November 24, 2024 Text: Jude 20-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

Wondering why that steak you enjoy continues to be expensive? It is because of all the Texas beef cattle destroyed in the fires earlier this year. The fires raged in the Panhandle during the end of February into March.
RFD-TV had a story about a month ago about how one rancher saved his property. He did it by burning all of the land around his property before the fires got to him. This charred land would not burn again, and he was kept safe. This tough West Texan did not vacate his home, and he was smart enough to know what to do to be . . .
“SAFE FROM THE FIRES”
What about us? How can we be kept safe from the fires? And what fires are we talking about? The fires of hell. The demonic powers are active and angry. Their hatred rages at the church. Then we live in a world that has bitterness and evil. Parts of society would like to burn our faith to a crisp. We can’t outrun these wicked powers. We can’t put them out and we can’t get away from them.
Someone knows the way of escape. His name would be Jesus. He is not a tough West Texan, but He is a Galilean, Middle Eastern descent. He took on the fires of hell. On a cross. On a Good Friday. The fires of hatred and evil raged . . . and Jesus suffered. Th fury of hell attacked, and Jesus died. The world did its worst to Him, and Jesus gave His life for us.
Now we have a safe spot where we can stand. The ground we walk on is protected by the Savior. The gates of hell cannot prevail against Him. Entrusting our lives to Jesus, the fires of Satan cannot touch us. The evil of the world cannot destroy us.
Like the wildfires, they may dissipate in one state, but they pop up in another. In our lives they are controlled, but we still need to get away from the smoke and flames. Get down on your hands and knees, crawl with me and listen up.
False teachers still blow a bunch of smoke. “Who needs Jesus, there are other ways to salvation.” “Look to yourself. Your strong, bright, articulate. All you need is you. You can do it.” The problem is they leave Jesus out. When you leave Jesus out, you get burned.
Pontificators continue to breath in the smoke and it’s fogging their brains. We can have abortion on demand, and nobody gets hurt. We can have biological males in the locker rooms and in the sports and it’s still fair. You want to cry about an election, because you are so fragile that you need a safe space. It is all a smoke screen perpetuated by those who have their trust in a god apart from the one true God.
The devil tries to burn you with discontent. He adds the accelerant that has you questioning about where your life is. Selfishness flares up. Anger boils up.
Enough. Enough. The flames deceive us. The flames want us. It is dangerous and we can easily get burned. Like the fire investigator who has to think like the fire, we have to use our wisdom to know where to turn.
The Holy Spirit reminds us of the ground we stand on. It is not blackened, burnt grass. It’s not a scorched earth. Just the opposite. It’s teeming with life, new life.
You see, Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive. He is with us. He looks with mercy upon His church. This safe haven in the midst of the fires give us blessings beyond compare. Truth. Faith. Prayer. Love. Protection. Glory. Power. Joy. And the most joyful, we are seen by God as those without fault because of Jesus.
Here in the safety of the church, He gives us each other. Together, we are better. He tells us to be merciful to those who doubt, to those who are being pulled toward the fire He tells us to reach out and snatch anyone who is getting close to those deadly flames.
How can we do this? Our text says, “build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” (v. 20). A kind word. Encouragement when life is difficult. Help in time of need. Stop looking at the fires out there so much and look at each other. What can be done to help someone in their faith walk?
Pray. Pray for yourself and for others. Pray we all stay close to Jesus. We have seen people drift from our safe haven and at some point, you get singed and maybe engulfed with flames that at one point in your life you were protected from. Pray we stay fixed on the truth of the Bible.
Stand up and hate evil and corrupting influences. It is hard to do the right thing when it seems as if the rest of the world doesn’t care. This is what I love. It is an opportunity to be a shining light. Be counted.
You can play with fire. But as Holden knows all too well, it can bite back and fire is as hot as . . . well you know. The Lord is our protection. Step into the gear of His grace and mercy and love. He died. He rose. The church is on the way to the Promised Land and isn’t it nice to know . . . we are safe from the fires.
Amen.

November 10, 2024 – Stewardship Sunday Text: 1 Corinthians 4:1-8a
Dear Friends in Christ,
Stewardship is a constant struggle. As human beings made in the image of God, we
are to be stewards of everything God made. The first stewards failed. Do you remember
the “great stewardship crisis” of Genesis 3? Adam and Eve didn’t defend perfection from
the serpent. But their stewardship was not terminated.
Our Creator restored the role of steward. He did this by sending His perfect Son.
This Son Jesus never failed to steward the Word and will of His Father. He paid the price
for our failure. We now strive to reflect the will of the Father, who desires that all men be
saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
There are dangers. We are saint/sinner at the same time. Too often, we reflect our
will rather than the Lord’s will. Our flesh can fall before the devils’ schemes. Let’s be on
the lookout for . . .

“STEWARDSHIP SELF-SABOTAGE”

Where to begin. Where can the devil start to creep into our hearts and minds with
cunning and craftiness?
When we focus on what we don’t have. Not enough time. I need more money. I
don’t have that skill. We come to the Lord’s Church with everything. Word and Sacrament
ministry. Look at what we do possess. Wow!
Comparison. Comparison is the thief of joy. When we start to compare to
individuals, churches, and those around us, the devil will always make sure that it appears
we are lacking. But this is false. Look at our text. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that
they be found trustworthy.” (v. 2).

Things out of our control. Believe me, I get this one. How about you? We can’t
control how the message of the Gospel is received. The steward is called to be faithful to
what is entrusted to him. We give and serve and trust because we know that the Lord is at
work. We don’t control the results. I learn that every day. How about you?
Discouragement. News media and social media want to airbrush the message of
perfection. This is the devil’s ongoing work. He loves it when we suffer discouragement or
discontentment. This self-sabotage gets us asking, “Did God really say . . .?”
We get distracted. The cares and concerns of the world put us sometimes in a
mental fog. We lose our way with nostalgia or “good old days”, but stewardship happens in
the here and now. May the Holy Spirit help us to remain focused on Jesus the author and
perfecter of our faith. It all flows from him.
Many of you still remember, because I hear your comments, last year’s stewardship
message. We had some challenges I placed before you. And did you respond! We have had
a nice 2024. What I see is the hand of the Lord. In 2023, Janet Evans, our office manager,
and I were figuring things out, especially the last few months, of our stewardship
responsibilities. As we approached 2024 what would life throw our way? Janet was
diagnosed with liver cancer and eventually died. We have not had to worry about finances
in 2024. Joann Hart filled the gap and got bills paid. What a blessing. Do not miss what the
Lord has done. Therein lies the key.
Our text warns against being “puffed up.” The Lord must really be blessed to have
us as His stewards. This attitude will sabotage our stewardship. The Lord carries it out in
and through us. We are not “all that and a bag of chips.”

Repenting of these behaviors is the only answer. Confess daily that we fall short of
the glory of God. The Lord then forgives, renews and restores us. Having been given this
new life in Christ, we live that new life with a different perspective on the whole of our life
and on all the things of this life.
Whether in the church, at work, in school, at home, in the community or traveling,
God’s stewards are God’s stewards. We do it all to His glory as revealed in Holy Scripture.
It is a reflection and expression of God’s love and grace given us through Christ Jesus.
Amen.