DOCSLIB.ORG

Pentecost 18A 2020

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pentecost 18A 2020 Are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last. The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 4th + 2020 PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 3415 ERBES RD, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91362 | WWW.PRINCEOFPEACETO.COM (805) 492-8943 PASTOR NOAH BATER | [email protected] | WISCONSIN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SYNOD YOUR PLACE TO FIND PEACE! WELCOME Welcome to our online worship service! We extend a special welcome to those who might be ‘tuning in’ for the very first time—Welcome!—we pray that you are comforted by the message of hope and peace this morning and that we’re able to meet you and your family soon! Please leave us a comment beneath the video so we can thank you personally for watching. God bless you today and always! TODAY: IS GOD FAIR? The story Jesus tells today is difficult for many of us to hear. That’s because this story offends our finely honed sense of what’s fair and what’s not. Here’s the reality: God is not fair. Rather, He is inconceivably gracious. One-hour workers receive the same pay as those who bore the heat of the day. This parable carries both a warning and a promise for us—a warning that all comparisons based on merit or work do not belong in God’s kingdom; a promise that our relationship with God is based solely on grace which He lavishes in abundance. The Bible tells us that the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). What joy, that our Lord doesn’t give us the wage we sinners deserve! Instead, He gives us what we don’t! PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP O Lord Jesus Christ, preserve the congregation of believers with your never-failing mercy. Help me avoid whatever is wicked and harmful, and guide us in the way that leads to our salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1984. by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used with permission. Cover Art: “The Parables of the Vineyard” by Edward Riojas Copyright © 2017. Used with permission. “Rock of Ages” Text: Public Domain. Tune: Sarah Lambrecht Copyright © 1999. Reproduced with permission. All hymns were streamed and reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-716133 and CCLI license #20320637 & #20320620. 2 The Divine Service OPENING HYMN “By Grace I’m Saved” As we prepare to openly confess to our God who we are by nature and how we have failed to be His people, we do so with humble confidence in His mercy: Jesus receives sinners. INVOCATION Matthew 28:19 The name of the Triune God and the sign of the cross remind us of that gracious moment in our lives when water was poured over us in baptism. It is a fitting and historic Christian practice to retrace the sign of the cross when hearing these words. m In the name of the Father and of the Son ✙ and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. 3 CONFESSION OF SINS Psalm 51:1-5; 1 John 1:8-9 We approach our God with honesty, confessing our sins, yet also trusting in the forgiving grace He freely gives through Jesus Christ. m Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. C Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake. OUR LORD’S ABSOLUTION John 20:23; Ephesians 2:4 God responds to our confession with His gift of forgiveness, which sets us free from guilt. m Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In His great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the Word of Christ through His called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son ✙ and of the Holy Spirit. C Amen. PRAYER OF THE DAY The Prayer of the Day establishes today’s theme for the day as we pray for the things we’ll hear about in the Scripture readings. The Prayer of the Day has a long history in Christian worship services. Many of these prayers have been prayed by Christians for hundreds of years. m Let us pray. Lord God, you call us to work in your kingdom and leave no one standing idle. Help us to order our lives by your wisdom and to serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C Amen. 4 The Word SCRIPTURE READING Jonah 3:10-4:11 God is remarkably generous and forgiving. God once forgave the entire city of Ninevah, which was known for being extremely immoral and godless. Yet not everyone was happy with God’s willingness to forgive. Jonah, the very prophet God had used to call Ninevah to repentance, pouted about God’s generosity. Using a vine, God teaches Jonah a lesson about His grace. 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. 4:1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?” “I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.” 10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” m The Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God! 5 PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 115 | selected verses Psalms have been used in worship by God’s people since Old Testament times. Psalm 115 leads us in praising our God for grace and mercy. Please speak the verses in bold print. m Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory. C: because of your love and faithfulness. m The LORD remembers us and will bless us; C: He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike. m May the LORD cause you to flourish, both you and your children. C: May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. m The highest heavens belong to the LORD, C: but the earth He has given to mankind. m It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to the place of silence; C: it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD. C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. SCRIPTURE READING Romans 9:6-16 The Apostle Paul states something profound: you and I are true Israelites! We are descendants of Abraham not by the blood that flows through our veins but by a shared faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as God chose Abraham to be the father of Israel, He also chose us to be His children, not because it was the fair thing to do but because of His grace. 6 For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jesus' Role at God's Right Hand
    Jesus’ Role at God’s Right Hand By Hiram Kemp When Jesus was on earth, he always did the things that pleased His Father (John 8:29). Jesus never committed a sin, and He never did anything that was not consistent with the will of God in Heaven. As Jesus was preparing to die on the cross, He said, “I have glorified you on earth, having finished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Jesus’ earthly mission was complete with His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. However, Jesus did not cease working completely when He returned to Heaven. The Bible depicts Jesus as being at the right hand of God in Heaven and being very active. Being at God’s right hand denotes authority, power, prestige and royalty equal to God. Jesus at God’s right hand is further evidence of His reigning and ruling as Christ (Acts 2:36; 5:33). Notice the work that Jesus does at the right hand of God. Interceding for Christians In Romans 8, Paul spoke of the victory Christians enjoy since we are free from condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). God’s Spirit indwells Christians, by which they can call God their Father in a special way that is foreign to the rest of the world (Romans 8:14-15). Paul goes on to say that God justifies us through Christ and that Christ is at God’s right hand, making intercession for us (Romans 8:33-34). The writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote that He “always lives to makes intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25, ESV).
    [Show full text]
  • “Letting Go of Our Pride” Jonah 1:17-3:1 Today We Are in the Second Week of a Brief Study on the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament
    “Letting Go of Our Pride” Jonah 1:17-3:1 Today we are in the second week of a brief study on the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. Some have questioned its validity and whether or not it really happened, but I believe wholeheartedly that it did happen. Jesus Himself knew that it happened and even taught it to His followers. The message of the book of Jonah is powerful for all to hear and understand. Most people think they know what the book of Jonah is all about. Some will say that it’s about a great fish that swallowed Jonah. But there is much more to it than that. The great fish is only mentioned four times in the entire book. Some would say it’s about a great city called Nineveh. But, there is much more to it than that. The great city is mentioned only nine times in the book. Some would say that the book is about a disobedient prophet. But, again there is much more to it than that. Though the book bears the prophet’s name, his name is only mentioned eighteen times. To the surprise of most, the truth is that the book of Jonah is all about God. God is mentioned in this short book thirty-eight times. If we eliminated God from the book of Jonah, the book wouldn’t make much sense at all. Charles Spurgeon said about Jonah, “The life of Jonah cannot be written without God; take God out of the prophet’s history, and there is no history to write.” Because God is full of grace and mercy and is patient towards His people, we learn much about God through its pages.
    [Show full text]
  • 5404 SBJT V10N1.3.Indd
    Does the Doctrine of the Trinity Hold the Key to a Christian Theology of Religions? An Evaluation of Three Recent Proposals Keith E. Johnson Keith E. Johnson is a Ph.D. can- Introduction Similarly, didate in Christian theology at Duke A remarkable revival of Trinitarian the- University. Keith also serves as the I believe that the Trinitarian doc- ology emerged in the twentieth century. trine of God facilitates an authen- Director of Theological Education for Karl Rahner, on the Catholic side, and Karl tically Christian response to the world religions because it takes the the U.S. Campus Ministry of Campus Barth, on the Protestant side, played key particularities of history seriously Crusade for Christ where he oversees roles in the “ecumenical rediscovery” of as well as the universality of God’s 1 the theological training of two thousand the Trinity. In addition to rethinking ele- action. This is so because the doc- full-time campus ministers. His disserta- trine seeks to affirm that God has ments of this central doctrine (e.g., nature disclosed himself unreservedly and tion research draws together two of his of divine personhood, Filioque, etc.), this irreversibly in the contingencies and central interests (the doctrine of the resurgence of interest in the Trinity has particularity of the person Jesus. But Trinity and the contemporary challenge within Trinitarian thinking, we are provided the impetus for a fresh examina- also able to affirm, in the action of of religious pluralism) by examining the tion of other aspects of Christian theology the third person, that God is con- constitutive role of Trinitarian theology in and practice from a Trinitarian standpoint stantly revealing himself through the Christian theology of religions.
    [Show full text]
  • “Touched by the Hand of God” the Rev
    “Touched by the Hand of God” The Rev. Jim Trimble; St. James’ Episcopal Church, Pewee Valley KY Proper 8, Year B: June 28, 2015 Let me share one of my very first memories. I always thought it was, maybe, a certain episode of Leave it to Beaver, or The Brady Bunch. Or maybe eating Ritz crackers with my mom at the J-Town 4 Theaters watching 'Song of the South.' But deep down, I remembered seeing the hand of God. For some reason, I woke up in the middle of the night, around the age of 4, pulled my cowboy curtain aside, and looked out the window, up in the moon-brightened sky to see God reaching his hand down to me from the clouds. Maybe to give me a high five. Maybe to comfort someone in my neighborhood who needed his strength and love. Maybe just to wave at me and say Hi, it's nice to meet you. The hand of God has always been a part of me, and a pat of this world we live in. Among all the plants, and seas, and creatures of this earth, and all the humans who've journeyed before us, with us, and after us. The hand of God was holding the nine victims in Charleston, as they slipped their earthly bonds to travel home. The hand of God was also reaching out to the terrorist responsible for that act. The hand of God was amidst the members of the Supreme Court this week as they voted on landmark cases in this country involving healthcare and human equality.
    [Show full text]
  • Koinonia Week 5 Question: "What Are the Covenants in the Bible?"
    Koinonia week 5 Question: "What are the covenants in the Bible?" Answer: The Bible speaks of seven different covenants, four of which (Abrahamic, Palestinian, Mosaic, Davidic) God made with the nation of Israel. Of those four, three are unconditional in nature; that is, regardless of Israel's obedience or disobedience, God still will fulfill these covenants with Israel. One of the covenants, the Mosaic Covenant, is conditional in nature. That is, this covenant will bring either blessing or cursing depending on Israel's obedience or disobedience. Three of the covenants (Adamic, Noahic, New) are made between God and mankind in general, and are not limited to the nation of Israel. The Adamic Covenant can be thought of in two parts: the Edenic Covenant (innocence) and the Adamic Covenant (grace) (Genesis 3:16-19). The Edenic Covenant is found in Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17. The Edenic Covenant outlined man’s responsibility toward creation and God’s directive regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Adamic Covenant included the curses pronounced against mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as God’s provision for that sin (Genesis 3:15). The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God and Noah (specifically) and humanity (generally). After the Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again destroy all life on earth with a Flood (see Genesis chapter 9). God gave the rainbow as the sign of the covenant, a promise that the entire earth would never again flood and a reminder that God can and will judge sin (2 Peter 2:5).
    [Show full text]
  • THE SYMBOLISM of the STAINED GLASS WINDOWS the Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Rehoboth Beach, DE
    THE SYMBOLISM OF THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS The Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Rehoboth Beach, DE THE EIGHT ORIGINAL WINDOWS The eight windows in the corners of the front of the sanctuary were dedicated on July 10, 1988. They include the following: THE BAPTISMAL SHELL WINDOW The shell with the water flowing from it was originally a symbol of our Lord's Baptism by John. However, it also serves as a reminder of our own Baptism and the many spiritual benefits we receive at Baptism. THE PASCHAL LAMB WINDOW “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). The Lamb reminds us of the sacrifice which Christ made - His very life - for our salvation. The empty cross with the halo shows us that the Lamb was victorious over the cross, sin, death, and the devil. THE 'REJOICE AND BE GLAD’ WINDOW Traditionally viewed as a symbol of the second coming of our Lord, the trumpets in the background also remind us of a call to worship. The words "Rejoice and be glad," (from Psalm 118:24) remind us of the attitude which permeates the faithful Christian life, for "this is the day the Lord has made" (Psalm 118:24). THE SHIP WINDOW Protected by the mighty hand of God, the church sails through all storms unharmed. Jesus has promised that the church will stand and "the gates of Hell will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18). The word "Nave," the part of the church where the congregation sits, came from the Latin word for ship.
    [Show full text]
  • Pdfbook.Jonah .Pdf
    Matthew 12:39-41: “But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” (ESV) Evangelical Free Church of Green Valley Home Bible Studies Autumn 2020 Coordinated with messages by Pastor Steve LoVellette Lessons prepared by Dave McCracken Table of Contents Date Topic Scripture Page Sept. 20 Jonah – Running from God Jonah 1 1 Sept. 27 Jonah – Praying to God Jonah 2 5 Oct. 4 Jonah – Preaching for God Jonah 3 9 Oct. 11 Jonah – Questioning God Jonah 4 13 Nineveh iii iv Lesson 1, Sept. 20, 2020 Jonah – Running from God, Chapter 1 We all have something in common with Jonah. Either we have run, or we are running from God. You can run from God, but you can’t outrun Him! The Bible says that there is nowhere that He can’t reach you. Perhaps you are saying, “God, you can have everything in my life… but not that.” “I know that God wants this from me, but if I do that… or if I give that up, I’m going to be missing out.” That’s exactly what Adam and Eve fell for in the Garden… they were fooled into believing that God was holding His best back from them.
    [Show full text]
  • “Pity on the City” Cooperative Program Sermon Jonah 4:5-11
    “Pity on the City” Cooperative Program Sermon Jonah 4:5-11 In his book, “A Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism,” Tim Keller quotes that noted theologian Darth Vader, who says to a colleague, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” When we turn to the book of Jonah, we encounter a lack of faith that is devastatingly disturbing. That is because this lack of faith belongs to the prophet himself! Jonah, that reluctant prophet, was so opposed to the Lord’s “outreach” to Nineveh, the key city of the cruel Assyrian empire so scorned by Israel, that he attempted to flee from his prophetic responsibility. Having been swallowed by a great fish and deposited on the seashore, Jonah then made his way to Nineveh. In short, after Jonah delivered the Lord’s message of impending judgment, the people of Nineveh repented in a massive outbreak of revival. At this point one would expect that Jonah would have been overjoyed with the outpouring of God’s mercy upon Nineveh. However, rather than praising the Lord, Jonah became the pouting prophet. In fact, he even requested death for himself (Jonah 4:4). What follows in Jonah 4:5-11 is the account of God graciously teaching Jonah about the importance of having pity on the city. Today, obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission and the viability of our Cooperative Program hinge on a gospel-sensitivity with reference to the city, the masses of people whose lifestyles we may find completely repulsive. 1. Consider your response to the city (5) Notice that the term “city” appears three times in verse 5.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aftermath of Christ's Crucifixion
    The Aftermath of Christ’s Crucifixion Matt. 27:54-66 Intro. We respond to all sorts of things a thousand times a day. Perhaps our first response is to an alarm clock. Do you respond with joy you hear it? Do you jump out of bed and say, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it?” ...or something like that. We then respond to text messages, phone calls, email and all kinds of conversation. We respond to heat, cold, hunger, pain, humor, anger, love, respect and fear. We respond to temptation, victories, disappointments and defeats. While some things don’t matter much, HOW we respond to certain other things can alter the course of our lives. Chuck Swindoll once said, "I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% of how I react to it." So HOW we respond is critical. This is especially true when it comes to Jesus Christ. Nothing is more important than our moment by moment response to Him. Matthew’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus has led us on a long journey. When Jesus was conceived in Mary the angel told Joseph, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins." - Matt. 1:21 Now 33 years have passed and Jesus has forcefully proven that He is perfect humanity...God incarnate...Immanuel, God with us. Chap. 27 reports the completion of this phase of Christ’s mission because Jesus said He came to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Michael, the Archangel
    "From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth, from the laziness that is content with half truths, from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, O, God of Truth, deliver us." A Controversial Newsletter “The Printed Voice of Summit Theological Seminary” ~ All articles are written by George L. Faull, Rel. D. unless otherwise stated ~ Vol. 27 No. 1 January 2014 George L. Faull, Editor A Study of Eyes like flame…Omniscient. Feet like fine brass…Power and judgment. Michael, Voice like a sound of many waters, which John says elsewhere represents a great multitude of people. the Archangel This does not describe an archangel in either Daniel or What did the founders of the Jehovah Revelation; they are describing the same person. But the angel Witnesses, the Seventh Day Adventist, who talked to Daniel after his vision of "the certain man" tells John Wesley, John Calvin, Jonathan Daniel that he was hindered by the angel of Persia but that Edwards, Charles Spurgeon all have in Michael the Great Prince of Israel came to help him and the only common? They all believed that Jesus one that could help him was "Michael YOUR prince". Verse 13 was Michael the Archangel and stated so and verse 21. Note Michael did not himself appear to Daniel, nor in their writings. Many of the old Calvinistic commentaries in the chapter except he was spoken about by the angel who advocate this heresy. The doctrine is not true. spoke to Daniel after his vision of the Lord. So this chapter gives no credence to the heresy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Jonah the Prophet
    E COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE CONTEMPLATIONS ON THE BOOK OF JONAH THE PROPHET BY H. H. POPE SHENOUDA III 2 Title :Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet. Author. :H. H. Pope Shenouda III. Translated by :Mary & Amani Bassilli. Revised by :Mrs Wedad Abbas. Illustrated By :Sister Sawsan. Edition :The Second - February 1993. Printing :Dar El Tebaa El Kawmia. Legal Deposit No. :3939/1992 I.S.B.N. :977-00-3251-45 Revised :COEPA 1997 3 H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark 4 CONTENTS Introduction Chapter One The Problem of the Fleeing Prophet Chapter Two Gentile Mariners are better than Jonah Chapter Three Jonah in the Belly of the Fish Chapter Four Nineveh the Great City Chapter Five Saving Jonah from His Obduracy and Pride Chapter Six God in the Book of Jonah 5 INTRODUCTION The Book of Jonah the Prophet is full of wonderful spiritual contemplation. Our aim in this book is to tackle purely the spiritual side, and not the theological side. Our aim is to benefit and not to debate. We wish to take from this beautiful Book beneficial lessons for our life. We wish to benefit from God's work and from people's virtues and faults. How beautiful is the Church's choice! She chose this Book to be the prelude of the forty days of Lent! A beautiful story of repentance and fasting precedes the Great Lent by two weeks, that we may approach the holy forty days with a clean heart attached to the Lord.
    [Show full text]
  • THE RIGHT HAND of GOD the Scriptures Repeat Over and Over And
    THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD The scriptures repeat over and over and over the phrase, “The right hand of God”. The right hand in Biblical symbology means strength, honor, and power. When God saves, protects, provides, delivers, or fights it is always with his right hand and arm. What does the right hand of God specifically stand for in scripture? Isaiah 48:13 plainly states the by the hand of the Lord He laid the foundation of the earth and by His right hand He laid out the heavens. These same actions are ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:8-10. So we can definitively say that God's right hand is Jesus Christ. I have listed the MANY scriptures that speak of God's right hand below. You will see that God's right hand in the Old Testament defeats enemies, gave the Law, saves, gives joy and pleasures, shields, teaches, upholds, acquires, plants, gives victory, does valiantly, provides shade, leads, embraces, and creates. In the New Testament it is repeated over and over and over that Jesus after finishing the work of redemption sat down at the RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Jesus is at God's right hand and IS THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD! It is by the finished work of redemption that God legally moves in power and glory on our behalf in every conceivable way! Jesus finished work is the strength, honor, and power of God working for mankind. Too often Christians are trying to get things done by their own right hand.
    [Show full text]