Not Routine – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2025

Luke 2:1-20

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Joseph and Mary knew that was a night they would not forget – not ever. The birth of a child is always memorable and remarkable, but this birth was even more so. Both of them knew that this Child was God coming in the flesh to save His people. They both knew that because both had been independently told by angels (Lk. 1:30-35; Mt. 1:19-23). But even beyond that, the birth of Mary’s firstborn Son was memorable because of the circumstances.

Like all governments, Rome wanted to count its citizens and, of course, to collect taxes. So, Joseph and Mary took the trip from Nazareth and headed south roughly 80 miles to Bethlehem. They are probably lodging with one of Joseph’s relatives, but not in the guest room. Instead, they had to make do with a spot where the family’s animals were kept. Far from their home and in unsanitary conditions, Mary goes into labor and gives birth to her firstborn Son. Again, for Joseph and Mary, that night was anything but routine.

But, for everyone else, it was – at least at first. None of the residents in and around Bethlehem were expecting anything special to happen. For them, that night was like any other night. Anyone walking around Bethlehem could have seen Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus lying in a feeding trough. That might have thought it was odd, but they wouldn’t have known that it was the greatest miracle ever in the history of the world.

Same for the shepherds. They began that night like any other night. Watching flocks in the dark of night was nothing new for these guys. They were on a rotating shift, and these guys had the night watch. So, they headed off to work figuring that it would be a normal night of finding pasture and water, protecting the flocks, and sitting around with little to do while the sheep did sheep things.

Imagine those shepherds that night. They were likely thinking about the same sort of things that you think about while you’re just waiting around and not expecting anything extraordinary to happen. Imagine one of them leaning against a rock and contemplating the politics of his day and how bad a ruler Herod was. Two of them are little further down the hill so they can twirl their staffs. As they chat with each other, one is concerned about finding a wife while the other is disturbed because he and his wife hadn’t had any children yet. One off to the side is excited about his new house. One rummages through his lunchbox, and disappointed by the contents, he starts thinking about learning how to make jerky. The lead shepherd is thinking about the aches and pains in his back and knees and about the number of days until his retirement. Of course, we don’t actually know what any of them were thinking. But as that line we just sang earlier, “the hopes and fears of all the years,” were likely on the minds and hearts of the shepherds on that normal, routine night.

For these shepherds, it began as a night filled with the same tasks, the normal thoughts, and the typical monotony of shepherding. Sure, it was dreary, but they’d been doing it for years. And they would continue the same pattern for years to come. A pattern where nothing new or exciting happened to break their routine.

Routine is reasonable. Having one makes sense. It helps you know what to expect hour after hour, week after week, month after month, year after year. Routines can help you handle things that don’t exactly fit together the way you think they should. They help you recover and adapt when interruptions come up and you hit life’s speed bumps. Those bumps might be things you like; they might be things that you dislike. But your routines help you get back on track when you are interrupted and thrown off your ‘regularly scheduled programming.’ They can help maintain the discipline to focus on what is important and the ability let go of what isn’t. Routines can be good, but routines can also make life monotonous, rigid, boring, and predictable.

Mary and Joseph might have been alone in all the earth in knowing that that night was special. That that night would matter more than any other night – ever. But the residents of Bethlehem and shepherds outside of Bethlehem all kept to their normal routine. No one that night was expecting a miracle from heaven – at least, until that first angel showed up.

Suddenly, it all changed. That first angel appeared to the shepherds saying, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The angel goes on to tell the shepherds how to find and identify the Baby. Suddenly, the multitude of the heavenly host appears.

Now, there’s no way to prove it, but I wonder if every angel was dispatched to that field and given orders to sing to those shepherds. I wouldn’t be surprised if every single angel got a night off from their normal routines and patrols. We’ll have to ask them some day. Anyway, the multitude of the heavenly host appears to the shepherds, and they are all singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

This angel choir is pretty unique. Sure, angels regularly show up in Scripture, but there are only a few places where a whole choir of angels sing. In Job 38:4-7, God seems to refer to how the angels sang as He created and established the foundations of the earth. There are a few passages in Revelation that talk about choirs of angels singing (Rev. 5:11-13; 7:11-12; 19:1-9). But the closest comparison to this angelic choir singing to these shepherds is when God called Isaiah to be a prophet. There, angels are flying around the throne where God is seated singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Is. 6:3).

But here, the angels sing to the shepherds on the hill outside of Bethlehem. The shepherds probably thought it was a mistake. “If the Christ Child is over there in Bethlehem, what are you angels doing out here? Why sing to us?” Really, it’s like the angels are singing “Happy Birthday” to someone who isn’t even in the room. I can just imagine – when the shepherds tell Joseph and Mary what had happened, what they heard, and why they’ve come – I can imagine Mary explaining, “They’re probably protecting Baby Jesus’ hearing from too much noise because this little boy’s been here ‘pa-rum-pum-pum-pumming’ on his drum all night.”

So, consider this: God directs that angelic choir to a bunch of shepherds who weren’t expecting anything but a routine night of watching sheep. But they are the first to hear heaven’s announcement that the entire cosmos had changed. Just think of the shepherds in the days, months, and years that came after this night. After a night like this, I can’t imagine they thought any other night of their lives would be routine. Their entire world – filled with schedules, tasks, and to-do lists – had been changed forever. But it wasn’t just their world that had changed. Yours did too – even though you weren’t there.

Dear saints, routines are fine for a world that doesn’t have God becoming Man inside of it. But you live in a world that God has entered. Because of that, there is nothing routine about your routine. Still, routines can be helpful, but now only when they center your life around the most not routine thing that has ever and will ever happen. Your God has entered creation to be near to you, to forgive you, to pour out His blood His mercy upon you, to die on the cross for you, to rise again for you, to grant you His peace, and to save you.

Christ is born. He is born to join Himself to you and to every second, every minute, every hour, every year of your life. The Incarnation, the fact God has come in your flesh, infuses your entire life with significance and eternal meaning because the Eternal God is born to save you. Even though the Incarnation doesn’t demolish your need for rhythm and routine, it does rescue your routine from them being meaningless.

Jesus has joined Himself to you and promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age. And I will never leave you or forsake you” (Mt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5). Christ has entered creation, so even the most mundane things in your life are not routine. Your showers, your commutes, your work, your vacuuming and dishwashing and folding laundry – all of it is done with Christ at your side. Your interactions with family and friends and neighbors and strangers that can, sometimes, be messy – all of those are now moments where Jesus, Immanuel, can shine through you. So, be slow to speak, quick to forgive, and patient with those who are hurting.

The Eternal Word has become flesh. Change your routines to make room for Him. He is eternally with you. Every moment He guides you, and He fills every moment with greater purpose and holiness.

Unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among you because God is pleased with you. Because of Him and because He has joined His life to yours, your life is not routine. Not now, not ever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Guarded by God’s Peace – Sermon on Philippians 4:4-7 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Philippians 4:4-7

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We live in the sunrise of eternity, and the New Creation is dawning. When Paul says, “The Lord is at hand,” he wasn’t just thinking that this portion of Philippians would be one of the readings on the Sunday before Christmas. He was stating a fact. Jesus’ return is at hand. It was true when Paul wrote this nearly 2,000 years ago, and it’s still true – maybe even moretrue now. If something true can become truer.

Just a few verses before our text, Paul reminds us, “[O]ur citizenship is in heaven, and from [heaven] we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body” (Php. 3:20-21). Right now, the very thing we are waiting for – Jesus’ return from heaven to transform us – that blessed event is at hand.

Since your citizenship is in heaven and since your Lord and Savior is at hand, how are you to live? Paul answers that in these verses. Toward God, you live in joy. Toward your neighbors, you live in reasonableness. Within yourself, you live in peace. Let’s consider each of these.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Now, that’s a double command – ‘rejoice… rejoice.’ But even though it’s a command, it isn’t so much a legal requirement as it is a Gospel invitation. Joy can’t be commanded or forced. In fact, the more you try to force someone to have joy, the less joyful that person will probably be. When Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord,” he wants you to remember Jesus and all that He has done for you because that is what brings you true, lasting, eternal joy.

Christ has made you a citizen of heaven (Php. 3:20). Because He died and rose again, you also will rise again. Because He has a risen and glorified Body, He will raise, glorify, and transform your body. As surely as the Resurrection began with Jesus, it will surely spread to you and to those you love who have died in faith (1 Co. 15:20-23). So, no matter what evil things befall you in this world, Jesus has fixed it. It’s not your responsibility to make things right. Jesus has and will take care of it. Because of that, you live toward God with joy.

Also, because of that joy, you live toward others with reasonableness. Sadly, English doesn’t have a good equivalent for the word that gets translated as ‘reasonableness’ here in Php. 4:5. Other translations will use words like ‘gentleness, forbearance, or moderation,’ but even those only convey part of the meaning.

The word refers to strength, but it’s the kind of strength that doesn’t need to impose or prove or assert itself. It’s the kind of gentle strength that Jesus shows when He’s in a boat with the disciples in Mk. 8:14-21. The disciples are all worried because they only had one loaf of bread with them in the boat. So, Jesus brings up the fact that He had fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and the 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and that there were many baskets of leftovers after each instance. And Christ doesn’t say, “You dunces are a real pain in my patootie,” and call down lightning from heaven to strike them. He could have. Instead, He exercises a gracious and reasonable gentleness toward them and says, “Don’t you guys get it yet?”

Dear saints, you can live with that same kind of reasonableness toward others because you know that your Savior has come to right every wrong. You don’t need to demand your pound of flesh when someone sins against you. Christ will take care of things. He’s promised. You don’t need to prove anything about your rank or place or prominence or standing. All of that is secure in Christ. It’s beyond question – even if others don’t recognize it.

Sure, the world is going to throw all sorts of trials and tribulations your way which can and will cause you anxiety. But you don’t need to be anxious or worried about any of that. Listen to v. 6 again, “Do not be anxious about anything,” again that’s a command, but it’s a Gospel invitation. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In other words, take everything that concerns and worries you, take anything that makes you anxious, and make it your prayer. Place it in God’s hands.

Near the end of my sabbatical, I attended a service at Wittenberg Lutheran Chapel on UND’s campus because I am friends with the former pastor there, and it was his last Sunday before he started a call at a new congregation. As we chatted after the service, I mentioned something to him that I was worried about. I didn’t even use the word ‘worry’ in our conversation, but he recognized that it was something that was heavy on my heart. He listened to me go on and on about the situation. When I was finally done, he simply looked at me and said, “Christ has it.” That simple phrase was so calming. It was like the weight and burden of that situation was completely gone. His reminder, “Christ has it,” freed and released me from that worry.

Dear saints, I’d encourage you to think that way about the things that cause you worry and anxiety. Tell God about all your worries and anxieties in prayer. In a sense, those prayers delegate all your worry to God. They turn it over to Him. And after your, “Amen,” God’s response to you is, “I got it. It’s in My hands now. It’s not your problem any longer.” That, again, gives you joy toward God. It also enables that strong, gentle reasonableness toward others. And all of this allows you to have God’s in peace within yourself.

God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Normally, when we think about peace, we think about a quietness and calm. We think about tranquility. The peace of God here isn’t some quiet, passive thing. Not at all. This peace guards your heart and your mind. The word ‘guard’ is a military term for soldiers who stood watch over a situation. Think of how police officers, state troopers, and other federal agents are rightly called ‘peace officers.’ From time to time, those ‘peace officers’ might have to do some violent things – like tase a criminal, do a pit maneuver on someone who is fleeing, restrain a felon, or whatever – but they do those violent things to preserve and promote peace. 

Imagine God’s peace playing whack-a-mole with anything that would come along and disturb you. Every accusation of the devil, God’s peace pounds it. Every tribulation the world throws at you, God’s peace knocks it down. Every sin you commit that troubles your conscience is tased and stopped dead in its tracks by the Lamb of God who takes away that sin (Jn. 1:29).

God’s peace guards you. It’s the stabilizing force that keeps your soul anchored in whatever turbulence the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh would cause. This is the peace that the angels announced to the shepherds the night of Christ’s birth. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Lk. 2:14).

The Prince of Peace Himself has come in your flesh to give you peace. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). Jesus doesn’t just give you a fleeting emotion. No. He establishes His heavenly Kingdom on earth, and this brings you peace and joy. His joy fuels your reasonableness toward others. And that joy and reasonableness grants you peace.

Again, dear saints, we stand in the sunrise of eternity. Your Lord is at hand. Rejoice always in what Christ has done. Let your gentle strength shine before a watching world. Pour out your worries in prayer that is laced with thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness. And watch as God’s inconceivable peace guards you. It guards you like a watchtower over your soul until that glorious day of Christ’s return when anxiety is banished forever. Then, you will feast in eternal peace in His presence. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

The Word Among Us – Sermon on John 1:14-18 for Midweek Advent 3

John 1:14-18

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Moses saw some amazing, glorious things during his lifetime. It began when he was an 80-year-old shepherd for his father-in-law. Moses saw and talked with God at the bush that burned but wasn’t consumed (Ex. 3:1-2). When Moses approached the bush, God told him to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground (Ex. 3:5), so Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Rightly so.

Later, as we heard in tonight’s Old Testament reading (Ex. 33:18-34:8), Moses got a lot bolder than he was back at the burning bush. He asked to see God’s glory. God agreed but with a big caveat. “Ok, Moses, I’ll let you see all My goodness and will proclaim My name, Yahweh, before you. But you cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.” In short, God’s presence is dangerous for fallen mankind. God has to hide His glory from sinners. So, God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and shielded Moses with His hand. And God only removed His hand after He had passed by so Moses could see His back.

There in the cleft of the mountain, God revealed Himself. But even better than that, God proclaimed and defined what His name means, “Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Moses was the only human on the mountain when he saw God’s glory (Ex. 34:3) because God had something better in mind for how to reveal Himself to His people.

Shortly after God appeared to Moses, God’s people constructed the Tabernacle. God had told them build the Tabernacle so He could dwell among them (Ex. 29:45-46; Lev. 26:11-12). God needed to contain His holiness and glory in a way that His people could approach Him without being destroyed. That is why the Tabernacle was constructed the way it was. For God to dwell among His people, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the blood, the incense, and all sorts of offerings were required.

Even with all the safeguards of the Tabernacle, it was only on one day out of the year, the Day of Atonement, that the high priest, and only the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies where God dwelled. And even then, the high priest would have to change his clothes fourteen times, wash himself almost 10 times, and offer dozens of sacrifices to safely approach the awesome, holy glory of God. That’s the theology of the Tabernacle. Yes, God wanted to dwell with His people, but they needed protection from His holiness and glory so they wouldn’t be consumed.

But now, here in John 1:14, John says, “the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.” Now, the Greek word translated ‘dwelt’ is skēnē, which literally means ‘tabernacled.’ “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Because of this fact, we can truthfully sing, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; / Hail th’ incarnate Deity, / Pleased as Man with man to dwell; / Jesus, our Immanuel.” And this is the wonder of all wonders.

The Incarnation, the fact that God became one of us, is how God reveals Himself and His glory to us. Yes, God wraps Himself in flesh, but He wraps Himself in a different way than how you use wrapping paper. When you wrap your gifts, you are trying to keep the gift a secret from the person you are giving it to until he or she opens it. Once they tear the wrapping paper off the gift, the gift isn’t a secret anymore. The Incarnation isn’t like that – it isn’t a secret. Instead, it’s a mystery. And the difference between a secret and a mystery is that a secret is no longer a secret once it is revealed. A mystery is different. A mystery remains a mystery even after it is revealed, and the more you think about a mystery the more mysterious it becomes.

The Eternal Word wraps Himself in flesh so He can tabernacle and dwell with you. In Col. 2:9, Scripture says, “In [Christ] the whole fullness of the Deity dwells bodily.” Jesus does this so you can see and behold His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. And this Eternal Word who tabernacles with you is full of grace and truth.

Back in our Old Testament reading, God proclaimed that He is the God who abounds “in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Without getting into too much grammar and vocabulary stuff, that is very phrase – ‘steadfast love and faithfulness’ – that John is picking up when he says that Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” But notice the difference here in Jn. 1. Jesus doesn’t just proclaim that He abounds in grace and truth like He did when Moses was safely nestled in the cleft of the rock. No. Now in Christ, God reveals it.

The Eternal Word humbled and emptied Himself by being born in the likeness of men. God came in human form and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Php. 2:8). And from the fullness of Christ’s grace and truth, you receive grace on top of grace (Jn. 1:16).

Dear saints, Jesus makes God known. He reveals what God thinks of you. He gives you His grace, and on top of that, He gives you more grace, and more grace, and more grace…

I want to close these Advent services pondering that:

In our normal, human lives, growing up and maturing is a gradual shift from dependence to independence. When you’re born you are totally dependent on others doing things for you – feeding, cleaning, clothing, sheltering, protecting, etc. And as you grow, you become more independent. You don’t need others as much because you can do it yourself.

Spiritual growth is the opposite. Growing and maturing in faith is becoming more and more like a child (Mt. 18:3-4). Being a stronger Christian is learning that you are needy, learning that you need to borrow all that you are and all that you have from Jesus. Dependent upon Him, you receive grace upon grace from His fullness. That is how you mature as a believer. You receive from Him more and more.

That is precisely why the Eternal Word became flesh. He did it so He could dwell with you. So He could live for you. So He could die for you. So He could rise again for you. So He could ascend into heaven and rule over all creation for you. So He could forgive you. So He could give you His mercy. So He can give you grace upon grace. And so you could live and reign forever and ever with Him. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Comfort to the Heart – Sermon on Isaiah 40:1-8 for the Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 40:1-8

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In your lowest moments – and even before those lowest moments arrive – God is there tenderly speaking, “Comfort, comfort,” to you, His people. He speaks that comfort to remove the burden of the debt of sin, and this changes everything for us sinners.

Just before our text, in Isaiah 39, Hezekiah, the king of Judah, welcomes an envoy of ambassadors from the king of Babylon. That empire was growing in strength and power, and Hezekiah wanted to have Babylon as an ally in case the Assyrian Empire attacked Judah. While those ambassadors were there, Hezekiah does what kings often do. He shows off. He gives the ambassadors a tour of his palace and shows them all of his treasure. He flaunted his silver, gold, and spices. Hezekiah displayed all the weapons of his armory – his entire treasury. He left nothing hidden. Basically, Hezekiah was boasting about himself and the greatness of his kingdom, but he doesn’t boast about his Lord and God who had given it all to him.

After the Babylonian delegation leaves, the prophet Isaiah visits the palace to confront Hezekiah about all this. Isaiah rebukes him for being so foolish and prophesies that the Babylonians will come again in a hundred years to strip the palace and the Temple of everything. All the gold and wealth and treasure and weaponry of Hezekiah’s kingdom – it will all be taken by the Babylonians because Hezekiah’s pride did nothing more than make himself a target by showing off. Isaiah says that Hezekiah’s descendants would pay the price of his foolish actions.

And Hezekiah’s response is, frankly, disgusting. Basically, he says, “Let me get this straight, Isaiah. You’re saying that I get to keep the treasure? Babylon isn’t going to come and ransack and pillage as long as I’m alive?” And Isaiah says, “Yeah, but listen. It’s going to happen to your descendants.” But Hezekiah doesn’t care. Instead, he says, “Cool. Everything will be safe and secure in my days.” That, of course, is the wrong response.

Hezekiah should have fallen to his knees and begged for God to forgive him or, at least, ask that the payment of his foolishness not fall upon his children and grandchildren. Instead, Hezekiah callously says, “This is great. I don’t have to deal with it.”

Just over 100 years later, the price of Hezekiah’s foolishness and pride was paid. Babylon came. They destroyed the Temple. Men, women, and children were slaughtered in the streets. The nation was torn apart. People were ripped from their country, their lands, and their homes. And they were taken into exile in Babylon (2 Kgs. 25:1-21; 2 Ch. 36:17-21; Jer. 52:1-30).

Imagine enduring all of that. Imagine being part of that generation who paid the debt of Hezekiah’s pride. They watched as all these things happened, and because they were familiar with the book of Isaiah, they knew that they were paying Hezekiah’s debt because he was totally fine with passing that debt of his sin off to a future generation.

If you were part of that generation who endured that destruction, how would you handle and process that? How could you be anything but bitter and resentful that your forefather had been totally willing to pass the punishment of his sin off to you? How would you cope? Where would you find comfort?

Well, you would find it here in these verses that come immediately after Isaiah recorded Hezekiah’s foolish and callous actions. And dear saints, these verses aren’t only for the people who were carried into exile in Babylon. They are also for you today. Now. “Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.” And that phrase, ‘speak tenderly,’ is a lot stronger in Hebrew. It’s an idiom that is literally translated, “speak to the heart.” God isn’t just speaking cliché platitudes from a far, distant place. No. Your God leans in close to speak comforting words directly into the heart of you, His people.

These words of comfort here in Isaiah 40 are for you because you are God’s people through faith in Christ. And these words cut through the noise and chaos of sin and suffering to touch you where your ache is sharpest and deepest. In the midst of the pain that has come to you because of sin – both your sin and the sins of others – God speaks tenderly, He speaks directly to your heart, “Be comforted. Be comforted. [Your] warfare and hardship is ended; [your] iniquity is pardoned.”

This whole text is beautiful, and dozens sermons could be preached on each line of the text. We could focus on the lines concerning John the Baptizer who would proceed Jesus and make a straight, level highway in the wilderness for the coming of the God who brings this comfort. We could ponder the arrival of God’s glory that will be seen by all flesh for eternity.

Earlier this week, I considered focusing this sermon on the lines about all flesh being like grass. Remember how Adam and Eve – who, after the Fall, became like the grass that withers and fades – they tried to cover themselves with foliage when they heard the sound of God walking in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:7-8). But God had come to give them the comfort that He would send the Seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). And that Word of promise endures forever. Maybe, I’ll preach that sermon sometime in the future. Anyway, there’s an eternity of sermons that could be preached from these nine verses.

But the thing I want to focus on today is that phrase from the last line of v. 2 about receiving, “from the Lord’s hand double for all [your] sins.” And I want to focus on it because, even though it sounds like Law, it is sweet, sweet Gospel spoken from God’s mouth directly into your heart. But we need to do a little groundwork first.

In Is. 40:2, Isaiah uses two of the three most common Hebrew words for breaking God’s Law – ‘iniquity’ and ‘sin.’ The third word that Isaiah doesn’t use here is ‘transgression.’ And each of these words give a slightly different picture of what sin is.

The Hebrew word that regularly gets translated ‘transgression’ means to cross a boundary. In each Commandment, God sets a line and crossing over that line is a ‘transgression’ or a ‘trespass.’ The Hebrew word that most often gets translated as ‘sin’ means to miss the mark. God has a standard for us, but we keep missing it. Think of an archer who never hits the target, let alone the bullseye. Finally, the Hebrew word that gets translated ‘iniquity’ refers to the guilt and shame caused by sin. Think of the weight and indebtedness you feel when you’ve wronged someone – that’s the iniquity. All three words deal with the same thing (our sin), but each one focuses on a different aspect of that sin.

Well, here God says that your iniquity, that debt and weight of sin, is pardoned and that you have received from His hand double for all your sins. Again, this should be comforting. God isn’t saying that He’s giving you double punishment for your sin. No!

Instead, God has taken that debt of sin. He pays for it. Imagine your sin as a pile debt on your account. Because of Jesus, the billions of debt that you owe because of your sin is all paid off. But God doesn’t stop and just get you to an even balance. In place of that massive debt, God credits your account with the righteous deeds and the perfect obedience of Jesus.

You can imagine a chalkboard where all your sins are written down. Through faith, Jesus comes and wipes every last speck of that chalk and dust off. But He doesn’t stop once your slate is wiped clean. He writes over that chalkboard all of the holy, righteous, and perfect works that He has done (see Mt. 25:31-40).

God knows the full debt of your sin down to the last penny. And when Jesus pours out His forgiveness, mercy, and salvation on you, it is in double measure of your debt.

In Jer. 31:34, God says that He forgives your iniquity and remembers your sin no more. Dear saints, be comforted. God doesn’t remember the kind or type of sins you have committed. He doesn’t remember the specific ways you have transgressed against Him and against your neighbor. The only thing that He remembers about your sin is the amount of debt you owe. And the only reason God remembers that is so He can give you a double portion of His grace and mercy (Jn. 1:16).

That is the comfort He gives to you. That is the comfort He speaks to directly into your heart today and every day. Your Redeemer will continue to speak that comfort to you, and His Word of grace, mercy, and comfort endures forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

The Word & Children of God – Sermon on John 1:6-13 for Midweek Advent 2

John 1:6-13

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

These verses make the Advent and Christmas seasons feel like the coming of Spring. And I know we just had our first major snowstorm. We’re currently in meteorological Winter, but astronomical Winter is still eleven days away. Daylight keeps getting shorter. I get it. But even though the coldest days of winter are, probably, still ahead of us, this text fills our sanctuary with a hint of Spring. Can you smell it?

Jesus, the Eternal Word, was there at the beginning of creation with God and as God. All things were created through Christ. In Jesus was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. That Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus, the true Light has arrived, not as a conqueror from a far, distant country, but to rescue you from the darkness of death. The winter of sin is passing. Jesus, the Word made flesh, has come. And the Life that Christ brings is budding all around you even now. Dear saints, because Jesus has come, you now live in the never-ending Spring of the new creation (2 Co. 5:7).

John the Baptizer came as a herald to point to Christ, the Light. John was there calling everyone into Jesus’ Light. But then, when the Light burst through the darkness to shine on everyone, many sank further into the shadows (Jn. 1:10-11). And sadly, this is still too often the case. The Light can be rejected. In Jn. 3:19-20, we learn why it is rejected, “Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed.”

Light reveals the things hidden in darkness. That’s why, when Jesus came as Light, it seemed to many as though judgment had come. But Jesus was not sent into the world to judge the world. No. He came in order that the world would be saved through Him (Jn. 3:17). Jesus came to give Light to the world, to take away sin, and to give eternal life. But His coming felt like judgment because His presence exposes the darkness and filthiness of sinners. In the Light of Christ, there is no hiding. So, the Light is a threat to the will and the way of every sinner. That’s why sinners hate and reject the Light. Even though the darkness cannot overcome the Light (Jn. 1:5), people can love and choose the darkness instead of receiving the Light (Jn. 1:11).

But to all who did receive the Light, to all who believed in His Name, He gave the right and the authority to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). That’s you, dear saints. You, believer. You are rightfully children of God through faith in Christ. And this idea of being God’s child here in Jn. 1 is so rich and unique. But first, we need to recognize what that phrase ‘children of God’ doesn’t mean – at least not in these verses.

