Pentecost 3

The Propers for Pentecost 3 June 21, 2020

Opening Hymn

From God Can Nothing Move Me LSB 713

5 Praise God with acclamation And in His gifts rejoice. Each day finds its vocation Responding to His voice. Soon years on earth are past; But time we spend expressing The love of God brings blessing That will forever last!

6 Yet even though I suffer

The world’s unpleasantness, And though the days grow rougher And bring me great distress, That day of bliss divine, Which knows no end or measure, And Christ, who is my pleasure, Forever shall be mine.

D 7 For thus the Father willed it,

Who fashioned us from clay; And His own Son fulfilled it And brought eternal day. The Spirit now has come, To us true faith has given; He leads us home to heaven. O praise the Three in One!

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Invocation

L In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. C Amen.

The Litany

L O Lord, C have mercy. L O Christ, C have mercy. L O Lord, C have mercy. L O Christ, C hear us. L God the Father in heaven, C have mercy. L God the Son, Redeemer of the world, C have mercy. L God the Holy Spirit, C have mercy. L Be gracious to us. C Spare us, good Lord. L Be gracious to us. C Help us, good Lord. L From all sin, from all error, from all evil;

From the crafts and assaults of the devil; from sudden and evil death; From pestilence and famine; from war and bloodshed; from sedition and from rebellion; From lightning and tempest; from all calamity by fire and water; and from everlasting death:

C Good Lord, deliver us. L By the mystery of Your holy incarnation; by Your holy nativity;

By Your baptism, fasting, and temptation; by Your agony and bloody sweat; by Your cross and passion; by Your precious death and burial; By Your glorious resurrection and ascension; and by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter:

C Help us, good Lord. L In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death; and in the day of judgment: C Help us, good Lord. L We poor sinners implore You C to hear us, O Lord. L To rule and govern Your holy Christian Church; to preserve all pastors and ministers of Your Church in the true

knowledge and understanding of Your wholesome Word and to sustain them in holy living; To put an end to all schisms and causes of offense; to bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived; To beat down Satan under our feet; to send faithful laborers into Your harvest; and to accompany Your Word with Your grace and Spirit:

C We implore You to hear us, good Lord. L To raise those who fall and to strengthen those who stand; and to comfort and help the weakhearted and the

distressed: C We implore You to hear us, good Lord.

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L To give to all peoples concord and peace; to preserve our land from discord and strife; to give our country Your protection in every time of need; To direct and defend our [president/queen/king] and all in authority; to bless and protect our magistrates and all our people; To watch over and help all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation; to protect and guide all who travel; To grant all women with child, and all mothers with infant children, increasing happiness in their blessings; to defend all orphans and widows and provide for them; To strengthen and keep all sick persons and young children; to free those in bondage; and to have mercy on us all:

C We implore You to hear us, good Lord. L To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers and to turn their hearts; to give and preserve for our use the

kindly fruits of the earth; and graciously to hear our prayers: C We implore You to hear us, good Lord. L Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, C we implore You to hear us. L Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, C have mercy. L Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, C have mercy. L Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, C grant us Your peace. L O Christ, C hear us. L O Lord, C have mercy. L O Christ, C have mercy. L O Lord, C have mercy. Amen.

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Introit Psalm 56:3-4, 10-11; antiphon: v. 13

For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from | falling,* that I may walk before God in the | light of life.

When I | am afraid,* I put my | trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not | be afraid.* What can flesh | do to me? In God, whose | word I praise,* in the Lord, whose | word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not | be afraid.* What can man | do to me?

Glory be to the Father and | to the Son* and to the Holy | Spirit; as it was in the be-|ginning,* is now, and will be forever. | Amen.

For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from | falling,* that I may walk before God in the | light of life.

Collect of the Day

O God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Old Testament Reading Jeremiah 20:7–13

O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends,

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watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

Gradual Psalm 145:3, 5b, 6b Great is the Lord, and greatly | to be praised,* and his greatness is un- | searchable. On your wondrous works, I will | meditate,* and I will declare your | greatness.

Epistle Romans 6:12–23

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Holy Gospel Matthew 10:5a, 21–33

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, . . . “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Nicene Creed

C I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

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And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

Sermon Hymn

Lord of Our Life and God of Our Salvation LSB 659

Text and tune: Public domain

The Sermon: Acknowledgments Matthew 10:21-33

The Word of the Lord from Matthew 10:32-33: Jesus said, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” This is the Word of the Lord.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I’ve got to say, those words above don’t sound like the most gracious thing that Jesus has ever said. If I’m in a

bad mood, it almost sounds like the Lord is saying, “Nice salvation you got there. It would be a shame if something happened to it.” But maybe we’re missing something.

