First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. Psalm 113 serves as our sermon text for this morning, which reads as
follows:
(1) Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of
the LORD!
(2) Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!
(3) From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to
be praised!
(4) The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
(5) Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
(6) who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
(7) He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
(8) to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
(9) He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of
children. Praise the LORD!
This is the Word of the Lord.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
819 Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good
1
Sing praise to God, the highest good,
The author of creation,
The God of love who understood
Our need for His salvation.
With healing balm our souls He fills
And ev’ry faithless murmur stills:
To God all praise and glory!

Introduction

A. “Heigh Ho, heigh ho. It’s off to work we go.”
1. You may remember the song.
2. The seven dwarfs sing it as they finish work in the diamond mine.
3. What Walt Disney put into a cartoon back in 1937 had long been part of
various cultures around the world: the work song.
4. Those who study folklore and music from the cultural and social aspects
of the people who make it have studied extensively the way in which music
has been associated with work.
5. For example, railroad workers would spend their days laying the rails.
6. To do this, they would take ten-pound hammers, swing them in a full
circle, and strike the spike that would hold down the rails and ties.
7. A work song would coordinate the labor.
8. The rhythm of the song set the pace for swinging.
9. The joining of voices united the workers, and the call and response kept
workers engaged.
B. This morning, we meditate on Psalm 113.
1. Psalm 113 is known as a Praise (Hallel) Psalm.
2. It was one of a set of six psalms that were sung at Passover.
3. As Israel gathered to remember the Passover, they would sing Psalm 113
at the beginning of their celebration.
4. While technically this is not a work psalm:
A. Israel is not doing any labor as she sings these words
B. this psalm does celebrate God’s gracious work
C. it shows how God Graciously Cares for His People­ and joins with His
people in praise as they serve in his kingdom.
I. Celebration: This psalm teaches us to celebrate God’s gracious work.
A. Analogy
1. One of the intriguing things about work songs is that they join
something we often think of as pleasurable—singing—with a difficult and
menial task—laying rails for a train.
2. We are accustomed to keeping the joy of singing and the struggle of work
separate, but work songs join the two.
B. Text
1. In a similar way, our psalm joins together two things that we tend to
keep separate.
2. On the one hand, we have the utter transcendence of God.
3. As you listen to the opening of the psalm, you realize how utterly
“other” God is.
a. The Lord is enthroned in eternity.
b. Time passes in our world.
c. Kings and rulers come and go.
d. But the Lord is seated in the heavenly realms, and his rule never began
and never ends.
e. It just always is.
4. Not only is the Lord ruling in eternity but his rule also extends over
all space.
a. From the east to the west, the Lord is in control.
b. There is no space over which he has no control.
5. On the other hand, we have the utter nearness of God.
a. This God who is seated above the heavens and the earth is also able to
see the smallest thing on earth.
b. He is able to care for the poor and the needy.
c. Those who gather their food from trash heaps are the ones that this
Almighty God notices.
d. The people whose lives pass by and leave no mark on the world are the
ones that God marks and claims as his own.
C. Application
1. The psalmist calls for us to praise the Lord, and indeed we should
praise him.
2. Out of his gracious love, the Lord of all things chose to come into this
world and to die on the cross.
a. Jesus Christ, who is truly God, became truly man that he might bear the
suffering of all sin for you and bring the joy of all salvation to you.
3. Jesus joins the joy of the song of salvation to the painful burdens that
we carry and the suffering that we endure in this world.
a. We are chosen by God.
b. There is no person so small, no sin so hidden that Jesus does not take
it upon himself and bring to you the grace of God.
II. Serving: This psalm guides our work in God’s kingdom.
A. Analogy:
1. Work songs strengthen the bonds of community.
2. By offering:
a. a rhythm to work,
b. by joining the voices of workers,
c. by lifting the spirits of those who are burdened,
d. work songs forge bonds between workers as they do what they have been
called to do.
3. Illustration: while having dental work a few weeks ago, the dental
assistant was playing music from a playlist to one of the music services.
a. She was singing!
b. The dentist was singing!
c. I tried but failed to sing!
d. The music helped lighten the mood.
e. It took my attention away from the work that was being done on me.
B. Application
1. In our readings today, we see how often the church has forgotten this
song.
2. In Amos, we overhear God’s people singing a song of self-service.
a. They are ignoring the poor and needy.
3. In the Epistle, we hear about what we are to do:
A. Praying for all people.
B. Know your place.
4. In the Gospel, we hear the religious leaders singing a song of greed.
a. They, too, are ignoring the poor and needy.
5. But the Psalm is given to God’s people to change our way of living in
the world.
a. Rather than live for ourselves, we learn to join our Lord’s mission and
care for others.
b. Not only has Christ redeemed us from our sin but he also has joined us
together as a people who live in a kingdom where he loves.
c. There are no insignificant members of our community as we bear one
another’s burdens and thus fulfill the love of Christ.

Conclusion

A. Here in Arkansas, we have the misfortune of living in what is called a
flyover state.
1. People traveling from New York to Los Angeles “fly over” Arkansas.
2. For some, this way of travel symbolizes a way of life.
3. There are large sections of our country that people choose to ignore
because they are seen as undesirable or unnecessary.
4. They fly over them.
5. The elite, who hold a great deal of influence in culture and society,
see flyover states as inconsequential.
6. They are something to be flown over rather than visited.
B. Jesus, however, did something quite different, even radical.
1. When the cultural elites were in Rome, Jesus chose to be born in
Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth.
2. He did this because, in the kingdom of God, there are no flyover states.
C. “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!”
the psalmist says.
1. One might expect him just to fly over.
2. But:
a. “Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts
the needy from the ash heap” (Psalm 113:4–7).
D. Every person is important.
1. God desires to save all people.
2. Such salvation does not come easily.
3. It is not an empire flown over from east to the west.
4. No, it comes by visitation in the flesh.
5. Jesus takes on flesh and dwells among people.
6. He bears their sin and becomes their Savior so that every place, no
matter how small, and every person, no matter how humble, is great in the
eyes of God.
7. In saving love, Jesus dwells among rather than flies over his people.
Amen.
E. Let us pray:

5
All who confess Christ’s holy name,
Give God the praise and glory.
Let all who know His pow’r proclaim
Aloud the wondrous story.
Cast ev’ry idol from its throne,
For God is God, and He alone:
To God all praise and glory!
Text: Public domain
F. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus.

G. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

B. The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.

C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.

D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
709 The King of Love My Shepherd Is
1
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Text: Public domain

Introduction

A. There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
who repents.

4. One of the biggest temptations many pastors and congregations face is
numbers, numbers, numbers.

A. average worship attendance,
B. number of adult converts,
C. average giving per communicant member.
D. We’re tempted to measure success in terms of numbers.
1. So we get puffed up and proud when the numbers increase.
2. “My power and the strength of my hands have done all this.”
3. And we despair when the numbers are decreasing—the pews are empty, the
finances dwindling.
4. We can lose heart.
5. we worry about the future.
6. We go into survival mode.
E. It’s all about numerical growth at all costs.
1. Love of numbers is powerfully intoxicating.
2. Our sinful nature worships at the altar of numerical success.
3. But then we have a new god—a form of idolatry we might call “numerolatry.
F. Of course, numbers can be a good thing.
1. The Book of Acts has a lot of numbers:
A. three thousand,
B. five thousand,
C. “more than ever believers were added.”
D. The Book of Numbers has a lot of numbers as well.
E. In fact, God commanded a census.
F. There were 603,550 men at the beginning of the book, 601,730 men at the
end.
G. Numbers showed how the hand of God was blessing his people.
G. But then, the love of numbers can also be a great temptation.
1. King David, not the Lord this time, ordered a census of his fighting
men.
2. We don’t know his exact motive, but it couldn’t have been good.
3. God didn’t tell him to do it.
4. It says Satan “incited” him (1 Chronicles 21:1).
5. And because of it, the Lord sent a plague.
6. Seventy thousand men fell dead.
7. There are some numbers for all you number-crunchers! We incur God’s
wrath!
3. But Jesus goes on a relentless search for one lost sheep.

A. But that’s what’s so comforting about our text today.
1. Jesus isn’t concerned about filling all the pews.
2. He even leaves the ninety-nine in the open country.
3. He’s concerned about a single sheep.
4. He makes an difficult search for one lost sheep.
5. He is filled with supreme joy when one lost sheep is found.
B. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were muttering, criticizing,
grumbling, complaining, arguing amongst themselves:
1. “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (verse 2).
2. They kept on saying this aloud, kept on openly voicing their displeasure
with Jesus.
3. “This man,” “this fella,” “this guy.”
4. All very derogatory.
5. They didn’t even want to pronounce the name Jesus.
6. What they said was absolutely true.
7. They said a great truth.
8. But they meant it for evil.
9. It’s like when Caiaphas said more than he knew:
A. “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that
the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50).
C. So, in contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus shows God’s gracious heart in
the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son.
1. His utter delight is to seek and save one lost sinner.
2. God’s Word clearly teaches that God so loved the whole world of sinners.
3. In our individualistic society, it’s good to emphasize the corporate
nature of the Holy Christian Church.
4. But these parables also show us God’s love for the individual sinner.
D. Every single person is important to Jesus.
1. One out of one hundred sheep, one out of ten coins, one out of two sons.
2. One seems rather insignificant to us.
3. But you are more precious in the sight of God than all the gold on
earth.
4. Your soul and body are precious to him.
5. If you had been the only sinner in the world, he would have died for
you.
6. God’s love for you is radical, even absurd to our reason.
E. To leave ninety-nine sheep alone in the wilderness to seek one makes no
sense.
1. Actually, it is quite irresponsible.
2. Nobody who counts the cost would do such a thing.
3. It’s not worth it.
4. We would cut our losses long before we would leave the group in search
of one “sheep”.
5. We’d say, “Well, I still have ninety-nine that haven’t wandered off.”
6. But our Lord is like an irresponsible shepherd.
7. He’s consumed with passion to save the single lost soul.
8. He won’t rest until he’s found that sheep.
9. That ought to be a great comfort to us.
2.And then see how the whole community rejoices when the one is found!

A. So in this little parable, what do we have? We see:
1. a great loss,
2. an intense search,
3. and finally a joyful finding.
B. What a happy day it was when the lost sheep was found!
1. The shepherd didn’t give it a beating.
2. He was compassionate.
3. He didn’t even compel the sheep to walk.
4. He carried it on his shoulders.
C. Like Isaiah 40 says:
1. “He will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom
[that is, close to his heart], and gently lead those that are with young”
(verse 11).
D. And then we see how the whole community rejoiced.
E. The shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together and says,
1. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (verse 6).
2. What great joy there is when a sinner repents.
3. What joy God and all the holy angels know when a lost sinner is found.
4. Heaven resounds with joy over the repentance of one.
F. “This Man welcomes sinners.”
1. Thanks be to God the Pharisees were right!
2. Jesus is constantly welcoming and eating with sinners.
3. He continues to do this in our midst, feeding us with his own body and
blood.
4. Instead of just going through the motions, think of that the next time
you kneel at the railing.
5. He’s got you on his shoulders.
6. He’s carrying you with joy.
7. He just can’t wait for the party.
8. You are that one lost sheep.
9. He has found you.
10. He has worked repentance and faith in you.
11. There is rejoicing over you today, rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God.
G. So instead of getting all wrapped up in the love of numbers, we are
content with the preaching of God’s Word in all its truth and purity, as
the people of God living holy lives according to it, and leaving the
results to God.
1. And rejoicing when one sinner repents.
2. To God, One Sinner Is Valuable beyond Measure.
3. You are valuable beyond measure.
4. You’re not a number.

1. So you are much more than a number.

A. Illustration: the series of books titled All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot, declares “you are more than a number” very well.
B. The books center around a trio of veterinary surgeons working in the
Yorkshire Dales beginning in 1937.
1. Siegfried Farnon (described as an “eccentric”) hires James Herriot into
his veterinary practice at Skeldale House.
2. Besides Siegfried and James, there is Siegfried’s younger brother,
Tristan, and Mrs. Hall, their housekeeper.
C. In one story, James was lamenting about the disappearance of the small
family farm.
1. He went out on a call to a huge dairy operation.
2. Nobody had time for him.
3. They were all rushing around; the milk truck was coming soon.
4. The cows were just “milk production units,” known only by numbers on
their ear-tags.
5. In contrast, his next call was to a small farmer.
6. He was hospitable, friendly.
7. He offered a bit of lunch before they went to the barn.
8. And the few animals were all known by name.
D. So your Good Shepherd knows you by name; you are his.
1. You’re not just a number.
2. Many other passages in Scripture convince you of that as well:
A. “You are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7b).
B. “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7a).
C. He has engraved you on the palms of his hands; you are his (cf Isaiah
49:16).
Conclusion

A. Maybe you’ve heard of a band called Lost And Found.
1. They’re a couple of Lutheran guys named Michael Bridges and George Baum,
and they’re a lot of fun.
2. Their concerts involve lots of banter and jokes with the audience, but
also always a clear witness to Christ.
3. Some of their best stuff is beautiful renditions of hymns.
B. The band is sometimes asked:
1. “Which one of you two is Lost, and which one of you is Found?”
2. And everybody laughs.
3. No answer, really.
4. It doesn’t work that way.
5. It’s not an either/or.
C. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three magnificent parables about things that are
lost:
1. a lost sheep,
2. a lost coin,
3. and a lost son
4. The wonderful result is that all three that were lost were found.
5. Happy endings!
6. Rejoicing in heaven!
D. But no rejoicing—at least that we hear about—from Jesus’ primary
audience.
1. Jesus told the parables to Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling
because Jesus was eating with tax collectors and other notorious sinners.
2. Why didn’t they rejoice when they heard about lost being found?
3. The reason is that they couldn’t see themselves in the stories.
4. They certainly understood that Jesus was talking about the bad folks—the
really bad sinners—when he talked about the lost, but they weren’t pleased
when Jesus’ parables had happy endings for such sinful people.
5. They wanted them to be punished, shamed from polite society.
E. What the Pharisees and scribes failed to understand was that Jesus’
parables were also about them!
1. They were lost!
2. All the evidence you need for proof is that they had no love or
compassion for fellow sinners.
3. When the shepherd went out looking for the lost sheep, when the woman
searched for her missing coin, when the father scanned the horizon every
day hoping to see his prodigal son again, Jesus was reaching out to them!
4. Jesus wanted the scribes and Pharisees to be found.
5. He wanted to have a party in heaven celebrating them.
6. But, see, they couldn’t be found if they didn’t realize that they were
also lost.
7. And they refused to admit that.
F. It’s not this one is lost, this one is found.
1. None of us is either/or.
2. We’re all lost—every bit as wicked as the tax collectors and notorious
sinners, every bit as wicked as the unloving Pharisees and scribes—but
Jesus died on the cross to find us all.
3. By the way, it’s worth noticing, not insignificant, that the band Lost
And Found capitalizes the A in And.
4. You’re lost and found!
G. With Jesus, you’re not just a number.
1. You’re a precious lamb.
2. He loves you.
3. He died for you.
4. He redeemed you.
5. He searched for you.
6. He found you.
7. He is full of joy over you.
8. May you be convinced of that, for Jesus’ sake.
9. Amen.
H. Let us pray:
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me
And on His shoulder gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me. (LSB 709:3)
I. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus.
J. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Old Testament lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our heavenly Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
707 Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways
1
Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep His statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace
To know and do His will!

2
Order my footsteps by Thy Word
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

*Introduction*
A. Here are some words that make some Lutherans nervous:
1. Works.
2. Obedience.
3. Choose.
4. Choice.
B. This shouldn’t be so.
1. The Father in heaven has laid a beautiful choice in front of his people
and this fallen world: life or death, blessing or curse.
2. If you are for death and destruction, you walk that road alone.
3. If you are for life, the Holy Trinity blesses this path in abundance.
C. May he, in his Spirit, bless us this day to Choose Well—That Life May
Abound in, through, and around Us, that our heritage, too, could richly
prosper in and because of him.

*I. Through Moses, God called Israel and us to choose well, to choose
life.*
A. The children of Israel, about to enter the Promised Land, view life and
death, blessing and curses.
1. Moses spoke to Israel these words of life and death to be fulfilled
after his own death.
2. Joshua brought Israel into the Promised Land, where the words became a
reality.
B. Practically speaking, in terms of Law and Gospel and life in Christian
homes, we see the connection between:
1. hearing and not hearing,
2. obeying and not obeying,
3. loving God and not loving God,
4. living life bountifully and dying horribly, especially outside of the
faith.
5. These directly correspond to life and death.

*II. Choosing foolishly—to disobey God—brings curses and death, while
choosing well brings blessing and life.*

A. We see the curses and death that come when Israel is unfaithful to the
Lord.
1. The Promised Land was also full of devastation and curse:
a. defeat after Achan’s sin (Joshua 7),
b. Israel subject to other nations for their idolatry in the days of the
judges (Judges 2:11–23),
c. conquest by Assyria of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:1–18),
d. exile to Babylon of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 25:1–11).
2. Moses’ warning and Joshua’s leadership couldn’t prevent Israel’s deathly
choices.
B. Sadly, we also see around us such deathly choices in our own
congregations, in our families, and in the lives of others we love.
1. Choices such as:
a. Having an abortion (whether for the sake of convenience or not),
b. Suicide (someone has lost all hope and the will to live),
c. Young people being lured away from faith into sexual sins,
d. Money becoming a god
e. Deserting one’s faith at the moment of death.
2. When God’s Word is not followed, the consequences of sin often result in
pain.
C. But we also see blessing and life when Israel is faithful.
1. The Promised Land was full of life:
a. huge grapes,
b. milk and honey.
c. It was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvelous in their sight.
2. These were temporal blessings even while Israel reached for eternal
blessings too.
D. All this we observe in our lives as well, as we consider the blessings
God has given to each of us.
1. Loving God results in blessing for the Christian.
a. God’s blessings come to us:
1. in the Gospel,
2. gifts he gives absolutely freely, apart from our work
a. forgiveness,
b. his daily care,
c. eternal life.
b. God’s blessings also come to us:
1. as he grants us to keep his Law
a. avoiding dangerous choices,
b. remaining sexually pure and faithful to our spouses,
c. obeying our parents.
2. We see the Father and his love in our heritage and in these temporal
blessings.
a. The Church knows the blessing:
1. of heritage,
2. of children,
3. of those gifts fathers and mothers in the faith give to us.
b. We see blessing that comes when life is pursued according to the gift of
God, that which he lays before us.

*III. We choose well—choose life—because God has loved us with life.*
A. Christ chose to give us eternal life.
1. He is the Joshua who brings us into the heavenly promised land.
A. Joshua is Hebrew for “Yahweh saves” or “The Lord is salvation.”
B. Jesus is Greek for “Yahweh saves” or “The Lord is salvation.”
2. He brings us into this promised land by choosing death in our place.
A. This is the only death that blesses.
B. This death even undoes so much horrible choosing on our part.
B. The Father therefore gives us the eternal gifts according to his promise.
1. He loves his children.
2. He blesses those who love him.
C. The Spirit helps us choose well, choose life.
1. He works in and on and through us by his Word and the Sacraments.
2. He moves us to choose well because in the Gos­pel he turns our hearts to
know how much we’ve been loved.
3. This is why we Lutherans need not be uncomfortable heeding God’s
invitation to choose life;
A. he chose us, so now, yes, we choose to obey him.
B. Not because we have to (Law)
C. But because we want to (Gospel)

*Conclusion*
A. When considering our lives and the many choices placed before us day to
day, we should consider that they come from the God who loves us.
1. He would have his Church always stand on the side of life, knowing he
will deal with death!
B. In him:
1. we choose life,
2. We want to defend it,
3. We proclaim it,
4. We praise it.
5. “Choose Life!”
6. Some wear that on their shirts and sleeves.
7. All the more important that we wear it on our hearts!
C. The Father has given life and laid it before you.
1. The Son has redeemed it and breathed new life into the world.
2. The Spirit has chosen you for his own and filled you with good works,
that Christian life might extend to others—including your heritage.
D. Blessing the Christian is God being who God is.
1. His nature is to bless.
2. This was a promise he made to Israel’s fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
3. To be gracious to his Church, to fill it with life, to protect it from
death, is his promise to all of us, as now in these last days he has spoken
to us in his Son.
4. As Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were Israel’s fathers and Israel their
heritage, so we are Christ’s brothers and sisters; we are his heritage
(Mark 3:34–35).
5. He has chosen life, and we are blessed for it.
6. As we choose life in his Spirit, so our heritage will be blessed for it.
7. In Christ, countless promises are made to the Church.
8. As Joshua and the people of God came into the Promised Land filled with
life and blessing, all the more shall the Church come through this
wilderness of danger to the heavenly promised land.
9. Amen.
E. Let us pray:

3
Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
A stricter watch to keep;
And should I e’er forget Thy way,
Restore Thy wand’ring sheep.

4
Make me to walk in Thy commands—
’Tis a delightful road—
Nor let my head or heart or hands
Offend against my God.
Text: Public domain
F. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

G. In the Name of the Father…Amen.