“Stilled by God, Gladdened by His Presence” Psalm 46 Reformation Oct. ‘25

 

“Stilled by God, Gladdened by His Presence” Psalm 46 Reformation Oct. ‘25

1.                Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we observe Reformation Day is taken from Psalm 46 and it’s entitled, “Stilled by God, Gladdened by His Presence,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                “Look what they’ve done to my song,” sang folk singer Melanie. What they had done was “turn it upside down” (Melanie Safka, “What Have They Done to My Song, Ma,” lyrics © Bienstock Publishing Company, Yellow Dog Music Inc., 1970). Can you legally turn someone else’s song upside down? It turns out that in certain cases, you can. The Supreme Court ruled that a parody was an acceptable way to change someone’s song because it really does turn it upside down, changing the meaning completely (Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music Inc., March 7, 1994). Now, if you’ve ever heard someone try to sing one of your favorite hymns off-key, you might understand how poor Melanie felt when her song got turned upside down! I sometimes think God must feel that way when we sing ‘A Mighty Fortress’ on autopilot instead of with joy.

3.                What about changing God’s song? Psalm 46 is God’s song. When Martin Luther told Philip Melanchthon, “Let’s sing the Forty-Sixth Psalm,” they didn’t sing from the Bible. They sang Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress.” Luther didn’t turn God’s song into a parody to make it funny. He interpreted God’s song to show the joy and confidence God always intended for that song to convey. Today, we’re looking at two words of God’s song, Psalm 46. The first is from verse 10, the word still. The other is from verse 4, glad. They make up our theme today: God Stills Souls So That His Presence, Protection, and Power Make People Glad.

4.                Since courts recognize humor as a fair First Amendment right, the law is on my side if I try a little humor today. I like a parody in which a comedian uses the form of one song to make it totally different and much funnier. For instance, a country musician wrote a song about a long-lasting love that went, “Still, after all this time, still, you are on my mind. I love you still” (Bill Anderson, “Still,” released by Decca records 1963). The parody is about a thief who stole a car that was low on gas. It goes, “Still, though you took my car. Still, I know you won’t get far. You’ll be sitting still” (Sheb Wooley as Ben Colder, “Still No. 2,” released by MGM Records 1963).

5.                What a strange route I’ve taken to get to the theme of the sermon! In verse 10, God says, “Be still.” Psalm 46 was sung by travelers on their way to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. “Be still” wasn’t telling them to stop for a moment. “Be still” means “stop striving” or “stop resisting.” What does it mean to strive against God? It means resisting God’s Law, what God wants for people, as well as resisting God’s Gospel, what God does for people. When Luther read the words, “Be still,” he must have thought of all the ways he strove so hard to please God—fasting and praying and starving. Finally, it was the Word of God that got him to “be still” and stop fighting God’s grace and trust that “the righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab 2:4). The Reformation took place because God stills souls so that his presence makes people glad.

6.                What about us? We strive with God’s Law, questioning what he is doing and why. We strive with God’s Gospel when we think we must add to what God did for us on the cross. Wouldn’t it be great if God’s command here had the same force as when he said, “Let there be light,” and there was light? Wouldn’t it be great if God said, “Be still,” and we stopped striving at his command? God could use his strong arm to knock us out and make us still, but it’s much more in keeping with God’s grace to believe that he stills our striving souls in gentler ways. His Law has power to bring us to repentance and faith in his forgiveness for all our striving. God stills souls so that his presence makes people glad. Sometimes I think if God told us, ‘Be still,’ many of us would respond, ‘Sure, Lord—right after I finish these seventeen other things!’ We’re not very good at being still, are we? We’re like kids at bedtime—wiggling, talking, negotiating for one more story.

7.                To “be still” or “stop striving” isn’t something people can do. So, God stops the striving. Sometimes the bad things God allows are so bad that we are shocked into stillness. Sometimes the good things God gives are so good that we stand still in wonder and awe.

8.                Military aviators are given this strict training: If they have to eject from their plane over water, they are to expect a rescue helicopter on the way. When the helicopter arrives and a rescuer jumps from the helicopter into the water, the pilot is instructed to do nothing. No matter how agitated he is and no matter how much he wants to help, he is to do nothing. Doing anything might actually hamper the rescue effort and endanger both the pilot and the rescuer. The rescuer will wait until the pilot is completely still before proceeding to save him.

9.                This is the sense in which “be still” is understood in Psalm 46. Stop striving. Stop trying to help. Be still and know that God is the Savior. The Lord’s invitation—even command—to be still, to stop striving, is a wonderful expression of the great truth of the Reformation: that we are saved by grace alone, not by any work of our own. 

10.             Do you remember the old TV westerns? When someone was drowning, the cowboy who came to the rescue knocked the drowning person out so that he could drag him to shore without resistance. That’s probably not a recommended method for our ushers’ training.” Paul knew what that was like, striving to the point that Jesus stopped him in the middle of the road and said that Paul was kicking “against the goads” (Acts 26:14). Goads were sharp things used to control animals. Striving, kicking against them, only hurt the animal. When God got Paul stilled, God made him an instrument, a messenger of the Gospel to tell of grace and faith from God alone.

11.             Here’s where we pick up the other word we’re looking at today. The word is glad from verse 4: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” The people going to the temple knew there wasn’t a river in Jerusalem. They knew the song must be talking about a different river that makes glad. One day Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem for the festival where they poured on the great altar a pitcher of water, which then ran down the steps to the Pool of Siloam. Jesus put it all into perspective and said, “ ‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ’ Now this he said about the Spirit” (Jn 7:38–39a). God’s Holy Spirit is “living water.” The Holy Spirit stops peoples’ striving, as we learn in the meaning of the Third Article of the Apostles Creed: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.” That faith puts believers in the crowd of Isaiah 35:10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; . . . they shall obtain gladness and joy.”

12.             Martin Luther interpreted Psalm 46 in this way when he wrote “A Mighty Fortress.” Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus is the champion who comes to fight for his people. Jesus is the one who stills people in their striving because he does all that is necessary for our salvation. He goes to the cross and dies for our futile strivings—and to make our strivings unnecessary. That makes the city of God, the church, glad, and it makes the future city of God, heaven, glad eternally. God stills souls so that his presence brings great gladness.

13.             How are we at being still? When God says, ‘Be still,’ some of us reach for our phones to Google what that means. Stillness doesn’t come naturally in a world where the microwave takes too long! The psalmist says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1–2). When we hear of wars and rumors of wars and kingdoms tottering, it’s hard to remember that God is our fortress and refuge and a present help in times of trouble. When mountains tremble and the earth gives way, will we not fear at least a little? The two things that have been our theme today, “be still” and “be glad,” are things we don’t do very well. That’s why, though it sounds a bit clumsy, it’s better Gospel to say “be stilled” and “be gladdened,” so that we know that God is the one who is “stilling” and “gladdening” us. God stills our souls so that his presence brings gladness now and forever.

14.             I still like when a song is changed so that we laugh. How much greater that God gives us faith to believe his Song—his unchanging words—and know the greatest joy! Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

“Stewards Living with Purpose” 1 Cor. 10.31 Oct. ‘25

 

1.      Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. This is the final week of our stewardship emphasis Everyday Stewards.  The theme for today is “Stewards Living with Purpose,” and the message is taken from 1 Corinthians 10:31. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      In this message, we will look at the purposes that God gives to us as His stewards.  As God’s people, we have one primary purpose which is to advance His kingdom while building His Church and serving others.  God tells us through the Apostle Paul that He “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).  We are God’s instruments through which He works to share the Gospel with all people.  God calls us to use our time, talents, and resources faithfully to be His light in a dark world.  We are called to use all of God’s gifts to us for the purpose of helping others to come to know His Son, Jesus.  In our relationships with God and others, we have the purpose of giving Him glory through our witnessing, serving, and giving.

3.      Today we focus on 1 Corinthians 10:31, which reads, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  God is telling us through the Apostle Paul that our purpose in all that we do is to “do all to the glory of God.”  God wants and deserves to be glorified.  But, it’s in our nature to resist giving God glory.  Every day Satan is working to encourage us to put ourselves first.  Satan works on our selfishness, pride, or other character flaws to get in the way of serving and glorifying God with our hearts, minds, and strength.  Rather than give God glory, our thoughts are more like “What’s in it for me?” Me, mine, and I are words used again and again as we focus on ourselves. 

4.      In a question-and-answer session after one of his lectures, the Christian apologist C. S. Lewis was asked which of the world’s religions gives its followers the greatest happiness.  Lewis paused and said this, “While it lasts, the religion of worshiping oneself is best.” When only short-term happiness is identified as the most important thing, it’s the self we seek more than anything else. Theologian Richard Baxter wrote, “Man’s fall was his turning from God to himself.”   This seeking self leads to depression and our downfall.  Turning toward ourselves and seeking self-will rather than the Lord’s will and His glory is one of the biggest obstacles to a relationship with Jesus. We need to answer the question regularly as to what our true motives are and where our hearts are.

