snatch them out of My hand."
These passages, and others,
make this a reality for us a sure thing. We know that this is so because of
that powerful passage at the very end of our text for this morning: "If
we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." What,
exactly, do these words mean? What do they teach us; what comfort are we
supposed to draw from them? Just this: Truth is the very essence of our God.
Though all others prove deceitful and faithless, God simply cannot break even
one of his promises. That means that if God has unconditionally promised to be
with us always, to care for us, to shelter and to protect us, nothing in all of
creation can change his mind. Nothing can make him go back on his word. When
Paul says that "God cannot deny Himself," he is both teaching us and comforting us. He is teaching us something about the nature of God
himself, something profoundly comforting. God is truth, just as much as he is
love. Both are elements of God's nature and cannot be removed or destroyed. Therefore
when he makes a promise, he is simply not capable of going back on that
promise. To do so would be to "deny Himself,"
and that God cannot do.
And that, dear Christian, is a sure thing.
These promises that "God
remains faithful," and that "He cannot deny himself"
open for us whole new worlds of insight if we will but take the time to examine
this precious truth. The first such insight actually has to do with just
exactly what every single human being can expect from the one true God when that
one true God is abandoned or denied. Here too we have a promise from God in our
text, and it says with cold finality: "If we deny Him, He also will deny us." Rejection of God is
starkly serious business. Unfortunately our society doesn't seem to get the
message. There are not many Gods; there is but one God. To worship a god of any
description other than what he has revealed about himself in the Bible is a denial of the true God. Remember,
this is the God who cannot deny himself the God who is incapable of going
back on his own word and promise, and he himself has promised in our text: "If
we deny Him, He also will deny
us."
Do not overlook this "sure thing" revealed to us in
our text, for it is an ironclad guarantee that a denial of God most certainly
brings God's denial of that individual. Jesus said it plainly in NKJ Mark
16:16b "
He who does not believe will be condemned."
Unbelief is more than just denying that Jesus once existed as a human being.
The demons believe that much. Unbelief is trusting
anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ for the full and complete
forgiveness of all sins. Again, the world would like to turn this into
something other than what it really is. They would like to imagine that
"believing in God" can mean as little as acknowledging that he
exists. Unbelief is the rejection of our Triune God as he has revealed himself
to us. Again the simple decree from Mark
16:16 makes it very clear for us: "He who believes and is baptized will
be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."
While the world might long
for some input concerning this decree, though they yearn to exercise some
control over the final decisions regarding eternity, there will be no
compromise or vacillation by God on Judgment Day. This is another "sure thing" because God is
simply not capable of saying one thing and then doing another. All who die in
rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior which is unbelief will spend
eternity in hell. Again, a sure thing, but a very cold and sobering sure thing.
This, however, is obviously
not the sort of sure thing upon which you and I focus this morning, since you
and I will never have to experience the result of unbelief. In fact it is the
cold, hard fact that all unbelievers will be condemned on Judgment Day that
serves to make the other sure things in our text fairly leap off the page and
lift our hearts in thanksgiving to our God. If it is true, as our text most
certainly assures us, that God cannot deny his own promises, then what sublime
joy there is for sinners in the other guarantees in our text! There we read that
"if
we died with Him, we shall also
live with Him." Does that mean that if we die in the faith,
we will one day rise? While this is certainly true, this is not what these
particular words are referring to. Here Paul is talking by inspiration about
dying with Christ through conversion, particularly in baptism. Jesus referred
to this dying and being born again when he spoke to Nicodemus about the facts
of eternal life in John 3. In a moment, when the Holy Spirit worked his miracle
of faith in our hearts, in that moment we died with Christ died to sin and
all of its entanglements. "That being the case," God here
promises, "you shall also live with me in heaven." Remember, God promised. He cannot
lie. That promise is even reinforced and to a certain extent clarified in
the next line of our text: "If we
endure, we shall also reign with Him." This is another sure thing, and it ought to
fairly take our breath away because here the Holy Spirit promises that not only
will those who die in the faith go to heaven, they will also reign there
with Jesus Christ. Reign with Christ in eternity, for their sins have been
forgiven. Think of it!
