To Seek and To Save Podcast: Recent Episodes
Living Savior Littleton
He wants you as his own. Jesus said, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." How does he seek us, what does he say to us, how can he save people like us? These are our questions. The Bible has answers.
Preached at Living Savior Lutheran in Littleton, CO, on January 15, 2023.
He lives! We live!
Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. Prayer is not something we learn to do once and then know how to do correctly for the rest of our lives. Learning to pray consists of a lifetime of persistence and struggle. But when we struggle with God in prayer, it is not an indication that something is wrong but that everything is right. Struggle is part of the very nature of prayer and at the heart of the blessings it brings in our lives of faith.
Look up “duty” in the dictionary. It's defined as “something that one is expected or required to do.” Look up “duty” in a thesaurus. Some of its synonyms: chore, burden, obligation, work. “Duty” can carry some strong negative connotations. Now, consider this. In the world, as you rise through the ranks, you are able to leave many duties behind. For example, if you are high-up on the corporate ladder, you can delegate things you don’t want to do to someone else. In Christ’s kingdom it works just the opposite. An increase in faith does not lessen duties at all. It increases opportunities to serve God and others. Increased faith means increased obligations and work. But here’s the good news. The same faith that increases our duties leads us to delight in them. For through faith we know that we serve the one who first came to serve us. We consider it a privilege to imitate Christ in our service to others. Just as his service to us brought him great joy, so does our service to others.
Last week we learned the hard truth that while money can help make life easier in some ways, it cannot bring true happiness and fulfillment. This week we see that as much as money lets us down in life, its ultimate failure to deliver on its promises happens in death. Those who live with hearts filled with love for money and void of love for God will receive the only eternity that money can buy: one void of God and filled with pain. Yet those who find the help they need in God rather than in money will never be disappointed. In death they will receive a reward that dwarfs even the best things money can buy.
There are more than 2300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. Jesus knows that serving money makes it impossible to serve God. The human heart is not big enough for both. As a result, Jesus does all he can to expose the futility of serving money. He also helps us see that the only one truly worth serving is our gracious, loving God. When we serve God, money is put in its proper place. Instead of money being a lord to serve, it becomes a resource for serving the Lord. This is the hard truth. There is no way for us to serve both God and money. But we can serve God with our money.
Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Make no mistake, that is the most important question in the world. And it is a question every human must answer. A complimentary answer can still be dead wrong. Some in Jesus’ day thought he was John the Baptist or the prophet Elijah returned from the dead. Complimentary, but dead wrong. Today plenty of people believe Jesus existed. They believe he was a wise teacher or a role model for love. Complimentary, but dead wrong if missing the main point.
Jesus is both Lord and Savior, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This truth is the core of saving faith. It is the central message God has called our church to proclaim. What does God want in a church? He wants a church that really knows Jesus.
“All are welcome!” Is that true at our church? Is it conceivable that a stranger could walk into our church and for some reason you would ask yourself, “What is someone like that doing here?” Or, just perhaps, you are asking that question about yourself? “There are some seemingly godly people here. I’m not like them. Do I really belong?”
Today, Jesus shows us that God wants church to be for all people. All of us—regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or social status—have the same problem of sin. And we all have the same Savior. Therefore, anyone who comes to Christ’s Church and cries out, “Lord, have mercy!” is more than welcome.
Sermon from May 1, 2022. He lives! We live!
Revelation 5:
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Sermon preached at Living Savior on 4-24-22. He lives! We live!
Scripture from Revelation 1:
Revelation 1:4–18 (NIV) — 4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Sermon for Easter Sunday. He lives! We live!
Scripture from Luke 24:
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Our sight tends to be the sense we trust most. We say we will believe something when we see it. That presents a problem when it comes to the work of God. So often what our eye sees differs from what God decrees. This is true of the life of Jesus. In the eyes of the world, he was nothing special. This is also true in the life of the Christian. To the world, the believer does not look more blessed than the unbeliever. In fact, the believer may appear to have more hardships as the devil and his allies attempt to destroy him. So, to assure his children, God connects his grace, power, and blessing to something we can see—a visible sign: the anointing of baptism.
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus demonstrates how glory comes only through service and sacrifice. While our nature is to latch on to recognition, respect and honor, today we find a proper ambition only in a desire to serve.
It’s easy to let priorities slip. Satan wants us to take shortcuts where we shouldn’t and credit where it is not due. It’s easy to think that what we can get away with, we should; what no one will know about won’t matter. God’s Word exposes false priorities.
Christian love is pure and innocent. We learn through God’s grace what it is to share in God’s blessings and mission in the world in a way that accepts others and longs to see them shine in their faith and life. Our trust in God leads us to treasure the service of others.
Jesus set a child before them. The disciples were to learn a unique leadership style - not one working to conform others to your will, but one where the leader is conformed to the will of Christ in order to serve those they lead.
Every day in so many ways we make choices about what brings value to our lives. To what shall we turn? To whom shall we go? Just as there is only one true God among many false options, so there is only one source for meaning and life. The Bread of Life sets before us the way of life with God and urges us to believe and live.
What do we gain by relying on Jesus? Better blessings! Very different from the allures of life, Jesus’ spiritual menu offers bread for the soul which cleanses us from sin and gives us life with God that never ends.
In a world of drought, famine and disease because of sin, God nevertheless proves himself capable of giving us our daily bread. Jesus prepares us to serve as his witnesses in the world by reminding us that he is the supplier of all our needs. God’s abundant and undeserved generosity towards us not only inspires our confidence, but also opens our hands to be generous with others.
Jesus promised, “I will be with you always,” but we wonder sometimes where he is when we need him most. Jesus helps us understand how he shepherds us and leads us to green pastures and quiet waters as we walk through life.
When Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations,” he gives us the greatest and most earnest calling in the world. But he does not leave us to ourselves without plan or promise. He asks us to be his witnesses and supplies what we need to carry out our task.
Faithfully speaking and sharing God’s Word is no simple task. Some don’t care if we speak about Jesus. Some are angered when we speak about Jesus. Some make our lives difficult when we speak about Jesus. So what’s the point of it? Jesus knew all about the challenges to witnessing, and he prepares us for it.
This week’s theme reminds us that there’s more than one kind of death in the Bible; it speaks of physical death, spiritual death and eternal death. Jesus demonstrates that no matter how many kinds of death there are, he is always strong to make the dead alive!
We like to stand on our own two feet. In this series, however, God will teach us the better way of falling before his own feet as we grow to appreciate not just his power, but his purpose and use of it. May we humbly forget ourselves and live in the majesty of his might that will not be put in a box.
Truly when it comes to "seeds", there's nothing like the Word of God. Jesus picks that comparison for his parables for a reason and teaches us to have a view of his Word and confidence in it like no other. May we never think of our Bibles any other way!
Consider the world's population as just two households. Why? Because that's exactly how Jesus sees it. One home with God. The other belongs to Satan. Jesus isn't joking around about his purpose and work and aims to prevent us all from an eternal sin. Listen in to learn more!
The Spirit is God's gift to us as we celebrate being made alive through Word and Spirit that we might stand as God's army in this world to proclaim the good news of Jesus to all!
He lives! We live!
This is the final part of our Certain Hope series as we complete our Easter celebration in Jesus, high and exalted, who has overcome the world for us!
Recorded on May 16, 2021 at Living Savior Lutheran Church, Littleton, CO.
HE LIVES! WE LIVE!
Another episode in the book of Acts presents itself as a chance to praise God for his living power at work in believers and through them. Meet Tabitha, early disciple from Joppa, who served to give testimony to the love of Christ in her actions and through her death.
HE LIVES! WE LIVE!
He lives! We live!
Find encouragement from how the early church was empowered by resurrection hope and life to be a thriving and selfless community.
There's no picture in the Bible like that of the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. Find out why by listening in!
Perish the thought that you are ever alone! Take a look at God's deep love and redeeming claim on you as he begins the "ten commandments" with an intimate expression of his powerful zeal for you.
Perish the thought...that you are ever alone! This week we see God's gracious presence and rule and blessing every step of the way in Job's life, as he says himself, "The name of the Lord be praised."
CURRENT SUNDAY SERIES
Perish the Thought That You Are EVER Alone
February 21: “I’m alone in my struggles”
February 28: “I’m alone in my suffering”
March 7: “I’m alone trying to be perfect”
March 14: “I’m alone with my sin”
March 21: “I’m alone, period”
Jesus completes our journey upstream at the mountaintop. He takes us up the mountain to demonstrate for us the coming glory and triumph of his life, even though he goes to the cross and suffering, to disgrace and death. May we also follow him in a life that finds its joy and glorious calling in humility and service to God and others.
Go with the flow, they say. Live and let live. Go along to get along, they say. But how Jesus has come. He brings new life, purpose and direction. What to live by and who to live for. Hear his call to follow him. Begin the journey upstream!
Jesus steps into Capernaum's synagogue in a way unlike any other. He teaches as one with authority, and backs up his powerful Word driving demons away. This is your Savior who uses his Word today to guard and defend you from your true enemies.
Follow Jesus Against the Flow
January 10: By Washing
January 17: By Calling
January 24: By Sending
January 31: By Teaching
February 7: In Strength
February 14: In Glory
Follow Jesus Against the Flow
This week we see God's grace to speak to us, his power to give us faith and the blessings poured into our laps from his Word. We learn to echo the boy Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
Jesus doesn't go where you think he might when his big arrival day comes on the banks of the Jordan River. He doesn't wash. He is washed. He has come to stand in for and next to sinners in a ministry to you that will never change. Jesus is your strategy for life.
In the great chapter of Romans 8, Paul takes us into the character of God and how he gives. Christmas - and anytime with it - will never be the same.
The Lord delights to make the marriage between his good news and our hearts. See that up close in the example of the shepherds and rejoice with them in making heaven's glory your own in Jesus.
A pressure cooker unlike any other: Samaria, the northern kingdom's capital city, is under an excruciating siege. But God is not sought after or trusted, but rather blamed. So God sends a miracle through the Word of his prophet to demonstrate once again that he knows how to deliver, no matter the odds.
Who knew a prophet could be a military's secret weapon? Until the secret is out and a head-hunt is on... The Arameans will stop at nothing to get the W, but even then they find themselves as captives in the capital city of their enemies. When do you think they might finally realize you can't outsmart God? Open your own eyes to see the God trying to get your attention and give you his love. To Seek and To Save is at its best with stories like this!
People say the Lord works in mysterious ways. But maybe that's not how the Lord would say it himself. In this account with Naaman, take a look at how God uses a variety of people in Naaman's life to demonstrate his power and mercy. Naaman will never be the same - will you? =)
What to do with a believing woman who demonstrates her God's love with active faith? God tested it to make her stronger. He gave her a son - "don't get my hopes up!" - and then her son died young. Listen in and be encouraged to let God be God and do his seeking and saving thing in your own life.
Stories of Scripture always speak to the varied circumstances of our lives, especially the hardest ones, if only to demonstrate the way of the Lord through suffering. Let's put our fear of hard times behind us and grow in the way we talk about the most weak and embarrassing parts of our story. Let yours be a story of confidence in the Lord no matter what.
This podcast got its start because of Jesus’ own purpose statement and mission – “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” – in Luke 19. Clint joins in as we discuss the story and statement that brings sinners like us to the saving words of the Son who came from heaven.
More podcasts to come will explore stories of how God seeks us and connects us to his saving love in Jesus. Explore this with us and be challenged by the God who never ceases to desire and work that we might be close to him.