Surrounded by the Song of Deliverance! James 1:16-21

May 02, 2021
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

"Sing to the Lord a new song!" Cantate! Our Lord's song of Truth delivers us from Satan, sin, and death by His Holy Spirit daily and richly forgiving us in Christ's Church. St. James teaches us that we are surrounded with the "song of deliverance" the "implanted Word!" Sermon Text: James 1:16-21. Sermon Theme: "Surrounded by the Song of Deliverance!" Preached for Cantate, The 5th Sunday of Easter, May 2, 2021 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert.

Episode Notes

Cantate, The Fifth Sunday Of Easter                   2-May-2021
Sermon Text: James 1:16-21     by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Sermon Theme: “Surrounded By The Song of Deliverance!”
I.N.R.I. “Alleluia!” “The Lord is risen!”… “Sing to the Lord a new song! For He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him!” “Cantate” - Sing out the song of victory!
      Musicians know harmony. They’ve trained their ear to listen. Choir directors can hear the wrong note being sung. Band directors can hear if someone in the trumpet section is playing the wrong note. Harmony makes music beautiful and comforting to hear. With God’s creation of man in His own image. Creating man as male and female on the sixth day of the existence of all things. Creating them for the blessed estate of marriage. Uniting them as one flesh in marriage. Blessing them with His living Word to be fruitful and multiply filling the earth with children. Creation was in perfect harmony. God spoke that all was now “very good.” The angels....Job 38:7 ...the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy..” The seventh day God rested for us, that all creation would find its rest in Him and in His Word and His feast of life.
      The once perfect harmony of creation was shattered. Dissonance came. One of the angelic choir wanted to sing his own tune. He broke the perfect harmony of the angelic choir. He wanted to draw all attention to himself. To solo receiving greater glory than his Creator. God the Holy Spirit in Revelation teaches us that this self glorifying angel led one third of the angels to join in his disharmonious tune. These fallen angels - demons were cast out of heaven’s choir to roam the earth. Satan immediately sought to disrupt the harmony and rest that our Creator had with the crown of creation - mankind. Satan masquerading as a serpent sang a deceptive tune to our first parents... “has God really said...He doesn’t care about you....He doesn’t want you to become gods like Him... eat of the tree and you will be free, like me.” Our first parents listened to his lie, joined in his cacophony of rebellion, ate and plunged us all into sin and death.
      Our Creator cared and came seeking Adam in the cool of the day. As a shepherd singing to gather his sheep - the Lord sang Adam back to His fold calling him to be honest with himself what he had done and turn from his sin. He then sang His judgment upon Satan in his serpent form. He sang a song declaring war on Satan and all who follow his lying tune. He sang the promise of the Woman’s Seed, the Head Crusher, the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. He sang that we might be: “Surrounded By The Song of Deliverance!”
    A mechanic can hear when something is wrong in an engine. It isn’t running in harmony - his trained ear hears it long before any scanner detects it. Isaiah the prophet heard his nation singing to false gods to save them. He was called by God to preach to a people who had become tone deaf to the truth. Hearing they would not hear. Still the day would come when ears would be opened, eyes would see God’s salvation nailed to the Tree. The Lord God would become his strength and song, his salvation. Harmony would again be restored to creation through Christ Jesus - the Suffering Servant.
      Have your ears grown dull? Can you tell the difference between the cacophony of Satan’s lies trumpeted by the world and loved by your own sinful flesh - and the Truth - Christ Jesus and His teaching? Something’s not right - listen to St. James. Jas 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (13) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James writes for all Christians, especially for a time when they had to endure from the unbelieving world persecutions severe and oft.   Satan through worldly power tries to snuff out the Truth. Through worldly distractions he deadens our ears to hearing the Truth. Our victorious Lord Christ Jesus uses those trials to test, strengthen, and purify our faith - that we cling only to Jesus and His teaching. Truth is that God doesn’t tempt you to sin. You aren’t born this way - it is Satan who draws you away to follow his lying tune of freedom in rebellion against God’s Will of love clearly revealed in the Ten Commandments. His lie always and only births the same thing - death.
        Open your ears to hear the Truth sung by the holy heavenly choir of angels. (Vs. 16-17) When God took on our human flesh by the power of His Holy Spirit through His Promised preached to the Virgin Mary. She sang the song of deliverance. Luk 1:46-47   "My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” The embryonic Jesus in her womb was the Lord who had come to bring salvation to all sinners. The aged priest Zechariah would sing at the circumcision and naming of his son - John the Preacher - “Luk 1:68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,” The three month old fetus in the Virgin Mary’s womb was the Lord God of Israel - coming to pay the price in full for His people - to buy them back from all sin, death, and the devil with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death upon the cross.
      When the infant Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His first breath meant salvation for the world - harmony - peace between heaven and earth was restored in His flesh and blood. The holy angelic choir sang forth, “Luk 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" On the night our Brother Jesus, who had perfectly fulfilled God’s will and law from the moment of His conception, would be betrayed and handed over to be sacrificed for peace by the high priest Caiaphas - our Lord promised His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Helper, the Paraclete who would open our ears to hear the Truth of salvation in Christ Jesus alone! James echos our Lord’s Word (James 1:18) We did not choose Jesus - He choose us. God the Holy Spirit brought us from death to life by preaching to us the Word of Truth - the Holy Gospel. The great news that we are righteous because baptized into Christ - His perfect life is our clothing. The great news that the only sin that remains is not to believe that Jesus died for your sin and rose again to free you from sins chains - that you might live a new life as God’s child. The awesome news that Satan and the wicked world has lost - Jesus lives! Satan has lost all right to accuse us before God’s judgment seat - we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus which cleanses us from all our sins. We overcome his lies by the Word of Truth - Confessing the Truth morning and evening in the Apostles’ Creed.
      Rejoice to sing in harmony with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven - the saints who have ran this race before us with eyes fixed on Jesus! (James 1:19-20) Last October it was reported that nearly 76% of Americans are angry, fearful, or sad. Anger has become a pandemic worse than COVID. According to psychologist 84% of us are severely stressed. Anger is the emotion most easily manipulated by social media. What should we do? Turn it off! Open your ears to hear and sing the Truth (James 1:21). The implanted Word - the Promise - the Truth that God has saved us sinners through Jesus’ flesh and blood. We are redeemed.
      Be quick to hear. Begin and end your days with the Word that planted you into Christ’s cross and victorious resurrection: “In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” “This is most certainly true! I am Yours - save me!” Listen to the Truth as you speak out loud The Apostles’ Creed. Crucify your anger as Jesus prays with you and through your vocal chords breathes out His Holy Spirit into your ears in the Lord’s Prayer. Put away anger as God the Holy Spirit strengthens you through God’s Word and preserves you in His Church. Forgive, for you are graciously forgiven all your sins by your Heavenly Father - as He looks on Jesus the One atoning sacrifice for the world’s sin. Put away your pride, arrogance, and worldly wisdom - read out loud God’s Ten Commandments, sing the Psalms, read the Holy Bible - listen humbly to His Holy Word.
    Let the Comforter - God the Holy Spirit - comfort you every Sunday with forgiveness of your sins - spoken by your pastor as from Christ Himself. Sing forth the great hymns of Christendom as they fix your eyes, ears, and hearts on our crucified and risen Lord Jesus. Feast on His forgiveness placed upon your lips in bread and wine that contain His full living body and blood. Given and shed for your sins - sing in harmony with the saints in heaven and the holy angel choir - Isa 6:3 "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" Receiving His Life - sing the song of deliverance - sang by the aged Simeon, “Luk 2:29-32 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; (30) For my eyes have seen Your salvation (31) Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, (32) A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." Perfect harmony between God and man is restored in Jesus. Surrounded by the song of deliverance - we joyfully sing unto the Lord a new song - the song of Christ Jesus.  
        It puzzled soldiers and executioners in ancient Rome when they led Christians to their death. They were singing songs of victory - like they had won and Rome had lost. When Jan Hus was burned at the stake for preaching the Gospel - he sang forth, "Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on us!" When 21 Coptic Christian brothers were executed by Muslims on the Libyan beach in 2015 - they sang forth the song of the deliverance. When many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted for believing in Jesus - they sing forth His Word - the song of deliverance.
          Dear Christians. Music belongs to Christ’s Church. Our world has perverted music to enrage and isolate people captive in their sin. Receive with meekness the Word implanted in you by God the Holy Spirit - never stop singing the perfect harmony between God and Man in Christ Jesus your Savior. Col 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Alleluia! Christ is Risen!... Sing to the Lord a new song! Amen.




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