“DO YOU SAY YOU WILL? AND DON”T”

            Galatians 1:1–12 ⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

            Our world is looking frantically trying to justify its life styles so that all can desire its desires.  There are new gospels coming out every day and even by some who claim to be experts of Christianity.  Their gospels are all about fitting in and tolerating in the name of getting along.  On the other hand there are those who through opposite extremes feed the actions of those they oppose and fail to save the world because the world feeds off from their anger.  In both extremes we lose because we are blinded by our own desired self-righteousness.

            It is our extremes that prevent us from reaching true spiritual goals that would help us all grow in spiritual maturity in the kingdom of God’s will.  Think of how this world would be different if we made decisions based on the knowledge of God’s word and will, instead of making decisions based on our personal desires and our personal wills? 

Galatians 1:1–12 ¹⁰For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹¹For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹²For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

            I use to seek the approval of man, and play their politics to try and win their approval.  The problem one runs into in trying to play politics is that everyone has their own brand of politics based on how important they think their desires are.  Politics is just another way of spelling perpetual conflict.  So the question Paul asks is, should we try and please man or should we know God’s word and please God.  It’s not that complicated, if we all tried to please God then we would all end up pleasing each other.  Paul writes that we should be influenced on the revelation of the word of Christ rather than on the various desires of mankind.  Stop and think anyone one can do it the easy way, but it takes a real man to do it the complicated way.

            Jesus Christ did not come into the world to please man’s desires, rather to tell us to repent of them and to be forgiven for them.  That is not to say that every desire of man is wrong or sinful, however many of our desires are sinful and self-serving. 

Thankfully Christ did not come to serve Himself either, rather He came to serve God.  And, by serving God, Jesus also serves mankind through God’s will.

Matthew 21:28-31 ²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

            We say we will do the will of God, do we?  The second son said yes to his father probably to give his father instant gratification thinking he had already pleased his father.  The first son though he said no to his father listened to his heart and did the deed his father asked him to do.  The first son realized that in the end, pleasing his father would earn his father’s greater and long lasting gratification if he accomplished the deed he was reluctant to do.

            Christ may have given us that example of the first son when He went to the rock and prayed to His Father.  Christ was reluctant to take the cup, the responsibility His Father had given Him.

Mark 14:36 ³⁶ And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

            Jesus knows it is not our will but the will of the Father that should be done.

            John 6:39-40 ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

            Though Jesus Christ asked for the cup to be taken away He did as His Father’s will asked and served God and mankind.  Our Lord and Savior went to an extreme not of mankind but of God kind and sacrificed His life for all believers and nonbelievers alike so that all of mankind might have salvation and an eternal relationship with our Father in heaven.  And the long lasting gratification of the Father raised His sacrificed Son from the dead and placed Him on the throne at His right side.  The Father’s gratification rewards all who follow and believe in Christ’s death and resurrection.  And the reward we will receive?  We will receive God’s pure joy of great happiness, real everlasting life and eternal relationship with our God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Written by: Pastor Curtis A. May

Let us go forth in the Peace of our Lord and Serve the Lord who loved us first.

“The Three Articles of Love”

John 8:54b–55 ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.

            Yahweh had a purpose in mind when He decided to create the heavens and the earth. It was going to be good, and as Yahweh created each part He said it was good, and it was good.  We look at God as our Father in heaven and He is our Father in heaven. 

Our Father in heaven, the first article of love and the Apostles Creed provides everything we need.  A good father will provide home, food, clothing and the knowledge one needs to have to survive in all elements of this world He created for our temporary home.  We look up to our Father in heaven for wisdom, and we should also look down at the pages of His word, for His wisdom He also wrote down for our benefit.

            Our God has given us all we need to make shelters to live in, to grow food to eat, to make clothing to protect us from the elements of nature, and even His wisdom to help us survive this world we live in.  However sad but true, you might not be able to make the horse you lead to the water drink, but you can surely entice one to eat of the forbidden fruit. 