How
we ought to rejoice in this promise and pity those who do not now know and
appreciate these words of reassurance and joy. Revel in the comfort and
guarantee of these rock solid, sure, words of promise from our omnipotent God,
and be ready to give a reason to your neighbor when he sees the hope, the joy,
and confidence that is so obvious in your life. God be
praised for these precious words of certainly, and for the certainty of our
salvation in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Scripture Readings and
Sunday Bulletin for October 14, 2007
Ruth
1:7-19 Therefore she
went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her;
and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two
daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her
mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead
and with me. 9 "The LORD
grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her
husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and
wept. 10 And they said to
her, "Surely we will return with you to your people." 11 But Naomi said, "Turn
back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my
womb, that they may be your husbands? 12
"Turn back, my daughters, go -- for I am too old to have a husband. If I
should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should
also bear sons, 13
"would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain
yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it
grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out
against me!" 14
Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah
kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Ά And
she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her
gods; return after your sister-in-law."
16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to
turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And
wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And
your God, my God. 17 Where
you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The
LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death
parts you and me." 18
When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to
her. 19 Ά Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And
it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the
city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this
Naomi?"
Luke
17:11-19 Now it
happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria
and Galilee. 12 Then as He
entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood
afar off. 13 And they lifted
up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on
us!" 14 So when He saw them,
He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the
priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw
that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and
fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a
Samaritan. 17 So Jesus
answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the
nine? 18 "Were there not
any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him,
"Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
2
Timothy 2:8-13 Remember that
Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my
gospel, 9 for which I suffer
trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God
is not chained. 10 Therefore
I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory. 11 This is a
faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He
also will deny us. 13 If we
are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
ST. PAUL
Bismarck, ND
58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701)
226-8510
Mr. Mark
Johnson, President (222-1855)
Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist
The 21st
Sunday after Pentecost October 14, 2007
|
The
Opening Prayer by the Pastor
The
Opening Hymn ‑#39- (Red Hymnal)
"Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty"
The Order of Morning Service Red Hymnal
page 15.
The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the bulletin
insert)
The Old Testament Lesson: (Ruth
1:7-19a) The story of Ruth is a rare bright-spot
during the rather dark period of the Judges in Israel. Ruth was not only
rescued from unbelief and brought to faith in the one true God, she also later
became an ancestor in the line of Jesus Christ. Truly, God is merciful.
The New Testament Lesson: (Luke 17:11-19) Here we
read the story of the Ten Lepers. This account, however, teaches us more than
just the propriety of giving thanks to God for all of the good things that he
does for us day after day. We are also here reminded that God calls and accepts
into his fold sheep from every nation on earth. As God called and saved the Moabitess Ruth, so too did he rescue the Samaritan leper in
this reading.
The
Confession of Faith ‑
The
Nicene Creed (Red Hymnal page 22)
The
Pre‑Sermon Hymn ‑#521-
(Verses 1-4) (Red Hymnal)
"What
God Ordains Is Always Good"
The
Sermon Text: 2 Timothy 2:8-13 (Printed on the back page)
"The Sure Thing"
"Create
In Me" (The Offertory)
Red Hymnal page 22
The Offering, followed by the Prayers
The
Pre-Communion Hymn -#307- (Red Hymnal)
"Draw Nigh and Take the Body of
the Lord"
The
Preparation for Holy Communion (Red Hymnal page 24)
The
Distribution -Hymn #385- (Red Hymnal)
"Now I have Found
the Firm Foundation"
The
Nunc Dimittis (Red Hymnal page 29)
The Benediction
The
Closing Hymn ‑#436- (Verses 4 & 5) (Red Hymnal)
"The
Lord's My Shepherd"
Silent
Prayer
Attendance ‑
Last Sunday (52) 2007 Average (56)
This
Week at
Today -10:00 a.m. Worship Service w/
Holy Communion
-11:15 a.m. Fellowship Hour
Wednesday -6:00
p.m. Confirmation & Bible History
-7:00 p.m.
Midweek Bible Study
Next Sunday -8:45 a.m. Sunday School and Bible Class
10:00
a.m. Worship
Service
-11:00
a.m. Fellowship
Hour
CLC News Pastor Matthew Ude or Millston, WI,
has accepted the call to serve in the foreign mission fields of India.
Congratulations! The warm wishes and
congratulations of the congregation are extended today to Josh and Sara
Handyside, and to Dan and Kirsten Johnson. Both couples were married yesterday.
Josh and Sara were married in Sleepy Hollow here in Bismarck, and Dan and
Kirsten were married in Fargo. We pray that our merciful God would bless their
lives together as they begin their one-flesh relationship as husband and wife.
Confirmation Parents Parents of
confirmation-aged children here at St. Paul are asked to meet briefly with the
Pastor following the service this morning.
Flowers Please consult the
sign-up sheet on the entry table.