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Concordia Lutheran Church
"In God We Trust!" / Independence Day
The day after Independence Day naturally invites gratitude. We thank God for freedom, family, prosperity, and the many blessings we enjoy. Yet Moses warns Israel that prosperity carries a hidden danger. When life is good, we can slowly begin to trust God's gifts more than God Himself. Success, security, health, wealth, and even our nation can become substitutes for the One who gave them. Through Moses' warning and the confession of Psalm 20, we are reminded that everyone trusts something. The question is what. Nations trust in military strength. Leaders promise security and prosperity. And we are tempted to place our deepest confidence in whoever holds power at the moment. But earthly powers rise and fall. No nation endures forever. No leader carries what only God can carry. Where every human institution has failed, Jesus remained faithful. He trusted His Father perfectly, even unto death on a cross, and His faithfulness now covers our failures. Because of Christ, we are free to love our country without making it our savior and to respect our leaders without making them our hope. Our trust belongs to the Lord our God alone.
Locations & Times
Concordia Lutheran Church
16801 Huebner Rd, San Antonio, TX 78258, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
Sunday 9:30 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
Worship Online
Worship with us online live every Sunday morning, or on demand 24/7 throughout the week!
https://live.concordia.ccGiving Link
https://concordia.cc/givingBut our gratitude raises an important question. Grateful to whom? For what? And if we're not careful, we can begin to trust in the wrong things.
The big question for this morning is, "Where do we put our hope?" Let's be clear: I love our country. This sermon is NOT against the flag or the fireworks. This sermon is about our trust. And when it comes to trust, God's WORD points us to Jesus.
Today we're reading two passages. One is long. One is short. Moses is speaking to Israel right before they walk into the promised land.
The big question for this morning is, "Where do we put our hope?" Let's be clear: I love our country. This sermon is NOT against the flag or the fireworks. This sermon is about our trust. And when it comes to trust, God's WORD points us to Jesus.
Today we're reading two passages. One is long. One is short. Moses is speaking to Israel right before they walk into the promised land.
His warning may sound strange. We usually think of hardship as dangerous. And hardship CAN BE dangerous. Pain can make us afraid. Loss can make us angry. Uncertainty can make us anxious. But Moses is warning Israel about something else. He is warning them about full stomachs, fine houses, growing flocks, silver, gold, and success. You see, Scarcity can make us afraid. But prosperity can make us forget. When life is hard, we know we need help. But when life is good, we can begin to believe we're standing on our own two feet. The blessings become normal and expected. We begin to think that we are in control. And the prayer that says, “Lord, thank You,” becomes the quiet thought that says, “I built this.”
Listen to Israel's prayer before battle, from Psalm 20.
Listen to Israel's prayer before battle, from Psalm 20.
Two different writers. Two different centuries. One warning.
Moses is talking to anyone who has ever worked hard and watched it pay off. Anyone who built something with their own hands. Anyone who looked at a paycheck or a retirement account and thought: I did this. I earned this. I'm the reason this family is safe. It's a common thought. One that has been thought in every prosperous nation by successful people. It's old enough to have its own Bible verse.
What do you trust? What do you trust when your health is good and the bills are paid? What do you trust on the Tuesday after a holiday weekend, when the flags come down and the calendar moves on? What are you hanging on to today?
Moses is talking to anyone who has ever worked hard and watched it pay off. Anyone who built something with their own hands. Anyone who looked at a paycheck or a retirement account and thought: I did this. I earned this. I'm the reason this family is safe. It's a common thought. One that has been thought in every prosperous nation by successful people. It's old enough to have its own Bible verse.
What do you trust? What do you trust when your health is good and the bills are paid? What do you trust on the Tuesday after a holiday weekend, when the flags come down and the calendar moves on? What are you hanging on to today?
Here's what's hard. The things we trust aren't always bad things. A strong military ... a steady paycheck... a strong nation... None of them are bad. They are good. But none of them can bear up under the full weight of our trust. An army can't save your soul. A flag can't forgive your sin. And a pension can't raise the dead.
We trust in God ALONE! Not chariots. Not horses. Not retirement accounts, border policy, or election results. We trust in the Lord.
We trust in God ALONE! Not chariots. Not horses. Not retirement accounts, border policy, or election results. We trust in the Lord.
Israel forgot what Moses said. Within a few generations, they were doing exactly what Moses warned them about. The prophet Isaiah confronts Judah in Isaiah 31:3. They looked to Egypt for military strength instead of trusting God. Isaiah tells them that the Egyptians are men and not God, their horses are flesh, not spirit.
Solomon had wisdom. Wisdom without worship divided his heart. Rehoboam had power. But power without humility is disaster. And Ahab <who Logan talked about> had a kingdom. A kingdom without faith turned into horrible idolatry.Every king in the book of Kings is measured by the same question. Who do you trust? Only one King ever passed that test perfectly.
Jesus was tested in the wilderness, the same wilderness where Israel failed. The devil offered him food, power, and security. And Jesus refused every offer. He trusted His Father all the way to a cross. No chariot came to rescue Him. No army stood up to defend Him. But on the third day, His Father raised Him from the dead. His trust never wavered. And that's why we trust in Him alone!
Solomon had wisdom. Wisdom without worship divided his heart. Rehoboam had power. But power without humility is disaster. And Ahab <who Logan talked about> had a kingdom. A kingdom without faith turned into horrible idolatry.Every king in the book of Kings is measured by the same question. Who do you trust? Only one King ever passed that test perfectly.
Jesus was tested in the wilderness, the same wilderness where Israel failed. The devil offered him food, power, and security. And Jesus refused every offer. He trusted His Father all the way to a cross. No chariot came to rescue Him. No army stood up to defend Him. But on the third day, His Father raised Him from the dead. His trust never wavered. And that's why we trust in Him alone!
That's the gospel. Jesus doesn't just tell us to trust God. He trusted God perfectly in our place. And because He did, our hope isn't in ourselves. Our hope is not in the strength of our grip. Our hope is in His strong grip. We trust in God ALONE.
"Today I had a big dose of gratitude and still had some left over for you, Bill. I give up my burdens to the heaven."
Jeremiah gives us a picture. He says the one who trusts in people is like a bush in the desert. Brittle... with dried up roots.
"Today I had a big dose of gratitude and still had some left over for you, Bill. I give up my burdens to the heaven."
Jeremiah gives us a picture. He says the one who trusts in people is like a bush in the desert. Brittle... with dried up roots.
That tree looks like every other tree on top. But under the ground, that's where the difference lies. Strong roots make all the difference.
We live in Military City USA. Many of you have served. Many of you love someone who has served. So, we understand the value of strength, courage, sacrifice, and defense. But Psalm 20 still resonates.
What a powerful reminder. Loving our country and putting our ultimate hope in our country are not the same thing. When we understand that, we are free to love America honestly. And we pray for our nation and its leaders. That's not unpatriotic. That's the first commandment.
This week, think about something you're tempted to trust instead of God. A paycheck. A diagnosis. A pension. A political party. Write it down.Then under it, write this. We trust in God ALONE!Tape your note somewhere you'll see it. And every morning, remember the temptation and the One you trust. Jesus will not fail, He will not falter, He will never let us down!
Remember the parade? The bikes, the golf carts, the fire truck, the grandkids.That's a great memory. I thank God for it. But when the weekend is over, nothing about my trust changes. I pray that is the same for you! We trust in God ALONE!
Jesus holds us in His hands. Those nail-scarred hands are strong enough to hold our families. Strong enough to hold our health. Strong enough to hold our future.
This week, think about something you're tempted to trust instead of God. A paycheck. A diagnosis. A pension. A political party. Write it down.Then under it, write this. We trust in God ALONE!Tape your note somewhere you'll see it. And every morning, remember the temptation and the One you trust. Jesus will not fail, He will not falter, He will never let us down!
Remember the parade? The bikes, the golf carts, the fire truck, the grandkids.That's a great memory. I thank God for it. But when the weekend is over, nothing about my trust changes. I pray that is the same for you! We trust in God ALONE!
Jesus holds us in His hands. Those nail-scarred hands are strong enough to hold our families. Strong enough to hold our health. Strong enough to hold our future.