Good morning and welcome to the broadcast of the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
To help you follow along, the Order of Worship for today's service is available under the radio tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org.
The Lord bless you today through the hearing of His word.
recognize me, I am Pastor Jones.
And not to minimize the privilege of being able to be here this morning.
But part of the reason I'm here today is kind of a test for the medical insurance.
See if I have the ability to serve a full service or not.
I don't want to do that.
So I say that.
Don't get your hopes up.
I know my stamina and stuff like that.
Anyways, the circumstances worked out.
But it's a joy to be here this morning.
We're just back to CLK with the new chemotherapy that I'm on.
Am I able to serve it?
This morning, we will be using divine service setting three, which begins in Lutheran service book page 184.
We are going to open today's service by singing the first five stances of one of my favorite Luther hymns, the Christian's one and all the joys.
For the sermon, him, it'll be the scans of 6 to 10 of a 556.
During the distribution, we'll be singing, my God, my faithful God, which is number 696.
We'll word of God at heart at number 523.
And then praise to the Lord, the almighty number 790.
And then as our closing hymn, we will be distancing with 768 to God, the Holy Spirit.
With that, let us begin with the first five stands.
Please stand as your able as we turn to page 184.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with the true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
Thank you for giving the individual a question.
Oh, Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor,
miserable sinner,
confess unto you all my sinning sinning sins.
And I pray you of your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter, suffering and death of your beloved son Jesus Christ to be gracious and merciful to me.
Upon this year confession, I by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the word, announce the grace of God unto all of you.
And instead, by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
We continue with the intro.
Glory be to God on high.
The Lord be with you.
Let us pray.
Oh God, you make the minds of your faithful to be of one will.
Grant that we may love what you have commanded and desire what you promise.
Let among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed for true joys are found.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit.
One God, now and forever.
The Old Testament reading for this, the 5th Sunday of Easter, is recorded in Isaiah chapter 12.
You will say in that day, I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation.
I will trust and not be afraid.
For the Lord God is my strength and my soul, and he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day, give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name.
Take known his deeds among the peoples.
Proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the Lord for he has done gloriously.
Let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion.
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
This is the word of the Lord.
We continue with the Psalm as printed in our bulletin.
The epistle waiting for this morning and the text on which the sermon is based is recorded in James chapter one.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
Coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first proof of history.
Notice, my beloved brothers, that every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.
Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul.
This is the word of the Lord.
Please stand.
The Holy Gospel, according to St.
John, is 16th.
Yeah.
Jesus said, now I am going to him who sent me.
And none of you asked me, where are you going?
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
It is you through your advantage that I go away.
For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
Concerning sin because they do not believe in me.
Concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see no longer.
Concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
I still have many things to say to you.
but you cannot bear them now.
When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all of the truth, for he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All that the Father has is mine.
Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
We confess our faith in the crying God to the words of the NICI increase.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light, very God of very God.
Begotten and not made.
Being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day he rose again,
according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, whose folks sign the prophets.
and I believe in one holy Christian apostolic church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the admission of sins and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Please be seated as it continues with stanzas 6 through 10 of your Christians one and all rejoicing.
Grace mercy and peace to you from God or father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ I'm in This is what the second time in 63 months That's five and a quarter years for those of you bad at math That I've had the privilege and joy of standing here in this pulpit or in any pulpit for that matter
to proclaim the word of God to you, hopefully in the full sternness of the law and the even greater sweetness of the gospel.
The very last time I stood here was when we celebrated the confirmation of Elijah up there, who sits now up there in the balcony running the AV systems.
It's a momentous, joyous day in the life of any father.
and especially so for one who is the pastor.
And the time before that, well, it was when I had to announce at the end of that particular service that despite the best efforts of the oncology team at Yale, my cancer had returned for the first time.
So certainly not the last.
And that I was going to require immediate
medical leave.
Another momentous occasion, if you will.
Little did I know the long path that we would be walking leading up to today.
And what of today?
