Today we sang a new arrangement of a favorite old hymn, “Take My Life that I May Be”. As I pondered that hymn, I was struck by the thought that the Good News is something that comes to us as we are confronted by God’s Word, the Living Spirit. When the Spirit of God enables us to see how we have tried to control our lives and the daily news for our lives, the only thing left for us is to repent and to turn around to God. Last week we talked about repentance as a way of turning – instead of turning into ourselves, we turn around to face God. Repentance is a recognition and admittance that we cannot mold, create or work alongside of God to attain the Good News for our lives. Good News comes from God alone.

For me, repentance is this. I am called by this Good News to turn away from myself and to rely on God to take my life and use me. That is why we sing “take my life so I may be consecrated, Lord, to Thee”. My prayer is to turn around to God and to ask Him to “take my will and make it Thine, for it shall be no longer mine”. What is Good News for you?

Steve Kruse
New Covenant Lutheran Church

"New Covenant - A New Way of Life!"

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

A portion of the Scripture that we didn’t talk about today is the last portion of the reading verses 11-13.  One of the most challenging sayings in this reading is “if we deny him, he will also deny us.”  Many scholars refer back to Matthew 10:33 where Jesus says: “Whoever denies me before men (others), I also will deny before my father who is in heaven.”  Jesus’ challenging words seem to be as present for Timothy as they should be for us.  But how do we reconcile these sayings with the promises of Christ?  Robert W Smith in his commentary on (Matthew ACNT) says that this line points to a future possibility of apostasy by those being baptized…this use of denial is a remote and almost unthinkable action…the verb denial appears elsewhere in the letters to Timothy and Titus but here alone, drawing from a baptismal hymn, does it apply to

apostasy from Christ.  The last part of this hymn juxtaposes a saying of faithfulness against one of denial, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.  Some commentators attempt to separate apostasy from unfaithfulness; however it seems that Paul’s intent is to set this hymn with a warning against apostasy with a more Hebraic understanding of

God’s faithfulness which endures even through our unfaithfulness.  Do you see this juxtaposition or do you see Paul setting apostasy apart from unfaithfulness? 

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.  Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.  Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.  The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.  Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.  Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.  
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

Genesis 3:3

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

John 4:21-24

Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Isaiah 7: 13-14

And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9: 6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Zechariah 12: 10-13

"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadadrim'mon in the plain of Megid'do. The land shall mourn, each family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shim'e-ites by itself, and their wives by themselves;