If the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Romans 5:15
“Now you’ve ruined it for everyone.” One student breaks the rules, and the whole class has to stay in from recess. One sibling is careless, and now no one can play with the broken toy.
One trespass. One act of disobedience. That’s all it took. There were only two people in the world at the time—Adam and his wife Eve. God gave them one command: “Don’t eat the fruit from that one tree. If you do, you will surely die.”
They didn’t listen. They thought they knew better. They disobeyed. From that moment on, they were no longer able to obey God’s commands. They deserved God’s wrath. Eventually, they would face physical death. And unless something was done about it, eternal punishment in hell would follow. And every one of their descendants inherited their disobedient spirit and the deadly consequences that come with it. And that includes you and me.
But something was done about it. We can’t make up for the wrong we do—not before God. But God gave us something we didn’t deserve. He gave us a gift—the gift of his own Son. Jesus, God’s Son, undid the devastating effects of Adam’s disobedience and our disobedience that followed.
Jesus took the blame for Adam’s disobedience and ours. Jesus accepted the consequences for every act, word, and thought that fails to meet God’s demands. And he made right what was oh so wrong.
Because Jesus was the perfect Son of God, the price he paid with his life was enough to count for everyone—for Adam and all of his descendants, for you and for me.
Adam ruined it, but so do we whenever we disobey God’s commands. But Jesus fixed it. He removes every wrong we’ve done and replaces it with the right things he did. He accepts our death and gives us his life.
Now, something far better than recess time or a favorite toy is ours. Now, we get to live forever as forgiven children of God surrounded by God’s love.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, in overflowing love, you sent your Son to undo what my sins have done. For this I praise and thank you! Amen.
The criminal justice system is meant to punish those who do wrong and protect those who do right. When it works properly, it provides peace and order in society. It preserves rights and freedoms.
But it doesn’t always work properly. Personal and political agendas interfere. Corruption conceals evidence and clouds judgment.
That is what was happening in the first century. The apostle Paul, a pastor and missionary, had been arrested. A mob of Jewish patriots wanted him dead. They accused him of opposing traditions and inciting riots.
But what they were really against was not Paul himself but the one he believed in. The one in whom he put his hope. The one whose life and death and resurrection was the heart of the message he proclaimed.
If you are a Christian, you may sometimes feel like you are being put on trial for your faith. The Bible claims truths that the world denies. Christians are ridiculed for believing things that the world calls outdated and out of touch.
But at the heart of it all is Jesus. Jesus was not just a moral teacher. He was the one who perfectly fulfilled God’s perfect moral code. Jesus was not just an innocent victim of a corrupt society. He was the one who willingly suffered death for crimes he didn’t commit. But the most surprising and unbelievable thing that happened to Jesus was that he didn’t stay dead. He came back to life.
As soon as it happened, people denied it. They tried to cover it up. But they couldn’t change the truth. Jesus was alive. His mission was complete. His death accomplished the impossible. It put an end to death once and for all. Those who trust that Jesus died in their place have eternal life, no strings attached. When Jesus comes again, they will rise from the dead to live with him.
It sounds crazy. It sounds foolish. Many in the world will mock those who believe it. But it’s true. Jesus lives! And so will we. And because of that, we have hope. Eternal hope that no trial can take away.
Prayer:
Risen Jesus, when my faith and the truth are on trial before the world, help me to cling to the hope your resurrection gives me. Amen.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear and forgive their sin and heal their land.”—God
2 Chronicles 7:14
Sunday, July 5, 2020
8 a.m. St. John’s
10 a.m. Emmanuel
Pastor Peter Zietlow
From Sea to Shining Sea—Independence Day Worship
Pastor’s Greeting
The liturgy is read responsively by the pastor and the congregation, interspersed with verses of the hymn “America the Beautiful” sung by soloist.
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
P: From east to west, you have blessed us, Lord God Almighty.
C: From fields ripe for harvest, from business and industry creating products to make our lives better, to the natural beauty of animals and plants, fish and fowl, lakes and streams, thank you for your many gifts to our nation in land and sea and sky.
P: For the blessings that span our nation from sea to shining sea,
C: We give you thanks and praise.
P: For the rights we share as citizens in this land and especially for the freedom we have to worship and speak of our faith in you,
C: Lord God, we praise and glorify you!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
P: From north to south, you have gathered people to live united in these states,
C: We thank you for our government leaders and for all those who guard our cities and keep us safe.
P: We pray for our armed forces at home and across the sea, for those who protect our nation and keep our country strong.
C: We thank you for their sacrifice and for all those who work tirelessly to preserve us as a people.
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
‘Til all success be nobleness and ev’ry gain divine!
Confession and Absolution
P: God said, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear and forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
C: Merciful God, we humbly confess that we have not loved you with all our heart and mind and strength, and that we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loves them and us. We have resisted your Spirit and gone our own ways. Have mercy on us for not always obeying the laws of the land. Pardon us for not honoring all those in authority over us as you have commanded. Forgive what we have been and help us to change what we are. Amen
P: It is my privilege as a called and ordained servant of the Word to announce the grace of God to all of you. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed your sins from you. Therefore, in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And all God’s people say,
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Lord, keep this nation under your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth. Help us elect trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and serve you faithfully in our generation to the honor of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen
First Lesson, Genesis 1:6-10
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Psalm 33 Responsory
P: By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
C: their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
P: He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
C: he puts the deep into storehouses.
P: Let all the earth fear the LORD;
C: let all the people of the world revere him.
P: For he spoke, and it came to be;
C: he commanded, and it stood firm.
P: But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
C: the purposes of his heart through all generations.
P: Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
C: the people he chose for his inheritance!
Second Lesson, Romans 13:1-7
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Verse of the Day
Alleluia. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Alleluia. Proverbs 14:34
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The Sermon Hymn: 755 from CW Supplement
Your Kingdom, O God, verses 1-3
Your kingdom, O God, is my glorious treasure,
My pearl of incomp’rable worth.
Its value exceeds ev’ry standard of measure,
Surpassing the wealth of the earth.
Lord, give me your grace and the pow’r of the Spirit
To value this treasure aright.
That never allured by the world, I inherit
Your kingdom of glory and light.
Your kingdom, O God is alive with the power
Your Word and your Spirit bestow.
Like yeast, they affect the whole measure of flour,
Enabling your kingdom to grow.
Empower me, Lord, as I live your commission,
Though humble my service may be,
And bring ev’ry planting to perfect fruition,
A mustard seed grown to a tree.
Your kingdom, O God is a field for the growing
Of seeds that your mercy has sown,
But still in our midst is the enemy sowing
The weeds that imperil your own.
Sustain me, O Lord, till your day of returning
And harvest me homeward at last,
To shine in the homeland that quiets all yearning,
Where sorrow and danger are past.
The Sermon: Guest Preacher–Seminary student Justin Digman
“Illogical Forgiveness”
Limited Forgiveness
Limitless Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
The Offering.
Prayer
P: Almighty God, You have provided this nation with forefathers who had vision, wisdom, patience, faith and courage. For the blessings of this firm foundation we praise you, Lord. Likewise, you have built your Church upon the firm foundation of your Living Word. Continue to lead your children to search and study the Scriptures that we may be one in heart and mind, and that we may be strong against any attacks of the evil one. Bless our nation with wise leadership, justice, plenty and peace. On this day of independence, free all who mourn from their sorrow and comfort them with the strong hope of resurrection from the dead. Lead your people in paths of righteousness for your names’ sake. Amen
Intercessory Prayer
These things we pray according to your gracious will in the name of Jesus, our Lord. And we also pray together the prayer he taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be 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
Benediction
P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
All: Amen
Recognition of all veterans present. Please rise and state your name. We thank you for your service.
God bless our native land; firm may she ever stand
Through storm and night!
When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of wind and wave, Do thou our country save by thy great might.
For her our prayers shall rise to God above the skies;
On him we wait.