If my last two sermons here were on momentous occasions, one joyous and one not so much.
What does that mean for today?
Another momentous occasion?
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there's nothing that I am aware of about today that's momentous.
Unless you are excited about this being fishing opening weekend, or perhaps are running in the Eau Claire Marathon right now.
In fact, I hope today is quite an ordinary day.
In what?
I pray is an ordinary month of an ordinary year.
So why is it that I have the privilege of being here before you today?
Is it to announce that I'm doing much better on my new chemo machine and will be able to return to my vocation as a pastor?
Oh, I wish that that were the case.
But the truth is the opposite.
of what I wish for.
In fact, the cancer is doing very well, growing slowly day by day as it loves to do, spreading throughout my lymphatic systems, into my liver, my lungs, making its home now in my bones.
Treatments that extended my life years beyond
Any statistical probability are no longer working.
And I'm one day closer to seeing Jesus face to face than I was yesterday.
Now, the reason that I am here this morning with the privilege of leading today's divine service is really as ordinary as can be.
Pastor Thomas wanted some time off to be with his family.
So he asked me.
I, of course, was flattered, thrilled even.
You want me to lead the service?
Then he said, yeah.
The other four pastors he normally asks all had prior obligations.
And so you get me.
But as I said at the beginning of the service, it's also kind of a test to see if I'm physically able to lead a divine service from beginning to end on my own.
And to see if I, despite my chemo brain, am mentally able to write and preach a doximately sound sermon, properly dividing God's law and gospel.
So now that we are, what, five minutes into the sermon period, it's time to begin.
James begins today's epistle reading by saying,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
Coming down from the Father of Light, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
He writes these words right after talking about the fact that temptations to sin are never from God, but from our own desires, which
collaborate frequently with our greatest enemy, Satan, the great deceiver, in order to draw us ever further away from God and all the good that he wants to give to us, good that he will never force upon us.
Hence, the warning from James, do not be deceived, my beloved brothers, while temptations to sin
come from everywhere but God.
The good gifts that we need and receive every day are only from God.
The deceiver wants us to believe the exact opposite.
That God is the one tempting us all the time by demanding the impossibility of perfect fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.
Only doling out good gifts.
when that perfection is achieved to a close enough level to meet his satisfaction.
The deceiver wants us to believe that we must therefore look outside of God for good gifts, essentially abandoning God and his eternal love in order to get that which we desire.
so frequently fall for that deception.
But did you notice the huge difference?
What we desire versus what we truly need.
Our sinful nature passed down from father to child in original sin wants us to focus upon our desires.
while at the same time ignoring need to our eternal detriment and destruction.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers, for the difference between desire and need is really simple when you come right down to it.
It's so simple in fact that we truly have only one single need, Jesus.
Everything else falls into the category of desire.
But Pastor Jones, I see it on your faces.
What about food?
What about water, shelter, family, friends?
Certainly, those are all needs.
Every expert agrees on this fact.
And I'll grant you that in a way.
But counter with the question, what happens if you have no food?
No water, no shelter, no family, no friends.
Truly think about it.
What is the worst thing that happens if you don't have one or more of these human needs?
You die and stand before God.
Is that really such a bad thing?
The answer to that is a good Lutheran answer.
It depends.
It depends upon if you have the one thing you need or not.
Do you have Jesus?
Yes.
Then standing before God in the face of judgment is a wonderful thing.
By having Jesus, you have everything else that you need for eternity.
You have the forgiveness of sins, life eternal in the glorious presence of God forever.
Yet if you don't have the one thing you need.
Don't have Jesus then standing before God is the worst possible position to be in Or apart from Jesus there is no forgiveness No life no salvation Just an eternity of being given the one thing that you thought you needed because you were deceived The truth is by focusing on our desires here on earth and not on Jesus
We're really telling God each and every day that we don't want him.
You don't need him in our lives.
And in the end, if that's what we persist in desiring and telling him, that's what God is going to give us when we stand before him.
An eternity spent without him, without what we really need.
Without his love without his goodness That my beloved is what the Bible calls hell To answer the question of how to learn that difference between what we need and what we desire And how to cling to what we need God gives us James
and the following words through his pen to guide us.
Of his own will, he that is God brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
And like so many of the passages in the Bible, this one is so full, so rich that we could spend an entire lifetime
talking and unpacking it and not even begin to make a dent into what's there.
But I don't think you want to sit here for a lifetime, and I don't have one to give to you today.
But I will do my best in the next couple of minutes.
First off, this passage is both law and gospel.
The law is somewhat hidden, but also very obvious.
And that God is telling us through the pen of James that life is not something that you or I or anyone can do.
Only God breaks forth life.
He may ask words that in this verse.
Well, it's right there.
Of his own will, he brought us forth.
That's the word of truth.
So just like in Genesis, when God said, let there be, and creation was made item by item, creature by creature.
So also for every single one of the approximately 8.1 billion people alive right now, God said, let there be.
And with his own hands, he formed and created another person in the womb.
body and soul from that moment of conception.
Purely of his will and through the love of his word.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Sure, we try to take control by saying so many of those lies are inconvenient or undesired.
Many even go so far as to sacrifice those precious lies.
on the blood altar of our desires, calling those sacrifices that need to not have a baby in my life at this point, even though we selfishly fulfilled the desire that resulted in God saying, let there be a new precious baby conceived.
Repent.
for with the one thing we need, Jesus.
There is forgiveness of all sins.
Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
There's the gospel in this verse as well.
Once again, nothing we can do about it.
But God the Father, according to his will,
Driven by his love that he has for each of us that he has personally created Brings us forth That is gives us life by the word of truth And that word of truth is not just saying let there be create us It's also the word that saves us
We all know that in the gospel according to Saint John chapter 1 God says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and That word came down and tabernacled that is became flesh and blood to dwell among us Why did God do such a thing why did he send his word?
who is also his only begotten son, Jesus, to dwell in the flesh amongst us for one very specific momentous occasion.
To die on the cross, paying for each and every sin of each and every person who has been created, who was living at the time, and who will be created.
to give to everyone past, present, and future the one thing that is needed.
Jesus crucified, dead, and buried.
Jesus, the one who knew no sin, but became sin for us.
Jesus, our life and our salvation.
Or to put it in another word, another way.
our Lord that is the source of our life and our Savior, the source of our salvation.
Jesus is the need that fulfills all other needs so much more.
All of our desires as well.
Well, not all.
Just those desires that are good for us.
our life and our salvation, while steering us clear of those the desires that we are deceived into thinking our needs, but really only lead us to rejecting Jesus and all of you.
Now, as I said, I could go on for a lifetime on this single verse and not begin to unpack all that there is in it, but let what I've said so far be sufficient for today.
Especially since there are three more verses in today's epistle reading that we haven't even hinted at yet.
Verses that God gives to us through the pen of James to help us know that we need or know what we need.
Jesus can know how to cling to him once he has given himself to us through his word and in his sacrament.
Knowing this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
Now is the Bible a how-to book?
because it's God's word declaring us as sinners in need of a Savior, and that Jesus is the one and only needed Savior.
But in doing so, it gives us much to do in response to being given Jesus and his forgiveness, life, and salvation.
These three verses help us to know how to respond to Jesus and all that he has done.
First of all, as James writes, we are to be quick to hear all that Jesus has to say.
That is, quick to listen and read our Bibles.
Quick to listen and hear our pastors as they proclaim and unpack the Bible for us.
Quick to hear our fellow Christians who God brings into our lives to bear our burdens, even as he brings us into their lives to bear their burdens.
Next, we are to do one of the hardest things possible.
Control our tongues.
Be slow to speak.
Don't simply blurt out every word and thought that comes to mind.
Then hold off, listen, think, and only speak that which is kind, loving, and needed.
