Monthly Archives: December 2020

God Makes Room – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2020

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Luke 2:1-20

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

14 “Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace among men, with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

The first twenty verses of Luke 2 are extremely well-known. Some of you might be able to recite them word for word, and many of you can probably recite them with a little help here and there. Sure, you might need a little help remembering that Quirinius was governor of Syria. (It’s a hard name to remember.) And it is good that you remember this passage. These verses record for us the most significant event in human history. The only other event that would be tied with the birth of Christ would be His death and resurrection.

But one of the problems with our familiarity with this text is just that – we are familiar with it. With that familiarity comes certain ideas that aren’t part of the text. And those things can get ingrained in our minds. Some of the beauty and brilliance of this event fades away when some common misconceptions about the event overshadow the reality. Well, tonight, I’d like to take this magnificent gem of a text and get it cleaned and polished to remove the haze of one of those misconceptions. We’re mainly going to focus on one verse of the text. And I hope and pray that you are blessed. 

The birth of Jesus takes up one verse and is simply recorded for us in v. 7, “And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

First let’s lay out the misconception. Unfortunately, we have gotten the idea that Tom Bodett for Motel 6 didn’t leave the light on for Joseph and Mary. (I really hope most of you are old enough to get that reference; if you don’t, you didn’t listen to enough Twins games on the radio in the mid ‘90’s.) All the familiar English translations use the same word there, ‘inn,’ which gives an idea of a hotel. So, we get the idea that, by the time Joseph gets the very pregnant Mary to Bethlehem, it’s late and all the hotels were booked because so many people were there for the census. And it isn’t too hard to imagine that being the case. Anyone who has traveled with a very pregnant lady knows you have to stop for bathroom breaks – a lot of bathroom breaks. The picture in our minds is that Joseph and Mary check at all the hotels, find no rooms available, and end up staying in a stable or barn.

The problem with this is that the word that gets translated as ‘inn’ doesn’t refer to a hotel. In fact, Bethlehem was so small that the little town probably didn’t even have a hotel. Now, the word that gets translated as ‘inn’ here only occurs two other times in the New Testament. The other two times this word gets used are once by Mark and also later at the end of the Gospel of Luke. And both of those times is in the context of Jesus telling His disciples to follow a particular man to his house and say to him, “The Teacher says, ‘Where is My guest room (not ‘inn’ but ‘guest room’ – same word), where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” (Mk. 14:14, Lk. 22:11). And Jesus didn’t institute the Lord’s Supper in a hotel conference room. Also, Luke knows the typical word for an ‘inn’ or ‘hotel’; he uses it in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:34), but it’s a very different word. If Luke had meant to say there were no rooms in the hotels of Bethlehem, he would have, but he doesn’t.

So, we should understand that Luke isn’t talking about hotels. Instead, when Luke says there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the ‘guest room,’ he’s telling us that the couple had arrived at a home – probably the home of one of Joseph’s relatives – but other members of Joseph’s extended family had lodged there and that there was no longer any place for them in the guest room. In fact, it might be even worse. Maybe, when Joseph and Mary get there, the pious, religious relatives learn that Mary is pregnant out of wedlock and they aren’t willing to make a place in the guest room for her even while she is in labor. So, Joseph and Mary only have one option for the birth of the Child and that was the part of the house where the animals were kept. And, just so you know, it was typical back then for houses to have a place for their animals in a lower part of the house.

Now, don’t go home and throw away your nativity sets. Please don’t. They’re good. But it would be good when you look at a Nativity set to tweak your thinking just a little bit. Add this picture to it: Joseph and Mary aren’t out in a pasture away from everything else. Instead, they are inside a full house where relatives are likely talking, eating, drinking, and laughing – just like at a family reunion. And Mary is off to the side, giving birth, wrapping Jesus in swaddling cloths, and laying Him in a feeding trough.

The Messiah, the One whom all of God’s people were waiting for, is finally born, but there is no place for Him to lay His head except for that manger.

So, play this out a little: When the company of angles come to proclaim the greatest news in all of history, they announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. But the shepherds aren’t the first to know about Jesus’ birth. Joseph’s family would have already known. Joseph and Mary probably tried to give an explanation to the family, but they didn’t believe that Mary was miraculously pregnant with Jesus. And, so, they did not make room for the birth and arrival of the Son of God.

Now, this is nothing new. Because of our sin, all humanity is opposed to God’s presence, and in our sin, we have no place for God. That is what we see when Adam and Eve fall into sin. They hear God walking in the garden in the cool of the day but try to hide themselves (Gen. 3:8). It’s what happens after God speaks to His people on Mt. Sinai; they hear His voice and ask Moses to tell God to not talk to them anymore (Ex. 20:18-21, Dt. 18:16). It’s why the scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus even though He repeatedly proves that He is God (see esp. Mt. 26:59-66). It still happens today when people use any and every excuse to not be where Jesus is present with His gifts. In his Gospel (and you will hear these verses in a few minutes), John says it more bluntly than Luke. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (Jn. 1:11).

