Roger's Postings

Friday, May 24, 2013


Romans 5:1-5. Boast and be happy in our great God!!                      26/5/13

{1}  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, {2} through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. {3} Not only so, but we also boast in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; {4} perseverance, character; and character, hope. {5} And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

 Today in our reading we are reminded that we have a great and majestic God, who is truly remarkable and who we can look up to with an enormous amount of pride. Our God is a God who has revealed himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit: As a God who creates and preserves: A God who has saved us from a fate worse than death: and a God who seeks to leads us into all truth and help us out as we live out our lives every day. Therefore in him we have everything we could possibly hope to have that is of any importance. In him we have something to truly boast and be happy in.

 But off course that is all very well when everything is going OK. Perhaps we have done something good recently and feel like someone special. Or perhaps something great has happened in our life. It is easy to be happy and feel great at those times. But then, how often in those situations, do we think of this God give him the credit for what has happened?

 However when things are not so good; perhaps we have had a bad day or week; perhaps we have been given a hard time or are sick or have faced some tragedy in our life. It is difficult be happy then. But more often than not we are far more thoughtful of the things that are important – and of our great need for our great God’s help.

 Now in this regard, there is a story of a little boy who was always bragging that his dad was the greatest. One day on the way home from school, some bigger boys starting making fun of him and picking a fight with him. One said, ‘My dad is bigger than yours.’ Another punched him on the nose. While another one kicked him. ‘Where is your great dad now?’ The little boy, hurt and crying, stood up and said, “My dad is still the greatest.’

You see, he knew that when he got home his dad would give him a great big hug and kiss and take care of him. He knew that when he got home he would safe in father's arms; and he knew that he would always be loved and belong to a good family.

 Our text states that we can, and have, every reason to be confident, happy and boastful at all times because of our great God and what he has done for us. Not about ourselves and what we are doing or have done, but about God and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ. We too can go forward knowing that we are loved and that we have a caring heavenly Father waiting to enfold us with his grace. We like the little boy have every reason to be happy and boast, because in Christ we have everything that is of importance.

 You are probably a bit astounded that I am talking about bragging and boasting, because we do have a negative attitude about this sort of thing. At times I believe rightly so. But in a positive way, we are here encouraged to do just that. To boast. To boast about, not ourselves and what we are doing, but about our great God and what he has done and is doing for us.

 So here this morning I want to remind you again of what God has done for us so that we can be happy and boastful in him; even if life is being difficult for us.

God's Word this morning says that if we believe that Jesus has died for our sins and was brought back to life, then we been assured that we are made right with God. It is as simple as that. Because of what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, we have forgiveness of sins and are placed back into the same relationship that God had with humanity before the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin. All we are called on to do, is to trust that it so; accepting it with joy and thanksgiving; and not reject it or treat it with apathy: Then to live in light of the fact that we are loved and forgiven and have a better way to live.

 Here then we are called on to remember and gain strength from the fact that Jesus was much the same as the little boy in our illustration. He went to the cross and suffered so badly for us and yet stilled boasted of his Father and obeyed him completely. Despite the terrible thing that he was going through he had complete confidence in his Father and what he wanted done.

So what Paul is reminding us to do here, is just what Jesus did himself. We are to look to God and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ; and to simply believe that we are loved, saved and cared for, and  then to live in light of it.

 It is here that we need to remember that God does not love and accept us because we are good, or at least try to do the right thing or whatever, but simply because of his Son Jesus Christ. It is because of him and what he did on the cross that we don't need to worry that we are not good enough and are unable to live up to God's standards.

We can simply trust God, the same as the little boy trusted his father. He could not, at that point, prove that his father was the greatest and that he cared for him, but because he believed it, he was willing to be hurt for his belief. Now it is the same for us. We too can have that same sure hope in our heavenly Father; and our trust enables us to rejoice in whatever difficulties we face in life. Because we know, as we are told here, that troubles produce perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. And that hope does not disappoint us.

 We are able to trust, even in our troubles; even in the face of death, because we know that we already now stand forgiven and have the full assurance of eternal life. This gives us the courage to live each day as it comes and to live it fully for our God. Now we can seek to live as God would have us live, seeking the welfare others, rather than self: We can love as God loves us, because of what He has already done for us.

 We are no longer enemies of God: we have peace with God because of Jesus Christ. He took God's anger on himself so that we would not be punished; and this peace that he gives, enables us to live happily with God and with one another. No matter if we fall down in living up God's expectations, we know that there is forgiveness there, because of Jesus Christ. We know that we are God's children and that we are loved and accepted by him. As a result of this, can always feel safe and secure.

Yes, because of God's love as expressed in Jesus death on cross we now know for sure that God cares about our everyday life as well; and that even there he wants what is best for us. We don't have to worry about what we can or cannot do for ourselves. We don't have to concern ourselves with the problems and difficulties that we might face tomorrow. Yes, we will still have to live and suffer in this world, with all of its hassles and problems that are the result of mankind’s sin. But we won't have to worry about our own safety and security, for we know that we will be taken care of, and that God will use it all for ours or others good.

 We can now have this sure confidence that our troubles and hardships are allowed for very good purposes because of the love that God has for us. We surely realize that we may have to go through these things in order to keep us on track and looking to God as our Lord and Saviour; or to help us identify with and help others to see what God has done for us.

 Because we have been justified by grace through faith, we know that these sufferings humble us and keep us from boasting about ourselves and they teach us look to and trust in our great God and to give him all the glory. For as I said earlier, too often when things go well for us, we tend to forget God and seek to live life for self and our own pleasure. But through suffering, we are brought to having to persevere. And we ‘can hang in there’ because of what God has done for us. This perseverance in turn helps to build our character. And that character turns us away from ourselves, to look to God and the hope that we have in him. And that hope, we are reminded here again, will never disappoint us; it will never let us down.

 So we too can be confident and happy. We have every reason to boast in our great God. Because we can have that sure trust that in Jesus and our connection with him, we are right with God: we are at peace with him through our Lord Jesus who has done everything necessary for our salvation. That in turn enables us to cope with whatever it is that comes our way; and in the midst of it all to boast and rejoice in our great God and what he has done for us.

 Yes, just like the little boy in the midst of the scraps of life, we can have the same the confidence in our God and the hope we have in him. We too, have a Father at home in heaven waiting to enfold us completely with his love. So let us always rejoice and boast in our great God and what he has done for us. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, May 18, 2013


Acts 2:1-21.                            The Holy Spirit – what & why?                                   19/5/13

 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord
. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

 Today, being Pentecost Sunday, our attention is drawn to the coming of the Holy Spirit into the hearts and lives of his people. Here we are very quickly reminded of why he is important and what his chief work is. Now it is important that we think about this because there is so much fuzzy thinking and false ideas bandied around in the name of ‘I have the Spirit so …’ The devil is having a field day in the face of much of this false thinking that is around. This can and is affecting our faith.

 Here, let us firstly, through our Old Testament reading, be reminded of what happens when people do not have the Spirit. There, in their own eyes they were achieving great things: they were building their own skyscaper  so that they could make a name for themselves. Their whole focus was on themselves and what they could achieve for themselves. [Does that not sound vaguely familiar?] They think that they can even make their way to the heavens through what they are able to do for themselves. Their whole focus was on themselves and what they wanted to do for themselves. And God acknowledges that they and we have the ability to do quite remarkable things. But not to be able achieve the heavens and equal rule with God.

 In fact it is quite ironical; they think they have built this tower which will take them to the greatest heights, yet God has to come down to see this little dot of a thing that they have achieved for themselves. But at that point he confuses their language so that they would not rely on themselves and their own achievements: instead to hopefully be forced look to and glorify God. So here again we see that our human spirit seeks to focus on ourselves and our wants and desires: the sin of Adam and Eve continues on to do what I want rather than what God wants.

 This now brings us to Pentecost Sunday and the coming of the Holy Spirit to his people. Here we find that though there are many nationalities gather together on this occasion this Spirit speaks a message that all can hear and understand. Here there is a unifying message that enacts what the people have always sought after and could not achieve by themselves. They will have a name for themselves and they will be able to reach the heavens. All as they allow Jesus Christ and what he has done for them to touch them.

 The Holy Spirit here focusses them away from themselves and their sinful desires to instead glorify God. Their attention is drawn to the wonders of God and what he has achieved for us, despite ourselves. Even though we have made enemies of ourselves through our desire to do everything our own way: he has done what was necessary for us to once again get back to what was and is vitally important.

 So the Holy Spirits focus was, and still is, to point people to Jesus Christ and to find our life and hope there. The message that the true Spirit was giving through Peter and these first disciples was very clearly all focussed on Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection for us and for our salvation.

 As Peter went on to say: that it was us and our sin the put him on the cross, but there he took the punishment that we deserve on himself so that we might be forgiven: And then he was raised again three days later so that we can be absolutely sure that here God himself is at work for us and for our salvation.

 The Holy Spirit was and is seeking to get us to get it into our heads that here in Jesus and what he has done is that which is absolutely remarkable and essential. Here we have the great wonders of God that are beyond comprehension. Here in God himself we have the answers that we need for life and salvation.

 The concluding sentence in our reading gets to the heart of the matter: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone who looks to him and recognises and accepts the fact that it is the Lord who is our life and salvation will be saved. Conversely those who think that they can do their life and salvation on their own are in big trouble.

 So the Holy Spirit’s work is to point us to Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us through his death and resurrection. Now we know as we go on from this account of Pentecost a huge number of people came to faith in Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit works through people telling the simple, basic, yet powerful, life changing message of Jesus Christ many lives were saved.

 It was only when people changed that focus and tried to use the Spirit and the Word to suit themselves and to achieve what they wanted, that things went all wrong. From the congregation at Corinth all the way down through history, we find example after example of people trying to shift the emphasis from Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, to ourselves and our gifts and the like; and the results have always been negative.

 Here I would suggest we only need to look to ourselves and our own church scene to see the same thing at work. As the focus shifts to my faith, my living the Christian life; my understanding of the role of women in the church; what I want out of the worship service; and many other things we see the results. Is it any wonder that the church is in decline? Is it any wonder that people no longer come to church?  Is it any wonder that I struggle in my life and with my faith? We are trying to do it all ourselves.

 When the Spirit is not given the free reign to focus on Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, there will be a scattering of the flock. The more the focus is on me and what we must achieve, there will be difficulty. God’s Holy Spirit will not be enabled to do his work.

 So with that in mind, let us now in this Pentecost season let the Holy Spirit work in our lives, pointing us to Jesus Christ and the wonders that God has done through him. As we begin to appreciate the absolute mess that we have made of life on our own and the death and hell that results from, then also we will greatly appreciate the wonders of God and all that he has done to save us. Then the flow on of that will be that we will the allow him to be Lord of our lives and we will allow him to do what he wants in our lives.

 Then also he will work through us to tell that same simple message to the people that we come across in our lives. When we truly appreciate the greatness of our Lord we will be only too willing to tell others.  [We do that in every other area of our life. So also if Jesus is important to us, will not be able to help but tell others of him and his greatness.]

 Here remember the last part of that reading where God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. As we turn to God and allow him to be the main focus in our lives we have the assurance that he will give us a rich measure of his Holy Spirit. As the message of Jesus Christ goes out great things will happen: people will see signs and wonders, that will reflect the consequences of lives lived in opposition to God and the judgement of God against it.

 But in the face of it and with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is for real and that he is Lord and Saviour there will be opportunity for all who call on the name of the Lord to be saved. The Holy Spirit will help all who do not reject him and try to do it on their own. He will do what he has been sent here to do.

 The question is: will we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives? Or will we want to keep on living life by and for ourselves?  Will we want to ignore or change what God has to say to us in his Word? Will we want to hear and do that which tells us what we want done? Or will we allow the Holy Spirit to point us to the centrality of Jesus Christ and the importance of his death and resurrection for our salvation and for our living out of our lives. Will we accept the greatness of who he is and all he has done for us, to be the basis of all that we are and all that we do?

 Yes, may the Holy Spirit work mightily today focussing his message of Jesus Christ and the cross on us so that we then allow him to be Lord of our life.  After all, to him alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always. Amen.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, May 04, 2013


John 14:23-29.                        Love God – obey his teachings!!!                   5/5/13

 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

 Here in this reading, this morning we have a great and very important challenge placed before us. One that is critical in light of much of the thinking that is around about us and especially in our own nature. However in light of what God has done for us through Jesus and his death and resurrection for our salvation and life, surely it is one that we would all too willingly take up. As difficult as it is to overcome our sinful, selfish nature, we will want God’s help to do what he would want us to do.

 Here remember, that this challenge and encouragement is given by Jesus Christ himself: Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. There are two issues here that need addressing by each and every one of us. Loving God, and obeying his teaching: both of which our present society has a huge problem with.

 Again the basic issue is: where is the focus? Who or what is most important to us? Who do we listen to and follow?

 Here again we can see that it is I, me and myself that is what is front and centre for each and every one of us. Life is all about me. Yes, even I as a Christian minister am beset by this horrible focus on myself far, far more than should be the case. By nature we all too often make the focus of life be all about ourselves; and it is deadly: It is the main source of all the troubles we have in life; yet we don’t want to acknowledge this fact. The idolatry of ‘self’ is the greatest problem that we all have.

 Here, let us be quite clear about the results of this. God told Adam and Eve and every one of us that if we choose to go against God and his Word and instead set ourselves up as our own little gods, we will bring death, here and in eternity, on ourselves. Just because we can get away with things now for a little while, God is true to his word. Although he tells us that even now we will reap the results of our self-centredness: and we don’t need to look far at all to see that this is the case all around us. Without God we are in deep trouble: blind Freddie could easily tell us that.

 This then has a big impact on what our text here has to say with regard to obeying God’s teachings. And if we are not prepared to obey his teachings then, as our text indicates, God does not come to us and make his home with us. Now I am not sure about you, but I cannot think of anything worse than to not have that assurance of God with us now and for all eternity. Yet I fear that this is the case for a growing number of people around us today.

  May God have mercy on us all! May God have mercy on us all! And he has! We have just come from celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He took the punishment for our stupidity and rebellion on himself, so that we might be forgiven and accepted back into God’s family. He rose again three days later so that we can be sure that he has power over sin, death and the devil. This is the most remarkable thing that could have ever happened in the history of humanity.

 Despite who we are and our rebellion against God, he does this so that there is a way out for us: So that we can once again live with and for God. For those who can see and accept the fact that our sinfulness has wrecked life for us and doomed us to eternal separation from God, and then who believe that he has died and risen again for us and our salvation, there is a sure and certain hope for us. We have been assured of eternal life in heaven.

So this is by far the greatest thing that has happened in life for us. As a result we will surely seek to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He will be the most important thing in our lives: Even; and by far, more important than we ourselves. He will be Lord of our lives; and we will see ourselves as of little consequence, other than as someone who God can use as he wishes. We will see ourselves as his servants.

 This then is where this text gets very interesting, challenging, and encouraging. Jesus says: Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. Our love for Jesus will be shown in our desire to obey his teachings. The two go hand in hand. We will not have the one and ignore the other.

 Now in our present climate this is very challenging. There are many who claim that that they love Jesus; however there is little desire to obey what he has to say to us in his word. They have been taught that Jesus loves us and has died for us and that is all that matters. Now we don’t need to take too seriously what he says to us: as long as we believe that is all that matters. Or on the other hand, we can change what he says to suit the culture of the day; and the like. It doesn’t really matter what we say and do; as long as we are sincere that is all that matters.

 Yet what does Jesus say here: Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. If we love Jesus: if he is all important to us we will obey his teachings. No ifs’ or maybe’s, or if it suits our thinking. No, we will obey. After all he is our Lord who has saved us from eternal damnation. We will want to do everything that he says is good for us.

 Here also take careful note of what Jesus goes on to say: Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. And conversely if we do not want to obey his teachings, then we obviously do not love Jesus: Now that is something that will surely make us all sit up. For we know the consequences of turning our backs on the Lord Jesus.

But then comes the greatest of encouragements for us to do what he says to us. Not just because he has died and risen again for us, but because Jesus says that when we do: My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. As we live by his teachings: obeying what he has to say to us, then God will come and live with us. Now surely that it something we all would want: Surely as a Christian our whole desire is for us to live at peace with our God here and in eternity.

Then he goes on to say:  “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

So now we also have the assurance that the Holy Spirit is with us to help us in this regard. He will teach us all that we need to know: he will remind us of everything Jesus has said. The Holy Spirit does not add to or take away from what he have in the Bible. Everything he tells us will be in accord with what the Bible has to say.

 Now this is particularly important to us at this time as we have people wanting to change what the Bible has to say, in order to be better able to fit into the present day cultural thinking. As we can see here in this text this morning, this is deadly thinking.

 So let us listen to and heed what the Holy Spirit has to say us. Let us take every opportunity to hear God’s Word, week in week out; making the most of the opportunities to study his Word, so that the Holy Spirit can continually remind us of what a great thing it is that Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross for us. But then also of all the teachings that Jesus knows are important for us as we live out our lives every day.

 Yes let us take to heart what Jesus has to say to us here this morning: Love God and obey his teachings. Then we will have the assurance that he will live with us and we will have peace now and always. Jesus is Lord and Saviour so to him again be all glory and honour, now and always. Amen.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish