Pastor's Blog

Lord, bind us together in love, with cords that cannot be broken.

Recently our youth along with some adults traveled to the Fargo/Moorhead area to help with the sandbagging efforts which were going on in order to prevent the towns from being flooded by the rising Red River. Since the leaders of the youth group were not available to be with the youth on Friday night, I was asked to be their substitute. Here are the comments of those who were at the youth meeting who had gone to Fargo. We thank Carl, Brian, Patty and all the parents who supported this trip and made it possible for it to happen. We also are thankful for the giving hearts of the young people in our congregation. May the Lord richly bless you as you serve Him.

Jordan Sterner: "It was amazing to see how many people came together to help in the time of need."

Gabe Hendrickson: "I was amazed at how many sandbags got filled and it made me sad to see how so many people had lost so much by the flooding that did happen."

Kelsie Sterner: "I enjoyed working hard and it was even fun."

Nathan Rokala: "It was good to see how many people of the area donated food and materials toward the efforts at the dikes."

Bill Peterson: "There were so many people that we had to wait our turn to pile sandbags. It showed to me of just how many people were there to help."

Katie Sterner: "It just felt good to help people."

Robin Rokala: "It was cool to see how far people traveled to offer their help."

Caleb Saukkola: "I was surprised at how bad the flooding was and at the large number of people who were willing to help."

Rhonda Rokala: "I noticed that people were happy to help and nobody acted like they were forced to help."

Tom Peterson: "I was amazed at how quickly filled sandbags were placed into the bin which was used to transport them to the dike area. It was amazing to see how fast things got done by so many people."

Misty Aho: "It was fun working hard."

Debbie Rokala: "It was amazing to see that so many people came from so far away who had not been affected by the flooding."

Following this we had a little discussion about the following:

1. God is the source of love;

2. Love must first be received in order to be given away;

3. Love must be extended to others in order to be active;

4. Love is patient, kind, not jealous, boastful, proud, rude. Love does not demand its own way, is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice/evil but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

How do we define love?

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God-- for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

Is love simply receiving or does it involve giving?

1 John 3:16 We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.
17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help-- how can God's love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.

Love must serve others in order to be genuine

NLT 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody.
3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.
6 It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear.

Lord, bind us together in love with cords that cannot be broken. You made all this possible through the suffering, the death and the resurrection of your Son, Jesus.

Always in Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

Matthew 4:1-11

KJV Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
KJV Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
KJV Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

It had been prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come upon the Messiah.
KJV Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus
KJV Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

God's witness from heaven
KJV Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The need for the Gospel
KJV 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

KJV Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

The Gospel
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

KJV 2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

KJV 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

NIV Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.

Three tests and the three responses:

KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Test 1 Will Jesus follow God's will in everything?
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Satan is not questioning that Jesus is the Son of God. Satan is suggesting that Jesus abandon his dependence on His Father and satisfy His physical need by His own power.
Satan tested Jesus to see if He was going to follow all that was in God's will.

Response with God's Word. Deuteronomy 8:3
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Test 2 The devil uses Scripture, but misquoted it.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

KJV Psalm 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
KJV Psalm 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus responds with Scripture Deuteronomy 6:16
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

KJV Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. (At Massah they doubted God's faithfulness)

The first temptation consisted of whether Jesus was dependent on God or not.
The second temptation consisted of seeing how much Jesus depended upon God. Satan wanted to cast doubt on the faithfulness of God.

Test 3 The devil takes off all wraps in this temptation.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Adam had been given dominion over creation, but had lost it in the fall and it was transferred to Satan. God's purpose was to bring this back through the cross, but Satan was offering a means to have a throne without a cross. Satan was trying to get Jesus to worship Him, knowing that if he could get Jesus to worship him, he would fulfill that which he originally had tried to accomplish in the Garden of Eden.

KJV Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

KJV John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Jesus responds with Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:13-14
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

KJV Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
KJV Deuteronomy 6:14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;


11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

John tells us that there are three windows of temptation:

KJV 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Jesus has won over all temptation
ESV Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

When Satan saw that he could not win over Jesus, he had to leave. The test was so great that angels had to come to minister to Him

Jesus has shown the way of victory:

Dependence on God,
Trust in the faithfulness of God.
Obedience to the will of God as it is revealed in the Scriptures.

He responded to the devil each time with the Scriptures.
He remained steadfast in His obedience to the Father's will.

Application: The obedience of Christ is our righteousness.
KJV Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

KJV 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

KJV John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Our Response: Let us find refuge in the power of HIs obedience by believing the Gospel

KJV Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

KJV 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

KJV James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Always in Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala