4th Sunday after Easter: Date: April 28, 2024
Bulletin: Read Bulletin
Sermon: Read Sermon
THEME: God’s Grace Revealed Out in a Wilderness.
PRESERVICE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for the salvation which You have provided to a fallen world by sending your Son to suffer and die for us upon the cross. We rejoice in Your grace that in raising Jesus from the dead You have proclaimed Your satisfaction with the ransom price He paid, so that we have remission of sins and everlasting life. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ as our Risen and Everliving Lord may be strengthened unto eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
THE ORDER OF SERVICE: (p. 22 Worship Supplement 2000)
Hymn 411:1-5: From Eternity, O God
1 From eternity, O God, In Thy Son Thou didst elect me;
Therefore, Father, on life’s road Graciously to heav’n direct me;
Send to me Thy Holy Spirit That His gifts I may inherit.
2 Though alive, I’m dead in sin, Lost to all good things by nature.
Holy Ghost, change me within, Make of me a new-born creature;
For the flesh works ruination And can never gain salvation.
3 Drive away the gloomy night Of my heart’s perverse reflection;
Quench all tho’ts that are not right, Hold my reason in subjection;
Grant that I from Thee, with yearning, Wisdom always may be learning.
4 Oh, create a heart in me That in Thee, my God, believeth
And o’er the iniquity Of my sins most truly grieveth.
When dark hours of woe betide me, In the wounds of Jesus hide me.
5 As a branch upon a vine In my blessed Lord implant me;
Ever of my Head divine To remain a member grant me.
Oh, let Him, my Lord and Savior, Be my Life and Love forever!
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
P: God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
C: If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
P: Together let us pray.
C: Almighty God, merciful Father, we are sinful by nature, and have sinned against You in our thoughts, words, and actions. But we are sorry for our transgressions and pray You, of Your bountiful mercy, to be gracious and merciful unto us. Forgive us for Jesus’ sake, renew us by Your Spirit, and lead us in the way everlasting. Amen.
P: Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. We are forgiven! With boldness and confidence we may approach the throne to find grace to help in time of need. In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.
C: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
COLLECT FOR THE DAY
C: Amen.
THE EPISTLE LESSON: 1 John 3:18-24
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (NKJV)
THE GOSPEL LESSON: John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (NKJV)
THE APOSTLES CREED (The Lutheran Hymnal p. 12)
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn 384: Oh, How Great Is Thy Compassion
1 Oh, how great is Thy compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,
That with all our fallen race And in our deep degradation
Thou wast merciful that we Might be saved eternally!
2 Thy great love for this hath striven That we may from sin be free
And forever live with Thee; Yea, Thy Son Himself hath given
In His grace an earnest call To His Supper unto all.
3 And for this our souls’ salvation Voucheth Thy good Spirit, Lord,
In Thy Sacraments and Word. He imparteth consolation,
Granteth us the gift of faith That we fear nor hell nor death.
4 Lord, Thy mercy will not leave me– Truth doth evermore abide–
Then in Thee I will confide. Since Thy Word cannot deceive me,
My salvation is to me Well assured eternally.
5 I will praise Thy great compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,
That with all our fallen race And in our deep degradation
Thou wast merciful that we Might bring endless praise to Thee.
THE SERMON: Acts 8:26-40
Theme: God’s Grace Revealed Out in a Wilderness.
I. Revealed through the Word
II. Shared by a Believer
III. Blessed by the Holy Spirit
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. (NKJV)
OFFERTORY: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen
PRAYER; THE LORD’S PRAYER
The offering of thankful hearts will now be received.
Hymn 360: Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name.
3 Jesus!–the name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood avails for me.
5 Look unto Him, ye nations; own Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.
6 See all your sins on Jesus laid; The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.
7 Glory to God and praise and love Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above, The church in earth and heaven.
BENEDICTION:
C: Amen.
Hymn 283: God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage
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.
CALENDAR
TODAY: An abbreviated Bible Class will follow the service this morning.
Victory service for our departed brother, Norman Schwartz. Visitation is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the service at 2:00 p.m. Interment follows at Grandview Cemetery and refreshments at the church follow interment.
NEXT SUNDAY: Worship at 9:30. No Bible class in Pastor’s absence. Pastor Barthels will be out of town. Pastor emeritus Paul Fleischer has agreed to take the service in Pastor’s absence. Sermon Text: Acts 9:36-42.
MONDAY APRIL29 through TUESDAY MAY 7: Pastor Barthels will be out of town. Pastor emeritus Paul Fleischer will be covering in case of emergency. Pastor Barthels will be available at his cell number during his absence.
SATURDAY, MAY 11: Spring church cleaning 9:00- 12:00.
