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April 25, 1999
Pastor: Paul D. Nolting
Website Note: This is the second of two Confirmation Examination services held at Immanuel. Confirmation is on May 2nd. For Examination at Immanuel, the students each prepare a presentation with the pastors’ guidance. The confirmands also group together to recite the chief parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. This week’s entry on the website includes the entire service rather than just the sermon. We pray you will find it edifying and invite any comments you may have.
Confirmands
Rosemary Busse, Sam Hagen, Vicky Hanel, Molly Hanel, Amy Hempel, Brandon Johnson, Laura Nolting, Julie Strege
Welcome/Invocation: C: Amen.
Opening Prayer:
O Lord God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter--we are gathered here this day to worship Your holy name. We pray that You would be with us, and we especially ask that You bless our confirmands this morning, who will share their faith with us and thereby bring us the blessings of Your Word. Move us to genuine repentance and sincere devotion by their proclamation of Your truths, so that our every thought, word, and deed may bring glory to Your name and blessing to others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Confession of Sins: Dearest Lord, in Your Word You instruct us to hear Your Word regularly and joyously; to keep Your Word faithfully; to treasure Your Word and to desire it as new born babies desire milk; to instruct our children in the Word diligently. O Lord, we must confess that all too often we have failed to do as You have instructed us. All too frequently we allow distractions to interfere with our hearing God’s Word. We become too busy for daily devotions. Our minds wander during sermons. We fail to take the time to read to and review with our children their Bible stories and memory work. In these ways and in many others, we have sinned. We deserve Your judgment. We ask for Your forgiveness and place our trust solely in the merits of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the fervent desire to please You, by fulfilling Your commands and rejoicing in Your Word of promise.
Absolution: Our God assures us that when we confess our sins before Him, He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Having confessed your sins, I, by virtue of my office as a called servant of the Word, announce to all of you the forgiveness of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn of Praise: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty!" (TLH #39)
Introduction to Examination: Confirmation is a custom within the Lutheran Church. It is not specifically commanded by Scripture, but it does serve the purpose of providing orderly and comprehensive instruction for our young members as they prepare themselves to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Each of the students standing before you has completed two years of confirmation instruction. They have each demonstrated their mastery of the materials contained in Luther’s Small Catechism. Today they will share their faith with you in order to help each of you review the basic truths of Scripture as taught with the Small Catechism. We will follow a format similar to last week in which we organize our review around the parts of the Lord’s Prayer. Each student has chosen a particular area about which they will speak to you individually. As groups they will recite for you various portions of the Small Catechism.
Pastor: The Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer is “Our Father who art in heaven...”--keying in on the concept of "Father" Laura Nolting will show how we are children of God by creation:
Laura Nolting
We are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ as it says in Galatians 3:26. But Malachi also asks the Old Testament believers, "Have we not only one Father? Has not God created us?" The fact that God created us is one of our most important blessings. He has made our bodies, souls, minds, consciences, and everything inside and out. As David says in Psalm 139:13, "You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb." Besides creating us He protects us and preserves us by providing all that we need and by sending his angels to watch over us. The 1st Article, which we will recite shortly, tells us how God created us, preserves us, protects us, and tells us we should thank and praise God for all that He does for us. Just like the Psalmist says, "I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well" (139:14).
Group #1: What is the 1st Commandment? You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God about all things.
Congregation/All: Please recite the 1st Article?
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
What does this mean? I believe that God has created me and all creatures. He has given my body and life, eyes, ears, and all my bodily members, my mind and all my senses, and still keeps them for me.
God also preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all my property and all I need to support this body and life. He protects me from all danger. He guards and defends me from every evil.
God does all this because He is my good and gracious Father in heaven, not because of anything I have done to earn or deserve it. For all of this it is my duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
Pastor: The 1st Petition is “Hallowed be Thy name...”--Sam Hagen will answer a series of questions which will help us identify, first of all, what God’s name is, and then, secondly, how we can best hallow it.
