Bible Topics – Page 11 – What Does This Mean?

How Good is Good Enough?

Encore Post: One day, a sincere rich young man came to ask Jesus a common question — perhaps you have asked yourself the same question: “What do I have to do to get into heaven?” (Mark 10:17) From the way Jesus responded to him, we know the man wasn’t arrogant, looking for an easy way out or looking for a loophole in God’s law. He truly wanted to live with God forever. Yet he was asking the wrong question. He thought salvation was something you earn, even though his own polite words should have told him that. You do not earn an inheritance. It is something given to you by your father.

The young man was likely a Pharisee, but not an opponent of Jesus. He called Jesus a good teacher. Jesus reminds him gently what he should already know — there is no good person. Only God is good. He then set out to show him this path was a dead end. If someone was going to earn salvation, Jesus in so many words said, you needed to obey the Ten Commandments. The young man still didn’t get it. He told Jesus he always had kept these.

The fellow must have been very good at it, for Jesus did not challenge him directly. He dodged the question entirely. Rather than talk about what someone can do to be saved, Jesus told him how he could make his obedience to God’s law complete — he could become his disciples — sell all his goods, give it to the poor and become Jesus’ disciple. This is was not ready to do, because he was very rich. The scripture does not tell us if the man ever conquered his trust in riches to trust in God. Some people think this man might even have been the Evangelist Mark himself. But at this moment, he was not able to do this.

Eternal life, after all, is not something we purchase, but something we inherit from God. It is a gift that comes in Jesus’ last will and testament — the New Testament in his blood, shed upon the cross. Jesus is good because he is God himself. So he was able and willing to take all our evil upon himself and pay the price for it — death. Now that he has done so, he gives us that inheritance — his body to eat with bread and his blood to drink with wine. With this gift, God writes his law upon our hearts, so that we want to follow him now and forever.

Bread From Heaven Five Ways

Encore Post: From the time that people began to plant crops until this very day, bread has been a basic food for people. God fed His people in the wilderness with manna to teach them to trust their Heavenly Father for daily bread. Later Satan would tempt Jesus to make stones into bread rather than trust Him. Jesus quoted what Moses said to Israel about Manna: “people do not live only on bread but on every word that God speaks.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Later, God would do other miracles with bread. The Prophet Elijah would feed the widow and her son with bread — their flour and oil did not run out for years. Elisha would feed one hundred men with a few loaves. Jesus would feed crowds in the desert with a few loaves and fishes. The crowds knew what it meant — Jesus was the Messiah and like Moses and Elijah.

Jesus also used bread in another way. During His Last Supper, Jesus took bread, broke it, blessed it and gave His body for them to eat. To this day, when we gather for communion, Jesus feeds us with His body — the true Bread from Heaven. When we receive this bread, we are given strength for our journey through this life to life everlasting.

When Jesus Walked Through a Storm…

Encore Post: It had been a long day. Jesus had just fed the five thousand. The people had tried to grab him and make him king, so they would always have bread. He sent the disciples ahead, while He went to a mountain to pray. (Mark 6:45-60)

The apostles worked hard all night to row against the wind. As professional fishermen that worked at night, they were very familiar with this kind of labor. Yet this night was particularly difficult. What they did not expect was to meet someone walking on the whitecaps.

So, when they saw Jesus coming, that was the last straw. They thought Jesus was a ghost. When Jesus told them who he was, they were no longer afraid.

Peter, who was known to rush in where angels fear to tread, asked Jesus to call on him to walk on the water to meet the Lord. (Matthew 14:28-31) When Jesus called Peter, the disciple walked on the water. As long as he focused on Jesus, he was fine. The moment he focused on the wind and the waves, he began to sink. It was all a member of trust. Peter called out to Jesus to save him. Jesus pulled Peter out of the water. Jesus scolded his star pupil for his lack of faith.

When Jesus returned to the boat, the wind stopped. The disciples then worshipped Jesus as God.

We should be careful how critically we view Peter. We like to think we have everything under control, especially in areas we are experts. When events demonstrate we really are not in control, we panic rather than trust God. To us God says “do not be afraid.” He cares for us now and forever.

Being Gathered Around the Bread of Heaven

Faith is not something that is our own initiative. Jesus tells us that much on a number of occasions but in John 6, Jesus is explicit about how the Father draws us. It is the Lord’s doing. And that is a message of wonderful comfort to us who can fall into despair.

Elijah was such a man who needed comfort. He was in despair so it appears even after that wonderful event at Mount Carmel. Jezebel wants him dead. Elijah flees and heads out to the wilderness. The wilderness is not a place to go alone. In the Old Testament, the wilderness is considered a place of testing, you might like to think of as spiritual testing. Elijah’s own feelings lead him to cry out to the Lord, effectively begging the Lord to take his life because he was no better than his fathers (other prophets). Elijah is not seeing the Word of the Lord converting the hearts of his hearers. So he is tired and worn out.

Elijah receives comfort from the very Angel of the LORD. I like to think this is the 2nd Person of the Trinity, in his Pre-Incarnate state. We also need to remember the blessing of this food. The cake (or bread) is not made by man. Man was supposed to eat bread by the sweat of his brow. This bread is made by the Son, for the strengthening of Elijah’s faith and also his body. For later at Horeb, the Lord is gracious to him telling him that Elijah’s preaching is not in vain. 7000 were kept safe from bowing down to Baal.

The Sacrament of the Altar is for the weak and despairing needing to be strengthened by the Words of Jesus, specifically “for you”. We are indeed weak, and the christian walk under the cross is too great for us to go it alone. Jesus tells us that much too in our reading from John 6. We don’t initiate or activate our faith. We don’t initiate our coming to Jesus. And we don’t initiate the strengthening of our faith either, rather we are drawn and gathered around the living bread of heaven which came down from heaven being sent by the Father. And who the Father gives to his Son the Son will never cast out. What peace and comfort we have in the coming of this Jesus, our bread of life.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

A Shepherd for Christ’s Sheep

Sermon on Matthew 9:35-38
The Ordination of Michael Brent Keller
July 29, 2018
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, South Dakota

Introduction: Last fall you said goodbye to Pastor Pay. You began pray to the Lord that he send to you a faithful shepherd. Today he has answered your prayers. Pastor Keller begins his Ministry here today. Brent, you have been praying for a chance to help people—really help them. And God has given you that opportunity. Here is is the harvest, ready to be brought in. At your side are a wonderful gathering of God’s people. It would be good to see them as Jesus does… he has compassion for them because:

I. We are harassed and helpless

A. The world sends conflicting messages that lure us away from God.
B. Our sinful desires cause us to seek the things we think will please us.
C. The devil uses both to extinguish our trust in God.
D. Tragedies big and small wound us, crush us and wear us down.

II. He came to seek and to save.
A. Jesus became a man to seek and save the lost
B. As the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep.
C. Through his word and the Sacraments, he still gathers his sheep, binds up the wounds and leads them home.

III. He sends pastors – and you
A. He does this by sending you pastor Keller to lead you, feed you and make you clean.
B. He sends you, Brent, to tend this flock.
C. Together he sends you all to gather the souls now ready to harvest.

The Rainbow and God’s Promise

The story of Noah, is one that most people know, even those who do not believe in the One True God. One only needs to look at a recent movie to see that the story of Noah is one people have etched in their minds. Yes, we remember the rainbow but we don’t teach our children what it means. The world has commandeered it for their own sinful purposes.

The rainbow is a sign with a word of promise attached. This is not the first time that the Lord worked like this. We have a particular word to describe these things. We have narrowed the definition a bit, but the idea remains the same. We call these things sacraments. A sacrament is a rite commanded by God, which the promise of grace (forgiveness of sins) is attached. The rainbow is one such instance in the Old Testament that the Lord shows us how He deals graciously with his people. God’s grace is attached to the sign of the rainbow. Today with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, He is working the same way as He worked back in the days of Noah and even earlier in the days of Adam and Eve.

The rainbow teaches us the first commandment and its meaning well. You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, trust, and love God above all things. We fear the Lord because of what He can do, we trust the Lord because of the promise He has given, and we love the Lord because he has had compassion on us poor miserable sinners, whose hearts are still inclined to evil rather than good. His “bow” of wrath against humanity has been “retired” and hung in the clouds.

The rainbow points to Jesus and His cross. The greatest act of wrath and judgment against sin took place at the cross. Jesus took on the full righteous judgment and wrath of His Father for us. Jesus suffered and died on account of on our sins. But in Christ’s atoning death we have the promise of everlasting life with God in His Kingdom. And God deals graciously with us establishing with us an even greater eternal covenant in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

Preaching to the Sheep

The last few Old Testament readings, if you have been keeping score at home, have been telling us a bit about the preachers that the Lord called to serve his people, proclaiming repentance to them. If you remember from Ezekiel, he was called to preach to the rebellious house of Israel. Amos was called from his work as a herdsman and fig keeper. Both were told to preach the word that the Lord gave them to preach. This was their job, and they feared the Lord and did what He tasked them to do.

However, there can be those men who would rather speak their own mind. And that can be a major problem. It can be deadly for the flock, especially if the preacher does not preach Christ and Him crucified for the sins of the world. These are the men that Jeremiah confronts in the Old Testament lesson today. These are the shepherds who are really no shepherd at all, for they do not care for the sheep entrusted into their care. The Lord through Jeremiah says, “WOE! WOE to you, those shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep!” Rather than gathering them around their Lord, they have scattered them and driven them further away from Him.

This is a warning to those men who have been placed into this office. It is a warning to me, but it is also a warning to the flock to listen to the preaching with a discerning ear. It is a call to the flock as much as the shepherds to open up your bibles and dig into what is said there and compare what is being said by me in this pulpit. Your preacher must be preaching the Word of the Lord, and the Word of the Lord is at your fingertips to do just that checking.

The Lord has given His preachers His Son Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, to preach and proclaim. Jesus makes this obvious and plain. We are to preach Christ and Him Crucified for the sins of the world, and that he rose from the dead for our justification. That binds up the brokenhearted. That Word seeks out the sheep without a shepherd, and brings them back to their loving Father.
Don’t be surprised to see more on Ezekiel soon.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

“What will this child be?” That was the question of the people who witnessed John’s father bless the Lord God upon John’s birth and naming. Zechariah, you might remember, was so skeptical when he first got the news of John’s arrival that God shut his mouth and kept him mute until naming the boy John.

The appointed lectionary readings for the day give a bit more information about what John would do and be. He is to be the voice in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord.

Also from the book of Malachi and from Jesus’ own mouth we learn something else about what John was to become. John is the Elijah promised before the great and awesome day of the Lord (Mt 11:13-15; Mt 17:12-13).

But one thing that John is not is this: John is not the Messiah (John 1: 19-23) . John is adamant about his position as this voice in the wilderness. Even though John’s birth was prophesied, and even though John preaches with power, and even though he has a large following, John does not preach himself. As a matter of fact, he does not preach anyone except Christ and Kingdom that Christ ushers in, which the kingdom of forgiveness of sins.

The song of Zechariah also known as the Benedictus, also answers the question from above. John will the be the prophet of the Most High. He will give knowledge of salvation to the people of God in the forgiveness of their sins (Luke 1:76-77). The Baptism that John baptizes with comes from God (Mt. 21:25), and it a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). The same message that John will preach will be preached by Jesus, but Jesus is also the fulfillment of it and thus mightier (Luke 3:15-16).

Who will John be? He is the one who will reveal Jesus to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)!

John was sent to prepare the hearts of the people of Israel for Christ. We too hear his words, and they still ring true for us. Even at his birth, we know from God’s words through the song of Zechariah who John will be.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter Lutheran Church, La Grange, MO

Peter and Jesus

St. Peter was a man of action. He was always eager to act, quick to speak and full of enthusiasm. He was as subtle as a loaded freight train. Tradition has it that the Evangelist John Mark was his companion and that the Gospel of Mark was written to preserve his teaching and preaching of the gospel. Mark’s famous favorite word “immediately” is a great motto for Peter.

Like most men of his age, Simon Peter had two names — one for use in Jewish circles — Simon bar Jonah (Simon, son of Jonah) — and one for use with the gentiles — the nickname Jesus gave him, Peter (Little Rock). He was a partner in a successful fishing business in Capernaum with his brother Andrew, Zebedee and his sons James and John. Jesus called him early in his ministry and Peter would soon rise to be a leader for the disciples.

On Maundy Thursday, had Peter and John prepare the Passover meal. During the dinner, Jesus told His disciples that they would abandon Him and that St. Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter quickly swore he would rather die than betray his Lord. Later, during the trial before the High Priests, Peter denied he knew Jesus.

After Jesus rose from the dead, Peter began to change. Jesus appeared to Peter alone on Easter day. A few weeks later, Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved Him. Three times Peter said he did. Jesus showed He forgave Peter when He commanded Peter three times to feed God’s sheep. From then on, Peter was no longer a fisherman. He was now a pastor, “a shepherd,” to care for God’s people with God’s word and His sacraments.

Later, On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached to the crowd. Three thousand people were brought to faith and baptized that day. Peter went everywhere preaching, teaching, healing the sick and suffering for His Lord. According to tradition, he later helped to found the church in Rome and would die a martyr, crucified upside down.

Seeing is Believing

St. Thomas was a practical, down to earth man. Called “the Twin,” the few words we have from him were very direct. When Jesus was determined to go to Lazarus’ Tomb, not five miles from Jerusalem, Thomas said, “Let us also go and die with Him.” (John 11:16) When Jesus told the disciples at the Lord’s Supper that He was going to prepare a place for them, he asked, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, how can we know the way?” (John 14:5) Subtle, Thomas was not. Loyal, strong and down to earth, he was.

When Jesus was crucified, Thomas had no doubt the Lord was dead. He knew every detail. He did not want it to be that way, but he was a realist. Jesus was gone — end of story. So when the other disciples told Thomas with joy, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas would have nothing of it. He had to see the wounds that marked Jesus to believe. Even seeing would not be enough. He had to touch the wounds. On something as important as the life of the Lord, Thomas would not be fooled.

All of this changed when Jesus appeared to him and the rest of the disciples the Sunday after Easter. Turning to Thomas, Jesus invited His hard-headed disciple to see for himself. “Stop doubting,” Jesus said, “and believe.” This was all Thomas needed. He dropped to his knees to worship Jesus. All he could say was, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus mildly rebukes him and then blesses us. “You have seen and believed,” Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” It was enough for Thomas. According to church tradition, Thomas would go to India and establish a church there. To this day, a faith tradition of four million in India call themselves Thomas Christians.

And so it would be. Billions of people who did not see Jesus believed him and loved him. St. Peter said it best: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Allelujah!

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