Imagine that it’s Germany during the Reformation, and you’re sitting on a fine Sunday morning in your medieval

stone church. Sadly, the Peasants’ Revolt is well underway, and the local peasants have been attacking the nobles in the area and … faring badly. Suddenly during our service, a band of peasants burst through the doors, having been soundly defeated in battle while attacking their prince’s household. The prince and his knights quickly surround the church. The peasants have no choice but to surrender, and now the prince has to figure out who is a rebel to be detained for execution, and who is a parishioner to be released. He confers with the pastor, and the prince says, “All parishioners, stand up and join your pastor. You are free to go.” With all the rest of the congregation, you stand up and you leave alive. Those who remain face death for their crimes.

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Would it be tough to say that you’re a member there and stay alive? At that time, I would not recommend you say, “I choose this moment to deny that I am part of this congregation.”

Get the idea? Now, some of you already want to poke holes in my illustration: you want to say that the rebels

will just claim to be parishioners and make their escape. Fine, but hold on and let me make my point first. Here’s my point: Jesus Christ has died for the sins of the world – not just for some, but for all. He desires all to be

saved; and every time His gospel is proclaimed, His forgiveness and salvation go into the ears of all who hear it. Not all believe, and we don’t know why some do and some don’t. But we do know that when someone hears the gospel and does not believe, it is not because Jesus hasn’t given them forgiveness, but because they’ve rejected the forgiveness He has given.

As a Christian, you’ve received those gifts of forgiveness and salvation, and you cling to them. That’s faith, and

that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. By those gifts and the Holy Spirit’s work, you are an heir of eternal life. You are part of the kingdom of God. Forgiveness, life and salvation are not things you hope to gain – they are already yours, and you have them unless you give them up.

So imagine the Lord returns at this very moment and this day becomes Judgment Day, and He says, “All of My

forgiven people who believe in Me and desire salvation, stand up and enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever doesn’t believe in Me, remain where you are for trial.” You wouldn’t be thinking, “Wow, the Savior is really twisting my arm here!” You’d be thinking “Amen! Finally!,” and you’d be up and running through the gates with great joy!

Now, for those illustration-hole-pokers who wanted to talk about the rebels sneaking out of the church before,

here’s the thing about the Last Day. Those who are not forgiven will be looking for a way to escape hell, but they will not be looking to get into heaven. Unholy people do not want to be close to holy God, and it will be no different on the Last Day. Whatever else eternal punishment is, it is the sinner finally having to be honest with himself and saying, “I’m not holy because I refused Christ’s gifts of grace and salvation, and so I’m not going to be where holy God is.”

All that said, back to Jesus’ words: “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before

my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” This isn’t Jesus acting like a thug, saying “Follow Me or else.” He’s saying, “Because you’re My child, the kingdom is yours unless you throw it away. Because you acknowledge Me, you can be sure I will acknowledge you before My Father in heaven.” Those who are part of the kingdom want to talk about it: can you think of anything better to acknowledge – that you have hope and eternal life? It’s certainly not something to deny.

The kingdom is yours already. Your life as a Christian, until the Last Day, is about not throwing away the

kingdom. That’s why you resist sin that would lead you to chuck it, and why you repent of sin when you fall. Let me say it again: the kingdom is already yours.

This puts the devil in a frantic spot. If the kingdom is already yours and you’re just waiting for it to be revealed,

then all he can do is try to get you to throw it away. His plan is to make you think the kingdom isn’t worth it, and one of his tools is suffering.

Jesus warns of some of that suffering in our text: it’s suffering at the hands of those who don’t believe. This is an

effect of the law on guilty consciences: those who do not believe in Jesus are often bothered that you do. Those who rejected Jesus were not content to let Him go His way: they wanted Him quiet, or maybe exiled far away, and finally put to death. Even though they were sure He was wrong, they couldn’t stand the fact that He was speaking of their sin.

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master, says Jesus: so if people consider Jesus to be a

problem, they’re going to consider His followers to be a problem, too. In parts of the world, Christians suffer persecution – not because they’re obnoxious, but simply because they try go about their lives and callings as you do, and there are parties in the land who will oppose that with violence. In our nation, we still have relatively great religious freedom and

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should be vigilant to protect it; however, the cancel-culture is alive and well, and many voices demand that Christians be quiet. In many corporations, Christians are faced with a demand to support social doctrines that are contrary to God’s Word or face termination; and Christians who defend truth boldly are often subjected to character assassination by internet.

In all of these cases, remember: these believers already have eternal life, and the devil is trying to pressure them

to give up the gift. Jesus warns of one more situation, and this is a tough one; and it’s one that many of you know too well. It’s the

pain when someone in the family has left the faith. Jesus speaks of it in terms of violence; but in our day and place, it’s a different sort of pain. When children leave the faith, it’s a painful test of faith for the parents. Children want their parents’ approval, and so they want parents to approve of their waywardness. Parents love their kids, and so parents are tempted to rewrite the Christian faith to allow for their kids’ sins. That’s a lot of pain. Sometimes, families will then insist that a pastor and congregation rewrite the faith to allow for sin, and that’s painful too.

As I said, this is a tough one. No one lives in a vacuum. If you depart from the Christian faith, it is not just your

soul in jeopardy, but the souls of those who love you. If a loved one departs from the Christian faith, you’ll be sorely tempted to do the same. The devil will want to pit your love for God against your love for family.

