The Lutheran Hour
-
"Forward into God’s Future"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: Acts 16:9-15
-
Grace, mercy, and peace to you in the Name of the Risen Lord Jesus, who calls you to follow Him into the future with boldness, Amen!
It’s that time of year, isn’t it? Are you ready? Are you ready for the graduation season?
The beginning of May kicks off several weeks of commencement exercises at schools around the northern hemisphere. Universities will send thousands upon thousands of graduates into the world to take up the challenge of finding a job and establishing a life as an independent adult. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. I have no doubt that more than a few college graduates are wondering what the future holds.The graduations continue through May and into June as high schools, junior highs, and grade schools send newly minted graduates to the next step of life. Excitement is in the air, but plenty of nervousness is flowing as students ponder the next big step of their lives. What do the days ahead have in store for them?
You may not be a graduate, but you may be asking the same question: where is life taking me? There are twists and turns to life, aren’t there? At times, the future seems to unfold in very predictable and logical ways. At other times, you can’t tell what’s coming at all!
Or, maybe today, you’re wondering how in the world things have worked out this way! Why here, why now? Your job, the place you live, your marriage, your children, your physical health, the experiences you’ve had: there have been ups and there have been downs. There have been successful plans and there have been surprises.So how about now? How about this moment? How are you doing? How do you feel about what might be coming next?
Well, my friend, I want you to know that this is a burden that you aren’t supposed to carry alone. In fact, God’s specialty is to carry the future for you. It’s much too heavy a burden for you to bear. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34), because He understood that you can never carry such a load. Instead, He carries the future for you and leads you from moment to moment in His faithfulness and grace. In fact, God’s specialty is to call people to follow Him by faith and show them that He takes care of them each and every day.
God has been doing this for a long time. Remember back in the Old Testament. God called Abraham to travel to an unknown land and made him a blessing to the world. God called a stuttering and frightened Moses to rescue the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt, and showed His faithfulness with mighty and miraculous works. God called Peter, James, and John from lives as fishermen to lives as fishers of men, and through them, the Gospel has traveled to our ears and our hearts today. None of these folks knew where they were headed, but God was faithful with their future and blessed many people through their lives.
In the Bible reading for today from Acts 16, we meet people who were struggling with what was to come next, where they were to go. The Apostle Paul and his traveling companions had their hearts set on a missionary journey into Asia. They were pumped up, they were ready to go. They even tried to enter the region, but Acts 16:6-7 says, “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:6-7).
We’re not exactly sure how that transpired. But, for some reason, God didn’t let them take the step that they wanted to take. The Holy Spirit prevented them from carrying out the plans that they had their hearts set on. Instead, He sent them on a detour, His detour.
You may feel like you’re experiencing that right now. You had a plan. You had your heart set on how your life should be at this moment. But it didn’t turn out that way. Perhaps your health is not what you’d like it to be. Maybe you are yearning for a relationship in your life, because one ended too soon or it never happened the way you wanted it to happen. Perhaps you wanted children so badly, but you haven’t been able to have kids–and now you feel grief and pain as Mother’s Day approaches next Sunday. Or you might be struggling to find work. You may feel disappointed with the struggle each day brings. Or, perhaps, you thought your life would have turned out much differently than it is today.
It can be frustrating and confusing, can’t it?
But now is the time to know and believe that God cares for you more than you know! God cares very deeply about your life. He’s not ignoring you. He didn’t forget about you. His Word shows us over and over and over that He is faithful to His promises, He is faithful to His people, and He wants all people to come to know Him and His love for them. He loves you so much that He literally, historically, publically “read all about it” sent His Son Jesus to purchase your life as His own. Jesus paid the price of His life, sacrificing Himself on the cross so you can be God’s cherished and precious child, a child whose life now and forever matters to Him.
Your life is important to Him–even when it isn’t going the way that you had hoped it would. And God will be faithful to you as you navigate unfamiliar territory. He will lead you and give you purpose as you travel life’s detours into each new day.
You may have heard of J.R. Martinez. Upon graduating from high school, J.R. joined the army. After his training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2002, J.R. was deployed to Iraq in March of 2003. One month later, the unthinkable happened. A Humvee in which he was riding hit a roadside bomb. The explosion trapped him inside the burning vehicle. Pulled from the wreckage, he survived, but suffered severe burns to 34-percent of his body. J.R. was evacuated to a military hospital in Germany, then brought back to the United States for thirty-three surgeries over a thirty-four month hospitalization. The burns on J.R.’s head and face changed his looks. He didn’t look like the same person he was and he wondered what kind of future he could ever have. Was his life ruined?
But, during his hospitalization, J.R. discovered that he could help other burn victims. He sat with them and encouraged them the first time that they looked in the mirror. For many, that was a pain even worse than the burns. But J.R. was there to let them know that life was not over. New life and new purpose were just beginning. He dedicated himself to helping wounded warriors. He said, “I discovered that it is what is inside a person that matters most and I wouldn’t change anything…absolutely anything!” “I do believe everything happens for a reason, and I’m extremely grateful for that day because it led me into this life!”
It wasn’t the life J.R. planned, but God’s care, grace, and blessing brought him to a place he never imagined. You may have heard about J.R. His public profile began to grow in many new and interesting ways. You see, when the daytime drama “All My Children” was looking for a military veteran for the show, J.R. auditioned and he got the job. Then “Dancing with the Stars” came calling. And, J.R. and his partner, not only were chosen for the show, they ended up winning! I was privileged to ride on our Lutheran Hour Float in the New Year’s Day parade with J.R. as the grand marshal. I’ll tell you, it was a proud day for me to be there in that parade with him.
Life may take you to places you never expect, but the God of the Bible, the One who makes you a certain heir of heaven itself, God cares about you and He will lead you faithfully into the future.
I think that’s what Paul discovered when, in the middle of his confusion about what to do, God stepped in. We hear in Acts 16:
“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9-10).When you are confused or worried about your life, it is very important for you to listen to God’s guidance. It is essential that you are attentive to Him. Now God spoke to Paul in a vision. And that sounds so wonderful. But do you realize that God speaks to you today, even more certainly than that? The Bible is God’s clear Word, His voice, about the things that matter most in life. The Apostle Peter talked about how precious the gift of God’s Word is when he said, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
God speaks to you, dear friend, through His Word, the Bible. The Bible brings you God’s sure and certain voice of salvation, comfort, and guidance. It’s a helpful voice in a confusing world. Paul says it clearly in 2 Timothy 3 that God is “able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. “For all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
If you’re wondering where life is going, you are given the wonderful gift of the Bible so that you can hear from God as you travel the pathway of life. He will help you by filling you with hope, with understanding, and with endurance.
For you see, the Bible is not just a book. It is the living Word of God. It’s God’s way to speak to your needs, to come into your life, and bring you a future that is filled with hope and salvation. Even if you don’t feel any different immediately when you read it, God promises that His Word always works. It always brings results. It’s a precious gift that brings God’s grace into your life.
Just as Paul needed God to speak up when his plans seemed to be at a dead end, you and I need that eternal and life-giving Word of God as we face the future in a world that is filled with frustration. I hope you hear what God’s Word is offering! If frustration is the only thing present in your life, if what the world offers is all you have, if you’re trying to carry the future on your shoulders, you will be overcome with hopelessness and despair.
This broken world, it can do that to you, it can do that to me. Some of the soldiers that J.R. Martinez reached out to believed they had no future either. They were torn apart physically and emotionally by their serious injuries. Perhaps you have scars from your own personal pain, too. You may bear wounds from people or events in your past or in your present. This is the painful reality of life in a world shattered by sin. Or, maybe, you might be paying the price for decisions you have made, poor choices that have left you feeling disheartened and sad. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy, aren’t we?
But God understands that the world and our lives are broken by sin. And His heart goes out to each of us. That’s why He stepped into this world with the gift of His Son who came to be our Savior. That’s why God speaks words of life, strength, and salvation to you in His Word as only He can.
The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). God cares about you. He rescues you from hopelessness and despair. He gives you hope and help.
That’s why it’s so important to hear God’s Word for your life. He speaks the truth. And the truth is that you are precious to Him. The truth is that He has forgiven you; He loves you; and He walks with you. The truth is that He wants to use your life to show His love and reflect His light of hope to others.
That’s Good News to believe in, that’s a God in heaven to trust in, but that is even more a Lord to follow into the future! Did you notice something else in the reading from Acts 16? In addition to hearing what God said, Paul and his fellow missionaries followed God’s direction. They had no idea how the future would unfold, but they followed God’s direction to go into Macedonia. Luke, the narrator for this adventure, said:
“So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony……. And on the Sabbath Day we went outside to the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, and she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ (Acts 16:11-15).Paul didn’t expect to be in Philippi. He didn’t plan to meet Lydia and her family. He didn’t expect to stay with her family and see the beginning of one of the most vibrant churches in the New Testament times. But God took him on this journey faithfully. Through the ups and downs, God carried his future faithfully.
As I share this message with you today, all I can tell you is that I have seen God do all these things and more in my life and in the lives of those I’ve served for these past 25 years. God has carried me, Yvette, and Devin to many places we never thought we would go. And His transforming grace was with us and with others every step of the way! I’ve seen it in Dallas, in Brandon, in New York City, in Los Angeles, in Irvine, and now in people’s lives around the world. God promises to move all of us forward into the hope of His future, a hope that is full of grace and truth, whose final word is resurrection and eternal life.
God is faithful and trustworthy with your life. You can follow Him with confidence.
Just think again about what He has done for you on that cross of Calvary. You see, the Bible tells us that Jesus stepped into a very difficult future. As the true God, He didn’t have to leave His heaven, but He did, to save you and me. He set His status as God aside, taking the nature of a servant to take your place and mine. He knew exactly what He was doing. He was fulfilling the promise to pay the price for our sin and defeat death for us. So, Jesus trusted The Father with His life, so that our lives could be reconciled back to Him again by grace!That crucified one is Risen today, hallelujah. God the Father has carried His future faithfully and now Jesus our Savior is a risen testimony of what awaits all of us who trust in God for our life and salvation! That means your future is bright. You can count on Jesus. Because He has lived, died, and risen again for you….You can this day and everyday march forward joyfully in His Name!
Oh, the places He will yet take us. Our future is in good hands when those hands are God’s hands. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for May 5, 2013
Topic: Easter Still?ANNOUNCER: – Is it still Easter? Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, Easter was at the end of March; but I noticed that we’re still in the Easter season, even though it’s already in May.
SELTZ: It’s an interesting situation, but I’m glad to hear that people have a question about this, Mark, because it gets into the beautiful message of the rhythms of the church year.
ANNOUNCER: Some may not be familiar with that terminology. What do you mean by the church year?
SELTZ: Well, the calendar year runs from January through the end of December. Some businesses have fiscal years–running, for example, from July 1st through June 30th, and many churches also follow a calendar –called the “church year.” There are two major sections. Each is about six months long. The first section is called “the time of Christ.” The second is called “the time of the church.” Within these two major sections are several shorter seasons. The time of Christ begins around the first Sunday in December with a season called Advent. If people remember, “advent” means “coming” or “arrival.” It’s the season when we prepare for the celebration of the coming of Jesus.
ANNOUNCER: Of course, that’s the Christmas celebration. Now after Christmas there is the season of Epiphany, when we see how Jesus made Himself known to the world, starting right off with the visit of the Wise Men.
SELTZ: Right. You’ll notice, Mark, that “the time of Christ” tells the story of Jesus’ life. During each church year we get an overview of the story of Jesus–His birth, His baptism, when He called the disciples, His ministry of preaching and healing, and His walk to the cross and the resurrection from the dead.
ANNOUNCER: Then, after Advent and Epiphany, comes Lent, Good Friday, and Easter.
SELTZ: Yes. Lent lasts for 40 days–excluding Sundays. Easter lasts for seven Sundays, including Easter Sunday. The reason it lasts that long is because the Bible tells us that Jesus appeared to people for 40 days after His resurrection from the dead. Acts 1:3 says, “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 ESV).
ANNOUNCER: We’re taking this opportunity, then, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!
SELTZ: Exactly, the Easter season keeps going–even weeks after Easter Day. Really, every Sunday is a “little Easter” because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week.
ANNOUNCER: Now, after Jesus appeared to believers for that period of forty days, He then ascended into heaven which is also recorded for us in Acts 1.
SELTZ: That’s correct; and that’s why the 40th day after Easter is Ascension Day, commemorating the day Jesus ascended into heaven. It’s always on a Thursday. Some churches still have their Ascension services then, others celebrate it on the Sunday after Ascension Day.
ANNOUNCER: And we call that celebration the end of the “time of Christ” with regard to the church year, right?
SELTZ: Well, in a manner of speaking.
ANNOUNCER: What do you mean by that?
SELTZ: It’s true that Pentecost Sunday is the Sunday that recalls the “birth of the New Testament Church.” You know; that celebration when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and the Christian church was born.
ANNOUNCER: All right. So, “the time of Christ” tells the story of Jesus’ life and the “time of the church” tells the story of the church….am I missing something there?
SELTZ: Well, no, “the time of the church,” you’re right, tells of God’s work to give birth and to grow the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. But it could also be called the time of the “body of Christ,” for it celebrates the continued work of Jesus through His Word and His people to bring all people to faith in Christ’s saving work by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, this section of the church year emphasizes the birth of the church, the growth for believers as they follow Jesus faithfully and obediently, and of course the hope of the church is the return of Jesus in glory at the end of the age.
ANNOUNCER: As we talk about this, we see that the story of Jesus is always central to the story of the church!
SELTZ: Absolutely vital!
ANNOUNCER: And a beautiful thing to see Christ’s coming at the end of time, then, flowing right back into the Advent and Christmas season as the church year begins anew!
SELTZ: Yeah, there are some things that are worth celebrating every year, aren’t there?
ANNOUNCER: Absolutely, and some things we should never forget. Thank you Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Christ Is Arisen” arr. John Behnke. From For All Seasons, vol. 3 by John Behnke (© 2004 John Behnke) Concordia Publishing House