<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 28;1-6<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;After we had&nbsp;escaped, we then learned that the island was called Malta.</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;And the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;Paul had&nbsp;gathered a bundle of sticks&nbsp;and put them on the fire, when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.</b><b></b></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. &nbsp;Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.</b></div><div><b>6. &nbsp;They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Some of us who read these words, (like Paul)&nbsp;carry great&nbsp;guilt,&nbsp;remorse, and sorrow over our past sins. &nbsp;The shameful memory of them remains an opening&nbsp;through which&nbsp;Satan seeks to&nbsp;attack our soul, tempting us to doubt God and his sure Word to us.</div><div><br></div><div>God’s Word has taught us that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. &nbsp;(1&nbsp;John 1;8&amp;9)</div><div>Yet, like a poisonous&nbsp;snake, Satan still accuses us of our past sins. &nbsp;For, although we truly are forgiven, and God himself no longer remembers our sin, (Jeremiah 31;31-34) we certainly still do remember them,&nbsp;and so does Satan. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>His evil will seeks to tempt us to doubt whether we really are forgiven, and whether God in his love and mercy really&nbsp;will no longer remember our sin. &nbsp;But, the forgiveness of sin God gives us&nbsp;in Christ Jesus,&nbsp;is full,&nbsp;complete, and total. &nbsp;<i>“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” &nbsp;</i>(Isaiah 1;18)</div><div><br></div><div>Our text today says the viper came out of the bundle of sticks because of ‘the heat of the fire.’ &nbsp;</div><div>In truth, it was not Paul who ‘faced justice’, it is Satan who fears the eternal fires of hell, reserved for him and his demons. &nbsp;It is the approach of the beautiful feet of those who bring the&nbsp;good news of the Gospel, which signals the&nbsp;devil’s&nbsp;doom, the approach of&nbsp;the terrible Judgement&nbsp;Day of the Lord.</div><div><br></div><div>Satan seeks by night and day to accuse God’s forgiven children, who are with Paul,&nbsp;now become the messengers of life and light. &nbsp;All those those who serve the Ministry of the Gospel are targets for accusations, doubt, and discouragement. &nbsp;This is why we forgiven sinners continually need to be reminded of the unchanging mercies of God. &nbsp;We need to be branches abiding in the Vine, through Word and sacrament, through daily intake of the means of grace. &nbsp;We need the shield of faith strengthened, by which we can quench the fiery darts of the evil one. (Ephesians 6;16)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, strengthen our faith to believe the old-man who is guilty of all our sin, is dead.</div><div>He died with Jesus in the waters of holy Baptism. &nbsp;Bless us Father to by faith,&nbsp;live in the new-man, raised with Christ to newness of life. &nbsp;We are set free from the Law of Sin and Death and now live in the Law of the Spirit of Life <i>in </i>Christ Jesus, where no accusation can ever find us. &nbsp;We have passed out of death into Life, (1 John 3;14). &nbsp;&nbsp;Bless us Father&nbsp;by faith to&nbsp;‘shake the Snake into the fire’. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>See, &nbsp;LSB #587 &nbsp;“I Know My Faith Is Founded”</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><div><a></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 28;1-6
1.  After we had escaped, we then learned that the island was called Malta.2.  And the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.3.  Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.4.  When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer.  Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”5.  He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.6.  They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
Some of us who read these words, (like Paul) carry great guilt, remorse, and sorrow over our past sins.  The shameful memory of them remains an opening through which Satan seeks to attack our soul, tempting us to doubt God and his sure Word to us.
God’s Word has taught us that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1;8&9)Yet, like a poisonous snake, Satan still accuses us of our past sins.  For, although we truly are forgiven, and God himself no longer remembers our sin, (Jeremiah 31;31-34) we certainly still do remember them, and so does Satan.  
His evil will seeks to tempt us to doubt whether we really are forgiven, and whether God in his love and mercy really will no longer remember our sin.  But, the forgiveness of sin God gives us in Christ Jesus, is full, complete, and total.  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”  (Isaiah 1;18)
Our text today says the viper came out of the bundle of sticks because of ‘the heat of the fire.’  In truth, it was not Paul who ‘faced justice’, it is Satan who fears the eternal fires of hell, reserved for him and his demons.  It is the approach of the beautiful feet of those who bring the good news of the Gospel, which signals the devil’s doom, the approach of the terrible Judgement Day of the Lord.
Satan seeks by night and day to accuse God’s forgiven children, who are with Paul, now become the messengers of life and light.  All those those who serve the Ministry of the Gospel are targets for accusations, doubt, and discouragement.  This is why we forgiven sinners continually need to be reminded of the unchanging mercies of God.  We need to be branches abiding in the Vine, through Word and sacrament, through daily intake of the means of grace.  We need the shield of faith strengthened, by which we can quench the fiery darts of the evil one. (Ephesians 6;16)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, strengthen our faith to believe the old-man who is guilty of all our sin, is dead.He died with Jesus in the waters of holy Baptism.  Bless us Father to by faith, live in the new-man, raised with Christ to newness of life.  We are set free from the Law of Sin and Death and now live in the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, where no accusation can ever find us.  We have passed out of death into Life, (1 John 3;14).   Bless us Father by faith to ‘shake the Snake into the fire’.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
See,  LSB #587  “I Know My Faith Is Founded”
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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