Meditations in Genesis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Dear Children

The Unchangeable God

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

My Dear Children,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOD

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

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

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

The Augsburg Confession

Article X: Of the Lord’s Supper

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

Living in Denial of the Truth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Acts 13:1-13; Luke 14:25-35. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

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

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery today; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

A special congregational dinner has been rescheduled for the second Sunday in September (because of Labor Day weekend) to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year and the resumption of church choir practices. A special cookout is being planned for the event.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

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

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

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him … And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.” Acts 12:5, 13-17 (Read all of Acts 12)

Jesus said, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). In his first epistle, John also wrote: “And this is the confidence that we have in him [Christ Jesus], that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

But how often we fail to believe these words! We pray to the LORD God, pouring out our troubles and petitions, but don’t really expect an answer. And when God in His own time and manner does answer our prayers, we are either oblivious to it or are astonished that God heard our request and did as we asked.

The church prayed for the apostle Peter when he was arrested by King Herod and held in the prison – Herod intended to kill Peter as he had killed the apostle James – but when their prayers were answered and the Lord sent His angel to deliver Peter, the believers who were gathered together to pray were reluctant to believe. Rhoda heard Peter’s voice as he knocked at the door of the gate, she ran and told the other believers that Peter was outside, but they did not believe her. They accused Rhoda of being mad and, when she insisted it was so, said that it must be Peter’s angel.

Should we be surprised and shocked that God would hear and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake? After all, He gave us His only-begotten Son to die for us and pay the just penalty for the sins of the world. If He so loved us that He gave us His own Son as our Redeemer, shouldn’t we expect Him to hear and answer our prayers as well for Jesus’ sake!

“If God be for us, who can be against us? 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?” (Romans 8:31, 32).

Gracious Spirit, You have brought us to know and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life everlasting. Teach us also to believe His Word and come confidently to the Father with all our prayers and petitions, trusting that He will hear and answer all our prayers for Jesus’ sake. In His name we pray. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK AND ON THE SAND

Read Luke 6:46-49

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

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

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

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

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

Hear Christ’s Word and build upon it!

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

My Dear Children

The Omniscient God

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

My Dear Children,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOD

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

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

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

The Augsburg Confession

Article IX: Of Baptism.

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

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

Hear, O Israel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

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

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

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who will undergo knee surgery on Sept. 1; Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

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

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

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

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

“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” Acts 11:22-23

It was only by the grace of God that, when the Gospel was preached to the Greek-speaking people of Antioch, many turned from their sinful ways to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life eternal.

Of course, it is only by the gracious operation and working of God’s Spirit through the Word that we have been brought to know and believe that in Christ Jesus we have a Savior, that in Him we have forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting.

It is as the Gospel of John states of Christ Jesus: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (1:10-13).

Jesus also said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

When the Word of God was preached in Antioch, God’s Spirit, working through that Word, called people to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. When Barnabas came, he continued to preach the word and to exhort the believers there (where they were first called Christians) to “with purpose of heart … cleave unto the Lord.” He encouraged the believers there to hold fast to Jesus because only in Him did they have forgiveness and life. He is the only way, the only truth, the only life (John 14:6). There is salvation in no other (Acts 4:12).

We who believe today do so as a result of the grace and mercy of God – the gracious working of God’s Spirit (cf. Ephesians 1-2). And, as Barnabas (and later Paul) taught the Christians the Word of the Lord and encouraged them to intentionally and purposefully hold fast to Christ Jesus, so I encourage you to cleave unto the Lord – to continue trusting in Him alone for forgiveness and life everlasting.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). Continue in Christ Jesus!

O dearest Jesus, graciously grant that I cleave to You, trusting in You, and Your blood shed upon the cross, for forgiveness, life and eternal salvation. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

“And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:42-43

The Bible plainly teaches us that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). But how can sinners like you and me stand in that judgment? We have come short. We have sinned. We have failed. We indeed stand guilty and condemned on the basis of our lives and works. Cf. Rom. 3:8-23.

The Bible says, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3). But, thankfully, for sinners like you and me there is hope. The Word of God does not stop there. It goes on to say, “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4; cf. Rom. 4:24ff.).

Jesus commanded His disciples to preach unto the people not only that He was ordained and appointed of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. They were also to preach the truth to which all the Old Testament prophets had testified: “That through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Cf. Psalm 130:7-8; Isaiah 11:10-12; 44:22; 53:1-12; Daniel 9:24ff.; Joel 2:32; Micah 7:18-20; Zech. 13:1.)

And, as we learn from Acts, chapter 10, this message of forgiveness of sins through faith in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus was not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles also. Jesus died for the sins of all people, regardless of descent, race or nationality.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). By His holy life and innocent sufferings and death, Christ reconciled the entire world of sinners to God. Every one of us can take comfort in the message that God, for Jesus’ sake, no longer holds our sins against us but reaches out to us in love and mercy and with forgiveness. And through faith in Christ Jesus, that forgiveness – that remission of sins – becomes our own!

And not only is it ours. We have the great privilege of proclaiming that remission of sins in Christ Jesus to all people, regardless of race, color, background, upbringing, dress or wealth. God is no respecter of persons. Christ died for all, and God desires that all come to faith in Christ Jesus and be saved!

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for my sins that I might be forgiven and stand acquitted before You on the Last Day. Move me to share that message of forgiveness with all people, everywhere. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE LIGHTNING

AND THE SIGN OF THE FIG TREE

Read Matthew 24:27, 32-33

“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be … Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

Jesus compares His return on the Last Day to a flash of lightning coming out of the east and shining to the west. Our Lord Jesus will return quickly and suddenly – “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). There will be no time for repentance when we see Christ coming in the clouds of glory with all His holy angels! When that time comes, the Judgment will take place. Those who have believed the Gospel and trust in Christ as their Savior will be taken to heaven to enjoy the eternal blessings of the LORD, but those who have not turned from their sins to Christ their Savior will be condemned to eternal torment in the fires of hell! Cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:18,36; 2 Thess. 1:6-10.

