November 2012: Faith and Hope! Are They the Same?

Faith and Hope. Many times we speak of them separately--"saving faith", "hope of the resurrection", etc. But sometimes we speak of them almost interchangeably--"I put my faith in God." "I put my hope in God". Martin Luther asked the same question in his commentary to Galatians, chapter 5.

The question occurs to us. What difference is there between faith and hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so closely linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference between them.

• First, hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith originates in the understanding, while hope rises in the will.
• Second, hope and faith differ in regard to their functions. Faith says that what is to be done. Faith teaches, describes, directs. Hope exhorts the mind to be strong and courageous.
• Third, they differ in regard to their objectives. Faith concentrates on the truth. Hope looks to the goodness of God.
• Fourth, they differ in sequence. Faith is the beginning of life before tribulation (Hebrews 11). Hope comes later and is born of tribulation (Romans 5).
• Fifth, they differ in regard to their effects. Faith is a judge. It judges errors. Hope is a soldier. It fights against tribulations, the Cross, despondency, despair, and waits for better things to come in the midst of evil.

Without hope faith cannot endure. On the other hand, hope without faith is blind rashness and arrogance because it lacks knowledge. Before anything else a Christian must have the insight of faith, so that the intellect may know its directions in the day of trouble and the heart may hope for better things. By faith we begin, by hope we continue.

In hope, may you remain in the one true faith to life everlasting.

August 2012: The Eighth Commandment

"Liar, liar, your pants are on fire, your nose is as long as a telephone wire."

This month we are looking at the Eighth Commandment - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. I will b expanding this to the topic of lying in general.

Joe the Butcher had one chicken left that he wanted to sell. A man entered the store and said, "My wife sent me to buy a good size chicken for Sunday dinner. Joe said, "I have just what you need." He brought out the last chicken and said, "This one is three pounds." The man said, "It looks kinda small, do you have anything else?" Joe took the chicken into the backroom and returned with the same chicken. "This one is four pounds. But since I am closing for the day, I'll let you have it for the same price." The man replied, "Well, thank you. I'll buy both."

Why do people lie? Well, Joe lied because he wanted to sell his last chicken. People lie because they think that if they can fool another person into believing their lie, they can get what they want. People think they have to lie because deep down inside they know that they don't deserve the thing that they want. So they believe the only way to get it is to lie.

Why is that bad? Even if you can fool that person, there is someone you can never fool--God. God knows the truth. Each time you lie, you move a little farther away from God. When you lie, you kill a part of yourself. When you tell a lie, you close your mind to the truth. People who lie a lot sometimes cannot tell when they are lying. Their brain is so damaged by lying they cannot tell the difference between the truth and a lie.

Furthermore, when you lie you lose the ability to trust. A person who lies a lot starts to believe that other people lie a lot too. You lose the ability to trust others. And eventually, you may even lose the ability to trust God. Jesus tells us that the Father of Lies is the Devil. The person who tells lies is a tool of Satan, a slave of Satan.

Jesus calls us to live in truth. Truth is always better than lies. When a Christian finds themselves tempted to lie, they will tell the truth and accept the consequences. A Christian does not fear the consequences of telling the truth because he knows that God only works through the truth.

Do not be afraid to tell the truth.
You are a child of God.
This is how a child of God lives.

Trust God.
Trust that God will provide for you even though you tell the truth.

July 2012: The Seventh Commandment

The seventh commandment: "Thou shall not steal."

What does this mean? Whenever we take something that does not belong to us knowing the owner does not want us to have it, that is stealing.Whenever we take something from a store or business without asking for permission, without buying it, and keep it such a way that the owner does not know about it or cannot get it back, that is stealing.

We may even think "Oh, they won't mind if I take it." They may not even care if the other person is hurt by the theft. This is bad, not only because they have broken the Seventh Commandment, but because they have purposely blinded themselves to God.

When a person steals knowingly, a part of them dies. At first when a person steals, his conscience may feel bad, but it's also fun, because you get what you want. But each time a person steaks he is making a decision to follow Satan rather than God. Each time he steals, there is a little rip in his soul. Each time he steals he does a little more damage to himself.

What eventually happens when a person continues to steal is that they lose the ability to see that it is bad. They get so used to stealing that their conscience can no longer tell that they are doing bad. And they will do it even more. Even more, they can get so used to sinning, they can't even tell they are sinning. As they move away from God they block their relationship with God. Their conscience becomes blind to God.

This is where it gets bad. As we separate from God our attitude changes. The things of God are no longer important. We forget the wonderful things which God has done for us. We forget that God is here to protect us and provide for us. And as we forget these things of God, the things of this world become more important. I start to look at what I have and I think that I do not have much. Then I want more things of this world, increasing the temptation to steal. Satan wants you to believe that having things is the only important thing in life. Satan wants you to believe that the only way to get things is to work, to fight and to steal.