5.      In the Old Testament book of Joshua, Joshua exhorts all the tribes of Israel to choose whom they will serve.  Joshua then says, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).  The choice made by Joshua serves as a pattern for making the wisest choice of all—the choice to serve and glorify God no matter what.  Spiritually, every person has only two choices: serve God or serve self.  In life, choices are rarely presented so clearly.  That is because Satan is hard at work creating all that gray area, making it hard to discern between foolishness and wisdom.

6.      Of all the gifts that God gives to us, time is one of the more difficult to use for the purpose of God’s glory.  How are we choosing to spend the time that God gives us?  Focusing on ourselves, we might choose to work hard at our careers, neglecting time to pray or participate in Bible studies and in worship.  We may rationalize that we are providing for our families because this is important and good.  It is easy to get our priorities in the wrong order.  Maybe, we convince ourselves that once we start making more money, get a bigger house, or pay down some debt, then we will have more time to spend with God and be active in church. But, when that ‘someday’ finally comes, we seem to find a new reason we’re too busy — like alphabetizing our garage shelves or making sure our dog has an Instagram page. We do what we want because we talk ourselves into believing that God isn’t that concerned with what I am doing today.  We know that God is patient so we think that He will wait for us to get around to fulfilling His purpose for us.  When we stop wanting to please God and give Him glory, we are elevating ourselves to God’s level by deciding what we want God to accept.  Satan skews our thoughts.  He is crafty.

7.      Thinking about Joshua’s choice to serve God, we might be led to focus on what God wants and what we are able to do about it.  We need to live above what others think of what we are doing and be like Joshua who made up his mind how he and his family would believe and serve God, carrying out His purpose as He enables us to give Him glory.

8.      I’m reminded of the story about three teens who were talking about their future plans.  One of them talked of being a doctor because he could have fame, and people would come to him and be helped.  He saw becoming a doctor to gain popularity and recognition.  His purpose in life was to gain fame. Another listened and decided he might like to be a doctor too.  He described the car his doctor drove, a Ferrari, and shared that being a doctor would mean he could have the Lamborghini he admired.  He then started into a dissertation listing all the things his parents couldn’t afford that he would have.  His purpose in life was to gain wealth. At that point, I imagine the guidance counselor was wondering if early retirement might be a good idea! The third teen was confused.  He thought a few moments and then shared his desire to do something that God wanted him to do.  That would mean becoming a doctor, or maybe he would be a nurse.  His purpose in life was to glorify God by serving others. As he shared his purpose of serving others, the other two teens laughed at him. 

9.      We may be laughed at, but there is no doubt in our theme verse from 1 Corinthians that we are called to “do all to the glory of God.”   It’s easy for us to recognize that we give God glory in our prayers and each week in worship, but God expects us to give Him glory in all things. To serve God and to give Him glory certainly involves our relationships with family and neighbors, in our time at work or in school, in our time and involvement in church, and in our leisure times. God is glorified when we thank Him for all our gifts and blessings.  Do we wake up each day giving God glory for the gift of a new day?  Are we giving God glory for our vocations as parents, students, brothers, and sisters?  We give God glory when go about our daily tasks in His name, doing the best that we can in all that we do.  God is glorified when we allow Him to work through us.

10.   Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).  Becoming a disciple and a faithful steward with purpose requires self-denial.  Jesus taught that denying self is an essential part of the Christian life. Because we are born in this sinful state of putting ourselves first, we need help from the Holy Spirit to resist the temptation to be self-centered rather than God-centered people.  On our own, we are hopeless, but the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament enables us to use our lives and blessings according to God’s plan and for His glory.  As new and transformed people, we can serve the Lord as He equips and motivates us.  We have the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, and we have the life-saving Word which is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).  We have the ascended Christ, seated at the right hand of God, working all things for good for those called according to His purpose.  We will never be perfect, but we have the assurance that, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are forgiven.  We will fail to give God glory in all that we do, but God knows our hearts.  He will pick us up and encourage us to keep going in our pursuit to give Him the glory that He deserves.

11.   It’s fitting in the final week of our stewardship emphasis Everyday Stewards that we are focusing on the purpose “do all to the glory of God.”  We understand that the purpose of life is not just fun, friends, dreams, personal fulfillment, or any number of other things we might be tempted to make our focus.  No, we are stewards of God’s glory.  We are called to share the life-saving Gospel with people near and far.  I pray that this message as well as the first message in this series “Stewards Walking by Grace” followed by “Stewardship as a Way of Life” have been helpful to you in your journey to become Everyday Stewards.    God has called us to “Do all to the glory of God.”  May He help us all commit our time, talents, and money for the purpose to “Do all to the glory of God.”  Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

“Stewardship as a Way of Life” 1 Cor. 16.1 Oct. ‘25

 

1. Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Heavenly Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today is the second week on the theme Everyday Stewards.   Our text for today is taken from 1 Corinthians 16:1 “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.”  I hope and pray that the message today titled “Stewardship as a Way of Life” will help us become Everyday Stewards.

2. Unfortunately, some people feel uncomfortable during stewardship sermons.  Many Christians have misunderstandings about what stewardship is, so they often react negatively when it’s spoken about.  One of the major misconceptions is that it deals strictly with money or the church’s lack of money and how it can get more. Some think stewardship is just a polite way of asking for a new roof… or hinting that your coffee mug collection should be downsized!  As I speak to you today, it is my hope and prayer that I can help you disconnect stewardship from the idea that it is only about “paying the bills.”  At the heart of stewardship is a personal relationship with Jesus.  I’m convinced that there is little in life that can help us grow in our relationship with Jesus more than good Biblical stewardship.  The goal of the stewardship ministry in our church is to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents, and treasures that God has entrusted to us. Today let us put all of our ideas about stewardship aside.  Let us start all over with our understanding of stewardship by getting back to God’s Word.

3. First of all, God has called and chosen us to be His stewards.  He has placed us in the role and has given us our identity as His stewards. It is first being a steward before it is doing stewardship. Who we are determines what we do.  Everything we do and say, and everywhere we go comes from our sense of identity.  Understanding whose we are and our identity as God’s stewards, we seek to please God by faithfully doing His will.

4. As stewards, we manage everything that the Lord has given us, which is everything that we are and have.  Then we are to see what we do is done in the most useful manner possible according to God’s will to help build His kingdom.  Stewardship, then, is service to God from the perspective of being a manager or steward of what He has given us.  In the words of Dr. Walton Greever: “Christian stewardship is what I do after I have once said, ‘I believe!’  It is the response of my entire life to Christ out of gratitude for amazing love that meant death on the cross.  It is the giving of everything I am and everything I have to Him, as He directs.  It is total commitment.  It is the fruit of my life.  It is faith in action.” And yes, that includes the times when your faith is tested by the thermostat, your Wi-Fi, or your teenager asking for yet another snack. You can see from that definition that what you give to the church financially is only a small portion of the overall stewardship picture.

5. Second, by our text we note that Paul gave instructions to the churches of Galatia concerning the stewardship of that portion of money to be used for the Lord’s work and that in our text he is extending those instructions to the Corinthians, and us. How do you determine how much of your time, abilities, and resources you will give back to the Lord for work in his kingdom?  We look at the guidance from God’s Word.  Paul gives some information in a very precise way in the verse following our text.  “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collection when I come.”  Then in chapters 8 and 9 of his second letter to the Corinthians he expands on that verse, starting at the very beginning, with the reason we give, with what our motivation should be.

6. St. Paul spends almost the entire chapter before our text in 1 Corinthians 16 sharing what Christ’s death and resurrection means to us: the fact that all Christians, you and I, will one day rise from death to new life.  This is what motivates us to be concerned about the spiritual and physical well-being of others which will result in generous offerings of all we have.  We love because God first loved us.  Responding to His love and sacrifice, we live each day as God’s stewards.  With changed hearts, our identity changes from being self-centered people to being God-centered.  Our lives are lived out in a grateful response to Jesus’ sacrifice.

7. The following story is an illustration of what Christ has done for us. A boy who lived by the Atlantic loved sailboats and decided to build his own model. He spent the entire winter carefully crafting it, and by spring it was perfect. Excited, he took it to the bay and set it afloat—only to watch it drift away, out of reach. Heartbroken, he realized he had lost something he loved so dearly.

8. A few months later, he saw the same boat in a hobby store window. The merchant had bought it from a sailor. The boy worked all summer to earn the money to buy it back. When he finally held the boat again, he said, “Now you are twice mine: first I made you, and now I have bought you back again.”

