Good morning in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Today the sermon will center around something that puts the “fear of God” or maybe “just plain fear” in the hearts of many Christians. It is called “evangelism”. Many people think of it as the book Evangelism Explosion, which I am holding up for you. And yet, our lesson for today speaks about it very naturally. John the Baptist shared the gospel with John and Andrew. They in turn shared it with James and Peter. Philip shared the message with Nathanael after Jesus shared it with him. This would seem like a very natural reaction. Some people love the idea of evangelism but many others fear it more than death itself. What makes the difference in some people? We will look at that today. Hopefully, we will feel differently after this service.

Philip is found by Jesus and told, “Follow Me.” In verse 45 we read what happened next;
PHILIP FOUND NATHANAEL AND SAID TO HIM, “WE HAVE FOUND HIM OF WHOM MOSES IN
THE LAW AND ALSO THE PROPHETS WROTE, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE SON OF JOSEPH.”
I hope by now that you know that Moses and the prophets is just another name for the Bible of his day. Philip did not understand all the facts about Jesus but he knew enough to know the Messiah when he saw Him. He shared what he knew with Nathanael. Today the world shares some pretty unusual things about God and life. One of these things that the “New Age Movement” teaches is that a person can get to bliss by reliving their lives 30 times. Years ago it was thought that you only needed to relive your life 7 times BUT people are much more evil now. And yes, some people buy into this thought because they want to do it themselves. I do have a question to ask, “If people are willing to freely share such falsehoods, why are Christians so afraid to share the truth of our need for Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us.” I do not have a ready answer for this question.

Through out Jesus’ ministry He invited many people to come and follow Him. Many did but many did not. Some even came for a time but then fell away when times got hard. We do not know if they came back or not. It was sad that so many people did not know the Bible even back in Jesus’ day. Many people, even in Jesus’ day, did not want to hear the truth of Romans 3:22-25 which tells both Christians and non-Christians the following;
…FOR THERE IS NO DISTINCTION; SINCE ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT
OF THE GLORY OF GOD, THEY ARE JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE AS A GIFT,
THROUGH THE REDEMPTION WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS, WHOM GOD PUT
FORWARD AS AN EXPIATION BY HIS BLOOD, TO BE RECEIVED BY FAITH.
This goes against so much of what human nature wants for it self. It wants to be completely in control of this life and of the life to come…if there is such a thing. People do not want to be beholding to anyone or anything.

Another of the lies of the “New Age Movement” is that the Bible has been changed by Christians so we can not trust it. Many people today have never read the Bible to know what it says. This simply gives them another excuse for not reading it. If they did, they would know what II Thessalonians 1:8&9 says;
…INFLICTING VENGEANCE UPON THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD AND
UPON THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS. THEY
SHALL SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT OF ETERNAL DESTRUCTION AND EXCLUSION
FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND FROM THE GLORY OF HIS MIGHT…
The final and simple truth is that many will go to eternal destruction which is hell. Forever they will be out of the presence of God. What a horrible end for anyone who is found in this group, friend or foe.

Let me share with you something you may or may not know. In 1914 the entire Communist Party in China was less than 20 people. And yet, it took over China…one…person…at…a…time. When Nathanael had his doubts, Phillip did not argue with him but simply extended the invisitation that we hear in verse 46;
NATHANAEL SAID TO HIM, “CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME
OUT OF NAZARETH?” PHILIP SAID TO HIM, “COME AND SEE.”
The Institute for American Church Growth reports that 79% of all Christians were told to “Come and see.” by family or friends. Other reports have put it closer to 90%. Philip gave us an example to follow but there is no one way to do this. People need to be asked to come and see the wonderful news that our sins have been paid in full by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. God will give you the right words and actions when you need them.

Here is part of the good news as found in John 12:44, 46&47;
JESUS SAID, “HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME, BELIEVES NOT IN ME BUT IN HIM WHO SENT ME…
I HAVE COME AS LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME MAY NOT
REMAIN IN DARKNESS…FOR I DID NOT COME TO JUDGE THE WORLD BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD.
You and I know this to be true but much of the news media would tell another tale. Christians are said to rejoice when people are sent to hell. I know that is not true for me. I can guess that is not true for you. I know it is not true for God. How will people know the truth if we do not tell them? The ball is in our court. And so there is a need for pure evangelism of people we know. Yes, we believe the words of Romans 6:23 to be true for us and all people;
THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE FREE GIFT OF
GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.
When something good happens to us, normally the first people we tell are our family and friends. The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for us; let us share it first with our family and friends whom we love. Later on we can share it with the world. We can call it evangelism or better yet, we can call it love for those we care about.

God has given us a wonderful message to share with family and friends and even strangers. He has given us His Word to help us understand. He has given us the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion which carry with them special blessings. He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us in this world. He will give us the right way at the right time to share this message of God’s love for His people. We like Phillip can say to those people we care about so deeply, “Come and see!” God has given you the time and the place to do this today.

JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28 (12/11/11)
Father in heaven, You sent Your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior born humbly in Bethlehem. You will send Him again at the time You have appointed to come to take us all home to heaven. Until that time, strengthen us so that with strong arms and voices we can proclaim Your saving name to all the world. Amen

INTRODUCTION: Good morning in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Today is the third Sunday in Advent. I would like for you to come back with me to the year 1980. What a year it was! The United States had a phenomenal hockey team. They fought through Czechoslovakia and Canada to make it to the gold medal game with the Soviet Union who was picked to win it all. The game was televised across the country. Four friends watched the game which was on a 20 minute delay feed. The game was full of ups and downs. But as the game came to an end the suspense was too much for two of the friends to handle. That being the case they went and listened on the radio which was a direct feed. They agreed to not give away the final results. But even though they were silent when they came back it was clear as to who won the game. It was because of how they reacted to the game that gave it away. This is true for Christians as well. We know that Jesus has already won the victory no matter what else happens. Because He has won the victory for us we have nothing to fear. There will be highs and lows, trials and setbacks but the victory is secure as was the hockey victory on the TV that day.

Have you ever known somebody who really threw you a curve by doing something that you consider completely out of line? You may have known this person for a number of years and never saw this side of them. This can be either real bad or real good. It is like the new boy on my soccer team who did not know that I was a pastor. One day he overheard me speaking to one of the parents who called me pastor. The boy asked if this were true. I said, “Yes.” He then asked me this question, “Why didn’t you tell me?” My answer to him was simply this, “If you can not tell that I am a pastor by the way I act, then I do not want you to know that I am one.”

Did you understand what was happening in verse 19 of our lesson for today?
THIS IS THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN, WHEN THE JEWS SENT PRIESTS
AND LEVITES FROM JERUSALEM TO ASK HIM, “WHO ARE YOU?”
First of all he tells them, “I AM NOT THE CHRIST.” Then he tells them that he is not Elijah or a prophet. The people were going out to see and hear the words of John the Baptist because they were not getting what they needed from the leaders in Jerusalem. John gives them this answer in verse 23 when they wanted to know who he was;
…I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, “MAKE
STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,” AS THE PROPHET ISAIAH SAID.
They did not like the answer they got because if what he said was true, a whole new world was coming and they were not going to be part of it.

All too many of us today have absolutely no desire to know who John the Baptist really was. We want the world the way we want it and nothing else will do. We seek out people who will tell us exactly what we want to hear, no matter how far off base it may be from God’s Word. And so we find people who tell us, there is no hell. And we like it. We find people who tell us, we do not sin. And we like it. We find people who tell us it is okay to kill babies. And we like it. We find people who tell us that we can live any lifestyle that we want. And we like it. What we do not want to hear is that we are sinners. We are enemies of God because of our actions. Our sinful lifestyles will send us to hell. And so we do not want to hear any of this.

There is an old saying which tells us, “The proof is in the pudding.” This is another way of saying that we will be able to tell the truth by how things turn out. Talk is cheap but actions speak louder than words. Children can see who is truthful and who is not. They do not key in on the words that people speak but the love that they show to them. Think back to people that you know. Which one or ones did you learn the most from in your day to day life? Yes, God sent prophets to share His plan of salvation. Yes, God sent Elijah to proclaim the love of God for His people. Yes, God sent a Messiah, Christ that the price of sin be paid in full. John the Baptist was none of these. But he was a man who prepared the way for the Lord and did it beautifully.

John could have played to the ways of the people from Jerusalem but he did not. He told all of them, rich and poor, male and female, church leaders and laymen that they were sinners. That they needed to repent of all their sins. That they needed to be baptized for the forgiveness of those sins. John makes it perfectly clear in verses 26 & 27;
…I BAPTIZE WITH WATER BUT AMONG YOU STANDS ONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, EVEN HE
WHO COMES AFTER ME, THE STRAP OF WHOSE SANDAL I AM NOT WORTHY TO UNTIE.
Shortly after this we would hear John say for all to hear;
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.
For those who were truly searching for God’s will, there was great joy. The forgiveness of sin was given them. The peace of God became theirs for all eternity. And yes, they now had peace with God.

When I was in Indiana the following story went around about Pastor Diekhoff who did dramas about Lutherans. One of his props was an old wooden casket. One day he picked up a hitch hiker. The man notices the robes on the front seat of the truck and began to tell of his sinful past. But as time went on he changed his story and started to state how good he was. Finally he stated that God was only a good idea and that the Bible had been written by a very smart person but that was all. At this point he turned around and saw the casket in the bed of the truck. At this, the man became a frightened weakling and asked, “Is that what I think it is? Is it empty?” The pastor said, “It is for now.” All the man could say again and again is, “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” Sometimes it takes a casket to show us the real love of God.

INTRODUCTION: Good evening in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow is the day that we celebrate “Thanksgiving Day” or at least that is what we used to call it. Many people simply call it “Turkey Day” now. It is hard to celebrate when some of the following happens to you. First of all you see a team from “60 Minutes” come into your office. Or you call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold. Or what if you are watching TV and see the news showing emergency routes out of the city. Of course, it could be that your twin brother forgot your birthday or your car horn gets stuck in the on position behind a group of Hell’s Angels. It is not going to be a great day if your boss tells you not to take off your coat or maybe your income-tax check bounces. I think you get the idea. Could you give thanks in each one of these situations? Here is one more. Could you give thanks if your home was full of fleas? Corrie ten Boon could not do so at first but she did learn to give thanks even for a home full of fleas. The reason she could give thanks was because the prison camp guards refused to enter because of the fleas. This allowed the women to have uninterrupted Bible studies and prayers.

I Thessalonians 5:14&15 tell us this;
AND WE URGE YOU, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WARN THOSE WHO ARE IDLE AND
DISRUPTIVE, ENCOURAGE THE DISHEARTENED, HELP THE WEAK, BE PATIENT WITH
EVERY ONE. MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY PAYS BACK WRONG FOR WRONG BUT
ALWAYS STRIVE TO DO WHAT IS GOOD FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
Is this what you wanted to hear for “Thanksgiving Day”? I truly doubt it. All too many people do not want to hear what God calls us to do today or any other day.

St. Paul wrote this letter, not to be a wet blanket but to build up the church of God at Thessalonica. They were having trouble treating their leader with respect. And not only that but they were confused as to how to deal with one another. St. Paul tried to help them deal with their own personal piety. The advice he gave them is found in the next few verses. Verses 16-18 would be good advice for “Thanksgiving Day” or any day;
REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY CONTINUALLY, GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES;
FOR THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS.
I wonder how many people took his advice.

Things have not changed all that much. Two men were walking through a field when they saw an enraged bull coming at them. One man said to the other as the bull got closer and closer, “Put up a prayer, John.” John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.” “You must!” yelled the other man as the bull got closer and closer. John said, “Alright, I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ‘O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’” John was saying the right words even if he did not realize what he was saying. How many of us simply throw out words when we are in trouble, without thinking about what we are saying? I would guess that it is all too many.

If you were a mother in this house on Mother’s Day…Would you be thankful? A mixer whirs, out of control but stops when a voice cries out, “I’m telling. Get his paws out of there. Mom has to eat that!” It is quiet for a time but then you hear, “Dad! Where’s the chili sauce? Don’t you dare bleed on Mom’s breakfast!” when the breakfast finally gets there you find on your tray the following. A huge tumbler of juice, five pieces of black bacon, a mound of eggs that could feed a Marine Corp division and four pieces of cold toast and a few other things. They do ask why you are not drinking your Kool-Aid or eating the cantaloupe with black olives that spell out M-O-M. You decide to not look at the kitchen until tomorrow. It is only after some quiet time and prayer that you realize that this is the first time your children have given instead of received. They have offered up the sincerest form of flattery: they tried to emulate what you do for them. You suddenly realize that God has blessed you with wonderful kids.

Thanksgiving is a time for being thankful for all that God gives to us. This will include both earthly and spiritual blessings. Yes, I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says it very well;
REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY CONTINUALLLY, GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES;
FOR THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS.
If there is any question about this, ask yourself the following questions;
1) When was the last time that I had no food to eat?
2) When was the last time that I had no warm clothes to wear when it got cold?
3) When was the last time that I had no shelter to spend the night in while it rained?
This has happened to many people around the world but very few here in the United States of America. Yes, we have so much to be thankful for.

When was the last time that you thought about some of your spiritual blessing? If there is any question about your blessings ask yourself these questions;
1) When was the last time that you were not able to attend the worship service of your choice?
2) When was the last time that you heard that your sins (no matter how bad they might be) were forgiven in Jesus?
3) When was the last time that you had to have any doubt about your place in heaven being open to you?
If you do not remember hearing of these spiritual blessings let me share them with you one more time. Jesus came to earth to die for your sins-each and every one of them. You have been cleansed in the life blood of Jesus Christ and this being the case, eternal life is yours. Your name has been written in the Book of Life. You will be joined by all of your family and friends who know Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior. If you know someone who does not know these blessings there is still time to tell them and there is still room for them in heaven.

If you need further instruction, take to heart the words of verses 19-22;
DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT. DO NOT TREAT PROPHECIES WITH CONTEMPT
BUT TEST THEM ALL; HOLD ON TO WHAT IS GOOD, REJECT EVERY KIND OF EVIL.
I pray that will help to give you a thankful heart today and always. I would like to leave you with the same blessing that St. Paul left the people of his day in verses 23&24;
MAY THE GOD OF PEACE HIMSELF SANCTIFY YOU WHOLLY; AND MAY YOUR
SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE KEPT SOUND AND BLAMELESS AT THE COMING OF OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST. HE WHO CALLS YOU IS FAITHFUL AND HE WILL DO IT.
May your thanksgiving be daily as you rejoice in all that God has done for you.