St. Paul Lutheran Church, Mayville, MI

09/11/2026

Dear friends, below you will find the content of our service bulletin for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 13th, 2026, along with the text of the day's sermon. The sermon video was posted earlier today. God bless your worship at home!

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 13, 2026

Love Thy Neighbor

ORDER OF SERVICE: Service of Word & Sacrament (page 26 in Christian Worship.) Please see the note regarding our communion practice on the next page.

HYMNS: 493; 521; 312; 494

PRAYER OF THE DAY: Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

LESSONS:

First Lesson: Ezekiel 33:7-11

But I have appointed you, son of man, to be a watchman for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them from me. When I say to a wicked man, “Wicked man, you shall surely die,” if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die because of his guilt, but you will have saved your life. So you, son of man, say the following to the house of Israel. This is what you people are saying: “Certainly our rebellion and our sins weigh us down, and because of them we are rotting away. How then can we live?” Say to them, “As I live, declares the LORD God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?” (EHV)

PSALM OF THE DAY: 51a (Page 86 in Christian Worship)

Second Lesson: Romans 13:1-10

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience. For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed. Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet (and if there is any other commandment)—are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law. (EHV)

VERSE OF THE DAY: Alleluia. The Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Alleluia.

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them. (EHV)

SERMON for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 13 September 2026

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Amen.

The sermon for our consideration this morning is based on all three of our Scripture lessons, recorded in the prophecy of Ezekiel, the letter of Paul to the Romans, and the Gospel of Matthew.

My dear neighbors, brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. If you were standing on a train platform, and saw someone who wasn’t paying attention about to step off the platform into the path of an arriving train, what would you do? Under most circumstances, you would probably reach out your hand to grab that person’s clothing and pull them out of harm’s way, correct? Likewise, if you saw your son or daughter about to parachute off the roof of your house using a bedsheet, you would, more than likely, act to stop him or her. Humans, even the wisest and smartest among us, do foolish, even stupid things, and those who care about others will reach out to stop them from harming themselves. That’s the loving thing to do. That’s the Christian thing to do. And what could be more loving, more Christian, than reaching out to stop your neighbor from plummeting into hell? Friends, love thy neighbor!

An invading army approaches a town in the night. The watchman sits there—he does not raise an alarm or cry out. The army breaks the gate before an adequate defense can be raised, and puts the whole town to the sword. Who’s to blame? The enemy? Well, it can be argued that such things happen in war and the objectives of an army may justify the destruction of a city…the Israelites did the same in their conquest of Canaan. So I’ll ask again: who’s to blame? The watchman who failed to give warning! Their blood is on his hands! Likewise, God says through his prophet Ezekiel, be a watchman…not the one who failed his duty, but the one who sounds a warning. For if you see your neighbor in danger of hell, and do nothing to warn him of his danger, it is not God’s fault if he goes to hell. It is his fault, yes, but his blood is on your hands! So sound the warning! Do not let fear stop your tongue. Do not let your dislike of your neighbor’s color or appearance or political affiliation keep you from loving him.

Maybe you think because you’re not a called worker or a church leader, then it’s not your job to serve as a watchman for others. Wrong! Some argue that the passage in Ezekiel was only for Ezekiel as he preached to God’s Old Testament people. Wrong! Does not all of Scripture cry out that God does not want the wicked (and that’s all of us, by the way) to perish, but to repent and live in him? And whom has he sent (recall the Great Commission) to make these wicked into repentant disciples of Jesus? Need I say it?

Dear friends, we are required by our God to stand as the watchmen (and women) for the human race! Your faith is not something to be kept in a box. Your love is not to be given to God and your fellow believers alone, but to all people. And that love is most greatly demonstrated in your concern for their eternal future. Merely being here, being a member of St. Paul or St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, is simply not sufficient. Sure, your faith is sufficient for you, but if your God commands you to reach your hand out and stop your neighbor from falling into hell, and you fail, or refuse to do so, what are you doing with your faith? Is that how you love your neighbor?

And since we have heard from Paul today, let’s recall that loving your neighbor includes obeying the governing authorities God has placed over you. Yes, we must always remember that we are not to obey when they command us to do what is contrary to God’s will, but even then, respectful disobedience is not to become open rebellion. In this country, we even have the freedom to speak against our government and its policies, and this is God-pleasing, but not if such speech advocates open rebellion against the government’s God-given authority.

Now, I think it’s safe for me to assume that the faithful before me would not cheat on their taxes, so I won’t talk about that, but since we’re talking about obedience to the governing authorities, let’s use the example of speeding. Yes, I harp on that one a lot, because very few listen to me, so I’ll harp on it again. If government is instituted by God, which it is, and government has the authority from God to legislate laws to maintain order and public safety, which it does, which of our nation’s traffic laws are we free to ignore? Does the fact that most police departments won’t pull you over until you’re 11 mph over the limit mean you can go 65 in a 55 without breaking the Fourth Commandment? Do the excuses “everyone drives this fast” or “I was just keeping up with traffic” mean you haven’t sinned? Well, are you a thinking, feeling, loving human being, or a lemming? How often is rolling through a stop sign just accident, and when does it become sinful habit? Does the safety of the family you’re tailgating mean nothing to you? Why is “love thy neighbor” so often forgotten when we get behind the wheel?

Has the law done its job? Has it convicted you, yet? It has certainly convicted me. Each of you, I’m sure, has had cause to feel guilty about something in the past 7 or 8 minutes. And you should, because the law’s purpose is to show us our sin. But we won’t leave here wallowing in our guilt. That’s not the ultimate purpose of God’s Word, nor of this sermon. Its purpose, rather, is to remind you why we love our neighbor…why we can love our neighbor, by making his safety and life as important as our own, and warning him of the eternal danger caused by unbelief and sin.

Friends, all of the lessons we have heard here today are not law, but gospel! Ezekiel was sent by God to condemn the sins of God’s people, that they might repent and be saved. Paul reminds us that God established government and its authority for our good, that we might be able to live peaceful lives as we live in and for the Lord. Even when we break the law, the sword that is given to the government is to be used to correct us, not destroy us. In our gospel, Jesus gave us a rubrik for reaching out to pull a sinner back from the precipice of unrepentance, unbelief, and ultimately, hell.

I have been privileged, the past two months, to teach Lutheran dogmatics to eight seminary students in Kenya. Recently, we’ve been discussing the cause of our redemption. Friends, it is God’s grace and only his grace, the freely given, unearned, love of our God. And we see his grace clearly at work when he uses his law to show us our sin and lead us to repentance. For only when we repent of our sins, against those we ought to have loved, are we ready to receive the forgiveness he won for us.

And he won us that forgiveness by his supreme act of love: he became one of us. (And let me switch pronouns here.) God, who needs nothing from you, nevertheless gave himself to you. He became a human being so he could keep the law you couldn’t, and frankly, refused, to keep, for you. Then he took his perfect life and let it be nailed to a cross, and he took your sins to that cross with him, so when he gave up his life, his death paid for those sins, for all your failures or refusals to love your neighbor.

All this, my friends, because it is not God’s wish to condemn and destroy you, but that you would repent and live. And by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, you know that this loving will of your God of grace has been accomplished. You live, because he lived, and died, and lives again…for you. By his redemptive work God the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, reached out and pulled you back from hell. Though you have often failed to love your neighbor, he never failed to love you, and never failed to do everything necessary to rescue you.

So, why do we love our neighbor? Because God first loved unlovable us, saw our pathetic state and did what was necessary to save us, and then gave us faith to trust and love him. Why can you love your neighbor, whether he loves you or not? Same answer. Your faith, which is God’s love, lives in you…share it with those who need it.

Amen.

And may the Lord of peace himself give you peace, at all times and in every way. Amen.

Send a message to learn more

09/11/2026

https://youtu.be/RpLMeRuf-j4

"Love Thy Neighbor," pericope lessons and a sermon based on all of ...

09/06/2026

https://youtu.be/s87_-tVdFJE

"What is True Friendship?" pericope texts and a sermon based on all...

09/05/2026

Dear friends, below you will find the content of our service bulletin for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 6th, 2026, along with the text of the day's sermon. The video sermon will be posted early tomorrow (Sunday) morning. God bless your worship at home!

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 6, 2026

What is True Friendship?

ORDER OF SERVICE: Morning Praise (page 45 in Christian Worship.)

HYMNS: 581; 411, 327

PRAYER OF THE DAY: O Lord Jesus Christ, preserve the congregation of believers with your never-failing mercy. Help us avoid whatever is wicked and harmful, and guide us in the way that leads to our salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

LESSONS:

First Lesson: Jeremiah 15:15-21

You know, Lord. Remember me and attend to me, and take vengeance for me upon those who persecute me. According to your forbearance, do not take me away. Know that for your sake I bear reproach.
Your words were found, and I ate them. And your words became a joy for me, and the gladness of my heart. For I am called by your name: the Lord, God of Armies.
For I did not sit in the circle of those who mock, and rejoice. Because of you, I remained apart, for you had filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain enduring, and my wound incurable? Why has it refused to be healed? Will you be for me like a deceptive stream, that does not last?
Therefore, thus says the Lord: "If you return, I will restore you—you will stand before me. And if you bring forth what is precious, rather than worthless, you will be my spokesman. Let them turn to you, not you to them."
"And I will set you as a fortified wall of bronze for this people. They will fight you, but will not prevail against you, for I am with you, to save you and deliver you. The declaration of the Lord."
"I will deliver you from the hands of the wicked, and I will ransom you from the grasp of ruthless men."

PSALM OF THE DAY: Psalm 121 (Page 112 in Christian Worship)

Second Lesson: Romans 12:1-8

Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.
So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully. (EHV)

VERSE OF THE DAY: Alleluia. Your words became a joy to me, and the delight of my heart. Alleluia. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-26

From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised again.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “May you receive mercy, Lord! This will never happen to you.”
But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a snare to me because you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. In fact whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. After all, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul?” (EHV)

Sermon on Friendship for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 6 September 2026
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
The sermon for our meditation this morning is based on all three of our Scripture lessons, recorded in the prophecy of Jeremiah, the letter of Paul to the Romans, and the Gospel of Matthew.
Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord, Savior, and friend, Jesus Christ. What kind of friend are you? Would you loan your car to a friend? Would you help him move? Would you drive him to a busy airport? How far would you go for a friend? Do you take him to task when he does something wrong, or is your friendship the kind that looks the other way? This Friendship Sunday, let’s examine that concept of friendship, in light of our lessons for today. What is True Friendship?

I. What it is NOT
First, let’s talk about what friendship is NOT.
The prophet Jeremiah didn’t have any friends. You know, he really had it tough. God called him to be his prophet, his messenger to the thoroughly corrupt nation of Judah, in the years leading up to and following the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and even through the first few years of exile.
Nobody listened to him…and I mean NOBODY. That must have been impossible to live with…and even this faithful man did give in to despair for a time, as we read in our lesson from his prophecy this morning. He began to doubt the God who sent him.
I wonder how you or I would have done in his place. In the midst of a lifetime of preaching condemnation and destruction, for which he received nothing but derision, persecution and physical torment, would it not have been tempting, just for little while, to water down the message a little bit, or to speak the fire-and-brimstone a little more softly, just so you could have one week—one day—without all that suffering?
But Jeremiah would not have been a friend to those people if he had done that…nor a friend to God, who called him to give one last warning to his people, that some might repent and be saved.
And since we’re talking about friends of God, what about Peter, in our Gospel for today? Do you think that Peter and Jesus were friends? I think it would be safe to say they were. And isn’t it the job of a good friend to cheer his friend up? “Don’t talk like that, Jesus! Why all the doom and gloom? You’re not going to die…at least not while I’m around.”
Is that friendship? Peter had just called Jesus the Christ…he was the first to call him that…and how did he expect Jesus was going to carry out the duty of the Christ, to save the people from their sins? He certainly wasn’t going to do it by “making nice.” I guess Peter found the idea of Jesus dying to be too depressing.
Had Peter been listening to Jesus, and understanding exactly what the Messiah, or Christ, had to do, he would have known to support his friend, not rebuke him.
Where do you stand? Are you a Peter, or a doubting Jeremiah? What’s your reason for not being the best friend anyone could have, by telling another about the Savior? What are you afraid of?
Now I know you might think that I’ve harped on this quite a lot in the past. You’re right, I have…and I will again…I guarantee that. I really haven’t been doing it enough, though…I haven’t witnessed to everyone I could have, and I bet you haven’t, either.
Paul in his letter to the Romans urges believers to use their gifts for the good of the Church, and he presents a list so they have some idea what gifts he’s talking about. Whenever you hear a list like that, do you put a mental check mark next to the gifts you think you might have? Do you put a check mark next to ‘witnessing’ or ‘teaching’? I think that answer is probably “NO.” Most Christians think they can’t do it…but why? Because they’re afraid of the negative response they might get…they’re afraid of losing a friend. Well, what kind of friendship is that, and is it a healthy friendship, if telling someone about his Savior would jeopardize it? And while we’re on the topic of witnessing or teaching gifts…are you telling me that you’ve never called up a friend to tell him about your new baby boy? Have you never shown your teenager how to change the oil in the car? “Well, it’s harder to talk about Jesus, Pastor.” NO, IT IS NOT!! If you can tell your friends and family about your engagement, or teach your child how to tie her shoes, do you really think it’s harder to tell someone about the greatest thing that has ever happened in your entire life?
A comedian once told this story. (Omitted - the story may be proprietary.) I don’t think this comedian has the first clue what a friend is…a friend doesn’t support you in a sin that would cause you to land in jail. A true friend would stop you from doing it, not come along for the ride. A true friend tells you what you need to hear, whether you like it or not.

II. What it IS
Let’s go back and talk about Jeremiah again. Do you want to know what kind of message Jeremiah had to preach? It’s in the beginning of chapter 15:
Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.’
“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the LORD, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy….”

The Lord had had it! Jeremiah didn’t have Jonah’s message of “repent or be destroyed,” but only “be destroyed.” This was “fire and brimstone” at its harshest. And yet he preached it. Though we hear his doubts and the Lord’s rebuke, the rest of Jeremiah’s life is characterized by faithful service in witnessing the truth to his people…and the hatred he received in return for it.
Can you imagine living as he did? No friends…at all…but God was with him.
And so with the strength the Lord gave him, Jeremiah continued, even though nobody listened, even though even the Lord knew these people would not repent and he would carry out his threats against them. He continued because he loved his Lord and he shared the love of the Lord for these obstinate people – the love of a true friend, that one of them might repent. Though it brought him only heartbreak and sadness, he continued in the Lord’s work, because the love of the Lord was enough for him.
And what about Peter, he who rebuked Jesus for talking about his death as if it was a BAD thing, he who denied Jesus three times in order to save his own skin? Well, Peter had been restored by the forgiving love of Christ (sound familiar?), and it was love for Christ and his neighbors that moved him to preach about Jesus, even when he was dragged before the Sanhedrin and threatened with punishment or death if he continued.
And look at the example set by our greatest friend, Jesus.
Though he was reviled, tortured and taunted by many, he did not respond in hatred and anger, because he was living a sinless life for us, keeping the Law perfectly so that his perfection could be substituted for our imperfection.
And though he could have saved himself from death (you’ll note that several times he miraculously escaped those who sought to kill him), he didn’t come down from that Cross, because he was dying to save us.
And even as he sits in heavenly glory, he still has time for us, to hear our prayers, intercede for us with his Father, and even to continue his work as a carpenter, as he prepares a room for each of us in heaven.

III. As members of Christ’s body, we are to be the friends of all
So, what kind of friends are you, my friends?
Jeremiah died in exile, surrounded by his own people, and not a friend among them. Yet he was a true friend to them. Peter and most of the other apostles died for witnessing Christ. You, too, as members of Christ’s body, the Church, are being asked to give your life in the name of Jesus…not to die for him, but to live for him, bearing witness in your life and your words to the life-giving promise that we have forgiveness and a home in heaven. Can you be that kind of friend? That’s what true friendship is. Amen.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Amen.

THIS WEEK AT ST. PAUL:

September 7: Labor Day
September 8: Office hours in Mayville
September 9: Bible Study at 10:00 am
September 10: Thursday worship with communion at 7:00 pm
September 13: Sunday worship with communion at 8:30 am;
Sunday school following worship

08/29/2026

Dear friends, below you will find the content of our service bulletin for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, August 30th, 2026, along with the text of the day's sermon. The sermon video was posted yesterday. God bless your worship at home!

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 30, 2026

To God be the Glory!

ORDER OF SERVICE: The Common Service (page 15 in Christian Worship.) Please see the note regarding our communion practice on the next page.

HYMNS: 260; 399; 311; 338

PRAYER OF THE DAY: Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

LESSONS:

First Lesson— Exodus 6:2–8

Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name, the LORD, I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they were residing as aliens. I certainly have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have remembered my covenant.
“Therefore tell the Israelites, ‘I am the LORD. I will bring you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will deliver you from being their slaves. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God, the one who brought you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’” (EHV)

Psalm of the day: 34 (Page 80 in Christian Worship)

Second Lesson— Romans 11:33–36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how untraceable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his adviser?”
“Or who has first given to God that he will be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. (EHV)

VERSE OF THE DAY: Alleluia. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Alleluia. (Hebrews 11:1)

Gospel—Matthew 16:13–20

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (EHV)

SERMON on Romans 11:33-36 for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, 30 August 2026

Grace, mercy and peace be yours in abundance! Amen.

The lesson for your consideration this morning is recorded in Paul’s letter to the Romans 11:33-36.