If this is you, I know it hurts. As a pastor, I want to do my best to bring God’s Word in order to sustain suffering

Christians in the faith and bring wayward Christians back to it. Don’t hide. Let’s talk. That’s pretty heavy for Father’s Day, of all days. But I will leave you with this: whether you are faced with family

pain, potential persecution or some other attack of the devil, Jesus says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Your Father in heaven knows you. He’s numbered the hairs on your head – your kids, too – in baptism. He even

takes care of sparrows, for crying out loud; and He didn’t send His Son to die for sparrows, but to die for you. How much more precious you are to Him! He’s redeemed you by His blood. He forgives your sins in His Word and feeds you His holy Supper. And because Christ has redeemed the world, He still pursues lost sinners and wayward believers to bring them back into the fold. Where you suffer, see if you suffer for following Jesus; and remember that – for His sake – the kingdom of heaven is already yours.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Prayer of the Church

Faithful God, when we are fearful of our enemies and weary of the struggle, You have been our shield and our strength. Grant to us the full measure of Your grace to sustain us against all who are against us, and help us to endure the trials and temptations of this mortal life and be faithful unto death. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Faithful God, with Your favor upon us, we pray You to help us in our fight against temptation and sin. Help us to live holy and righteous lives by the power of Your Spirit, and keep us from surrendering ourselves to the slavery from which Christ has set us free. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Faithful God, give grace to those being baptized, to the catechumens in their instruction, and to all the places where Your people gather to learn Your Word. Bless fathers, that they might stand in Your stead and teach their households Your Word and love in Christ. Equip us to live out the promise of our baptismal life under Your grace, and guide us to love our neighbors as You have loved us. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

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Faithful God, give healing and strength to the sick and all afflicted in body or mind, and grant to those who struggle the gift of peace of mind and heart. Hear us especially for those who have requested our prayers including Marie, Jim, Greg, Pamela, Carl, Timothy, Kathy and those whom we name in our hearts now. Restore our nation and the world in health and livelihood, and preserve us from pestilence and fear; and receive our thanks for the merciful healing You have given Matthew and Timothy thus far. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Faithful God, give courage to those near life’s end and comfort those who mourn, especially the family and friends of Ray and Shirley. As we recall the saints who trusted in You in life and who died in Christ, encourage us by the witness of Your grace and their faith, so that when Christ comes in His glory we may be found faithful and delivered with them into the glory of Your eternal presence. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Faithful God, sanctify us as Your people and make us bold to confess You on earth. When this earthly life is ended and we stand before You on high, grant us to hear the Savior’s acknowledgment that we are His and He is ours forever. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. All these things, Father, and everything else for which we need, we pray You to grant us for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who died and rose and lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Here, say: The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for the Church

Almighty God, grant to Your Church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, so that in steadfast faith we may serve You and, in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Closing Hymn

Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus LSB 531

Tune and text: Public domain

The Benediction

The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you, The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace. Amen.

Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

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Announcements

Office Hours | Monday-Thursday, Saturday 8:00 am-2:00 pm Pastor Pauls will be out of the office this week. If you are in need of pastoral assistance, please contact the church office or Pastor Brandt. Wanted: Cleaning Volunteer | To save money and improve quality, we rely on volunteers to clean the buildings at Good Shepherd. This means you! Volunteers serve on teams and clean approximately once every five weeks for about two hours, and scheduling is flexible. Please contact Tim Corbett, Properties Director, at 208.861.6736 (voice or text). Wanted: Mowing Volunteer | Mowing season is here and we find ourselves in need of a person to complete one of our mowing teams. Usually, there are 5 teams of 4 people during the mowing season. This allows each team to mow once every 5 weeks. If you have questions or are interested in helping, please contact Tim Corbett, Properties Director at, 208-861-6736 (voice or text). CHRIST-CENTERED, CROSS-FOCUSED... | Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. This week's teachings include: The Person of Christ; The Book of James; Examination of Communicants & Closed Communion; The Return of Christ; and more. You can listen live or at your convenience at issuesetc.org and on the LPR mobile app. Pastor Pauls New Email Address | With the advent of our new webpage, Pastor Pauls’ church email has changed. The old address, tpauls@goodshepherdboise.org, no longer works. His new email address is timothypauls@gslcboise.org. Prayers | This week we remember in our prayers the following Congregation, School and Missionary: Ascension Lutheran Church in Torrance, California, Trinity School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Rev. P.A. Richard-Wokoma serving in Africa. In our prayers today, we pray that the Lord in His mercy would provide comfort and healing to Matthew and Timothy Graveson, Marlene Reese, Steve Hudnall, Tammy Nelson, Marie Smith, and Jim Ash; as well as for safety for Velma; and we pray for the family and friends of Shirley Beguhl and Ray Cox as they mourn their deaths, that Christ – the Resurrection and the Life – would be their hope and consolation. Also, please remember to pray for all those serving in our military.