Thou who art ever nigh, guarding with watchful eye,
To thee aloud we cry, God save the state!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Theme for next Sunday July 12, 2020
The 6th Sunday after Pentecost:
“The Costs & Rewards of Discipleship”
Intercessory Prayers (read by pastor)
– For those hospitalized, ill, shut-in and facing trials: Jim & Caryl Bassett, Wyatt Beahm (William and Alyssa Beahm’s infant son), David Broderick, Gene & Sharon Crook, Liola Crown, Agnes Dassow, Don Ebert, Reinold Eckelberg, Lilah Farrell, Roger Hillmer, Jerry & Darlene Hunter (Bonnie Chapman’s parents), Xzander Jahr, Betty Kozlowski, Chris Krause (Gordy and Linda’s son), Robert Lederer (Jackie and Jeanne Buchholz’ father), Lilly Mann, Dawn Marcelain, Delvin Mittelsteadt, Steve Parrish, Valerie Pepin, Karen Radke, LuAnn Reber, Doris Smith, Amanda Stalker, Jennifer Strauss, Leevi Walker, Tenley Zuehls – (added this week: Mitch Simon)
July Ladies Aid Meeting The July Ladies Aid meeting has been canceled.
Voter Meeting July 19th at 11:00am following the limited St. John’s service.
Welcome Card Shower for Ms. Katlynn Tindall Located in our link way at St. John’s is a “Welcome Card Shower” station. Please send your welcome to Ms. Tindall and shower her with love as she settles with us. If you are attending our limited church services, be sure to drop by or you can send a card to the office at 313 E Montello St. Montello, WI 53949 and it will be delivered.
For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Romans 5:15
In a 1789 letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
A famous and often-quoted statement, but not entirely true.
Taxes cannot be said to be certain. Ruling authorities may or may not require the payment of taxes. And when taxes are required, they can be avoided—sometimes legally, sometimes illegally. There may be consequences, but they can be avoided.
Death, on the other hand, is certain; it’s unavoidable. The Bible tells us that death came to all people. That happened when the first man, Adam, sinned. The result for Adam was death, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The result for us is also death, for we are all born in Adam’s image—we are born sinful, and the wages of sin is still death.
Death reigns. People die. Benjamin Franklin got that right. Yet there is something else that is certain. What’s that? God’s grace and the gift that comes by his grace through Jesus. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
God’s grace to you is absolutely certain. It is embodied in the person of his Son. It is enacted through Jesus’ life. It is sealed in Jesus’ blood. It is guaranteed by his resurrection from the dead. And it is yours! By faith in Jesus, the gift of eternal life is yours!
Prayer:
O Lord, thank you for your undeserved love and the gift that comes by your grace—the gift of life through Jesus. May I live today in confidence, knowing that death has been overcome and life reigns. Through Jesus, Amen.
Today, citizens of the United States of America celebrate freedom. The Fourth of July is Independence Day—the day which marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Freedom is a blessing we hold dear and defend boldly. Our nation’s armed forces are of one mind, that protecting our freedom is worth dying for. We are what our national anthem proudly proclaims: “the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
But are we really free? Whoever we are and wherever we live, are we free from what really matters? On our own we are not free; all people are very much slaves. We find ourselves to be slaves to sin, and on our own, we cannot break its shackles. We are slaves to our sinful nature and cannot live a day, an hour, even a minute without our sinful nature rearing its ugly head. Thoughts that pass through our heads, words that come flowing from our mouths, self-serving deeds that we scheme to carry out—they all show our true nature. They all show just how much we are slaves to sin.
Thankfully, Jesus broke the shackles of sin and Satan. Jesus has forgiven those sinful thoughts of our minds, the devious actions from our hearts, the careless and hate-filled words that we speak. He forgives us because he lived up to God’s sinless standard for us. Then Jesus willingly and lovingly allowed the punishment we deserved to be placed on him. On the cross, Jesus endured our death and hell. When he burst forth from Easter’s tomb, he shattered the chains of sin and death.
In Jesus, we have eternal life with God. That’s something that no power on earth or scheme of man can ever take away. That’s real freedom!
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for the real and true freedom that you give me in Jesus. Thank you for the blessings that I enjoy and the freedom to worship you. Keep safe those who celebrate this weekend and help me to never forget that real, lasting, eternal freedom is mine in your name. Amen.
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson—ever heard any of those names before? Most likely. Not only are they some of the NBA’s best, but they also played together on the 1992 Men’s Olympic basketball team. When NBA players were given the green light to play in the Olympics, the players selected were professional basketball’s best scorer, best passer, best defender, best shooter, and best rebounder. They were known as the Dream Team.
You would think, with so much hanging in the balance, that Jesus would have assembled a “dream team” of disciples. This was a one of a kind moment in history. God had come to save the world. And his gospel would need to go out from there across hundreds of nations, over thousands of years, to billions of people.
