Faith and Trust Answer Unbelief

Title:   Faith and Trust Answer Unbelief By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:  Mark 9:22-24  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes."  24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, everybody has seen “Dumbo.”  Something about this text made me think about Dumbo.  Maybe it was that phrase: “All things are possible for one who believes.”  Maybe Dumbo is kind of an example of that – well maybe.  I do love it when the crows sing: “I’ve seen just about everything when I’ve see an elephant fly” Then they give Dumbo the magic feather and he flies.  There you see the impossible – an elephant who flies.  You could look at our text like that.  But our text’s significant difference is that it’s with God all things are possible—not with magic feathers.

I. The father in our text is confronted by an impossible situation.  His son is possessed.  A cure would seem as impossible as an elephant flying.

A. The father goes to the disciples and they fail to deal with the problem.  With that failure they thought it’s time to go to another place.  Let’s take the kid to Jesus.  Maybe Jesus can make elephants fly.

1. You could call this the magic feather approach, where you look for magic or miracles to deal with the impossible.

a. I think part of Jesus’ anger in this text was because of this approach.  How many miracles does He have to do before the people believe. But He knew that miracles don’t create faith, they just create a market for more miracles.  b. But when the miracles stop, the people stop believing and take their business elsewhere.  Isn’t that the way it goes. If you don’t get what you want, you shop around until you do.  And try all the magic feathers.

2. When Jesus finally gets around to exorcising the demon, things seem to go from bad to worse. The demon departs, but the boy looks like he’s dead.

a. It seemed as if the cure was worse than the disease.  The demon is gone, but the boy is dead, or at least, apparently so. b. And I’m sure they were all thinking that If Jesus and His crew can’t take care of the problem, well maybe we best look for someone else.

B. We too ask what happens to our faith when our religion doesn’t seem to work.  When the magic feather doesn’t work what do you do next? – look for another feather?

1. You can substitute whatever you like for the stubborn demon and come to the same place: the incurable cancer, the sudden accident, the failed economy, the child who abandons the faith, your unanswered prayers, your dashed hopes and dreams.

a. It works the same with church.  We think we can bring our problems to the church, but then church doesn’t fix them. You prayed for healing and you only got worse. You prayed for a better job and you lost the job you had. You know how it is; I know you do. So what next? b. The temptation at that point is to trade in your God for another model, and swap your religion for one that “works.” Another magic feather might work.  I think our culture particularly is prone to the “whatever works must be true” way of looking at things.  We admire whatever gets the job done. c. So if you go to some witchdoctor and he makes your lumbago go away, then it’s all good, right? Or you go to some fortune teller and she manages to pull a tidbit of your future and get it right, then it must be good, right?

2. You can see where this is heading, and how the devil has a brilliant deception under his sleeve if he can get us to bite on the notion that something is right if it “works.”

a. So then when it stops working, you have a ready-made excuse to move on. b. And you will chase what works straight into oblivion because “what works” is too short term. It’s too narrow. For the sake of things of now, we are sorely tempted to lose sight of things eternal. And it’s me-centered not God-centered.  It seems like you hold magic feather religion until the feather flies out of your trunk.

II. But with God All things are possible. That’s why Jesus says to the man “All things are possible for one who believes.”  It’s not about magic feathers at all.

A. With God a virgin conceives, the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the demons are cast out, the dead are raised. But it’s not really about all the “magic.”

1.  Jesus reaches out His hand, and lifts the boy up and he arose.  The word used is the same used at the resurrection --- a mini resurrection. And the impossible is possible with Jesus. It’s not about magic feathers.  It about Jesus. 2. What Jesus did for that boy and his father, He does for all on the cross by His death and resurrection.

a. Mark even portrays the death of Jesus as an “exorcism.” Jesus has absorbed Sin and Death and devil into Himself and with a loud shout in the darkness of His death He casts out the devil and conquers humanity’s greatest and fiercest enemy, Death itself. He does it by dying and rising. He takes on the demons. He goes into the darkness. He becomes Sin for us. He dies. And in His death, He conquers. b. He baptizes you into His death, and in Him you conquer too. Nothing can harm you eternally.  So again with Jesus the impossible is possible.

B. But if we are honest, there were times when we resembled the boy in our text when the crowd said, "he is dead."

1. And those same words may have been said about us.  For even though Jesus has been casting Satan out every time His Word is preached here, and every time His Sacraments are given, we have often acted as though it meant little or nothing to us.

a. We have lain down like corpses, who are not filled with the life of Christ.  How many times have visitors come to our church and said, "They are not really living ...they are dead?" b. --Jesus is here to lift you up. You did not feel Him grab your hand earlier, but in truth He did. When I spoke the words He commands me, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” Jesus was doing what those words declare. He was lifting you up out of your sins just as He lifted up the boy in our text. When you come up to God’s altar in a few minutes, Jesus is here in bread and wine to lift you into life--the life you were given in your baptism. You do not feel Him, but He is here for you as He promises to be. c. So the onlookers are wrong. The observers are in error. You are not dead.  You are alive, alive in Christ, for He Himself comes to you, as He came to the little boy, and He lifts you up; He raises you to life.

2. In our text Jesus’ disciples are reminded that power lies not with them, not with magic feathers but with Jesus.  And we need reminding of this too.

a. We need to be reminded that the question for Jesus shouldn’t be “if you can” but “if you are willing.” God can do anything He wants. That’s not the issue. The only issue is if He’s willing. The man should have said, “If you are willing, have compassion on us.” But it’s not a matter of whether Jesus can do something, but only if He is willing to do something. And faith is open to all possibilities. b. That’s how we can pray for a miracle and go to the doctor and accept a sickness all at the same time. Nothing is impossible with God, and all things are possible for one who believes. That doesn’t mean that you get everything you want if you believe hard enough and in the right way, but that faith is always open to every possibility because with God nothing is impossible. c. When we truly understand this we don’t act like the woman in this story: “Many years ago there was a woman in Chicago whose child was desperately ill and who read in the papers that the great Austrian orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Adolf Lorenz, was in the city. In desperate faith she prayed that God would send the renowned specialist into her modest home to cure her child. There was no influence to summon him, no money to pay him — only her prayer. In the midst of a busy day, Dr. Lorenz went out on a walk to relax. He told his driver as they came to a humble residential area to let him out for an hour’s stroll and to pick him up at a designated place. In the midst of his walk a sudden violent rainstorm swept down over Chicago, and the stranded doctor sought shelter in a simple cottage near where he was walking — and surprise it was the very house where the praying mother and the sick child lived. But when he courteously gave his last name and asked for sanctuary from the rain, he was rudely refused admission. The next morning the Chicago papers carried the famous doctor’s indignant account of a poor housewife’s inhospitality to a man from another land seeking shelter from a storm. And in the home where it all happened, a shocked woman, who had not really expected God to send Adolf Lorenz, was overcome by sorrow because she had missed the opportunity that God had provided.”

3. And then when we understand Jesus we are brought to see that our perspective should be that of the father in this text as he said: “I believe, help my unbelief.”

a. You can’t say it any better than this. He is simultaneously believer and unbeliever. I believe Lord, and only you, the author of my faith, can deal with my unbelief. b. That’s a very Lutheran way of saying it. Simultaneously a sinner and a saint. A believer and an unbeliever. That’s you; that’s me. I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. In face of things where I cannot find a way out, where You, O Lord, appear not to be doing anything, help my unbelief. Teach me to trust You when You appear weak. Teach me to trust Your Word when it doesn’t appear to work. Teach me to trust your promises over and against my own reason and senses.”

CONCLUSION: Yes, in Dumbo the crows sang: “I’ve seen just about everything when I’ve seen an elephant fly.”  But for us there is no magic feather faith.  Jesus makes All things possible for one who believes, because with God nothing is impossible. This is all about trust. It’s about faith. It’s about prayer that is in tune with the will of God because it has heard and is shaped by the Word of God. So whether things are working out well or not; whether God is doing things your way or not; whether it “works” or not. We trust in the Lord. We trust His promises. We trust our Baptisms into Jesus’ death and resurrection.  He will raise you; He already has. The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Be Opened to the Treasure of Forgiveness

Title: “Be Opened to the Treasure of Forgiveness” By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: Mark 7:34-35  34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, Not that long ago Felicia and I were hooked on a series called “Switched at Birth.”  It’s about two girls who were literally switched at birth.  And you could tell by how each girl looked.  The red headed girl ended up with the Latina mother and the dark-haired girl ended up with the Irish parents. This was all discovered when the girls were about 16. Their solution was for them to form an unusual extended family with them all living on the same property – fortunately the Irish-American parents were quite rich and had a guest house to use.   This led to all sorts of story lines for the series. But none of that is important to our message today.  But one thing about their situation is important—one of the girls was deaf. This show gives a lot of insight into the deaf world.  You saw a lot of sign language.  And they used an effect that was striking.  Whenever one of the deaf would do the signing the scene would become totally silent, as if you were experiencing deafness yourself.  The effect of the silence got your attention every time.  That silence was loud.  They put subtitles at the bottom of the screen as if they were speaking a different language.

I. It gave you a tiny bit of the experience of being deaf.

A. Yes, here you had a faint sliver of a hint concerning one aspect of life that the deaf and mute man experienced in our text.

1.  The lamentable man lived in a world of silence and that is a deadly place to live, especially at the time of our text.

a. This poor soul was unable to hear a horse whinny and unable to marvel at the dove's morning song. The deaf man never heard his mother's spoken words. He could not hear the voice of his father's prayer at the table or a child's cry in the night. b. Had he gone to the synagogue, he would have been only able to watch a man mouth the words. If the communication was meant for him, well as the saying goes, it fell on deaf ears. c. The deafness he had could have caused him to end up like this: One of the saddest instances of deafness that I know is that of the composer of classical music, Ludwig van Beethoven. For a musician deafness would be the tragedy of tragedies. As he himself wrote on one occasion, "How sad is my lot, I must avoid all things that are dear to me." There was a terrible time when Beethoven was struggling to conduct an orchestra playing one of his own compositions. He could not hear even the full orchestra. Soon he was beating one time and the orchestra was playing another, and the performance disintegrated in disaster. There is a pathetic picture of him after he had given a piano recital, bent over the keyboard, oblivious to the applause that thundered about him. (3) He wrote on another occasion, "For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people ‘I am deaf.’ If I belonged to any other profession it would be easier, but in my profession it is a frightful state." Beethoven died a broken, bitter man.

2. With deaf ears, this man lived on a silent planet. He could easily have ended up a broken and bitter man.

a. A great chasm separated him from the others in this world. b. Oh, there were those who cared for the deaf and mute man, but they could do not open his ears.

B. But in a way that’s our world too.

1. In relation to God, this is exactly how we are when we come into this world—deaf.

a. From the moment of conception, we are sinful by nature. We are not able to hear His Word of Life on our own. For us there seems to be an awful silence from God. b. Because we are born sinful, we come into this world opposed to God’s saving word, unwilling to hear it.  In fact, by our sinful nature we are unable to hear it at all.

2. In fact, it’s not even a case, as some contend, that each of us is born with a neutral, free will with which we choose right or wrong when we are of age.  Scripture tells us that we of ourselves can do nothing to awaken our spiritually comatose souls.

a. For it would be just as ridiculous to suggest that the deaf man in today’s text could have chosen to hear if he’d wanted to!  We sinners can no more open our ears than a deaf person can simply one day decide to hear.  b. No. It takes God himself to help us.

II. So to the silence of the deaf man Jesus speaks his word: “Be opened.” In a way it’s like this: In the tales of the Arabian Nights, Ali Baba secretly follows the forty thieves to a cave where their treasure is hidden.  In doing so he learns that one enters the cave by speaking the words, “Open Sesame.”

A. Although the story is but a tale, it portrays well the power of the spoken word.  The spoken word from Jesus breaks into this silent world.

1. Jesus is not just another sinful human being. He’s the Son of God.

a. He puts His saliva on the man’s tongue—not a doctor-approved treatment in our day and age.  Then, looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is “Be opened.” b. He speaks to the man’s ears: Ephphatha. A funny sounding Aramaic word. Be opened. That’s all it takes from Jesus. One word. The man’s ears were opened. He could hear.

2. Notice the earthiness of it all.

a. Fingers in ears. Spit. Tongues touched. Not waving hands and incantations. b. God comes down to us, reaches down to where we are, sticks the fingers of His Word in our ears and says, “Ephphatha” to our deafness.

B. But Jesus didn’t come to start a movement. He didn’t come to be a wonder-working celebrity.  He came to die on a cross, because only that could cure our deafness to His word.

1. So Jesus He came to take all of God’s wrath that we deserve for our sin upon Himself on a cross at Golgotha.

a. He came to take the suffering and death we deserve for our sin.  He came to offer himself as the final sacrifice.  He came to die on our behalf and to suffer hell so we don’t have to.  b. He came to save the world. He didn’t come to fix every deaf ear and tied tongue. But He came to lay down His life as the one and only sacrifice that atones for our sins. He came to bring life and salvation. He came to see humanity through death to resurrection.

2. Jesus, in this miracle and by all His miracles, would point us through the cross to the resurrection. The healings that Jesus did in His life were only the beginnings, the very slightest beginning of the great miracles and gifts He will give on the last day in the resurrection.

III. And Jesus speaks “be opened” today too.

A. Just as Ali Baba needed to say the precise words to open the cave, here, then, is for you there are two words that God wants you to hear:

1. The first word God wants you to hear starts like this: Generations of preachers at Princeton Seminary were schooled in their preaching skills by Dr. Donald Macleod. Among the points Dr. Macleod would make during the semester was the importance of choosing a compelling sermon title. In fact, he asked students to give their sermon title before beginning each sermon. He used to tell of Mrs. O'Leary who would hop on the Fifth Avenue bus on Sunday morning in Manhattan and pass the great churches along that thoroughfare. As the bus would approach each church, she would eye the sign in front with the sermon title and decided, on the basis of what she read, whether to get off the bus and attend that church. Dr. Macleod's constant refrain was, "Pick a title that will make Mrs. O'Leary get off the bus." Mindful of that instruction, one of his aspiring preachers mounted the pulpit one morning for his first student sermon. Per protocol before beginning his message, he announced: "The title of my sermon is...'There's a Bomb on the Bus.'"  God’s message begins with a warning about our sin.  It’s like that bomb on the bus.  And we are deaf because of our sin.  He’s warning us that our sin will destroy us unless remedied. 2. But the message doesn’t end there.  He also announces to you that You are forgiven. Forgiveness is the cure for the sin which is our bomb on the bus.

a. Forgiveness means God does not count your sins against you.  Every one of your sins He forgives.  b. Your Heavenly Father does not speak any word against you because Jesus died and rose again for you.  And this word of forgiveness, which today is in your ears, is the precise word that God wants you to hear.  And through this gracious word, God opens your heart to believe that you are, for Jesus’ sake, forgiven.

B. In the tale of the Forty Thieves, Ali Baba opened the cave to take the treasure out.  Not so with God.  He speaks His Word to you, not to take from you, but to give His treasure to you.  And His treasure is life with Him now and forever.  This treasure is yours now, because His word delivers this treasure to you.

1. In the waters of Holy Baptism, He cleaned out your ears with His Word. He gave you faith—ears to hear His Word. This forgiveness—this healing from sin—is a far greater miracle than the one in our text: because when you are forgiven, you have the promise of eternal healing. No matter what afflicts you today it will be gone in heaven.   2. So the same Lord, who spoke to the deaf-mute and healed him, has also spoken His healing, Word to you. Furthermore, the same Lord, who put His fingers in that man’s ears and touched his tongue, gives you His same body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Salvation is yours because of Jesus coming to you today.

CONCLUSION: Jesus wants to do for you what He did for that man in the Decapolis that day. He wants to stick His Word into your ears, to cut through deafness, to open your ears, your minds, your hearts. He speaks His “Ephphatha” to you. “Be opened.” And once our ears are open He gives us great treasures.  Treasures of life and healing and salvation – eternal treasures.  And these treasures move us to have mouths which are instruments of worship and witness, declaring the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His light.  And now it’s OK to talk about it. No commands of silence now.  Amen.

He is the Bread

Title: He is the Bread By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: Exodus 16:14-15  14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.  15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. John 6:35  5 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

I. My dear friends in Christ,  This video is the necessary background for our text: [Video: Prince of Egypt – Parting of the Red Sea]

A. “Wow! God that was great.“ So, God, You've created the dry ground with the wall of water to the right and to the left for Israel to walk through. You've swept the Egyptians who pursued into the sea.

1. So, God before that You made the plagues—the blood flowing, the flies bothering, the hail destroying, the frogs inhabiting, the animals dying, the locusts devouring, the gnats pestering, the boils hurting, the darkness blinding. So, God, You’ve sent the angel of death throughout the night as the firstborn died. 2. So, God, You've caused Egypt to give their gold and silver and clothing. You’ve plundered the Egyptians for Israel.

B. So, God, what are you going to do next? The people of Israel are in the wilderness, and they’re grumbling.  It’s like they were saying, “So, God what are you going to do next? It better be good” they imply.

1. Yes, they’re not in Egypt anymore, where their faulty memories saw them having lots to eat including loaves of bread and pots of meat.

a. That’s what they say to Moses, though they conveniently leave out the part where they were slaves. They fail to mention the hard labor and the cruelty of Pharaoh. They fail to mention the part where Pharaoh decreed that their newborn sons must be murdered. b. No, they’ve conveniently forgotten all the bad parts about Egypt, and they’re focused on the food they used to eat.

2. Well, okay.  People get tired, worn out, burnt out and don’t think clearly. So after years of wandering around the desert, I can understand it if the gripe count starts to climb. But this isn’t after years of wandering in the desert.  The people aren’t worn out from years of wandering. The Red Sea is recent history—it’s weeks not years.

a. But rather than rely on the Lord, they adopt a short-sighted, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude and grumble: "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt,..."  So soon after the Lord’s mighty miracle at the Red Sea, they’re convinced that He’s going to let them die. b.  We note a few things about the Israelites, because they’re uncomfortably way too much like sinners today…like us today. For one thing, they’re incredibly short-sighted—like we are. Rather than remember God’s mighty saving acts, we forget all of that as we face our current crises.

C. And then God does the next thing.  He sends the “Bread from heaven.”

1. When it first appeared they asked "What's this stuff?"  And thus came the name, manna.  Manna simply means "what is this?"  At first it was okay.  It kept their tummies from growling; it nourished their bodies.  2. But after a while they grew tired of it.  It was the same all the time. It wasn’t “big” enough. It wasn’t a spectacular miracle.  So the grumbling returned.  They had forgotten God’s mighty saving acts.

II. In our Gospel Lesson Jesus meets people with the same attitude.

A. Just the day before, Jesus had fed more than five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish.

1. But that was too plain and ordinary. Had He smacked His hands together and caused lightning to flash and through that caused a smorgasbord of food to appear before all the people, that would have grabbed their attention.  But breaking off pieces of bread and fish to have His disciples give to the people?  Even though it was a miracle, it's not that exciting to anyone.

a. But Jesus was never one to incite drama.  He healed the sick not with wild waves of His hands, but quietly.  He did not create loud thunderstorms; but He stopped the thunder and told the winds to be still.  Even the dead He raised with plain, ordinary words.  b. Let's face the fact that with Jesus, what you get is not a flashy, exciting miracle-worker, but a plain, simple, ordinary Man sent by God to save those who are lost.

2. We must realize mankind’s appetite for miracles is never satisfied. Faith based on miracles needs miracles to keep it going; and when the miracles cease then faith ceases too.

a. And Remember that because we’re infected too. Don’t think you aren’t. If you had been on the hillside and on the receiving end of Jesus’ multiplying the bread, you would have wanted a repeat performance. Or maybe something more. Something bigger. Perhaps bread isn’t enough. Or maybe a miracle just for you, your own little personal miracle. b. So you would be hooked, too. You’d look for more and greater and more glorious. Your list would become endless. Our vending machine who art in heaven. But that’s not the way of Jesus’ giving. He is not only the bread giver, He is the Bread. He is the “bread of God” that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

B. To turn them around He tells them that He is someone better than Moses and gives something better than manna.

1. God sent manna to the Israelites every day for forty years; and yet remarkable as that miracle was, it was only to point to the greater miracle of God sending His Son to earth.

a. To demonstrate His godhood, Jesus performed miracles and fed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish; but this, too, was only to point to the greater miracle of Him being sent from God to save. b. He came to do what is required for the salvation of the world. He will live the perfect, obedient life. He will suffer God's judgment on the cross and die for the sins of the world.  As Jesus provided food for a multitude, He has won salvation for the world by His death and resurrection.

