GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
(Fourth in a Series) This edifying series of chapel talks comes from the archives of our Spokesman Assistant Editor, Prof. Em. Paul R. Koch • Eau Claire, Wis. At Joppa there was a certain disciple… GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
The Voice
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
(Isaiah 40:3-5)
In a current television talent show celebrity judges are facing away from the stage when the contestant begins to sing. When they are impressed by the voice they hear, the judges hit the button that turns them around to face the other direction.The Voice
Christmas reminds us that…THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM
Pastor Paul Naumann • Tacoma, Washington
“Appearances can be deceiving.”
No one knows the truth of that statement more fully than does a Christian.
Most people understand the principle. They keep it in mind as a salutary warning against the false and deceptive product advertising that floods the media in our day. They use it to bolster their defenses against the subtle tricks of con men on the street and scam artists on the internet.Christmas reminds us that…THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM
Christmas at “Just the Right Time”
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5, NIV).… Christmas at “Just the Right Time”
“Oh,Give Thanks to the Lord…!”
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!” is a familiar prayer expressing our thankfulness to God for the food with which He has blessed us and reminding us to give thanks to God.
Such reminders are always in place because, quite frankly, we don’t always remember to return thanks to God. I am not just talking about thanking Him for food, but also for the countless blessings He graciously pours out upon us every day. Because of our forgetfulness and our tendency to take things for granted, we are apt to be like the nine lepers who, after being healed by Jesus, did not return to thank Him (see Luke 17:12-19). Lord, have mercy upon us for not thanking You as often as we ought!
The prayer “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” is found in a number of psalms (see psalms 106, 107, 118, and 136). Please take your Bible and read Psalm 136. Do you notice how many times the psalmist encourages his readers to give thanks to the Lord? Why is this? Is it perhaps because we need to be repeatedly reminded to give thanks to the Lord for all His goodness towards us?
A striking feature about this psalm is the refrain at the end of each verse. The worship leader would speak the first part of the verse, and the congregation would respond with “For His mercy endures forever.”
I am not just talking about thanking Him for food,
but also for the countless blessings He graciously
pours out upon us every day.
Readiness for Christ’s Return in Glory
A large percentage of Christians today are Millennialists, eagerly waiting for Christ to return to establish a thousand-year reign on the Earth. This expectation also includes false teachings such as a “rapture” of believers and a “battle of Armageddon” (to name but two).
This millennial outlook concerning the end of time is not supported by Holy Scripture. As all other false teachings, millennialism robs Christ of His glory and His believers of comfort and peace.
Which glorifies God and gives believers comfort—anxiously watching the Middle East as one looks for signs to indicate Christ’s return to the region, OR simply trusting the eternal Son of God’s promises that He will come without signs or warnings?Readiness for Christ’s Return in Glory
Appreciating, With Thanksgiving, the Gifts We Have
As children of God we have been richly blessed. If we have to ask how we have been blessed or how richly, that indicates we are taking those gifts for granted.
Above all, we thank God the Father for His love in Christ Jesus. The precious gospel of salvation in Jesus is our greatest blessing, the most secure and enduring. Our salvation is rooted in Christ and His cross; it is sealed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We have the promise that not one of His sheep shall be snatched from Him (John 10:28), and that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).Appreciating, With Thanksgiving, the Gifts We Have
“Please Pass…the Word!”
“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV)
It’s just not Thanksgiving without football?
While it might be missed, we could enjoy the festival without watching a game.
What about celebrating Thanksgiving Day without family around?
Or what about a Thanksgiving observance without the smell of cooking turkey?
Fellow Christians, let’s be real.
The one thing we truly need for Thanksgiving is the Word of God!
Moses reminded God’s Old Testament people, the children of Israel, of this very thing as they were poised to enter the promised land of Canaan. “Please Pass…the Word!”
GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
IMMANUEL LUTHERAN COLLEGE CHAPEL MEDITATION (Third in a Series) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were… GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
Forerunners of the Reformation
The Death of John Huss (1369-1415) “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and… Forerunners of the Reformation