While we do not know the day or hour of Christ’s return, we do not need to be caught off guard. We can tell from a fig tree (or from other deciduous trees), when they sprout and put forth new leaves, that summer is near. So also, we should know that with the fulfillment of the signs spoken of in Matthew, chapter 24, the Day of Christ’s return is imminent, “even at the doors.” Since all these things have happened and the Gospel has been “preached in all the world” (v. 14), we can soon expect to see “the powers of the heavens . . shaken” (v.29) and the return of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead!

If you wanted to take a still photograph of a flash of lightning, you would never catch it on film if you waited until you saw the lightning streak across the sky and then lifted your camera to shoot. You would always be too late! In order to catch a streak of lightning with a still camera, you must point the camera in the direction of the threatening clouds, open the shutter, and wait until the lightning strikes. In the same way, if we want to be found in the faith at Christ’s return, we cannot wait until we see Him coming in glory! Instead we should take note of the imminent return of Christ, turn from our sins to Him for salvation, and look for His coming to take us and all other believers to be with Him in heaven.

Great God, what do I see and hear? the end of things created; the Judge of mankind doth appear on clouds of glory seated. The trumpet sounds; the graves restore the dead which they contained before: prepare, my soul, to meet Him. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #604, Verse 1)

“Jesus, the Light of the World”

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

Have you ever tried to walk some place in total darkness? Perhaps in a cave, or on a moonless light? What happened? Without any light, we lose our way and begin to trip and stumble over everything. But what if a friend has a bright flashlight? If we walk with him, we can see and find our way. But if we do not follow closely, we again begin to stumble and grope in the darkness.

We live in a world of darkness when it comes to a knowledge of the truth. People don’t know or understand who they are, how they got here, why they are here or how to live. People do not know God their Maker or how to walk in fellowship with Him. Instead, people deny the existence of God, believe they are freak accidents of evolution, and have no idea of their purpose here in this world or what will happen to them after they die.

To the people of this dark and sinful world who are groping about in spiritual darkness, trying this and that to find happiness and fulfillment, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Jesus truly is the light of the world. He spoke the truth about our utter sinfulness before God and the judgment we deserve, and He spoke the truth when He called upon lost sinners to repent and trust in Him for forgiveness of sins and life everlasting (cf. John 8:23-24; 8:44; 8:34-36; 8:51; 3:3-6, 14-21).

Jesus, the very Son of God, took on human flesh and blood and came into this world to save sinners like you and me. He lived a holy life under God’s law and then suffered and died upon the cross to bear the punishment for our sins. And Jesus’ resurrection is proof that God accepted His sacrifice for sin and we are justified before God (Rom. 4:25). Jesus is “the Light of Life.” In Him alone can we sinners have life in fellowship with God our Maker, both now and forever!

What shall we do? Shall we continue to grope around in darkness, trying to find our own way? Or, shall we follow Jesus, the Light of the world? Like the person walking next to one with a flashlight, if we walk with Jesus by trusting in Him as our Savior and being led and guided continually by His Word, we will “not walk in darkness,” but “have the light of life.” We will be comforted with the knowledge and assurance of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in His name! And, we will be led and guided in the right way through this life.

On the other hand, if we wander off and do not follow closely after the Lord Jesus, we will quickly find ourselves groping and stumbling through the darkness of sin and death, not knowing the way to God or how to live for Him.

O Dearest Jesus, “in Thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). Graciously shine upon our hearts, revealing our sin, but comforting us with Thy forgiveness; and lead us safely through this life to Thyself in heaven. Amen.

The Augsburg Confession

Article IV: Of Justification.

Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 138; Acts 8:26-40; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 7:37ff. What did Jesus say on the last day of the Jewish feast of tabernacles? What does this mean? How does it apply yet today? What did the people say of Jesus? Who is the Prophet? Cf. Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Why did some people doubt Jesus was the Christ (Messiah)? Cf. Micah 5:2. How did God fulfill this passage in Jesus’ birth? Cf. Luke 2:1ff. Did the officers arrest Jesus for His claims? Why? What did they tell the chief priests and Pharisees? How did the chief priests and Pharisees respond? What did Nicodemus say? How did they respond? What argument did the chief priests and scribes use to justify their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and Savior? How were they mistaken? What excuses do people make yet today?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, 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

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.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Read Luke 16:19-31

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

We should note first of all that Jesus’ illustration of the rich man and Lazarus may be much more than a parable, for it is told by Jesus as if it is a true and factual account. Whether an actual historical event or a parable, we can still learn much from Jesus’ telling of it.

The rich man is not identified by name; but the poor beggar’s name was Lazarus, which means “God is help.” Even though Lazarus was poor and full of sores, we know that he was a true believer in God, as his name indicates, because he was taken to heaven when he died. Even though the rich man was greatly blessed by God in material things, he did not believe or listen to the Word of God (Moses and the Prophets). This can be seen by the fact that there were no fruits of faith in his life in regard to poor Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, and by the fact that his soul went to hell when he died.

In addition to teaching that one’s soul goes either to heaven or to hell when he dies, Jesus warns against living life solely for the enjoyment of the good things of this world. One’s first concern should be to heed the Word of God and repent, turning away from sin and the selfish use of this world’s goods to faith in Christ, who died to redeem us from sin and death. As a fruit of true repentance, we will then put to death our selfish and sinful desires and use the goods of this world to help those in need. We will not close our hearts to the poor and needy, but will do all we can to help them.