2. He’s the long-awaited Savior. He’s come to deliver them from this sinful world. Jesus tells them to forget about the bread and fish--He's not here to be the daily meal ticket.

a. He tells them that He is the Son of Man, come with God the Father's approval to give them everlasting life. He’s come to deliver them to the Promised Land of heaven. What great news! b. But they don’t like the way Jesus is going about saving them. They want Him to be different. They want the flash, the spectacular.

III  And this same Jesus speaks to you today.  Maybe as inconspicuously as this: A story is told of Sadhu Sundar Singh, a converted Sikh, who became a Christian missionary in India many years ago. Singh was distributing Gospels in India and he came to some non-Christians on the railway train and offered a man a copy of John’s Gospel. The man took it, tore it in pieces in anger and threw the pieces out of the window. That seemed to be the end of the story, but it so happened, there was a man anxiously seeking for truth walking along the line that very day. He picked up a little bit of paper as he walked along and looked at it. The words on the bit of paper were in his own language. They said simply, “the Bread of Life.” He didn’t know what that meant; but he inquired among his friends. One of them said: “I can tell you; it is out of the Christian book. You must not read it or you will be defiled.” The man thought for a moment and then said: “I want to read the book that contains that beautiful phrase, the Bread of Life.” He bought a copy of the New Testament. He was shown where the sentence, “I am the Bread of Life” was.  As he studied the gospel, light flooded into his heart. He not only became a follower of Jesus Christ, he became a preacher of the gospel in India. “That little bit of paper through God’s Spirit was indeed the Bread of life to him, satisfying his deepest need.” (3)

A. Like that He speaks to you not with flash and drama, but with words you understand; words that may not excite your senses but which put His Spirit to work within you. Like most people we are tempted to seek the dramatic.  You will not find that here.  But you will find Christ; or better said, he finds you through His ordinary means of grace--His Word and Sacraments.

1. "I forgive you all your sins," you heard Christ say earlier through the mouth of His servant.  Nothing flashy; just the plain truth that God is merciful to you.  2. He’s called you to be His own in Holy Baptism—made you His own child—nothing flashy just water and the word. 3. "Take and eat..." you will hear in a few minutes; "Take and drink for the remission of your sins..."  Not delicacies to excite the tongue, but plain, simple bread and wine for your mouth and with it, Jesus' flesh and blood for your salvation.

B. And All that we do here week after week, after years and years, may seem to be pretty mundane and boring.   But It's just like manna in the desert.  It's bread from heaven.  Nothing too exiting to the senses.  Nothing too dramatic.

1. But in and through it Jesus is here, and with Jesus, you get an ordinary Savior--one who spread out His arms and died for you; one who made you His own in the plain, simple water of baptism.  2. Likewise, the Lord tells you that the Promised Land is coming.  In the meantime, He bids you to a daily feeding of His Word. He calls you to a frequent partaking of His Supper. He calls you to these things because that is where He gives you forgiveness, life and salvation.

C. You and I will still be tempted to grumble that His Word and Sacraments are just too mundane.

1. But in spite of our grumbling Christ the Bread from heaven still comes to you, but there is no mighty rushing wind, ...nothing but the sound of the church bells ringing and the organ music playing. 2. And still God calls us to rise up in the morning and come to God’s House for Christ is here--here in the Word for your ears, here in bread and wine for your mouth. Here to give out forgiveness.

CONCLUSION: Yes, Jesus is set here before you. He is the Bread of Life. The people of old complained over and over about the manna as time went on. And so do we. It’s the same thing Sunday after Sunday. The same hymns. The same creeds. The same Scripture readings. We use the same words in church year after year. Many out there have turned away from the same food on their plate each week. But friends, God gave manna to the people then. He gives the Bread of Life to you today. It’s not steak and pie. It’s bread. Our church service will not draw in those who want excitement in their worship, but if you want Christ--if you want what God gives, --then you are in the right place.

You Are Mine

Title: You are Mine By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: Genesis 9:9   9 "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you,…    12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  13 I have set my bow in the cloud,  ….    16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, . Do you remember the story in  the movie Finding Nemo? It's about Marlin the clown fish who sets out across the big blue ocean to rescue his son, Nemo. As Marlin searches he meets various unusual characters: a fish with continuous memory loss; a shark who is trying to give up eating fish; a surfer turtle; and then some odd seagulls.  The seagulls were memorable. The seagulls played a small part. They had one line. No, one word. MINE! Mine, mine, mine.

I. Do you ever say those words? I'm sure you do.  Mine, mine, mine.  But maybe we don’t say them out loud.

A. Yes if we are honest we are too much like those birds.  It’s part of our sinful self that has far more influence than we’d care to admit.  Like this:

1. A room full of toddlers, all having fun. In the corner is little Billy with a fire truck. He's happy and content, having lots of fun. Sam notices and runs over. "My truck." Mine, mine, mine . . . a treasured possession. 2. The Black Friday sales are going on. The line just to get into the store is long. Then the doors open. The store clerks say, "No running," without effect. The crowd pushes and shoves to get the greatest deal of the season. That TV, that new phone, that gaming system is . . . mine, mine, mine . . . a treasured possession.” 3. A couple goes to a bar for drinks and dancing. He goes to the restroom; when he returns, another guy is talking to his date. He's jealous and says: “Mine, mine, mine.” 4. Two people are up for the promotion. They started at the company at the same time. Both have been successful, leading various projects. One gets the promotion. The other is jealous. He cries out, "Mine, mine, mine." Oh, we know these feelings well! A treasured possession! We love it! A jealousy because we love it! Mine, mine, mine.

B. We know how to treasure a possession, and so does God! Did you know God feels that way about you? But He can treasure possession without sin.

1. Consider the flood. It was unlike anything mankind has seen before or since. The flood was, without doubt, a holocaust of enormous and exceptional proportions.

a. One day everything was normal, and then . . . the deluge!  b. The water rose for 40 days, and the whole earth remained flooded for 150 days. From this we learn that God is in charge.

2. After the great flood and Noah's ark, God told Noah and his family that we would always be special to him. He made a special promise to Noah and to us that he would never destroy the world again by a flood. That was a way of saying you are God's treasured possession.

II. So as God created the world, he then re-created it after the flood. And in that recreated world He set the rainbow in the cloud. The rainbow is a sign of His covenant.

A. With that rainbow He established his covenant with “you all,” plural—that is, all of you! He established his covenant with every living creature. He established his covenant for all future generations. And he remembers His covenant.

1.  His covenant is everlasting and His covenant endures.

a. His covenant is with Noah. His covenant is with Abraham.  His covenant is with David. His covenant is with Israel. It’s God's covenant. b. His covenant is with you. He says you are Mine! Yes, without a doubt, you are God's treasured possession. God said so himself. He said, "When the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant."

2. Sometimes I think we struggle with the meaning of the term “covenant.”  It’s not commonly used today.  So what is the covenant?  Ultimately it means that He gives us a promise to never forsake us. And he hasn't! Jesus Christ is God saying “I will never, never, no way ever, never leave or forsake you.” That's like saying, "You are mine, mine, forever mine, mine, mine."

a. On that fateful night in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Mt 26:39). Jesus did the will of the Father. b. Jesus did the will of the Father and stood before Caiaphas, stood before Herod, stood before Pilate. c. Jesus did the will of the Father and took the beating, the scourging. d. Jesus did the will of the Father and endured the weight of the cross. e. Jesus did the will of the Father and willingly gave up his spirit on the cross for you. f. But more than that, he rose on Easter morn for you. He paid for your sin and rose from the dead so that you can be his. So that he can possess you for your benefit.

B. Now He comes to you to apply His covenant to you.  A covenant signaled by the rainbow and in another significant way.

1. Scientifically we know that a rainbow is formed by the sun shining on the droplets of water in the clouds. So a rainbow is made up of sun and water and God's promise.  His covenant is with you, It was first given to Noah, and was attached to the S-U-N and the water.

a. Consider with me our baptism into Christ.  Doesn’t it show the same pattern as the rainbow?  God's promise there is attached to the S-O-N and the water.  When the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is in the water of Holy Baptism; when His words are joined to the water, there is God's everlasting promise for you. b. God's rainbow covenant is joined to the beautiful creation formed when the sunshine comes into contact with the water in the clouds.  God's baptismal promise is joined to the beautiful creation--you--which came about when His Son, our Lord, joined Himself with the water in the font to make you a child of promise.  c. Just as the rainbow is a sign, so is your baptism.  The bow tells us that God will never again pour out His wrath like a flood upon the earth.  The sign of your baptism tells you that because God's Son was poured out upon you, and into you, with the water, He is never angry at you; He will never punish you for your sinful behavior; He is at peace with you; He forgives you.

2. Even more than the rainbow, your baptism is that place where you see the merciful God gazing upon you. As with a rainbow, so your baptism is a sign from God.

a. Wherever you go in life...walking down the sidewalks, driving the streets...there is a rainbow covering you--the bow of your baptism into Christ Jesus. b. Your baptism reminds you daily that you are God's child; and even more, when God sees that rainbow over you, He remembers that Jesus' blood covers you; that because of your baptism you are always His forgiven one.

3. God calls you his treasured possession!  And He says it over and over:

a. Ex 19:5: “Out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” b. Deut 7:6: “The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” c. Ps 135:4: “For the LORD has chosen [you] to be his own, to be his treasured possession.”

III.  God calls you his treasured possession, and he is jealous for you! He said: [Ex 20:5]: "I the LORD your God am a jealous God." He said: [Deut 5:9]: "You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God."

A. God calls you his treasured possession, and he is jealous for you! Yes, he becomes jealous when you go off and about away from Him.

1. When we think we belong only to ourselves, God says “Mine.”

a. When we think we're in charge, God says “Mine.”  When we think we're in control, God says “Mine.”    b. Like this: During the summer of 2013, travelers boarded a Las Vegas to Phoenix flight. The plane left the gate but wasn't cleared for takeoff due to mechanical problems. So it sat on the tarmac, and it sat for hours. Hours on the hot tarmac. Hours without air conditioning, without food, without water. People were stuck for hours on the plane. Two people even passed out. And then something happened. Whether it was a joke or the person thought he could change things, a man held up his portable music player and belted out the song "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly. The passengers banded together in song, but it didn't change the situation. As sinful human beings, we think we're in charge, in control, can change things. But we always crash.

2. Then His word calls us back from our delusions that we can fly on our own.  He calls us back from the idea that we belong to ourselves.

a. As He is reminded of His covenant by the rainbow, we are reminded by our baptism.  His word reminds us that when we misbehave we are still His treasured possessions.  But He calls us back from our misbehavior. God says you are (point) “Mine, mine, mine.”  b. When we are running away from Him, we are still His treasured possession.  God says you are (point) “Mine, mine, mine.”  c. When you are in trouble because we are caught in a sin.  God calls you away from that sin. And God says to you (point) “Mine, mine, mine”

B. His Word reminds us that When Jesus was born at Christmas, God was saying you are (point) "Mine, mine, mine."

1. When Jesus died on Good Friday, God was saying you are (point) "Mine, mine, mine."  When Jesus rose on Easter morning, God was saying you are (point) "Mine, mine, mine."  2. When you were baptized with the water and the word, God was saying “Mine, mine, mine.   When you receive His body and blood in the Supper, God is saying: “Mine, mine, mine.”

CONCLUSION: You think you got it? God says you are (point) "Mine, mine, mine." Yes, you are God's treasured possession! GOD'S COVENANT SAYS MINE, MINE, MINE OF US, HIS TREASURED POSSESSIONS.  And He brings us to believe just that.  "You are mine, mine, forever mine, mine, mine." In Jesus' name. Amen!