24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

It’s been just a few weeks since the Olympics ended. Whether you are an avid watcher or an uninterested observer, you probably heard about some result from a race of some sort. Maybe it was the swimming or biking, distance racing, or track and field. When you heard the results there were some things you took for granted. To win a race, especially at the Olympic level, the racers need to do everything they can to run the best race that they can. They cannot have a letdown or misstep along the way. To win they have to chase after the important things that will help them win.

The chase is much longer time than the time from the beginning to the end of the race. The racers take years of preparation to get to this point. They train while practicing, chasing after the best condition to have the best race. They train while eating, chasing after the best nutrition for the proper nutrients and energy. They train mentally, chasing after the mindset that will lead to victory.

We take for granted that the person did everything to win, not that they set out to lose the race. We don’t expect they will take a wrong turn on purpose, they will false start on purpose, do the wrong swimming stroke, ride the wrong bike, or walk when they should be running. When they are trying to win, that wouldn’t be very smart. Which brings us to our faith life. Paul describes our life of faith as a race. He tells us to strive to win the race of faith, not to sabotage ourselves by running after sin, temptation and the things of this world. Our faith life might be the only race that we run where we sabotage ourselves because of the sin that is in our life. In the Word of God before us this morning we take a look at Moses. We see the writer to the Hebrews tell us that Moses showed during his life that he was running after the things which would bring him closer to God and away from the things that would take him away.

Moses is probably one of the best known people of the Bible. The Bible tells us so much about his life. Although his parents were told to kill the new born boys, they hid him and kept him alive. Then, when he was too old to hide easily, they placed him in the basket in the river. There God guided Pharaoh’s daughter to find him and adopt him. God was still with Moses leading him in his life. Knowing that Moses was an Israelite baby, Pharaoh hired an Israelite woman and her family to care for him until he was old enough to enter the Pharaoh’s house. God guided the hiring and Moses’ own mother and family were able to raise him until he was a young man who was able to enter Pharaoh’s house.

During that time Moses’ parents would have made sure that he was raised to know the true God and to believe in God’s promised Messiah. But his life would change as soon as he entered the household of Pharaoh to be raised in the ways of Egypt. We don’t know exactly where this daughter fell in the line of Pharaoh. Moses probably wasn’t anywhere near the line of Pharaoh’s succession, yet, he was royalty, which placed him about 99 percent of the people in Egypt and certainly much better than the slave nation of Israel he was from. Because he was royalty, Moses would have gotten the best education, he would have been treated with the same honor and respect as any other royals , and he would have had access to all the things that royalty had to offer.

For many years, his life would have been lived in luxury becoming comfortable with all the things that money can buy and all the conveniences that were part of life.

If you had the choice a path in life, which would you choose? Would you choose a pathof royalty, where you have everything you want and more, where servants wait on you hand and foot, people know who you are because they see you in the news, where you may even be worshiped as a god?

Or would you choose the life you have right now? You work for the paycheck, you might struggle to make ends meet, you wait until the noise in the car is really loud before you take it in to be fixed, and no one really knows who are except for your family and maybe a few friends.

Maybe we have dreamed of that first life. A life more power, or money, or fame, or a better this or that. That life sounds amazing when we have the struggles in our own life. More power would mean that we don’t have to fight with our boss, maybe we could be the boss and tell others what needs to be done. More money would mean that the bills could be paid, the vacations planned and taken, with no fear of the credit card bills which are coming, more fame would mean that people would notice us and do things for us, doors would be opened for us because of who we are. Even if we haven’t dreamed quite so big, we have definitely dreamed about a better this or that which would solve a problem or a trouble that we are having.

Not many of us have ever had to make that choice, we have never had to think about what a choice like that would mean for our life and our faith. But Moses did. When we remember the life of Moses, we see that he knew where he was from. He walked among the Israelites, even though he was royalty. He saw how they were treated as slave and the Lord led to him to understand that it was wrong. We remember Moses thought he was acting with justice when he killed the Egyptian guard who was mistreating one of the Israelites. When he ran from the justice of Egypt, it certainly didn’t look like he was going to be the leader of Israel. The writer to the Hebrews shows us that God was guiding Moses, building Moses’ faith, even as these events happened, to walk in His way to the things that would bring him closer to his God. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

What would a writer say about your life if he were writing about your choices? He chose to follow the way of money and never had time to bring his family to the Lord? She chose the call of sex and excitement and chose to run after another instead of being faithful to the marriage she had? He chose the chains of pornography over the freedom of purity? He chose a life of greed and selfishness over a life of contentment? She chose to be lazy and never make use of her gifts rather than to praise God with the way she lived? They chose a life that was easy, a life where they turned from the truth of God’s Word in order that they could be selfish, greedy, adulterous and /or immoral. They chose to live in the way of the world and chase after those things instead of seeking the things of God.

Isn’t that what we have really seen in our Gospel readings from the Bread of Life sermon? So many excuses and denials simply because the people wanted to run after the things of the world and live in their sin and unbelief and not run after the things of God.

This was such a problem that Jesus turned to the disciples and asked them a simple question “Do you want to leave too?” Jesus was asking the disciples a question of faith? What do you want to run after? Do you want to run after the things of God, or the things of the world?

Peter gives an amazing statement of faith: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus, where else would we go? Who else would we listen to? You are the one who is sent from heaven, who is teaching us the way to eternal life. Nothing and no one else can do that for us.

What an amazing faith God worked in Peter that he was able to say this. This is the same faith that the writer to the Hebrews tells us God worked in the heart of Moses. Moses could have filled his life with the best of everything and never had to toil and work a day in his life. He would never have had to live under the name of Israelite, slave, as long as he held onto to place in the world. But that life of royalty, surrounded by all the money, power and authority of Pharaoh’s family would not save Moses. In fact, there were many temptations that came along with that life that could easily lead Moses away from his Lord.

Those are the same temptations the devil puts in our way today. Money brings the temptation to place our trust in it and find safety and comfort in it. Authority and power bring with them the temptation to crave more and to use that power incorrectly Possessions and things bring the temptation of complacency and discontent, if someone has more.

By the faith that the Lord worked in his heart, Moses followed the Lord. The Holy Spirit led him, by faith, to be the leader of Israel. By faith, he followed the Lord’s command at the first Passover and placed the blood on the doors and the angel passed by. By faith, he led the people from Egypt to the land of Canaan which he had never seen.

This is the same faith that God wants to work in our hearts. God wants us to look to him for all of our earthly and not to run after the things of this world and trust in them. More importantly, God wants to work in us a faith which looks to him and him alone for the word that point to Jesus alone as the way to eternal life.

May God give us the faith to continue to grow in the Word. And, as we face temptations, troubles and trials, to flee from the temptations of the world to pursue the life of thanks and faith that the Lord wants.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Have you ever been in one of those conversations that got really intense but you didn’t intend that when you started the conversation? Maybe you have asked a question or made a statement that you thought was simple and then all of a sudden 20 minutes has gone by and there is a debate going on. Of course you have. There are so strong emotions and opinions about so any things it seems like conversations like these are happening more and more often.

The problem is not in the conversations or some fruitful discussion or debate, the problem comes when the other side of the argument made entirely of opinion and emotion. You can’t reason with opinion and emotion. It’s often at these times, that we have to make a decision. We can either give up, let them think what they want to think and try to change the subject, or we can continue to battle for the bottom line of truth. Pushing for that bottom line bit of truth is often very hard. Feelings and emotions cloud judgment, close ears, and raise defenses so that facts don’t matter. Yet, the truth is what is needed.

In the Word of God before us this morning, we hear Jesus giving the people the bottom line truth. He does not give up and change the subject because the people held feelings and emotions that were contrary to his teaching. Even though they don’t want to hear it, even though it makes them angry, he tells them the truth they need to hear: he is the only way to heaven.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Daylo preached a sermon about Elijah. The pinnacle of Elijah’s ministry may have been God’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. God’s power was seen, the idolaters were killed. It would seem like this would have been an event that would have changed the minds of the people and brought them back to God. The temples and synagogues should have been full, the evil, corrupt government should have been overthrown with people who wanted a leader who loved the Lord and followed him. But as Pastor Daylo showed us, none of that happened.

The people’s reaction to the feeding of the 5000 is very similar to what happened at the time of Elijah. The feeding of the 5000 showed the power and love that God had for his people. The people should have changed their minds about Jesus, and looked to him as their Messiah, but that didn’t happen. This Bread of Life sermon takes place directly after the feeding of the 5000. We will see again this morning, although the people should have recognized the power of God in his love for them, they should have recognized the truth that Jesus was the Messiah and turned, they didn’t. Instead they denied the truth that Jesus gives them and even argue with him about what he is preaching.

This is a long sermon text, over 50 verses long. Because it is split up over 4 weeks, let’s do a little review of the sermon and response of the people so far. After Jesus had fed the 5000, he and the disciples leave to be by themselves. The people pursue Jesus and catch him on the other side of the lake. It is here that Jesus tells them that they should not be chasing after him looking another meal, another hand- out, instead they should be following him because they believe he is the Messiah.

Here’s where the people bring up their first argument: We follow Moses, he gave us bread from heaven, why should we follow you, what have you done for us?

Jesus could have said, “I guess feeding all of you wasn’t enough?” Instead, he tells them that both miracles of food were done by God. They should see he is from God and follow him.

They respond with a second argument: If that’s the case, keep feeding us.

Jesus again responds with the loving truth. Your stomachs are not your biggest need. You do not really need food that fills your stomach, you have that, you can get that for yourselves. You have a greater need, a spiritual one that needs to be taken care of. That is why God sent the bread of life to you from heaven. You need to feed on this spiritual bread that will fill you up in faith to eternal life. I am that bread that God sent from heaven, listen to me and believe in me.

Argument number 3: We want food for our stomachs and he is talking about this spiritual bread from heaven. That he is the bread from heaven, we know his parents how can he be from heaven when we know Mary and Joseph? If he would just give us more food we would be happy.

Again Jesus does not respond with anger and sarcasm, he responds with the truth. The bread you want will not satisfy your greatest need. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert and still died. If I only continue to feed your stomachs you will die too. Instead, I offer you the thing you need, bread that you can eat that will last forever. I offer you the bread of life, believe in me and you will live eternally.

Jesus has been drawing a comparison between what they thought they needed, food for their bodies, and what they truly needed, food for their souls. In his wisdom, he has used their own argument from the history of the Israelites, to show them that they were wrong in thinking that the miracle of the manna in the desert or the feeding of the 5000 was just to make sure that stomachs were full.

In the face of all of these arguments, grumblings and denials, Jesus has not backed down. He has not changed the subject, he has met their unbelief with the loving truth. Now in our sermon text, we see the people’s final reaction when Jesus reveals to them the bottom line. He is their Savior who offers them the only way to heaven.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus has been using that comparison of earthly and spiritual food all along, now he adds a little something to the picture of the spiritual food. With these words, Jesus shows them the type of spiritual bread they are going to need to feed on, that would need to believe and trust in. He would sacrifice himself to take away the sin of the world to give them the way to heaven.

Now the Jews go from debating and arguing to anger, “What is he talking about, are we going to have to eat you?”

The Apostle Paul tells us, “ the man without the Spirit does not understand that things that are from the Spirit because they are spiritually discerned.” As we taste the Bread of Life through the Gospel in the Word and humbly pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen our faith, increase our knowledge of our Savior and bring us closer to Jesus, he is doing just that. In many ways, the miracle of faith is getting out of the Holy Spirit’s way so that he can do His work of making our faith grow. However, there are many times that our sinful nature gets in the way of the Holy Spirit working. Instead of filling our minds with the Gospel, our sinful nature thinks that we know better than God so we question God and his wisdom, we try to poke holes in the Word that God has given us, we try to find loopholes where God hasn’t really said this, we argue with God refuse to accept the truth that he gives to us. When we do this, we are no better than the person who refuses to listen to the truth in our own personal conversation. We are so wrapped up in our own feelings and emotions that we do not listen to the truth that can save us. This is really the same road that leads to unbelief that these Jews walked on. Instead of listening to the Word of God which leads to heaven, they were pushing the Holy Spirit from their lives because they thought they knew better.

53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Jesus continues to show the people the bottom line truth. He reveals to them what saving faith in him really looks like. Saving faith is more than a faith which is looking for food, money or stuff. Faith which leads to heaven is not faith which trusts in my own thoughts, opinions and goodness. Saving faith looks to the sacrifice that the Messiah made on the cross and believes in that, through the Holy Spirit.

Saving faith believes that salvation is found only in the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ which he willingly gave on the cross. Saving faith believes that in this sacrifice Christ has made for us, we have total salvation. We have nothing to offer, we do cooperate, we have done nothing, or Savior has done everything to give us full and free forgiveness and eternal life. As Jesus said, this message of the Gospel is the bread of life that we need to be saved.

My dear Christian friends the world offers many alternatives to the truth of salvation that Christ gives. The devil uses those false thoughts to raise questions, doubts and arguments in our minds where we think we know better than God. Hear the bottom line truth from Jesus. I am the only way to heaven. See the love that your God has for you that he was willing to suffer and die in your place so that you could be with him in heaven. See the blessing of holding to the truth and continue to feed on the truth of Jesus, the bread sent from heaven which gives life to all who believe.

Introduction: This is the Day The Lord Has Made; Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad in It
During COVID many congregations did the only thing that they could to continue worship, they worshipped outside. If we had done that, this outdoor service wouldn’t be something that we looked forward to and made sure that we told everyone about. Yet, think about that time during COVID. Did we rejoice in what the Lord had done? Did people rejoice in the opportunity to worship even though it was outside or online?

Right now we are in God’s original church. There was no building in the Garden of Eden. There was a tree that was the Lord’s. There was no church that the people knew Jesus would be at. His pulpit was the mountainsides, the beaches, the areas where large groups of people could join together. He went to the meeting places at the rivers under the trees and there he began to preach to people of Jesus.

When our God tells us to rejoice we can rejoice in everything and at every time. We can rejoice during COVID — God is with us, His Word endures. We can rejoice today because we don’t need a building to praise and thank God, we stand in the best church that God has ever created, we stand in his creation — let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I. Let Us Rejoice: He has Created This For Us

Genesis 1: 27-28. 27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Have you ever stood and looked at what God has made. Growing up I loved to be in the woods and build forts. I liked to sit and listen to the sounds of the woods and the breeze going through the trees. At night I loved to go out and look at the stars.

As I have gotten older, I haven’t had as much time to do that, but as I have traveled across the country, you can’t miss the beauty and majesty that God has made.

Have you ever thought that all that God has created he has created for you. He has created the beauty of all that is here on earth so that you can see it and live in it. He has created things for companionship and to help us in our labor. He has created things for us to use to make and to build our homes and buildings. He has created things for us to eat.

Within all of that creation is so much variety. There is not one landscape, but many. There is not one animal that we use for labor or companionship, but many. There are many building materials, there are so many tastes and textures of things to eat that everyone can find something.

When we look at God’s creation we see his wisdom and power in creating all of this, but we also see his love. There is love here, that our God would not want man to live a dreary life. Instead he wanted man to live a life that had so many possibilities to praise and thank him, a life where we could choose which gifts and abilities to use and how we would use them to give God glory.

There is reason to rejoice because our God continues to preserve and protect us every day. He did not just create this world and stand back and let it all go. He continues to bless and preserve this world with his almighty power. Although we may complain that God does not give us the exact blessings that we want, he provides for us all that we need for our life —- usually he has blessed us with more than we need.

We have reason to rejoice, our God has created all this for us and he continues to provide us with the amazing blessings that we need through this creation.

II. Let Us Rejoice: The Sheep Have A Shepherd

John 10: 11, 14-15.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father— and I lay down my life for the sheep.

So often we focus on the sheep needing shepherd, but for a moment let’s think about the shepherd. How many good shepherds do you think there were? How many shepherds were just bad because the job was too hard or the sheep were too dumb? I don’t have any statistics, but when Jesus talks about a good shepherd and a bad shepherd, I think that is his point. There were many bad shepherds who didn’t do their jobs simply because it was too hard to keep these sheep in line, there were too many dangers, or the sheep were just dumb.

How long does it take you to get really frustrated with someone and just walk away? It depends on who the person is and what they are doing that is frustrating, but we all have the breaking point where we just don’t want to deal with it anymore. We blow up, walk away, we go off by ourselves.

Think about us, the sheep. How frustrating must we be? A people who claims to love the Lord and follow him, yet, we sin. We use his name to curse and swear, the name of the one who saves us. We neglect his Word, the one thing that God tells us the Holy Spirit uses to build us into strong Christians. While we know what God directs us to do, we often do the opposite. Instead of following God’s way, we follow our own way.

I would not be a very good shepherd, how about you?

Yet, let us rejoice, we have a shepherd whose love extends to eternity. Even though we are foolish and want to do our own thing, our Good Shepherd still is willing to watch over us and protect us. He does not run away, he does not fall asleep, he is willing to lay down his life so that we would live.

And that is what he did. We rejoice because sinners like us need a shepherd like Jesus. We need that Savior who loves us and is willing to come and take away our sins. We need what the Savior has done for us because we can’t do that ourselves. Let Us Rejoice. We have a Shepherd, not just a good shepherd a great shepherd. We have our Savior who is our Shepherd.

III. Let Us Rejoice: He is the Living Water

John 4:10, 13, 14.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Look at the river. In the Midwest we have rivers and lakes and ponds all over the place. But just for a moment think about where you live. What is the nearest natural source of water to you? What would it take for you to walk to that water source every day and bring water back to your house.

This is not an easy job. Whether it is a long walk or not, water is heavy. Have you ever tried to move a 5 gallon bucket of water which is full?

We might be getting closer to understanding the people of the Middle East. Water is not common in the Middle East. The people are forced to go to the water and bring that water back to their homes. It must be a terrible job to go every day or every other day to go get the water that is necessary for life.

We remember that on this day, Jesus had stayed at the well and the disciples had gone into town to buy food. As he sat next to the well the woman came out to draw water from this well and bring it back to her home. Jesus asks her for a drink.

During their conversation, Jesus offers her living water. Like every other person who came to this well to draw water, the thought of a spring or a well of water that was closer to a house was the best news ever. Water that they could drink and never be thirsty again was a myth or a fable, something magical.

Jesus was using this need for water to teach the woman about repentance and forgiveness. When she asks for the water, Jesus points out her sin, “Go get your husband.”

I don’t think she expected that Jesus would know her background when she answered that she did not have a husband, but he did. “You have had 5 husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband.”

I don’t know if there was deception in her heart when she answered Jesus. But I know there is deception in my heart when I think about my own sins. Maybe you have the same problem? If I were sitting at a well with Jesus and he asked me a pointed question I would not want to be totally honest about my sinful background or about what is going on in my heart and mind.

What we don’t realize is that this conversation about sin happened after Jesus offered her the living water of salvation. Her sins did not discount her from hearing the Word. Her sins did not discount her from being forgiven. With these words Jesus is showing her the love of a Savior in offering her peace for her life and forgiveness for her soul. He does the same for us.

Our Savior calls us to repentance. We cannot hide our sins from Jesus, we cannot keep sin in our life and think that God is OK with it. He sees our sins and he calls us to repentance.

We see the woman’s reaction, the Holy Spirit worked in her heart and she believed along with many in her town. Through the Holy Spirit, they had that living water that led to heaven.

What is our reaction when we are called to repentance? Do we confess our sins or do we try to keep them in our life? Our Savior offers us the living water of heaven. May we hear the Savior’s call to repentance, may we confess our sins and know that forgiveness that only comes from a Savior who wants to forgive us and bring us to himself in heaven. Amen.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Kyrrixate. This Greek word posted at the entrance of the Seminary chapel. I never thought much about it as I walked under it every day. I probably should have known what that word meant, we were using Greek every day, but I didn’t. After awhile, I thought I should probably know what that meant, so I looked it up. I found out that the word was a simple command: it meant Preach. More specifically You Preach.

How fitting to remind men who are training to be pastors that when entering into the Lord’s house they will hear pastors who will be Preach. What a great reminder for young men preparing for the public ministry that they are preparing to Preach.

It seems like such a simple thing. You expect when you come on Sunday that you will hear pastor preach. Yet, if you go to any place that calls itself a church or a religious center, I am sure that they will say that they are preaching too.

So what do we preach and how do we know that it is pleasing to God? There were two other words that were next to that word Kyrrixate. at the Seminary entrance: Kyrrixate to Eueyyeliov. Preach the Good News. This morning, we will see that it is God who sends his shepherds to preach the Good News.

Did you hear the connection between the reading from Jeremiah and the Gospel reading? Both of those readings compared the children of Israel to a herd of sheep.

In Jeremiah, God is angry and for good reason. False prophets were destroying the faith of the children of Israel with their lies and false teachings. Instead of demanding that the false prophets preach the true Word of God, the people were following these false teachers into unbelief. As we heard last week, these false prophets were telling them what their ears wanted to hear.

Notice there was not much of a difference between the people of Jeremiah’s time and the people of Jesus’ time. At Jesus’ time the religious teachers and Pharisees were not preaching the Word of God either. They were shepherds who were leading the people in the wrong direction. With their rules and regulations they led the people to trust in their own works and not in the Messiah that was promised.

As we saw in our Gospel, when Jesus came, the people flocked to hear this new and different message. We also know that it wasn’t because all of the people truly believed in this Word. There was excitement and energy around Jesus. He not only came with a new message, he came with power to heal and do other miracles.

This excitement had the people chasing Jesus along the lake for quite a distance. Yet, when Jesus looked at them, notice what Jesus thought. Although they were seeking him, they were like a sheep without a shepherd. Although they were listening, they still did not know what all of this meant.

That picture of sheep without a shepherd is very interesting. I would guess that not many of us has had a flock of sheep to know what that comparison means. I was just watching a reality program on TV where it became very clear why sheep need a shepherd.

On this show, a man decided that he wanted to run a farm. When he made that decision he thought it would be nice to have a flock of sheep. He thought it would look so nice to have some sheep grazing on the land in front of his house. He thought sheep would be easy because they weren’t as big as other livestock.

He brought his idea to a few people. Everyone told him it was a bad idea. Everyone told him that sheep are so much work. But he bought his flock anyway. Here is where it got interesting.

On day one, the man who dropped the sheep off told him he had a problem. His 4 to 5 foot fences were not high enough. Although the sheep had wonderful food to feed on in the pasture provided, they would regularly bolt, jumping the fence and destroying it. The man had to hire another man whose only job was to fix the fences that the sheep broke. Plus he had to go round up his sheep constantly.

The sheep would never go from one place to another like they were supposed to. They would always run off. Then he would have to go round them up again.

Finally, after several weeks of chasing after sheep he realized he needed a shepherd. The shepherd came and she brought 3 dogs along with her. It was only when the man watched the shepherd and her dogs do their jobs that he realized how outmatched he was by a herd of sheep that did not have a shepherd.

If it is important for sheep to have a good shepherd, how important is it for God’s people to have a shepherd who is able to lead God’s people in God’s way with God’s Word?

We see God’s reaction in Jeremiah to the bad shepherds. We also see his reaction when there are no shepherds in Mark. Jesus loved the people. He had come to be the Good Shepherd to guide the people away from their unbelief to the truth that He was their Savior from sin.

With all of these words, God is impressing on us the blessing of His Word as it is preached by good shepherds that show the love of their Savior. He is also impressing on us the importance of his sheep being in the Word so that we do not follow bad shepherds or fall away.

Paul shows us what the Good News is built on. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

In Ephesians, Paul is talking to people who believe, people like us. He says that it is Christ, the same one who loved those who were like sheep without a shepherd, who loved us from eternity and knew that we would need a Savior. He is the same one who loved us to die for us bring us, who were far off, lost in sin and unbelief, to be near to him through that blood.

Through faith, worked by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer straying sheep, going our own way. We are no longer people without a home, or outsiders to God’s love. Through Christ’s suffering and death, he has brought us to be part of his flock, near to him. He has adopted us into his family by his blood. And because of what he has done for us, we are his children and heirs of the eternity that Jesus has won for us and gives to us.

We did not bring ourselves to the door of Christ’s house through our works and ask to be in his family. We did not do enough in life to deserve what Christ has done for us. In many ways, we are worse than those people who were following Jesus along the coast. Although they were confused about who Jesus was, they still ran after him. How often do we run the other way in our faith and devotional life? How often do we have other things that come up so we have to skip the personal or family devotion? How many times do we not feel up to it on a Sunday morning? How often do we skip Bible Study for an early lunch or the game? How often do we skip church because it is not convenient for us?

This is why we need shepherds who preach the Word. God’s people do not stop sinning because we believe. Temptation doesn’t stop when we are God’s people. If anything the devil works harder to tempt us. What Good News will good Shepherds preach. That which is: Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The old saying goes, “If everyone is happy with you, you must be doing something wrong.” That is true in a lot of ways with the Word of God. Look at the lives of the apostles and prophets. Look at how they were received. They did not have pleasant ministries that went well all the time. They often were met with resistance, persecution, and even hatred by the people, those in leadership, and even the other false prophets.

It is so easy to tell people what they want to hear, it is more difficult to Preach God’s Word built on the foundation of the apostle and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone. The message of the Apostles and Prophets was never their own message that they made up. Their message was not their own, it was always God’s message that pointed to his promised Messiah.

In the prophet’s case, it was the Word of God. It was Law pointing out the sin and unbelief of the people and calling them to repentance. In that call was the love of the Lord who was waiting to show them the love of their Messiah who would take away their sin. The Apostles did the same. They called the people to repentance and then when the people repented of their sin, they pointed them to the love of their God show in their Savior Jesus Christ. Our good shepherds preach the word in the same way.

When a shepherd preaches the Law it cuts like a knife. We not only see the sin in others, we see the sin in ourselves. We are born in sin. We struggle with sin. We sin every day in thoughts, words, and actions with sins that we know and those we don’t even realize. When we see our sins, it doesn’t feel good. If that is where the preaching would end, our lives would be endless running trying to please God, or endless worry that we have not done enough.

When a shepherd preaches the Gospel it heals the wounds of sin. The Gospel shows us the answer to sin. does not lie in ourselves, it lies in our perfect Savior who has taken away that sin by his death on the cross.

My dear Christian friends, did you hear the Law this morning? Did it cut? Did you hear the Gospel proclaimed? Did you rejoice in Jesus? Will you partake of the Gospel in the Sacrament in a few moments and see what Christ has done for you?

Look at your shepherds, listen to the message, make sure it is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. If it is not, find someplace that is. If it is, rejoice and thank God because he sends his shepherds to preach the Word that leads to eternal life.

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Over the last few weeks we have had sermons and lessons which have focused on trouble and trial. We have  seen that although we have these things our life, God love us and cares about and is always there to build us up in  faith and bring us to what is best for us.  

Even though we have faith and know God’s promises, our life is not without temptation. The devil uses these  times of trouble and hardship to tempt us away from the love of God. Instead of turning to God, the devil wants  us to doubt the love of God, to turn from God to something or someone else, or to rely on ourselves over him. 

In our lesson for today St. Paul focuses on a specific trouble, persecution. He focuses on our response to  persecution when it comes. He shows us that when persecution comes, we will either fall away or come closer to  God.  

The letters to Timothy are part of a group of letters that Paul wrote while he was imprisoned in Rome. There  are 3 letters in this group that are called Pastoral Letters because in them Paul shows his concern for the Word,  the church, and those who have called into the public ministry to serve the church. Men like Timothy and Titus.  

Second Timothy is a very personal letter with a serious tone. Paul may very well have thought this was the  last letter he would ever write. He was no longer on house arrest, instead, his trial had not gone well and he was  in chains in the dungeons of Rome. Many of those who had accompanied him had left him due to the  persecutions that the Christian church was facing. 

Yet, even in this position he does not lament what is happening to him. Instead, he writes to his son in faith,  the young pastor Timothy, encouraging him in his work and ministry. 

Although Timothy was considered a young pastor, Paul trusted with many things. In a large church, Timothy  would have been considered Paul’s associate pastor. He accompanied Paul on his later missionary journeys, Paul  sent him as his representative to several congregations and Paul put him in charge of the congregation at Ephesus. 

While Timothy was a pastor like Paul, there seems to be one thing that he needed extra help with. In both  first and second Timothy we see Paul giving Timothy encouragement to be strong in the Lord. There was some  persecution that was making Timothy timid in sharing the Word.  

It may have been the outside persecution from Rome and the enemies of Christ. It may have been  persecution from within the church, the response of the people to his age or to the fact that he preached the truth  of the Law and Gospel. It may have been the fact that he just wasn’t Paul. Whatever the case, Paul is writing  these words to show Timothy and us that when persecution comes we can either fall away or draw closer to our  God. 

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love,  endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and  Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who  wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

Paul is not boasting here about all the things that he has gone through. He is merely stating the facts of  what God can and does do when we are faithful and patiently wait on him in faith.  

Timothy knew that Paul found his identity, his way of life, and his purpose in teaching the Gospel in  Christ and what he had done for him. The faith that Christ worked in Paul’s heart showed in his dedication to  preaching Christ to others. It showed in how he dedicated that life to that purpose of being Christ’s missionary  and placed himself in the hands of the Lord over and over again.  

Timothy also knew of the endurance that Paul had when he faced the persecutions and plots of Antioch,  Iconium and Lystra. Why preach in places where they run you out of town, stone you and plot to kill you? This  endurance was not because Paul liked punishment and persecution, it was because he loved his Lord and trusted  in the Lord’s protection when and where he was preaching the Gospel.  

In the middle of danger, persecution, even pain and suffering, Paul knew God’s answer . the Lord  rescued me from all of them. This is the bottom line of our faith in Christ. Whether in life or in death, the Lord  rescues us from the persecutions that this world throws at us.  

Is this our response to persecution? Do we expect that there will be persecution, pain and suffering in this  world because we believe in Christ and follow him? Do we expect family and friends to be happy to hear that  they are sinners who need a Savior? Do we expect a world that is reveling in sin will be any more open to  hearing the Law from us than they did from Paul, or Ezekiel, or even Jesus himself?  

How do we respond when we see evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and  being deceived. and we feel persecution in the form of embarrassment? Work gossip? or when people won’t  even listen and will instead label us as unloving and unkind?  

Our sinful nature is usually the first to respond when we are in these situations. We want to be in heaven  someday, but we don’t really want to go through the rough stuff here on earth. Instead of listening to Jesus when  he tells us to expect persecution, to stand up and be strong in the Lord, we are timid and try to find ways that we  can avoid or lessen that persecution. Paul is not just talking about a temptation for other people when persecution 

comes, he is talking about a temptation that comes to us. For the time will come when men will not put up  with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of  teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and  turn aside to myths. 5  

We know family members and friends that have done these things. We might look at them with a mixture of  pity and sadness and think, “Why would they go away from the Word of God? Why would they turn from the  truth?”  

While we look at others, we may not see that the devil is doing the same thing to us. He is tempting us to  twist and turn God’s Word to fit what we want rather than what he has said. Did God really say that sex outside  of marriage is a sin? God never says that abortion is wrong, does he? God wants us to love and accept people  for who they are and not worry about their sins, right? God loves me and accepts me just the way I am, why  can’t you? Don’t judge me, God doesn’t. You’re a good person, that’s what God really cares about.  

All of these statements are quite common even for Bible believing Christians to say and believe. Each  statement has a bit of truth in it, but like in the Garden of Eden, the devil has twisted the truth of God into a fine  sounding lie, something our ears want to hear, a myth to follow that will not lead to salvation that God wants us to  have. 

This is the temptation that we all face when persecution comes in the name of Jesus. We turn from God, we  give in on little things, and then bigger doctrines. We no longer want to hear the truth. But it doesn’t have to be.  There is something else we can do when persecution comes into our lives. 14 But as for you, continue in what  you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and  how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation  through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,  correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every  good work. 

If you have ever been in a sport, the coach will always preach getting back to the basics when things are  not going right. Go back to the basics of what brought you here. Look at the footwork, the ball handing, the  shooting form, the throwing motion, the running style and make sure that you are doing it right. That is also what  Paul says. When persecution comes, don’t try to find something else, return to what you know and are convinced  of. Return to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus. That Gospel that you held onto when you were a child as you sang  the Jesus songs and as you memorized your Catechism. Remember Gospel in the Word which points to Christ  alone because this is the true message, not another lie or myth, that leads to eternal life.  

When that persecution comes, continue to grow in the Word and in the faith which you have learned leads  to heaven. The devil often tempts us to think that all we need a little faith to go to heaven. We don’t need all that  the study of the Bible, we don’t need to be in church and Bible Study to have a saving faith. Again, the devil is  twisting the love of God that wants all of us to be saved into a temptation to take God and his Word for granted.  

God gives us an opportunity every day of our lives, but especially when persecution comes, to come closer  to him, to grow up in the Word and become wise in the Word. As we grow in the wisdom of God we will see that  God intends his Word to be used in many ways in many situations in order that faith might grow through  teaching, the sinner might repent through rebuking, and all of God’s children might grow through correcting and  training that we might be wise to use the Gospel no matter the occasion.  

When persecution comes we should be prepared to stand on the Word. be prepared in season and out of  season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. This was the advice that Paul gave to a timid Timothy when he had persecution and it is the same advice  that our God gives to us. Don’t look for anything else, you have it all in Christ. Stand firm on him and his  promises for the strength to live this life and for the blessing of the next life. 

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd
behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall
came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a
cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was
completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

We all want to be safe. We make sure to lock the doors of our house at night and turn on the alarm. We
make sure that when we drive we are doing it safely. We make sure our homes are safe by adding smoke
alarms and fire extinguishers. During the Pandemic, most people made sure to do at least some things a bit
differently that they might stay little safer. But how safe are we?
Even with locks and alarms, people break in. Even when we do everything right on the road there are
accidents caused by us or others. Even though we make our homes safe, there are still fires and storms and
others things that cause damage. Even if you took all the Pandemic precautions, you could still catch COVID.
We try to think that we are safe by all the things that we do to safeguard ourselves in our lives, but in the
end there are a lot of bad things that go on anyway. This thought might send many people into safety
overdrive, working even harder to be safe, but not us. As we look at the Word of God before us today, we will
see that we are safe. Not because we make ourselves safe, but because we have a God and Savior who keeps us
safe.
Nobody knows exactly why they have trouble and trial in life. That is because, in His Word, God does
not tell us the exact reasons why he allows things like trouble and trial, illness and disease into our life. He does
not say, I have allowed your life to be touched by pain and disease so that you will be a better father and take
time with your family. He doesn’t say that he allowed the accident so that we could see that death is closer than
we imagined and we will come back to him.
While he does not give us the exact reason why we are struggling with the issues we have in our life, he
does given us two things to hold onto and to remember: One, all things, even terrible awful trouble and
problem, pain and disease, will work out for our good. Two, trust in him that he is leading us to what is perfect
for us.
Our text this morning is one of two Bible lessons that include the disciples, the Sea of Galilee and a
large storm.
There is something about the geography of the Sea of Galilee that makes it notorious for storms that
would come up quickly and descend on vessels before they had enough time to make it to shore. The disciples
were no weekend anglers, just borrowing their brother’s boat for some fun. There were some seasoned
fishermen in this group of men who knew how to handle themselves and a boat in a storm.
Yet, this storm was so violent that the waves were breaking over the side of their boat, threatening to
capsize the boat. I am sure that the disciples were doing all they could to keep the boat afloat. Some were
taking charge of the rudder and sails making sure that the boat sailed into the waves. Others were doing their
best to bail the water that came over the sides. There were probably others who were just too scared to do
anything at all and did little to nothing because they were too scared.
Think about all those things that the disciples might have tried to do before going and waking Jesus.
They used a lot of energy and emotion, out of fear, trying to keep themselves alive. It’s interesting to think
about those things the disciples did because they are the same things that we do when we have troubles or
problems that come into our life.
Think about the last big problem that came into your life: severe pain, a necessary surgery, family strife
or struggle, a lost job, the pandemic. What did you do?
Maybe some of us tried to take charge and steer ourselves, or the family, through the problem that we
had. We the rock that everyone held onto, we made sure that everything got done when it needed to get done.
We steered that boat right into the waves of trouble and trial thinking that if we were just strong enough, kept it
together for everyone, that all would be fine.
Some of us might have felt like we were barely keeping up with the trouble as it came pouring into our
lives. We got weighed down by the pressure and the stress. While we managed to make it through another
doctor’s appointment, another unhappy text, another news story that made us nervous, there was always more
trouble that seemed to come. Like the disciples bailing, trying to keep up with the water coming into the boat,
we were just trying to deal with the trouble and problems that seem to keep pouring into our life, but we never
seem to be making any headway.
Maybe we faced our problem with fear and anxiety. Like the disciples, we felt like we didn’t feel
equipped to handle something like this. I don’t know anything about cancer, I am not a back doctor, who do I
believe with COVID? Our fear overwhelmed us and we did little to nothing. We did not schedule the
appointment because we don’t want to know what the tests have shown. We don’t want to talk to others that
have been mean and cruel to us. COVID may have left us without hope.
Even when the disciples do go to Jesus, they still are not coming to him in the right way. You can hear
the frustration in the voices of the disciples when they go to wake Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care if we
drown?” I don’t believe the disciples were looking to Jesus for a miracle in this moment. This was early in
Jesus ministry and the disciples were still learning about the amazing things Jesus could do. It sounds more like
an accusation of frustration. It was Jesus who had suggested that they take this boat trip, it was his fault they
were in trouble and now, while they are doing all they can to stay alive, he is doing nothing. It doesn’t even
seem like he cares if they live.
Isn’t that the same thing that we do when we are facing our trouble and trial, our pain and illness and we
don’t think that God is doing enough? Don’t we approach God with frustration? God, don’t you care whether I
live or die? God, why don’t you do something for me? God don’t you care about me at all?
What was Jesus’ reply to all of this? Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?
It almost seems like Jesus is being cruel. Wasn’t there something to be afraid of here? Weren’t they in
danger of sinking and dying? Aren’t our trouble and trials something to be afraid of? Jesus answer is, “No. I
have everything under control. You are safe with me.”
The reason that Jesus could sleep when all the others were racing around is because he trusted in God to
keep all of them safe. He trusted that the outcome of their trip would be what God wanted, he knew that in life
or in death God’s will would be done. There was nothing to be afraid of. They were as safe in the boat as
anywhere else because God was with them.
That was true for the disciples in the boat and it is also true for us. As we struggle in the middle of the
wind and waves of trouble and trial, pain and suffering in our life, God continues to be with you, holding you in
his hands to keep you safe.
Safety does not mean that we will never struggle with earthly problems, strife or danger. The devil
wants us to struggle with all of these things to shake our faith. He wants there to be harsh and angry words,
violence, and struggle even within families. We will not escape those effects of sin in us and in others it will
always be there.
Safety does not mean that we will never have illnesses or disease. We live in a world infected by sin.
In this world, we will have pain and suffering because our bodies are marred by sin and these things are
products of sin. We cannot escape that by taking medicine, or quarantining, or anything else. God has already
told us that, unless we are alive when he comes again, that we will die because of sin. We should not be afraid
even of death because, through Jesus, we are safe with God even when we face death.
Jesus showed the disciples they were safe with him and with faith in him. He simply told the wind and
the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” and the wind died and the seas calmed. What an amazing miracle. There was
no chanting or mystical sign, this was merely the God who created the universe showing his power over his
creation with 3 words. When they saw this the disciples were amazed at the power and authority that Jesus had.
Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him?
What do we have to fear when the creator of the universe is watching over us? What do we have to fear
when he promises to use that power to turn even the things that we think are bad into what is good for us and
our faith? What do we have to fear when our Savior has already died on the cross, won heaven for us and
written our name in the book of heaven?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not be afraid, we are safe in the hands of our God. When we have
troubles and trials, pain and disease, let’s always see God’s hand of mercy pointing us to trust in him and let us
always have the faith which clings to him for the promises that are not just here on earth, but forever in heaven.
Amen.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: 

“By the decree of the king and his nobles: 

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. 

There have been a few times that I have screwed up in my ministry.  I don’t mean, I have intentionally went out of my way to make someone angry and upset.  I don’t mean I have schemed to sin against someone.  I mean that I have said the wrong thing at the wrong time. I have given someone the wrong impression by my body language.  I have been too quick to speak and not patient enough to listen.  

Many times I don’t even notice these things.  I have done this or said that and walked away and not given any more thought to it.  The other person has not done the same.  

The only way I can apologize and makes things right is if the person comes to me and shows me what I have done wrong.  There have been a couple of times when this has happened.  They’ve come to be and said, “You know when you said that or did that I really felt bad.”   

This is what a Christian is supposed to do and it is the only way that a Christian ever has the opportunity to apologize and to ask for forgiveness.  When this happens, I usually feel really bad about what I have done and I do just that I apologize and ask them to forgive me.   

Have you ever done something like that?  Have you ever made someone upset, or hurt someone and you didn’t even notice?  Did they come to you and tell you what you did?  What did you do when you heard that you had done something like that?  Did you apologize?  Did you ask for forgiveness?  

In the Word of God before us this morning, we see a group of people who didn’t realize that they were sinning against God.  Yet, instead of punishing them for their sins God does something different.  God loved them and sent his servant Jonah to show them their sin.  They listened to the message, repented and were forgiven of their sin.

What do you think of when you hear the name Jonah?  I am sure you think about the big fish.   Everybody knows about Jonah and his attempt to run from God.  God gives Jonah a mission to go to Ninevah and preach.  Instead of heading to Ninevah, Jonah hops on a ship that is going the opposite way.  While they are on the journey, there is a great storm.  Jonah is thrown overboard and he is swallowed by the big fish.  

After three days of repentance and reflection inside the fish, God allows Jonah to leave the fish.  It is here at the beginning of chapter three that God gives Jonah his second call to go and preach to the people of Ninevah.  This time Jonah listens and does what God tells him to do.

Many times when we read from the book of Jonah, we focus so much on Jonah.  For a few moments this morning let’s get to know the Assyrians and why Jonah didn’t want to preach to them.  Assyria was known as a country which was good at war.  They were on the forefront of the best techniques and tactics and also had the best weapons that a nation could make.  They were good at winning battles, enslaving people and making them work for them.  

Israel was afraid of Assyria.  For almost 100 years, the nation of Israel was a vassal state of Assyria.  They were forced to pay a harsh tribute or face the consequences.  The nations around Israel showed the scars of the destruction that Assyria would bring if Israel did not continue to pay.  Yet, throughout that 100 years, the kings of Israel had tried rebellion from time to time and Assyria was swift in putting it down and demanding more tribute.

Ninevah was the capital city of Assyria.  It was a huge sprawling metropolis.  One verse says that it was so large it would take 3 days to walk the city.  It is estimated that more than a million people may have lived in the metropolis of Ninevah.   A city only gets that size if has an immense amount of wealth and power behind it.  

To the Israelites and any other country that had been overthrown, Ninevah represented all that was evil and bad about the Assyrian people.  Its prominence and growth had come at the expense of all the nations that had been crushed.  While they grew wealthy and prosperous, other countries suffered under the weight of tribute.   In many ways, all of these countries looked at Ninevah with disgust, in the same way that many of the enemies of the US might look at New York City of Los Angeles today.

God sent Jonah to this nation, this city and this people who seemed so far from the Word of God.  Yet, although God sent him to these people, Jonah decided that Assyria and the people of Ninevah were not worthy of his time to go and preach God’s message and to offer God’s forgiveness.  

Have you ever done that before?  Have you ever decided that because of who someone is, their history, their past, their lifestyle, or where they live, that they are not worth our time to sit and talk with them about Jesus?  Have you ever walked away from someone that God has brought into your life because you have decided that they are not worthy of God’s love and message of forgiveness?   

The answer is yes.  No one is immune to this sin of a lack of love for the souls of others people; not God’s own prophet and not you or me.  We have all made snap judgments about another person.  I’ve know that person since…… and they have never wanted to hear the Word of God, why should I try now?    Have you heard the mouth on that person, it wouldn’t make a difference if I shared the Word with them.    That person is so mean and cruel, I don’t think that person could possibly have faith in Jesus, they just don’t seem to be the right type of person.  Those kind of people all believe in another god anyway, why should I even try to reach out to them?

I want to ask you a very serious question:  Is there anyone that God does not love?  Is there anyone that God does not want us to love?  There are many examples in the Bible where we see God’s love for people who don’t seem very likely candidates for his love and forgiveness.  King David, The Ninevites, an Assyrian general named Naaman who was cleansed of leprosy, a prostitute by the name of Rahab, a Moabitess by the name of Ruth.  A tax collector by the name of Matthew.  A woman who had been possessed by 7 demons named Mary Magdalene.  A Pharisee who killed Christians by the name of Saul. The list goes on and on until it stops right in front of you and me.

What we fail to realize is that we are unlikely candidates for God’s love and mercy because we sin in thought, word and action just like those people that we refuse to share the message with.  The only difference might be that we might be better at hiding our sins than others around us.  But what if others could see our sins?  What if they were written down like those people in the Bible?  What would others see about you?  

If people could see our sins, I am sure that they would look at us the same way that Jonah looked at the Ninevites, and as we look at other people, as unworthy sinners who do not deserve the love and mercy of God.  

The truth is, without God’s love for sinful people, none of us would be able to stand before God.  That love motivated God to send his prophet, Jonah, to call the people of Ninevah to repentance and in his love he forgave them when they repented.  6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: 

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:   Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 

The Holy Spirit was at work through this call to repentance.  The people showed their faith by repenting in a very Jewish way, with sack cloth and ashes, showing that they knew their sin and were sorry for it.  We know the Ninevites believed and were forgiven because Jesus used them as an example in Luke 11 when he contrasts the unbelief of the Jews and their lack of repentance to the repentance of the Ninevites when they turned from sin in faith.   Jesus said:   The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

God also calls us out of sin.  Like the Ninveites we are unlikely candidates for God’s mercy and love, yet, in his mercy, he has compassion on us as he had compassion on the Ninevites.  He sends people into our life like pastors, God-fearing friends and neighbors who are willing to show us our sin and call us to repentance.  Thank God that when we turn from our sins in repentance he offers to us the free and full forgiveness that can only come through a Savior who has paid for every one of our sins.    

We thank God especially for his love in forgiving our sins when we are slow to love others who need that Word so much.  He forgives us and continues to give us more opportunities both through our church and in our personal lives to bring the Gospel to others.  A person’s history, what they are like, or where they are from doesn’t matter to God or the mission he has given to us to share the Gospel.  God’s Word is powerful.  The Gospel can and does work under the best conditions, in his house with those who believe, but it can and does work in other circumstances as well just as it did in Ninevah.  

May we look at the example of God’s love and see that he loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved.  Let’s embrace the work that God has given us to do.  Let’s share the Gospel with friends, neighbors and even people we don’t know because God sent Jesus to save the whole world.