THE LORD, THE NAME THAT BLESSES
By James Wiese on June 11, 2022
Numbers 6:22-27 June 12, 2022
THE LORD, THE NAME THAT BLESSES #7
Greeting: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Text: 22) The Lord said to Moses, 23) “Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them, 24) “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25) the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26) the Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace.” 27) So they will put My name on the Israelites and I will bless them.
Introduction: We have likely heard the saying: “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.” It reminds us not to put too much importance on a name. A name does not always tell the whole story about something. Changing a name does not change the content or substance of a thing. However, a name can be a powerful thing for either good or bad. Companies work hard to protect a popular brand name because it has helped them in their business. On the one hand, a bad name can be detrimental: We do not find children being named: Jeffrey Dahmer or Adolph Hitler or Joseph Stalin. On the other hand, a good name can be very helpful.
The best name, the name of God, is a name that is powerful and positive and filled with blessings for people who have it. God tells us that Himself as He commanded Aaron, the first high priest of Israel: “This is how you are to bless the people . . . put My name on the Israelites and I will bless them.”
God’s name is filled with God’s power and authority and carries and conveys His divine blessings. The specific name of God that He uses for this blessing is the term “Yahweh” which we translate Jehovah or Lord. This is the special, unique, divine name of God. It is not a name used by any so-called deity in any other religions. It is revealed only in the Bible and is used only by the true God revealed there. The name Yahweh or Lord communicates several important ideas and truths. When we use the divine name “The Lord” we are talking about the God who is and who exists eternally without beginning or end. We are also talking about the God who is a Person and who is personally interested in having a relationship with people and their lives. The name “The Lord” also teaches us that He is the God who works to deliver and give freedom to people who are captives to sin and death. In addition, the name “The Lord” also denotes the God who makes a special covenant or solemn agreement to freely give His favor and help to people so they may have an loving, ongoing, never-ending relationship with Him.
In the Aaronic blessing revealed in Numbers 6, the Triune God imparts precious gifts to people. We often pronounce this blessing at the end of our worship services. We use them as God intended, as parting gifts for God’s people as they journey through life. There are three members of the Godhead – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There are three parts to the blessing, each part is a bit longer as the blessing continues. There are three helpful gifts that God gives – His protection, His pardon and His peace.
1. Protection From Evil
The first part of the Lord’s blessing is this: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” These words are not a fond wish, but rather a firm promise from God. The Lord blesses you. He gives you good things for a good life. The Lord keeps you. The Lord guards and protects you so that you can enjoy your blessings. God’s protection is helpful and necessary. We are in need of protection. We have enemies and we face attacks of evil on us in many forms. Our lives are as Job describes them: “A person is born for trouble as sparks fly upward.”
The Lord keeps us and protects us in a number of ways. He uses His powerful name and authority to shelter us.
1) God shields us so that much of the threatening evil never reaches us. Many of the diseases, disasters and difficulties never strike us. God keeps His promise of Psalm 91: “No disaster shall befall you.” Many who are spared difficulty count themselves “lucky.” We know better. We know that we are protected by God’s blessing.
2) At other times, God softens the blows of evil so that they only bring minor and not major harm. The maladies come to us, but the damage they do is small. What could have been a disaster has been muted so that it is only a minor inconvenience or setback.
3) At still other times, God allows evil to afflict us, but eventually transforms that evil for our good. He uses the trials and troubles of life to teach us lessons, to toughen us for challenges and to turn us around to head in a better direction.
God’s blessing of protection is divine power, not a feeble thought. God’s favor and shielding makes us confident children of our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. This powerful promise allows us to live with positive convictions and courageous boldness. Safe in the shielding power of the words: “The Lord bless you and keep you” we can say: “In God, whose word I praise. In God I trust. I will not be afraid. I will walk before God in the light of life.”
2. Pardon For Our Sin
The second part of the blessing of the Lord’s name is this: “The Lord make His face shine on you and be merciful to you.” The look on a person’s face can send a message. We are familiar with the phrases: “You have the look of love” and “If looks could kill.” The look on a person’s face can send a message of love or hate, approval or disapproval, acceptance or rejection.
The Lord tells us that His face shines on us. He uses this image to send the message that He lovingly sends His warmth, His beauty and His glory toward us. Like the brilliant shining of the sun, our Lord smiles on us. He approves of us. He loves us. He gives His kindly help to us. The Lord’s shining face speaks of His pardoning grace for sinners. God looks on us, not to excuse our sin, but to pardon it. God’s holiness will not let him be indulgent and let us get away with sin. But His grace will not let Him abandon us in our helplessness. The Lord has acted so that He can shine on us in pardoning approval. He has sent Jesus Christ to work on our behalf. God’s Son made the acceptable, sufficient sacrifice to remove our sins, a sacrifice that pleases God the Father so that the Father can be pleased with us.
The Lord’s face shining on us is a pure gift from His loving heart. It is unmerited and undeserved. It is not some kind of payment for our services or some kind of reward for our hard work. It is not an entitlement that we somehow have coming to us. It is a divine gift.
The pledge of the Lord’s pardon lasts and continues. It goes with us, just as the son that always shines. God’s pardon does not just cover the time we spend in public worship. It does not cease to work when we leave the doors of our church. The Lord’s pardon covers all of our sins all the time in all the places we go.
The Lord’s pardon makes us the most comfortable of people. We do not live in fear of God’s punishing wrath. We don’t live with worry, hoping that we won’t be discovered for the sinners that we are. We don’t have to try to justify ourselves, because Jesus has already justified us before God. Our comfortable situation allows us to be honest about our sin, but also honest about the forgiveness from Christ that covers all of our sins. The Lord’s pardon also makes us compassionate people, who are grateful to God, concerned about others, willing and able to pardon those who sin against us and help others gain the Lord’s pardon for themselves.
3. Peace For Our Souls
The third and last part of the blessing of the Lord’s name for us is this: “The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” We are more familiar with the wording we use in our hymnal: “The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” This final part of the Lord’s blessing imparts God’s precious gift of peace.
In this part of the blessing, we notice God’s takes a greater action toward us than in the first two parts. The Lord turns His face or lifts up His face toward us. We should note this special effort on the part of our God.
The Lord grants us His peace. When we hear the word “peace” we normally think of wars coming to a close, hostilities ending, treaties being signed. But when the Lord gives us His peace there is more to it than that. When the Lord gives us His peace He is giving His complete, long-lasting favor in which He puts things in the right order again, in which He brings well being and prosperity to us both inside and out. In God’s peace everyone and everything are in perfect harmony. In God’s peace our lives are perfect and healthy all over.
Jesus Christ is the key to God’s peace. He grants us peace as part of the fruit of the Spirit that He gives us through His Word. He gives us His peace partially now, in fact, and fully now, by promise. In this world we get a satisfying taste of that peace, order and wholeness in our souls. We will fully realize that peace later on when He glorifies us and gives us the capacity to properly appreciate it.
God’s peace works contentment in us. The Lord’s peace helps us fight against the negative pull of our sinful nature to be impatient, to worry, to be afraid and to battle what is good for us. It gives us the ability to be patient, calm, and under control in our minds and hearts.
Whenever we hear or recall the blessing the Lord commanded Aaron to speak to His people, we are reminded of the precious gifts the Lord wants us to have and carry with us all the time. He gives us His protection, His pardon and His peace. These are gifts the Lord wants us to hang onto. We are not to let them go unnoticed, unclaimed or unused. They are like the umbrella over our head in a rainstorm. It covers us all over. The Lord has placed His name upon us. His name is not just any name. His name is the name that truly blesses us. By faith, we claim those gifts and we know that the Lord is with us protecting, pardoning, and imparting His peace. Amen.
Pentecost 1: The Holy Trinity – Series C
The Old Testament Lesson: Numbers 6:22-27 – The Aaronic Blessing
22The Lord told Moses 23to speak to Aaron and to his sons and to tell them to bless the Israelites with these words:
24The Lord bless you and keep you.
25The Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you.
26The Lord look on you with favor
and give you peace.
27In this way they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
Epistle Lesson: Romans 5:1-5 – Peace with God Through Faith in Christ
1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice confidently on the basis of our hope for the glory of God.
3Not only this, but we also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, 4and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. 5And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.
Gospel Lesson: John 16:12-15 – Combined Work of Father, Son, & Spirit
12“I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I said that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2019 The Wartburg Project
Zion Lutheran Church of Springfield
(A member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
4717 S Farm Rd 135 (Golden Avenue)
Church phone: 417.887.0886 Pastor’s cell phone: 417.693.3244
www.zionluthchurch.com email: revelehmann@gmail.com
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The First Sunday after Pentecost: The Holy Trinity
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift His countenance upon you and give you peace.” Num. 6:24f
June 12, 2022
F o r O u r V i s i t o r s
The family of Zion welcomes you as we worship the Lord today. We encourage children to worship with us. However, if you need to leave with your child, there is a nursery room to the right as you exit the sanctuary. The rest rooms are located in the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Visitors, please sign our guest book to the right, just outside the sanctuary. We’re glad that you are here and pray that through our worship the Lord grants you peace.
U p o n E n t e r i n g G o d’ s H o u s e
“O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth! What is man that you are mindful of him? You made him ruler over the works of Your hands” (Psalm 8).
W h a t T h i s S u n d a y i s A b o u t
The Holy Trinity. This Sunday is unique in character and position in the Church Year calendar. It was not celebrated in the early church, but by the time of the Reformation in the 1500s, it was fully embraced. In our modern day we would not want to go without it.
We especially need such an emphasis on the Trinity because many today deny its teaching. God’s essence consists of 3 persons, yet there is only one divine Being. He is one in three and three in one, a mystery that defies human reason. It is how He has revealed Himself to us. To deny His person and work is to deny the Christian faith. In order to be saved, it is necessary to believe in the Trinity. So it is that we keep the festival and join with the Church in confessing its wondrous mystery.
To that end we pray: Almighty God, dwelling in majesty and mystery, cleanse our hearts and lips through Christ that, free from doubt and fear, we may worship You one true immortal God – Father, Son, and Spirit, – living and reigning now and forever. Amen.
– T h e W o r d o f G o d f o r T o d a y –
The Old Testament Lesson: Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord instructs Moses how His priests are to put His blessing upon the Israelites. The words are known as the “Aaronic Benediction” and are still used by us today at the close of our worship services. In the words of the three-fold blessing, we are reminded of the Triune God.
The Epistle Lesson: Romans 5:1-5
God the Father justifies us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith is planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The completeness of the Triune God’s work for us gives us every reason for endurance and hope in our faith. And we rejoice in the hope that is worked through trials.
The Gospel Lesson: John 16:12-15
Just before His departure in His death, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus comforted His disciples, promising to send them the Holy Spirit as their guide. He can be trusted fully for He only reveals what is given by the Father and the Son. The Three hold all things in common.
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The Organist: Jane Rips The Preacher: Pastor James Witt
The Triune God Blesses Us Through the Word
The Scriptures never use the words “Trinity” or “Triune.” Instead, as we read God’s Word from first to last, He gives us glimpses and hints of His Triune nature. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity may seem very academic and abstract. Yet, as God provides those glimpses and hints, He emphasizes the way in which His Triune nature blesses us, as He dwells in “majesty and mystery” that far exceeds our understanding and through which we receive indescribable blessings.
Point to Ponder: “We may not be able to comprehend the doctrine of the Holy Trinity with our puny intellect, but we can believe what the Scriptures tell us about the God of our salvation. It is not so much a matter of comprehending as it is trusting that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost will be with us always guarding and sustaining us… Comprehend? No! No more than (you) can pour the ocean into a hole dug in the sand. But we need not comprehend. We need to trust and commit ourselves to all that He has promised.” e giveH
— Herman Gockel on Our Infinite God
Outline of Our Worship
The Preparation
Opening Thoughts on the Service
Opening Hymn: #953
Order of Worship: The Service: Setting One page 154-160
Prayer of the Day
The Ministry of the Word
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
Gospel Acclamation: pg.161
John 16:12-15
Hymn: #483
Sermon: Numbers 6:22-27 The LORD, the Name that Blesses
The Athanasian Creed pg.284
Our Response to the Word
Prayer of the Church: pg.164
The Offering
The Lord Blesses Us
Hymn: #570
The Blessing Hymnal page 170
Closing Hymn: #927
Silent Prayer
C a l e n d a r & A n n o u n c e m e n t s f o r Z i o n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h
| Today
June 12 |
Monday
June 13 |
Tuesday
June 14 |
Wednesday
June 15 |
Thursday
June 16 |
Friday
June 17 |
Sat.
June 18 |
Next Sun.
June 19 |
| 9:00 am
Divine Worship Service online -Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Bible Study
Holy Trinity Sunday Guest Preacher: Pastor Witt |
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6:30 pm
Elders & Trustees 7 pm Monthly Church Council |
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11 am
Bible Class No Confirmation
Choir |
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9:00 am Divine Worship Service online – Facebook Holy Communion 10:15 am Fellowship & Bible Study Pentecost 2 |
A Brief Bible Study on God’s Word for Today
The mystery of the Trinity, of the Most High, eternally three and indivisibly one, is meant both to dumbfound and comfort us.
The Old Testament Lesson: Numbers 6:22-27 (answers are found on the back side)
- How is the Holy Trinity evident in the blessing Aaron was to put on God’s people (vv. 24-26)?
- How does the Lord describe His blessing (v. 27)?
- What does this mean (v. 27)?
Those We Remember In Our Prayers: Those We Remember In Our Prayers: Greg Miller; Lou Schulz; William & Laurie Moon; Pauline Jaeger; Dave Ballou; John Workentine; Kirsten Jaster (Laurie Moon’s sister); Lois Wiese; Greg Pierson (the Long’s son-in-law); Libya, Jodi Milam’s granddaughter, diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis; Elizabeth Lisenby, looking in the near future at shoulder surgery; Barbara Long, at home.
Forward in Christ’s June edition arrived. If you did not get a copy last week, there are plenty of copies in the narthex for family and friends. Also, Meditations series of devotions for the summer began two weeks ago. Again, there are plenty of copies in the narthex. Share one with a neighbor or friend if you can.
District Convention The Schulzes and Pastor Lehmann returned late Thursday from the 51st Biennial Convention of the WELS Minnesota District. We will try to give you a little information about the convention’s discussions in the weeks ahead.
We Thank Pastor James Witt for helping us with worship and the Word of God today while Elizabeth and Pastor Lehmann are in Kansas City at the wedding of their niece. Pastor L. will be back late Sunday evening or Monday. Pastor Witt retired from full time service to the Lord at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in St. Louis two years ago. Unfortunately, he suffered through some severe testing with health problems following his retirement, but the Lord had things in mind for him and he continues to serve the Lord in His Kingdom through teaching many classes to Chinese Christians during the week over the internet. Thank you, Pastor Witt, for helping us today, and Lord go with you in the days and years that lie ahead.
Upcoming Events
Sunday, June 12 – Pastor James Witt will be the guest speaker in our worship service; Pastor and Elizabeth will be attending the wedding of their niece in Kansas City on the weekend.
Tuesday, June 14 – Monthly Meetings of the Elders, Trustees, and the Church Council
The Week in Review
Last Sunday Worship: ; Bible Class: ; Midweek Bible Class: no class this past week; Offering: $.
Next Sunday’s Lessons:
Pentecost 2: Isaiah 43:8-13; 2 Timothy 1:3-10; Luke 8:26-39 (CW-21, Series C)
Answers to Today’s Old Testament Lesson Brief Study:
- The Trinity is evident to eyes of faith in this way: the blessing is three-fold, in three lines, yet each line starts with “the Lord.” This hints that there are three persons, yet only one Lord.
- The Lord describes His blessing as putting His name on His people.
- To put one’s name on someone or something generally means to show that it belongs to you. So, when the Lord blesses us, He, the Holy One, promises that we are His, redeemed by Christ. We belong to Him in a most personal, merciful way.
This week I am praying for……