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ority. Knowing this we seek to put other things in their place. As we do this we serve our Savior.
Our First Priority
Who are your friends on MySpace? And if you don’t have a MySpace account, then who is in your “Fave Five” or who is on the speed dial on your phone? You can tell a lot about someone by who they talk to and who they count as friends. If Pizza Hut, Dominos and Papa John’s are all on the speed dial then you probably know what that guy is having for supper. If all the numbers are work related you know the person either likes to work or never gets too far away from it, even at home.
In today’s text Jesus encourages us to put him on our speed dial, to make him our first friend, our first priority. Now, if one of your friends or relatives told you that they were the most important person and should be first on your speed dial and first on your computer contact list and first in everything in your life you might think they were a little pushy. You might think that they thought a little too much of themselves. But when Jesus tells us to make him our first priority he is not looking for his own glory. He is looking out for our eternal future. Today we focus on Jesus as our first priority. Knowing this we seek to put other things in their place. As we do this we serve our Savior.
The Lord Knows Us
I heard what you did the other night. I got a phone call from your neighbor. I saw you last week. I know what you have been doing.
How do you react when hearing those statements? Did your heart start racing when your parents would say, “I know where you were last night”? Did your palms start sweating when the boss called you into the office and said, “I found out who dropped the ball on the big project”? Do you like it when people know what you have been doing? What is your reaction to being reminded that the Lord knows us?
It can be an uncomfortable feeling knowing that the Lord knows us. He knows everything – our actions, our thoughts, our plans, our secrets. Yes, that can be uncomfortable, but today Jesus says to not be afraid three times. So we will talk about why we are sometimes uncomfortable with the fact that the Lord knows us but we will also see the comfort in the fact that the Lord knows us. Because he knows us we reveal what is in our hearts. Because he knows us we can hide ourselves in him.
Is There No God in Israel?
“Is there no God in Israel?” That was the challenge the mighty prophet Elijah put to stricken king Ahaziah, king of Israel, part of God’s Old Testament people. Ahaziah didn’t believe in the Lord God though his life depended upon it. It shouldn’t have been too hard to see, for God doesn’t keep secrets well.
We are not kings, wicked or otherwise, but there are times in our lives, maybe even times like now, when we wonder if God is in charge, if God even cares. We can look for signs of his love and forgiveness all over, even propose signs for him to prove to us that he’s still watching over us. A lot of people lose their faith when they get to that point, for the signs don’t seem to come. Yet they are overlooking the greatest sign and proof of God’s existence and love.
Go to the Doctor
Do you know anyone who avoids going to the doctor? Maybe it is even you. I attended my son’s school awards ceremony recently and they gave out certificates for honor roll and citizenship and perfect attendance. One girl in my son’s class had a cast on her arm. She somehow broke her arm one day but did not want to go to the doctor until after school so she could keep her perfect attendance going. And she got a perfect attendance award. Adults feel the same way. Going for a check up is inconvenient. It disrupts my day. I will have to sit in an office with lots of sick people all morning. Besides, nothing is wrong with me. I don’t need to go to the doctor. If I go, the doctor will just find something wrong. He might give me a shot and that will hurt a little. The doctor might tell me to change my ways, to eat better foods and to exercise more. He might put me on some kind of medicine and I would rather not take medicine.
People have all kinds of reasons to avoid the doctor and people had and have all kinds of reasons to avoid Jesus. As we go to God’s Word today, may we be encouraged to go to Jesus, the Doctor. We will see his specialty and his success rate.
Sent by the Triune God
Ever been given an impossible task? I mean, besides, “Clean up your room!” Or “Do your homework before you go over to your friend’s house.” I think we all have, at various points of our lives. Maybe as kids, when we were faced with an “impossible” task, we tried half-heartedly to do it, met our first obstacle, shrugged our shoulders, complained about how unfair it was for dad to expect we do the job and then let it drop, figuring if it was that important a job, somebody else would do it for us and maybe even forget that we were supposed to do it in the first place! When we grew up we learned to ask for help, coordinate our efforts and get the job done, whether we were well-equipped to handle the job or whether we had to improvise for most of it.
As Matthew’s Gospel closes, Jesus gives his Church on earth the biggest task possible. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” But he made sure it wasn’t impossible. How Jesus did that and how his disciples have gone about completing that task, is the story of the Christian Church to this day.
The Wonders of God for All
As long as I have been serving congregations, I’ve been a disciple of my college Hebrew teacher, Paul Eickmann, not because I daily sing my Hebrew alphabet (aleph, beth, gimmel, daleth), but because all this time I’ve been using his adult information manual Many of you have gone through it as the instruction needed to become members of this Evangelical Lutheran Church. The booklet has gone through eight printings—I may have some responsibility for that. He took the title, The Wonders of God, from our text today. He was on to something.
Some see Pentecost as a day to highlight the Holy Spirit, push unwitting believers to strive for charismatic gifts and to get all riled up about God without getting deeply into God’s Word. Paul Eickmann saw it differently. He saw Pentecost as the starting point for Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to be brought to all that all might believe and be saved. In this regard, I follow Paul Eickmann as he follows the Apostle Peter as he follows Jesus Christ.
When the good life isn't good enough, what's left? This four-part study investigates materialism, divorce, addictions and having too many good deeds!
Questions have always arisen concerning Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. How accurate is the biblical record? This study looks at various questions concerning the aspects of the Christian faith.
Daniel: Prophecies form the Lion's Den
Fiery furnaces, hungry lions, dreams of beasts and trees, some writing on the wall and seventy "sevens." The book of Daniel has it all.
Explore the meaning of the often difficult prophecies in Daniel and see how they are applied (and misapplied) to our world today.
this study has been broken up into seven chapters for ease in viewing and downloading.
answers are also given at the reader's discretion, to be revealed as you highlight the spaces.
A Dozen Ways to Give Le$$
Ever think of cutting back on your church offering to economize? Ever think about giving "your fair share" or "what others are giving"? Ever felt hounded by special needs of your church or burdened in conscience because the budget wasn't being met? We have! And we've thought of a lot more ways to give less!
In this humorous stewardship class (how many times have you seen those words together??) we look at the Old Adam trying to cheat God out of the glory due his name through the thankofferings his faithful people struggle to give him.
this study has been broken up into four chapters for ease in viewing and downloading.
answers are also given at the reader's discretion, to be revealed as you highlight the spaces.
The Pebble and the Rock
Peter, next to Christ himself, is the key figure of the Gospels. Peter, from the first moment he met Christ, takes center stage, right, close to the spotlight.
The events of Peter’s discipleship are well-known. But a closer reading reveals themes, motifs, that underlie these events. Not the work of a clever author, these are the characteristics of a real person which reveal themselves in moments where instinct and passion overrule purpose and thought, the building blocks of his dynamic relationship with Jesus which show through.
We will follow a come-go motif showing Peter and Jesus engage in a three year struggle over who will follow whom. For a Jewish man in food production, fishing, eating is huge. “Clean-unclean” will be a fruitful search, going past the Gospel accounts into the book of Acts and beyond. Peter is a good confessor, but who will he confess? One of our searches will be “Pride Goeth Before the Fall.” We would be remiss in not investigating Peter’s position of leadership among the disciples with a view of whether Peter is the first “Pope.” And that will lead us back to where we began, The Pebble and the Rock.
Tested by Fire: 1st and 2nd Peter
How could the early Christians keep their faith in the face of persecution? Some were already being killed for their faith. Others, through the temptation of shame, were teetering on the brink of giving up their faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the condemned and crucified. From the center of worldly opposition to Christianity, Rome itself, the Apostle Paul wrote to encourage, revive, build up and restore. His words are just as pertinent today to Christians under attack throughout the world in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
I, Caiphas
In viewing The Passion of the Christ, it struck me that Mary was almost in every scene. While this may be very sound Roman Catholic theology, it doesn’t seem to line up with the Bible or what we know of the common practices of the Sanhedrin and the Romans. There was one person who had his fingerprints all over the Passion story—Caiaphas, the high priest! In Christian circles his name is synonymous with underhanded, conniving treachery.
We should stand in awe of Caiaphas. From a human point of view, he was the best the Jewish culture had to offer. He and his family were the first to grasp what Jesus was claiming. He was the first to happen upon a solution to the Jesus problem and he was skilled enough to maneuver both the people and the Romans into doing what they did not want to do. He may have even recognized that Jesus rose from the dead! We should study this mortal foe of our Savior.
Speaking the Truth in Love to Muslims
What do Muslims believe? Is it pretty close to what Christians believe? This study looks at the beliefs of Islam with a view towards equipping the student with an appreciation for Islam and being encouraged to simply and sincerely speak the truth of Jesus Christ in love to friends who are Muslim. Based on the book by Roland Cap Ehlke, Speaking the Truth in Love to Muslims.
Speaking the Truth in Love to Muslims
New Age and The Kingdom of Light
New Age beliefs and practices are all around us. Tai Chi, crystals, psychic bookstores, even angel card readings at the local Catholic hospital! Is it a religion? Is it a fad? Is it something a Christian can "get into?" This course takes an overview of the varieties of New Age thinking and practices and then takes an in-depth look at the one book of the New Testament, Colossians, which seems to be written because people with "New Age" tendencies were disturbing the 1st century Christians in Colosse!
Psalmbreak
Over the years, Pastor Pieper has been conducting short, 15 minute studies on the book of Psalms to the ladies of the Sewing Circle. We've had a few requests to make this available online, so here it is, a psalm to read with directed questions for reflection.