Monthly Archives: October 2023

Slaves & Sons – Sermon on John 8:31-36 for Reformation Sunday

John 8:31–36

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus says, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Those words of our Lord have been rolling around in my mind this past month. What Jesus says there has a lot of implications both for individuals and, by extension, for congregations. To be a disciple of Jesus – in other words to be a Christian – means abiding, remaining, and staying in Jesus’ Word. Those who are saved love to hear their Savior’s words. And that does not only refer to the red-letter words in our Bibles. It’s the whole thing. From the words, “In the beginning,” in Gen. 1:1 through the final, “Amen,” of Rev. 22:21 are all Jesus’ Words.

And notice to whom Jesus says this – this is so important. Jesus is speaking to “the Jews who had believed in Him.” In other words, Christ is speaking to Christians (Ro. 10:17) – people who believe His words. So, what Jesus is calling them to do is to continue abiding and remaining in His Words because if they do notremain in Jesus’ Words, they will not be His disciples, they will not know the truth, and they will not be free. Dear saints, your life as a Christian is to continue to learn and grow in your knowledge and understanding of the Bible. To be a Christian is to be a student of the Scriptures.

Now, all of that is important to ponder and consider, but there is something even more profound here that I want us to consider today. Again, as Jesus speaks to people who believe in Him, He calls them to abide in His Word so that they will (future tense) be set free. In other words, those who believe in Jesus are waiting for a freedom that is still to come. That freedom is promised, and that freedom is the hope of every Christian, but it is still in the future.

Today, as Jesus’ disciples, let’s abide in these words of Jesus here for a moment because many other passages in Scripture say that we are free when we believe. Romans 6:22 says that you, believer, have been set free from sin. A little later in Romans 8:2, Scripture says that the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus. Galatians 5:1 says that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Just like the people in this reading did, we might want to ask Jesus, “How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’? Aren’t we free already?” Well, Jesus is clear. “Truly, truly. Amen, amen, I say to you everyone who practices,” probably a better way to translate this would be ‘does,’ “everyone who does sin is a slave to sin.” To do sin is to be a slave to sin.

So, dear saints, consider this: Are you a Christian? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe His Word? Yes. Then Scripture is clear, you are free – right now.

But also consider this: Are you perfect? Do you do things that God forbids? Do you not do things that God demands? In other words, do you sin? Yes. Then, your Lord is also clear – you are a slave to sin. And you can’t wiggle out of this. It isn’t just that you make mistakes or that you are programmed to do things that aren’t quite right. No. All of us deliberately sin. We sin on purpose, with full knowledge, and repeatedly. And by sinning, we place ourselves under slavery to sin and put our faith in danger. Repent.

Jesus knows when He says that those who do sin are slaves to sin is a devastating judgment. That’s why He continues speaking and offers us hope saying that even though, “the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus doesn’t just leave you in slavery to sin. He is the Son who sets you free – both now and in the future. Romans 6 says that you have been joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection in your Baptism, and it goes on to say, “our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin may be brought to nothing, so that,” and listen carefully here, “so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Ro. 6:6-7). 

Jesus tells us the truth. The one who does sin is a slave to sin, and He sets us free from the evil master of sin. These two clear truths from Scripture have to be one of the most difficult tensions in all the world. You are, for a time, both slaves (because you sin) and sons (because you believe and are redeemed). You are free, and at the same time you are a slave to sin. You aren’t one or the other or bounce back and forth. At the same time, you are sons of God and still slaves to sin. The last half of Romans 7 talks about this tension (Ro. 7:14-25).

You are simultaneously saint and sinner, or, as Jesus puts it here, simultaneously slaves and sons. The tension between those two teachings isn’t understandable or comprehensible. But that’s ok. The Bible teaches all sorts of things that are beyond our understanding like the Trinity; the two natures of Jesus, that He is both God and man; etc. We don’t hesitate to believe those things because Scripture clearly teaches them. Well, Scripture also teaches that you are a slave to sin and a redeemed son of God. 