One more important truth should also be learned. If one does not heed the Word of God during his lifetime, there is no other hope for repentance; for the Holy Ghost works through the Law to convince us of our sin and the punishment we deserve and through the Gospel to reveal our Savior and to assure us of eternal salvation through faith in Him. If one, during his lifetime, refuses to turn from his sins to Christ Jesus, his Savior, there will be no more opportunity for repentance. His torment in hell will be forever! But when one, by the grace of God, heeds the Word and repents, trusting in Christ for forgiveness and life, his soul, at the time of death, will be transported by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

O Jesus, who my debt didst pay and for my sin wast smitten, within the Book of Life, oh, may my name be also written! I will not doubt; I trust in Thee, from Satan Thou hast made me free and from all condemnation. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn 611, Verse 5)

“Jesus’ Doctrine”

John 7:1-24

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. 5 For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. 10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. 13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. 14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Though they later came to faith in Christ Jesus, His own brothers, at this point in His ministry, did not believe in Him. They did not trust that Jesus was God the Son in human flesh and the Savior of the world.

In fact, when the feast of Tabernacles was at hand – a high feast of the Jews at which all the males were required to appear before the LORD (cf. Exodus 23:14-17; Leviticus 23:39-43) – Jesus’ brothers even mocked Him, telling Him to go to Jerusalem and show Himself to the world. They questioned Jesus’ miracles, and they did not believe His Word.

The Bible tells us that Jesus’ brothers told Him: “Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.”

We know from the Scriptures that Jesus did not do as His brothers said because the Jews were trying to kill Him. At a previous feast, Jesus had at the pool of Siloam healed a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years; but Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath Day, and the Jews sought to kill Him for breaking their Sabbath laws and for claiming to be the Son of God (cf. John 5:1ff.).

As Jesus said, His time had not yet come. Though He had come into this world to suffer and die for the sins of the world, His teaching ministry was not yet complete and God’s time for His Son to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world was to come at another feast, later in Jesus’ ministry.

Though Jesus’ time to die and make atonement for the sins of the world had not yet come, the time for Jesus’ brothers to repent of their sin and trust in Jesus was at hand. Their time, as Jesus said, was “always ready.”

And so it is with us also. Our time is ready. Now is the time to repent of our sin and rebellion against the LORD our Maker and to put our trust in Christ Jesus, God the Son.

The Scriptures say, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Though Jesus’ brothers basically told Him, “If you really do the works we hear you are doing, go show yourself to the world,” notice what Jesus said when He later did go to the feast and was teaching in the temple to crowds who were questioning whether or not Jesus could be the promised Messiah. Jesus said, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. ”

Was Jesus seeking to advance His own popularity? Was He seeking His own glory? Was the doctrine – the teaching – He was proclaiming His own invention and a lie, or was it of God the Father?

The one who wishes to do God’s will, Jesus said, will know and recognize that Jesus’ teaching is the teaching and doctrine of God the Father who sent Him. This remains true today as well. Those who seek to do the will of God and search the Scriptures will know and recognize that Jesus’ doctrine is the doctrine and teaching of God. It’s not a new teaching. Rather it is the same message God has revealed in His Word down through the ages – Jesus was and is the fulfillment of that Word!

The one who speaks his own doctrine – his own ideas and beliefs – seeks his own glory, Jesus said. And how true this remains in our day! Teacher after teacher has come up with some new doctrine, some new vision, but they are not in agreement with the message of God’s Word announced and proclaimed from the very beginning. The “new revelations” are not in agreement with what God has revealed and preserved for us in the Scriptures. And the new teachers do not seek God’s glory and honor. Rather they seek to gain a following for themselves.

We can apply Jesus’ words yet today to churches and church bodies. Those who tout themselves and concern themselves with numbers and fancy buildings probably won’t be seeking to build Christ’s kingdom by preaching His pure and unadulterated Word and doctrine. Rather, they preach themselves and their programs and activities and seek to build up their own little kingdoms here in this world.

How different this is than the preaching and teaching of Jesus! He did not seek His own glory, but the glory of God the Father who had sent Him. He did not seek to gather a large following for Himself here in this world. Rather, He unreservedly proclaimed the law of God and the sinfulness of man that He might call upon all to repent and look to His atoning sacrifice for pardon and life eternal. His concern was not with an earthly kingdom and following, but to do His Father’s will and save souls for an eternal, heavenly kingdom!

Should not this truth say something to us today about church-growth programs, building programs and mission work? Who are we to proclaim as the Help and Savior of the world? Ourselves? Or Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Those who seek to build up “their own” church and “their own” group will miss Jesus’ point even if they answer with the right words, but those who will to do God’s will will know!

As many times happens in churches and denominations where people hold legalistically to one point but ignore other even more important articles of the faith, so the Jews held legalistically to the prohibitions against working on the Sabbath and were ready to condemn Jesus for healing a man on their day of rest. Jesus pointed out that, to obey the law of Moses requiring circumcision to be performed on the eighth day after birth, they circumcised on the Sabbath (cf. Genesis 17:9-14). How much better is what Jesus did! He made a man entirely whole on the Sabbath! Instead of believing all of the Word of God and recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior who would suffer and die and make atonement for the sins of all mankind, they were ready to kill Him for doing good – for obeying God’s commandments – on the Sabbath.

And do we still do so today? Sad to say, we do. I remember discussions with one group of Lutherans which so emphasized the Scripture’s teaching that a minister of the Gospel should be supported by his hearers that they would not allow a small congregation to call a minister to preach the Gospel among them if they could not pay a full-time salary. So, for the sake of obeying the principle of hearers supporting their ministers, they prevented believers who desired to have a minister and hear God’s Word from obeying what the Scriptures elsewhere command.

And, of course, the list of even more grave offenses could go on and on if we spoke of all the times the Word of God and faithful preachers were rejected because someone took offense at some infraction against traditions or practices which are not even required by Scripture.