Sam Hagen
What is the name of God? The name of God can refer to the titles we call Him, such as Jesus Christ or Lord. His name can also refer to everything that He has done and is still doing for us, for instance, dying on the cross to take away the sins of the world. Can you give us an example from the Bible of how God’s name is used in this second way? Yes, back in the book of Exodus after the children of Israel had worshipped the golden calf, Moses asked God to see Him face to face. God told Moses that was impossible, but that He would reveal to him His name. He took Moses up on Mt. Sinai and passed by him revealing His name. The Bible says, "And the Lord passed over him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation’" (Ex. 34:6-7). How then can we hallow God’s name? The Psalmist says it best in Ps. 100:4, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."
Group #2: What is the 1st Petition? Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God’s name is certainly holy all by itself, but we pray in this petition that we also keep it holy. How is God’s name kept holy? God’s name is kept holy when the word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we as children of God also live a holy life according to it. Help us do this, dear heavenly Father. But whoever teaches and lives contrary to the word of God dishonors God’s name among us. Keep us from doing this, heavenly Father.
Pastor: The 2nd Petition is “Thy Kingdom come...”--Rosemary Busse will tell us how God’s kingdom comes to us through the Sacraments.
Rosemary Busse
On the last day the kingdom of God will come visibly and God will judge both the living and the dead. Even now God’s kingdom comes to us through His Word and through the Sacraments. A Sacrament is a sacred act that is instituted by Christ, uses earthly elements, is used in combination with God’s Word, and gives spiritual blessings. The Sacraments are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
In John 3:5 we hear that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. This tells us that the kingdom of God comes to us through baptism. When we are baptized, we are born again with the reassurance that Jesus has died for our sins, and that we are children of God’s kingdom.
God’s kingdom also comes to us through the Lord’s Supper. In this sacrament we receive Christ’s true body and blood under the bread and wine to eat and to drink as it was instituted by Christ Himself. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes." This passage tells us that until the end of time we are to proclaim His death through communion. Therefore, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are to celebrate and proclaim Jesus’ victory over sin and look forward to His second coming and the gift of everlasting life.
Group #2: What is baptism? Baptism is not just plain water. It is water used by God’s command and connected with God’s Word. What is that word of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19). What are the benefits of baptism? Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe, as the words and promises of God declare. What are these words and promises of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mk. 16:16). How can water do such great things? The water doesn’t actually do anything by itself. The power is in God’s word, which is with the water, and the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. Without the word of God it is just plain water, and there is no baptism. But with the word of God it really is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and washing of rebirth through the Holy Spirit. Just as Saint Paul says in the third chapter of Titus: "According to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying..." (Tit. 3:5-8). What is the meaning of this baptism with water? It means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance and die with all sins and evil desires. It also means that a new man should daily appear and arise, who lives eternally before God in righteousness and purity. Where is this written? Saint Paul says in the sixth chapter of Romans, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
Group #1: What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us Christians under the bread and wine to eat and to drink, as it was instituted by Christ Himself. Where is this written? The holy evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the apostle Paul write this way: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples saying, ‘Take eat. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ "In the same way He took the cup, after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’" What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? The word, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," show us that God gives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through the sacrament. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. How can simply eating and drinking do such wonderful things? Eating and drinking actually do nothing. It is the words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," which do this. these words, together with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main part of the sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: forgiveness of sins. When is an individual properly prepared to receive the sacrament? Customs in connection with eating and clothing are indeed a fine preparation. However, a person is truly worthy and well-prepared who has faith in these words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." Whoever does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared. The words, "for you," require nothing but believing hearts.
Pastor: The 3rd Petition is "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." Amy Hempel will answer a series of questions in order to explain how the Holy Spirit is the keeper of our faith:
Amy Hempel
What is God’s desire for all people? The Bible tells us that "God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). How do we obtain saving faith? By God’s grace the Holy Spirit has given each of us faith through the preaching of God’s Word. St. Paul says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). What else does the Holy Spirit do for us? St. Paul says in Philippians, "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (1:6). This means that as we stay close to His Word, God will help us overcome the temptations of Satan, the world, and our flesh. What blessing will come to all who remain in the faith? Jesus promises us, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).
Congregation/All: Please recite the 3rd Article? I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life. Amen.
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reasoning or effort believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, nor come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified, and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all believers. On the last day He will raise me and all the dead and give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.