This tension is what keeps you running back to Jesus. It isn’t your obedience or your consistency or the fact that you feel bad about being a sinner that sets you free. Yes, you should feel bad about being a sinner, but that isn’t what sets you free from your slavery to sin. It’s Jesus, the Son, and Him alone who sets you free now and will make you free forever.

Dear saints, when – not ‘if’ but ‘when’ – when you feel the weight of your slavery, when the shackles of your iniquities rub your wrists and ankles raw, when the whip of your transgressions has shredded your back, remember Jesus came for you. He came – not for the righteous because there aren’t any righteous – He came to call you, sinner, to repentance and faith (Mt. 9:13; Mk. 2:17; Lk. 5:32). Jesus sets you free, and if He sets you free, then you are free indeed.

Child of God, abide in Jesus’ Word, and you will remain in the house forever. Amen.

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

The Garment-Giving King – Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:1–14

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What kind of king is this? Throughout most of this parable, he doesn’t look or act like a normal king.

His royal highness is throwing a wedding feast for his son and has already sent out invitations to his subjects. But when he sends his servants to call the guests, they don’t come. The king sends out a second batch of servants with a third invitation, “The feast is ready, the best food – the oxen and fattened calves – have been slaughtered and prepared. Come to the wedding feast.”

Here the king just looks desperate. He doesn’t look like a dignified, royal ruler. He looks more like the smelly, dorky kid in school who wants his classmates to come to his party. And that is how his subjects treat him. They don’t pay any attention to the invitation. They don’t care about his party. They have better things to do. Some go off to work in the dirt, others simply go about business as normal, but some get violent. They seize the servants, commit all kinds of atrocities against them, and even kill them.

What kind of king is this? He seems desperate, needy, whiny, and almost pathetic. That’s what his subjects seem to think of him. They have no interest in him. They don’t care about him, his son, the wedding, or the banquet. How is the king going to react? Well, he’s still the king. Even though he appears weak, he still has his army. After his three invitations have been despised and dismissed as an inconvenience, the king is done with these ungrateful, unworthy subjects. No more servants. Now, it’s time for the troops, the horses, chariots, battering rams, swords, and torches. Vengeance against these unworthy subjects is what is called for and is doled out. The ungrateful invitees are destroyed, and their city is burned to the ground.

But what happens next? Standing on the walls of his castle and overlooking the smoldering ruins that surround him, we would expect that the king would give up on this party and just have a small ceremony for his son. But still the king hasn’t given up. He sends out more servants to the highways and byways. “Bring in anyone you can find. I don’t care who they are. I don’t care if they are good or bad. Just bring as many as you can find into the palace. Fill the banquet hall. It’s time to feast.” All this king wants to do is celebrate the marriage of his son. And he wants people around him to enjoy what he provides.

So, the servants go out and find people. It doesn’t matter if they are noble or common peasants. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or beggars. If the servants can find them, they bring them in. This is a royal wedding and a “black tie” event, but none of these guests needed to rush home and find their best attire. No need to rent a tuxedo or evening gown. The king had them covered, literally. Upon their arrival, the king provided each one of these unprepared, unwashed guests with a wedding garment. He would clothe them from his own royal wardrobe. This king spares no expense when it comes to throwing this feast.

So, the hall is filled with guests. The food is served. The drinks are poured. The music starts. The dancing begins. And the king enters the banquet hall to finally enjoy his party. But what does he see? Another holdout, another person who despises him and his provisions. There in the corner is a man without a wedding garment, a man who decided his own stinky, smelly, unwashed clothes were just fine. He figured he didn’t need the king’s gift, so he refused it. But he miscalculated. Badly.

