Merciful Savior Lutheran Church

“Holding Forth the Word of Life”

2879 W. Walnut Street, Suite. 110, Rogers, Arkansas 72756

www.mercifulsaviorlutheran.net

www.bible-byte.net

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Worship

LSB #606 “I Lay My Sins on Jesus”

Invocation
(Congregation Stands)
O almighty God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — we come into Your presence to seek Your mercy, to hear Your Word, and to offer up to You our prayers and praises. Hear us for the sake of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Amen.

Psalm 130 A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths have I cried unto You, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! 3 If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning; indeed, more than those who watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Confession of Sins
P: Let us, therefore, confess our sins unto the LORD our God and look to Him for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of the abundant redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from all our iniquities.
C: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You in our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. We, therefore, flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
P: For the sake of Jesus’ holy life and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, I announce unto you the grace and mercy of God and, in the name and stead of Jesus Christ our Savior, proclaim to you forgiveness for all your sins through faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed (back cover of LSB)

LSB #908 “Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear”

Scripture Lesson: John 8:31-47 (Congregation Stands)
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. 32 You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do You say, ‘You shall be set free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. 36 Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s seed. But you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I am telling what I have seen with My Father, and you are doing what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You are doing the works of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father: God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and proceeded into the world. I did not come of My own authority, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speaking? Because you cannot bear to hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words. Therefore, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Offering

Prayer (Congregation Stands)
Merciful Father, for the sake of the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, forgive us for failing to walk by faith in the promises of Your Word. Move us to read and study our Bibles regularly and to come before You with our petitions and praises. Keep us from being overcome by our sinful inclinations and preserve us in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O Christ Jesus, eternal Son of God and our Savior, You gave Your life for ours when You died on the cross and made atonement for our sins. Bless the work of our pastor and congregation, and of faithful pastors, missionaries, and congregations everywhere, so that Your life-giving Word might be proclaimed among us and among the peoples of the world, and those who hear might repent of their sins and look to You and Your cross for pardon and forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O Holy Spirit, do not forsake us because of our weakness and disobedience to Your Word. Be patient with us and move us to continually repent of our sins and look in faith to our Savior for mercy. Teach us from Your Word. Strengthen and keep us in the true and saving faith. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O loving and merciful God, our nation and people are living in darkness and are under Your wrath and judgment. Open the eyes and ears of our people and rulers that they might see and hear the truth of Your Word, repent of their evil deeds, and fall down at the feet of Jesus, pleading for pardon and forgiveness and then seeking to walk in Your ways, that Your judgment may be turned away and Your eternal wrath against us be averted. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O Healer and Preserver of our bodies and souls, as You have promised, we ask You to provide for all our needs and to preserve us from all harm and danger and all evil. We lift up to You those among us who are afflicted. We remember especially today John and Linda, Joyce, Carl, Richard, Harley and his family, John and Karen, __________, and all others we name in our hearts. Have mercy upon us, grant healing to the sick, comfort to the oppressed, and strength for all to endure the troubles and afflictions of this life in the hope of everlasting glory for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Savior. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Hymn #560 “Drawn to the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed”

Lord’s Supper
Holy Communion will be administered during our worship today. In this Supper, Jesus Christ offers and gives us to partake of His body and blood, given and shed for us on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The Bible calls on us to examine ourselves before partaking of Christ’s Supper — to know whether we are truly sorry for our sins and trust in Jesus’ shed blood for pardon and whether we sincerely desire to amend our sinful ways with the help and aid of the Holy Spirit. Cf. 1 Cor. 11:23ff.; 10:16ff.; 2 Cor. 13:5.

Words of Institution and Distribution
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread. When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take and eat. This is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’
“In the same manner, He took the cup after He had supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

Prayer of Thanksgiving (Congregation Stands)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, we thank You for fulfilling all righteousness in our stead and then taking upon Yourself the guilt and punishment for all our sins and making full atonement for us by Your perfect sacrifice on the cross. And we thank and praise You for giving us to partake of Your one holy sacrifice so that we might also partake of the blessings You won for us by Your death and have made sure to us by Your glorious resurrection. Strengthen and keep us in the true and saving faith, and move us to live our lives for You while we await Your glorious return and the joys of Your everlasting kingdom. Amen.

Benediction (Num. 6:24-26)
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the LORD lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

LSB #805 “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”

[Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

For pastoral care, please call Pastor Moll at 479-233-0081 or email him at pastor@mercifulsaviorlutheran.net.

“Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. And he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.’ ” John 12:23-26

If a kernel of wheat is safely preserved and stored, it remains just a single kernel of wheat. If, however, it is planted in the ground and dies, so to speak, it will produce much more wheat.

With the time of His sufferings and death at hand, Jesus used this farming illustration to point out that if He preserved His life and was unwilling to suffer and die for the sins of the world, He would remain alone and save no one but Himself. But by dying on the cross for the sins of all and being buried in the tomb, He would produce much fruit. He would provide salvation for all mankind, and all who place their faith in Him would be pardoned and spared from the coming wrath of God upon sin.

Jesus did not try to preserve his earthly life and avoid suffering the just punishment for our sins. He obeyed God’s Law perfectly in our stead and then willingly laid down His life for us sinners. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures …”

Like the grain of wheat that must sacrifice itself in order to produce more wheat, so Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to save mankind from sin and its eternal punishment. He died so that sinful men might receive forgiveness of sins and become children of God through faith in Him. His resurrection on the third day is proof that His holy sacrifice was acceptable to God as full payment for the sins of the world (cf. Rom. 4:23-25).

This little illustration of the kernel of wheat can also be applied to our lives. We cannot save ourselves or anyone else from sin and hell by our death, but since Christ has redeemed us by His innocent sufferings and death, we are to live our lives for Him. The Bible tells us of Christ Jesus, that “He died for all, that those who live should not from now on live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).

If, in this life, we live for ourselves and seek to preserve our life, our goals, and our ambitions in this world and are unwilling to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and walk with Him in accord with His Word — if we are not willing to deny ourselves, take up the cross of suffering which we must bear as faithful Christians and follow Jesus Christ — we will end up losing our lives forever! But if we truly trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and set our hope upon eternal life with Him in heaven, we will then lay down the worldly goals and the pleasures of this life and live our lives for Him who has redeemed us from sin and eternal damnation and has given us a place in His eternal kingdom.

And the end result of trusting in Jesus and His cross, sacrificing ourselves, and living our lives for Jesus in accord with His Word? Life. Life now in communion with God, and life eternal in His kingdom. And we, too, will bear fruit for Christ Jesus and bring glory to our God and Savior (cf. Matt. 5:16; John 15:1-8).

“Grant that I only Thee may love and seek those things which are above till I behold Thee face to face, 0 Light eternal, through Thy grace. Amen.” (“Renew Me, O Eternal Light,” Translator: August Crull; Author: Johann Friedrich Ruopp – 1714)

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“Again, Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself? For He said, “Where I am going, you cannot come.”’ He said to them, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” John 8:21-24

What a terrible thing to die in your sins — to die and stand before the holy Judge of all while still bearing the uncleanness and guilt of your sins! Yet, this is what was soon to happen to a great many of the Jews in Jesus’ day. Jesus warned them, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come” (John 8:21).

Because so many of His Jewish hearers saw no need to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, they would die in their sins and face the eternal wrath and condemnation of God. Where Jesus was going — to the right hand of God the Father in heaven (cf. John 14:1ff.; Eph. 2:20f.) — they would not be able to come! Instead, they faced a Christless eternity and the everlasting torments of hell!

Again, Jesus warned them, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Jesus’ words still ring out today! Those who do not trust in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior from sin are not justified and forgiven and acceptable to God. They are still dead in their trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1ff.). Unless they repent and trust in Jesus and His cross, they will die in their sins and are headed to an eternity of everlasting punishment. Where Jesus is, at the right hand of God the Father, they cannot come!

Unless people repent and turn to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who was lifted up on the cross to suffer and die there for us and bear the full punishment for our sins and the sins of the whole world, they will die in their sins and face the holy God in their own uncleanness and guilt! (Cf. John 3:14-18,36; Matt. 22:11-14.)

What about you? Will you die in the guilt of your sins and face the eternal wrath of an angry God? Or will you, by the grace of God, turn to Jesus and receive His full and complete pardon and forgiveness for your sins and enjoy the everlasting blessings of life in heaven with Him?

The Bible tells us: “As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this comes the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to save those who eagerly wait for Him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Jesus has already died and paid in full for your sins. His resurrection on the third day is proof that God accepted His death as full payment for the sins of the world (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3,4; Rom. 4:23-25)! Why die in your sins and be condemned by God? Turn in faith to Jesus and His shed blood and be forgiven and saved (Cf. 2 Cor. 5:19-6:2; Isa. 55:6-7)!

O dearest Jesus, have mercy upon our wayward hearts and draw us to You so that we might not enter eternity bearing the guilt and condemnation for our sins but have, instead, the blessing of forgiveness and life everlasting for the sake of Your holy and precious blood, shed for us on the cross. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

Again and again, I hear preachers telling mourning loved ones that this person is, without a doubt, in heaven because of how much he loved Jesus, how many people’s lives she touched, how strong his faith was, or how much good she accomplished in her lifetime.

I can’t help but wonder, “Was it enough?” After all, God’s Word commands us to love the LORD God with all our heart, soul, and mind, to love others as much as we love ourselves, and to be holy and perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect (Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:2,18; Matt. 22:37-40; Matt. 6:48; 1 Pet. 1:16). It says our best works, in and of themselves, are like filthy and unclean rags in God’s eyes (Isa. 64:6).

So, I want to make a few things clear before I die. I even suggest these words be read on that occasion or printed in my obituary so there is no doubt:

• I won’t be in heaven because of how much I loved Jesus; I will be in heaven because of how much Jesus loved me!

• I won’t be in heaven because I lived a holy and sinless life (I certainly haven’t); I will be in heaven because Jesus lived a holy and sinless life for me!

• I won’t be in heaven because of any good things I’ve done; I will be in heaven because of all the good and perfect things Jesus did for me!

• I won’t be in heaven because of all I’ve sacrificed for Jesus; I will be in heaven because of all Jesus sacrificed for me when He gave His life on the cross and paid the just penalty for my sin.

• I won’t be in heaven because I died a good death for Jesus; I will be in heaven because Jesus died a good death for me, conquered sin and death, and rose again to be my ever-living Savior!

• I won’t even be in heaven because of my solid and enduring faith; I will be in heaven because Jesus gave me His Spirit at my baptism, and the Holy Spirit endured me and patiently, again and again throughout my life, revealed to me my utter sinfulness but comforted me with forgiveness and acceptance for Jesus’ sake!

So, you see, I won’t be in heaven because of me — I’ve failed and come short, but I will be in heaven because of Jesus — He did it all!

The Bible says of all who trust in Jesus and are saved from the eternal wrath and punishment they deserve: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith, in His blood …” (Rom. 3:23-25).

To quote from the hymn “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness,” written by Ludwig von Zinzendorf and translated by John Wesley nearly 300 years ago, “When from the dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies, e’en then, this shall be all my plea: Jesus hath lived and died for me.”

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“On the next day a great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took branches of palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!’
“Then Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.’
“His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
“Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The crowd went and met Him for this reason: They heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said among themselves, ‘See, you are gaining nothing! Look, the world has followed Him!’” John 12:12-19

Do you know what the triumphal entry and the events of that day are all about? Yes, you may know what happened that day — how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and was hailed King of the Jews, but why? What does it all mean?

If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Jesus’ own disciples didn’t understand these things until after Jesus had risen from the dead and was glorified. It was as John writes, “Then Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.’”

What was written about Jesus? From the Book of Zechariah, we see the ancient prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! And cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). We see these very words fulfilled; the people shouted words of praise to Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of Israel. They hailed Him as their King. Jesus was riding upon a donkey’s colt, just as the prophecy said and similar to the way King Solomon was made known as the king of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 1:32ff.).

And what did they cry out? John tells us the multitude cried out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” In Matthew 21:9, we read: “The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him cried out: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” Compare that to the words of Psalm 118:19ff. Hosanna, which is a call to the LORD to save now, together with the references to the Son of David, King of Israel, and He who comes in the name of the LORD, is an acclamation that Jesus is the Messiah and promised Savior who would save His people and establish an everlasting kingdom (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16).

Thus, the events of that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem were a declaration that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, the Son of David and King of Israel, who would save His people and establish an eternal kingdom. The people were calling upon Him to save them as God had promised. He was the one who would “redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8). And this acclamation and these words of praise came just days before He was crucified and died for the sins of the world to provide that promised salvation!

We, too, cry out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” We pray that He would usher in the day of our salvation — the salvation he won for us upon Calvary’s cross. We long for Him to come again and enter into the gates of the New Jerusalem and establish His everlasting kingdom and be our God and King forevermore! Cf. Phil. 2:5ff.; Rev. 7:9ff.; 19:11ff.; 21:1ff.; 21:22ff.

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We praise You, Christ Jesus, our Savior, and pray that You would come and establish Your everlasting kingdom and reign over us as our God and King. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]