The point of it all is that Jesus Christ, God’s only-begotten Son, came into this world to do the will of His Father, proclaim the doctrine of God His Father, and to accomplish the salvation promised from the very beginning by God the Father. If we seek the will of God, by the grace of God we will see from the Scriptures that Jesus is God the Son and the Savior of the world. We will see that His doctrine is that of the Father. And will see that Jesus was not seeking His own glory and an earthly kingdom but was and still is seeking the glory of God the Father. He seeks to rescue lost and condemned sinners from everlasting condemnation and to bring them into a heavenly and eternal kingdom made up of those who have had their sins washed away in the blood of Christ and who, as a result, seek the glory of their heavenly Father. He went to the cross and suffered and died for the sins of the world to bring glory to His Father, and He was raised up to the glory of God the Father. He also calls us to trust in Him and receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life He won for us, and on the Last Day He will raise us up from the grave that we might forever give thanks and praise to the Father for graciously granting us salvation in the Son.

Jesus will one day soon return in glory and show Himself to the world as the Son of God and the Judge of all the earth, but His time is not yet. He graciously bears with this wicked world a little longer that He might call yet more sinners to repentance and faith in His shed blood (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). But soon He will come!

Until He does so, our time is “always ready” to repent of our sin and look to Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for our eternal salvation! That is the will and doctrine of God the Father. And, when we believe on Jesus, it will be to the glory of God the Father who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son! Amen.

“Psalm 57”

1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. 4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. 5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. 6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. 7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. 8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. 9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. 10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. 11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

The Augsburg Confession

Of God

Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are co-eternal, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term “person” they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself.

They condemn all heresies which have sprung up against this article, as the Manichaeans, who assumed two principles, one Good and the other Evil- also the Valentinians, Arians, Eunomians, Mohammedans, and all such. They condemn also the Samosatenes, old and new, who, contending that there is but one Person, sophistically and impiously argue that the Word and the Holy Ghost are not distinct Persons, but that “Word” signifies a spoken word, and “Spirit” signifies motion created in things.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 66; Acts 6:1-7; Galatians 6:1-18; Luke 10:1-20. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 7:1ff. Which Jewish feast was at hand? What did Jesus’ brothers tell Him to do? Why? Did they yet believe? How did Jesus respond? What does this mean? Why did the world hate Jesus? Does the world still hate Jesus? Why? Why does the world hate true believers? Cf. Matthew 5:10ff. If the world does not hate a church or group of believers, what might that say of their testimony to the truth of God’s Word? Should churches seek to be loved by the world or to be faithful to Christ and His Word? Is it possible to do both at the same time? Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Did Jesus go to the feast? What were the people saying of Him? Is this any different than what people say of Him yet today? How did Jesus answer their objections to His teaching? Is this true for us yet today? How? Why did some people argue that Jesus could not be the Christ? Did they really know from where Jesus came? Who did Jesus say had sent Him? Did His Jewish audience know Him? Why not? Were those who wished to arrest Jesus able to do so? Why? Why did some believe Jesus was the Messiah? How is their argument still true?

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 Dick Stueland who is recovering from knee surgery, and for the mother of Dick Rusch – 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 Rite of Confirmation is planned for our July 4 service. Josie Jackson will be confirmed. A pot-luck dinner will be held following the service in honor of this special day in Josie’s walk with her Savior.

The Congregational Evening Bible Study for July is set at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 14.

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 66:8-9: “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.”

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE UNJUST STEWARD

Read Luke 16:1-13

1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

With this parable, Jesus instructs us concerning the use of the money and earthly goods which are entrusted to us by God. While Jesus does not commend the wickedness of the unjust steward, He does hold up the wisdom of this unjust steward as an example for us. When this unjust steward saw that he would lose his position as steward or manager of his lord’s goods, he used the short time he had left as steward to reduce the bills of his lord’s debtors so that they would show kindness and care for him when he was no longer steward. In this way, the unjust steward wisely used the money and goods entrusted to his care to provide for his future well-being.

During our earthly lives, God also entrusts us with money and goods to use wisely for Him. Like the unjust steward, we ought to consider our eternal future and use this money and these goods in a way which looks ahead to that day when our earthly life comes to an end and we stand before God’s judgment. Certainly we cannot buy our way into heaven with the unrighteous mammon of this world; but since God freely gives us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life in heaven for Jesus’ sake, we should use the unrighteous mammon entrusted to us to make ready for everlasting life in heaven. Jesus says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

As Christians, we should use the money and goods entrusted to us in this world to advance God’s kingdom of grace, to spread the Gospel of forgiveness and life eternal in Jesus Christ. Then our treasure will be in heaven, where we also will be received by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Lord of Glory, who hast bought us with Thy life-blood as the price, never grudging for the lost ones that tremendous sacrifice, give us faith to trust Thee boldly, hope, to stay our souls on Thee; but, oh! best of all Thy graces, give us Thine own charity. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #442, Verse 5)

“Jesus, the Bread from Heaven” cont’d

Scripture Reading – John 6:60-71

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Jesus had told His hearers (John 6:53-58): “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.”

Jesus’ words were hard for His hearers to understand and accept. How could Jesus give them His body and blood to eat and drink? What did Jesus mean by these words? How could partaking of Jesus give eternal life? How could Jesus say those who didn’t partake of Him had no life?

All these things were above and beyond the understanding of Jesus’ hearers. It’s not that they are so difficult to understand. Rather, they are spiritually discerned and sinful human beings cannot understand apart from the gracious enlightening of the Holy Spirit. It was as the Bible teaches, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Thus, the people asked, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). They did not understand who Jesus was or that He was about to go to the cross to suffer and die for the sins of the world. They did not know and believe that Jesus was God in the flesh and would offer Himself up for sin and then rise again from death in victory. They did not understand that Jesus was inviting them to partake of His body given into death for them and His blood shed for the remission of their sins through faith in His sufferings, death and resurrection on their behalf. Without partaking by faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, they could have no life in them. They remained dead in their sins and lost to God and to His everlasting kingdom! But all this seemed foolishness to them; they didn’t understand and believe. They didn’t partake of Jesus’ body and blood given and shed for them, but went away in unbelief and were dead in their sins.

When the Word of God is preached today, the result is many times the same.

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).

When we preach and proclaim that all are sinners and that only in Messiah Jesus is there salvation, people are offended and turn away. They do not see and recognize their own utter sinfulness in God’s eyes. Nor do they understand that the only way for sinners to be saved is to partake by faith of Christ Jesus, that Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross. And so, rather than acknowledge their own sinfulness and shortcomings, people turn away from their only Savior and refuse to partake of Jesus and His sacrifice for the sins of the world.

What was true when Jesus spoke to the Jews in His day remains true yet today: “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

Even a good number of Jesus’ own disciples were offended at Jesus’ words. They were not ready to acknowledge their own sins and failures before God. Nor did they believe that Jesus was God the Son in human flesh come into this world to go to the cross and redeem mankind. The preaching of the cross and partaking of Jesus, their sacrificial Lamb, by faith was a stumbling block to the Jews – it wasn’t the kind of Messiah for whom they looked.

And with the apostle Paul, true followers of Jesus still proclaim “Christ crucified” today, though this preaching remains to the Jews, a stumbling block, and to the rest of the world, foolishness (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23). They do not take hold of the truth because they can’t apart from God’s Spirit. And if people can’t understand and believe the works Jesus did here in this world, how could they begin to understand His glorious workings in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father?

Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

Jesus’ words – His teaching and doctrine – were spirit-breathed. They were God’s own words and His divine wisdom. They were and still are spiritually discerned. With our own flesh and human understanding, we cannot begin to grasp the divine truth proclaimed by the Lord Jesus. We cannot come to Jesus and trust in Him for salvation unless God the Father graciously grants this to us. In our spiritual darkness, we ask, “How can Jesus give us His body and blood? How can we partake of Him? How can eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood by faith give us eternal life?”

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life….” It is the Spirit of God who, through the Word of God, reveals our utter sinfulness and how far short we have come of God’s perfect righteousness. And, it is the Spirit of God who, through the Word of God, assures us that Christ Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law for us and then went to the cross and suffered and died for our sins and the sins of the whole world and rose again on the third day. The Spirit of God reveals to us Jesus, our Messiah and Savior, and moves us to partake of His sacrifice through faith – trusting that, because He gave His body into death for us and shed His blood for the remission of our sins, our sins are indeed paid for in full and forgiven. The Spirit of God assures us that in Christ Jesus we have forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting. It is the Spirit of God, working through the Word, who points us to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Many of Jesus’ disciples, because they didn’t grasp His words and the truth of God, turned back and quit following Jesus. Today, many, because they don’t grasp Jesus’ Word and the true doctrine of God, turn back and quit following Jesus. Even “churches” and denominations turn aside from the truth of God’s Word and quit proclaiming it because they do not understand and believe. Since the truth of God’s Word is offensive to them, they’d rather not hear it proclaimed.

What about you? Will you also turn back from following Jesus? His Word and His teaching are not always easy for us to accept and embrace. His Word reveals just how sinful we are, and it tells us that our ways are not God’s ways.

Simon Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus still has the words of eternal life! His Word reaches out to us with the good news of God’s gift from heaven, the only-begotten Son who went to the cross to bear the just punishment for the sins of the world. Jesus calls us to partake of Him by faith – of His body given into death for us and of His blood shed for the remission of all our sins. He promises us that when we partake of Him by faith, we will not be condemned along with the wicked world in which we live but have everlasting life in His heavenly kingdom.

It is as the Scriptures declare: “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 3:36).

God grant to you His Holy Spirit and enlighten your eyes to the truth of His Word that you might not turn away from following Christ Jesus, but humbly acknowledge your sinfulness and partake of Him and His sacrifice for sin by faith that you might also partake of the forgiveness and life eternal Christ Jesus won for you.

O merciful Father, grant us faith in Messiah Jesus, the Son. Grant that we eat His flesh and drink His blood through faith, trusting in His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. In Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen.

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 Symbols of the Lutheran Church

45. We accept as our confessions all the symbols contained in the Book of Concord of the year 1580. The symbols of the Lutheran Church are not a rule of faith beyond, and supplementary to, Scripture, but a confession of the doctrines of Scripture over against those who deny these doctrines.

46. Since the Christian Church cannot make doctrines, but can and should simply profess the doctrine revealed in Holy Scripture, the doctrinal decisions of the symbols are binding upon the conscience not because our Church has made them nor because they are the outcome of doctrinal controversies, but only because they are the doctrinal decisions of Holy Scripture itself.

47. Those desiring to be admitted into the public ministry of the Lutheran Church pledge themselves to teach according to the symbols not “in so far as,” but “because,” the symbols agree with Scripture. He who is unable to accept as Scriptural the doctrine set forth in the Lutheran symbols and their rejection of the corresponding errors must not be admitted into the ministry of the Lutheran Church.

48. The confessional obligation covers all doctrines, not only those that are treated ex professor but also those that are merely introduced in support of other doctrines.

The obligation does not extend to historical statements, “purely exegetical questions,” and other matters not belonging to the doctrinal content of the symbols. All doctrines of the symbols are based on clear statements of Scripture.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 16; Acts 5:17-42; Luke 9:51-62. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 7:1ff. Which Jewish feast was at hand? What did Jesus’ brothers tell Him to do? Why? Did they yet believe? How did Jesus respond? What does this mean? Why did the world hate Jesus? Does the world still hate Jesus? Why? Why does the world hate true believers? Cf. Matthew 5:10ff. If the world does not hate a church or group of believers, what might that say of their testimony to the truth of God’s Word? Should churches seek to be loved by the world or to be faithful to Christ and His Word? Is it possible to do both at the same time? Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Did Jesus go to the feast? What were the people saying of Him? Is this any different than what people say of Him yet today? How did Jesus answer their objections to His teaching? Is this true for us yet today? How?

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 Dick Stueland who is recovering from knee surgery, and for the mother of Dick Rusch – 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 Rite of Confirmation is planned for our July 4 service. Josie Jackson will be confirmed. A pot-luck dinner will be held following the service in honor of this special day in Josie’s walk with her Savior.

The Congregational Evening Bible Study for July is set at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 14.

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 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy;

at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE NOBLEMAN AND THE POUNDS

Read Luke 19:11-27

11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Jesus spoke this parable as He was nearing Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world. Many followers of Jesus expected Him to set up and establish an earthly kingdom when He came to Jerusalem, a kingdom in which He would reign over the nation of Israel. With this parable, Jesus sought to teach His disciples that His visible presence would be taken from them for a time and that they would be expected to carry on His work of seeking and saving the lost (v.10) until He returned.

Jesus is like the nobleman in this parable. After Jesus suffered and died upon the cross to redeem all people, He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. From this position of power and glory He continues to build His kingdom. Before ascending to the Father, Jesus entrusted to His disciples the saving Gospel and the task of preaching this Gospel in all the world, to every creature (Mark 16:15-16).

Like the citizens who hated the nobleman, many of the Jews, who had the Old Testament Scriptures and should have come to faith in Jesus Christ and inherited the kingdom, rejected Jesus as their Christ and King. They rebelled against Him.

When Christ Jesus returns on the Last Day, He will examine His servants in regard to their faithfulness in carrying on His work of discipling the nations. Those who have faithfully used the Gospel and sought to gain others for Christ’s kingdom will receive a gracious reward in addition to the blessings of forgiveness and eternal life which they already possessed through faith in the Gospel. Those servants who knew their Lord’s command and will, but were unfaithful and disobedient, will lose even that which was entrusted to them. All who have rejected Christ and rebelled against Him will be condemned to eternal torment in hell on that Day!

This parable provides a very important lesson to us. We have the pure and saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the good news of forgiveness of sins and everlasting life for Jesus’ sake. It may be a temptation at times to keep it to ourselves, to wrap it up and hide it lest we lose it; but our Lord not only requires us to preserve it in its truth and purity, He requires us to faithfully use it to seek and save lost souls!

Raise up, O Lord the Holy Ghost, from this broad land a mighty host; their war cry, “We will seek the lost where Thou, O Christ, wilt come.” Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #506, Verse 6)

Except the Father Draw Him

“The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:41-51

Sometimes it happens that people know all about Jesus but do not know Him.

This was the case with the Jews from Galilee who had seen many of Jesus’ mighty miracles and had heard His preaching. They came to Jesus because He had provided food for the multitudes in the feeding of the 5,000, but they did not understand or believe Jesus when He told them, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

In fact, they murmured against Him, saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?”

Sad to say, the same is true today. Though it’s hard to think one could be too familiar with the facts about Jesus to know Him, it happens all the time. From little on, people are taught that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem and that He died on the cross and rose again, but somehow those great truths are not translated into a true knowledge of Jesus and the great sacrifice He offered for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Thus people go through their whole lives knowing about Jesus, but not knowing and trusting Him for the forgiveness of all their sins and eternal life. Often, they are content to know only the basic facts and never really take the time to read and study God’s Word and come to know and trust in Jesus.

Why is this? Why is it that the Jews of Jesus’ day who saw His mighty miracles and were able to see Jesus with their own eyes and hear Him with their ears never really did see, hear and believe?

Why is it that people today – even people who have attended church services all their lives – can recite the facts about Jesus but yet do not know Him and trust in Him?

Jesus tells us why: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”

The truth is that no one can come to Jesus unless God the Father draws him, and the one whom the Father draws to the Son will be kept and preserved in faith and raised up by Jesus on the Last Day.

Jesus quotes from the Scriptures – from Isaiah 54:13, a verse describing the blessings upon the church of Messiah Jesus – to point out the necessity of being taught by God: “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”

Unless the LORD God opens our eyes and reveals to us Jesus as His Son and our Savior, we will never come to know Him. We may know many things about Him, but Him we will not know; nor will we trust in His holy life and innocent sufferings and death for the sins of the world for our pardon and peace with God the Father.

Jesus told Nicodemus he could not even see the kingdom of God unless he were born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3-8).

Jesus also describes the working of the Holy Spirit in this way (John 16:13-15): “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Martin Luther, writing in his Small Catechism about The Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, explained this same truth of Scripture with the words: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life.”

The Apostle John, in his first epistle, writes to believers (1 John 2:20-27): “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

Unless the Father draws us – unless the Holy Spirit, through the reading and hearing of God’s Word, enlightens us and reveals to us who Jesus really is and what He has done for us – we will not come to know Him or trust in Him for forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Yes, me may know about Him, but we will not know Him and His lovingkindness toward us.

But, on the other hand, when we are taught of God and God’s Spirit, through the Scriptures, opens our eyes and brings us to know and trust in Jesus, we have everlasting life.

Indeed, Jesus is the Bread of life. He is the true bread from heaven, “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” (John 3:16). Unlike the manna given to Old Testament Israel in the wilderness – the bread of which the people ate and yet died – Jesus is a living and life-giving bread. He gave His flesh, His body, up unto death on the cross as full payment for the sins of the world. He shed His blood to redeem us. He gave up Himself and suffered and died for your sins and mine. And all who trust in Him – who partake of His sacrifice by faith in Him – will live forever and never die. Those who partake of Jesus, the Bread of life, have everlasting life.

As Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

God graciously grant us to be taught of the LORD God and know Jesus and partake of His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world through faith that we might also be raised up of Christ Jesus on the Last Day unto life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

LORD God, in your mercy, draw us to the Son. Open our eyes that we might see our utter sinfulness but also see the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of Christ Jesus in our stead. Grant us the Holy Spirit and teach us to know Messiah Jesus as our Savior from sin and death. Renew us and regenerate us. Create and preserve in us true faith Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life, that we might partake of Him through faith and live forever with You. In the name of the Son and our Savior we pray. Amen.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

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 Antichrist

43. As to the Antichrist we teach that the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures concerning the Antichrist, 2 Thess. 2: 3-12; 1 John 2:18, have been fulfilled in the Pope of Rome and his dominion. All the features of the Antichrist as drawn in these prophecies, including the most abominable and horrible ones, for example, that the Antichrist “as God sitteth in the temple of God,” 2 Thess. 2:4; that he anathematizes the very heart of the Gospel of Christ, that is, the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins by grace alone, for Christ’s sake alone, through faith alone, without any merit or worthiness in man (Rom. 3:20-28; Gal. 2:16); that he recognizes only those as members of the Christian Church who bow to his authority; and that, like a deluge, he had inundated the whole Church with his antichristian doctrines till God revealed him through the Reformation these very features are the outstanding characteristics of the Papacy. (Cf. Smalcald Articles. Triglot, p. 515, @_ 39 to . 1; p. 401, _ 45; M., pp. 336, 258.) Hence we subscribe to the statement of our Confessions that the Pope is “the very Antichrist.” (Smalcald Articles. Triglot, p. 475, @_ 10; M, p. 308.)

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 32; Acts 4:1-31; Luke 7:36-50. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 6:41ff. Why did the Jews murmur against Jesus? How do people murmur yet today? Who will come to Jesus? How? What does Jesus promise in regard to those who come to Him? How is that comforting to us? What is the Father’s will? Can anyone come to Jesus of his own will and decision? How is Jesus, the bread of life, like the manna which God gave in the wilderness? How are they different? What is Jesus saying in verse 51? How do we eat of Jesus’ flesh and drink of His blood as Jesus describes it in this discourse?

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 tonight, June 9, at 7 p.m. A sandwich supper will precede the study and begin about 6:20 p.m.

For those who like garage and yard sales, Ray and Bonnie Hawes will be having a huge one at their home Thursday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

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 134 – A Song of degrees

Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

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

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT AND EARTHLY FATHERS

Read Luke 11:5-13

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

How should we come to God in prayer? Jesus here uses two parables or illustrations to teach us the answer to this question. First of all, we are to be persistent in our prayers and not give up if we do not immediately see God’s answer. If a man can get what he requests of a friend at midnight because he continues to ask, seek and knock, certainly we will receive answers to our prayers from our heavenly Father when we continue to come before Him with our requests; for He is not bothered by our prayers but wants us to pray to Him “in every trouble” and “without ceasing.” Jesus says: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9).

Secondly, we should pray in full confidence that our loving Father in heaven will give us those good and needful things for which we ask. Sinful human fathers give good gifts to their sons and do not substitute evil and harmful things for those good gifts which their sons request. Since children can ask their earthly fathers for good things and be confident that their fathers will give them those good things for which they ask, how much more should we expect our sinless, heavenly Father to give us those good things which we request of Him in prayer! He will give the Holy Spirit, together with all the blessings which the Spirit imparts, to all who ask of Him.

When thus my heart in prayer ascendeth, through Thine own Spirit, unto Thee, Thy heart, O Father, kindly bendeth its fervent love and favor unto me, rejoicing my petition to fulfill which I have made according to Thy will. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #21, Verse 5)

Why do you come to Jesus?

“The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:22-40

Why do people come to Jesus? And, more importantly, why do you come to Him?

After Jesus had miraculously fed more than 5,000 with five barley loaves and two small fish, the people searched for and found Jesus on the other side of the Sea of Galilee and they came to Him, questioning Him as to how He had come there. But Jesus ignored their questioning and got right to the heart of the matter – why they had come.

“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”

In other words, they hadn’t searched for and found Jesus because they saw His mighty miracles and believed that He was the Son of God and Savior of the world; they came because Jesus had given them bread to the full.

We may look with a critical eye and wonder about the foolishness of the people as we sit in our homes with more than enough to eat. But why do people come to Jesus today? When and why do we come to Jesus?

Isn’t it true that people turn to Jesus when they are in need – and often after all else has failed? People suddenly come to church or “get religion” when they are down and out. They might be in trouble with the law. They might be sick and even facing death? They might be experiencing a shortage – real or perceived – of the things they need or desire in life. Then, falling on their knees – perhaps for the first time in their lives – they pray, “Jesus, give me ….”

But are we really any different? Why do we come to Jesus in prayer? What do we seek of Him? Isn’t it, more often than not, the things we need or desire for this life? We too pray, “Jesus, give me … oh, uh … if it is Your will.”

What did Jesus say to those who came to Him? Why should we come to Jesus?

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

Jesus is not telling us to quit working for our daily bread. We are to labor with our hands and provide for ourselves and our families – even to give to those in need (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:8). But He was telling people then and He tells people yet today to seek first eternal food – food which nourishes the soul and yields everlasting life (cf. Isaiah 55:1ff.; Matthew 6:33).

Rather than turning to Jesus only to supply our earthly desires and needs, He would have us come to Him first and foremost to provide for our greatest need – the forgiveness of all our sins and life everlasting. Indeed, that is why Jesus came into this world.

The Bible tells us (John 3:16-17): “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Jesus said (Mark 10:45): “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

God sent His only-begotten Son into this world as a true man to take our place under God’s law and keep the commandments for us. Christ Jesus came into this world to suffer and die for the sins of the world and rise again that we might have forgiveness and life everlasting.

Most certainly, He cares about our earthly wants – that’s why He healed the sick and fed the thousands. But even more important than food which nourishes the body for a short time is that bread which nourishes our souls for eternity. That should be our first concern and desire. That’s why God would have us come to His Son Jesus!

When the people asked Jesus what work they needed to do to be pleasing to God, He replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” We are not saved or made acceptable in God’s eyes by our own works but through faith in God’s Son!

When they asked Jesus for a sign to prove that He was the One sent of God – even after they had seen His miraculous works – they again suggested the earthly: “What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

The Jews looked at the manna in the wilderness as proof that Moses was sent by God, but Jesus clarified their assertion: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”

God had given His people manna for the 40 years in the wilderness – not Moses – and now God was giving them true bread from heaven. Jesus said this true bread of God is He which came down from heaven and gives life to all the world.

When the people – still not understanding – asked Jesus to continually give them this bread, He explained, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

As the manna which God provided to His people every day (but the Sabbath) for 40 years sustained them in the wilderness, so Jesus Christ whom God has sent is the One who gives life which shall never end. When one partakes of Christ Jesus through faith and trusts that He indeed is God the Son in human flesh and the atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world, he will never hunger or thirst again. Why? Because Jesus – and Jesus alone – gives forgiveness of sins and life eternal! When we have faith in Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross, we have all that we need to live forever in fellowship with God the Father!

But the people, like most today, did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God and their Savior from sin and death and hell.

Jesus said to them, and He says still today – even to many good church goers: “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

How sad it is that many who hear of Jesus and learn of His mighty works, even knowing that He suffered and died for the sins of the world and rose again, do not believe on Him! Oh, they believe He lived and died, and may even believe He rose again from the dead on the third day; but they do not trust in Him and His bitter sufferings and death as full payment for all their sins. They do not have the assurance that in Jesus their sins are forgiven, and that in Jesus they have everlasting life. They do not believe that God is reconciled to them for Jesus’ sake – that he reaches out to them in mercy and forgiveness.

But Jesus says all that the Father gives Him will come to Him. “[We] cannot by our [own] reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, [our] Lord, or come to Him…. (Luther’s explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ Creed). It is the work of God that any come to Jesus.

It is as Jesus later says (John 6:44): “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

It is the Holy Ghost who calls us through the preaching of the Gospel and gives us faith and understanding. He opens our eyes to the truth and allows us to see Jesus for Who He truly is – God the Son in human flesh, our Savior and Redeemer. He comforts us with the good news that Jesus paid in full for the sins of all when He suffered and died upon the cross. He assures us that in Jesus our sins, which are great, are purged and washed away and that we are in God’s sight righteous and as white as snow (cf. 1 John 2:1-2; Ephesians 1:6-7; Colossians 1:14, 19-23; Isaiah 1:18).

Jesus tells us that He came into this world to do the Father’s will. He came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Luke 19:10). If anyone, by the grace of God, comes to Jesus, Jesus will not turn Him away or cast him out. Even if his or her faith is weak and struggling, Jesus will not snuff it out. Rather, Jesus will do as the father wills.

Jesus said, “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

What is the will of God the Father? That of all those He gives to Jesus none would not be lost but continue to trust in Christ Jesus unto everlasting life. It is God’s will that we see Jesus as God the Son and the Savior of the world and that all who see the Son and trust in Him for forgiveness and life would continue in that faith and be raised up on the Last Day to life everlasting.

And so, why do you come to Jesus? Is it only for earthly bread? Only for the things you need and desire here and now? Yes, He cares about those things, but He wants to give you so much more. He desires that You come to Him for the bread of life – for the forgiveness of all sins and life eternal He won for you by His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross.

Come to Jesus, the Bread of Life, that He may give you life everlasting!

May God open your eyes and grant you to see the Son through His Word and to trust in Him unto life eternal! Amen.

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 Millennium

42. With the Augsburg Confession (Art. XVII) we reject every type of Millennialism, or Chiliasm, the opinions that Christ will return visibly to this earth a thousand years before the end of the world and establish a dominion of the Church over the world; or that before the end of the world the Church is to enjoy a season of special prosperity; or that before the general resurrection on Judgment Day a number of departed Christians or martyrs are to be raised again to reign in glory in this world, or that before the end of the world a universal conversion of the Jewish nation (of Israel according to the flesh) will take place.

Over against this, Scripture clearly teaches, and we teach accordingly, that the kingdom of Christ on earth will remain under the cross until the end of the world, Acts 14:22; John 16:33; 18:36; Luke 9:23; 14:27; 17:20-37; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 12:28; Luke 18:8; that the second visible coming of the Lord will be His final advent, His coming to judge the quick and the dead, Matt. 24:29, 30; 25:31; 2 Tim. 4: 1; 2 Thess. 2:8; Heb. 9:26-28; that there will be but one resurrection of the dead, John 5:28; 6:39, 40; that the time of the Last Day is, and will remain, unknown, Matt. 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:32, 37; Acts 1:7, which would not be the case if the Last Day were to come a thousand years after the beginning of a millennium; and that there will be no general conversion, a conversion en masse, of the Jewish nation, Rom. 11: 7; 2 Cor. 3:14; Rom. 11: 25; 1 Thess. 2:16.

According to these clear passages of Scripture we reject the whole of Millennialism, since it not only contradicts Scripture, but also engenders a false conception of the kingdom of Christ, turns the hope of Christians upon earthly goals, I Cor. 15:19; Col. 3:2, and leads them to look upon the Bible as an obscure book.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 30; Acts 3:1-26; Luke 7:11-17. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 6:35ff. Who is the bread of life? How does partaking of Jesus through faith satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul? Did the Jews come to Jesus? Why?Who will come to Jesus? What does Jesus promise in regard to those who come to Him? How is that comforting to us? What is the Father’s will? Can anyone come to Jesus of his own will and decision? How is Jesus, the bread of life, like the manna which God gave in the wilderness? How are they different? What is Jesus saying in verse 51? How do we eat of Jesus’ flesh and drink of His blood as Jesus describes it in this discourse?

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.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” 1 Corinthians 16:23

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