In the end, we see the sad reality that sinners have no place for the presence of God.

Now, please, don’t finish my sermon for me. This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip. I’m not going to give you a sales pitch appealing to you, “Please, make room for Jesus in your heart.”

Just because God took on flesh and was a helpless Infant, don’t get the impression that Jesus is a fickle, desperate god who is just waiting around for you to make room for Him. Even when He is rejected, when He is pushed out, even when the very people He came to save have no place for Him, He doesn’t twiddle His thumbs and wait for you to make room for Him. Instead, God in His great love for you makes room for Himself.

Don’t let the humility of Jesus’ birth lead you to diminish His power. Even as a little Infant, Jesus is the eternal Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords. Rather let the humble birth of powerful Jesus lead you to recognize His great love and mercy for you.

Jesus knew what He was coming to and wasn’t surprised that there was no place for Him. But He came anyway. He came to make a room in eternity for those who did not make room for His birth. He knew that the infant hands, feet, and body that Mary swaddled up to keep Him from getting cold would be the same hands, feet, and body that would be nailed to the cross. And He did all of this voluntarily and out of love for you so that He could make an eternal place for you with Him in heaven.

That is the moral of this reading, the whole blessed idea of Christmas, and, in fact, the teaching of all Scripture. God doesn’t wait for you to make room for Him. If you don’t make room for Him, He just nestles in anyway. Whenever He comes, He comes to you to bring you His love, mercy, and forgiveness. Jesus made room in His heart for you. All of your life and salvation is not about how open you are to God rather on how He is open to you. And the the birth of your Savior shows, proves, demonstrates, and manifests how open He is to you.

And Christmas then is the time when we do nothing but watch our God come in the flesh and simply say, “Thank you.”

One more thing and then I’ll stop. Luke is a historian. He is detailed and precise. He mentions all the details about it being the first census when Quirinius was governor, etc. which helps prove the factuality of his Gospel. And Luke does this in all his writings. But notice how Luke is fairly vague in v. 7. He simply and briefly records the fact that Jesus was born and laid in a manger because there was no place in the guest room, and he leaves it at that. Luke doesn’t name names or give addresses. He doesn’t criticize, scorn, or belittle Joseph’s relatives for their rejection of Jesus. He doesn’t throw them under the bus. He simply says, there wasn’t room.

Here’s the point: It isn’t a stretch of the imagination at all to think that the very people who refused to make a place for Jesus when He was born became Christians by the time Luke wrote his Gospel. So, Luke covers their sin and doesn’t call it out. Jesus does the same for you.

Because of what Christ has done by coming to earth, being born in such a humble manner, by giving His life on the cross, and by rising again for you, your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west.

And God be praised. You are here tonight. You have rightly made room in your celebration tonight for the birth of the Savior who has made room for you.

People loved by God: Merry Christmas! Amen.[1]

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Pr. Jared Melius for the direction of this sermon.

Rejoice in Peace – Sermon on Philippians 4:4-7 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In a year that has brought sickness, hardship, loneliness, isolation, frustration, and disappointment, this is a wonderful, beautiful reminder from God’s Word to rejoice. We are usually quick to rejoice and don’t need a reminder when things are light and easy. Instead, we need to be reminded to rejoice precisely when we do not feel like rejoicing and when we feel the pain and injustices of this world. And, please know, this call to rejoice isn’t a legal requirement. It is a Gospel invitation. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.”

Now, when Paul calls us to rejoice, it is not some shallow cliché. This isn’t a, “Don’t worry; be happy” or a “Hakuna Matata.” And it isn’t as though Scripture is saying, “Well, you should be happy because things could be a lot worse.” Instead, there is real cause for rejoicing. Rejoice because the Lord, your God, your Savior, and your Redeemer is at hand. He’s right here with you now, and He is with you always bringing His mercy and love.

Yahweh, the great “I am” (Ex. 3:14); the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; your Creator who is a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6) – this very God has come for you, born of a woman born under the Law to redeem you who were under the Law (Gal. 4:4-5). Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for you while you were still His enemy (Ro. 5:10).

Dear saints, there is enough there for an eternity of rejoicing.

Now, when Paul wrote this call to rejoice always, he was sitting in prison, yet rejoicing. Paul knew pain and injustice – from both sides of the coin. Paul was a persecutor of the Church, and after Jesus met him, Paul was a persecuted member of the church. Paul knew what it was to throw people in prison and what it was to eat prison food. And even in his low moments, he reminds us that there is reason to rejoice, and that reason is, that no matter if things are going well or not, God is on your side.

As you rejoice in the faith and confidence that God is favorable toward you, our translation says, “let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” Other translations, instead of ‘reasonableness,’ will use ‘gentleness,’ or ‘moderation.’ Unfortunately, we don’t have a good English word for it. The idea of the word there is to have nobility and authority but acting in meekness and kindness while not using your position for yourself but for the sake of serving others. The word carries the idea of having every right to demand justice for yourself but using that right to bring mercy to anyone in need. Let that kind of noble, gentleness be known to all people.

And then – it is so interesting – as we rejoice and let our noble gentleness be known to people, we are to make our requests be made known to God. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God.”

Being a Christian does not mean that you never have any worries. But one of the reasons you can rejoice is that you can cast all your anxieties and cares upon God (1 Pet. 5:7) by turning those worries into prayers. In other words, whenever you are worried, turn those worries into prayers, leave them at God’s feet, and let God worry about them.

One of the best examples we have of this in Scripture is how King Hezekiah responds when Jerusalem is surrounded by the army of Assyria (see Is. 36-37 and 2 Kgs. 18:13-37). The king of Assyria is marching against Jerusalem is boasting that he is going to destroy the city. He continually mocks God saying that there is no one who can save Jerusalem from his army. King Hezekiah is terrified and anxious when he hears all of this. He tears his clothes and covers himself is sackcloth and takes a letter repeating all these threats, goes to the Temple, spreads out the letter before God, and prays.

And God answers. That night, God went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrian army. God’s people went to bed thinking that they were about to be destroyed, but when they woke up, they found themselves delivered.

Now, this is not mean that God will instantly deliver you from any and every trouble. But He will and, in fact, He already has rescued you. Christ will bring you and His entire Church into the glories of heaven where none of the troubles of this life can enter. That day will come as surely as if it had already arrived. This is why we rejoice.

We can rejoice in the Lord because we know that He rules and reigns over all things, and, in His mercy, He uses His power for our benefit. We rejoice in the Lord because Christ has buried our sins in the emptiness of His tomb. Your sins cannot accuse you anymore; they are gone.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Not just when you’re feeling religious or pious or healthy or happy. Rejoice in whatever condition you find yourself because when you’ve had a rotten day, or when your health is in jeopardy, or when your friend has turned against you, and when your finances are upside down, in any bad situation, you are no less a citizen of heaven than when everything is going your way.

Hudson, God be praised, today you are Baptized. Through the waters of your Baptism, God has joined you to Himself. You have been joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-6). You have been clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27). Just as the heavens opened above Jesus when He was baptized, heaven’s gates are now open to you. That means everything Jesus was born to do and has done is now credited to your account.

All of this is to say – Hudson, Luke, Sarah, Maddie, Brayden, and all you saints – that today is a day to rejoice just as every day is to rejoice. God’s steadfast love toward you will never cease. His mercies will never come to an and. They are new each and every morning (Lam. 3:22-23).

Hudson, and all you saints, rejoice. The Lord is at hand, and you know why He comes. He comes to be your Savior. The Jesus who is coming again is the Christ of Calvary and the Christ Child born in Bethlehem. He is the only one who can bring you peace, and that peace is so great that it surpasses all understanding.

Hudson and all you saints, the Prince of Peace is coming to pour His righteousness upon you and make you His own. Know everything else through the fact that Jesus loves you. And His love for you will never fade or fail. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Unto Eternity – Sermon on Psalm 23, Revelation 22:1-21, and Luke 12:35-40 for Midweek Advent 3 2020

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In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, what will eternity be like? Through these Advent services, we’ve considered the comfort of Christ’s coming and what it means for us now and on the Last Day. But what does it mean for us beyond that? What does Jesus’ coming mean unto eternity? Even though we don’t get a ton of details, the overwhelming picture of Scripture has one common theme, and throughout the all texts tonight (Ps. 23; Rev. 22:1-21; Lk. 12:35-40), God serving you has been that theme.

First you heard how God serves you throughout your life. In Ps. 23, God serves you as your shepherd making you lie down in green pastures, leading you beside still waters, protecting you through the valley of the shadow of death, and finally preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies anointing your head with oil, and overflowing your cup. Indeed, God’s goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Really, the translation there is too weak. ‘Follow’ is not nearly strong enough.

The Hebrew word there is almost always a military term to pursue. It gets used when Pharaoh had his army chase the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:4, 8-9, 23). It is what Israel’s army did to the Philistine army after David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:52). At the end of Ps. 23 – the picture is so beautiful – God’s goodness and God’s mercy pursue you and hunt you down all the days of your life. No matter how often you try to flee, God is coming after you with His goodness and mercy. And that care and compassion of God will continue because you will dwell in His house forever.

In our Gospel lesson, we have another picture of God serving us. And it is so interesting. Jesus opens that text by commanding us to, “Stay dressed for action.” Literally, the phrase is, “Let your loins be girded.”Now, I’m sorry to do this to you on a Wednesday night, but the grammar is too important to not do it. This is a perfect imperative. In other words, it is a command to already be in a certain state. So, Jesus is commanding you to have your loins girded – which doesn’t mean much for us today. But in Jesus’ day this would mean that men would lift up the heavy robes from around their feet and ankles so they were ready work or travel. This is important because God gave the same command to Moses on how the people were to eat the original Passover meal (Ex. 12:11). They were to eat the Passover with their belts fastened (that’s the girded loins idea), sandals on their feet, staff in hand, and eat it quickly.

