Monthly Archives: May 2024

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Romans 11:33–36

33 Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments
and how inscrutable his ways! 
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, 
or who has been his counselor?” 
35 “Or who has given a gift to him 
that he might be repaid?” 
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who has seen the ocean? Probably everyone has seen the ocean. If you haven’t, I can show you a picture or video after the service and, technically, you will have seen the ocean. But a picture or video doesn’t do the ocean justice. It isn’t the same as seeing it in person with your own eyes. So, how many of you have been to the ocean and have seen it, smelled it, and felt it?

Now, which ocean(s) – the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic? Maybe you have seen each of them, but how much of them have you seen? Did you see a bit of it from a beach? Have you been on a boat where no land is in sight? “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Even then, you only saw just shy of three miles of ocean before the curve of the earth pulled the rest of it away from your sight. And your field of vision only allowed you to see so much without turning your head or spinning around in circles, which, if you are prone to seasickness, is not something I would recommend. And even if you’ve been so far out to sea that no land was in sight, you can only say that you’ve skimmed the surface of the ocean – literally.

Have you seen what’s in the ocean and on its floor? Have you been able to snorkel or scuba dive to see what’s down there? How deep have you gone? Twenty, fifty, one-hundred feet? I have one friend who has dived to somewhere near that depth. As far as I know, I don’t know anyone who has been 1,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. The average depth of the ocean is about 2.3 miles deep. Some people have gone that deep. But think about the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, which is nearly 7 miles below sea level. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only three have ever been down there.

Many people have gone up into space, orbited the planet hundreds of times, and have seen the majority of the oceans’ surface. But they haven’t been through all the oceans at all the depths to see what lies underneath the surface. So, I ask again, have you seen the ocean? Ultimately, no one can claim to have seen the oceans in their entirety. The best anyone can accurately say is, “I’ve seen a tiny fraction of the ocean.” The oceans are too big, too wide, too deep for anyone to see very much of it. But still, we wouldn’t call someone a liar if they said that they have seen the ocean. To see part of it is to truthfully say that you’ve seen it.

All of that is to set this up: These verses come at the tail end of Paul’s main theological treatise in Romans. In the first eight chapters, Romans is a thorough skimming of the surface of theology. It has dealt with the fact that no one is righteous in the way that God demands. Because of that everyone deserves death and condemnation. But God, in His mercy, has delivered the very righteousness He demands to those who have faith in Christ. By believing that God has come in the flesh of Jesus; believing that Christ suffered, bled, and died; and believing that He rose again for you, you are righteous – as righteous as Jesus is righteous. 

Then, Paul dives deeper into the depths of the theological ocean. He writes about how God delivers that faith through His gracious choosing of you. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul talks about the doctrines of election and predestination. Believer, you are saved exclusively because of what God has done. Jesus has done the work to deliver, rescue, and save you from your sin. The Holy Spirit has called you through God’s Word, given you faith to believe, and will sustain your faith as He works through the Scriptures (Ro. 10:17). Your salvation is entirely based on God’s mercy (Ro. 8:29-33) and the fact that He chose you to be in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5). The culmination of Paul’s short dive into the doctrine of predestination comes in the verse just before this text where his conclusion is, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all” (Ro. 11:32).

Now, the doctrine of predestination is a huge topic, and I’m not going to go into it today. I have preached on it the past. And if you ever have questions about it, please feel free to talk with me. (I enjoy having any theological conversations.) The only reason I mention predestination here is to set up the context of the praise that we heard in this reading. God’s mercy in delivering salvation to us unworthy sinners leads to this doxology, this song of praise that is our reading: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”

