“Teach Me Your Will O Lord,” Psalm 143.10; Matt. 11.28-30; Romans 6.3-11, Alice Niemuth’s Funeral Sermon Aug. 16th, 2017

1.       Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Dear family and friends of Alice.  May Jesus our Good Shepherd carry you in His loving arms and give you His comfort and consolation as you mourn the death of your beloved Alice.  May you know for certain that this Jesus has offered to you and to Alice the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation by dying on the cross for you and rising victoriously from the dead.  Because of Jesus, you and Alice have a wonderful future and reunion in heaven.  The message today comes from Alice’s Confirmation verse from Psalm 143:10, which says,“¹⁰Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!  Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.       As Alice’s Pastor these last three years it was always a joy to visit her.   She always had a smile on her face when I came to see her and bring her God’s Word and our Lord’s Holy Supper.  Alice’s family has many fond memories of her.  She enjoyed her dogs and cats and even had some stuffed animals in her nursing home, which I loved to see each time I came for a visit.  Alice loved to play games at Crossroads in Waupaca.  In fact, I learned early on as her Pastor not to interrupt her activities when I came to visit her, especially her game of bingo.  Alice went to the Lutheran School here at Christ Lutheran and was a member all her life.  It was here at this Lutheran School that she learned her memory work and went through Confirmation class.  And, even though it was hard for her at times, she worked on reading God’s Word diligently all her life.  Even with Alice’s failing memory these last few years, she would still recite God’s Word to me, the Lord’s Prayer, and confess her sins when I came to give her the Lord’s Supper.  Alice, remembered that she was a baptized child of God and she still had her Confirmation Bible that was given to her by her parents.  And it is well worn.

3.       That’s why I believe that Alice’s confirmation verse that was given to her is so fitting.  Psalm 143:10 says, “¹⁰Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!  Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”  Here in this Psalm, King David doesn’t base his prayer on his own worthiness before God. Although, relatively speaking, David is the innocent party in the conflicts with Saul and his son Absalom, he recognizes that his own sins make him unworthy of claiming any blessings from the Lord. He bases his appeal on the Lord’s faithfulness to his promises and upon the righteousness according to which God forgives the sins of all who believe in Christ. David asks to be judged not on the basis of his record but on the basis of his relationship with God. Because David is a child of God through faith, he can call upon the Lord for help.  This is the same hope that Alice had as well from her instruction in God’s Word and her receiving the Lord’s gifts of His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.  Psalm 143 begins by saying, “O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.  ²Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.”

4.       After establishing his relationship with God as the basis of his prayer, David addresses the rest of the psalm to the oppression he’s receiving from his enemies.  Psalm 143:3–12 says, “³The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.  ⁴So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. ⁵I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.  ⁶I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.  ⁷Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.  ⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. ⁹Rescue me from enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.  ¹⁰Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.  ¹¹For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.  ¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

5.       Repeatedly throughout this appeal, David mentions his relationship with God as the basis of his prayer. He also confesses the weakness that assails him at times, but he overcomes this weakness by thinking about the Lord’s great deeds in the past. God’s past performance and his unfailing love make David confident for the future.  But, David, wants more than deliverance from danger. He also desires the faith and the wisdom to use his victory wisely in a God-pleasing way. For this reason, he asks for divine instruction. He’s not interested in the Lord only to be bailed out in a crisis, but he thirsts for a relationship with God that will regulate his whole life.

6.       And, when we have God’s Word to guide us and give us comfort, as Alice and King David did, we can find rest for our souls as we deal with the difficulties of living in this sinful world.  The words of our Lord Jesus from Matthew 11:28-30 remind us of this, Jesus says, “²⁸Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  And St. Paul reminds us in Romans 6 of the comfort we have in our baptism.  Romans 6:3-5 says, “³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

7.       Everyone has those times when what they’re trying to do burdens and wearies them—for some it’s math, for others it’s things mechanical, for others it’s understanding people. You know the feeling. You try to do something, but you just can’t get it. No matter how hard you try, you can’t succeed. The more you try, the more frustrated you get. You want to accomplish what you’re doing, but you find you don’t have what’s necessary to get the job done. Your inability becomes a huge frustration. Finally, being unable to accomplish your task can wear you down, and you become weary of ever completing it.

8.       The way many people falsely understand salvation leads to this same despair. Salvation by works of the Law—trying to be saved by what you do is like trying to accomplish something but never attaining it. The Law tells you what you’re to do but doesn’t enable you to comply with its commands; rather, it causes you to become more unwilling to keep the Law, even increasing sin. Trying to live up to the Law only ends in despair. The Law doesn’t save; it brings knowledge of sin. Trying to attain salvation through the Law only makes you weary and heavy laden with guilt.

9.       But, God our Heavenly Father doesn’t want you to be weary and suffer the burden of your sin.  He didn’t want this for King David or for our beloved Alice. Therefore, He’s revealed to you his gracious will through his Son Jesus. God the Father’s will is seen only through his Son, Jesus. All things, including your sins and Alice’s sins, have been handed over to the Son by the Father. He was sent to reveal his Father’s gracious will to you.

10.   That’s why Jesus entered Jerusalem the last time humble and riding on a beast of burden to take the burden and weariness of your sin from you and to give you His rest.  To give Alice rest for her soul. He took your sins and Alice’s sins to the cross. On the cross, he died for your sins, removing them. Believers in Christ, like you, find true rest for their souls in him who has taken the burden of their sin from their shoulders and put it on his own. Instead of acting wise and understanding, hiding your sin, he calls on you to become little children and to receive his good and gracious gift of forgiveness.

11.   Today, Jesus calls and promises all you who labor and are heavy laden and weary by sin to come to him for rest.  Christ calls you to himself and promises you rest—forgiveness and the comfort it brings.  His Word and call enable you to come. By your own reason and strength you can’t believe in Jesus Christ, your Lord, or come to him.  Alice knew this well from her years in Confirmation at Christ Lutheran. But, today the Holy Spirit calls you by the Gospel, enlightens you with his gifts, sanctifies and keeps you in the true faith. The Holy Spirit does for you the same as He’s done for the whole Christian Church on earth: He keeps you with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church, He daily and richly forgives all your sins and the sins of all believers.

12.   Today, Christ calls you to Himself and promises You rest, just as He has done for His servant Alice.  Living in the shadow of Christ’s cross, you have rest. You have the true rest of not having to carry the burden of your guilt or having to fear its condemnation. Therefore, we are bold to pray, “Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation.” This rest is yours in Christ, for He calls you to himself and promises you rest.  Amen.