Now, remember during the original Passover, they had to put the blood of the lamb around their doors to keep the angel of death from entering their household. And this was the final plague which brought God’s people out of slavery. But in this text, Jesus bringing about a beautiful reversal. He gets our minds to be thinking about the Passover with the command to gird our loins, but, dear people of God, we aren’t waiting for the angel of death to pass over. Instead, we are waiting for our Lord and master to come home from the wedding feast He has attended.

So, here’s the picture: Jesus has died, risen again, and ascended to God’s right hand in heaven where there is a joyful celebration going on. But Christ has promised that He will come back for us, and He wants us to be ready for His return. And those who have heeded Jesus’ command to be ready to work when He returns find the most amazing thing upon His return. Instead of us, Christ’s servants, serving Him, Jesus serves us. In other words, Jesus will go to work while you recline at the table and feast for eternity.

Dear saints, Jesus, the Son of Man, came on Christmas day not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for you (Mt. 20:28). And Jesus is returning not to be served but to serve you and shower you with His eternal love.

Finally, we have the most beautiful picture of this in our Epistle text (Rev. 22:1-21). Christ Himself will be your Lamb who shepherds you by the still waters of the river of life which flows from the throne of God. He will feed you in the eternal green pastures from the tree of life which bring healing for the nations. No longer will there be anything that is cursed. You will see God’s face, and His name will be on your forehead. There will be no more night. God Himself will be your light, and you will reign forever and ever.

Dear saints, throughout these Advent services, you have been reminded of the urgency to be ready for Christ’s return. Jesus could come back before this service ends, so be ready. It could be months from now, so do not grow weary, but be ready. It could be millennia before He returns, so ingrain the faith in your children and pass on the faith to ensure others will be ready as well. We need to heed Jesus’ warnings about being ready for His return.

But then we need to take a deep breath and let it out with a laugh because what we are waiting for an eternal party. Christ has already come winning your salvation. Jesus continually comes bringing you His forgiveness. And your Savior is returning bringing eternal joys. 

Ultimately, know this: Jesus isn’t returning like a picky mother-in-law inspecting the china she gave you as a wedding present to see if it’s been chipped or damaged. Instead, Jesus is returning like your favorite uncle with treats in one hand and a pile of fireworks in the other. Yes, we do need to watch and be ready for His return but mainly because it would be such a pity to miss all the fun. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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

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Isaiah 40:1-8

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 
2  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, 
and cry to her 
     that her warfare is ended, 
that her iniquity is pardoned, 
     that she has received from the Lord’s hand 
double for all her sins. 

3   A voice cries: 
     “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; 
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 
4   Every valley shall be lifted up, 
and every mountain and hill be made low; 
     the uneven ground shall become level, 
and the rough places a plain. 
5   And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, 
and all flesh shall see it together, 
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 
6   A voice says, “Cry!” 
And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
     All flesh is grass, 
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 
7   The grass withers, the flower fades 
when the breath of the Lord blows on it; 
surely the people are grass. 
8   The grass withers, the flower fades, 
but the word of our God will stand forever.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I titled this sermon “Comfort Doubled,” but it maybe should have been “Infinite Comfort” because the whole text is dripping with comfort. Dear saints, whenever God comes, He comes to comfort you. Listen to what He says in v. 1 again, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” These words are akin to what Jesus, who came not to call the righteous but sinners (Mt. 9:13), says in Mt. 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” To any and all who are troubled, afflicted, and uncomfortable, God says, “Here is a double dose – two shots of comfort.”

Who gets this comfort? God’s people – whenever they are troubled. That means you. You are those for whom Christ was born. You are those whom God has claimed as His Own. You are the people for whom Christ has died. God says so Himself. He is the One who calls you, “My people,” and He is not ashamed to call Himself, “Your God.” If you play the first verse of this text backwards, God says to you, “I am your God. You are My people. And I give to you comfort on top of comfort.”

The context in which these verses were originally written helps us see just how comforting these words from God are. God has Isaiah tell Jerusalem that her warfare is ended, but when Isaiah writes these words Jerusalem isn’t even at war. Eventually, Babylon will come and besiege Jerusalem, and God’s people will be taken into exile. But even before any of that has happened, God comforts His people with the promise that her warfare will end.

Dear saints, God’s anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Ps. 30:5). And before the suffering begins God preaches comfort to His people.

This is in line with God’s character, and we see this repeatedly in Scripture. Isaiah experienced this when God called Him to be a prophet. Isaiah saw God’s holiness and was terrified because he recognized his sinful lips. But God sent the seraph with a flaming coal to take away Isaiah’s guilt and atone for his sin (Is. 6:1-7). 

Remember how the shepherds saw the glory of God (Is. 40:5) and were terrified? But the angel assured and calmed them saying that God’s appearance in the birth of Jesus was “good news of great joy that would be for all people” (Lk. 2:10).

And even think to our Gospel lesson. John the Baptizer was sitting in a dank, dark prison cell, likely knowing that he would soon be executed. In that dark moment, John sent some of his disciples to confirm that Jesus was indeed the coming Messiah. And Jesus sends them back to John with those beautiful words of reassurance, “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Mt. 11:4-6). All of these are fulfillments of what the coming Messiah would do (Is. 29:18; 35:5-6). John’s disciples return to John to reassure him with Jesus’ words. And after John’s disciples leave, Jesus goes on to talk to the crowd about John, and I think there is comfort for you in how Jesus speaks of John.

