St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church

Sermon by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Advent Vespers III December 19, 2007

1 Samuel 12:22-24

For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

So—how’s your driveway? Is it perfect? Mine isn’t. And this is not from lack of trying! I don’t remember a winter when I shoveled so much snow already in December. I have shoveled very wet very heavy snow—till the snow shovel broke! I have shoveled snow that is thick and soft and fluffy like feathers from the tummies of a zillion geese. Still—there are these white strips where it got runover—by cars and trucks pulling onto the snow. There is a snow and ice mass at the bottom of the driveway that is as hard as rock. Oh, you can chip away at it—but it’s huge and not going anywhere! You can throw that salt stuff to melt through—but then you end up shoveling it onto your lawn. That can’t be good for the grass can it? Then-the best irony of all—the snow that you shovel—like a mountain range beside your driveway—starts blowing back onto your driveway—so you end up shoveling the same snow more than once! How frustrating is that? Again—it reminds me of the fact—if I can’t even clean my driveway—how could I ever clean my heart—my life—my soul? I can’t. That’s why God’s Word is so precious. Though my sins are like scarlet—Jesus will make them whiter than snow. Jesus will take all my sins away. Tonight—the last of the midweek Advent Vespers—we will look at

Samuel—a Nazarite—a type of Christ

1. The LORD loves us by grace alone

2. Fear and serve the LORD with all your heart!

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on today—takes us back in history—some 3,000 years. That’s a long time! 3,000 years ago—there was a lady named Hannah who couldn’t have a baby in her tummy. She prayed. She prayed again and again with a passion that is difficult to explain. She made a promise to her Heavenly Father. Let me have a baby—a baby boy—and I will give him back to my Heavenly Father. I will dedicate him to the LORD for his whole life. You know how that happened. The LORD gave her a baby—a baby boy named Samuel—set apart—dedicated to the LORD. Samuel never ever cut his hair—never ever cut his beard. He never ever drank wine or fermented grain beverage—no alcohol of any kind. He never ever ate anything unclean—no camel or coney bear or pork—no shrimp or crab—no owl or bat or unclean bugs. No touching any blood or leprosy or dead people. Samuel was dedicated to his heavenly Father in every aspect of his life! Samuel grew up by the Tabernacle—learning from the High Priest Eli—who was not faithful! It’s important for us to remember that was what was wrong with Eli’s ministry. He was not faithful! Eli was not faithful in his own home. Not faithful disciplining his sons Hophni and Phineus! That was a painful offense in the Scriptural sense of offense. Still Samuel was respectful and faithful. By grace alone the LORD blessed Samuel’s ministry. Samuel was a Judge—a leader of God’s people. Samuel was faithful—but when he grew old—he appointed his sons to help judge Israel—that is to punished the wicked evildoers and to protect those who did what was right. God’s Word says Samuel’s sons—Joel and Abijah were not faithful. God’s Word says, “They did not walk in Samuel’s ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” 1 Samuel 8:3 How sad is that? The people grumbled and complained to Samuel—they wanted a King—just like all their heathen neighbors! The LORD said—warn them earnestly—what will happen if Israel has an earthly king. This earthly king will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses—to literally run in front of his chariot—saying—make way for the king. This earthly king will make your sons serve in his army—and go to war—and die for his kingdom. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and make them the royal fields and vineyards and olive groves. He will take a tenth of all your produce as taxes. He will take a tenth of all your things and stuff. And when that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

Be careful what you ask for! You just may get it! The LORD gave Israel her first king—a man named Saul. God’s Word says Saul was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others. It’s not easy being the King. God’s people who lived in the city of Jabesh Gilead—were under siege by this man named Nahash the Ammonite. God’s people in Jabesh Gilead said—write up a treaty—and we will be subject to you. But Nahash the Ammonite said, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.” Does that sound like terrorism? What was to be done? When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers through Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel. Then the terror of the LORD Fell on the people, and they turned out as one man. When Saul mustered them at Bezek, then men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 330,000 men! Way more than they needed—because when the LORD is with you—you aren’t the one who has to win the battle! The LORD wins the battle for you! The last watch of the night—the LORD attacked. The LORD’s army put to death the soldiers of the Ammonites. By the time the day was getting hot—the enemy army was so crushed—so defeated—so scattered there were not two enemy soldiers together. When the LORD wins the battle for us—there can be do doubt the enemy has been crushed. So it is with sin and death and the grave!

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on—happens next. It is part of Samuel’s farewell speech. Now that Israel has a king—King Saul—it wasn’t for him to continue to be their judge—their leader. Samuel—like Moses and Joshua before him—called to the people to be faithful! Again—this is always God’s benchmark—faithfulness! The time of this farewell speech was during the time of the wheat harvest. This was a time when it was hot and dry. Maybe like our July and August—when it’s really hot—when our lawns kind of turn yellow and brown from lack of rain. It was this time of wheat harvest—hot and dry—that Samuel prayed for thunder and rain. And what happened? It poured—the rain came down in buckets. When the LORD answers a prayer to demonstrate his power and authority it wasn’t just a little drizzle for intermittent windshield wipers. It poured and poured. And when the LORD sends thunder—to demonstrate that he is the sovereign LORD—do you know how it thunders? Buildings are shaken to their very foundations. It hammers so loudly that it literally echoes. It’s like the worldn’t largest timpani drums. It rumbles and rumbles—it pounds—it is a powerful demonstration of God’s unlimited power! The people were in awe of the LORD’s power and might! Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid!” How often does God’s Word say that? “Do not be afraid!” Don’t be afraid—driving home in the fog on icy roads—coming home from Christmas shopping. Don’t be afraid—for people we love in Iraq and Afghanistan. Don’t be afraid for our country. Don’t be afraid for your loved ones having operations or being treated for cancer or Alzheimer’s—or some disease doctors can’t even figure out yet. Do not be afraid—if God is for us—who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but offered him up for us all—how will he not also along with him give us everything that is good?

For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. Your Heavenly Father loves you very much! That is a simple powerful historical fact! There is a guy named Anthony—who was driving down the busy—icy Interstate 95 when he saw a lady in a Jeep skid and crash into a bridge abutment—that massive piece of concrete—that holds up a bridge. She was trapped—completely helpless—even as little flames started to climb up—in the little cracks around her hood. Three men stopped and went running toward the car. They broke the window of the Jeep and very carefully pulled the driver out. The next person to stop was a nurse. She knew just what to do next—to take care of this injured person. Anthony called 911 so paramedics would come. Three business people, a truck driver and a nurse all took care of the injured lady until the professional workers arrived! Meanwhile—the whole Jeep was engulfed in flames. Who were these helpers who stopped? Nobody knows. They made sure Denise—the driver was ok—and they left! They were there when they needed to be—because Jesus sent them. And when they were finished—they went back to what they were doing—serving Jesus, still! We were rescued—every one of us—not just from a flaming car crash. We were rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell. Three people didn’t risk their lives. One person gave up their life—to save you and me from all our sins! The LORD—the Great I AM—the holy One of Israel—will not reject his people. He is pleased to make you his own—by adoption—by grace through faith! Jesus’ love for you will never fail—even though our love for him has failed again and again!

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. Part of what Pastors do during the week is visit people in the hospital and in nursing homes. Often times—the people we visit are in their 80s or 90s—sometimes even 100 years old and more. Sometimes—when you get into your eighties or nineties—parts of your body start to simply wear out. Your hearing isn’t so good. You have to really crank up the TV. Sometimes your eyes don’t work so well. And you can’t watch TV or read no matter how big the print. If you are in a nursing home—chances are you have one of those little bulletin boards—where you pin up birthday cards—and now Christmas cards—with pictures of people that you love very much—whom you seldom see—because—as they say—they are really busy—and have lives and families of their own. Sometimes—when you are in your eighties and nineties—it’s hard to understand—why am I still here? What good am I? People will flat out ask—what good am I? Samuel has the answer right here. Did you catch it. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you! Samuel prayed for the children of Abraham—because he understood what was at stake! There was danger that the whole nation would fail to serve the LORD! Danger that they would fail to come to the Tabernacle. Danger that they would fail to hear God’s Word—to talk about the Savior’s love—when they woke up and when they went to bed—when they were home and when they were on the road. To fail to love the LORD with all their heart—with all their soul—with all their strength and with all their mind. There was danger that they would stop watching and waiting for the Christ child to be born. And so Samuel prayed for them! Who can you pray for? If you are single—pray for all the people you love—your friends and relatives—your co-workers and neighbors. Pray for the President and the Vice-President—the Congress—the Supreme Court. Pray for Governor Doyle. Pray for Herb Kohl and for Senator Feingold! Pray for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and Kuwait! If you are married—pray for your spouse. Pray that the daddy would be the spiritual head of your household—loving their wife like Christ loved the church. Pray for that blessing—and almost all the other concerns you have will be taken care of. Pray for your children and grandchildren—the ones that are confirmed but almost never come to church. Pray for them. Then talk to them—as you have opportunity. Don’t nag them—but encourage them. Tell them of your love for them and your concern for their immortal soul! Pray for your boss and you rco-workers and your customers. Pray for your pastors and teachers. Pray for your students. Pray for patience this Christmas time. Pray for strength to overcome addictions! Pray for everyone! That is going to take some time and some effort and some God-given strength! Take encouragement from your fellow believers in Nigeria who can pray for a long time—kneeling—literally kneeling on a bare 2x4. Take encouragement from fellow believers in China who can pray for a long time—for all the different concerns physical and especially spiritual for the people they love in China. Take encouragement from fellow believers in nursing homes and hospital beds—who are praying for you—all the time! Be encouraged that Jesus hears those prayers and literally moves heaven and earth to grant them! Pray now—before Jesus comes back to earth a second time—and it’s too late!

How is your roof? I just sort of assumed my roof was ok. There is a nice soft think blanket of snow on my roof—so I figured my insulation is ok—not lots of heat going through the roof—melting the snow. Then I heard the other day—that I need to be concerned that there’s ice under that snow. Ice that’s going to ruin my eve troughs—ice that’s going to melt and freeze—up under my shingles—and then when it melts—there’s going to be all this water in my attic—coming through the ceiling—ruining everything. What I need I was told—is a roof rake! Do you have one? A roof rake—a twenty foot handle—with this chunk of plastic on it. A roof rake so I can stand there and pull all that snow and ice off my roof—onto myself! I’ve never done that—but the way they make it sound—if I haven’t raked my roof by now—it’s probably too late—irreparable harm to my home has already been done! It’s always something! From lead paint on toys made in China—that little children put in their mouths—to high fructose syrup in my soda and global climate change—there is danger at every turn. It is the powerful Christmas and Good Friday and Easter Gospel comfort that ultimately—we will come home to heaven. We will be safe by Jesus where nothing will ever go painfully wrong. Soon—perhaps sooner than we ever thought—we will be safe by Jesus. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen!

To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz