The Fifth Commandment Preserved By The Word of Life

The Fifth Sunday After Trinity                        20-July-2025
Sermon Text: 1 Kings 19:11-21/The 5th Commandment
Sermon Theme: “Fifth Commandment: Preserved By the Word of Life!”
I. God’s Still Small Voice Creates Our Life! (Vs.11-13) II. God’s Word Preserves Our Life!(vs.14-17) III. God’s Word Preached Renews Life! (Vs.18-21) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. The culture was corrupt to its core. It praised prostitution, sacrificing infants to preserve their lifestyle. It perverted worship into following self chosen feelings and desires. In short it was a culture of death. The highest government authorities promoted and protected the destruction of the family, innocence, and human life. If any spoke out against its progressive practices they were threatened with imprisonment, exile, and death.
    No wonder the preacher ran away. Fled into the wilderness alone. There he prayed... to die...hope was gone, life was futile.... History records his prayer: 1Ki 19:4 , "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" The preacher’s name - Elijah the Tishbite - prophet to the northen kingdom of Israel during the reign of wicked king Ahab and queen Jezebel.
     Days before Elijah had called the nation of Israel to choose which God they would serve? The only True Living God of Creation, Who clearly reveals Himself in His written Word. Or man made fertility idols of the Baals and Asherim promoting a culture of destroying the family, perverting human sexuality, sacrificing infants, to bring about climate change. On Mount Carmel he stood alone against the 450 prophets of Baal challenging them to a test. Build two altars - the living and true God will answer by fire. The prophets of Baal went first, dancing, singing, cutting themselves to their imaginary god - nothing happened. Then Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord with a trench around it. Sacrificed the ox and laid it upon the wood. Then he had it doused with water three times so it would be impossible to be lit by man. History records his prayer: 1Ki 18:37-39 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." (38) Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. (39) Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" Fire was sent from heaven to bring the nation to repentance. Turning them away from the devil’s spiritual lies to return to their God and Lord.
       The Lord had again blessed the land with rain so that crops could grow. Jezebel vows to end Elijah’s life. Despairing he flees and prays to die. In the wilderness he learns: “Fifth Commandment: Preserved By the Word of Life!”
I. God’s Still Small Voice Creates Our Life! (Vs.11-13) II. God’s Word Preserves Our Life!(vs.14-17) III. God’s Word Preached Renews Life! (Vs.18-21)
I. Elijah’s life is sustained by food from heaven. Forty days he travels on the food and water given him by the angel to Horeb - the Mount of the Lord. 1Ki 19:9-10 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (10) So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
     From the day the fallen created angel Satan took humanity captive deceiving our first parents to surrender the Life giving Word of God - for a spiritual sounding lie - we live in a culture of death. Man is by nature sinful and unclean to his very core from our first fallen father Adam. We pervert God’s gift of life instead of honoring and protecting it. (LSB pg. 321, 5th Cmdt W.D.T.M?)
      We should “fear and love God.” This draws us back to the first commandment - the Triune God. We fear God the Father for we are fearfully and wonderfully made by His design. We love God the Son for He first loved us laying down His life to rescue us from all sin, from death, and from the devil. We Trust in God the Holy Spirit for He is the Lord and Giver of Life. How? (Vs.11-13) The Triune God draws near to the despairing prophet. He is not to be found in the rock shattering wind. He is not to be found in the mountain moving earthquake. He is not to be found in the fierce consuming fire. He speaks. He is present in a low whisper - His still small voice.
      Elijah hears God’s voice calling to him in preaching. Humbling himself - he covers his face to hear the Lord of Life ask, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” “What are you doing here?” Satan lies, the world chimes in with speculative science, and your flesh loves to parade in pride. The lie tells us all human life is only an accident of evolution. Your life has no purpose - all is vanity. The world laughs at those who believe in a young earth created by God’s Word about six thousand years ago. Your flesh struts proudly claiming it can do life its own way. It doesn’t matter who is hurt, or murdered, as long as it gets what it wants - and in deep spiritual darkness - it claims to be living - but it is dying.
       Repent! God’s still small voice created your life. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. There all the days were written for you in His book. He created you for this time and place - not to run away from your calling to serve and care for your neighbor’s life.
II. As Jesus journeyed with the twelve to fulfill Passover once and for all by sacrificing His life to reclaim, restore, and preserve the life of us sinners. History records that a Samaritan village would not welcome our Lord. We read: Luk 9:54-56 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" (55) But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. (56) For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.
     James and John, the sons of thunder, were ready to strike a blow for Christ Jesus and His Church. Imagine if we’d call down fire from heaven on all those other sinners around us. That would show them - bring them to repentance! Wouldn’t it? No, only the goodness of God leads to repentance. Satan destroys life, home, families, unborn infants, the elderly, and the infirm - calling it progress. Jesus preserves human life!
 (LSB pg. 321, 5th Cmdt W.D.T.M?)  James and John, fishermen were there when Jesus preached from Peter’s boat. They saw His miraculous provision of fish to sustain their families. They heard Jesus call them to be fishers of men. They followed Him.
     Learn well that our Creator protects human life from the moment of conception to natural death. We are not to hurt or harm our neighbor in his body. We are our brothers keepers. We cannot ignore helping others because it is too inconvenient for us. Jesus gave up eternity and the glory of heaven to be your Brother. He came not to be served, but to serve giving His life as a ransom for you! He draws near to sinners like Peter, like me, like you - preserving our life through the forgiveness of our sins - that the Holy Spirit applies to us liberally daily and richly within Christ’s Church.
     What are you doing here? (Vs.14-17) Elijah thought that all depended upon his preaching and zeal for the Lord of Hosts. He was a failure with a death sentence upon his head - why go on? Learn well - we are not to hurt our harm our neighbor in his body. The Lord God controls history for the sake of saving sinners through the cross of Jesus. He orders governments in the state and the church to preserve the life preserving message of the cross!(LSB pg. 324 4th Petition)
       Elijah is sent to anoint a new king of the Syria - a foreign land - Our risen and ascended Jesus rules over all nations. To anoint a new king of Israel - the Lord would judge evil Ahab and Jezebel. To anoint his successor - a new preacher prophet - Elisha. The Lord will wield the sword of justice through the leaders He appoints to uphold and preserve life.  God’s Word alone still preserves life in this world. Be still! Listen!

III.  The Kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayers. We believe in the Holy Christian and apostolic Church - we see it by faith for Christ Jesus promises He will not forsake His little flock of life in this world. We don’t see it by sight! False prophets, preachers, claiming to have a new spirit - always want to build a kingdom for God that we can see - not one hidden from human sight and reason. (Vs.18-21) All was not lost - 7,000 faithful remained in corrupt Israel. Elisha is called through the Church - by Elijah. He leaves his vocation of farming. Offering a feast of thanksgiving - then begins his seminary education under Elijah.
  (LSB pg. 321, 5th Cmdt W.D.T.M?) Our vocations call us to help and befriend our neighbors in every bodily need. Husbands and wives are called to live outside of themselves to serve one another preserving life. Parents preserve the life of the children God gives them according to His good and gracious will. Our callings are not self chosen running away from where the Lord God has placed us. His Word sent forth by preaching renews life - through cross won - empty tomb certified forgiveness of sins! For where there is forgiveness of sins - there is life and salvation! How does this look in our daily walk?1Pe 3:8-12 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; (9) not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. (10) For "HE WHO WOULD LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, LET HIM REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT. (11) LET HIM TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; LET HIM SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT. (12) FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."
      Daily we pray for our Father in heaven to preserve life as He gives us our daily bread. (LSB pg. 324 5th Petition) We are given food for our bodies - forgiveness for our souls - freed to forgive in Jesus! Our lives are renewed that we may humbly serve our neighbor by caring for their lives!
       In the wilderness Elijah wanted to die - life was futile. The Lord’s angelic messenger woke him up twice. He offered him bread and drink - for the journey was too great for him. The Lord’s preacher placed God’s bread and drink upon his lips - in the strength of that food he journeyed onward. Come now to His table - eat, drink go forth in the strength of His life renewing and preserving food - forgive - serve one another in love caring for life in His Name. Amen.