Think of this. After John’s disciples leave, Jesus affirms the fact that John was the prophet who was going to prepare the way of the Messiah. And Christ confirms to this large crowd that there is no one born of women who is greater than John the Baptizer. Now, here’s why you should find this comforting:

When you are in the lowest moments in life, when you have doubts and grow weak, you would be pleasantly surprised to know who was defending you even though you might not know it. While John sits alone in prison, Jesus is in front of that large crowd gushing John’s praise. Remember that. Remember that especially when you get down on yourself for your shortcomings. Know that God doesn’t think of you in low terms even though you might. You are God’s beloved child. And do not forget what Jesus says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before My Father and before the angels” (Mt. 10:32; Lk. 12:8). Dear saints be comforted. In any and every time of suffering, God brings His comforting words to you.

Ok. Back to our text from Isaiah. That final line of v. 2 may still make you scratch your head a little bit. This talk of receiving “from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” What is that all about? 

Be careful with what you do with that verse in your mind. Unfortunately, we are often tempted to add a word to that sentence. We read it and add, “she has received double punishment for her sins.” 

Why do we do that? Well, we all know what Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death” (Ro. 6:23). So, it is natural to think of punishment whenever we think of receiving something for our sins. But that can’t be what God means when He says His people have received double for all her sins. You wouldn’t speak tenderly and tell someone, “Your warfare is ended. Your iniquity is pardoned. And it’s ok. I’ve punished you twice for your sins.” That doesn’t fit the context.

Again, what is God giving here? Comfort. A reminder of punishment isn’t comforting. God has given double comfort. Christ came giving double for your sins.  First, He took them away which brings comfort, and second, He gave you His righteousness which brings even more comfort. 

You see, God doesn’t want you to receive any of His wrath or judgment. He doesn’t want you to pay for any of your sin.

Be comforted. Christ has come. Jesus has ended your warfare and pardoned you. You receive double from God for all your sins because your sin is already punished – not on you but on Christ. And in return, you are given Jesus’ righteousness, holiness, innocence, and good works.

This is how God’s accounting works; here is how God manages the debt of your sin. Jesus doesn’t just simply get you out of debt; He gives you an increase. In other words, imagine you stole $1,000 worth of stuff from God. Instead of simply forgiving the debt and calling it even, God gives you $1,000 more (Pr. David Petersen). That is how your God is for you.

Here is your hope, Christian. You have God’s comfort in all things. 

There is nothing sure or lasting or certain in this world. Not the trees, not the mountains, not the grass or the flowers. Only this: the Word of your God stands forever. You can be sure of that. And by that Word you are forgiven, you are justified, you are sanctified, you are glorified, you are comforted, all in Jesus, and all for Jesus‘ sake.

Heaven is on your side. Your warfare is ended. Your iniquity pardoned. And no one, not even God Himself, will charge you for your sins because His Word of comfort stands forever.

You heard it at the beginning of our service, but it bears repeating. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice” (Php. 4:4). Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, God with you, shall come to you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

At the Last – Sermon on Matthew 25:31-46 for Midweek Advent 2 2020

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In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Your Savior, whose first coming was humble and lowly yet announced by the angels, is coming again in glory, and every eye will behold Him. His swaddling clothes will be exchanged for royal robes, and instead of lying in a manger, He will sit on His glorious throne.

Your Redeemer, whose birth was celebrated by the shepherds, is coming again for you as your Good Shepherd.

Growing up, I remember fearing the day of Christ’s return and standing before Him to be judged. I think it started as a dream, but I would often replay the scene in my head. In my mind, the final judgment consisted of Christ setting up a tent (I don’t know why it was a tent) on 8th Ave. East in Williston, North Dakota. I pictured myself waiting in line to go in that tent which opened right in front of our mailbox situated on a wagon wheel.

In my mind, I entered that tent and there was a makeshift projector screen on one of the walls. Jesus invited me in and began to replay my life on that screen, and the replay lasted just over one second. Afterward, Jesus peppered me with hundreds of questions about my conduct and actions – especially regarding my sinful behavior. Sadly, I had no answer, no excuse to offer for my sins, iniquities, and shortcomings. Sadly, the end result of this was that I was terrified of the return of my Redeemer.

God be praised, that is not how Scripture depicts Christ’s return! There will be no replay of your life, no grand inquisition, no need to offer excuses. In fact, the only thing that I can’t disprove of my imagining of the final judgment is that it won’t take place on 8th Ave. East in Williston.

Our Gospel text tonight is typically known as “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.” However, there is no indication that this is a parable. The way Jesus talks here, we can expect that this is exactly how it will happen.

Christ will return in His glory. All the angels will be with Him. He will sit on His glorious throne. All people will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Sheep to the right. Goats to the left.

Christian, you will hear the sweetest, kindest, most merciful and beautiful words your ears have ever heard. “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Then, Christ will divulge before all people your good works and honor you for what you have done. Jesus will confess that you have been merciful even as God Himself is merciful. Christ will declare that you have given as you have received.

Now, we need to be clear. None of these works are the cause of God’s love for you. In fact, God loved and chose you from before the foundation of the world before you had done any good works. In His love for you, God prepared a place for you before you were born. You do not earn salvation and a place in His kingdom by works. Entrance into the kingdom is not a wage that is paid; instead, it is an invitation to be an heir.

The works that God will honor at the final judgment are simply the proof of your faith. 

God does reward good works in this life. He uses those rewards to strengthen and encourage you to continue to put off your sinful flesh. But most of His rewards are dispensed in the life to come so that you don’t grow complacent and lazy. But know this: even when God defers and delays His rewards, God takes notice of the good works because they are good and God loves them.

Dear saints, the infant Jesus who came to save you from your sins is the same King who does not and will not count your sins against you on the Last Day.

At the last, Christ will say to you, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” What a day that will be. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Signs to Stand – Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 for the Second Sunday of Advent

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Luke 21:25-36

25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine being in a castle at night. Everything is quiet until suddenly all the guards and soldiers start running to the fortified walls. They take their battle positions because an army marching to attack. The boots of the advancing army stop tramping, and you hear the shouts of commanders telling the troops to load the catapults and advance with the battering ram. Then you hear it. BOOM! The battering ram hits the castle doors, and the walls shake. BOOM! A rock launched from a catapult hits its target and a couple of windows break and dust falls from the ceiling. Again and again and again BOOM!

Normally, you would be terrified in a situation like that. But not now. Now, you stand with confidence and hope because you are being held captive in the prison of that castle, and the general storming the castle is Jesus coming to save you.

Knowing that, every crash, every clang, every shout of battle, every wall that crumbles around you means that your release is closer. And you know that a new day is dawning, and it is the day of your deliverance.

That is precisely how Jesus wants us to consider the signs He mentions at the beginning of the text. Normally, those signs might make you want to crawl under a table for cover, but Jesus says that should not be our reaction. We should not fear. Every sign of the world coming to an end should give you hope, Christian, because it is an indication that Jesus is coming soon. Yes, that seems counter-intuitive, but remember Christ commands us, “When these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because (pay attention and notice the word Jesus uses here) your redemption is drawing near. Your redemption is drawing near.”

You might be thinking, “Now, wait a minute! I thought Jesus already brought redemption.” As long as we’ve been Christians, we have been taught that Jesus has redeemed us, bought and freed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil with His holy and precious blood and with His innocent sufferings and death. 1 Pet. 1:18-19 says that Christ is the Lamb without blemish or spot who has redeemed us. The book of Hebrews 9:[12] says that Jesus entered once into the Holy Place by means of His own blood and secured for us an eternal redemption. Redemption is done. Nothing is left to do. It’s completed. Jesus said so Himself on the cross, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). Christ has made full satisfaction for all our sins. So, why does Jesus, when He is talking about the end of the world, why does He talk about our redemption being something in the future by saying, “Your redemption is drawing near”?

Christ does so to comfort and teach you that in His second coming, everything that He has already accomplished for you in His first coming will be fully yours. Yes, your redemption is complete. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, left to be done. Now, you are simply waiting in this veil of sorrow and tears for the result and goal of that redemption.

All of this means, dear saints, that when we celebrate Christmas now, we are not just celebrating something that happened in the past. Christmas has deeply meaningful and joyful implications on both our present and our future. The Good News of Christ’s birth which has happened is also Good News of what will happen. We can’t rightly worship the Christ child in the manger without talking about the end and eternity.

The best way to celebrate Christmas is to do what Jesus says, lift up your heads because your redemption drawing near. And the best reaction to all the fearful signs that Jesus mentions at the beginning of this lesson – signs in the sun, moon, and stars; distress of nations; roaring of the sea and waves; people fainting with fear and foreboding; even when the powers of the heavens are shaken – when you see these things, you should not, should not, be afraid. Instead, you are to straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Amen?

But, then in v. 34, Jesus gives another sign of His return. Jesus says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you like a trap.” Those are the signs that should concern us.

Now, I can hear you saying, “Pastor, there aren’t any signs there. None of that is anything compared to the signs Jesus mentions first.” Well, I think the devil has played his old trick on all of us. Satan has whispered in our ears, “Did God really say you should not be afraid?” The devil wants us to be concerned about all the stuff at the beginning of this text even though Jesus says we should not be concerned. And Satan wants us to be unconcerned about what Jesus says here in v. 34 though Jesus says we should be. Don’t fall for the trap.

The sign that Jesus mentions here is that most people won’t be taking things seriously. 1 Thess. 5:2-3 echoes this warning, “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them… and they will not escape.” 

Let’s briefly go through these things that Jesus warns can weigh down our hearts. First, ‘dissipation.’ In the Greek, this means consuming to excess in a crazy way. This probably doesn’t mean getting drunk because that is what Jesus mentions next. Instead, ‘dissipation’ means overly consuming anything that can be used to excess. And, in that excess, you are oblivious of what is going on around you. Gluttony would be included in this, but it can be anything – anything that would distract us and weigh us down. It could be news, politics, social media, entertainment, amusement, even sports. We can get ourselves so wrapped up in these things that we get weighed down. Watch yourselves so you aren’t weighed down with dissipation.

Second, Jesus mentions drunkenness. You can get drunk on alcohol but also on all sorts of other substances. And all of that is on the rise during this pandemic. Watch yourselves so you aren’t weighed down with that either.

But if you think you aren’t really in danger when it comes to either of those, Jesus gives you a wake-up call. The third thing, Jesus mentions is the ‘cares’ or ‘anxieties of this life.’ The root of the word Jesus uses there is the same root for our word ‘biology.’ It means anything pertaining to life. In other words, it’s expansive and means all sorts of things. That’s your mortgage or rent. Your job, your business, and your homework. It’s the cleaning you have to do. It could even be the Christmas shopping you have to do. Literally, the cares of this life are anything you might be anxious about.

One of the worst cares of this life right now is COVID – but not the virus itself. Instead, it’s having your heart weighed down by fear of the virus. I’ve been noticing a tendency to an unhealthy fear. In fact, it seems like there are some who enjoy and prefer living in fear and don’t want to hear any good news or hopeful outlook that might challenge their reasons for being fearful. It seems like some have an attitude that the best good work today is a certain level of fear of the virus and the worst sin is not sharing that fear. Now, don’t misunderstand me. None of this is to say you shouldn’t be careful when it comes to COVID. By all means, be careful and care for others. But don’t let your heart get weighed down. Then, on the other hand, there are those who might wrongly think that any precautions or regulations are a government conspiracy to control us. That attitude can just as easily lead you to be weighed down by the cares of this life too. Don’t let your heart get weighed down.

I sincerely hope and pray that, whatever your attitude is regarding the virus, you examine yourself to see if you are being weighed down by the cares of this life. This is not my warning. This is Jesus’ warning. I’m just applying it to a specific care of this life.

When these things weigh down your heart and make you numb to the return of your Redeemer, things are not right. Don’t let it be that one of the signs of Jesus’ return is your own weighed down, unsuspecting heart. Don’t be lulled to sleep. The day of Christ’s return could come upon you like a trap. Stay awake. Be watchful in prayer so that you may have the strength to escape all the things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. Don’t imagine that you cannot fall and be unprepared for Christ’s return. 

In 1 Cor. 10[:6-13], Paul reminds us of God’s people in the wilderness. They were eating and drinking and going about their life. Then, they grumbled against God for their lack of food, so God sent the serpents to destroy them. Then Paul brings the warning, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” If you think that you can stand on your own, you are in the greatest danger of being weighed down and falling. Repent.

The day will come when everyone will take Jesus’ return seriously. May it be that we take it seriously now, before He comes and not after.

But don’t be confused about what Jesus is saying here. Take your Lord’s warning seriously, but then remember with joy that your redemption is drawing near. The signs that Jesus speaks about are the signs that you should stand firm in your faith. Because the God who has promised that you are completely justified, righteous, and innocent because of the blood of Jesus, that God is faithful. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s promises to you will not ever pass away.

You are a sinner who has a Redeemer who has died for you. He is coming to rescue from the dungeon of this world.

This world is ending. Good riddance. Every sign pointing to the end of this world is a sign of your rescue. All of them are signs pointing you to the return of your Deliverer, your King, your Savior. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Now – Sermon on Jude for Midweek Advent 1 2020

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In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The end is near. Not the end of autumn, that’s still a couple weeks away. Not the end of the pandemic, but, maybe, the vaccine will help. Not the end of the legal proceedings for the election, it’s hard to know when that will be. Not the end of 2020, but that will come too.

The end of days is near. In fact, Scripture teaches that we have been living in the last days since the ascension of Christ. In his sermon on Pentecost, Peter says that we are living in the last days (Act. 2:17). In the second verse of Hebrews, the author says that we are living in the last days. And in 1 John 2:18, John even says that it is the last hour.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the service, Advent is a time for us to think of Christ’s comings. His first coming was, of course, when He was born in Bethlehem. Jesus also continually comes to us now through His Word and Sacraments. And our Savior will come again in glory on the Last Day.

Our services this Advent will focus on Christ’s coming and the comfort that this gives us now, at the last, and unto eternity. Jesus’ return comforts us because Christ first came for us while we were sinners and His enemies. When He came to earth the first time, He came to make us His own by taking up our flesh so He could go to the cross and shed His blood for us. Now that He has done that and has made us His children, how much more will His glorious return on the Last Day be for our benefit?

Tonight, we start with the book of Jude to see the comfort that we have right now knowing that Christ will come again.

Jude is such a timely book for our day. Jude writes to those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father, and who are kept for Jesus Christ. Listen again to v. 17-19, “You must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” Sound familiar?

We live in the age of scoffers. Think back to the first verse of the first Psalm, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” In our culture, we are way beyond sin and wickedness. Today, people celebrate wickedness and laugh at sin. When was the last time you heard someone in the media call something wicked or sinful? Those words are likely to start a firestorm if they are ever used outside of the church. We live in the age of scoffers who mock and dismiss even the idea of sin.

In our culture, what is good is labeled as wicked or hateful. If you dare to say that marriage is God uniting a man and a woman, you hear the majority of the cultural and political elite calling you bigoted, homophobic, and uneducated.

Atheism is the fastest growing religion today because it appears to offer an escape. Atheism is attractive to people today because, if there is no being higher than us, there is no accountability for sin and no judgment. And the heathen of today are terrified of judgment. They know their actions are sinful. So, they just lie to themselves and say that they will never have to answer for their sins. If we are just the highest animals who are an accident of evolution, then there is no accountability or day of reckoning. The nightly prayer of the atheist is, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I sow the seeds I’ll never reap. If I should die before I wake, oh well.”

The Christians of Jude’s day were a lot like us. They were just as dismayed at the evil that surrounded them as we are by the evil that surrounds us now. But Jude wants to remind us that evil has always surrounded God’s people.

Jude goes back before the Fall of Adam and Eve to the fall of the angels. Satan and the demons were not content to be what God had created them to be. So, they rebelled. And for their rebellion, they had an eternal fire prepared for them (Mt. 25:41). And the devil came into the garden to drag humanity, the pinnacle of God’s creation, down with him. 

Jude wants us to remember Cain. God was gracious and merciful to Cain, giving him grain from the field, but Cain rebelled. Cain murdered his brother out of jealousy. Today, God is gracious and merciful to us, giving any and every kind of food we could want and more than we could ever eat. But our culture has rebelled. And instead of killing our brothers; we murder our own children in the womb out of convenience.

Jude reminds us of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were prosperous, but they rebelled and were filled with unnatural desires. Today, our culture is filled with those same unnatural desires. Those sins are even celebrated with parades, they are even given two months of recognition. Will God send the same fire and sulfur upon our land that He sent on Sodom and Gomorrah? Or, maybe, has God already sent His judgment through fires, hurricanes, unrest, riots, and COVID? But our culture has scoffed and largely let God’s wrath against sin go unnoticed. I’d encourage you to read Amos 4:6-11 and hear of all the calamities God sent to His people. And make sure you notice the sorrow of God’s heart when they refused to repent.

We could go on and talk about Korah and his rebellion against God’s servant, Moses (Num. 16:1-3, 31-35). Or God’s prophet Balaam (Num. 22-25) who sought to become rich by proclaiming something other than God’s Word.

Rebellion against God is all around us, in our midst, and even within ourselves. We are not content with the vocations and tasks that God has given us. We seek the world’s approval rather than God’s. We are the grumblers and the malcontents following after our own sinful desires. We are the loud-mouthed boasters showing favoritism to gain advantage for ourselves (Jud. 16). Repent. 

Do not think that God’s judgment is something to scoff at. It’s time to consider that our that current situation is the judgment of God. Repent.

Again, all of these examples from Jude serve as a reminder that evil has always surrounded God’s people. While that doesn’t sound like comfort, there actually is comfort to be found in that fact. Because despite all the rebellion against God and all the scoffing at God’s people, God sent Jesus, His beloved Son, to rescue and redeem His enemies. And that should give us hope now.

So, what are we, as God’s people, to do now, while we confronted and surrounded by all this evil? Well, listen again to Jude: 

Keep yourselves in the love of God. Continue to devote yourself to the Scriptures (Jud. 21). In His Word, Christ comes to you now, in this moment. Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by snatching them out of the fire hating even the garment stained by flesh (Jud. 23). Be in the world but not of the world.

Show mercy with fear. Isn’t that an interesting phrase from Jude 23? Mercy with fear. Be bold to say the hard things that need to be said. It is not loving to condone and celebrate the sins of the scoffers. As you say those hard things, even though you are saying them in love, know that you will be persecuted. But remember that persecution won’t last. From our Gospel lesson tonight, remember that Jesus said brother will deliver brother over to death, even a father his child, and children will rise against parents (Mk. 13:12). Don’t forget that Jesus promised that you will be hated for His name’s sake (Mk. 13:13). Even if it is a fearful thing to do, offer the unbelievers you encounter day after day a carrot on the end of a stick. Proclaim the truth of God’s Word, and extend the joy of God’s forgiveness and mercy that cannot be denied. 

The days are coming, and are already here, where we will probably be called to be a Shadrach, a Meshach, or an Abednego and walk through the fire. Maybe not a fiery furnace, but the fire of persecution. But know that God’s promise is that you do not, nor will you ever walk alone.

Your heavenly Father is able to keep you from stumbling. So, don’t be afraid of the persecution or of your shortcomings. Christ will – absolutely, beyond a doubt, you can take it to the bank – Christ will present you blameless before God’s presence.

To Him be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority. Now, at the last, and unto eternity. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.