SERVING TODAY
Organist: Denise Barthels
OUR RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL:
Attendance: April 21 worship –11, No Bible Class
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Weekly Offerings Needed |
$1,374.00 |
Other Offerings: |
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Offerings Received |
$ 540.00 |
Memorials: Barb Nickson General Fund $20.00 Lori Skinner General Fund $1,000.00 |
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Needed for Year: |
$21,984.00 | |
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Received for Year: |
$16,822.00 |
May Church Cleaning: Cleaning/work day May 11, 9:00 -noon.
April/May Lawn Mowing: Volunteers needed.
CONGREGATION NEWS: New tract rack! Our thanks to Mike Nelson and his friend, Mike Ostley, for their excellent workmanship on our new tract rack located just around the corner south of the main church entrance.
CLC NEWS: Grace Lutheran Church of Sleepy Ey, MN has called Pastor David Ude of Appleton, WI, to be their pastor.
( Pastor Theodore Barthels )
Sermon
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
2100 16th Street SW
Austin, MN 55912-1749
Pastor Ted Barthels
Sermon preached on
April 28:2024
(Previously preached on May 6, 2018)
5th Sunday after Easter
Scripture Lessons: 1 John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8
Hymns: 411:1-5; 384; 360; 283
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sermon Text: Acts 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
(NKJV)
This is the Word of God.
Sanctify us, oh Lord, through Your truth. Your Word is truth. Amen.
In Christ Jesus, God our Savior, dear fellow Redeemed:
INTRO: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
This is a familiar enough Scriptural account about which most if not all of us know the basic facts of what happened along that road in the wilderness area south of Judea. But do we? Some of the background and the back story is also very important. For example, who was this man named Philip? The simple answer was that he was one of the seven deacons chosen to assist the apostles in the Jerusalem congregation. The area of his calling was specifically to minister to the needs of the poor within the congregation so that the apostles could focus on preaching the gospel. It was not long however before it was evident that the Holy Spirit blessed Philip with an enthusiasm for the gospel as he boldly witnessed to the truth of Jesus. Because of the persecution conducted by Saul, Philip and many others were forced to leave Jerusalem, being scattered abroad. However, that did not silence them.
Immediately before the events of our text we are told about Philip’s work in the city of Samaria where many believed the gospel Philip boldly proclaimed among them. When reports of this success of the gospel reached the apostles, Peter and John were sent to join Philip in Samaria.
With all this going on in Samaria and so many coming to faith, an angel directed Philip to leave Samaria, and go down south a long distance away from Samaria, south of Judea, into the wilderness area of Gaza where almost no one would be found. The Lord directed Philip to this area, to walk all those miles, to the middle of nowhere, to position Philip for this encounter with one man. And so we see –
THEME: God’s Grace Revealed Out in a Wilderness.
The first item of note for us is that God’s grace in the wilderness of Gaza is still —
I. Revealed through the Word.
What may have appeared to be a chance encounter in the eyes of man was no chance encounter at all. Philip was placed where he was so that he could engage this man from Ethiopia. When this man’s chariot passed by, Philip was instructed by the Spirit to make the encounter. Philip heard the man reading from the Scriptures, and not just any scripture! The eunuch, who was an important official in the court of the queen of Ethiopia, was reading from Isaiah 53. That wondrous chapter expounds in prophecy the sufferings of Jesus as the Servant of the Lord.
The Spirit provided the perfect setup for Philip. Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading, and his reply was, “not unless someone guides me.” Philip was more than ready to explain the wonder of grace that was revealed in this scripture:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
In the church in our day there is so much emphasis placed on programs and activities and organizations and political action committees that many, far too many, have lost sight of the source of revelation of God’s grace to us. When it comes to really conquering the darkness and the evil in this world we need the Word of God. The darkness within the heart of men can only be dispelled by the light of life which is revealed to us in the gospel. It is as Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
(Romans 10:17)
Of course, what we see demonstrated in our text is that the Lord reveals the gospel for salvation. That gospel is found not only in the New Testament writings of the Apostles and Evangelists, but also in the writings of Moses and the Prophets. Indeed, it is a special assurance of God’s grace and salvation to see the gospel promise revealed in the Old Testament in such detail, and then fulfilled by Christ.
So it was with the Ethiopian eunuch. As he read from the Prophet Isaiah the Ethiopian struggled with identifying who this Servant of the Lord could be. He was willing, even eager to have this Scripture explained for him. And that is where we see Philip’s role appointed to him by the Holy Spirit.