What God our Father in heaven made good and said was good, should it not stay good?  We are the unlawful, disobedient and defiant children of God the Father Almighty undaunted by His greatness always thinking we can do better than the great and almighty.  Yet… we run to our Father in heaven when we realize what we thought was best for us proved otherwise and we feel the consequences of our actions to be too much to handle. 

Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31           

¹Does not wisdom call?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

²On the heights beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

³beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

⁴“To you, O men, I call,

and my cry is to the children of man.

            Our Father in Heaven is the wisdom that calls. Understanding is the love that a mother shows and our Father in heaven who looks to his fallen creation seeing their cry for help shows.  Mary the mother of our Lord gives us understanding through the life and experiences of our Lord Jesus Christ

            God the Father sends into the world God the Son to answer the cries of His fallen, now not so good creation.  A good Father who loves His creation does not abandon it because it fell from His love; rather He increases His love through grace and mercy.  Christ the perfect Son of God comes into the world not to condemn the fallen race of mankind, but to raise it back up through His works of grace.  Mercy is not giving us what we deserve. We all deserve the full punishment for all sin and that is eternal death but out of great love grace abounds.

            The law needs to be upheld, for if the law is not upheld then the law has no worth.  Jesus Christ the second article of love came to uphold the laws demands and fulfill the requirements of the law.  Jesus Christ fulfilled the law so that we would still see its worth and still have respect for God’s law.  Jesus suffered that fulfillment of the law for us and then became the first to receive the grace that is now poured out on all of us. 

            Grace is receiving what you do not deserve.  Christ descending into hell already knew He would defeat eternal death and rise from it victorious into eternal life.  With the law’s requirements fulfilled and forgiveness given to all, God could again make His creation good, and say it is good and it is good. 

To help keep His good creation on track God gave us His Word through Christ Jesus His Holy Scriptures written for our understanding.  And so that we could breathe the words of our Lord and understand them He sends His Holy Spirit, the third article of love, to counsel us through and with them.

                Titus 3:3-7 ³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

            We are renewed through the Grace of God through the works of the Holy Spirit, good works through the word of God and then through us.  We are not just renewed to do good works but to set us again as God’s creation.  A creation He has made good again as in the beginning.

Acts 2:25–28       

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

²⁶therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

²⁷For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

²⁸You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

            The Grace and Mercy of God is poured out on us through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to disperse the love of God to all of God’s creation. The three articles of Yahweh’s Love are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Written by: Pastor Curtis A. May

Let us go forth in the Peace of our Lord and Serve the Lord who loved us first.

“Rise, Let Us Go From Here”

John 14:23–24 ²³Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

          Jesus is talking about one of the ways we should love, and in this case how we should love Him.  Jesus says “keep my word,” what does that mean?  First we should know the words of our Lord and Savior.  Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30-31 love God and love our neighbor.  How do you love God?  How do you love your neighbor?  These are important questions we should ask God and ourselves in our morning prayers.  How am I going to love God today?  How am I going to love my neighbor today?  And then, Dear Lord help me fulfill my love to you and help me fulfill my love to my neighbor.

          Doing good things is surely a means of showing our love, but even a non-believer can and does good things.  To show our love to God is to get to know him, and to get to know God is to know His word.  You do your best to get to know those whom you call friends and especially those whom you call your life long spouse.  We should also take time to know God, even the commands that our Lord Jesus Christ has given us.

          Jesus did not come to abolish the law; rather He came to fulfill the requirements of the law.  The law demands payment for the crime, and Christ came to pay it in full for us.

          What are the words of Jesus?  In Matthew 5:1-16 we can read about the beatitudes and that we the believers are the light of the world.  If we just stop there, we gain nothing of what Jesus is teaching us.  We must be compelled to follow Christ’s word through to the end so that we glean all that we can and know our Lord through His love for us.  Knowing ones love makes it easier to love one back.

          Jesus instructs us through Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 and gives us an example of what it is to follow His word.  In those same chapters and verses Jesus also gives us an example of what happens when you do not follow His words.

          Matthew 5:21-26 talks about anger.

          Matthew 5:27-30 talks about lust

          Matthew 5:31-32 talks about Adultery

          Matthew 5:33-37 talks about make no oath just yes and no

          Matthew 5:38-42 talks about retaliation and resisting

          Matthew 5:43-48 talks about love your enemy

          Matthew 6:1-4 talks about give to the needy

          Matthew 6:5-15 talks about the Lord’s Prayer and forgiving

          Matthew 6:16-18 talks about fasting in secret

          Matthew 6:19-24 talks about lay-up treasures in heaven

          Matthew 6:25-34 talks about do not be anxious

          Matthew 7:1-6 talks about do not judge lest you be judged

          Matthew 7:7-11 talks about ask and it will given

          Matthew 7:12-14 talks about do unto others as you wish they would do unto you.

          John 14:25–27 ²⁵“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

          How do we keep our Lord’s words?  We keep Christ’s words by the works of the Holy Spirit the helper who works through our Lord’s words.  As we know Christ’s words the Holy Spirit then works through them and in our hearts so that we can accomplish what we cannot accomplish on our own.  Our love for our neighbor and our love for God is accomplished through the works of the Holy Spirit and our faith. And our faith comes from Christ, Romans 10:17, hearing the words of our Lord, and not just hearing with our ears but also hearing with our minds and hearts as we read Christ’s words.  It is the works of God’s Holy Spirit in and through us that we are prepared for our salvation.

       John 14:25–27 ³⁰I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

          Is this another command or a leading to the fulfillment of the gospel? “Rise, let us go from here,” As the Holy Spirit works to prepare us for Heaven our gift of entrance is through the works of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  (Ephesians 2:8-10) We know that not through our works but through the works of our Lord we are saved to an eternal life and relationship with God.  It is through God’s word and the Holy Spirit’s continuous work that He prepares us for this life, but it is the works of Christ’s  sacrifice on the cross that fulfills the requirements of the law.  Now the requirements have been met, and the way is paved.  Christ our Lord and Savior calls to us and says, “Rise, let us go from here,” Heaven is waiting for you. Amen.

Written by: Pastor Curtis A. May

Let us go forth in the Peace of our Lord and Serve the Lord who loved us first.

Easter: 1. (English) Eostre Spring Goddess whom they made sacrifices to.  2. Germanic for vernal equinox the springtime when the Sun is lined up with the equator and day and night are of equal times.  3. (Hebrew) pesech and (Greek) pascha the word for Passover the time after 14 nisan the celibration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Note: Nison is the 7^th month of the civil calendar, and the first month of the ecclesiastical Jewish Calendar.  

“Come, Lord Jesus!”

Revelation 22:1–6, 12–20 ⁶And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

¹²Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.

¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Revelation 22:20 ²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

          This is the last Sunday of the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The last Sunday of Easter.  We now wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ, but the question is what are the motif, design, and image of our waiting. 

Christ says He is coming soon with His recompense, His reward or His repayment for all that we have done.  What then have we done? 

C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against God in thought word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have not done.  We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We justly deserve your present and eternal punishment. (From Devine Service Setting One)

Do we deserve the reward or should we be repaid for our deeds or lack of deeds?  We confess every Sunday the image that we portray everyday of our lives, but do those words get caught in our throats, and linger in our hearts as we speak them.  After all, we are confessing that we are by nature sinful and unclean.  As the book of Leviticus says if you have sinned you are unclean.

Revelation 22:14–15 ¹⁴Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

          This is the image of our robe, this is what we confess to whether we think we do or not, that we deserve repayment for our actions.  There is no reward for doing what is right in the eyes of mankind yet wrong in the eyes of God.  The truth is that we are all sinners and all deserve to be repaid for our sins, and the payment is eternal death. 

          Our robe is dirty with our soiled image of sin, but Christ came to wash it clean through His blood.  We celebrate from Ash Wednesday to the Ascension of our Lord the journey our sins forced Jesus to take to the cross.  Let’s remember the journey Christ took was also forced through the love of God for us.

We celebrate the nails driven into the hands and feet of our Lord, God the Son.  We then celebrate His death as He gave up His life for our sins and as He cries out the words, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do”.  And we celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ buried in the Tomb, the very picture of our death imprisoned and inescapable.

          Then we celebrate what Jesus Christ willingly did for all of us and for love of His Father, and His and our Father’s love for all of us.  Then we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who came back from the dead defeating death, the punishment we all deserve.  Then we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ as He ascends to be with His and our Father in Heaven.  And, then… We celebrate the coming of our Lord who does not come to repay us for our sins but to reward us for the forgiveness that He Himself paid for with His own body and blood, washing our soiled robe to be white as His own.  We celebrate the life of eternal relationship with our Lord Christ Jesus through eternal life given to us from a God who loves us dearly.

John172:25–26  ²⁵O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

          Come Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed.  Amen.

Written by: Pastor Curtis A. May

Let us go forth in the Peace of our Lord and Serve the Lord who loved us first.

“Relationship with God and Each Other”

Acts 16:9–15 ⁹ A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

          God is calling and some of you hear him and some of you are not listening.  Whether we listen to God or not we all have a relationship with Him.  For some it might be a close relationship, and for others it might be a passing relationship like on a Sunday morning when He has called one to worship but they decide to busy themselves with other things.  Certainly we have vacations and times to visit our loved ones, that is, family and friends, but that is not what we are talking about here. 

          We say our world has changed and has now put God as their last priority.  Actually the world has stayed the same; however it is the Christian who has changed.  Where the world has always put God as a last priority, Christians more and more are now putting God as their last priority too.  It’s as if we have told God our creator and savior that our relationship with Him does not matter anymore.  And, for some they actually tell God they can go it alone.  Then there are those who claim they can redesign God to fit their personal desires too.

          What is your relationship with God?  As I would hope that you would have a personal relationship with God, I have to ask is that your only relationship with God?  The scriptures talk about gathering in His name, (Matthew 18:20) the community of believers, (Acts 2:42-44).  God builds us together to dwell in all of us, (Ephesians 2:22, Note: the “you” is plural as per the Greek translation).  And, when we come together and work together then God makes all that we do, “good,” (Romans 8:28). 

          We should have a personal relationship with God, but more importantly through scripture we should have a community relationship with God also.  This is the relationship that Paul and all who helped Paul including Luke who wrote the book of Acts and Lydia whom Luke wrote about in this passage.

          Acts 16:12b–13 ^12b We remained in this city some days. ¹³And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

          Paul was going to Macedonia to answer a cry for help through a vision Paul had.  Sometimes we might think God has called us for one thing when in fact He has called us to accomplish another.  Here Paul and his band of helpers are thinking they might be going to Macedonia to help a man in need.  When they arrived at Macedonia and had stayed for some time they found themselves not finding one who needed help but rather they end up looking for a place of prayer. 

Once they found this place they discovered that a group of women had gathered in God’s name to pray together (Matthew 18:20).  This is a community relationship brought together by God.  This did not appear like someone in need of help, though it was an opportunity to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Where then is the help needed that Paul had heard in his vision?

Acts 16:14–15 ¹⁴One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

          The help comes in the form of baptism of Lydia.  Yes she believed in God, but now after listening to what Paul had said about the gospel Lydia now had a deeper relationship with God the Son our Lord and Savior.  Lydia now heard the witness of Christ’s sojourn to the cross.  Lydia hears of this journey by Christ for the purpose of the salvation of God’s people throughout the world both Jew and Gentile.  This was no ordinary salvation where the savior does not die in the battle, but one where the savior does die; He dies for our sin, and then is resurrected to eternal life.  Then Lydia is baptized, cleansed of her sin, and receives assurance of her own salvation with the rest of the community of believers.

          Jesus Christ wants to have a relationship with you, and not just personal but also in community.  After all in the Apostles Creed it speaks of the “Holy Christian Church,” being the Community of Saints.  So through Christ’s death and resurrection we can all count on an eternal life and relationship with God and each other.  Amen.

Written by: Pastor Curtis A. May

Let us go forth in the Peace of our Lord and Serve the Lord who loved us first.