But God does not want you to think that this world is all there is. You were made for eternity. You were made for greater things. God wants you to know the abundance that you live in. Because Jesus died on the cross, we have become children of God. God has promised to provide for us. God has promised to give us all we need. Anything else we just don't need. When we see that God will provide for all that we need, that God will always provide moral ways to get the things we need. When we see this there is no need to steal.

It is our attitude about life whether we think of ourselves as rich or poor, which will equip us to follow the Seventh Commandment. If you see your life as full of gifts from God, you believe you are rich and there will be no need to steal. If you are blind to the gifts of God, you will think that you are poor, and you will be tempted to steal. It is all in your attitude. God calls you to see that you are rich.

There was a book called The Little Prince. A little boy is visiting the earth from another planet. He meets a man who has crash-landed his plane in the desert. One evening the boy calls the man to look out into the desert and asks the man what he sees. The man says "Sand and more sand." The boy replies, "I see something different. I see little oases filled with water to quench the thirst of visitors." For the man the desert was a place of heat, suffering and death. But for the boy it was a place to search for and find the gifts of water hidden away in the desert.

This world is not a place where we have to fight and take the things that we want. This is a place to search and find the many, many gifts which God has provided for us in our lives. Thou shall not steal? Piece of pie.

1. God provides everything I need.
2. So if I cannot get it God's way... I don't need it.
3. In fact, God provides me more than everything I need.

I am rich. Praise the Lord!

April 2011: He is Risen!

He is risen!

So said the angel at the empty tomb. It is the reason for the Easter season. It is the core of Christianity. Through all the holidays of the year be taken over by the secular world, the celebration of the Resurrection will always be ours.

He is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

For centuries Christians have greeted each other with these words. With these words we will begin our Easter Sunday worship services.

He is risen!

So much is packed in those simple words. They are proof that Jesus overcame death, that we have the promise of eternal life and we are children of God.

Jesus calls us to go out and spread that Gospel message to the world.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:18)

 To learn more about what is packed in the words and to equip us to share it with others we have just started another New Members' Class. In our class, we cover the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Baptism, the Lord's Supper and the Office of the Keys. Not only that, but we discuss topics such as:

1. God's love for us
2. Our basic sinfulness and need for a Savior
3. How Christ's death on the cross affects not only their eternal life but also their life now
4. What it means to walk as a Christian through the power of the Holy Spirit

 Everyone is invited. We meet at 10:30am Sunday mornings in the youth room. Any questions, contact the church office at 626-919-1530.

Wishing you a blessed Easter season!

February 2011: Sexual Purity

This month, several of our youth will be joining a thousand other youth at LoveFest. Young people are bombarded with sexual images and messages everywhere. Not all of them are good. At LoveFest we'll be learning a lot about what God thinks about sex and about sexual purity.

If you watch TV at all, you find that the concept of "sexual purity" is considered to be almost an oddity. People who are committed to "sexual purity" are considered to be "fanatics". Since the 1960's, our society has sought to free our sexual natures from their bondage to rules and shame. Sexual purity became equated with a denial of our sexual nature. The idea of sexual union being only between "a man and a woman within marriage" was considered repressive and new ways of sexual union became acceptable.

What is sad is that sexual purity, as God sees it, is far from repressive. Sexual purity is not the denial of our sexual natures, but rather it recognizes that we were created as sexual beings. We were created man and woman. We were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. As man and woman, our biological natures complement each other. However, sexual purity also recognizes that, as created beings, we must express that sexuality in the ways that our Creator designed us to do.

According to "This We Believe--Selected Topics of Faith and Practice in the LCMS" God created mankind as sexual. Sexual union in marriage was for enjoyment as well as procreation. Sexual expression of love is to be in marriage and between one man and one woman. Sex is only between a man and a woman. Sex outside of marriage is forbidden. God's will for His people is to remain sexually pure throughout life.

Sexual purity is not a call to be a prude. It is not a call to give up fun or to be a boring person. Sexual purity enhances the value of the sexual union. It is not a call to repress one's sexuality but rather it is to uplift marriage as sacred. Its purpose is not to belittle our sexuality but rather to exalt sexuality in marriage.

For those who are not currently in a marriage relationship, I think it is important to know that they do not "lose out". Their sexuality is not being repressed. It is important to realize that our sexuality is more than just sexual intercourse. Single people are still sexual beings and continue to express their sexuality (i.e. their maleness and femaleness) in a myriad of ways. While it may not culminate in marriage, it is still a part of their daily lives.

Though we are sexual beings, it is also important to know that we are not defined by that sexuality. Many people have tried to excuse sinful behavior by saying, "This is the way I am. I can't help it." In fact, it is dangerous to let our human desires define us. Our human desires have been corrupted by sin. While we are sexual beings, we are more than our maleness or femaleness. We are more than our desires for a man or a for a woman. Where our human desires point us to desire something which God has declared sinful, we are not to express that part of our sexuality. Where our human desires point to godly behavior, we know we have the blessings of God.