Worship Helps for Pentecost 8
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The Exhortation of Christ to the Apostles
Artist: James Tissot
Worship Theme: Faithfully
proclaiming God’s Word is hard. Public ministers serve as God’s representative
to a sinful world, and the world does not want to accept God’s truth. The Old
Testament prophet Amos found that out; Paul and Timothy found that out; Jesus’
newly-called apostles would find that out. Yet God has chosen faithful public
preachers as a way he will have the good news of Jesus come to his chosen ones
in all nations. Thank God for faithful public preachers and teachers of
the gospel! By them Jesus gives us the Bread of Life.
Old Testament: Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of
Israel: "Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of
Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos
is saying: "'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native
land.'" 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Get out, you seer!
Go back to the land of Judah Bethel , because this is the king's sanctuary and the
temple of the kingdom." 14 Amos answered Amaziah, "I was
neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took
care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the LORD took me from tending the
flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel .' 16 Now then, hear the word of the
LORD. You say, "'Do not prophesy against Israel , and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.'
17 "Therefore this is what the LORD says: "'Your wife will
become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the
sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in
a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their
native land.'"
1. Was Amos proclaiming a popular message in Israel ?
2. What did the king’s representative tell Amos to do, and
how did Amos respond to the king’s command?
Epistle: 1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a
trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a
noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband
of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family
well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If
anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's
church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become
conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must
also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into
disgrace and into the devil's trap.
3. What is the first qualification of a teaching elder in
the church?
4. What is the only qualification of a teaching elder in
the church that does not relate to his character?
Gospel: Mark 6:7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority
over evil spirits. 8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing
for the journey except a staff-- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a
house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place
will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you
leave, as a testimony against them." 12 They went out and
preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons
and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
5. What is an apostle? What were the Twelve called to do?
6. What instructions did Jesus give them and why?
7. In a word, what not-so-popular but oh-so-necessary
message did the Twelve preach?
Answers:
1. As is often the case today, Amos did not have a
“politically correct” message for the people of Israel .
He announced that Israel ’s
popular king would die by the sword and that Israel
would go into exile. Interestingly, Amos proclaimed this message during the
height of the Northern Kingdom 's greatest prosperity (2
Kings 14:24 ).
2. Amaziah told Amos to go back to Judah ,
his homeland, and to stop prophesying in the land
of Israel
3. The first quality God requires for teaching elders in
his church (pastors and other overseers) is that they be ‘above reproach’ or
‘beyond criticism.’ As sinners, they cannot be perfect, but they should be
exemplary, with nothing in their past or in their current way of life that
makes it hard for the average person to trust them.
4. Besides all the character-qualifications for an
overseer in God’s church, that man must be ‘able to teach.’ He must be
knowledgeable about God’s truth and be able to communicate it well.
5. An apostle is “one who is sent,” an ambassador with a
message. Jesus called the apostles to proclaim the good news about him and his
kingdom.
6. Jesus told the Twelve not to take anything with them
except a staff. In other words, they were to trust God to provide. If any place
did not accept their testimony, they were to move on to another place.
7. The Twelve told people to repent.
Putting your faith
into action
Imagine sending a child off on a trip to Europe
with these instructions: “Take no luggage. Don’t pack any emergency food. Don’t
take any money with you.” Preposterous! Yet Jesus sends out his disciples with
instructions just like those. To leave on a journey to a faraway place with no
provisions is either foolish or shows a great deal of trust that somehow
everything will be provided. If we were to strike out on our own with little or
no planning, the risk of failure would be high. But striking out in faith with
God’s assurance of support is a good risk. The evangelists were probably
shocked at Jesus’ instructions until they remembered who it was who was sending
them out. Then trust kicked in. As stewards in God’s world, some of the things
God challenges us to do seem risky. We look around and see no resources. But
when it is God who says, “Move!” we can be sure he will provide the resources
necessary. “If it is of men, it will fail,” the officials noted of the activity
of early Christians in Acts, “but if it is of God, no one can stop it.” When
God sends you, strike out in trust that he will also provide the resources.
Because faith receives forgiveness of sins and reconciles
us to God, we are ‹like Abraham› counted as righteous for Christ’s sake before
we love and do the works of the Law.
This faith alone receives forgiveness of sins, makes us
acceptable to God, and brings the Holy Spirit.
It could be called “grace making one pleasing to God”.
We receive forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake through
faith alone. We are justified, that is, unrighteous people are made
righteous. The knowledge of this faith
is necessary. Because Christ’s office
is recognized in this alone, we receive Christ’s benefits by this alone. Only this teaching brings sure and firm
consolation to pious minds. In the
Church there must be the teaching by which the pious may receive the sure hope
of salvation. For the adversaries give
people bad advice when they tell them to doubt whether they receive forgiveness
of sins. How will such persons sustain
themselves in death who have heard nothing of this faith and think that they
ought to doubt whether they receive forgiveness of sins? The promise is that sins are freely forgiven
for Christ’s sake. Those who teach
nothing of this faith we speak about, completely abolish the Gospel. Our adversaries reject this faith. By rejecting this faith they abolish the
entire promise about the free forgiveness of sins and the righteousness of
Christ. – Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification,
paragraphs 114, 116-121
God's Word is our great heritage
And shall be ours forever;
To spread its light from age to age
Shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way;
In death it is our stay.
Lord, grant, while worlds endure,
We keep its teachings pure
Throughout all generations.
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