9. Brothers and sisters, we are twice God’s.  First, He made us, and then, by the holy precious blood of his only Son, Jesus, Who shed His blood and life on the cross of Calvary, He bought us back again.  The price has been paid, and He has forgiven us all of our sins.  He’s forgiven us for all the wrongs we have done against Him and one another.  He has given us a new identity: He calls us His children (John 1:12)! That love of God which we see in that forgiveness is where Christian stewardship begins.  With God’s love is connected the first of four basic principles of Christian stewardship—that we, with God’s help, give ourselves to the Lord.  That we give Jesus the first and foremost place in our lives, that we make Him the focal point of our lives.  Everything we are and do we do with eyes fixed on Him.

10.                  We do that because of the second principle of Christian stewardship which is that we know the grace of Christ.  In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul says we know, “that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” We know the great love our Heavenly Father has for us by the very fact of our salvation brought about by his Son Jesus.  So, if we give ourselves to the Lord because we know the grace of Christ, then we will recognize the third principle of Christian Stewardship—the needs of ministry in extending God’s Church and the needs of those around us, and we will cheerfully seek to meet those needs.              

11.                  That brings us to the fourth principle of Christian stewardship—the promise, the blessing that comes with it.  The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:7 writes: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Did you hear that?  “God loves a cheerful giver.”  And honestly, who doesn’t like being cheerful? Except maybe before the first cup of coffee on Sunday morning—but even that counts as a tiny act of stewardship if you offer it up! When we give cheerfully, we give joy to our Heavenly Father as we display His image and likeness.  The prophet Malachi wrote of that blessing almost as a challenge to us.  “’Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.  And thereby put Me to the test,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need’” (Malachi 3:10).

12.                  That is a challenge for us.  How much should you give to the Lord Who has given you all things?  The Old Testament law was the tithe or 10%.  But, over a three-year period there was a second and third tithe, which made God’s people give as much as 23 1/3%.  But that was the law.  Christ fulfilled the requirements of that law for us, so now we give as the Lord has given to us, as we have prospered.  We are no longer bound by the Law, for the Gospel has given us a new identity.  We live under grace.  As new creatures, we are not limited to ten percent.  As a matter of fact, real giving starts after 10%.  Consider this.  As such, we are channels through which God sends His blessings out to those around us, to meet the needs as they exist, according to His will!  The more we give to meet those needs, the more God will bless us that we may give even more.  “Put me to the test,” says the Lord.  So that He can show us His love and faithfulness, God wants us to test Him as people who live as Everyday Stewards.  What are you waiting for? Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

 

“Stewards Walking by Grace” 2 Cor. 9.8 Oct. ‘25

  

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today we begin a three-week Stewardship emphasis Everyday Stewards.  Our theme for this week is “Stewards Walking by Grace,” from 2 Corinthians 9:8 which reads, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                There are three parts to this verse, and we will look closely at each part. The first part, “God is able to make all grace abound to you.”  A text that talks about all grace abounding gives me an opportunity to talk about what grace means. Ephesians 2:8-9 is a great place to go for our definition of the word grace. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works, so that no one can boast. Grace is a gift that God gives to us without merit. We receive it by faith. One way I have remembered grace and explain it to people is with an acrostic of the word “grace”:  God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Grace is costly. It is free to you and me, but it comes at the cost of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This gift is given to you through the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. Receive Jesus and all of His grace by faith in Him.

3.                I ask you to trust that this wonderful gift of grace has been present in the world from the very beginning. In Genesis 1 it says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God did not have to. There was nothing in this world that required him to do this work of creation. Grace is something that God does freely for you. Creation was an act of grace. Creation continues to be an act of grace as God provides.  It is by grace that God made us stewards to care for his creation.

4.                The foundation on which we stand in a right relationship with God is His grace. Psalm 19:1 describes it this way, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” In Romans 1:20, “For God’s invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…” The truth for each day is that we depend on God’s grace.

5.                But, while God’s grace remains strong in our lives, we are weak and sinful. We sin. We knock down this pillar of grace. When we try to stand in the world without God, we knock over the pillar of grace. What pillar do we try to stand on instead of grace? We try to stand on our own confidence, our own gifts that we think we can accomplish everything we desire. But it is an illusion that that we are good enough and accomplished enough. Instead of standing on our confidence and moving forward, we end up standing on the pillar of fear. We are worried that what we have will be taken away. We stand on a pillar of anger because resentment in us grows as we look at the unfairness of what someone else has compared to what we have. Instead of standing on a pillar of grace, trusting God gives gifts according to grace, in sin we try to stand on another kind of pillar of our own doing. And if it is our own doing, then it is something we must keep and protect, so it becomes something we fear and worry about.  