The Bible does talk about all humanity being children of God by virtue of our creation. Because Adam was created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), he is called the son of God – lowercase ‘s’ (Lk. 3:38). Since your first ancestor is God’s son, you also are a child of God. Malachi 2:10 says that since God created us, He is everyone’s Father. In Act. 17:28-29, Paul says that all people are God’s offspring. So, yes, we are God’s children by virtue of creation. The Bible does teach that. But we have a severe problem if that’s the only kind of childhood we have because our sin has totally and completely alienated us from God. It isn’t a stretch to say that we divorced ourselves from Him by our sin. So, being God’s child by virtue of creation is not the childhood John has in mind here.

Better than the childhood that comes by virtue of your creation is the fact that the eternal Son of God took on flesh and became one of you. So, Moses in our Old Testament reading (Dt. 18:15-19) could rightly prophesy that God would raise up a prophet like him “from among you, from your brothers.” By virtue of Jesus’ incarnation, He has become your Brother. Since Jesus is your brother, you share a Father with Him, which means that you are a child of God. And this is amazing news that we will be pondering for all eternity. But even as wonderful as that is, it still isn’t the kind of childhood that John talks about here.

Dear saints, here John says that you are a child of God by virtue of a birth. None of us here can say that we chose to be born. You didn’t cause your birth or make it happen. In the same way, it isn’t your will, or the will of any other human, that causes you to be born of God. James 1:18 says this plainly, “Of [God’s] own will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (also 1 Pet. 1:23).

So, John is not talking here about a physical birth. It wasn’t anything that nature can accomplish. It’s a miraculous birth that God Himself brings about by the means that He has established. And Jesus teaches about this birth in Jn. 3 when He sheds His Light as He talks with Nicodemus at night. It is a birth that comes from above (Jn. 3:3). It is a birth of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). It is your birth that God has given you through your Baptism. That kind of birth from and of God is solid and sure. God Himself caused it. It’s His action, His working, His doing (Jn. 15:16, 19) that has made you His child.

The Light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world, and because of what Jesus has done by His death and resurrection, you are born as God’s own child.

Dear saints, again, can you smell it? The winter of sin and death is passing away. The never-ending Spring of the new creation has dawned in Christ. As His Light shines on you now, receive it again. Let it expose and scatter the shadows in and around you. Always cling to the sonship that you have been given. You are God’s child. And in the Spring of Light that He has brought, you will bloom forever in His unending grace and mercy. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Encouragement – Sermon on Romans 15:4-13 for the Second Sunday of Advent

Romans 15:4-13

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, 

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, 
and sing to your name.” 

10 And again it is said, 

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 

11 And again, 

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, 
and let all the peoples extol him.” 

12 And again Isaiah says, 

“The root of Jesse will come, 
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.” 

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If your mailbox is anything like ours, you’ve noticed it being fuller than normal over the last couple weeks. It happens each year – usually beginning sometime around Thanksgiving. You start getting advertisements for Black Friday sales. Different organizations and charities send requests for end of the year gifts. If you live in Polk County, you receive your estimate for next year’s property tax. Packages arrive with gifts that will be wrapped and placed under the tree. Family and friends start sending out their Christmas cards and newsletters. Some of this extra mail makes you excited; some of it makes you mad or, even, overwhelmed. You’re more likely to be excited to open a package or read a Christmas card than you are to open your property tax assessment. And you might be frustrated with how quickly some of that mail fills up your garbage can.

In these verses, Paul is talking about God’s mail to you. He’s referring to the Bible. And all of it has a purpose. He says, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This verse (Ro. 15:4) is an extremely important verse for preachers. It and 2 Tim. 3:16-17 are where Scripture itself tells us what the purpose of Scripture is. Scripture teaches that there are five different ‘uses’ or ‘purposes’ of God’s Word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 gives the first four when it says, “All Scripture is breathed out,” or ‘inspired,’ “by God and is profitable for 1) teaching, 2) reproof, 3) correction, and 4) training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The fifth use/purpose of Scripture is here in Ro. 15:4 – encouragement. When preachers are taught this five-fold use/purpose of Scripture, the two that float to the top as the most important uses of Scripture, the ones that should probably always be in a sermon, are teaching and encouragement. The other three – reproof, correction, and training in righteousness – yes, they are important, but they don’t need to be part of every sermon. The text that’s being preached is what should guide the preacher as to which of the five ‘uses’ make it into the sermon because each text has a different focus. But teaching and encouragement are something that should happen in every sermon – at least, to some degree.

Dear saints, according to Scripture itself, God is encouraging us whenever we read the Scriptures. The Bible wasn’t written for the benefit of the authors so they could write a best-seller and earn a living. Neither are the Scriptures merely personal notes or stories or genealogical records. No. The Scriptures were inspired, written, recorded, and preserved by God to teach you and to give you hope, comfort, and encouragement.

The Holy Spirit inspired each author to write what they wrote to give you encouragement. God Himself is the author of all Scripture. So, He inspired Moses to write Genesis-Deuteronomy for you. He had David write the Psalms for you. The Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah and Jeremiah and Malachi to write so that you – along with all the saints who have come before you and will come after you – could learn and be encouraged. The Scriptures are God’s Word. The contain God’s promises that He gave to our brothers and sisters in Christ who came before us. But they are written and recorded for your sake. In other words, we all benefit from them. Every line of Scripture is written for your benefit.

Sadly, many think that the Bible is nothing more than an old book with dead authors and dead audiences. That wrong idea leads them to conclude that the contents and the subjects that Scripture addresses are dead as well. But they aren’t. The Bible is not a bunch of words for a former time that are intended for former people. As Christ’s children, you know better.

The Bible is God’s Word for you and to you. The Scriptures are written for your learning and mine. The applications that can be made from the Scriptures are for us – even when the things that occur in them happened to somebody else. The Scriptures are for your learning, reproof, correction, training in righteousness, and for your encouragement.

The word that Paul uses here for ‘encouragement’ is the same word that Jesus uses to refer to the Holy Spirit in Jn. 14-16. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Advocate of God’s people. The Holy Spirit uses that Word to point you to Jesus (Jn. 15:26), who is also your Comforter and Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1). And the Spirit uses that Word to bring you to faith in what is firm, certain, strong, and unchanging. Christian, you don’t have to speculate about God or wonder what He thinks about you. The Scriptures tell you exactly what God thinks and what He promises to give to you and to do for you. That is the source of your encouragement.

Comfort and encouragement is always for those who are troubled. There are all sorts of things in this world that might cause you to be troubled, but the Scriptures seem to divide the trouble you face into two main categories 1) a troubled conscience and 2) a troubled heart. And it’s helpful to keep a distinction between those two.

When we think about the encouragement that the Bible gives, we might think mostly about the comfort that has to do with our sin, which is probably good. Scripture is where God tells us all the things that we must do, all the things we must notdo. And as we hear that, we recognize that we are sinners because our conscience is troubled by our sin. Then, of course, God’s Word comes and tells us that for the sake of Jesus Christ, God removes our sin as far from us as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12) because Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Jesus died for those sins, bearing them to His now-empty tomb. All of us need the encouragement that our sins are forgiven so we would be comforted in our conscience.

But Scripture also wants to encourage your troubled heart, which is different from a troubled conscience. In Jn. 14:1, Jesus tells the disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” There, Jesus isn’t addressing the disciples’ sin. Instead, He’s comforting and encouraging them because of what’s about to happen. He’s about to go to the cross and be parted from them. He’ll be in the tomb for three days. That fact is going to give the disciples troubled hearts.

So, the distinction between a troubled conscience and a troubled heart is the root cause. A troubled conscience is caused by sin. But a troubled heart is caused when you see the things going on in this dark, fallen, sinful world and recognize that things are not as they should be. They are not as God created and intended them to be.

This is why all of Scripture – every book, chapter, paragraph, verse, and word – all of it is for your encouragement. Sure, you might gravitate to certain comforting and reassuring passages. That is natural. It’s fine and, even, good. But all of it is for your encouragement. Even the Law portions of Scripture, the parts that tell you what you must do and must not do, even those are encouraging.

Think back to the idea of the different kinds of mail you receive this time of the year. You’d probably rather read the Christmas cards than open your property tax assessment for the upcoming year. Just like you’d probably prefer to read Ps. 23 about God being your Shepherd than, say, Lev. 14 about the laws for a person with leprosy. But both are for your encouragement.

Even God’s Law and Commands are comforting because you are clearly told what is required of you. God doesn’t hide anything from you. There will be no surprises on the Last Day when it comes to what God demands. He’s not shifty. He is open and clear. So, whenever you read Scripture, look for the encouragement. Sure, there are portions of Scripture that you might – at least not initially – think of as comforting, but that’s not a problem with the Scriptures. That’s a problem with our perspective of the Scriptures. In His holy Word, God has laid everything out on the table. Everything He wants you to know, He has told you in His Word. He hasn’t held anything back.

One of the most encouraging things in the Scriptures that should always be on your mind is that Jesus is coming back to rescue you. Our Gospel reading today (Lk. 21:25-36) makes that clear. Sure, some of the language in that reading is troubling. Jesus mentions all sorts of things that can cause a troubled heart – signs in the sun, moon, and stars; distress of nations; the roaring of the sea and waves; and the powers of the heavens being shaken. People will be fainting with fear and foreboding for all the things that are coming on in the world. And we see a lot of that going on today. We see the wars and hear rumors of wars. We see violence and division. We see evil people doing evil things. We hear reports and speculations of all sorts of bad things that might happen in the future. And all of this can cause our hearts to be troubled. But be encouraged. Jesus has plainly told you that these things will happen. So, He’s not surprised when they do. And because He’s not surprised, be encouraged because Christ is still on the throne, and He knows how to deal with all those things.

Your crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ, has ascended into heaven and now rules and reigns over all things for your benefit, believer. And He is coming back to rescue and deliver you from every trouble and every evil. That is your hope, that is your comfort, that is your encouragement each and every time your heart is troubled. Open the Scriptures and be reminded that Christ is coming to deliver and rescue you. 

When your heart is troubled because of all the evil that surrounds you, remember that Jesus promises that evil is the sign that His return is drawing closer. He says, “When these [troubling] things begin to take place, straighten up, raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk. 21:28). Not only is it drawing near, but it is here as our Savior comes and invites us to His table. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

The Word, the Light, & the Darkness – Sermon on John 1:1-5 for Midweek Advent 1

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Texts like this are one of many reasons why I’ll never attempt to create a chronological Bible reading plan. I’m familiar with several of those plans, but none of the ones I’ve seen have these verses from the opening of John’s Gospel anywhere near Genesis 1. And they should be. Parts of these verses are chronologically before the beginning. But I don’t know how exactly how a person could decide where to put them. You have Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” and Jn. 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Which of those should come first? How do you order those? Would you put them parallel to each other? I don’t know. There are valid arguments to go either way.

Then, what do you do with v. 3-5? I suppose you could put v. 3-4 after the, “and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31). But then, what do you do with v. 5, “The light shines in the darkness”? You might consider putting that back on the first day of creation when God creates light and separates light from dark. But ‘the Light’ there doesn’t refer to light as we know it. There, ‘Light’ refers to Jesus Himself, and He existed even before God said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). On top of that, “The light shines in the darkness,” is present tense and is always true. Jesus constantly, continually, always shines into and pierces the darkness, and He will never be overcome. So, maybe you’d need to put v. 5 running down the margin of every single page from Genesis to Revelation.

John 1:5 is so comforting. It’s a verse that I would recommend that you tuck in your back pocket so you can contemplate and meditate on it whenever you get the sense that the darkness of this world is gaining the upper hand. It isn’t. Not now. Not ever. The darkness will never win. It can’t. Use Jn. 1:5 to constantly remind yourself, “Jesus is my Life and Light. No darkness will ever overcome Him, so no darkness will overcome me. The darkness simply isn’t strong enough.” Isn’t that a wonderful, comforting thought?

The reason no darkness can overcome Jesus is that He is eternal. There was never a time when He was not. In fact, time itself exists through and because of Him. He created time and everything else that has been made. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was not His beginning. He always is. Notice it’s not, “He always was” but is (Jn. 8:58; Ex. 3:14).

Look again at our Old Testament reading (Pr. 8:22-31). Jesus, the Word and Wisdom God, is there before the beginning of the earth (Pr. 8:22-23). He was there before the depths were carved. He was there before the mountains were stretched into the sky. He was there before the stars were placed into their orbits and before the foundations of the earth were laid (Pr. 8:24-29). Jesus was right there beside God the Father like a master craftsman (Pr. 8:30). Jesus Himself was the Word that God that the Father spoke and which gave shape and order and beauty to all of creation. And notice the joyful exchange between God the Father and God the Son at the end of that text. God the Son says, “I was daily [the Father’s] delight,” and, “[I was] always rejoicing before [the Father]” (Pr. 8:30).

Jesus delighted in all of God’s creation. But He especially found delight in the crown of God’s creation – the children of man (Pr. 8:31). Just stop and think of that. Do you ever think of yourself as Jesus’ delight and source of joy? You should! Imagine Jesus watching over God the Father’s shoulder as Adam is being formed from the dust of the ground. He stares in amazed joy as God shapes him and uses Adam’s rib to make Eve. And even now, Jesus delights as God knits together every subsequent human who has ever been born – including you (Ps. 139:13-15).

Jesus, the eternal Son of God and God’s life-giving Word, delights in you to the extent that He can’t stand the thought of you being severed from Him. Whenever we sin, we start walking away from God’s Light and into darkness. That is why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). (We’ll cover that verse in a couple weeks. And I hope I’m not preaching myself into a corner here.) God became flesh for you.

Jesus’ delight in you is so great that even though He was God, He became one of you. He took on your flesh. Now, because of the incarnation, part of God’s nature is that He has a human body. Even though Jesus is true God, He doesn’t refuse to endure the same things that you experience as a human. Jesus got hungry and thirsty. He became tired and weary. Jesus prayed to His Father when He was in danger. 

As God, Jesus is always feeding everyone everywhere in the world. But as a human Infant, Jesus nursed from Mary’s breast and was fed from Joseph’s hand. As God, Jesus never needs to sleep. But as a Man, He sleeps on a pillow in the stern of a boat during a storm (Mk. 4:38). As God, Jesus is the commanding General of all the angel armies. But as a Man, Jesus was strengthened by an angel (Lk. 22:43-44). As God, Jesus put into place the entire starry height of planets, stars, and galaxies. But as a Man, Jesus’ Body is nailed to a block of wood in the shape of a cross. As God, Jesus gives life to all. But as a Man, Jesus’ side was pierced by a spear. Jesus is the One who raises the dead, but He was laid in a tomb for you.

Dear saints, the eternal Word of God – begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God – came down from heaven and was made Man. He did all of this for you. He did this to give you Life and Light. He did this because you are His delight. He will not let the darkness overcome you. And He will bring you to Himself in His eternal city where there will be no more night or darkness. He is and will always be your Light, and through faith you will reign with Him forever and ever (Rev. 21:22-22:5). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Alert, Awake, & Armored – Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Scene 2 – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 

28 “But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 

32 “Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus gives a sober warning at the end of this text. I’m going to reorder and tweak the way Jesus says it to make it crystal clear. Our Lord says, “If you do not forgive your brother from your heart, My heavenly Father will do to you what the king did to that first servant. He will demand you pay your debt and hand you over to the jailers for eternity.” Christian, you are forgiven, so you also must forgive. This is what Jesus is teaching with this parable. The parable has three scenes. And the order in which they happen is what makes Jesus’ point so powerful.

In Scene 1, the first servant (let’s call him ‘Vinnie’). Vinnie is hauled into the palace owing 10,000 talents to the king. Normally, a ‘talent’ is a unit of weight, not currency. Commentators are split on how we should understand what a talent’s value is. Some figure it’s a years’ pay; some say 20 years of wages. Either way, this is an impossible debt for an individual to pay off. After Vinnie’s debt is announced, the king commands that Vinnie, his wife, his children, and everything he has be sold. And Vinnie – notice what he begs for – he says, “Have patience with me, and I’ll pay you everything.” In other words, he asks for time. It’s ridiculous. Time? Time isn’t going to help! So, the king forgives the debt, he releases it. But debts are always paid by someone. They don’t just magically vanish. Here, the king pays. He swallows the debt and releases Vinnie. This is utter, unmerited mercy on the part of the king. End scene one.

The curtain rises and the spotlights illumine Scene 2, and we find Vinnie outside the palace. We’d expect him to be in a fantastic mood – smelling flowers and singing with birds. He’s forgiven and freed. But it sure doesn’t look like it by his actions. Vinnie spots his buddy (let’s call Vinnie’s buddy ‘Chuck’) who owed him 100 denarii, which is 100 days’ wages. That’s not an insignificant amount. But compared to what Vinnie was just forgiven – it’s pittance. Immediately, Vinnie grabs Chuck by the throat, throttles him, and demands, “Pay what you owe me.” And Chuck echoes almost word-for-word what Vinnie said in Scene 1. Chuck asks for time, but Vinnie doesn’t even give Chuck that. He has Chuck thrown into prison. Scene 2 ends with other servants informing the king how Vinnie had acted.

Now, just pause here. It’s intermission in the play of this parable. Let’s say you arrived late to the play and didn’t see Scene 1. All you know about it was that Vinnie is the character who owed 10,000 talents to the king. But you did watch all of Scene 2. What would you suppose happened in Scene 1? You would imagine that the king was still expecting Vinnie to pay the entire debt. The king must be breathing threats down Vinnie’s neck. That’s the only logical explanation. It’s the only way Vinnie’s actions are justified. And they would be just. It’s still futile; Vinnie won’t be able to choke enough throats to get out from under his debt. But at least it would make sense of his actions.

Dear saints, how many people know you are a Christian, but don’t have any idea about what goes on here? I mean, they might have an obscure idea that you’re coming here to meet with God. But they don’t necessarily know what goes on in this sanctuary between you and God while you’re here. So, ponder this: What does your Scene 2 say about the kind of God you have? Do your actions throughout the week accurately reflect on what God does here? Do people have the impression that the God you meet here is loving, kind, merciful, forgiving; or do they think your God is a harsh, cruel, punitive tyrant?

That’s all the time we have. Intermission’s over. The warning bell for Scene 3 just rang. And because we know what happened in the Scenes 1 and 2, we know exactly what’s going to happen in Scene 3. The king treats Vinnie precisely the way he deserves to be treated. Vinnie was given mercy, but he rejected that mercy by his actions. Vinnie demanded justice, so justice is what he gets. The king reinstates Vinnie’s debt, and justly so.

Dear saints, mercy has two sides. The first side of mercy is not getting what you deserve. Vinnie deserved to lose everything. He deserved to be sold with his family and possessions, but the king wanted to be merciful and not give Vinnie what he deserved. The second side of mercy is being given what you do not deserve. Vinnie had his debt forgiven and released by the king. He didn’t deserve it. I mean, Vinnie didn’t even have a grasp on how much debt he owed. Again, he had the delusion that time would help him. But the king doesn’t laugh at his idiotic request. No, the king was willing to release the debt and swallow it himself. Vinnie was given mercy, but he desperately demanded justice.

Here’s the thing: Mercy and justice are something only God can possess simultaneously. Only because of what Jesus has done on the cross can God be merciful and just to forgive and cleanse you from your sin (1 Jn. 1:9). Dear saints, God gives His mercy to you. It’s yours, but it is not something that you can keep for yourself and withhold from others. As soon as you try to hold on to God’s mercy and keep it only for yourself, you lose it. Forgiving others and being a forgiving person is not optional for a Christian. And this is hard.

Forgiving others, releasing someone from the retribution and retaliation that they deserve, is difficult. Some of you have been sinned against in ways that are so painful that I can’t even imagine. So, how do you go about being a person who forgives?

Let me give you two pastoral pieces of advice on how to be better forgivers. First, know that to forgive from the heart is something only a Christian can do, and the only reason a Christian can do it is what has happened in your Scene 1. Because of Christ’s death, God forgives your debt of sin. He separates it from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). The best way to grow as a forgiver is to recognize the massive debt that God has released for you.

Second, know that you aren’t going to forgive as perfectly God does. Pain and distrust will still be there. And forgiving someone does not mean that you have to become best friends. You can, and sometimes you must, forgive and still have boundaries to keep the one who has sinned against you away from you.

Forgiving is hard, but you can choose to forgive. That Holy Spirit-led choice is an act of a reborn disciple of Jesus. The emotions of pain and hurt and anger you have may slowly follow along in agreement. But, you might need to drag your emotions kicking and screaming behind you. Your emotions might take a long time to get on board with the choice to forgive. But one thing I would encourage you to do to help with that process is this: Name the sin.

If you’re angry and frustrated with someone for something, think concretely and specifically how you were sinned against. Figure out what commandment was broken when that person hurt you. We live in a sinful world. It’s naive to think that we are going make it out of here without having someone sin against us. You are going to be hurt in this world, and it will be painful. Your natural reaction to that hurt will be frustration, anger, and resentment. If you have that, name it. Name the sin that has been committed against you because then, it becomes something concrete, something you can identify. And being able to identify it, helps you realize what to do with that sin. It helps you realize that sin has been taken away by the Lamb of God.

You might be justified to want to strangle someone. But remember that God was justified to do that to you, and He didn’t. He didn’t. Instead, your God has released you and your debt for the sake of the complete payment of Jesus for your sin. He’s already done that here for you today in the Absolution, and He’s about to do it again here, at His Table. This is your Scene 1. Let that be reflected out there in your Scene 2. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

At Your Strongest – Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-20 for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I love this text. I’ve always loved this text, but younger me really loved this text – however, for the wrong reasons. All this talk about strength, might, armor, wrestling, and facing powerful, cosmic enemies – it gets a guy’s juices flowing. It brings out the fighter and warrior in a man. Sorry if that doesn’t resonate as much with you ladies and mothers here. Maybe, you gals will need to calm down and restrain your husbands and sons and brothers after the service, so they don’t march off to conquer Manitoba or something.

The passage tells us about a war that surrounds us every moment of every day. And it’s good that it does because we would be completely unaware of this war unless Scripture told us about it. Being oblivious to a war that surrounds you is not good. The reason we would be ignorant of this war is that it isn’t a war that we can see. As we confessed in the creed earlier, we “believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and [maker] of all things visible and invisible.”

Today, we heard how in six days God created everything we can see (Gen. 1:1-2:3), but God also created things we cannot see (Col. 1:16). And, dear saints, the enemy in the war that surrounds you is in that invisible part of God’s creation. In fact, none of your enemies exist in the visible part of creation. You do not – I repeat you do not – wrestle against flesh and blood. Instead, you wrestle against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). And some of you men out there are thinking, “Cool, an invisible enemy! That’ll make our victory even more impressive!”

Calm down, guys. And take heart, ladies. Because, while this text is about fighting in an invisible war against an unseeable enemy, the battle plan is straightforward and simple.

Before we can even dive into that battle plan, we have to understand where this invisible war is taking place. To be ready for battle, you have to know the battlefield. And one of the ways our enemy has made us unprepared for battle is taking this text out of its context. You might be very familiar with this text, but do you know what comes immediately before it? Maybe. But, I’ll admit, that even as your pastor and as someone who gets paid to study and teach the Scriptures, I find it easy to forget the context.

The context starts back in Eph. 5:22. Paul has been laying out the callings and duties for Christians in their vocations. Christian wives are to submit to their husbands. Christian husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. Christian children are to obey their parents. Christian parents are do bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And so on. It’s in that context that this passage about spiritual warfare falls.

In other words, you, Christian, need recognize that the battle described here is occurring in your everyday callings, vocations, and relationships. It’s there that you need God’s strength. It’s there that you need God’s armor because that’s where the devil and demons are attacking. They are attacking both you and those around you. Your daily life is the battlefield.

You husbands, wives, parents, and grandparents. The war is happening as you earn a living, as you keep the house, as you shuttle kids around. You kids, as you go to school, as you do your homework and chores, as you interact with your friends, the battle is taking place there.

There are two points I want to make sure you take away from this sermon, and this is the first. So, listen up: There is a spiritual war raging all around you every moment of every day, and you need to be strong and aware all the time. And that leads to right into the second point: You are at your strongest and are completely prepared for this war when you stand in the Lord’s strength and in the armor that He provides.

Right off the bat (Eph. 6:10), you are told, “be strong in the Lord.” Almost all of the popular versions of the Bible will read that way, and I understand why it’s translated that way. It’s a fine translation. But the verb there “be strong” is passive. When it’s only translated, “be strong,” you might start wondering how you go about becoming or making yourself strong.

I wish our translations read, “be strengthened in the Lord, in His mighty strength.” The text is clear. God is the One who makes you strong (Php. 4:13). Earlier in Eph. 3:16-17, Paul says that, according to the riches of His glory, God Himself grants you to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit so that Christ dwells in your heart through faith.

Not only does God make you strong, He also clothes you in His armor. You have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. All of that, God’s strength and God’s armor, it all comes from God’s Word. God’s Word is truth (Jn. 17:17). Christ’s righteousness is given through the Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Gospel is only revealed in the Bible. Faith is given through God’s Word (Ro. 10:17). The Scriptures are what make you wise to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15; Jam. 1:21).

Strengthened by God and armed with and by His Word, you are prepared for this war. But you still might wonder, “Am I properly trained for the war? What are my duties?” Well, you aren’t told to march off to war. You also aren’t told to retreat. Instead, four times in this text, you are told what your assignment is in the battle. You are to stand (Eph. 6:11, 13-14). The picture Paul is giving is that you are a particular kind of soldier – a sentry, who stands guard over the kingdom.

The picture of this passage is this: Christian, you are God’s soldier. As God’s soldier, your responsibilities are simple. You are a sentry who guards the holy ground of God’s kingdom. And God has placed you in a particular place – where no one else is stationed. You are there to watch and to pray. In other words, when the enemy attacks, you are not supposed to go off and fight alone. No. Instead, you stay in your post. You stand in God’s strength and in the protection of His armor. And you pray. With that prayer, you call in the reinforcements of the Lord’s army.

When you see the war raging around your spouse, your children, your parents, or any neighbor – stand your ground, man your post, and pray. You, dear saints, stand in the Lord’s strength and protection. And when the battle gets in close, take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Wield that sword against the devil, and he will flee.

Psalm 35 opens with a beautiful prayer for you to use in the battle. “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! O Lord, take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation!’” Christ Himself is the One leads the charge against your enemies, and He turns over His shoulder to remind you that He is your salvation. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.