While it was an angel that came to Philip and directed him to leave Samaria and to travel so many miles to the Gaza wilderness, it was not God’s desire that an angel explain the gospel to another human being. The Lord has reserved this as a special privilege that the gospel be —
II. Shared by Us Believers.
Beginning at that Scripture Philip taught the man about Jesus. Philip seized the opportunity as the Spirit had instructed him, and shared what he knew about Jesus. Yes, Philip had to know the Scriptures to do this; he had to know that the Old Testament prophecies direct us to Jesus. Philip had to understand how the Scriptures are fulfilled in Jesus. The Apostle Paul emphasized this fact when confirming the faith of the Christians in Corinth, a gentile congregation. The Old Testament Scriptures find their fulfillment in Jesus. Listen to Paul’s words: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4.)
Neither Paul nor Philip were devising the gospel as they went along. They presented the truth that God the Holy Spirit had placed in their hands with the Bible, which they then proclaimed to sinners, not only of the Jews, but also to the gentile nations, that this glorious gospel of a crucified and risen and ever-living Lord might go forth to all the world. It goes “from faith to faith,” (Romans 1:16) from believer to believer, as the children of God “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
(1 Peter 2:9)
And that, my friends, is what the Spirit asks of us as well. We don’t have to speak to large crowds. The Lord cares very deeply about individual souls. You might say we don’t often run into people reading the Bible as we walk along in life. But then maybe we could be the one seen or heard reading our Bible. There is a famous actor named Denzel Washington who is known for reading his Bible, wherever he is. While it is unfortunate that not all his acting depicts Christ-like characters, he has been repeatedly asked about his Bible reading. So will we, if we but let our light shine. If we let our light shine in whatever way, people will notice. Some will persecute, even as Philip was persecuted, but others will ask, “What does all this mean?” And then you also may tell someone what the Bible says about Jesus. We need to know the Scriptures to do that. We need to spend time in our Bible to know the Scriptures and all they teach us about Jesus.
Yes, we may live in a spiritual wilderness, but the “not so chance encounter” will come. I say “not so chance encounter” for while it may appear to be by chance to others, and maybe even to us. The Lord sets opportunities before us time and again. We need only open our mouths and speak the Word of truth. May we be ready to share the grace of a forgiving God!
What often keeps us from speaking is that we are unsure of ourselves, or we may judge that this other person will not understand. But that is not our role. We need only speak of the things that we have heard and know to be true, understanding that our words will be –
III. Blessed by the Holy Spirit.
Surely our text brings us that assurance. We don’t know how long Philip traveled with this Ethiopian man talking about Jesus. It could have been for quite some miles. We do know the fruits of Philip’s testimony. The Spirit worked faith in the heart of the Ethiopian. When they passed a pool of water the Ethiopian expressed his desire to be baptized. He believed, and desired that blessed sacrament that Jesus has commanded for His people to bring them the blessings of salvation. Philip was happy to comply.
Then again, we see the fruit of the Spirit in the joy that filled the Ethiopian’s heart having received the blessings of Baptism. As they came out of the water the Spirit removed Philip, caught him away and he was found preaching the gospel in a place called Azotus. Yes, Philip’s work with the Ethiopian was finished, but his mission as a child of God continued. As for the Ethiopian, “He went on his way rejoicing.”( v.39) His way was the way back to Ethiopia where he lived and served the queen, but now he was a changed man. He was born again of water and the Spirit of God. He was carrying the gospel of Jesus as our crucified and risen Redeemer to others in his homeland.
This is all because of the marvelous and powerful working of the Holy Spirit who works through the gospel, the simple gospel that we hold so dear in our hearts. It’s not so hard to share with others that Jesus loves us and Jesus calls us to repentance and life. Jesus takes our sins away, having carried them to the cross. Jesus lives for us and makes intercession for us before the throne of God. We have life and salvation in His name.
When that message is shared with one other, and is then blessed by the Spirit, it doesn’t stop there. There is this thing people call the butterfly effect. The tiniest air currents caused by the flapping of the wings of the butterfly carry on and make an impact that we may never fully comprehend. I don’t know about that, but that is true with the words of testimony of the child of God as they are directed and blessed by the power of the Holy Spirit! Philip had no idea how far his words of testimony went with the Ethiopian, but it is hard to imagine that they stopped with him. It is cause for a party in heaven when one sinner repents! But don’t you think that his rejoicing in the gospel was noticed by others, and that he too then shared this joy with others? That also is the Spirit’s blessing.
That blessing of the Spirit of our God accompanies us, and our words of testimony. It is to this that we also have been called. Philip was just another man, first called to faith, and then called to testify, and the Spirit worked through his words of faith. So each of us also have been called to believe, and then also to speak, and the Spirit has given us the message of Jesus our crucified and risen Savior to share, and the Spirit will bless that message.
AMEN.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. (Romans15:13)
St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church Austin Minnesota 