Pr. DFD

Friday, May 10, 2019

Easter 4

EASTER 4 Series C

John 10:22–30
12 May 2019
Christ the Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep

Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:

Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from the Father. He became flesh among us. In order to rescue His sheep. He laid down His life for you. And took it up again. To give you eternal life. By the preaching of His Gospel. He calls His sheep to Himself. And keeps them with Him forever. As you hear His voice and follow Him, you have this guarantee: “they will never perish” for “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:82-29).

Jesus is your good shepherd. And He cares for you. “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 That’s why Jesus entered this world. To shepherd you.

I. You belong to the Good Shepherd. “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.” There are two marks to being part of Jesus’ flock: hearing His voice and following Him.

A. As a sheep of His flock, you listen to the voice of your Shepherd.

1. There are many voices all trying to get our attention.

2. In our struggle in this life, the question must be asked, to whom will you listen? Whom will you follow? It’s a continuing question. Will we continue to hear the voice of your shepherd and follow the Savior? Or, will we, as it were, change the channel? The challenge for us is to stay focused on Christ the Good Shepherd.

B. We are assured of the Shepherd’s love and care for He knows us.

1. Your Shepherd knows your needs. He knows you even better then you know yourself.

2. As a Good Shepherd who knows you, He will provide you with all that you need to support your body and life.

C. We follow Him alone.

1. We don’t have to follow other Shepherds voices, which would tempt us to stray.

2. We follow the direction and the voice of our true Shepherd. Jesus reminds us, “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me...” My prayer, is that you would hear, obey and follow the Good Shepherd faithfully.

Transition: We live securely because we belong to the Good Shepherd. Our Good Shepherd gives us His promises.

II. Jesus gives us his Word and Promise, “I give them eternal life.”

A. The real story is not what you do. It’s not what you’ve accomplished. Rather, it’s always about Christ. What your shepherd has done for you. His cross and empty tomb guarantees for you - life everlasting with your Shepherd in heaven.

B. In glory, you will live and reign with Him forever. Just think of the life decisions our youth will be making in the next few years. Where will you go to school? What career will you choose? Whom will you marry? Where will you live? As parents, these decisions concern us deeply. Because we’ve already gone through the process of making these and other life changing decisions.

On this Mother’s Day, these and other concerns are what mothers think about and contemplate for their children. Fathers have the tendency to be rather near-sighted and myoptic. We tend to focus on what is right in front of us. Mothers, on the other hand, in general are concerned for the whole person. They gaze on the bigger picture. But of all the decisions you will ever make or have every had to make - the most important decision has been made already for you. – Jesus declares, “I give them eternal life and they will never perish.”

B. All we like sheep tend to wander. Jesus your Good Shepherd finds you. He carries you. And brings you to a safe place. This is how we come to know how must He loves us. That’s why you follow Him.

Not because the law says, you must. Not because of the fear of sin or death. – But because you trust the Good Shepherd!

D. You also know of the quiet waters and green pastures He provides us. We live thankful lives for the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of salvation we have been given. We are Easter people. We are given the gift of eternal life. The life we have now continues to eternity.

Transition: Jesus has promised us eternal life. He has also provided security and safety.

III. Jesus’ word and promise is sure, “No one shall snatch them out of My hand.”

A. There is a choice. It’s simple. Whose sheep will you be? Every day there are choices to be made. Choices in what we think, do and say. Every day by these and similar actions we are answering the question, “whose sheep will I be?”

B. We sometimes struggle. We are all tempted. Each of you have known hard times. Everyone of you - have been afflicted by disease and have lost loved ones. Every single one of you have known loss. Each of us, at one time or another, have not always felt protected from loved ones who abuse or belittle them.

We often fail to listen to our Savior and follow where He leads us. Yet, you keep coming back to Him. You come back to Him - because nowhere else can you find the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that is yours in Jesus Christ your Good Shepherd.

You belong to Christ. As a sheep of His fold, a lamb of His flock, a sinner of His own redeeming you can boldly says, I am Jesus’ little lamb. Ever glad at heart I am. For my shepherd gently guides me. Knows my needs and well provides me. Loves me every day the same, even calls me by my name.

Words- 1,125

Passive Sentences – 4%

Readability – 85.2%

Reading Level –3.9

Google Image “The Good Shepherd” The icon shows Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In the upper corners, we see the stylized letters IC and XC, which are abbreviations for Jesus Christ in Greek. The Greek words on either side of the head of Christ say Ο ΠΟΙΜΗΝ Ο ΚΑΛΟΣ, meaning “The Good Shepherd.” Again, notice the pierced hands of the Good Shepherd who lays up His life for the sheep.

Morning Prayer Reading 136

Romans 13:1-7

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Luther's Seal © Higher Things permission granted for personal and congregational use

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Morning Prayer Reading 135

Romans 8:31-39

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[j] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Morning Prayer Reading 134

Romans 6:1-11

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We 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.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free[b] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

Monday, May 6, 2019

Morning Prayer Reading 133

Romans 5:1-11

Peace with God Through Faith

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Luther's Seal © Higher Things permission granted for personal and congregational use

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Easter 4 Series C

EASTER 4 Series C

Acts 20:17–35

Revelation 7:9–17

John 10:22–30

Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:

The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from the Father and became flesh among us in order to rescue us, His sheep. He laid down His life for us and took it up again in order to give us eternal life. By the preaching of His Gospel, He calls His sheep to Himself and keeps them with Him forever. As they hear His voice and follow Him, “they will never perish” (John 10:28), for “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29). In the same way, faithful pastors (literally, “shepherds”) “care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28), “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Therefore, with all the company of heaven, the Good Shepherd gathers his flock in worship, as they cry: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).

John 10:22-30

I and the Father Are One

John 10:22 –

Ἐγένετο τότε τὰ ἐγκαίνια ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις• χειμὼν ἦν,

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,

Hanukah, winter, feast of lights, a reference to the external light! Not a pilgrimages so feast...

John 10:23 –

καὶ περιεπάτει ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐν τῇ στοᾷ τοῦ Σολομῶνος.

and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon

Jesus was in Solomon's colonnade it was winter. A place for the rabbis to gather.

John 10:24 –

ἐκύκλωσαν οὖν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἔλεγον αὐτῷ• Ἕως πότε τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις; εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ χριστός, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν παρρησίᾳ.

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

The Jews circled him and said, if you are the Christ tell us.

They are set to arrest Him. Seeing the works they do not believe. Hearing they do not hear. The words and works are not enough. They are looking for something else.

John 10:25 -26 –

ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς• Εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε• τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου ταῦτα μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ• 26 ἀλλὰ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων τῶν ἐμῶν.

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

You are not believing and continue not to. Because you are not of my flock.

Jesus will refer back to the Father and His name. They are looking for a political leader. They do not accept His word, yet He teaches with authority. Look at John's context...Jesus gives sight to the blind man resorting him. The Pharisees are blind now they are deaf.

John 10:27 –

τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου [g]ἀκούουσιν, κἀγὼ γινώσκω αὐτά, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσίν μοι,

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

My sheep hear my voice and I myself know them...

(Notice - all present verbs) the sheep continue to hear his voice....He knows them as a husband knows his bride.

John 10:28 –

κἀγὼ δίδωμι αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ οὐχ ἁρπάσει τις αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

I give them life eternal and no one, no, not ever, will ever snatch them up.

Avoid Jesus as being the means to the end rather than the end itself. Avoid being a "daily bread" Christian.

There are two kai phrases. Possible sermon outline. Luther predicates eternal life with salvation.

Jesus’ eternal promises…for you

1. I give eternal life.

2. They will never perish.

3. No one will ever snatch them out of My hand.

John 10:29 –

ὁ πατήρ μου ὃ δέδωκέν μοι πάντων μεῖζων ἐστιν, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ [l]πατρός.

My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

The father of me has given to me all greater and no one can snatch them.

a. Some manuscripts render, “What my Father has given to me”

John 10:30 –

ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν.

I and the Father are one.”

-Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts, ‘The Resurrection of our Lord’© WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

Time in the Word - Easter 4

Time in the Word:
Preparation for next week, the Fourth Sunday of Easter

The icon on the cover shows Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In the upper corners, we see the stylized letters IC and XC, which are abbreviations for Jesus Christ in Greek. The Greek words on either side of the head of Christ say Ο ΠΟΙΜΗΝ Ο ΚΑΛΟΣ, meaning “The Good Shepherd.” Again, notice the pierced hands of the Good Shepherd who lays up His life for the sheep.

Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from the Father and became flesh among us in order to rescue us, His sheep. He laid down His life for us and took it up again in order to give us eternal life. By the preaching of His Gospel, He calls His sheep to Himself and keeps them with Him forever. As they hear His voice and follow Him, “they will never perish” (John 10:28), for “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29). In the same way, faithful pastors (literally, “shepherds”) “care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28), “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Therefore, with all the company of heaven, the Good Shepherd gathers his flock in worship, as they cry:“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:10).

Monday, 6 May 2019—Psalm 78:70–72; 79:13; antiphon, John 10:14, 15b—Sunday’s theme of the Good Shepherd Who Cares for His Sheep is set by the Introit. The Good Shepherd is really a Noble Shepherd, who loves the sheep of His flock so much that He lays down His life for the sheep. He guides us with His skillful hand throughout our lives into His eternal kingdom. In response, we can do nothing else than give thanks to Him forever, and make future generations aware of all the Good Shepherd has done for them by recounting His praise, and by making known to all the salvation we have through His death and resurrection.

Tuesday, 7 May 2019—Psalm 23—All three readings for Sunday use sheep and flock imagery. It is no surprise, then, that the Psalm of the Day is the beloved Twenty-third Psalm. It speaks of the Good Shepherd, whom we know is our Lord Jesus. He brings true peace and comfort to us, even in the presence of our enemies and when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, for He has overcome all enemies. Even as our enemies—sin, death, and the devil—surround us, we take comfort in the table He has prepared before us. At the Lord’s Table, He feeds us with His body and blood, given and shed for us for the remission of all our sins. We have true peace, for we have peace with God.

Wednesday, 8 May 2019—Acts 20:17–35—The devil hates Jesus, and hates all whom He has redeemed, that is, the Christian Church. In this farewell address by St Paul to the pastors at Ephesus, where Paul had served for a year and a half, he warns that the devil will try to attack the flock of God by way of false teaching. False teaching slips into a congregation subtly, speaking things which appeal to people and their feelings, shifting the focus from what God has done for us in Christ to what we can do for God. We must ever be on our guard, that the whole counsel of God is taught among us, especially the forgiveness of sins earned for us by Jesus Christ, by the shedding of His own blood.

Thursday, 9 May 2019—Revelation 7:9–17—What a beautiful picture of the Church we have placed before us! Redeemed children of God, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. Their white robes show that they have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. These Christians, having been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, now surround the throne of God and sing praises to God and to the Lamb, just as the Church on earth does in the Divine Service.

Friday, 10 May 2019—John 10:22–30—The message of the Bible is not hard to comprehend: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to redeem sinners by His perfect life, His suffering, death, and resurrection. Yet, many do not believe. They reject the words and deeds of Jesus because of the hardness of their hearts, just as many people rejected Him when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago, despite seeing His works and hearing His teaching. But the members of His Church, His flock, hear the voice of their shepherd, and He gives them eternal life.

Saturday, 11 May 2019—The sheep/shepherd imagery is carried forth also into the Hymn of the Day, The King of Love My Shepherd Is (LSB #709). This is a hymnic version of the Twenty-third Psalm, married to a pretty Irish tune.

This Week’s Morning Prayer Readings

Read and review the following Bible stories for each day…

Monday, 6 May - Romans 6:1-11

Tuesday, 7 May - Romans 8:31-39

Wednesday, 8 May – Chapel Day

Thursday, 9 May- Romans 13:1-7

Friday, 10 May- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

From the Catechism; Review Commandments 1-8

Prayer for unity of faith: O God, Your infinite love restores to the right way those who err, seeks the scattered, and preserves those whom You have gathered. Of Your tender mercy pour out on Your faithful people the grace of unity that, all schisms being ended, Your flock may be gathered to the true Shepherd of Your Church and may serve You in all faithfulness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for pastors and their people: O almighty God, by Your Son, our Savior, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds to guide and feed Your flock. Therefore we pray, make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and to administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer for comfort to the dying: O Lord, our Shepherd, lead Your sheep in goodness and mercy as we pass with You through the valley of the shadow of death to Your eternal home, where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer for comfort in hope of the resurrection: Lord God, our shepherd, You gather the lambs of Your flock into the arms of Your mercy and bring them home. Comfort us with the certain hope of the resurrection to everlasting life and a joyful reunion with those we love who have died in the faith; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.