The king addresses this man, “Friend,” and this isn’t the normal word for ‘friend,’ so we could almost translate it, “Buster, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” This king had provided everything that was needed. Everything was free. And the man has no excuse because there is none. So, the king has the man bound and tossed out – not just out of the party – out into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The parable ends there, but based on what the king has done so far in the story, what do you suppose he does after this rascal is thrown out? I would imagine he simply goes back to the wedding feast, back to the party, the food, the drink, the dancing, and the merry making. The king wanted his feast, so why wouldn’t he let the feast go on?

Seriously, what kind of king is this? Remember, according to Jesus, this is a parable about the kingdom of heaven. The King is God Himself. And this parable mirrors what you see and experience.

In this world, almost everywhere you look, people despise God, the true King. And it isn’t just His invitation they despise. People despise everything God has said. There is little or no respect for God or the authorities He has established – parents, police, leaders, etc. And the people in those positions of authority, who have been placed there by God (Ro. 13:1), don’t seem to deserve authority. You turn on the news, and you see killing, looting, riots, and stealing. Nations are at war. Terrorists are mercilessly attacking women and children. In our estimation, it looks like God doesn’t seem to care about the sin and wickedness that runs rampant throughout the kingdom of His creation. But our understanding of the situation is not correct.

In our Old Testament reading (Is. 55:1-9), we heard what God desires, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” God desires that everyone would be His guest at His table; He desires that all would be saved and at His banquet (1 Tim. 2:4).

When we look at the state of this world, we are tempted to think that God doesn’t care, or that He can’t or won’t do anything about it. We are wrong. Whenever God delays judgment on the wicked, any time we imagine that He is overlooking sin, it is a display of His mercy and grace. God delays His judgment because He wants His banquet filled. God wants to clothe all sinners in the robe of Christ’s righteousness won on the cross. You don’t know better than God. Your ways are not better than His ways. Your thoughts are not higher than His thoughts (Is. 55:8-9).

God is King. He rules and reigns over all things. He isn’t ignoring the sin and wickedness in this world. No. God’s being patient. He wants as many as possible at His feast; He wants His banquet to be filled. To us, His promises seem to be slow, and even forgotten. But they aren’t. He wishes all to reach repentance and faith (2 Pet. 3:9). He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6).

Dear saints, the banquet is prepared. The King has invited you and clothed you in Christ’s righteousness. The garment-giving King has given you a seat at His feast. His patience in judgment is for your good and for the good of others. In His timing, everything that is wrong will be put to right. Stand in the garment of righteousness that you have been given, and be patient. The feast will begin soon. Amen.

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

Old Man, New Man – Sermon on Ephesians 4:17-28 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 4:17–28

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The first four verses of this text are intense. Paul tells the Christians at his former congregation in Ephesus that they are to no longer walk like the Gentiles. Then, his description of the Gentiles is where things liven up. They have futile minds and a darkened understanding. They are alienated from the life of God. They are ignorant, hard-hearted, callous, licentious, and pursue every kind of impurity. Paul isn’t beat around the bush. He is blunt and to the point, not an ounce of “Minnesota Nice” in this description. It’s no wonder that we repeatedly see in the book of Acts that, when Paul goes and preaches in a new place, he gets chased out of the city, beaten with rods, arrested, or pummeled with rocks. 

But, now, this needs to be abundantly clear. When Paul is speaking about the Gentiles in this text, he’s referring to unbelievers, people who aren’t Christians. These Gentiles are not identified either by their blood or ancestry, rather they are identified by what they do. Their actions, their darkened understanding, their futile minds, and their sins have alienated them from God.  Back in Eph. 2:3, Paul says that all mankind was just like this in their unbelief. Paul even described himself in a similar way when he was a persecutor of the church before he was converted (Gal. 1:13-14). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul is diagnosing the disease in all of us – sin. Left to ourselves, this cancer of idolatry will destroy all of us sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. And there is nothing you or I can do to rescue ourselves from this alienation. There must be a transformation. There must be a complete, radical change.

That change comes only through learning Christ. Christ Himself is the school, the teacher, and the lesson. Through learning Christ, which is nothing more than hearing His life-giving Word and believing in Him as the Savior of sinners, something wonderful happens.