Now I'm not saying never point out sin or refuse to call someone to repentance, but do it in a thoughtful, loving, concerning way with their need for Jesus.
Not out of our selfish desires to be right or to feel better about ourselves because we aren't caught up in that particular sin.
And by being quick to listen to Jesus, call to speak, God equips us to be slow to anger.
Note that James doesn't say never get angry, but be slow to anger.
And when we do get angry, be angry as God would have it.
Angry against the right thing, against sin and evil, against our own desires that would keep us away from Jesus.
Anything else does not produce the righteousness that God requires.
The righteousness of Jesus crucified and risen for the forgiveness of our sins.
And now I close, somewhat abruptly, perhaps, but also appropriately, I think, by letting God's word through James speak for itself.
Therefore, put away all filthiness and rapid wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.
In Jesus' precious name.
Amen.
In the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord of the life everlasting.
Amen.
Please stand as you are able as we continue by singing the opera chorus.
Please stand as we continue with the prayers of the church.
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
In thanksgiving for the righteousness revealed in the sight of the nations, Jesus Christ, God's holy arm, that he would strengthen the song of his church for musicians and poets that they may serve skillfully and for the congregation of God in this and every place.
that we may sing with boldness the eternally new song of Christ.
Let us pray to the Lord.
That the spirit of the Lord would reign in Christ's church, and his victory for us would be declared joyfully and faithfully to sinners.
Let us pray to the Lord.
For our pastors, missionaries, and all who serve the church, and that he who is great in our midst would increase our thankfulness for his compassion.
Let us pray to the Lord.
or defense against the temptations of this life, that we would not seek our own good outside of the Father's will, whose word alone is able to save our souls.
Let us pray to the Lord.
To beat back Satan's lies and deadly work, that we would know and believe that this world's ruler is judged.
For good government and leaders who are both honest and faithful, and for faith that looks eagerly for Christ's quick return, let us pray to the Lord.
for the sick, the injured, and those in any need, including Vicki, Lynn, Anita, Lois, Lewis, Chuck, Marlis, Em, Greg, Grant, Doris, Matthew, Megan, Mark, Ethel, Bob, Peter, Red, Harold, Joan.
Greg, Linda, Dayton, Rick, Thorfinn, Lacey, Marilyn, Marlene, George, Ann, Don, Lawrence, and Zoe.
That the Lord would give them his good and perfect gifts at the proper time.
Renew those he created in love and grant them his salvation.
Let us pray to the Lord.
For those who prepare to receive with faith the thanksgiving Christ flesh for the life of the world and his blood that cleanses us from sin That he would unite us to believe and confess one faith and bring us to that day when we shall be one people together at his table Let us pray to the Lord Lord God have any father through your son you promised your holy spirit Who would convict the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment
Enlighten our hearts that we would confess our sins, obtain everlasting righteousness through faith in Christ, and through every trial and temptation abide in the consolation that is Christ, that Christ is Lord over the devil, death, and all things.
We ask that you would graciously deliver us from all affliction to make us partakers of eternal salvation through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
And for those listening on the radio whose broadcast is about to end, receive the blessing of our Lord.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
We continue with the service of the sacrament on page 194.
The Lord be with you.
your hearts.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.
It is
good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, and most especially are we bound to praise you on this day.
with the glorious resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ, the very paschal lamb who was sacrificed for us and bore the sins of the world.
By his dying, he has destroyed death, and by his rising again, he has restored to us everlasting life.
Therefore, with Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, and with all the witnesses of the resurrection, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name ever more praising you and singing.
I will be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses.
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, wherever and ever.
Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night when he was betrayed took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat.
This is my body which is given for you.
This do it in remembrance of me.
In the same way also, he took the cup after supper.
And when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, drink of it all of you.
This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
The peace of the...
These broadcasts are paid for by generous gifts made to our radio fund.
If you'd like to contribute, click the give tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org, or send a check to Zion Lutheran Church Radio Fund, 110 East Grand Avenue, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 54729.
Zion is a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