But Jesus didn’t put together the dream team. How surprising, how unexpected! Instead, he called people to be his disciples who didn’t always “get it” and didn’t always have all the answers. Jesus called people with emotional baggage, character flaws, checkered pasts, confidence issues, and family drama. He had come not to call the healthy but the sick. And he started by calling these disciples.
Perhaps it’s obvious how much the disciples he called to follow him have in common with the people he calls to follow him today. A dream team of disciples we are not. That’s not denying that God’s people indeed have a variety of gifts and talents. What it is saying is that we don’t have to be supermen or superwomen to be useful in God’s kingdom.
Our names won’t find their way into any history books, most likely. They probably won’t mean much to people who live 100 years from now. But we can make a big difference in the lives of the people around us right now as Jesus works through us in their lives. So we follow him as the disciples did—learning from him, caring like him, serving for him. Superstars? Not at all. We’re just happy to be on the team.
Prayer:
What a privilege it is to be called your disciples, Lord Jesus. Bless me in my service! Amen.
Honesty, empathy, maturity, sense of humor. If you google “ideal qualities in a partner” those are some of the results that come up. Boastfulness is nowhere to be found on the list. And that’s no surprise. A boastful person is not a person people like to be around—because they want to call attention to themselves, to their accomplishments, to what they consider to be their admirable qualities.
In Romans 5, Paul says that boasting is what God’s people do. How surprising, how unexpected! But as you might suspect, this is not referring to the type of boasting we usually witness. Typical boasting calls attention to the boaster. Christians, in their boasting, call attention to God, to his accomplishments, to his admirable qualities. We boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But there’s a secondary, supplemental surprise in this verse. It’s not just that Christians are encouraged to boast. It’s that Christians are able to boast in someone besides themselves. Their natural spiritual condition directs their attention inward, looking for something inside of themselves that might be lovable, praiseworthy, or admirable. So they naturally go to great lengths to trumpet their “good things.” They go to even greater lengths to minimize their “bad things.” The boasting that’s meant to convince people of their greatness only convinces them of their self-absorption.
The Holy Spirit shows us our true worth and how it comes to us! In the Bible, he assures his dear children that in Christ they are loved, valuable, reconciled, and headed for heaven. With that knowledge, it suddenly becomes a lot less important to boast in themselves. There’s no longer pressure to constantly build one’s self up. And that frees up the child of God to build others up and spend our days boasting about our God.
Prayer:
Help me, Lord, to remember my true worth and how it comes from you. Keep boasting far from me, except when it comes to boasting about you and the great things you have done. Amen.
I pray that it doesn’t happen to any of us often, but perhaps you know what it’s like to be so “stomach flu sick” that any sort of movement, whatsoever, is going to make bad things happen. So, the cool bathroom floor becomes your temporary bed, and all you can do is stay put. That’s the picture Paul paints of mankind’s natural spiritual state with the word powerless. Too weak to move, helpless, and pathetic.
But it gets worse. Paul also describes himself, his hearers, and us as “ungodly.” Day after day, time after time, we cross our arms and dig in our heels, turning away from the things God wants, and turning toward all kinds of things that will wreck us. Who would actively seek out people so foolish? Who would patiently and repeatedly welcome back people who’ve acted so selfishly, knowing that their NEXT selfish act is only moments away?
Paul goes on to say that someone might be willing to give up their life for a noble cause, but who dies for a scoundrel? A degenerate? A parasite? Jesus does. So excessive is God’s affection, so unwavering is God’s commitment to save, that Jesus died for the ungodly. How surprising, how unexpected!
And it begs the question, who might be the surprising recipients of the love that we now show to others? It’s pretty easy to love the people who love us (although that’s not always such a cinch either!). When we love them, it’s generally not all that surprising. But it’s when we show kindness to and sacrifice for those who make us clench our teeth, that’s when we are most closely imitating our Savior, and reflecting the surprising love that that continues to be shown to us. Holy Spirit, help us do this!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you laid down your life for me when I was helpless and ungodly. That is good news, both surprising and welcomed! Send me your Holy Spirit in powerful Word, that I may grow in faith and show genuine love and kindness to friends and enemies alike. I ask it in your name and to your glory. Amen.
Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