Hymn 458:1,6-9: "Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above"
Text: Psalm 50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me!
In Christ Jesus, Who promises His believing followers, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you," dear fellow redeemed:
Good communication is essential to the success of any relationship, activity, or organization. Without such communication unnecessary misunderstandings and obstacles arise. What is true for our earthly lives and relationships is also true for our spiritual lives and relationship. Communication with God is essential. Prayer is that communication. In our service last week Pastor Eichstadt spoke to you about the nature of prayer and the methods we can and should use when praying. Today I am going to speak to you about God’s response to prayer. I want to assure you that WE CAN TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS! This is certainly true because as our text informs us, first of all, God commands us to pray to Him; secondly, God promises to answer our prayers; and, thirdly, God desires that we glorify Him!
Yes, God commands us to pray to Him! This truth, of course, is found in the first phrase of our text, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” However, this is certainly not the only place in Scripture in which our God urges us to pray. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Mt. 7:7). St. Paul says, “Let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). St. James says, “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting” (Jam. 1:6).
Why is it important to know that God commands us to pray to Him? First of all, because then we know that God wants us to pray to Him. There may be times when we may feel that we ought not bother God. Perhaps we feel that our difficulties are not important enough, or that He is probably too busy to be concerned about us. The Psalmist David once felt that way and said, “When I consider the heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Yet, David recognized that when God created man He “crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:3-5). While our God is indeed concerned about the great problems of this world--the military action and loss of life in Kosovo; the famines and severe troubles of central Africa; the victims of terrible and violent crimes--He is also concerned about each of us. Our God is so great that He is aware of us all and desires to help us all in connection with every concern in our lives, but especially when we face troubles in this life.
Secondly, however, it is important to know that God commands us to pray to Him, because then we know that our prayers will be heard and answered not because of our own worthiness, but because of God’s own command and promise. There are times especially when Satan has led us into sin, that he will attempt to convince us that we cannot, in view of our sins and failures, pray to God. He will try to lead us to believe that because we are unworthy of God’s grace, God will not hear us. But this, too, is not true! God does not hear and answer our prayers because we are worthy, or because we have attained a certain level of perfection. No, He answers because of His grace, His command, and His promise. Consequently, when we feel the most unworthy we can and should approach God’s throne with boldness, for He has commanded us to come. When Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish because of his disobedience to God, God was not rejecting him through that judgment, but inviting him to return to him in repentance through prayer. Truly, WE CAN TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, because God commands us to pray!
WE CAN ALSO TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, because God promises to answer our prayers! Our text says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you!” I love this promise of God, for He does not say, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble”...and if I’m not busy I will deliver you, or if I’m not too tired I will deliver you, or even if I feel like it I will deliver you! He gives us a straight out, clear-cut promise, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you!”
Now, let us realize what this does not mean. This promise of God does not mean that God is bound to use like Aladdin’s magic genie in a lamp. He is not bound to fulfill our every wish at the time and in the way that we desire. Sometimes our prayers are simply unwise and at other times they may actually be improper. In fact, many times God would not be doing us a favor to comply with our wishes in the exact way or at the exact time we want. God, after all, is much wiser than we are and also understands our future and the future of all others.
What does this promise mean? It means that our God will hear every word of every prayer spoken by His believing children. It means that our God will answer every prayer appropriately in the way that He sees will best benefit us and all those around us and at the time which will best us and those around us. God through His divine power and by His divine providence can and will “work all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Consequently, we can turn to God at any time and in any situation with confidence, for He will do that which is good and right for us. Our God always keeps His promises!
Consider, the example of Abraham praying for the believers in Sodom and Gomorrah prior to the destruction of those cities. Abraham prayed that God would remove judgment from the city for the sake, first of all, of fifty believers, then forty-five, then thirty, then twenty, and then just ten believers. God agreed to Abraham’s prayerful request. But, as you will recall, there were not even ten believers in those wicked cities. God, however, did answer Abraham’s prayer by rescuing those few individuals, Lot’s family, from destruction by leading them out of the cities prior to the destruction. Later in our service we will hear of another individual, Joseph, whose prayers were answered by God only after delays and no doubt in ways he never expected! Truly, WE CAN TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, because He promises to answer our prayers!
Finally, WE CAN TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, because God desires that we glorify Him! Our text says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me!” To glorify God means to give Him appropriate honor and praise. To glorify God means to listen carefully when He speaks and to live our lives in accordance with His words.
Moses and the Israelites glorified God on the shores of the Red Sea after the corridor of watery walls fell down on and drown Pharaoh’s chariots in answer to their prayers. The armies of Israel glorified God after He delivered Goliath into the hands of David once again in answer to their prayers. The people of Jerusalem glorified God when under the leadership of Haggai and Zechariah the temple was finally rebuilt after the return from the Babylonian Captivity. When God answers our prayers openly and powerfully, it is appropriate and easy to glorify God!
When we trust God to answer our prayers, knowing that He will do so, we can also glorify God in the midst of troubles! Habakkuk learned this lesson through the instruction of the Lord and was able to write at the end of his book of prophecy, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (3:17-19).
Dear friends, WE CAN TRUST GOD TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS! Knowing that we can rest secure, for God is greater than any earthly friend. God can accomplish more than any of us through our utmost efforts. May we with confidence turn to Him with joy in the midst of life’s every trial, for if we do a further promise of God will take effect in our lives--“the peace of God, which surpasses all understand, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!” (Phil. 4:7). Amen!
Hymn 457: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
Pastor: The 4th Petition is "Give us this day our daily bread..." Brandon Johnson will answer a series of questions and explain how God provides for us through the authorities He places over us:
Brandon Johnson
How does God provide for us through the authorities He places over us? He does so in many ways. Through parents God provides food, clothing, shelter, values, love, and trans-portation. In addition, He provides for financial support and guidance for everyday living. Through the government God gives us peace, protection, public services, and law and order. The government also has many ways to keep us healthy and wealthy. Through pastors God makes sure that everyone has a chance to hear His Word and understand what it means. Pastors teach people how Christ is our Savior and how through Him we have eternal life. In view of this, how ought we view such authorities? The Bible says in Ephesians 6:1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." It also says in Romans 13:1, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God." Finally, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey, those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
Group #1: What is the 4th Commandment? You shall honor your father and your mother that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not despise nor anger our parents or superiors; but we should honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.
Group #2: What is the 4th Petition? "Give us this day our daily bread." What does this mean? God gives daily bread without our asking, even to unbelievers, but we pray in this petition that He would teach us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. What is meant by daily bread? "Daily bread" means everything we need for our bodily well-being. It includes food, drink, clothes, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money and goods, a godly husband or wife, devout children, good workers, honest and faithful leaders, good government, good weather, peace, health, law and order, an honorable name, faithful friends, trustworthy neighbors--and things like that.
Pastor: The 5th Petitions is "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..." Molly Hanel will answer a series of questions to reveal how God forgives us and we are to forgive others:
Molly Hanel
What problem do all of us have without exception? We all have the problem of sin. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Can we overcome the problem of sin by ourselves? No, it is impossible for us to overcome sin. We cannot keep God’s law perfectly and so we by nature fall under His wrath. The Bible says, "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). How can we then be saved from sin? God alone can provide the answer, and He does through Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to save us. Through His life and by His death God justifies us--that is He declares us "not guilty" because Jesus has taken away our sins. When we believe in Jesus our sins are forgiven and we are saved. The Bible says, "A man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2:16). What does God desire of us seeing that He has forgiven our sins for Jesus’ sake? God wants us to freely forgive those who sin against us. The Bible says, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you" (Eph. 4:32). What will happen if we refuse to forgive others their sins against us? Jesus once told a story about two servants. One servant owed a huge debt to his master, but his master forgave him the debt completely. Afterward that same servant refused to forgive a small debt owed him by a fellow servant. When the master found out about this, he got angry and threw the first servant in prison. Jesus’ point is that we are that first servant whom God has forgiven. If we fail to forgive others their sins against us we can deprive ourselves of God’s forgiveness. We would never want to do that!
Congregation/All: Please recite the 2nd Article? I also believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned sinner, purchased and won me from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. He did this that I should be His very own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and joy; just as He is risen from death, lives and reign in eternity. This is most certainly true.
Group #2: What is the 5th Petition? "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look on our sins nor deny our prayer because of them. We are not worthy of the things for which we are asking, neither have we deserved them. However, we ask that our Father would by His grace give us what we ask even though we sin often every day and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. We too will from our hearts gladly forgive and do good to all those who sin against us.
Pastor: The 6th Petition is "Lead us not into temptation..." Vicky Hanel will answer a series of questions which will show us how to deal with many types of temptations:
Vicky Hanel
What is one of the best ways to prevent temptation? By being content with what God has give us. St. Paul tells us, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:8). What does it mean to be content? It means to be satisfied with what you have and not to be jealous of what others might have. What happens when we aren’t content? We can easily fall into many temptations and sins. St. Paul says, "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptations, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:9-10). How can we help ourselves to be more content in life? We should strive to have a close relationship with God. We should recognize that worldly goods are only temporal and can easily be lost. Therefore, we should look to God Who will give us all we need here in this world and all that will last in the next. Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Mt. 6:33).
Group #1: What is the 9th Commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not sinfully desire to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house by a trick or in a way that appears to be right; but we should do everything we can to help him keep what is his. What is the 10th Commandment? You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his workers, nor his animals, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not sinfully desire to use tricks or force, or do anything that might cause our neighbor to lose his wife, workers, or animals; but we should urge them to remain loyal to him and do what they are supposed to do.
Pastor: The 7th Petition is "But deliver us from evil..." Julie Strege will speak to us about an important question, "Why does God allow the righteous at times to suffer:
Julie Strege
First of all, everything that happens to a believer is controlled by God and intended for good. St. Paul says in Rom. 8:28, "All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose." We can, therefore, rule out some wrong thoughts--that God has abandoned us, or is punishing us when things go wrong. God is always faithful, and Jesus already paid for all our sins.
Every time a righteous person suffers, God is preparing that person for something in his or her future. Let me give you an example. Take Joseph, for instance. He was sold into slavery by his brethren, put into jail by Potiphar’s wife, and forgotten by Pharaoh’s butler for several years. God used all of those things to prepare Joseph for leadership and ultimately to preserve Joseph’s family, which had been entrusted with the promise of the Savior.
God arranged for Joseph to be taken to Egypt, not someplace else, because that is where God wanted Israel to grow into a large nation. God arranged for Joseph to be bought by Potiphar, so he could become a good manager. God allowed Joseph to be put into prison, so he could meet people with connections to Pharaoh. God allowed Joseph to remain in prison long enough, so that he would be mature enough to rule.
In Joseph’s life everything worked out to good. The Lord does the same thing for us believers today!
Offering: The doxology of the Lord’s Prayer is "for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever." May we be moved to use every opportunity presented us to support the work of Christ’s kingdom through our offerings and prayers.
Prayer/Lord’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior, who urges us to bring the children unto Me and not to forbid them, we thank You for enabling these young people to confess their faith with boldness and confidence before us today. Grant that the messages they have presented might take root and grow in each of our hearts, so that our lives may be lived in accordance with Your Word and to the glory of Your saving name. May we all recognize the importance of continued training in the gospel truths of the Holy Scriptures. May we humble ourselves on a regular basis as did our dear Dr. Martin Luther and review for ourselves the truths found in the Small Catechism, for in so doing the Holy Spirit will have the means to work in our hearts the hope and confidence that comes only through a faith based solidly on God’s Word. Keep us, O Lord, in that simple faith until we reach our heavenly goal. All other petitions we ask in the words You have taught us to pray, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. O Lord, "Amen" means that we should be certain that these petitions really are heard by Your, our Father in heaven; for You Yourself have instructed us to pray in this way and have promised that You will hear us. Let us ever end our prayers with firm confidence, "Amen, amen," that is, "Yes, indeed, it shall be so!"
Benediction: "The Aaronitic Blessing"
Hymn of Praise: "Now, the Hour of Worship O’er" (TLH #45)
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Immanuel Lutheran Church 421 North Second Street Mankato, Minnesota 56001 |
Church Office: (507) 345-3027 Pastor Nolting: (507) 387-7035 Pastor Eichstadt: (507) 344-0898 |