Look again at v. 22-24. Our translation can give a wrong impression. The way it is worded might make it sound like we are commanded to do several things: put off the old self (the word there is ‘man’), be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self (again, the word there is ‘man’). It might sound like those are commands – things we must do. There are a lot of sermons floating around on the internet that say this putting off and putting on is our work, and those sermons give tips, steps, and instructions on how to do it. That is notwhat those verses are saying. These are not things we have to do; these are things that have happened toyou, Christian!

The grammar is clear. What Paul is saying there is that you have put off the old man. The renewing of your mind happened when you believed and ‘learned’ Christ. You have put on the new man who has been created according to God’s likeness in true righteousness and holiness. What Paul is saying here is similar to what the Holy Spirit inspired him to say in Gal. 3:27, “As many of you as were Baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Jesus is the New Man, the New Adam, the Second Adam (1 Co. 15:45), who is the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, and you have put on Christ through faith. Now, when God looks at you, Christian, He doesn’t see your sin. No, He sees Jesus’ righteousness and holiness.

In short, what these verses are saying is that you are to be and remain who God has made you to be by His grace through faith. This is not and cannot be a result of works lest you should boast (Eph. 2:8-9). God has done this to you and for you, believer. This is all so beautiful.

Only after this is firmly established – the fact that by God’s grace given through the working of the Holy Spirit, your old man has been replaced by your new man – only then does Paul go on to give a series of commands. They come in v. 25-28, and each of them could be their own sermon, but I’ll be brief. But, again, notice the introduction to these commands: “Therefore, having [already] put away falsehood…” do these three things:

The first command is that each one of you speak truth with your neighbor. A Christian loves the truth and hates what is false. Christians tell the truth even when it is tough, even when it isn’t nice. The easiest way to be nice all the time is simply to never speak. But God wants you to speak; He wants you to speak the truth in love. Sometimes, this means saying uncomfortable things. Christians call sin ‘sin’ because it is the loving thing to do. Don’t let your fear of what others might think about you stop you from speaking the truth – either about their sin or, even more importantly, about Jesus, the Savior from sin. How many moments and opportunities to share the Gospel have passed you by because you were afraid to simply speak the truth? Even as a pastor, I can say I’ve let too many go. Lord, have mercy upon me, the sinner.

The second command is, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Remember that Jesus says that being angry with your neighbor is the same as murder (Mt. 5:21-22), and many places in Scripture anger is right up there at the top of the list of harmful sins (2 Cor. 12:2; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:8; etc.). In fact, just a couple verses after our text, Paul says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger… be put way from you” (Eph. 4:31). He doesn’t just say, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” He says get rid of it – all of it. So, how are we to understand this?

Get rid of your anger quickly. Getting rid of anger doesn’t mean that you are a pushover. Christians aren’t weak people; remember we speak the truth even when it is hard. But part of our strength is to not give in to our anger, to not be frustrated, irritated, or whatever other synonyms you might replace with the word ‘anger.’ It’s easy to get mad. Toddlers get mad and throw temper-tantrums because they don’t have the strength and discipline to overcome their emotions. Putting away anger takes strength, work, and discipline. Christians are strong people who stay calm even in the face of evil. They control their temper. Remember, Jesus used His strength to patently endure beating, mocking, insults, and even an unjust execution.

The third command is, “Let the thief no longer steal, rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Christians who have put off the old man and put on the new man don’t steal. And don’t be quick to fool yourself into thinking that you’ve never stolen. Sure, maybe you’ve never taken something from someone’s house, robbed a bank, or shoplifted. If you haven’t done that, that’s good, but be honest, you’ve stolen.

Have you ever done a job on the side and asked the person to pay you in cash so you don’t have to report it as income? Yes, that’s stealing. Romans 13:7 says that we are to pay our taxes, and Jesus says to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s (Mt. 22:21). Have you found out something you own is about to break so you quickly sold it? You probably aren’t going to get arrested or sued for that, but that is another form of stealing. Have you ever slacked off at work? That’s stealing too.

Christians are to work. We don’t avoid working, and God cares about the motivation we have for working. The reason we work is so we can be generous and have something to give. Our motivation to work is so that we can give to others who have needs. Christians are conduits of God’s own giving. Work so you can give. This doesn’t come naturally, but it is something God can, and does, cultivate in us.

Dear saints, you stand before God righteous, holy, and blameless. Live that way. Continue to be truth-tellers, beat back your anger, and be generous. God has put off your old man and put on the new Man, Christ. And this God now invites you to His table where He will put in you His Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. And when you go from here, be what God has made you to be. Amen.

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

Depend – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:34–46

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord, 
“Sit at my right hand, 
until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This Gospel reading takes place on Holy Tuesday. In other words, it is just a few days before Jesus will be crucified, and what we heard is Jesus’ last public teaching until He preaches the seven last words from the cross. The Pharisees and Sadducees are asking our Lord three questions to try to entangle Him in His words (Mt. 22:15). They want Jesus to say something they can use against Him and kill Him. The first two questions they asked were about paying taxes and the resurrection. But Jesus answers both questions so skillfully that they can’t find a way to accuse Him.

Our text begins with their third and final trick question that comes from a sleezy lawyer. “Teacher, what is the great commandment in the Law?” It seems as though the intent of this question is to get Jesus to put one of the Commandments above the others, and when He does that, they will say that He teaches that the other nine aren’t as important. But they end up looking like fools. It was Jesus’ finger that carved those words into the stone tablets and His voice that spoke them on Mt. Sinai. Jesus is the Author of the Commandments, and they are all important.

So, Jesus answers the question, “The great Commandment is this: love God with everything you’ve got and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “All the Commandments matter. All of them are the greatest. They all demand that you love God and love your neighbor. All the Commandments depend on these two.” Jesus is clear here, and Scripture is clear elsewhere that what the Commandments require of us is to love. Love is the fulfilling of the Law (Ro. 13:10b). In every situation, you are to love God and love your neighbor. And it is important to spend some time on this because there is a lot of unnecessary confusion about what love looks like. A pastor friend of mine (Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller) put together a list that helps to define and shape what love looks like. And this list is biblical and, I think, very helpful.

First, love is shaped by the Ten Commandments. Love does not mean that there are no other Commandments. No, the Commandments define what love is. Love depends on the Commandments. If you are fornicating and committing adultery, you cannot presume to say that it’s ok because, “We love each other.” Adultery is always unloving.

Second, love is shaped by our vocation or our station in life. Everyone has several vocations, so I’ll use myself as an example here. Some of my vocations are husband, father, pastor, a child of my parents, a friend, etc. In each of those vocations, I am called to love. But what that love looks like depends on those different vocations. For example, part of my love as a father includes providing for my family. So, I earn a living so my wife can go and buy socks for our kids. As a pastor, my love looks different. It looks like faithfully preaching and teaching God’s Word to you, the flock that God has entrusted into my care. My vocation as a pastor does not require me to buy socks for all of you. Pastors are not called to provide socks for their congregations. But that, then, leads us to the third thing that shapes our love.

Our love is also shaped by the needs of our neighbor. If one of you, who aren’t part of my family, needs socks and can’t get them for yourself, my love for you would be to give you socks. Even if the only reason I know you and your need socks is that I’m your pastor, I’m not giving you socks because I’m your pastor. I’m giving you socks because I am your brother in Christ. And if I needed socks, I would want one of you to give me socks if you have the means and resources to provide them. In that instance, I’m loving you as I would love myself. (I think this is the most I’ve ever used the word ‘socks’ in a sermon, but I’m done now.)

That leads us to the fourth thing that shapes our love which is the gifts God has given us. God gives us stuff, skills, and talents so we can use them to love and serve our neighbor. If God has made you successful and given you a lot of money, use those resources to love your neighbor. If God has given you the talent of being good at cooking, you love your neighbor by cooking. If God has given you good mind for math, you can love your neighbor as an engineer or an accountant. The beautiful thing about this one is that the gifts God gives you can help you love your neighbor across different vocations. A person who is good at math can be a good accountant. He can earn a good living and provide for his family and, at the same time, love and serve his clients who need someone to keep their books.

Just briefly here, our neighbor’s need might mean that we have to love our neighbor in a way that we aren’t gifted. Imagine a meteor hit the church during this service. We don’t have an ER doctor here, but we do have an optometrist, a medical student, nurses, and EMTs who are gifted in knowing how the body works and how to heal. They should be the ones who go to the people who are most injured and help them. And if more people are injured, those of us who aren’t gifted in that way are called to do the best we can even though that kind of love is usually reserved for doctors and nurses. Our neighbor’s need trumps how we are gifted. Especially in an emergency, we love and serve others based on their needs rather than our love depending on our gifts. And when the ambulances get here, we who don’t know as much about first aid should step aside and let the professionals use their gifts to serve the people in need.

So, the first four things that shape our love are: 1) the Ten Commandments; 2) our vocation; 3) our neighbor’s need; and 4) our gifts. All of that is fairly obvious and reasonable. But there is another thing that shapes our love, and this last one is one that our culture fights against (for several reasons). But this one is also important to consider. The fifth thing that shapes our love is our neighbor’s sin, and this is where things can get tricky and difficult. But this is also where Jesus’ summary of the Ten Commandments – love God with everything and love your neighbor as yourself – is helpful. And God gives you wisdom to help navigate this.

Imagine you know someone who is addicted to fentanyl, your calling is still crystal clear: you are called to love that person. But now what is that love going to look like? Is it loving to just step aside and let them keep killing themselves by using that fentanyl? No, it isn’t. Their sin against themselves might even mean that you need to break one of the Commandments in order to love them. You might need to steal their fentanyl even though stealing is sin and a violation against the 7th Commandment.

Now, please recognize that the Ten Commandments are still the primary thing that shapes and defines our love. But because of your neighbor’s sin, you break the 7th Commandment about stealing in order for you to keep the 5th Commandment which calls you to do your neighbor no bodily harm, but help and defend him in every need. This is why knowing the Commandments is so important. And, again, your vocation still plays into this too. You aren’t called to travel to San Francisco, Seattle, or Portland and steal fentanyl from all the addicts in those places.

Our neighbor’s sin can hinder the ways we love them. Parents, when your children are breaking the 4thCommandment and not obeying you, your love for them looks like disciplining them; it isn’t what you want to do, but you are called to do it (Pro. 22:15; 23:13; Heb. 12:11). If you have abusive parents, you are still called to keep the 4th Commandment and honor them, but their sin could mean you have to disobey them if they demand you do something contrary to God’s Word. If your cousin, Stacy, is getting married, your love normally looks like going to her wedding and celebrating with her. But if she is breaking the 6th Commandment by trying to be married to another woman, your love for her means not going to the wedding because that would embolden her in her sin against the 6th Commandment. Yes, this is hard and difficult. Yes, this is uncomfortable. Yes, it is even confusing. You are always called to love, but sin can put constraints on love.

And that brings us to the second part of our text which is the question Jesus asks the people who are trying to trip Him up. Jesus turns the discussion to the identity of the Messiah. The Savior is David’s Ancestor and also David’s Lord. The way this is possible is that Jesus is the fully Divine, eternal Son of God and fully human. Christ is God and Man.

Your Savior’s love for you was fully shaped by the Ten Commandments, which Jesus kept perfectly. His vocation was to be the Messiah and shed His blood and bear the punishment for the sins of all humanity because that was our need. He was gifted with everything necessary to be the Savior. And He navigated our sin in such a way that He perfectly loved God by loving us and bearing our sin to the cross. Now, He is risen and lives and reigns on the throne of all creation for eternity. 

Your eternal life totally depends upon what Jesus, the Son of God and Son of David, has done. God be praised that He has done all things well (Mk. 7:37). Amen.

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

Confidence – Sermon on Esther 4:7-16 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Esther 4:7–16

7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” 

12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:7-16

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In our Gospel lesson (Lk. 14:1-11), Jesus warns about taking a place of honor at a banquet because someone more distinguished might come and you’ll get relegated and downgraded to the kids’ table. Well, Esther is facing a much more dire situation. Even though she is the queen, if she puts herself in front of the king without him extending his golden scepter, she could face immediate execution. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, it is good to recap what has happened up to this point in the story of Esther.

A man named Mordecai grew up in Jerusalem, but when the Babylonian armies came and destroyed his city, he was taken into captivity and now lives in Susa (Est. 2:5-6). Mordecai had taken it upon himself to raise his cousin, Esther, who had been orphaned (Est. 2:7). We aren’t sure how her parents had died, but it is likely they died when Jerusalem fell. Mordecai was a Christian man. He had the Bible, read it, and trusted the promises God made in it. The main promise that Mordecai trusted and believed was that God would send a Messiah who would save His people from their sin by sacrificing Himself. 

Esther grew up to be very beautiful. She was chosen by King Ahasuerus (aka. King Xerxes) to be the queen in place of his former wife, Vashti who had disobeyed one of his commands. There’s a lot more to that story, but for our purposes today, it’s enough to know that Xerxes had no hesitation to toss aside even his own wife if she does something he doesn’t like (Est. 1).

Even though Esther had become the Queen, she wasn’t living in a ‘happily ever after’ situation. The reason for that brings us to the main villain in the story, who is a man named Haman. Haman was a prominent advisor and official – he was Xerxes’ right-hand man (Est. 3:1). Xerxes had commanded that all the servants at his gate must bow down to Haman when he walked by, but Mordecai, who was one of those servants, refused, and Haman didn’t like that one bit (Est. 3:2-5). So, Haman found out that Mordecai was a Jew, and he told Xerxes that all the Jews in the land despised Xerxes’ commands and laws. Haman offered a huge sum of money (Est. 3:9) to Xerxes if he would sign an order that every Jew living in the kingdom be killed on a certain day. Haman wanted to have Mordecai and all his people destroyed – a holocaust. And Xerxes agreed. He had the order sent throughout the kingdom, but when Xerxes signed the order, he didn’t know that Esther, his wife and Queen, was a Jew herself (Est. 2:20).

That brings us to our text. As soon as Mordecai learns about the plan, he sends a message to Queen Esther in the palace through this guy Hathach telling Esther, “You’ve got to do something about this.” And Esther responds to Mordecai, “Listen, if I go to the king without being called and summoned, I’m probably going to be killed. Xerxes hasn’t called me to come before him for a whole month.” In other words, “This is really risky. If I try your plan, Mordecai, I’ll be executed.”

Mordecai replies to Esther – and this is where I want to spend the rest of this sermon – saying, “Listen Esther, just because you live in the king’s palace don’t think that you are going to escape the fate of the rest of us Jews living out here.” Then in v. 14, Mordecai says, and this is so beautiful, “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.”

Did you catch what Mordecai is saying there? Remember, Mordecai is a Christian. He has confidence and faith in God’s promise. He says, “If you don’t do this, we’re all going to die. But even if we die now, relief and deliverance will rise for us. I have no idea where it might come from, but God has promised. He will deliver. He will send the Messiah someway, somehow.” Mordecai knew his Bible. He knew God would send the Savior, the promised offspring of David and Abraham. Mordecai is completely certain that God will come through on that promise. His faith and confidence here is remarkable.

But note the change in Mordecai’s tone when he talks about the current situation with Esther. “Who knows whether or not you have been made the Queen for such a time as this.” I know that’s currently the famous line from Esther, but the whole thing is so important. Mordecai is not telling Esther, “Just go to Xerxes. God will keep you safe. Everything will be fine.” Mordecai doesn’t say that. He might wish he could say that, but he can’t say that because there is no promise in the Bible that Esther will be safe in this particular situation.

All Mordecai can say is, “Esther, know that God loves you. He is going to send the Savior. Yes, if you go and stand before the king, you might die. But I’m asking you to do it out of love for your people.” And this isn’t lost on Esther. She asks Mordecai to have everyone pray and fast for her. She will break the law; she’ll take the risk and go to the king. And she says, “If I perish, I perish.” In other words, even though she doesn’t know how all of this will all turn out, out of love for Mordecai and her people, she uses her sanctified reason and decides to take the risk and go to the king.

Dear saints, the Christian life is marked by two things – faith and love. Faith lays hold of God’s clear, certain promises and puts full and complete confidence in them, and God is pleased with that faith. Love ventures out into what is uncertain and, sometimes, risky to serve the neighbor, and God is pleased with that. God was pleased with Esther’s decision to take the risk, and God uses her action to deliver the Jews in a remarkable way. I’ll just encourage you to read the whole book of Esther to see how God uses Esther’s risk-taking to deliver her and her people.

Here’s the point: In this life, safety is an illusion, and it is an illusion that can become a horrible idol. Think of the Israelites in the wilderness. God had made clear promises to bring them into the land of Canaan, but when the twelve spies returned from checking out the land and ten of them told the people about the huge giants they would have to fight (Num. 13:25-14:4), what did the people do? Did they take the risk, or did they choose safety? They chose safety, and how did that go for them? Did they get safety? Sort of. Every day for the next forty years, God provided them with food, but they wandered. For forty years they walked around in the sand and dust while every one of the adults – except the two faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb, who had tried to remind the people of God’s promise – all the other adults died without a homeland. Forty years wasted with wandering and death.

Now, I say all of that stuff about safety being an idol, but this can be taken too far. For example, wear a seatbelt in a car. A seatbelt doesn’t guarantee your safety if you get in in an accident, but it is not a sin to wear a seatbelt. You aren’t worshiping that strap by wearing it, so it isn’t idolatry. And wearing a seat belt doesn’t keep or hinder you from loving your neighbor. In fact, God might use that seatbelt to help you love your neighbor in the future by protecting you so you can love your neighbor instead of being paralyzed. Basically, what I’m trying to get across with this sermon is that God wants you to quit being like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz and, instead, have courage and confidence. The point of the sermon is not to turn you into the scarecrow with no brain.

Dear saints, there are times when God calls you to step out in love for your neighbor, but that love is going to require you to take a risk. It might mean risking your perception of financial stability or your reputation or your comfort. Again, use your God-given brain, but more importantly, have the confidence to love your neighbor in a way that seems risky because God loves you. And He loves it when you step out in faith to love and serve your neighbor.

And this same God and King of all creation now invites you to come and have a seat at His table. He invites you, not by extending a golden scepter, but something far more precious. He extends to you His very Body and Blood. He gives you this meal to forgive you of all your sins, and He will use this meal to strengthen your trust and confidence in Him as you go from here to love and serve your neighbor. Amen.[1]

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

Not used:

Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3). They were in a situation where they had to make a choice between safety, which would come at the cost of bowing down to an idol. Or they could take a risk and not bow down but they will be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. They ended up placing their confidence in God saying to the king, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” Notice, they have confidence in God’s ability to deliver from that particular threat, and they continue with even more confidence, “He will deliver us out of your hand.”  But even if God doesn’t deliver them from the immediate threat of the furnace, they say, “We will not serve your gods or bow down to worship this idol you have set up” (Dan. 3:16-17).

[1] This sermon was adapted from a sermon by Pr. Jared Melius.