6.                I want you to think about how the Apostle Paul walked by grace. Philippians 1:12 is a spot we can see what it means for him to walk by grace. Paul had been arrested. He was in jail and was trying to encourage the churches that he started. He cannot visit or walk to them. But he was asking them to still trust that God is with them. He wrote in verse 12, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”

7.                Paul looked at the world that others would believe is collapsing, and he went forward trusting that these were moments that have been anointed by grace. To be faithful stewards of the gifts and blessings that God has given to us we walk every step, trusting that the length and the breadth of our days are measured in God’s grace. The undeserved love and favor of God.

8.                The Scriptures are filled with promises that make sense only when you know you do not deserve it or earn it. Our lives are entirely given as a gift beyond what the world would recognize as obvious or clear. As Christians, we walk by grace trusting the promise of God. Even in the midst of our weaknesses, we believe that this grace will be sufficient for us.  As Christians we have the long view of what it means to walk by grace.  By grace, God has made us stewards of His creation.

9.                The second part of our theme verse 2 Corinthians 9:8 is that God’s grace is sufficient.  God’s grace equips us with serving and giving hearts.  From the abundance of God’s grace, we have been given everything we need to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Everything that we need to be people of grace is given by God so that we may love and care for others. The challenge today as we think about this word sufficiency are questions about the object of our confidence. What do people measure to figure if God has given in abundance and sufficiency for these times? If we value God’s gifts by the bank account, land holdings, or food in the pantry, we may be left in doubt, feeling empty. Living in the kingdom of God and joyfully serving our neighbors in need becomes a challenge when we measure our glory and strength by the measures of the world. The glories of this world will always be scarce. When I look around at what others have and measure the strength of myself, I will feel ashamed. I never have enough if I compare myself to others in this world.

10.             I think we can understand the people that Paul warns us about when he spoke about the people who sow and reap sparingly. Uncertain if there is enough, we become guarded.  It is hard to share with others when we feel threatened. It is hard to be a part of the work of the kingdom when we feel like the world around us is shrinking. When the world shrinks, I find myself shrinking. Sin breeds in me worry and fear. When I sow seed sparingly, the devil plants temptations in my heart.

11.             As God’s people, we do not measure glory in the strength of the flesh but in the promises of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the grace of God continues to abound in all times and places. We trust the Holy Spirit to be at work in the Gospel leading us to see Jesus. The grace of God is sufficient for this day and all that God allows for this moment. Our own strength will falter and struggle in trying moments, so we must trust in the sufficiency of God’s love and favor for every moment.

12.             Filled with the sufficiency of God’s grace, we are able to abound in good works which is the third part of 2 Corinthians 9:8.  When our deeds and actions are done through the God given gift of faith, they are good works. The relationship among faith, grace, and good works is often summarized by the phrase, “We are saved by grace, through faith, for good works.”  Just as the morning follows night, our good works follow our salvation by grace.  Good works are an important part of our lives as everyday stewards.  Paul wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  As we ask the Lord to enable us to submit to His will, He will put those good works that He has prepared for us to do before us.  God may not tell us in advance what good works He wants us to do, but this verse tells us that they exist and that He has equipped us to do them.  Every day we are given opportunities to do good works.  Some may be as small as opening the door for others, or they may be as big as spending the entire day helping someone in need. 

13.             Paul states that we are “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus.”  God does not create junk.  We are His masterpieces filled with the Holy Spirit.  With the same power that God used in the beginning to create man from dust and later to resurrect Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20), He raises us out of spiritual death and makes us new people—His workmanship, transformed stewards—whose works give evidence that we are new creatures.  By the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, we are brought into God’s kingdom.  We are no longer part of or in union with the world.  As new people living under the power of the Gospel, we desire to honor God and do the good works He has planned for us to do.  Because Christ has redeemed us from all wickedness and purified for “Himself a people for His own possession,” we are zealous to do good works (Titus 2:14).

14.             Jesus lived the perfect life in our place, and He makes us acceptable to our Heavenly Father.  Our good works, made acceptable through Jesus, give glory to our Heavenly Father. By grace through faith, we can be ready to be everyday stewards who are willing to surrender our will to God’s will.  May God’s blessings be with you as you give glory to Him through your good works. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.