Whenever we study theology, no matter what branch of theology is being studied, we come to a point where we realize the simple truth that God is bigger than us. God has revealed much to us in His Word, but He hasn’t revealed everything. His riches, wisdom, and knowledge go to a depth that we cannot reach. His ways are inscrutable and inconceivable. It isn’t just that they are hard to understand they are far, far beyond our comprehension. Just like how you’ve only seen a small sliver of the ocean, but you haven’t seen the whole thing. The more I study theology and the Bible, the more I realize there is to learn. It’s a regular occurrence for me to be reading a passage and suddenly realize, “I’ve never noticed that before.” Christian, there’s always more to be learned and meditated on when it comes to theology and the Bible. More and more and more and more. And it is always a joy and delight to discover more.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday which ends the festival half of the Church year which began in Advent. The Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost seasons focus on God’s work for us by coming, declaring, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and sending the Holy Spirit. Now, on Trinity Sunday, we recognize that the work of our salvation is exclusively brought about by the plan and efforts of the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, Trinity Sunday is a fitting time to pause, step back, and simply praise God for all He has done, accomplished, and delivered to us. Even though we’ve spent the past six months considering what God has done to save us, we’ve just barely scratched the surface. Even when we do it again and again, there is still more.

We can’t know God’s mind. We can’t advise Him. We can’t give or offer anything to Him. That’s why Paul closes in v. 36 with this doxology, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Consider each of those in order. “From Him,” God the Father is the source and Creator of all things. “Through Him,” God the Son has set all things in order and gives them to us. “And to Him,” the God the Holy Spirit directs all things so they find their end and meaning in this one God.

Rejoice because this One unfathomable, inscrutable, inconceivable God took it upon Himself to create, redeem, and sanctify you. So, “to Him be glory forever.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

The Lasting Legacy of Pentecost – Sermon on Acts 2:1-21, 36 for the Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1–21, 36

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, 
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
and your young men shall see visions, 
and your old men shall dream dreams; 
18 even on my male servants and female servants 
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above 
and signs on the earth below, 
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness 
and the moon to blood, 
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

With all the amazing things that happened on the Day of Pentecost, it’s easy to miss the most amazing thing God did when He poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh (Act. 2:17; Joe. 2:28-29). Our attention is so quickly and easily grabbed by the wowie-zowie things, that we get distracted from the lasting gift that God bestows with this giving of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is about the sounds, not the sights. It’s about the audible rather than the visible. The work of the Holy Spirit is not so much in what is seen as in what is heard.

Yes, there are tongues of fire that rest on those believers, but as best as we can tell, those tongues of fire were only seen by the 120 Christian believers who had gathered together in one place (Act. 1:15). Notice, there is the sound of a mighty, rushing wind (Act. 2:2), but curtains aren’t flapping, dust isn’t flying, hats aren’t blowing down the street. It’s only the sound, and that sound fills the house where they are gathered. These 120 believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and are given the ability to speak in languages that represented every nation that existed, but they hadn’t ever learned those languages (Act. 2:5, 8-11).

It is that sound of wind that draws the bewildered multitude to the apostles (Act. 2:6). The people from all those nations weren’t drawn like moths that saw a flame; no, they were drawn by the sound. And those people heard something even more amazing. They heard those believers declaring the mighty works of God in their native languages. For some, that message led to further curiosity, “What does this mean?” But for some, it led to mocking, “They are drunk and filled with wine” (Act. 2:13).

Now, consider that accusation as I slightly modernize it. Imagine you are there in that crowd. All the people from Italy are standing around someone who’s speaking Italian, and they’re listening intently because they can understand. All the Brazilians gather around the guy speaking Portuguese. All the people from France, and 22.8% of the Canadians who speak French, are listening to someone speaking French. You hear the guy who’s speaking American,[1] and you can understand everything because it is being spoken fluently. You hear the Gospel. You are told that God came in the flesh of Jesus. You hear that He suffered, bled, died on the cross, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven. And you hear that Christ did all of this to forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life.

After hearing that message in American, you go over to the people who speak Portuguese (because, of course, people who speak French are rude) and you ask in one of the ‘commercial, business’ languages – either Greek, Latin, or Aramaic – what they heard. And it’s the same Gospel message. The only difference was that they heard it in Portuguese – fluent, articulate Portuguese. So, it’s clear that these Galilean hillbillies are speaking languages they didn’t know. Your conclusion would probably not be, “Oh, they must be drunk.” Getting drunk doesn’t endow a person with fluency in another language. In short, it probably wasn’t the act of speaking in other languages that elicited that accusation; instead, it was probably the content of what was being said. “You’re saying that God came to earth as a human. But He did it to die, and by that death I’m forgiven? You must be drunk.”

But the sounds of Pentecost still aren’t done. Peter stands up, and here is where we see the most amazing thing about Pentecost. Peter doesn’t stand up to perform a visible sign. He doesn’t heal the sick, cast out demons, or raise the dead. Peter stands up to speak and preach a Holy Spirit-inspired sermon to the entire crowd. That should be astounding to us.

We know Peter and what kind of man he was just fifty-three days before Pentecost. A young servant girl had simply asked Peter if he knew who Jesus was, and that led to Peter denying Jesus three times (Mk. 14:66-72). But now Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches to a crowd of over 3,000 people. And it is a bold sermon. He doesn’t hold back. He does point to Jesus with the sermon, but not with loud Gospel overtones.

I’ll just summarize his sermon. “Men of Israel, Jesus was here just a short time ago. He did all sorts of miracles, and you know about them. You know He was sent by God, yet you put Him to death. Now, we have seen Him raised from the grave. This Jesus has now ascended into heaven. He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and He will use that authority for the sake of His Church until He has put all His enemies under His feet. That’s a big problem for you because you put Him to death and are His enemy. You’re in trouble. Amen.”

It’s a sermon that would have been highly criticized in seminary because it doesn’t really contain any Gospel. How does a guy like Peter preach like that, especially because he preaching that accusation against himself? Peter knows his own guilt. The only explanation is that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and emboldened in a remarkable way. The sermon itself is a miracle. But then, the response to that sermon is even more miraculous.

Over 3,000 people ask, “What can we do?” Before this, the crowds had heard some amazing things and wondered what it all meant, but now? Now, they are cut to the heart (Act. 2:37), and they recognize their guilt. This is amazing because most of them probably were not present in the crowd on Good Friday crying out, “Crucify, crucify Him.” The foremost expert on the history and practices of this time, a guy named Alfred Edersheim, says that there may have been some overlap but the majority of the people there for the Day of Pentecost weren’t there for the Passover. So, Peter is addressing a crowd of hardened sinners who could have offered all sorts of excuses arguing for their innocence of Jesus’ death. But over 3,000 of them don’t. They confess and repent with a simple, “What shall we do?” (Act. 2:37).

And Peter adds a postscript to his sermon and tells them, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Act. 2:38). That very day, 3,000 souls were saved. 

They were given faith. They were also given and filled with the Holy Spirit. But that filling of 3,000 people with the Holy Spirit is so understated. Luke doesn’t tell us about another mightier wind that rushed even louder. No. They confess, repent, get Baptized, and are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are saved. How were they saved? Through the Holy Spirit’s work of pointing sinners to Jesus in simple preaching and through the Holy Spirit’s working through water and the Word. And through those means, the Holy Spirit creates faith.

Dear saints, that same miraculous work of the Holy Spirit through preaching continues today. In fact, that is what is happening even now. It is through God’s Word proclaimed by the mouth is this sinner that the Holy Spirit is creating, strengthening, and sustaining your faith. Right now, through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is filling this place and pointing you to Jesus (Jn. 15:26).

Don’t think for one minute that the Holy Spirit isn’t working just because you don’t see whatever you think might be evidence of the Holy Spirit. The lasting legacy of Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit points sinners to Christ. Jesus Himself said that’s the Holy Spirit’s work (Jn. 15:26). Right here, right now, the Holy Spirit is calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying, and preserving you in the one true faith. He is here abundantly forgiving you of your sin. And the Holy Spirit invites you now to Jesus’ table where He will work through other means, through bread and wine which are Jesus’ Body and Blood. Come, receive, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

[1] Yes, I know ‘American’ isn’t an official language.

A Covering of Love – Sermon on 1 Peter 4:7-11 for the Easter 7/Sunday after the Ascension

1 Peter 4:7–11

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When something is coming to an end, there is often a sense of urgency. The last month of my senior year of high school, my class of twelve got together more often than we did the years prior. At Bible camps, kids will goof off at the campfire, but the last night they will share about their life, reflect more on what they have learned, and talk about how they hope to be different and better when they go back to their regular lives. When a family member is in their last days, every moment, every word, every interaction carries more weight to it. As the end draws near, little things become even more insignificant, and the big things become even bigger.

In this epistle reading, Peter says that the end of all things is at hand. Because Jesus has died, risen, and ascended into heaven, His work as the Savior of mankind is complete. Everything necessary for your salvation, redemption, and restoration has been accomplished. Now, your Savior and Brother sits on the throne of all creation. At any moment, Jesus can return and bring an end to all things. All of this is to say that we are living in the end times. Peter said this nearly 2,000 years ago, so it’s at least as true now as it was then. The end, the completion, the finishing of all things is at hand.

And that has a different ring to it than if Peter had written, “The end of all things is coming soon,” doesn’t it? “Soon” presupposes and anticipates a delay – even if it is only a short delay. But Peter doesn’t talk about Christ’s return as coming soon. It is “at hand.” That gives an extra ‘umph’ of urgency and immediacy. But the fact that the end of all things is “at hand” doesn’t excuse us to be worried and get frantic. Peter here doesn’t allow us to be the Christian version of Chicken Little running around and yelling, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling.” Not even close.

Instead, we are called to be self-controlled and sober-minded. In other words, we are to be in control of all our actions. Yes, of course, this refers to not getting drunk with alcohol. It includes that, but Peter means more than that. This call to be self-controlled and sober-minded is an echo of what Jesus says in Mt. 6:25-34, “Do not be anxious,” because when we are anxious, we do all sorts of ridiculous things. There is a myriad of awful, evil, horrible things going on in the world, but Jesus hasn’t given you permission to worry about it or run around all frantic and anxious.

The danger of anxiety and worry is that it would distract us from our prayers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our worry will change what is going to happen. But more often worry distracts us from prayers. Take your worries and anxieties and turn them into prayers (1 Pet. 5:7). In a very real sense, worry is just a form spiritual drunkenness. Worry can distort the truth and the reality that Christ is in control of all things. To be self-controlled and sober-minded here is to let the fact that Jesus is ascended to the throne of all creation, that He has promised to hear your prayers, and that He promises to answer those prayers, let those truths keep you calm, clear-headed, and focused. Don’t get drunk with worry and the cares of this world. Be self-controlled and sober-minded because the end of all things is at hand.

Instead of being worried, Peter gives us three instructions of what we are to do as we live in the time of the end. We are to love, show hospitality, and use our God-given gifts. Each of these instructions could be its own sermon. But today, I want to focus on the first one because Peter says it is the most important of the three. He says, “Above all love one another,” and he tells us why we are to love one another, “because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Now, we have to be clear on a couple things here. First, Peter isn’t equating this love that covers a multitude of sins with forgiveness. Yes, forgiveness is a loving thing that releases sins. God’s love for us, which is manifested in Christ’s death, that love has forgiven and removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Other places in Scripture call us to love others by forgiving their sins, but Peter is doing something different here when he talks about covering a multitude of sins. We are to have a love that makes the sins of others invisible. We are to have a love that hides the sins of others.

That brings us to the second thing that needs to be clear. This does not mean that we don’t call sin what it is – sin. Sin is sin is sin. To say anything different is not loving. It isn’t loving to say that it’s ok for someone to be addicted to drugs because that is just the way God made them. That’s not love. Sin needs to be brought to the surface so it can be repented, confessed, and forgiven. So, what does it mean that love covers a multitude of sins?

It means that when others sin against us – especially our brothers and sisters in Christ – we are called to love them in such a way that overlooks, ignores, buries, and covers those sins. Holding grudges just isn’t worth it. The 8th Commandment and its explanation in the Small Catechism is especially helpful here: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not deceitfully lie about, betray, backbite, nor slander our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the most charitable construction on all that he does.”

It is extremely easy for us to put the least charitable construction on the actions of people who sin against us. Someone cuts you off in traffic or budges in front of you, and you assume, “That guy is an idiot,” or, “She’s rude and inconsiderate.” But you know what is just as easy? Maybe it’s slightly more difficult because of our pride – it’s just as easy to put the most charitable construction on their actions. “That person just made a mistake. Maybe, they have something going on in their life that I don’t know about.” The danger for us is that when we are always ascribing the worst motives to others, it’s easy to assume and imagine that they do the same to us. That is a dangerous place to be.

Of course, when someone sins against you and you point it out, that person should repent and ask for forgiveness. That’s how things should work. But what happens when you point out someone’s sin and they say, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” and they don’t ask for forgiveness? What do you do then? Is the relationship over? No. It shouldn’t be. That is where this passage comes in. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” And this is what we are to keep doing. Keep loving one another earnestly and fervently because love covers a multitudeof sins.

This covering up of sin through love is a distinct virtue of Christians that does not exist in the world. But the world will notice when you do this, Christian. They will see it and be drawn to it. This kind of love for one another isn’t always going to be pleasant for you. But it will be attractive to those who aren’t Christians. Having this kind of love that covers sin might be the most important evangelistic work that you do. Repeatedly in the book of Acts, this kind of love between Christians is what attracted others to see what was different about believers. So keep loving one another earnestly, since that love covers a multitude of sins.

Now, I know that was a lot of law. I recognize that. I’ll just point out that this text is full of law, so that’s what I have to preach. But I will close with this: your heavenly Father hasn’t only covered your sin and pretended that it isn’t there. No. Because of Jesus, He has removed it, forgiven it, trampled it under His foot, and cast it into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19). Because of that – because your sins are gone, taken away, and forgiven – you can more easily cover the sins of others in Christian love. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Keep Asking – Sermon on John 16:23-33 for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 16:23–33

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In this Gospel reading, Jesus gives us a command to pray. On the night He was betrayed, Christ said to the disciples, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24). So, according to Jesus if you want full joy, ask. That’s the command. ‘Ask’ in other words, pray. And the grammar there has a durative aspect to it. It is what you are to continually do. “Keep asking.” That has a different nuance to it than the way the ESV translates it here with just the word ‘ask.’

I don’t particularly like running. I know some of you here do, God bless your soul. I don’t, but when I was in junior high and high school, I ran cross country to help get me in shape for swimming season. At meets, people would stand along the course and cheer us runners on, and it would have been very frustrating if they said, “Run.” That’s what I was already doing. Instead, they would cheer, “Keep running.” Here, Jesus is doing something similar. He’s cheering you on by commanding you to keep asking and keep praying. And we need this encouragement because prayer is work.

Lately, the devil has doubled his efforts to discourage the work of prayer. That attack of Satan comes in many ways, but I’ve noticed it most often after someone commits an evil, heinous crime, politicians and pagans will say, “Prayers aren’t enough. We need to actually do something.” And we Christians, myself included, hear that and start to get at least a little shy about what prayer does. I know I’ve been guilty at times of saying things like, “Well, all we can do is pray.” God, forgive me.

Your prayers work. They work powerfully. They are not a waste of time. In Col. 4:2, 5, Scripture says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer,” and that call comes in the middle of several instructions which Paul says are, “making the best use of the time.” Christians are to use their time wisely and prayer is a good and wise use of your time because prayer does stuff. When you are praying, you aren’t wasting time. Praying isn’t setting aside important things to take a break. Prayer is the important thing. Christian, prayer is the most powerful, impactful thing you can do. A few verses later (Col. 4:12), Paul talks about a man named Epaphras who is “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers.” Does that sound like he’s taking some time off and relaxing? Nope! He’s doing something mighty and powerful by praying.

James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person,” and, yes, that is you, Christian, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Prayer accomplishes things because of the power of the One to Whom you are praying. C.S. Lewis might be the most brilliant Christian thinker of the last hundred years, but he gets something wrong about prayer. He said, “[Prayer] doesn’t change God. It changes me.” Sure, yes, prayer changes us, but prayer changes God as well. Scripture teaches that God changes course because of prayer. He does something different than what He was going to do.

James 5:17-18 says that Elijah prayed fervently that it would not rain, and for three and a half years there was no rain. Then, he prayed that it would rain, and it did (1 Kgs. 17:1; 18:42-45). God told King Hezekiah to get ready to die. But he prayed, and God added fifteen years to his life (Is. 38:1-6; 2 Kgs. 20:1-6). Through the prophet Jonah, God told the people of Nineveh that they were going to be destroyed in forty days. But they prayed, and God changed His mind and did not do it (Jon. 3). In our Old Testament reading (Num. 21:4-9), God’s people were complaining about the bread that God was literally raining down from heaven for them to eat, so He sent fiery serpents to kill them. They prayed, and God delivered them because of their prayer. I could go on, but those are all crystal-clear examples of prayer changing what God was doing.

Picture God up in heaven. He is sturdy, calm, cool, collected. He’s got all His plans laid out of how He’s going to conduct the affairs of the world for the benefit of His people. When He Baptized you and made you His child (1 Jn. 3:1-3), He invited you into His “situation room.” There He is looking over His plans, and He asks you, “What do you think we should do here? How should this be handled?” You’d respond, “Um, well, I don’t know. You’re God. Shouldn’t You have this all under control and know how to run everything?” But God says, “Come on, now. I want to know what you think. What do you suggest?” So, you say, “Well, maybe You could move that thing over there. Send someone to preach Your Word over here. Heal this person. Bless that one.” And God says, “Ok. I like it. That’s the plan.”

Now, this doesn’t limit God in any way. The effectiveness of your prayers and the foreknowledge of God is a mystery that we cannot comprehend – similar to the doctrine of the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. How can there be one God yet three Persons? How can Jesus be 100% God and 100% man? We can’t understand or comprehend those things. But Scripture teaches them, so we believe them. The same thing is true about your prayer. Well, Scripture teaches that God is sovereign; He knows what will happen and isn’t your slave. And Scripture also teaches that your prayer changes what God will do. Just because you can’t fit those two things together logically, don’t throw one of them out to make it make sense to your logic.

Instead, see these two seemingly incompatible teachings of Scripture – God’s sovereignty and the power of prayer – see them as a further proof of God’s great love for you. The reason you ask and God responds is His love for you. Back to our Gospel reading, Jesus says in v. 26-27 (I’ll paraphrase a little bit), “Ask in My name. I don’t need to ask the Father for you because the Father Himself loves you.”

This is why God wants you to pray and brings you into His situation room. When you love someone, you permit them to affect and influence your actions, decisions, and directions. Think of a father who comes home from a rough day at work where everything went wrong. He’s frustrated and discouraged. He gets home and just wants to sit in his chair and watch the game. But he gets home, and his son asks, “Daddy, can you read this book to me?” That might not fit in with the father’s plans, but he loves his son and gladly sits on his bed and reads to him. And they spend time laughing and joking together.

When you love someone, you permit and even prefer to let them change what you want to do. Instead, you do what they want. And in that sacrifice, you and the person you love find joy.

Well, God is your perfect, loving Father, and He never tires of your asking. He loves you. He knows your sin and failures. Yet, the Father loves you because you love Jesus and have been forgiven much (Lk. 7:47). So, keep praying. Keep asking. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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