Concordia Sermons

Luke 17:11-19 11 Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When He saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

King Jehoshaphat has a vast army arrayed against him. Before he goes to battle, Israel thanks God ahead of time for what He will do. We usually thank God in response to something. But how does thankfulness become so ingrained in us that we thank God before something - even something that looks threatening and menacing?

Jesus has given us our community – the city of San Antonio – to bless! Will we let our light shine to transform our community with the love of Christ?

Faith is the gift that allows us to follow Jesus! But how do we manage our faith? Do we simply regard it as an internal state of our heart, or something that flows from our heart in our actions that blesses those around us? One of the way that we can grow our faith and manage it well, and bless those around us, is in how we steward our financial resources.

Jesus has given us incredible forgiveness at an incredible price – the price of His very life. He asks that we manage that forgiveness by extending it to others.

Jesus is the One who has given us our wealth! Yet, too often, we hoard our wealth instead of being generous. Jesus explores in this parable how generosity is the key to good money management.

One of the reasons so many people struggle in silence is because they believe they’re the only one and that others would not understand – or, worse, judge them – if they ever found out what they were going through. The preacher of Hebrews reminds us that we always have someone who understands – Jesus – and we can bring Him anything.

When something bad happens, it can be easy to let that bad thing become all-consuming. It becomes the filter through which we see our whole lives. The book of Lamentations was written during a tough time in Israel’s history – when they were in exile in Babylon. Although the author does not minimize his agony, he also does not totalize it. This awful situation is not the whole story. There is hope in God.

Have you ever made someone your “project”? You think you can fix them, change them, or, perhaps, even save them? Paul reminds us that at the same time we may try to change someone, they are also potentially changing us. He encourages us, then, to choose our relationships wisely and reminds us that the deepest change comes through Christ.

When life gets challenging, it can be tempting to give up. We can be tempted to quit everything from our jobs to our relationships to even our very lives. Jesus encourages perseverance by telling a story about a woman who goes through terribly trying times. He also reminds us that our strength to continue comes from God through prayer.

Last weekend, we talked about how sometimes we don’t feel as if we’re enough. This weekend focuses on how we often think we don’t have enough. “If I just had more money or more time or more energy or more whatever, life would be great!” When Paul writes to the Philippians, he speaks of his concern of not having enough, but also trusts fully that God will provide everything he needs.

“I’m not enough” is an interesting lie we tell ourselves because it’s not totally untrue. We do fall short of being enough because we are sinful. Yet, God’s Son Jesus is enough and redeems us from our sin to make us whole – to make us enough. Isaiah’s call from God is a beautiful picture of how God makes people enough.

Right before Joshua dies, he invites the Israelites to serve the Lord, knowing they will not be able to. In their pride, the Israelites claim they will be able to serve Him. The next book of the Bible – Judges – tells us otherwise. Humility is the key to spiritual growth. How have we fallen short serving the Lord? Out of His grace, God continually invites us to try serving Him again.

As Joshua nears the end of his life, he reflects on how he has been merely a steward of God’s Word and ways. It is God’s Word that lasts. When we get to the end of our lives, will we have spent our lives with an eye toward what lasts?

A man named Caleb has been waiting for years to receive an inheritance first promised to him by Moses. But rather than becoming bitter because of the wait, he is grateful for his inheritance, no matter how long it might have taken him to receive it. What good things will come to us when we are willing to wait?

Though the Israelites win many battles in Joshua, it is ultimately God who gives them the victory. He is powerful not just against enemies, but over all creation. When we face battles we cannot win, who will we entrust ourselves to?

When we tell lies, we will eventually be told lies by others. In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites resort to a ruse to keep from being conquered by the Israelites. When we are lied to, how will we respond?

Each year our middle school and high school students serve on a mission trip in order to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, and to be a blessing to others in His name. Even as the focus is on serving others, our youth return home excited and encouraged, and end up being blessed and served more than they could’ve imagined.

After the Israelites conquer Jericho, one of them, Achan, steals some of its plunder. God sees what has happened and punishes all of Israel by allowing them to lose their next battle against Ai. The lies we tell always hurt others. We are called to be people of the truth.

When Joshua fights the battle of Jericho, before he fights, he waits. He takes six days to march around the city with trumpets. It is only after giving the residents a chance of Jericho to repent does God decide to destroy the city. God was patient with Jericho and He is patient with us. Will we use His patience as an opportunity to repent of sin?