Introduction:

Last weekend I had the joy of attending my high school alma mater's graduation ceremony. During my visit to Michigan Lutheran Seminary, I ran into my third grade teacher. I also saw the pastor who taught my catechism classes and confirmed me. I talked with many of my former high school professors while I was there and I even ran into one of my professors from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

Seeing all of these men got me thinking about my Christian education. I never went to a public school. My parents insisted that I attend Lutheran schools through high school and the Lord led me to get my degrees from our Lutheran college and seminary. As I thought about my Christian education, I realized that I owe my former teachers and professors a big debt of gratitude. Those people led me by their Christian example. Daily I saw them praise the Lord with their words and their actions. But even more so, those teachers taught me who the true God is and how he saves me with his great acts of power. My teachers could have taught me to chase after wealth, fame, or power, but that all would be meaningless when I die. There is no better education that I could have received. The gift of God's Word will benefit me for all eternity.

I am confident that the young people who attend our school also have faithful teachers who praise the Lord daily with their words and actions. And even more so I know that our teachers have focused every day in the classroom on teaching who God is and how He saves us with his acts of power. Thank God for his faithful servants who have taught our young people this year - Mrs. Krieger, Mrs. Keller, Mrs. Neumann, Mr. Gosdeck, and Mr. Neumann.

Today, as we recognize those who are moving forward in their lives, whether it is to high school, to college, or into the workforce, I would like to teach you the most important lesson again. It's a lesson that you can never hear enough, and it is a lesson that I want all of you to take with you wherever you go. Praise the Lord! He is the Triune God. He saves us with His acts of power.

1. He is the Triune God

"Praise the Lord" is how the Psalm for today begins and ends. Psalm 150 is the very last Psalm. It has been called the final great Hallelujah. But when you use the phrase Praise the Lord, not everybody is on the same page. Do Jews, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God? Many people would say that all three religions do worship the same god, just different variations of this god. Some people would say that it doesn't matter which god you worship; the important thing is that you have a god. The human mind wants so badly to make sense of religion that sometimes it forgets to go to the source of all wisdom, God's Word in the Bible.

The Bible tells us there is only one God. 1 Corinthians 8:4 says, "We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one." There is only one God and the Bible makes it very clear that the one true God does not tolerate any false gods. In the Old Testament, God's anger burned against those who worshipped the golden calf, the idol Baal, the idol Dagon and many others. God was not open-minded about these imposters. He destroyed them and their followers because the First Commandment says that you shall have no other gods.

And so how do we know who that one God is? The Bible describes the true God for us. It is the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God reveals himself to us as three persons yet one God - three in one. In the Great Commission Jesus told the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. At Jesus' baptism, the father spoke in a voice from heaven. The Son was there in bodily form and the Holy Spirit was there in the form of a dove. The divine Trinity is mentioned in the very first chapter of the book of Genesis. When you read the Bible, there is no mistaking it; the true God is the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What clues then tell us that gods of the Jewish and Islamic faiths are not the same as the God of the Christian faith? The Jewish faith does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God sent to this earth save mankind from sin. If one does not believe that Jesus is true god, that person has eliminated one-third of the Trinity. If you do not worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit you are worshipping an idol.

Likewise the Islamic faith teaches that Jesus was just a good prophet, not the Son of God. They refer to their god as Allah. Both Muslim and Jews deny that the Triune god is the true god and thus they are worshipping idols. Sadly, millions of people in the world follow these false gods and are destined to spend eternity in hell.

May that simple fact move our hearts in love to take the message of salvation to these people. We must share the true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - with all people. Their eternal life depends on it. Praise the Lord - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - with your words and actions.

2. He saves us with His acts of power

As we praise the Lord this morning, let us remember what the Triune God does for us. Verse 2 reminds us, "Praise him for His acts of power; praise for his surpassing greatness." With His acts of power, God saves us.

Those acts of power manifested themselves in the most valiant rescue mission the world has ever seen. All mankind was taken hostage by sin, death and the devil. You and I and all people were sentenced to hell because of our disobedience to God. And hell is not some funny place with a pudgy little red guy who dishes out ironic punishments. It is a terrible place where there will be immeasurable suffering for the damned.

But God does not want anyone to suffer and so he set his plan of salvation into motion. By his power, the Father sent his Son to this earth to born in Bethlehem. Jesus, true God and true man, then lived his life perfectly in our place, because we could not. The Lord defeated sin and Satan with his death on the cross that removed our sin and guilt forever. The Lord's acts of power did not stop there. On Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives eternally in heaven. The Lord's surpassing greatness is evident as he rules over the universe from the heavenly realms. He continues his acts power through the Holy Spirit who creates and strengthens faith in our hearts. And the Lord's greatness will be evident to all on the Last Day when he returns in all his glory to take us to share in his glory for all eternity. Praise the Lord for he saves us with His acts of power.

I have tried my hardest this morning to teach you again who God is and how he saves us. All the other things I could teach you in the world are secondary to that. All the things our children and young people learn in their classrooms will ever be as valuable as learning who God is and how he saves us. Cherish this gift from God and make sure you are praising the Lord.

Psalm 150 guides us on how to praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary. Be in God's house. Excuses of why you can't be in church are a dime a dozen. I have heard most of them. God has heard them all. You only hurt yourself by not coming to church. There should be nothing more important in your life than hearing God's Word and praising the Lord in his sanctuary.

Verses 3 -5 of Psalm 150 talk about praising the Lord with music. One great blessing, among many, of our Christian School and Sunday school is hearing our children sing their praises to God in our worship services. May we follow their examples and sing the Lord's praises with our joyful hearts and voices. Be on guard that you are not just going through the motions. Praise the Lord!

Conclusion:

I began today by telling you about the faithful servants who taught me who God is and how he saves me with His acts of power. Praise the Lord for God's servants. May all those who are graduating this year, never forget the lessons that have been taught to them. And may all of us praise the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - for he saves us through faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.