“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.” Acts 2:38-39

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter told his Jewish hearers that they had rejected and crucified the Messiah and Savior sent for them by the LORD God, and they were pricked in their heart and asked what they should do.

Peter’s response to them was: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”

While we may not like to think of it, Messiah Jesus was crucified because of you and me as well. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). And, when we continue on in our own ways instead of turning back to the LORD God and His Christ, we tread under our feet the Son of God and count the blood which He shed on the cross to redeem us an unholy thing and despise and reject the gracious working of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance (cf. Hebrews 10:29).

Peter’s answer to his Jewish hearers is just as valid today for you and me and the rest of this fallen and sinful world. We have crucified the LORD’s Christ and the only way we can be saved is to repent and be baptized in the name of Messiah Jesus for the full and free remission of all our sins. Then we too will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who regenerates us and creates and preserves faith in our hearts in the Lord Jesus (cf. Titus 3:3-7).

To be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is, of course to be baptized in the name of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as Jesus Himself commanded (Matthew 28:19). And, as Luther explained, to continue in baptismal grace is to continue to live in daily contrition and repentance, acknowledging and confessing our sins and failures and looking to the Lord Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross for our forgiveness and for life everlasting (cf. Romans 6:1ff.; 1 John 1:7 – 2:2).

O dearest Lord Jesus, Son of God and our Savior, forgive us for our sin and rebellion against You and grant that we live in continual repentance, acknowledging and turning from our evil ways to You for mercy, forgiveness and life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture Quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]

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?

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 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?

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]

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” Genesis 11:7-8 (Read v. 1-9)

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” Acts 2:4-11 (read v. 1-47)

In the days following the Genesis Flood, everyone spoke the same language, making it possible through communication to share ideas and join together in great works. But the problem was that men gathered to make a name for themselves and to disobey the LORD God who had created them. God’s solution to the great city and tower they were building for their own honor and glory was simple. He confused their languages so that they no longer understood each other.

On the day in which our Lord Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit upon His disciples, people of every nation and language were gathered to Jerusalem in observance of the Jewish feast of Pentecost. On that day, the Holy Ghost worked a great miracle, for He caused Jesus’ disciples – most of them from Galilee – to speak in other tongues. These were not unknown languages but the native languages of the people gathered to Jerusalem. Each heard the apostles proclaiming in their own native tongue “the wonderful works of God” in sending His own Son, Messiah Jesus, to redeem lost and condemned sinners and give them forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in the glories of heaven.

In Genesis 11, confusion came when men suddenly began to speak in different languages – so much confusion that they gave up on their wicked plans to build a huge city and tower and called the name of the place Babel.

In Acts 2, what sounded like confusion and even drunkenness to some resulted in clarity. By the mighty working of the Holy Spirit, people from all over the world heard of Christ Jesus and what He had done to redeem them and give them a part and place in God’s eternal city in the heavens.

In our own day, we have through a wide variety of media the ability to communicate and share ideas and plans with people of all nations around the world. Through the Internet, the boundaries created by governments and language have to a great degree been removed.

Like in ancient Babylon, men use these means of communication for every sort of evil and wickedness. People from around the world join together in sinful and rebellious endeavors.

But like never before, we have opportunity, with the help and aid of God’s Holy Spirit, to bring clarity and truth to this fallen and confused world. We can speak of the wonderful works of God to people of all nations and tongues. We can spread the Word of the Lord and make known the forgiveness and life He offers and gives in the Son, Christ Jesus! And when we proclaim the Word of the Lord, we can know and be sure that God’s Spirit will be at work, as He was on the day of Pentecost spoken of in Acts 2, convicting people everywhere of their own sinfulness and comforting them with the good news of pardon and peace in Messiah Jesus.

O dearest Jesus, grant us Your Holy Spirit and faith which holds fast to You for the forgiveness of all our sins and life everlasting. Move us to speak of Your wonderful works to all people everywhere that they too might repent and turn back to You for forgiveness and life everlasting. Grant this to us for the sake of Your holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead. Amen.

[Scripture Quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE LOST SHEEP AND THE LOST COIN

Read Luke 15:1-10

“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

How important are lost souls to you? When publicans, those who collected taxes for the Roman government and overcharged to make their living, and other sinners came to Jesus to hear Him and learn of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life which He offered to all, the Pharisees and scribes were critical of Jesus for associating with such sinners.

Jesus told the two parables in our Scripture reading to point out that it is perfectly normal for anyone who loses something to seek it until he finds it. A shepherd with one hundred sheep who loses one does not say, “I still have ninety-nine,” and then forget about the one that is lost. Even the scribes and Pharisees would not do such a thing! Nor would a woman with ten silver coins who lost one of them just forget about the one lost coin and be content with the nine. Both the shepherd and the woman in these two parables would seek out and find that which was lost. Then they would rejoice because they had found that lost sheep or that lost coin. Wouldn’t we also act the same way if we were to lose something of ours?

So also every lost soul is extremely important to the Lord Jesus. Our God created man to live for Him and serve Him in eternal righteousness. Because man fell into sin and was lost, God sent His only begotten Son into this world a true man, that He might fulfill the righteous demands of God’s Law and suffer and die for the sins of all. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. During His earthly ministry, He sought out all sinners and turned away no one who came to hear His saving Gospel. Since He had come into this world to redeem fallen mankind by His innocent sufferings and death, it gave our Savior great joy, along with the angels of God in heaven, when a lost sinner repented and turned to Him for forgiveness and life everlasting. Our Lord Jesus was not afraid to associate with sinners; He shed His blood to redeem them!

Since Christ died to redeem us, should not we also live in daily repentance, being truly sorry for our sins and trusting in our Savior for forgiveness and eternal salvation? It gives our risen Savior, as well as the angels in heaven, great joy when we hear His Word and live in daily repentance. We certainly should not, as did the scribes and the Pharisees, consider ourselves righteous and in no need of repentance (cf. I John 1:8-9; 2:1-2; Prov. 28:13).

Like our Savior, we also should seek out lost souls and rejoice when they are brought to repentance. We should not be satisfied if ninety-nine percent of our members are continuing in the truth and only one is gone astray; we should seek that one until he is found and returns to the fold. The same is true of the lost souls who are not under the care of our congregation. We should, in the love of our Savior, seek out the lost and seek to bring them to the Good Shepherd by sharing with them the saving truths of God’s Word. Christ Jesus shed His holy, precious blood to redeem them. We also ought to care enough for their souls to share with them the good news of forgiveness and life everlasting through faith in the Savior. Never should we be ashamed to be seen sharing the Gospel with lost sinners, no matter how bad their past reputation!

Knowing Thee and Thy salvation, grateful love dare never cease to proclaim Thy tender mercies, Gracious Lord, Thy heav’nly peace. Sound we forth the Gospel tidings to the earth’s remotest bound that the sinner has been pardoned and forgiveness can be found. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #498, Verse 4)

Pastor Randy Moll

When others gave up, Jesus in faith gave thanks

Scripture Reading – John 6:1-14

1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

How many of us stop and give thanks when the cupboards are bare or the bank account is down to the last dollar or two? Or, how many of us would take on a huge task – whether it be some charitable work or a mission endeavor – when we have insufficient means to accomplish it? Would we give thanks for what we’ve been given and step out in faith? Or, would we give up and say there’s no way we can do it?

Jesus and His disciples were faced with just such a situation. Jesus and His disciples crossed the sea of Galilee to a deserted place to have time away from the crowds of people who followed Jesus everywhere He went. But, as we read, the people followed Him there because they saw His miracles – His healing of the sick and diseased.

Jesus didn’t send them away. He was moved with compassion for the people and taught them of the kingdom of God and healed the sick and diseased among them (cf. Matthew 14, Luke 9 and Mark 6).

The Scriptures say that “when Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”

The other Gospel accounts tell us that when it was late in the day, Jesus’ disciples urged Him to send the people away so that they could walk to neighboring villages and towns and buy food to eat since they were in a deserted place. But Jesus told His disciples, “Give ye them to eat.”

How did Philip answer Jesus when Jesus tested him? What was the response of Jesus’ disciples? Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Basically, the answer of Phillip and Andrew was, “We can’t do it. We don’t have the money or the resources to begin to feed this big crowd of more than 5,000.”

Two hundred pennyworth is not a mere $2 worth of bread, for the penny in old usage was a coin containing between one and two grams of silver and of similar use and value to the Roman denarius – the coins to which Philip referred in the Greek text. Elsewhere, Jesus refers to the denarius, or penny, being a day’s wage (Matthew 20). Thus, we are talking about 200 day’s wages here – thousands-of-dollars-worth of bread in today’s currency values.

The task Jesus wanted His disciples to perform was staggering and beyond their reach. All they could round up was a boy’s lunch, consisting of five small barley loaves and two small fish. That really wasn’t even worth counting, considering the number of people there to feed.

But this was what they had – insufficient in man’s eyes but not so with God.

“Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”

If we were faced with such an impossible task – like feeding more than 5,000 people with only a boy’s lunch – would we give thanks to God for what He had provided? I expect not, and that in itself is a part of the problem!

Jesus looked to His Father in heaven, gave thanks and blessed the loaves and the fish. He then distributed them to His disciples, who in turn distributed them to the people. And they all ate until they were filled, and there was more left over – 12 baskets full – than what they had in the beginning. Amazing, isn’t it!

Why is this miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 recorded for us in all four of the Gospels? Is there a point here which God certainly doesn’t want us to miss?

Yes, it proves that Jesus is the Son of God and Messiah He claimed to be. His divine power is clearly revealed in His feeding of more than 5,000 with just five barley loaves and two small fish.

His miracle is also a lesson to us about trusting in our heavenly Father to provide when the cupboards are bare and the bank accounts empty. We can and should give thanks for what He has provided even if it seems inadequate for the present needs. And, like Jesus’ first disciples, we so often are of “little faith.”

For our lack of thankfulness and our lack of trust, we have need to repent, turning to our Father in heaven to have mercy upon us and forgive us for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead. In Jesus, we find mercy and forgiveness for our failures to fear, love and trust in God above all things.

We might also learn that God tests and proves us through the difficulties and apparent shortages in our lives – He does so to teach us to rest in Him and give Him thanks always.

But there is one daunting task laid out before each of us as followers of Christ Jesus – that of teaching or discipling the nations.

After His sufferings and death for the sins of the world and His glorious resurrection, Jesus commanded His disciples: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). Before He ascended into heaven, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Until the very end of the world, we have the task of preaching the Gospel to every creature and discipling all nations by going out, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, and teaching them all things that Jesus has commanded us.

Is this task daunting? Does it seem impossible? How can we preach the saving Gospel to every creature? How can we go to all the nations and teach them of the Lord Jesus?

We could and often do sit back and say it’s hopeless – that we just don’t have the ability or resources. We might say: “I don’t know how to evangelize, so how can I preach the Gospel to every creature?” “I can’t afford the gas to drive across town, so how can I take the Gospel around the world?” “Our congregation is so little – a mission congregation itself – and we have our own expenses, so how can we send missionaries to others?”

“But when [Jesus] saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38).

Jesus had and still has compassion on the multitudes. Nothing has changed. People around us and around the world are like sheep without a shepherd, wandering here and there in search of life and true happiness but not knowing where to find it. The harvest remains plenteous. Everywhere we turn – whether at school, in our work or at play – there are people who do not know Christ Jesus and the salvation He has provided for all. They wander aimlessly through life toward death and everlasting punishment.

Those who know and profess the saving Gospel of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross are few in comparison to the task – and many of them seem uninterested in the work Jesus has put before us.

What should we do? Throw up our hands and say, “It can’t be done?” Should we send people away, so to speak, to fend for themselves and find their own way?

What does Jesus say? “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”

Don’t give up; pray! Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send more laborers out into his harvest.

And what did Jesus do? He sent out the 12 disciples, inept as they initially were (Matthew 10:1ff.). And Jesus sent them again after His death and resurrection, and He sends you and me to preach “repentance and remission of sins” in His name among all the nations (cf. Luke 24:46-47).

Like the feeding of the 5,000 where the resources at hand were insufficient for the task, so you and I and our abilities and resources are insufficient for the task before us. “What are we among so many? Who are we, that we should carry the Gospel into all the world?”

But our insufficiency is before the Lord Jesus adds His blessing. It doesn’t take into account the mighty working of His Holy Spirit, whom He has poured out upon us and also sends forth into the world to convict hearts through the preaching of God’s law and to comfort them through the preaching of the Gospel of forgiveness and life in Jesus’ name.

You and I are in so many ways like that lad’s sack lunch – barely enough for a single meal. We struggle in our own walk with Jesus, continually failing and falling and continually being picked up, forgiven and carried by our Savior. How can we evangelize the world?

The answer is really quite simple. We see it in the words and actions of Jesus on that desert mountain by the sea of Galilee. He saw the need of the multitudes and had compassion on them. Though supplies were indeed short, He gave thanks to the Father for what they did have and blessed it. He distributed it to His disciples and His disciples, to the people. Jesus worked a mighty miracle, using what little He had to nourish a multitude.

Instead of focusing our eyes on our insufficiencies to carry out this great task of teaching the nations, we too ought give thanks for what God has given us, pray God’s blessing and begin sharing it with the world. Jesus has given us the task of preaching the Gospel in all the world – of proclaiming repentance and remission of sins in His name. That begins here where we live and extends out to all places the Lord enables us to carry His life-giving message.

Though we are commanded to preach and teach and baptize, it is God Himself who convicts hearts of sin and comforts them with the assurance of forgiveness and life for the sake of the shed blood of Jesus. God has commanded us to spread His Word, but it the Holy Spirit who teaches us God’s Word, guides us as we proclaim it, and uses it to bring others to faith in Christ Jesus. The work is the Lord’s. We are but His instruments and spokesmen.

And when we quit saying we can’t and trust the Lord God to do with what He’s given us, we might be thoroughly surprised by the result. Remember, the leftovers from the five barley loaves filled 12 baskets! Considering that God chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and the weak things of this world to confound the mighty (cf. 1 Corinthians 1) that He might receive the glory due His name, God may indeed use you and me, insufficient as we are, to carry the preaching of Christ crucified around the world.

We may think we don’t have much, but we have the Bible and – by the grace of God – know the mercy and forgiveness of God for the sake of our crucified and risen Savior. We have His Spirit dwelling in us and leading and guiding us into all truth through His Word. And we have Jesus’ command, not to send them away empty, but to feed the multitudes by sharing with them the Bread of Life He has so freely given us!

Give thanks for the blessings He’s given us, and feed the multitudes with the good news of forgiveness and life in Christ Jesus our Savior!

O dearest Jesus, thank You for shedding Your holy and precious blood to redeem me, forgive me and make me your own. Use me to reach out to others here and around the world with the teaching of Your Word that they too might repent and look unto You for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting Your won for them. Grant me Your Holy Spirit and bless the sharing of Your Word. 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 the Election of Grace

35. By election of grace we mean this truth, that all those who by the grace of God alone, for Christ’s sake, through the means of grace, are brought to faith, are justified, sanctified, and preserved in faith here in time, that all these have already from eternity been endowed by God with faith, justification, sanctification, and preservation in faith, and this for the same reason, namely, by grace alone, for Christ’s sake, and by way of the means of grace. That this is the doctrine of Holy Scripture is evident from Eph. 1:3-7; 2 Thess. 2:13,14; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:28-30; 2 Tim. 1:9; Matt. 24:22-24 (cp. Form. of Conc. Triglot, p. 1065, @ 5, 8, 23; M., p. 705).

36. Accordingly we reject as an anti-Scriptural error the doctrine that not alone the grace of God and the merit of Christ are the cause of the election of grace, but that God has, in addition, found or regarded something good in us which prompted or caused Him to elect us, this being variously designated as “good works right conduct,” “proper self-determination refraining from willful resistance,” etc. Nor does Holy Scripture know of an election “by foreseen faith in view of faith,” as though the faith of the elect were to be placed before their election; but according to Scripture the faith which the elect have in time belongs to the spiritual blessings with which God has endowed them by His eternal election. For Scripture teaches, Acts 13:48: “And as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed.” Our Lutheran Confession also testifies (Triglot, p. 1065, @_ 8; M., p. 705): “The internal election of God however, not only foresees and foreknows the salvation of the elect, but is also, from the gracious will and pleasure of God in Christ Jesus, a cause which procures, works, helps, and promotes our salvation and what pertains thereto; and upon this our salvation is so founded that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it, Matt. 16:18, as is written John 10: 28: ‘Neither shall any man pluck My sheep out of My hand’; and again, Acts 13:48: ‘And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.’”

37. But as earnestly as we maintain that there is an election of grace, or a predestination to salvation, so decidedly do we teach, on the other hand, that there is no election of wrath, or predestination to damnation. Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them, as Scripture testifies, 1 Tim. 2:4: “God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” No man is lost because God has predestinated him to eternal damnation.-Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God. The reason assigned by Scripture for this sad fact is that these men judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life, putting the Word of God from them and obstinately resisting the Holy Ghost, whose earnest will it is to bring also them to repentance and faith by means of the Word, Acts 13:46; 7:51; Matt 23:37.

38. To be sure, it is necessary to observe the Scriptural distinction between the election of grace and the universal will of grace. This universal gracious will of God embraces all men; the election of grace, however, does not embrace all, but only a definite number, whom “God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation,” 2 Thess. 2:13, the “remnant,” the “seed” which “the Lord left,” Rom. 9:27-29, the “election,” Rom. 11: 7; and while the universal will of grace is frustrated in the case of most men, Matt 22:14; Luke 7:30, the election of grace attains its end with all whom it embraces, Rom. 8:28-30. Scripture, however, while distinguishing between the universal will of grace and the election of grace, does not place the two in opposition to each other. On the contrary, it teaches that the grace dealing with those who are lost is altogether earnest and fully efficacious for conversion. Blind reason indeed declares these two truths to be contradictory; but we impose silence on our reason. The seeming disharmony will disappear in the light of heaven, 1 Cor. 13:12.

39. Furthermore, by election of grace, Scripture does not mean that one part of God’s counsel of salvation according to which He will receive into heaven those who persevere in faith unto the end, but, on the contrary, Scripture means this, that God, before the foundation of the world, from Pure grace, because of the redemption of Christ, has chosen for His own a definite number of persons Out of the corrupt mass and has determined to bring them, through Word and Sacrament. to faith and salvation.

40. Christians can and should be assured of their eternal election. This is evident from the fact that Scripture addresses them as the chosen ones and comforts them with their election, Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13. This assurance of one’s personal election, however, springs only from faith in the Gospel, from the assurance that God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; on the contrary, through the life, suffering, and death of His Son He fully reconciled the whole world of sinners unto Himself. Faith in this truth leaves no room for the fear that God might still harbor thoughts of wrath and damnation concerning us. Scripture inculcates that in Rom. 8:32, 33: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” Luther’s pastoral advice is therefore in accord with Scripture: “Gaze upon the wounds of Christ and the blood shed for you; there predestination will shine forth.” (St. Louis Ed., II, 181; on Gen. 26:9.) That the Christian obtains the personal assurance of his eternal election in this way is taught also by our Lutheran Confessions (Formula of Concord. Triglot, p. 1071, @_ 26; M., p. 709): “Of this we should not judge according to our reason nor according to the Law or from any external appearance. Neither should we attempt to investigate the secret, concealed abyss of divine predestination, but should give heed to the revealed will of God. For He has made known unto us the mystery of His will and made it manifest through Christ that it might be preached, Eph. 1:9 ff.; 2 Tim. 1:9f.” In order to insure the proper method of viewing eternal election and the Christian’s assurance of it, the Lutheran Confessions set forth at length the principle that election is not to be considered “in a bare manner (nude), as though God only held a muster, thus: ‘This one shall be saved, that one shall be damned’” (Formula of Concord. Triglot, p. 1065, @_ 9; M., p. 706); but “the Scriptures teach this doctrine in no other way than to direct us thereby to the Word, Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 1: 7; exhort to repentance, 2 Tim. 3:16; urge to godliness, Eph. 1: 14; John 15: 3; strengthen faith and assure us of our salvation, Eph. 1: 13; John 10: 27 f.; 2 Thess. 2:13 f.” (Formula of Concord. Triglot, p. 1067, @12; M., p. 707 ). To sum up, just as God in time draws the Christians unto Himself through the Gospel, so He has already in His eternal election endowed them with “sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,” 2 Thess. 2:13. Therefore: If, by the grace of God, you believe in the Gospel of the forgiveness of your sins for Christ’s sake, you are to be certain that you also belong to the number of God’s elect, even as Scripture, 2 Thess. 2:13, addresses the believing Thessalonians as the chosen of God and gives thanks to God for their election.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 143; Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Pentecost Sunday. How do all the Scripture readings relate to the event we celebrate this Sunday? What does Psalm 143 teach of the Holy Spirit and our need for His indwelling presence in us? Why did God confuse the languages in Genesis 11? Why did Jesus pour out the Holy Spirit on His disciples and move them to speak in other tongues or languages? Of what was this a sign? What Old Testament Scripture did this fulfill? What did Jesus say of the Holy Spirit before His death?

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John in chapter 6.

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.

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.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:1-5

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN

Read Luke 18:9-14

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

How should we come to God in prayer? At times we feel that God should hear and answer our prayers because of all our efforts to obey Him and faithfully serve Him. We look around us and see so many who call themselves “Christians” disobey God and disregard His Word. They are unfaithful! They have sinned and compromised their faith! We feel that God should certainly hear our prayers since we have been faithful to God’s Word and have given up much to follow Christ. We are not unfaithful as others are!

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican was told by Jesus to those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” When we feel that God will hear and answer our prayers because we have been faithful Christians and are not unfaithful as so many others are, we are praying in a similar fashion as the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. Rather, we should come to God as did the humble tax-collector, who knew of his own sinfulness and unworthiness before God; for it was “this man [that] went down to his house justified [or forgiven] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

When we come to God in prayer, we should come humbly acknowledging our sin and unworthiness before God. With the publican, we join in praying: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Since Christ has died for our sins and is risen again, we can also come before God with the assurance that He forgives our sins and hears and answers all our proper prayers. One might even say that we come to the LORD God in humble boldness–humble, because we are unworthy sinners, and in boldness, because Christ has died for us and redeemed us.

Before Thee, God, who knowest all, with grief and shame I prostrate fall. I see my sins against Thee, Lord, the sins of thought, of deed, and word. They press me sore; I cry to Thee: O God, be merciful to me! O Jesus, let Thy precious blood be to my soul a cleansing flood. Turn not, O Lord, Thy guest away, but grant that justified I may go to my house at peace with Thee. O God, be merciful to me! Amen. (TLH, Hymn #318, Verses 1,3)

Pastor Randy Moll

How can we know Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior?

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5:30-47

How does one know that Jesus really is the Son of God and the Savior of the world as He claimed? What witness is there?

Many others have come claiming to be the long-promised Messiah and Savior of God’s people. So, what makes Jesus’ claim any different? He Himself said, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” In other words, if Jesus’ claim was the only witness, He would be a liar. But there is more – indeed, so much more that the unbeliever has no excuse.

John the Baptist, the prophet promised of God in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 40 and Malachi 4) came and testified that Jesus is the Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29-34).

Jesus explains: “There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.”

As Jesus said, John the Baptist, the one to whom the Jews flocked for a season, testified of the truth. He told the people who Jesus was and directed them to trust in Christ Jesus.

But Jesus did not need to rely on the testimony of man. He told the Jews, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.”

Think about it. Who else could heal the sick, cleanse lepers, open the eyes of the blind and even raise the dead? How could Jesus do these things if God the Father had not sent Him? And, even more importantly, Jesus was obedient to the Father and willingly went to the cross to suffer and die for the sins of the world and rise again. These are the works God the Father had promised the Messiah would do (cf. Genesis 3:15; Psalm 22; Psalm 130; Isaiah 53; etc.). Jesus’ works testify to the fact that He is indeed God the Son and the promised Messiah and Savior of all men.

God the Father Himself testified of Jesus that He is God the Son. He not only testified through the written word of the Scriptures, but His voice was heard from heaven at Jesus’ baptism and again on the mount of transfiguration, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 and 17:5).

Jesus said, “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.”

The Old Testament Scriptures – as well as the New – testify to the truth that Jesus was and is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of the world. The Jews searched and studied the Scriptures, and the Scriptures, throughout, point to Christ Jesus and His redeeming work.

Again, Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Why didn’t the Jews of Jesus’ day believe? Why do people still not come to Jesus and trust in Him for forgiveness and life today?

Jesus explains, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?”

People will not turn to Jesus for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life because they are unwilling to humble themselves and acknowledge their own utter sinfulness and depravity. They are unwilling to accept the judgment they deserve on account of their sin and look to the Lord Jesus for mercy and forgiveness.

People seek to be honored by others for their deeds and works instead of admitting the filthiness and sinfulness in all that they do. They seek, as Jesus said, honor from men instead of the honor which comes from God alone.

And Jesus rebukes such unbelief: “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?”

The Jews thought then – and still do today – that they could be pleasing and acceptable in God’s eyes by their obedience to the laws of Moses. But Jesus said that Moses would accuse them on the Last Day for not placing their hope and trust in Messiah Jesus. Why? Because Moses wrote of Jesus, and pointed the people to Jesus.

Before his death, Moses said, “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

Jesus is that Prophet like unto Moses, and Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant so that we do not need hear God speak to us in fire and judgment from Mt. Sinai. Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law for us and He bore the full and just punishment for our sins and the sins of the whole world that we might be forgiven and accepted of God the Father for Jesus’ sake. He made atonement for our sins with His own blood, that we might have forgiveness and life everlasting through faith in His name.

If we believe on the Son, trusting in Him for forgiveness and life, we will be saved. However, if we do not receive Jesus’ testimony and place our trust in Him as God’s Son and our Messiah and Savior, God will require it of us and condemn us for refusing to believe in the name of His only begotten Son and our only Savior from sin and everlasting punishment.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God … He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:16,18,36).

Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, open our eyes to see and our ears to hear that we may receive Your testimony and acknowledge our utter sinfulness and place our hope and trust in You and Your shed blood for our forgiveness and for life everlasting. 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 Church and State

34. Although both Church and State are ordinances of God, yet they must not be commingled. Church and State have entirely different aims. By the Church, God would save men, for which reason the Church is called the “mother” of believers, Gal. 4:26. By the State, God would maintain external order among men, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty,” 1 Tim. 2:2. It follows that the means which Church and State employ to gain their ends are entirely different. The Church may not employ any other means than the preaching of the Word of God, John 18:11,36; 2 Cor. 10: 4. The State, on the other hand, makes laws bearing on civil matters and is empowered to employ for their execution also the sword and other corporal punishments, Rom. 13:4. Accordingly we condemn the policy of those who would have the power of the State employed “in the interest of the Church” and who thus turn the Church into a secular dominion; as also of those who, aiming to govern the State by the Word of God, seek to turn the State into a Church.

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 Sam Rusch, who has been ill; for Carl Sontag who suffered an aneurysm – 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.

Events and Announcements

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

Congregational Evening Bible studies will resume tonight at 7 p.m.

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.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE TWO SONS

Read Matthew 21:28-32

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

Which of the two sons in this parable did the will of his father? the one who at first refused to obey, but then repented and obeyed? or the one who promised to obey, but did not? With the chief priests and elders of the Jews, we too must answer and say that the son who repented and then obeyed did the will of his father. The son who said that he would obey but did not actually do as he said, did not obey his father’s will.

Jesus used the illustration in this parable to show to the chief priests and elders that many tax-collectors and harlots would enter the kingdom of God before them; for they, though they at first refused to do God’s will, repented upon hearing the preaching of John the Baptist and trusted in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. The chief priests and elders, on the other hand, did not believe the Word of God which John proclaimed; nor did they later repent and believe.

It is God’s will that we turn from our sins and trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:3-4). To just pay lip-service to the will of the heavenly Father will do us no good. God wants us to truly repent – to have godly sorrow over our sins and to know what punishment we deserve, to trust in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work for forgiveness and life, and to then, with God’s help, amend our sinful lives and live for Him.

No matter how great our sins have been, if we, by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost, truly repent, we have forgiveness in Christ Jesus and a place in God’s eternal kingdom!

I, a sinner, come to Thee with a penitent confession; Savior, mercy show to me; grant for all my sins remission. Let these words my soul relieve: Jesus sinners doth receive. Amen. (TLH, Hymn #324, Verse 5)

Pastor Randy Moll

Will we be condemned in the day of judgment?

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:24-29

Dear fellow-redeemed sinners, ransomed by the shed blood of Christ Jesus, our Savior.

Facing death and the ultimate judgment of the almighty God can be frightening – and especially so, when we consider our sinfulness and the judgment of a holy God upon those who set aside His commandments in thoughts, desires, words and deeds.

And which one of us hasn’t sinned? The Bible tells us: “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). God’s Word says, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). And so, even if we could claim to have kept every commandment except for one small failure, we are guilty of all. A single misdeed – even a single evil thought – is already enough to make us guilty before God and deserving of His everlasting wrath and punishment.

And which of us loves and honors God with all his heart? Which of us always trusts Him? Which of us always remembers to pray and always listens attentively to His Word? Which of us always loves our fellow human beings as he loves himself? Who never has an evil thought or desire? Who never utters an unkind word? Who never fails to act rightly toward others?

Indeed, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

We remember, from previous verses in John, chapter five, that Jesus said the Father had committed all judgment into the hands of the Son so that all would honor the Son even as they honor the Father. In fact, those not honoring the Son cannot and do not honor the Father who so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son to suffer and die for us (cf. John 5:19-23).

Jesus, God the Son and true man, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary, came into this world to fulfill all the righteous demands of God’s law for fallen mankind and He suffered and died upon the cross for the sins of all people, rising again on the third day. This same Messiah Jesus is appointed of the Father to judge all people on the Last Day.

He Himself tells us: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Our Judge says – Jesus says – with the utmost certainty, the one who listens to Jesus’ word and message and trusts in the Father who sent Him has everlasting life and will not ever be condemned. We sinners, who most certainly deserve to be condemned for our evil works, will not be condemned if we but hear and believe the words of Jesus and trust in God to show us mercy for the sake of the Son and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead.

How comforting it is to know that, though we deserve God’s wrath and punishment because of our sins, we have everlasting life and will “not come into condemnation”! Instead, when we believe the words of Jesus – that He is God the Son and our Savior come into this world to redeem us by shedding His blood in our stead upon the cross for the remission of all our sins – we have “passed from death unto life.”

Think about this as you consider your own death and the impending judgment of God to follow. Have you continually kept all of God’s commandments as He requires? No. Have you done things amiss? Yes. Have you sinned in your thoughts, desires, words and actions? Yes, we all have. If God were to judge us on the basis of our obedience to His law, could any of us stand? Most certainly not!

Yet, the Bible says – Jesus Himself says – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Did you hear that? Those who hear and believe the message of Jesus and trust in the One who sent Jesus to die for our sins and rise again will not come into condemnation! Instead, they have everlasting life!

Jesus went on to say: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”

Jesus is not here speaking of the Last Day when He calls all to rise and stand before Him. He says, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” The hour was here when Jesus walked on this earth with His disciples, and it is still here today. It is the hour when those in spiritual death and darkness – those who continue in their sinful ways and do not know the LORD God or the salvation He has provided in His Son, those who think they can please God by their own lives and works, and those who do not even care about the LORD God or His ways – will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live.

What is Jesus saying? He is saying that His Word has power. He is saying that, when His Word is rightly proclaimed in this lost and sinful world, it will have an effect. He is saying that He Himself is speaking and calling in the words of Scripture. He is saying that, by the mighty working of the Holy Spirit, those who are dead in their trespasses and sins, when they hear of God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, will be raised to spiritual life and brought to trust in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus is saying that those who, by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost, hear and believe His life-giving Word will be assured that, indeed, their sins are forgiven because Jesus died for them and paid in full. They will be assured that they have everlasting life because Christ Jesus was raised up from the dead and has ascended to the right hand of God the Father in heaven and will come again to raise us up on the Last Day to the everlasting joys of heaven.

As Jesus said, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” As the Father gives life, so the Son gives life and graciously raises us up from spiritual darkness and lack of understanding to spiritual life and trust in Him and His Word.

Should we be amazed at this? Not at all! Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

The day will soon come when Christ returns. Then all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth to be judged by Him. Those who have done good will go unto the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned forever in hell.

If Jesus’ voice can raise all the dead on the Last Day, should we be surprised that His voice can raise the spiritually dead to spiritual life now? No, His Word is powerful. When He said, “Let there be.…” it was and remains even to this day (Genesis 1:1ff.; cf. Hebrews 1:1-3).

“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

St. Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

And, on the Last Day, when all the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and come forth to stand before His throne for judgment, will we be condemned? Jesus said of that resurrection: “They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Will our evil thoughts, desires, words and actions be brought up on that day and used against us? If so, we all would be condemned – none could stand (cf. Psalm 130:3-4). But the answer is no. Those who, by the gracious working of God’s Spirit, hear the voice of Jesus calling now and look to Him for forgiveness and life – those who believe Jesus’ Word and trust in the One who sent Him to die for sins and rise again – have passed from death unto life. They will most certainly not be condemned on that day for their sins, for they have a Savior – Christ Jesus – who suffered and died for all sins and rose again in victory!

The Bible tells us: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19).

In Jesus, and for the sake of His innocent sufferings and death in our stead, our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west – they are cast into the depths of the sea – never to be held against us again. Our sins are forgiven in Jesus. Those trusting in Jesus will not be condemned!

Have we done good works by which we may be judged? Not of ourselves, but God has worked good in us and brought us to faith, whereby we now love God and seek to serve Him and do His will.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). We are saved entirely of God’s grace, but God saved us to do good works and has recreated us in Christ Jesus to live for Him.

And so, Jesus calls us through His Word, and His voice raises us from spiritual darkness and death to life in Him. His voice assures us that all our sins are forgiven and forever forgotten because of the shed blood of Jesus. For Jesus’ sake, we will not come into condemnation on that last great day, but enter into the eternal joys of heaven. We have, by His grace, passed from death unto life! 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 the Public Ministry

31. By the public ministry we mean the office by which the Word of God is preached and the Sacraments are administered by order and in the name of a Christian congregation. Concerning this office we teach that it is a divine ordinance; that is, the Christians of a certain locality must apply the means of grace not only privately and within the circle of their families nor merely in their common intercourse with fellow-Christians, John 5:39; Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:16, but they are also required, by the divine order, to make provision that the Word of God be publicly preached in their midst, and the Sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ, by persons qualified for such work, whose qualifications and official functions are exactly defined in Scripture, Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23; 20:28; 2 Tim. 2:2.

32. Although the office of the ministry is a divine ordinance, it possesses no other power than the power of the Word of God, 1 Pet. 4: 11; that is to say, it is the duty of Christians to yield unconditional obedience to the office of the ministry whenever, and as long as, the minister proclaims to them the Word of God, Heb. 13:17; Luke 10: 16. If, however, the minister, in his teachings and injunctions, were to go beyond the Word of God, it would be the duty of Christians not to obey, but to disobey him, so as to remain faithful to Christ, Matt. 23:8. Accordingly, we reject the false doctrine ascribing to the office of the ministry the right to demand obedience and submission in matters which Christ has not commanded.

33. Regarding ordination we teach that it is not a divine, but a commendable ecclesiastical ordinance. (Smalcald Articles. Triglot, p. 525, @70; M., p. 342.)

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

The Adult Bible Class will continue its study of the Gospel of John in chapter five. To prepare, read John 5:31-47. What does Jesus mean when He says, “If I bare witness of myself, my witness is not true”? Cf. John 8:13ff. Who else bore witness to Jesus, who He is and what He would do? What did He say of Jesus? Cf. John 1:6ff.; 15ff. Did Jesus need testimony from man? Why did He speak of John’s testimony? How did the Jews receive John’s testimony? What else witnessed to the truthfulness of Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah? What do Jesus’ works prove about Him? Who else testified of Jesus’ person and work? How did He testify of Jesus and His work? Did the Jews accept His testimony? What proof does Jesus offer? What does Jesus direct His hearers to do? Why? Is this true for us yet today? What did Jesus offer His hearers? Would His Jewish hearers come to Him? What did they forfeit? How is this true yet today? Did Jesus receive or seek honor from men? Why did Jesus say His hearers did not have the love of God in them? Cf. John 8:41ff. Whose honor did Jesus’ hearers seek? How did this keep them from Jesus? Does this happen yet today? How? Whose honor should we seek? Cf. Matthew 23:1ff. Who does Jesus say would accuse them before the Father? Why? How did the Jews not believe the testimony of Moses and the Prophets? What does Jesus say of this? Can one reject Jesus as the Messiah, Son of God and Savior and still believe the Bible or part of it? Why not? Will one believe in Jesus if he rejects the testimony of the Bible?

The Catechism Class continues studying the Lord’s Prayer and the Sacraments and learning of Jesus and what He has done to redeem all mankind.

The Appointed Sunday Readings are Psalm 67, Revelation 21:9-27 and John 16:23-33. Please take the time to read them in their context in preparation for Sunday. The sermon text for Sunday is the reading from John 16:33. Psalm 67 – What is the prayer of the first two verses of this psalm? How does this compare to the Aaronic Benediction used at the close of our church services and recorded in Numbers 6:22-27? What does the psalmist pray will be known among all the nations? Why does the psalmist pray that people would praise God? What does he say will happen if people all over the world know, trust and honor the God of the Bible? Revelation 21:9-27 – What did John see coming down out of heaven? Who (or what) is this? Cf. Ephesians 5:22ff. How is it described? What is the temple in the new and holy Jerusalem? What is the light in this vision of the Church in glory with Jesus? Who will be in this city of God? Will its gates ever be shut? What will not be there? John 16:23-33 – When would Jesus’ disciples understand what Jesus was telling them? What does Jesus say of asking in His name? Cf. 1 John 5:14-15. Do we, as believers in Jesus, have access to the Father? How? Cf. Hebrews 10:19ff. What does Jesus mean in v. 28? What did the disciples say of Jesus? What does Jesus say would happen to them? How was this fulfilled? Who would continue to be with Jesus? Why did Jesus speak all these words – His discourses in John 13-17 – to His disciples? What would they experience in this world? In whom would they have peace? Why could they be of good cheer? How is this true for you and for me?

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 Sam Rusch, who has been ill – 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.

Events and Announcements

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

Congregational Evening Bible studies will resume on the second Wednesday in May, at 7 p.m.

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.

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” Psalm 67:1-2

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT

Read Matthew 18:21-35

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

How often should we forgive a brother who sins against us? This is the question Peter asked of Jesus. Note Jesus’ answer: “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Jesus did not mean only 490 times, but all the time! Like our Lord, we are always to be ready to forgive. “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalm 86:5).

The parable of the unforgiving servant illustrates Jesus’ point to Peter. A certain servant owed the king such a great amount that he would never be able to work off and repay his debt. When the king justly would have sold him and all that he had to recover at least a part of this debt, the servant pleaded for mercy. The king was moved to compassion and forgave the entire debt. But then this servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him only a very small and insignificant amount in comparison with the huge debt which had been forgiven him. Rather than showing mercy to this servant, as he had been shown mercy by his lord, he refused to forgive this small debt and “cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.” When the king saw that his compassion and forgiveness had no effect on this unforgiving servant, he was angry and “delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.”

We, like the first servant in this parable, owe to God a greater debt than we can ever repay. Our sins against the LORD God are so great that we deserve only to be cast into the eternal fires of hell! But God, in His grace and mercy, has forgiven our great debt of sin. Because Jesus Christ took our great burden of sins upon Himself and bore on the cross the just punishment for them, God has canceled out our debt of sin and has given to us complete pardon and forgiveness!

In our earthly lives, others sin against us many times; but this debt of sin, though it may seem great to us, is small and insignificant in comparison with the great debt of sin that the LORD God has forgiven to us. As a fruit of our faith in Christ Jesus, and as a result of God’s great mercy to us in Christ, we ought also to forgive those who sin against us, even “until seventy times seven.” If we refuse to forgive from our hearts those who sin against us, neither will our heavenly Father forgive us; instead, He will cast us into the fires of hell!

Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, remove from us their burden sore, as we their trespasses forgive who by offenses us do grieve. Thus let us dwell in charity and serve our brother willingly. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #458, Verse 6)

Pastor Randy Moll

Christ’s Ship on the Sea of Galilee,

a Picture of the Church of Our Times

Matthew 8:23-27

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

By C. F. W. Walther

(Translated by Rev. Donald E. Heck)

(Editor’s Note: C.F.W. Walther was one of the founding fathers of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, then the Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. He was the first professor and president of Concordia Seminary in Altenberg, Mo., and later in St. Louis. He was also the first president of the Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. He vigorously fought for the true doctrine of God’s Word and opposed those who compromised any part of God’s truth.)

Grace be with you, mercy and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. Amen.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus.

Reading the history of the Christian Church, we find that men think the Church is always in great danger of being annihilated; yet it has always regained its strength.

How small Christ’s Church was when he left the world after his work of redemption! It consisted of no more than a few hundred souls, and most were poor simple folk. Even the twelve apostles were uneducated, timid men; through the preaching of the Gospel they of all people were to spread the Christian Church throughout the whole world. This appeared to be wholly impossible.

But what happened? Miraculously equipped on the first Pentecost with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they went out into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature; after no more than about thirty years, Paul, who himself became a Christian after being a persecutor, could report to the Colossians that the Gospel was “preached to every creature which is under heaven.” (Col 1:23). A few years later he could write to Timothy, “God was manifest in the flesh … preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world,” I Timothy 3:16. When all the apostles had died, the Christian Church had already spread over the whole world; there were Christian congregations in all the lands of the world.

If the Christian Church was founded during the bloody persecutions by the Jews and heathen, these persecutions really first began after it had been founded – the more numerous Christians became, the more the worldly rulers feared that the Christians could become dangerous. Hence, they and particularly the Roman emperor decided to wipe out the Christian Church. The Roman emperors and their officials used every imaginable device to torture the Christians, in order to cause them to deny Christ and thus exterminate the Christian Church.

They did not only behead, drown, strangle, and burn Christians but also dreamed up every possible way to make their death especially frightful and painful. Christians became food for wild animals; they were roasted slowly over a fire; smothered in sewers; crucified head down and ravening animals were allowed to gnaw at them; killed by thirst; the heathen tore off little by little every piece of flesh from their bones with shells or white hot tongs; they poured boiling oil and pitch into their mouths; they tied their naked bodies to corpses, threw both into dark and stinking pits, and let them die of hunger and rot with the corpses. In the first three centuries many hundreds of thousands of Christians were killed. When the persecution of Emperor Diocletian and his coregents ended in the year 310, they issued as a remembrance of their victory over the Christians edicts with the superscription, “After wiping out the name Christians who wanted to overthrow the kingdom,” or, “After the complete extermination of the Christian heresy everywhere.”

But was this proud superscription really true? No! Just before a Church father had written, “The more you cut us down the more we increase. The blood of the Christian is a seed.” Yes, the church historian Eusebius writes, “The very swords at last became dull and broke in pieces as though worn out; the hangmen became tired and had to relieve one another; but the Christians began to sing songs of praise and thanks until their last breath to the honor of almighty God.”

All the persecutors died a frightful death. The last such, Emperor Galerius, his body rotting with inexpressible pains, feeling God’s wrath, published in the year 311 another edict. He declared that his intention of bringing the Christians back to the religion of their fathers was not attained, and they themselves were only hindered in the worship of their own gods. They should therefore be tolerated and now pray to their God for the welfare of the kingdom and their emperor.

When this fanatic had died and Emperor Constantine became a Christian himself in the year 323, the Christians with but brief interruptions enjoyed complete rest from persecution. But now even more dangerous enemies, false teachers, arose in their own midst; they did not seek the temporal life of the Church but the truth on which it was founded and thus slay it spiritually. But see! No matter how many heretics arose, God always awakened men who exposed the heresy and defended the truth. The Church faced even greater danger through the rise of the papacy. It seemed to have become a worldly kingdom of priests, Christ pushed from his throne, the saving Gospel done away with, and thus the Church surely wrecked. Even the earlier bloody persecutions arose again, and now in the midst of the Church herself. But lo! Just when all help seemed to be gone, it was at the door. God awakened Dr. Martin Luther who carried out the work of a complete reformation of the Church.

Alas, today the Christian Church again lies in the dust. It is true that hundreds of millions of men still are Christian in name, but they are either unbelievers who laugh at the mysteries of the Christian religion, or they are the sects who cling to comfortless human doctrines. The true Christians who stand in the true faith are only a very small flock. The enemy of the Church again triumphs and predicts in a thousand writings that the Christian Church will soon be completely wiped out.

What now? Do we have reason to fear that the Church will at last perish? No, no! My friends! According to God’s Word this is absolutely impossible. Today’s Gospel guarantees that no matter how severely the storms may rage now, Christ’s little ship will not be wrecked. Let us now hear and consider this Gospel for the purpose of strengthening us in this belief.

Scripture text: Matthew 8:23-27. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

On the basis of this text let the subject of today’s consideration be: Christ’s ship on the Sea of Galilee, A picture of the church of our times: A Picture of the dangers in which it hovers, A Picture of the members it has, and A Picture of the protection under which it stands.

1. A picture of the dangers in which it hovers

The day on which the event related in our text took place was the same day in which Christ had miraculously healed the leper and the servant of the centurion at Capernaum. That we heard in the Gospel of last Sunday. This had been a day of especially hard work. Matthew tells us that Christ that same day healed not only Peter’s mother-in-law, but in addition whole crowds of possessed and sick. Evening finally came and many people still crowded around him; perhaps they merely wished to see still more miracles; he therefore commanded his disciples to prepare ship for a trip to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Whereupon we read in our text, “And when he entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.” (v. 23).

In any case, the ship was no palatial merchantman, but one of Peter’s small simple fishing boats. No vessel had ever carried a more precious cargo than this little boat. It carried something more precious than all the gold, pearls, and precious stones in the world. It bore the Savior of the world and the twelve apostles who were to carry the message of salvation into all the world. It carried the Lord of the Church himself and its twelve pillars. One can indeed say that had this ship sunk the Church would have gone down and the whole world would have been lost.

Now one would have supposed that if any ship would have had smooth sailing then this would have been the one. But what do we hear? We read in our text, “And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves.” (v. 24).

“And, behold,” the evangelist writes. With this little word he shows that something which no one expected suddenly arose. When the ship had thrust from land, the evening sky was clear and bright. Wind and sea were calm, but behold, scarcely had they reached the high seas than suddenly, as we read in our text, “a great tempest” arose “in the sea.” As we see from the original text, this “storm” was a swell which came from the lake bottom as would arise from an earthquake. The sea suddenly swelled and created waves which, rising and falling rapidly, lifted the ship like a ball, now to giddy heights, now hurling it down into the trough. Mark adds that also a “great storm of wind” or a hurricane was added to the “swell” from the depths of the sea. It seized the little ship and spun it like a top. Sky, wind, and sea seemed to have rebelled.

The result was that the waves not only smote the ship but, as our text says, “the ship was covered with the waves.” Covered by the sea, it appeared to be about to sink. All human help, strength and wisdom was helpless. Even those in the ship, fishermen familiar with the sea, who certainly had passed through many a dangerous storm, now feared for their lives.

And what was the most frightening, we read that Christ the Lord, in whose presence the disciples otherwise feared nothing, “was asleep.” He seemed neither to know of nor care about the danger in which his disciples were. Yes, Mark informs us that he lay on a pillow near the helmsman. Christ seemed to be the reason why the ship was in this danger. Only one push – and ship and crew would sink into the depths of the sea.

What does our text vividly picture to us? Nothing else than the great danger in which the ship of the Christian Church is at all times, especially in our day! Like a ship the Church sails from country to country on the sea of time. Christ is the captain. The preachers of the Gospel are the helmsmen. Faith with baptism is the ship’s gangplank, hope its anchor, the cross its mast. The word is the sails; the wind which swells these sails is the Holy Ghost, its flag the creed, the Christians compose the crew, and the harbor toward which the ship sails is heaven.

What happened to this ship of the Church? It had no sooner quietly weighed anchor at the time of the apostles and sailed upon the world, when behold there arose a swell from beneath and a hurricane from above. Hell, world and heaven itself seemed to have conspired against the ship of the Church and resolved to destroy it. Then, the swell of bloody persecution raged; now, the hurricane of false doctrine.

If the ship of the Church always was in danger of running aground, shattering, and sinking, it is really the case today. It is true we today do not groan under the cruel rod of persecution. Yes, God be eternally praised we here in America enjoy a degree of religious freedom which God has scarcely granted any other land. Nevertheless, here the ship of the Church hovers in greater danger. Our America is not only the land of the sects who preach their false faith everywhere with great show of being the only true saving faith, but also the very enemies of Christ and his Church are here in great power. Unless God prevents it they can, after they are in power, take our freedom from us. In many newspapers and other periodicals they rail at everything holy. They organize secret societies into which they draw the unsuspecting, but from whom they hide their plans. They beguile more and more with their sweet talk of light, enlightenment, progress and freedom.

Truly, the ship of the church is again in great trouble. The spirit of the times like a hurricane sometimes lifts it up to giddy heights and sometimes pulls it down into frightful depths. Countless baptized Christians have already fallen away and daily more follow. And what is most frightening, Christ seems again to sleep and watch peacefully how the storm tears the sail of the Word and the flag of the creed into tatters, snaps the mast of the cross, and covers the ship of the Church with the waves of sin and unbelief.

2. A picture of the members it has

Christ’s ship in the storm on the Sea of Galilee pictures not only the dangers in which the Church now hovers, but secondly the members it has.

We read in our text, “And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish.” (v. 25). This tells us two facts about the disciples. First, that they truly believed, but secondly, that their faith was extremely weak. They had forsaken the whole world and its enticing splendor to follow Christ even into the ship on the sea. And when great trouble and danger befell them and human aid was of no avail, they did not doubt but turned to Christ, awakened him, and offered this ardent prayer to him, “Lord, save us!” Had they not believed that Christ was the almighty Son of God, they would not have turned to Him, when only an experienced seaman would know what to do.

Nevertheless their faith was weak. Had it been a strong faith, they would have thought of Christ’s many miracles which they had witnessed. In the middle of the storm they would have, after their prayer for help, certain of an answer, joined in a song of praise and thanksgiving. There would be no room in their hearts for the faintest suggestion of the thought that their ship would sink. With David they would have thought, “Yea, though I walk through the dark valley of mountain high waves, I will fear no evil, for the Lord is with me.”

But what did they do? It is true they pray in faith, “Lord, save us!” But full of anxiety and fear they immediately add, “We perish!” Yes, Mark tells us that several even cried out, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (4:38). We see from this that their faith was very weak and no doubt bordered on unbelief. It was no more than a smoking flax and a bruised reed. Hence, Christ did not reject them but rebuked them saying, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (v. 26a).

This is the picture of the membership of the Church. There still are, praise God! people who have left the enticing world, cling to Christ, confess that he is God’s Son, and, in their troubles in true faith call on him, “Lord, save us!” even when man is helpless. Alas, the age of the strong in faith, the heroes of faith, as we repeatedly meet them by name in the first 300 years and in the time of the Reformation, is past. The believers of our times are almost without exception weak and small of faith. Very much smaller storms than the storm on the Sea of Galilee, much weaker attacks and temptations now cause Christians to waver and totter. If a bloody persecution would break out today and Christians were no firmer in their faith than they are now, most would deny the faith and fall away.

Now, my very dear friends, does not this present a sad, hopeless prospect? Must we not fear that the Church will go under after all? Must we not expect that in the last times of the Church increasingly greater troubles, attacks, and temptations are near? Yes, we must expect the latter; but we do not have to fear that for this reason the Church will perish. Christ does not reject even the weak in faith, put out the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed. For the ship of Christ upon the Sea of Galilee is not only a picture of the dangers in which it hovers, and the weakness of its members, but also the protection under which it stands. And it is of this which I speak to you now.

3. A Picture of the Protection Under Which it Stands

It is true that Christ slept while the disciples were in the greatest danger. It seemed as if Christ neither knew of the danger to his disciples nor cared. Yet it only seemed so. Christ did actually sleep but only as a true man. Even then He was and remained the Keeper of Israel who does not slumber and sleep, for according to His divinity He watched; He saw everything which took place, and took care that in spite of the storm and waves the ship did not become wrecked while He slept. To the disciples He seemed to sleep, only to tempt and test them, to strengthen their faith through temptation, and to make them pray. When Christ was therefore awakened by the disciples’ cry for help, he fearlessly let the storm rage on for a while and first of all stilled the storm in the hearts of the disciples. “Then,” we read, “he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” (v. 26b.) This was an incomprehensible miracle. At times it happens in a natural manner that a hurricane on the sea suddenly stilled. But then the waves would rise for a longer time and only gradually diminish after the wind had been calm for a long time. But Mark tells us, as soon as Christ had said to the wind and sea, “Peace, be still!” both were immediately and absolutely quiet. The howling winds and the raging sea quieted. It became a glassy surface in which the evening sky quietly reflected the glittering stars; those in the ship cried out in amazement, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (v. 27).

Here we have the last picture of the Church of our times. It is an inexpressibly comforting one. We see that though the Church may be like Christ’s ship on the Sea of Galilee, though the whole world with all its mighty and wise may surprise the Church like a sea whipped by the wind, though its sinking may seem to be inevitable, though it may seem as if Christ is asleep again at the helm and his (unspoken) Word the hindrance to the only possible deliverance of the Church, though the very members of the Church seem to be ever so faint-hearted today and in despair cry out, “Lord, save us; we perish! Yes, though many today desperately jump out of the ship into the sea of the world, we nevertheless have no reason to fear and despair. Christ is in our ship, and He does not sleep according to His divine omniscience, omnipotence, and care. When His hour is come, he will arise, chide our faint-heartedness, and say to the world, “Peace, be still.” It will then become absolutely quiet and in triumph the ship of the Church will sail into the harbor of heaven. Christ has promised, “On this rock (he means himself) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18). “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20).

Oh, therefore, do not despair, even in these last troublesome times. Do not leave the ship of the Church, because you think it will soon go down. Otherwise you will regret it eternally, because outside this ship is no salvation, as once outside Noah’s ark there was no deliverance. And as Noah’s ark sailed successfully over the waves of the flood and finally, safe and sound, landed on the mountains of Ararat, so will also the ship of the Church sail safely over the stormy sea of the world and land on the eternal mountains of divine grace. There if you have remained in the faith, you will also in amazement cry out, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” and will eternally rejoice. For …

The Word they still shall let remain

Nor any thanks have for it;

He’s by our side upon the plain

With his good gifts and Spirit.

And take they our life,

Goods, fame, child, and wife,

Let these all be gone,

They yet have nothing won;

The kingdom ours remaineth. Amen.

(TLH 262, st. 4)

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 the Church

24. We believe that there is one holy Christian Church on earth, the Head of which is Christ and which is gathered, preserved, and governed by Christ through the Gospel.

The members of the Christian Church are the Christians, that is, all those who have despaired of their own righteousness before God and believe that God forgives their sins for Christ’s sake. The Christian Church, in the proper sense of the term, is composed of believers only, Acts 5:14; 26:18; which means that no person in whom the Holy Ghost has wrought faith in the Gospel, or – which is the same thing – in the doctrine of justification, can be divested of his membership in the Christian Church; and, on the other hand, that no person in whose heart this faith does not dwell can be invested with such membership. All unbelievers, though they be in external communion with the Church and even hold the office of teacher or any other office in the Church, are not members of the Church, but, on the contrary, dwelling-places and instruments of Satan, Eph. 2:2. This is also the teaching of our Lutheran Confessions: “It is certain, however, that the wicked are in the power of the devil and members of the kingdom of the devil, as Paul teaches, Eph. 2:2, when he says that ‘the devil now worketh in the children of disobedience,”‘ etc. (Apology. Triglot, p. 231, @_ 16; M., p. 154.)

25. Since it is by faith in the Gospel alone that men become members of the Christian Church, and since this faith cannot be seen by men, but is known to God alone, 1 Kings 8:39; Acts 1: 24; 2 Tim. 2:19, therefore the Christian Church on earth is invisible, Luke 17:20, and will remain invisible till Judgment Day, Col. 3:3, 4. In our day some Lutherans speak of two sides of the Church, taking the means of grace to be its “visible side.” It is true, the means of grace are necessarily related to the Church, seeing that the Church is created and preserved through them. But the means of grace are not for that reason a part of the Church; for the Church, in the proper sense of the word, consists only of believers, Eph. 2:19,20; Acts 5:14. Lest we abet the notion that the Christian Church in the proper sense of the term is an external institution, we shall continue to call the means of grace the “marks” of the Church. Just as wheat is to be found only where it has been sown, so the Church can be found only where the Word of God is in use.

26. We teach that this Church, which is the invisible communion of all believers, is to be found not only in those external church communions which teach the Word of God purely in every part, but also where, along with error, so much of the Word of God still remains that men may be brought to the knowledge of their sins and to faith in the forgiveness of sins, which Christ has gained for all men, Mark 16:16; Samaritans: Luke 17:16; John 4:25.

27. Local Churches or Local Congregations. – Holy Scripture, however, does not speak merely of the one Church, which embraces the believers of all places, as in Matt. 16:18; John 10: 16, but also of churches in the plural, that is, of local churches, as in 1 Cor. 16: 19; 1: 2; Acts 8: 1: the churches of Asia, the church of God in Corinth, the church in Jerusalem. But this does not mean that there are two kinds of churches, for the local churches also, in as far as they are churches, consist solely of believers, as we see clearly from the addresses of the epistles to local churches; for example, “unto the church which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified, in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,” 1 Cor. 1: 2; Rom. 1: 7, etc. The visible society, containing hypocrites as well as believers, is called a church only in an improper sense, Matt. 13:47-50, 24-30, 38-43.

28. On Church-Fellowship – Since God ordained that His Word only, without the admixture of human doctrine, be taught and believed in the Christian Church, 1 Pet. 4: 11; John 8:31,32; 1 Tim. 6:3,4, all Christians are required by God to discriminate between orthodox and heterodox church-bodies, Matt. 7:15, to have church-fellowship only with orthodox church-bodies, and, in case they have strayed into heterodox church-bodies, to leave them, Rom. 16:17. We repudiate unionism, that is, church-fellowship with the adherents of false doctrine, as disobedience to God’s command, as causing divisions in the Church, Rom. 16:17; 2 John 9,10, and as involving the constant danger of losing the Word of God entirely, 2 Tim. 2:17-21.

29. The orthodox character of a church is established not by its mere name nor by its outward acceptance of, and subscription to, an orthodox creed, but by the doctrine which is actually taught in its pulpits, in its theological seminaries, and in its Publications. On the other hand, a church does not forfeit its orthodox character through the casual intrusion of errors, provided these are combated and eventually removed by means of doctrinal discipline, Acts 20:30; 1 Tim. 1: 3.

30. The Original and True Possessors of All Christian Rights and Privileges. - Since the Christians are the Church, it is self-evident that they alone originally possess the spiritual gifts and rights which Christ has gained for, and given to, I-!is Church. Thus St. Paul reminds all believers: “All things are yours,” 1 Cor. 3: 21, 22, and Christ Himself commits to all believers the keys of the kingdom of heaven, Matt. 16:13-19; 18:17-20; John 20:22, 23, and commissions all believers to preach the Gospel and to administer the Sacraments, Matt. 28:19,20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25. Accordingly, we reject all doctrines by which this spiritual power or any part thereof is adjudged as originally vested in certain individuals or bodies, such as the Pope, or the bishops, or the order of the ministry, or the secular lords, or councils, or synods, etc. The officers of the Church publicly administer their offices only by virtue of delegated powers, conferred on them by the original possessors of such powers, and such administration remains under the supervision of the latter, Col. 4:17. Naturally all Christians have also the right and the duty to judge and decide matters of doctrine, not according to their own notions, of course, but according to the Word of God, 1 John 4: 1; I Pet. 4:11.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

The Adult Bible Class will continue its study of the Gospel of John in chapter five. To prepare, read John 5:17-30. Why did Jesus say He worked on the Sabbath? Who was He claiming to be? Did the Jews recognize this? What work, does Jesus say, which the Father does is also a work which is done by the Son? Who does the Son raise to life? To whom is the judgment of all people committed? Cf. Acts 10:42; 17:31; Matthew 11:27. How will the Son judge? Cf. John 3:18-21, 35-36; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. Can one know and honor God the Father if he does not know and honor the Son? Cf. 1 John 2:23. What of those groups and organizations which claim to serve God but do not acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and Savior? Cf. John 14:6. What does Jesus mean in v. 24? What comfort may we draw from this truth? What does Jesus mean in verse 25? Which dead does He speak of here? How are they raised up from spiritual death to spiritual life? How did this happened to you? What is meant by v. 26? Why should we not be amazed or marvel at this truth? What will happen on the Last Day? How will they be judged? Cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46; Rev. 20:11-15. Whose will does Jesus carry out in the judgment?

The Catechism Class continues studying the Lord’s Prayer and the Sacraments and learning of Jesus and what He has done to redeem all mankind.

The Appointed Sunday Readings are Psalm 146; Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-8; and John 16:12-22. Please take the time to read them in their context in preparation for Sunday. The sermon text for Sunday is the reading from John 16. Psalm 146 – Who are we called to praise? When? Why is it foolish to trust in human leaders? Who should be our refuge? Why can we be happy and rejoice? What does this psalm say of the work of the LORD? Acts 11:1-18 – What is the setting of this portion of Scripture? Why did the Jewish believers contend with Peter? How did Peter explain his actions? What was the result? How might we apply this Scripture truth yet today? Revelation 21:1-8 – What did John see? What happened to the first heaven and earth? What was not present? Cf. Isaiah 65:17ff. What did John see coming down from God out of heaven? What is this? Who is a part of it? Cf. Ephesians 2:11-22; 5:22ff.; Hebrews 11:10; 2 Cor. 11:2. What did the voice out of heaven say? What is significant about this? What will not be there in heaven? What does God say? What does this mean? (Verse 8 was omitted from the appointed readings but we include it.) Who will be have their part in the lake of fire? What is this called? John 16:12-22 – Who does Jesus say would come? What would He do? How would He guide them into all truth? What would He show Jesus’ disciples? Who would He glorify? How? What things would He reveal? Is this true yet today? How? Cf. 1 John 2:19-29. What did Jesus mean when He said in a little while His disciples would not see Him, but then in a little while they would see Him again? Why was it necessary for Jesus to go to the Father? cf. John 16:7ff. Why would Jesus’ followers weep and lament? How is it that their sorrow would be turned to joy? To what did Jesus compare this? Why could no one take this joy from Jesus’ disciples? How does this yet apply to us as believers in Christ Jesus?

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 Sam Rusch, who is again hospitalized – 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.

Events and Announcements

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

Congregational Evening Bible studies will resume on the second Wednesday in May, at 7 p.m.

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.

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” Psalm 67:1-2

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

“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:14-17

In this world, the battle rages between those in the kingdom of darkness and those who are in the kingdom of light. And the battle is fierce as the devil and those allied with him seek to destroy the faith of all who hope in Jesus. With his lies and temptations to turn us away from the truth, he seeks to separate us from Christ Jesus and the mercy and forgiveness Jesus won for us when He lived a holy and sinless life in our stead and then went to the cross to pay in full the penalty for the sins of the world.

At times it may appear to us that the battle is lost as we struggle against the forces of evil and are tempted from within and without. We watch as friends and family members fall and turn away from Christ and His Word. Even our own hearts and desires would lead us to eternal ruin. We are spoken against and persecuted for clinging to Jesus and the comfort of His Word.

But the battle is not lost. As the battle rages on here in this world and the Scriptures warn us of the suffering yet ahead for believers, Jesus shows us a vision and picture of the end. He wants us to know we have the victory in Him. The eternal joys of heaven are certain for all who trust in His shed blood.

John writes by inspiration of the Holy Ghost (Revelation 7:9-12): “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”

After we are shown God sealing His elect in this world to protect and keep them unto eternal life, we are lifted up into heaven, to the very throne of God, to see a great host beyond number arrayed in white. They are from every nation and kindred and people and language. They, together with the angels, stand before the throne and worship the LORD God and the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world.

And who are these arrayed in white? And from where did they come? One of the elders answered John: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”

Who is it that we see in heaven around the throne of God? It is you and me and believers of all time who have come out of the great tribulation going on here in this world. They are the ones who “have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They have placed their faith and hope in Jesus; they have come to the cross of Jesus and had all their sins washed away in His blood which was shed for the sins of the world. They have, by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost, come to believe the Gospel – that the blood of Jesus, their crucified and risen Savior, cleanses them from all sin (cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2).

It is with all their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus and clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ that they stand before the throne of God and before the Lamb and serve God day and night in His temple. It is because they have been cleansed in the blood of Jesus that God dwells among them and removes from them all the troubles of this fallen world.

As the Scripture reveals to us, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Though the battle rages on here in this world, we have seen the end. In Jesus and for the sake of His blood shed for us on the cross, we have the victory. He has shown us a glimpse into heaven and the glory that is ours there for Jesus’ sake. In Him we trust and rejoice!

O dearest Jesus, holy and precious Lamb of God sacrificed upon the cross for the sins of the world, keep us through the tribulations of this world and preserve us unto the everlasting joys of heaven, for the sake of Your cleansing blood. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible]

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” Revelation 5:1-2

Who is there in all of God’s creation worthy to open the book of God’s judgments upon the earth and of the establishment of His everlasting kingdom? Who is worthy to break it seals and carry out the divine decrees written therein?

This is the picture we see in Revelation 4 and 5. John sees in a vision (with similarities to that of Isaiah 6) the very throne of God, and the almighty and eternal God holds in His hand a book sealed with seven seals, containing God’s judgments upon the earth and His ultimate victory and triumph over all His enemies and the establishment of His everlasting kingdom of glory. But who is worthy to open the seals and bring to pass this great work of God?

John writes, “And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon” (Revelation 5:3-4).

No one was found worthy. All of mankind had sinned and come short of the glory of God (cf. Romans 3:23). God’s plan to save His elect and establish a glorious kingdom in which all creation will worship and serve the LORD God in holiness and righteousness forever could not be carried out. All appeared to be lost. John wept.

But all was not lost. God’s eternal plan would be carried out. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne” (Revelation 5:5-7).

There is one who is worthy: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David (cf. Genesis 49:9-10; Isaiah 11:1,10). He lived a righteous and holy life in the stead of all mankind, and He took upon Himself the sins of all the world and made atonement when He suffered and died upon the cross. He is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He was slain for the sins of all, but He rose again from the dead and He lives to establish God’s everlasting kingdom.

Because He suffered and died for our sins and rose again in victory, the battle is not lost. We need not weep. Instead, we can rejoice because our Savior and Redeemer lives and reigns upon God’s throne. He is exalted to the right hand of God the Father in heaven and rules over all things that He might establish and preserve His church, carry out His judgments and finally destroy all His enemies – all who continue in impenitence and opposition to Him – and establish His everlasting kingdom of glory.

Our Lord Jesus sent His Holy Spirit into the world and through the preaching of God’s Word is at work to bring people to repent of their sin and rebellion against their God and Maker and to trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness and life. He carries out His righteous judgments upon the earth to move men to repent of their wicked ways and to turn unto Him for mercy. Ultimately He will destroy all His enemies, casting them into the fires of hell, and establish an everlasting kingdom in which all who have placed their hope and confidence in Him and His redemptive work will reign with Him forever in glory.

The picture is indeed comforting, beautiful and glorious! And so we too join in saying with all believers and all the hosts of heaven: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth…Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:9-10,13).

O Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world, You suffered and died for the sins of all and rose again in victory. You are worthy to take the book and open the seals and carry out the eternal plan of God for our salvation. You are the judge of all the earth and You will establish Your everlasting kingdom. Graciously grant us Your Spirit that we might repent of our own rebelliousness and sin and place our faith in You alone for salvation. Keep us and preserve us in the true faith that we might not be condemned along with the world but reign with You in eternal glory. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

Christians around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, western churches on this  Sunday. And, indeed, the resurrection of Jesus is the key doctrine of the Christian Faith upon which all depends.

Jesus Himself foretold His own death and resurrection numerous times, saying, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him and the third day He shall rise again” (Matthew 20:18-19). He also said, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

Thus, if Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead on the third day, He can be considered nothing but a liar, and Christianity is a hoax! What hope could any have of everlasting life if Jesus Himself did not rise from the dead on the third day? If Jesus did not rise from the dead, as some — even within the outward pale of churches — have said, Christianity is an empty and worthless religion.

It is as St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:17-19).

But, in spite of the skepticism of some, there is solid evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Not only was the resurrection of the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures, it is attested to by the New Testament apostles and evangelists with claims of seeing, touching and talking to the risen Christ Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews all attest to the resurrection of Jesus.

Not only did Jesus appear alive to Mary Magdalene and the other women, He appeared to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emaus, to the eleven on numerous occasions, to James, to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, and to over 500 believers at one time. At the time when Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, most of these eyewitnesses were still alive and could be questioned by any who had doubts — Paul invited them to do so.

Now, nearly two thousand years removed, some have said that Jesus did not actually die but swooned on the cross and later revived in the tomb — a foolish hypothesis since the Roman soldiers were well experienced with death and especially with death by crucifixion since they regularly crucified both criminals and rebels. Crucifixion victims had to lift themselves up to breathe. Hanging motionlessly meant breathing also stopped and life ended. The spear thrust into Jesus’ side left no doubt. Jesus indeed died upon the cross (John 19:32-34)!

And, even if it were somehow possible for one to be crucified and not yet be dead after hanging motionless, ceasing breathing and having a spear thrust into his side, would laying in a tomb, wrapped in burial cloths and receiving no medical attention enable one to survive scourging, crucifixion, and a spear wound to the chest? It’s certainly not likely!

Some have said — indeed, right from the beginning (Matthew 28:11ff.) — that Jesus’ disciples came and stole the body and moved it to another tomb where it probably still lies to this day. This too makes no sense at all and doesn’t explain His resurrection appearances.

It’s entirely unlikely that followers of Jesus who fled when Jesus was arrested and then hid behind locked doors would risk death at the hands of the Roman soldiers who guarded the tomb in order to steal a dead body and advance a fake religion.

And, while people may risk all and suffer death for something they mistakenly believe to be true, would all of Jesus’ apostles willingly face death and persecution for something they knew was a lie? Again, it’s not likely!

Not only did Jesus’ disciples suffer persecution and agonizing deaths, they gave up the comforts and pleasures of this life as well. They had nothing to gain by preaching the resurrection of Jesus if indeed He did not rise.

And what of those who spread the stories of Jesus’ body being stolen away? They could easily have put a stop to the spread of Christianity if they simply produced the body of Jesus. But did they? No! There is no record of any attempt or claim to produce the body of Jesus. Why? Because the tomb was empty and even the enemies of Christianity could not refute the resurrection of Jesus!

So, what does the resurrection of Jesus mean for us today? Well, it proves that Jesus is who He claimed to be, God the Son and the Messiah and Savior of the world! It proves that His teaching is true. His resurrection proves that He did indeed take the punishment for the sins of the world that we might have pardon and peace though faith in Him. His resurrection proves that those who fall asleep in Him — those who die trusting in Him for forgiveness of sins and life everlasting — will be raised up on the Last Day to the eternal joys of heaven just as He promised!

And, of course, it also proves that he will return to judge the living and the dead as He has said, and that those who have not relied upon Him for forgiveness and life will be condemned to everlasting punishment in the eternal fires of hell.

The only real hoax in regard to Jesus’ resurrection is the argument that he did not rise. It’s a hoax advanced to destroy the faith of those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life everlasting. It’s a hoax advanced by those who do not wish to accept the testimony of eye witnesses who both saw Jesus crucified and then alive again on the third day and the subsequent 40 days. It’s a hoax advanced by those who do not wish to one day be accountable to the risen and glorified Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus is a historical event which affects every human being in this world. Those who consider it and place their hope in Jesus and His resurrection shall receive, as Jesus says, the forgiveness of sins He won for all by His sufferings and death upon the cross, and life everlasting because He rose from the dead and is “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). But those who neglect or spurn it face a most miserable eternity with no hope, no blessing and no joy!