Dear brothers and sisters, children of our God. Let’s keep this short and simple, shall we? Most human beings believe there is something, some other life or phase of existence, beyond our lives here on earth – beyond death. And almost all who believe in an afterlife also believe that conditions there will be determined by how our lives proceed here on earth. The Hindu wants good karma to outweigh bad karma, so the soul will float up to the next level in the cycle of reincarnation; Buddhists seek to escape that cycle by eliminating all striving from their hearts and reaching Nirvana. For the Muslim, if good deeds outweigh evil deeds, you'll enjoy paradise – unless you’re a jihadist, whose death in holy war allows one to escape the weighing of deeds and proceed automatically to paradise. For the Christian, however, you need only look to the sacrifice of Christ and his merits for your salvation – or do you?
We must acknowledge that while the confession of the Christian church is that one only needs faith in Jesus to go to heaven, many Christians live as the unbelievers, as if God somehow needs our help to bring us there.

Our sinful human nature leads us to this false belief. Human nature is so full of itself that it demands a place in salvation – it cannot accept that God has the power to bring us to heaven by himself.
We call this the opinio legis – the “opinion of the law,” that we can keep God’s law and/or do good works on our own, and thus please God. Oh, good works do please God, but they won’t bring us to heaven, because we are sinful, and as long as we remain in our sin, we don’t belong in heaven. And without faith in him, our good works are so much rubbish to him.
We can’t obey the law, we can’t earn his love, we can’t work our way to heaven – we can’t even help, because anything we do just puts our sin in the way.

Is our problem that we feel a need, even a right, to understand our God? A wise theologian once wrote: “…a God small enough to be understood is not big enough to be worshipped.” If your small human mind could make sense of your God, then he’d have to be pretty small, wouldn’t he? Could such a God save you? Would he be worthy of your faith and your trust?

You’re too sinful to do his job, and you’re too small to know his mind…
But I’ve been faithful! Surely that’s worth something! Worth what? Does God owe you…anything? Consider the arrogance of those who think God ought to reward them or at least explain himself to them, because of their great works and faithfulness. Is there any person on this earth so good and so wise who can make a claim on God?
Absolutely not! So how do we avoid the human pitfall that leads us to trust in ourselves?

Simple: let God be God. Fact is, he doesn’t need our help, and he doesn’t owe us anything, and thank goodness for that, for he has done all things well. To God Be the Glory!

My friends, we cannot fathom him because we are not even on the same plane as he! His intelligence and power and glory are too much for mere humans to comprehend. But faith must be accompanied by some kind of knowledge – so, where do we start? We start in the same place we finish, with the revealed knowledge of God.

The Bible, his revealed Word, tells us about him and the amazing things he has done!

With power and might he made the world, the universe, and everything in them. Think about our Sun, that flaming ball in the sky. Our Sun, if the astronomers are correct, is very small, as stars go, it’s called a yellow dwarf, and there are giant stars in our galaxy thousands of times larger. Yet we who sit on this earth – orbiting this little yellow star 93 million miles away – still can’t look directly at it. Now if such is the glory of that little star, how much greater must be the glory of he who made it? How much greater must be the wisdom and power of he who made every star…
…and yet has time to be concerned with the hairs on your head?
Because he didn’t just make the universe – he continues to care for it. He continues to care for you, dear Christian, with his good and perfect gifts. Some of these gifts are pleasant – while some may be seen as suffering – but all of them have one purpose, to bring you to him.

Friends, his care for his creation and for your earthly body, these are not the greatest things he has done.
Recall that his purpose is to bring you to him, because you cannot come to him on your own, nor can you help him bring you there. He knew your need and he made a Plan, his great Plan of Salvation. You want to know your God? Know that he has revealed himself and his plan to you in his Word.
The moment Adam & Eve sinned and marred his perfect creation with sin, he put that plan into action. He told them that a Savior would come to destroy the devil’s work. He preserved a remnant of the faithful in the Flood, and called Abraham to be the father of his own special people. He brought those people out of slavery and gave them a land of their own. He sent prophets to spread his promise of a coming Savior, and then that Savior came – the God-Man Jesus Christ – God himself took on human flesh in order to save us. And save us he did, by his perfect life, his innocent death, and his resurrection from the dead. He gave us the Spirit, who by his Word creates and strengthens our faith, and he promised to return, and save us once and for all from this world of sin and death. All this work he has done – and where is your place in all this? Only to receive his grace and blessing in faith.
Dear Christian, you are saved by and only by the great work of your God on your behalf. That is the difference between Christianity and every other religion on earth. We trust our God, who has done all things well, for us. We cannot begin to comprehend how great is our God – but we know he loves us, and we know he saved us. And that is enough. To God Be the Glory!

Amen.

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Send a message to learn more