Happenings

Sermons by Pastor Walter Snyder plus announcements, articles, videos, and anything else that doesn’t fit Ask the Pastor or the Luther Library.





10 November 2013

Sermon: Trinity 24 (OT)

10 November AD 2013
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

Title: Waking the Unsleeping God (MP3 Audio)

Arm of the Lord with Sword Summary: When things are going well, many people tend to forget God’s presence and place in their lives. They take Him for granted or assume that all their good days are the result of their own actions. The Lord is often far from their thoughts.

However, when times turn difficult, people often turn to God. However, they many times blame Him rather than themselves, acting as if He’d been intentionally ignoring them or sleeping on the job.

Isaiah takes up this cry on behalf of Israel: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord.” He goes on to recount previous exploits of Israel’s Savior, asking that He once again show His faithfulness to a faithless people.

The Lord reminds them that their fear of mortal enemies is folly — only He is to be feared. Elsewhere He says, “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)” Making His pledge based upon His already completed deeds, God promises the prophet that He will end oppression and bring deliverance to Zion.

Similarly, our God puts His words in the mouths of faithful pastors. They are charged with calling sinners to repentance but, more importantly, with announcing the sure and certain hope of deliverance for all who trust in Jesus’ saving name. God grant the people ears to hear and faith to believe.

Arm of the Lord Jesus Christ Text: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

“I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?

“And where is the wrath of the oppressor? He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.

“I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — the Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” Isaiah 51:9-16

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Waking the Unsleeping God. Preached to the saints of God at Trinity Lutheran Church, Norborne, Missouri.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 126; Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 9:18-26

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posted by Xrysostom | 10:00