Malagasy Lutheran Church Song & Gospel Eight Sunday before Easter, February 20 – 26, 2022 « The Word of God Is Trustworthy » *

The message: The statement « God’s word is trustworthy » denotes his truth, that nothing nor no one can hinder its fulfillment as it is written, « the word of God is not chained » 2 Tim 2:9b. The angel Gabriel reassured Mary as he revealed God’s great and wonderful plan for the birth of the Messiah: « No word
from God will ever fail » Lk 1:37 (NIV). It can be translated as « nothing is impossible for God ». So when He speaks, it will surely come to pass, sooner or later. God absolutely wants his word to be fulfilled in order to bring blessings, especially to his elect and his household as He says: « For I know the plans
I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future » Jer 29:11. For this, there are conditions that He imposes, as written: « If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today […] »
Deut 28:1. It means obedience, and complete obedience with a sincere, faithful, and loyal heart. Here is exactly what the Lord says as He gives assurance for the fulfillment of his word to all who believe and obey Him: « If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land » Isa 1:19. The assurance
that Jesus gave to His disciples emphasizes this, when He said, « If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you » Jn 15:7.

Monday 21st: The word of God is trustworthy.
« […] It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose […] » Isa 55:11.
Reading 1: 2 Cor 1:15-20. Reading 2: Isa 55:10-13. Preaching 1 (free choice). Preaching 2: Isa 55:11.
Introduction: God is righteous, so every word that comes out of his mouth is most trustworthy. He is able to do all things, and to fulfill his word as it is written: « God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? » Num 23:19. So, too, is God’s salvation of us sinners through Jesus Christ. The
Apostle Paul testified about this, saying: « The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost » 1 Tim 1:15.

Tuesday 22nd: The word of God brings grace.
« All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth » Lk 4:22a.
Reading 1: Acts 2:36-42. Reading 2: Lk 4:16-22. Preaching 1 (free choice). Preaching 2: Lk 4:22.
Introduction: Jesus Christ is « the Word that became flesh and lived among us » (Jn 1:14a). He is God, the Source of all grace, and it is word of grace that came out of his mouth as He taught and brought the message of God’s salvation for sinners, namely, forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The Apostle John did sense this, so he wrote: « From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace » Jn 1:16.

Wednesday 23rd: Bear the fruits of the word of God.
« But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart […] » Lk 8:15.
Reading 1: Mt 3:7-12. Reading 2: Lk 8:4-15. Preaching 1 (free choice). Preaching 2: Lk 8:15.
Introduction: The Lord constantly sows his word in us, and He expects to see fruits in our lives; faith and repentance that will bring salvation (Acts 20:21). This is how things happened at the time when evangelization began, as it is written: « The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith » Acts
6:7. On the other hand, disregard for and disobedience to God’s word lead to perishment, as Jesus warned: « Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned » Jn 15:6.

Thursday 24th: The Word of God, Word of Life.
« The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life » Jn 6:63b.
Reading 1: 2 Cor.12:2-9. Reading 2: Jn 6:48-63. Preaching 1 (free choice). Preaching 2: Jn 6:63.
Introduction: The Word of God creates something out of nothing from the beginning (Jn 1:1-4), as it is written about the creation of the world: « And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. and there was light » Gen 1:3. Again, God has showed the power of his word through his Son, Jesus Christ. So, by only his words, Jesus raised Lazarus, who had been buried for four days, from the dead, as it is written,
« When he (Jesus) had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth » Jn 11:43-44a.

Friday 25th: Share the life-giving gracious words.
« Let your speech always be gracious » Col 4:6a.
Reading 1: Ps 19:7-14. Reading 2: Col 4:2-7. Preaching 1 (free choicel). Preaching 2: Col 4:6.
Introduction: The word of God is most precious, for it is the gracious words that nourish the weary, heal the hearts of those who experience diverse life wounds, comfort the afflicted, give hope, and build faith. The book of Proverbs depicts it this way: « A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver » Prov 25:11, for « they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh » Prov 4:22. Sharing
it is vital and should be practiced by believers at all times (2 Tim 4:2), as the Apostle Peter exhorted: « Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God » 1 Pet 4:11a.

Saturday 26th: The word of God endures forever.
« Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away » Mt 24:35.
Reading 1: 1 Pet 1: 22-23. Reading 2: Mt 24:29-35. Preaching 1 (free choice). Preaching 2: Mt 24:35.
Introduction: God lives forever, and so does his word, as it is written, « the word of our God endures forever » Isa 40:6-8. Blessed are those who receive and keep his word, for « the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever » 1 Jn 2:17. Indeed, eternal life is the inheritance of those who believe in Jesus, « the way, the truth, and the life » (Jn 14:6a), those who live by His word and obey Him, for « He has the word of eternal life » Jn 6:68.

This pericope is published in Malagasy, French, English and German, and can be found on the Site www.hifi-madanet.org and Facebook “HiF-english”.
Listen to hifiradio.org 24/7: teachings, songs … © Madanet

Laisser un commentaire

Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas publiée. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *