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Daughter Bethany with grandson Malachi and granddaughter Micah visited us earlier this week. I overheard Cheryl talking to Malachi about how dirty I get when I am working outside. It’s true. It might be dirt and grime from mowing or cleaning up debris, or it could be oil and hydraulic fluid from working on the tractor. I manage to get pretty dirty. I even built an outdoor shower on the side of the house so I could clean up outside before going inside!

A couple of years back Cheryl and I went to Nebraska with a group from our church to help clean up after the flooding there. We stayed at a church there for a week. Each of us were given two shirts, and volunteers would pick up our dirty clothes each evening, wash them, and return them to us the next day. The second day, the lady came by with the laundry while we were eating breakfast. She was mortified. She said there was one shirt that she could not get clean even though she washed it several times. Cheryl knew immediately that it was mine. I had been crawling under a house that we were working on and stained it so badly that it would not come clean.

Sometimes my hands have been stained with grime or wood stain or some other substance and they won’t come clean no matter what I use. Eventually they stains will wear off and I will appear to be clean again.

My ability to get so dirty that I cannot make myself clean reminds me of the problem of sin.

Jeremiah 2:22 Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

There is nothing we can do to cleanse ourselves from sin. Nothing. The only hope we have is a cleansing that comes from outside of us, one that God provides.

Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Hyssop was used in cleansing rituals, like smearing the blood on the doorposts in the Exodus and sprinkling water to purify someone who has touched a corpse. According to the Concordia Self Study Bible notes, the word “Cleanse” here is literally “un-sin me.”  That is not something we can do ourselves. But God can, and God did. He provided the cleansing we need by sending Jesus to purchase our pardon and conquer death for us.

The cleansing God provides is literally out of the world. And it is what we need to be assured that we will end up out of this world and with our Lord forever.

Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

In order for you and I to be light in this world, you must remember who the LIGHT is, namely Jesus. Knowing that He is your Savior from sin and death, you will understand that you are His witnesses, and let that dictate how you live.

How much easier life would be if we would just remember who we are? What difference would it make if you did everything aware of the fact that you are a witness for Christ?

• What if you dated as his witness, and chose marriage partners that way?
• What if we drove as witnesses for Christ? I bet the insurance rates would go down and you would see less rude gestures!
• What if you did your job as a witness for Jesus Christ? Do you think your job situation will improve or get worse?
• What if you s and played golf and mowed your yard and did the dishes as a witness for Jesus? What would be different?

My oldest grandson has a good handle on this. I am humbled by the way that boy shares his faith. When he was in Kindergarten, all through this school year he would tell his mother, “Today’s the day I’m going to make sure – (and then he would name one of his classmates) – Today is the day I’m going to make sure he/she knows about Jesus. I’ve been praying to get ready, and today is the day.” And then he would do it. He’d come home and tell his mother how it went. “She already knows about Jesus” or “he had never heard about Him before.”  And he did that with most of his classmates throughout the year. Even one that was being bully to him. He wants to make sure they know.

“And a little child shall lead them…” We can all do that. It is possible, if we will follow the guidance of the Spirit of God.

We should remember who we are. We live in the certainty not only of the Resurrection and the Ascension of our Lord to the right hand of the Father. He lives and reigns in heaven, where He has prepared a place for us. While we are here, we need to shine His light for others to see.

Acts 1:1–8  In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

You have probably heard the story about a woman who was in a house that was being flooded. A rescuer came up to the house in a boat and offered to take her to safety. She refused saying, “The good Lord will take care of me.” A little while later, she was on the second floor because the water had risen so high. Another boat came by, offering her assistance. She again refused: “I’m trusting in the Lord.” Before too long, she was on the roof, and a helicopter came by. They dropped a basket and pleaded with her to get in. She stubbornly maintained that she didn’t need their help–she was trusting in God to help her. The water rose still higher, and she drowned. She went to heaven and asked, “Lord, I was trusting in you–what happened?” God replied: “I sent two boats and a helicopter–what do you want?”

I have a point here. When Jesus told His disciples that they were to be His witnesses, He promised to send the help they would need. He sent it — His Holy Spirit. That may not have been what they were expecting, or how they thought it should be done, but that was God’s plan. That is the same help you and I need to be His witnesses. We may not always see the hand of God assisting us and recognize it as such. We often ignore the obvious. But God’s Spirit will work through those who believe in Jesus.

How should you witness? Our witness needs to begin at the cross. If you do not proclaim that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was to pay for the sins of all men, then you have nothing of lasting value to share with the world. Your witness must be sincere and come from your heart, but it must also be according to the Word of God. As followers of Jesus, your witness must be by the power of the Holy Spirit. He alone is able to lead men to the knowledge of the truth.

When you apply the knowledge that the life of Jesus Christ was lived for you, that the death of Jesus Christ was died for you, and that the Resurrection was for you, it changes you. Jesus will be seen by others through you. You will be His witnesses by simply living with this confidence. Hearing the message that you are a sinner who has been forgiven through the merits of Jesus Christ, and applying that to your life in all situations, You are His witnesses.

Luke 24:44-53 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.  5 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Before Jesus ascended, He told His disciples, his followers, “you are witnesses of these things,” referring to His Ministry and work of redemption.

There is an old legend that when Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels were talking to Him. Since He still bore the marks of His sufferings, Gabriel said, “Master, you must have suffered terribly for men down there.”

Jesus replied, “I did.”

Gabriel asked, “Do they know how much You loved them and what You did for them?”

Jesus answered, “Oh, no, not yet. Right now only a few of them in Palestine know.”

So Gabriel asked, “What have you done to let everyone know about it?”

Jesus replied, “I asked Peter, James and John, and a few others to make it the business of their lives to tell others about me. Each one who hears about me will tell someone else, and eventually, everyone will know what I did for them.”

Gabriel was a bit skeptical, since he knew what men were like. “What if Peter and the others get tired? What if those who come after them forget? What if way down in the 21st century, people just don’t tell others about You? Have you made any other plans?”

Jesus answered: “I have no other plans. I’m counting on them.”

The truth of the matter is that the only reason you and I know of Christ is because those who went before us let the Spirit work through them. It is now our turn to be the witnesses Jesus wants us to be.

Some days things don’t go well. Your alarm doesn’t go off and you are late for work. Your car won’t start even though you just got it back from the mechanic yesterday. The repairman said he would be at your house last week to fix your air conditioner and still hasn’t showed up. It rains on the day you were planning to go to the lake. The aches and pains in your joints as you grow older make it hard for you to do the simplest of tasks. Your adult children and grandchildren make decisions that are contrary to what you would have them do.

We all have those days. Just recently I ordered some parts for my tractor. I waited five days for them to arrive, and when they did, I realized that I ordered the wrong parts. I was upset with myself.

When these things happen, it is very easy to take the attitude, “This is the day where nothing is going right. I will complain and be mad in it.” You can get surly and grumpy and make it so that people will keep their distance if they know what is good for them. You may not realize it, but you are letting Satan be in charge of you actions when you behave that way.

Or you can remember who you are. You are a redeemed child of God. You are someone for whom Jesus came down to this earth, lived a life of perfection and offered that life to pay for your sin. He was the only one who could accomplish your forgiveness, and He did that out of His love for you. But wait, there’s more. He also conquered death for you by rising on the third day, ensuring that everyone who trusts in Him will live forever in His presence. Then He ascended to the right hand of the Father where He is reigning and still watching over you. It is from there that He will return on the Last Day to gather His faithful children together for eternity.

When I react badly to the circumstances of the day or feel my anger starting to ge the best of me, I try to stop it immediately. I apologize to God for letting it happen. I ask Him to forgive me for Jesus’ sake and help me remember who I am.

You get to choose how you will react to things. I try to remember who I am so that I make the right choice.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Jesus warned us that false prophets would always be with us.

Matthew 24:3-5,10-11  As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. … At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

That sounds like a description of our world today. The number of those claiming to speak God’s Word and yet leading people away from Jesus is staggering and growing every day. Jesus tells you how to recognize them in Matthew 7:

Matthew 7:15-16 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.

Something else that identifies a false prophet is selfish motivation.

 2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

It is God Himself who gives His message to His true prophets. False prophets speak what they think will get them a reward, whatever will be most profitable for them. They tell people to put their confidence in them, not Jesus. Bad fruit comes from a bad tree. That is why you are told to test everything.

1 John 4:1-3  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Those who are against Jesus are all around us and in the church as well. False prophets will downplay and even deny Jesus Christ as Lord and God and Savior. A true prophet will reflect Jesus Christ in what He says and what He does. And here is the message you need to hear: Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. That is acknowledging Jesus Christ, believing and saying that He took the price of sin upon Himself and paid it in full with His sacrifice of Himself on a cross. Jesus rose again to announce His victory that He shares with any and all who will put their faith in Him. He invites you to be His children and live a new life, in His power, a life that wants to obey His laws in response to the forgiveness He has already given you. Your life will not be free from pain and suffering, but you will have the certainty of God’s love, His forgiveness, and eternal salvation.

How do you know if I am telling you the truth? Don’t take my word for it. Ask yourself if I am proclaiming my word or God’s Word? Am I telling you to believe me or believe God? Am I contradicting what God has said in His written Word or am I repeating it?

Beware of false prophets. Know what God has already said to you in His Word. Don’t be led astray. And in faith cling to Jesus Christ as the one who loves you and cares about you and laid down His life so that you can have forgiveness and eternal life.

How can you identify a false prophet? In some instances, time will tell, as it did in the case of Hananiah in yesterday’s devotion. There are modern day examples of that. I don’t know how many different dates the Jehovah’s Witnesses have said the end of the world was coming, but as you can see, it hasn’t happened yet. Some false prophets are easy to identify by their inaccuracies.

About 20 years ago, a fellow named Gene Robinson was making headlines. He was an openly gay, practicing homosexual who left his wife in order to live with his male lover. He was the first openly practicing homosexual to be elected bishop in the Episcopal Church. In an address he delivered in Massachusetts, Mr. Robinson made this statement: “Interestingly enough, in this day of traditional family values, this man that we follow was single, as far as we know, traveled with a bunch of men, had a disciple who was known as ‘the one whom Jesus loved; and said, ‘my family is not my mother and father, my family is those who do the will of God.’ None of us likes those harsh words. That’s who Jesus is, that’s who he was at heart, in his earthly life.”  (WorldNetDaily.com 4/3/5) Mr. Robinson was suggesting that perhaps Jesus was homosexual.

Here’s the problem with false prophets. They will say “Thus says the Lord.” They claim to speak for God. But is the message they proclaim truly what God has said? In the case of false prophets, the answer is always NO! And how can we know whether or not someone is speaking the truth? When it comes to spiritual matters, it is simple. We ask one little question: “What does the Bible Say?”

That is the basis for judging whether or not a message is from God. What does the Bible Say? We have the source at our disposal. We can check it out for ourselves. And God even gives us instructions for trying to discern whether or not someone is a false prophet.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

False prophets are not a new problem. Already at the time of the Exodus warnings were given against these folks, and how to determine who was telling the truth. The instruction here was the same thing Jeremiah said: If what they say doesn’t happen, the message is not from God.

Be observant. Listen to what is being said. Is the person giving glory to God or himself or herself? Is the message consistent with the one passed down to us through the written Word, or does the message contradict what God has already said? For example, Bishop Robinson, in trying to justify his own sinful behavior, suggests that Jesus may have been homosexual. But Jesus would not have discarded or gone against any of God’s Laws.

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

A stern warning to false prophets. God’s Word is consistent. God does not change. He always condemns sin. He still does today. But He has provided us a solution. False prophets will tell you to go ahead and indulge your sinful desires, claiming they are no longer sinful. That is a false solution. The only real hope we have is found in what God did for us in Jesus. He took our sins of Himself in order to pay the penalty we deserve. He gives us His righteousness instead so that we can be at peace with God.

False prophets encourage you to remain in your sin, saying there will be no consequences. God tells us to leave our lives of sin and trust in what Jesus has done to restore us as God’s dearly loved, forgiven children.

A few more thoughts on this tomorrow.

Jeremiah was a prophet who took a lot of abuse. The people of Israel didn’t like the message he was proclaiming, that they would be carried off to Babylon because of their disobedience to God. They didn’t like the message, so they took it out on Jeremiah, the messenger. Along comes this fellow named Hananiah who brings a different message:

Jeremiah 28:2-4  “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.  Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the LORD’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon.

Two prophets – conflicting messages. How do you know which one is telling the truth? In response to Hananiah’s prophecy, Jeremiah said, “I hope you are right. But time will tell, won’t it? Soon enough the people will know which of us is speaking God’s message.” In fact, just a few verses later we read:

Jeremiah 28:15-17 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’” In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had definitive answers like that today about whether or not someone was a false prophet? Wouldn’t it be nice if all those prophesying lies in God’s name would be struck down? Yes, it would make it a lot easier to know who was telling the truth, but since it does not appear that God is using that approach these days, we need to be discerning. We need to figure out who is telling the truth and who is not.

I guess it helps to know what makes someone a “prophet.” We normally think of someone who predicts the future when we hear that word, don’t we? But the way the Bible uses the term, what it actually means is “spokesman” or “spokesperson.” A prophet in the Bible is someone who speaks God’s Word. Sometimes that includes revealing events that will happen in the future, but the primary task of a prophet is to speak the message God gives him to speak.

A false prophet, then, is someone who says “this is what God says” but says things that did not come from God. Instead of pointing people to the God who condemns sin and sent His Son to take the punishment for the sins of the world, false prophets lead people away from the love and mercy and grace and forgiveness that is found only in Jesus Christ.

False prophets are an ongoing problem, and will be until our Lord returns. I’ll share some more of my musings on this topic in the days ahead.

1 Peter 2:21-25 God called you to endure suffering because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example so that you could follow in his footsteps. Christ never committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully. Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn’t make any threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly. Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God’s approval. His wounds have healed you. You were like lost sheep. Now you have come back to the shepherd and bishop of your lives.

Peter reminds the recipients of this letter that Jesus suffered. Not only did He suffer, but He did so on their behalf. Jesus suffered brutal behavior at the hands of others, not for what He had done, but for what everyone else has done. Peter lists the reason Jesus did this as being twofold: “Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God’s approval.”

First of all, Jesus wanted to free us from our sins. His wounds provide that healing for us. By faith, we lay hold of what He did for us. In response, with hearts full of gratitude, you and I are to live a life that has God’s approval. That means we should no longer let sin be the master over us. We are sheep that have been found by the Good Shepherd. We should let our thanks show by staying close to that Shepherd, letting Him lead and guide us.

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness, Even for his own name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale, Yet will I fear no ill;
Four thou art with me, and thy rod And staff me comfort still.

My table thou hast furnished In presence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint, And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me;
And in god’s house forevermore My dwelling place shall be.

Lutheran Worship #416

1 Peter 1:3-9 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God has given us a new birth because of his great mercy. We have been born into a new life that has a confidence which is alive because Jesus Christ has come back to life. We have been born into a new life which has an inheritance that can’t be destroyed or corrupted and can’t fade away. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you, since you are guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time. You are extremely happy about these things, even though you have to suffer different kinds of trouble for a little while now. The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again. Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words as you obtain the salvation that is the goal of your faith.

“…you have to suffer different kinds of trouble for a little while now…”

We have seen all kinds of tragedies in our lives. Wars. School shootings. Planes flown into buildings. Other buildings bombed. Covid-19, West Nile Virus, anthrax scares, cancer,  heart attacks, car crashes … the list goes on and on.

Some catch phrases the media likes to use after a significant tragedy is “This changes everything” and “our world will never be the same.” While not diminishing the impact of any tragedy, life here on earth is always about change.

But as followers of Jesus, we cling to the one that will never change.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

No matter the troubles that come into your life, you are no less a loved child of God. The death of Jesus Christ has made full payment for the sins of all people. The cleansing from sin that you received in your Baptism does not disappear. Your faith and confidence in God should not change, either.

“We have been born into a new life which has an inheritance that can’t be destroyed or corrupted and can’t fade away. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you, since you are guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time.”

We will have trouble in this world. Peter wrote these words to people who were suffering all kinds of trials. His reminder to them was that God’s love for them in Christ does not change, no matter what may happen to them here on earth. And that love will be fully known when we join our Lord in the place He has prepared for us. This confidence is ours because we know that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.