Sermons by “Rev. John R. Larson”

God’s Foreign Work

The primary work of God is compassion, restoration, wholeness. His secondary work, His foreign work, is for us to know the emptiness of self and our total dependence on Him. His foreign work is “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

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Unprepared

If Jesus has not clothed you then you are unprepared – you are naked. The only one who can cloth you is Jesus. In Him you are clothed in faith, clothed in His love, forgiveness and favor. If you don’t have Jesus, and if Jesus doesn’t have you, your eternity in heaven is uncertain. You are miserably unprepared.

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Just Pious Words?

Pious words? Words that don’t carry much credence? No!! Trust them; trust Him. Trust Him for the daily things because you trust Him for the eternal things. Trust Him for the things of your life and your body because He has taken care of the eternal things and the things of your soul.

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Big Talker

His talk was big. His actions were bigger. We do not have a nameless, faceless, generic God. We have one who came in the flesh, was tortured for our sins and has risen in splendor. In our prayer from Ephesians 3 Paul says, “And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:17b-18) Some of the earliest Christian leaders felt that this was the picture of Jesus on the cross. Its saving work reaches to everyone in every situation. The cross reaches out east, west, north and south.

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Somewhere to Go; Something to Do

God loves you deeply, right? He sought you and found you. He put you on His shoulder. He received all your sins. He won all your battles. He loves you. Love, truly love others. Love your parents and grandparents. Love your brothers and sisters. Love your best friend and the person who last week was your best friend and now you’re not speaking to. Do you see? You have so many wonderful things to do. Speak of your Jesus. Love Him. Love others. David concludes the psalm, “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’ As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and deliverer; do not delay, O my God.” (Psalm 40:16-17, ESV)

I give Psalm 40 to you as your psalm. In my Bible I have dedicated that psalm to the 2021 Confirmation Class. Your seven names are in ink next to this psalm. Make it yours. This psalm tells you, “There is somewhere to go; there is something to do.”

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A Pod of P’s

Jesus says of us, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8) That word “much” fruit can also be translated “great” fruit. Do you ever find that you have had the best day when you did something that benefitted another person? You called them. You listened to them. You prayed for them. You cared for them. Paul, in Ephesians, writes, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

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All In

Love that person who is a pain in your rear-end. Love the person who gets under your skin. Love the person who nobody can stand. Martin Luther said of this, “He who is learned should serve him who is not learned; he who is rich should serve him who is poor; he who is sensible should serve him who is foolish, and so on. ” (AE 30:279)

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The God Who Makes Us Strong

Fight. With everything you have – fight. Don’t let the devil destroy your life and leave you beaten and defeated. But don’t fight alone. Our battle is not against flesh and blood and victory will only come with the Lord God fighting this battle for us and with us. When the people of Israel were being pursued by the Egyptians and they had the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh and his well-equipped armies closing in on them, Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

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The God Who Lives in Homes and at Work

A few weeks ago when I was saying good-bye to my dad on the phone he said, “John, we’re proud of you.” Wow. When is the last time you told your kid, or anyone that you know, “I’m proud of you”? Do it. If the only word that your kid hears is “No”, “You’re doing that wrong”, or if you use cruel or vulgar words to them, or about them, you have to stop and ask for their forgiveness. “Do not embitter your children.” “Do not exasperate your children.” Don’t tear them down. Build them up. Love them.

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Go!

Go to Him. Go to His word. Trust Him. Become a Christian. Be a Christian. And the truth of Jesus and His resurrection is also for others. In our reading the angel spoke to the women with a directive, “But go, tell His disciples and Peter.” (Mark 16:7a) They must have gone. The disciples heard and believed. Peter heard and believed. Later they would all come face to face with the resurrected Jesus. And they told us. They told us, in written word what they so wonderfully experienced. Everyone that was stuck in grief and depression and hopelessness were visited by a living Christ and they were made bold and alive.

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