Monthly Archives: July 2026

Odd Wolf – Sermon on Matthew 7:15-23 for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 7:15-23

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We live in a dangerous world. Because sin and death have entered God’s good creation, there are all sorts of things that can harm you. You could get hit by a drunk driver on the way home. A lunatic could shoot and kill you at the grocery store. Smoke from wildfires can do damage to your lungs. An asteroid could fall from the sky. But Jesus doesn’t tell you to beware of any of those things. The reason Jesus doesn’t warn you about those things isn’t that He is naïve and thinks they are harmless. Rather, He doesn’t warn you about them because they can only temporarily harm you. Christ does warn you—and it’s a stern warning—against false prophets.

Don’t get the wrong idea about these false prophets. A prophet isn’t only someone who predicts the future. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets who spoke accurately about things that were still in the future. King David was a prophet when he wrote about Christ’s death, resurrection, and rule in many of the Psalms. They did that because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to declare God’s Word. And sometimes, that Word dealt with things that were still to come. But the Bible also gives the title of prophet to those who publicly preach and teach God’s Word (Act. 15:32; 1 Co. 14:1, 3, 29-32). That is what Jesus is referring to here when He warns against false prophets. They are people who preach and teach God’s Word, but they do it falsely.

Jesus describes these false prophets as ravenous wolves who dress up in sheep’s clothing. It’s a stern warning. It’s a solemn warning. It’s right up there among the most dire warnings that Jesus speaks in all of Scripture. As serious as this warning is, we should find comfort even in the warning. Let me explain that first, then we’ll get to the warning.

Imagine you were sick. You’re in pain. Your strength keeps declining as you become more and more lethargic. Your body is slowly shutting down. You’ve tried all sorts of things, but none of them work. Doctor after doctor can’t figure out what’s wrong. You know that if this sickness keeps progressing, it’ll kill you. Imagine you finally went to a doctor who had the answer. He diagnoses your illness perfectly, gives you a prescription, and it works. After the first dose, the sickness is gone. Your energy returns. You get back to normal. You go back to that doctor for a follow-up.

He is pleased after he looks at your vitals, sees how well you’re doing, and is delighted. Then the doctor’s face becomes utterly serious. He looks intently at you and says, “Listen to me. Don’t ever stop taking this medicine. Never miss a single dose. Take it exactly as I’ve prescribed it to you. If you ever stop taking it, you’ll die. If anyone tries to tell you about another remedy, they’re wrong. This is the only cure. I’ll always make sure you have it for free. No cost to you ever, but you need to keep taking it.”

Now, would that warning from the doctor be good or bad news? Of course it’s good news. There’s medicine that keeps you healthy, and it’s free. That’s the way we should hear Jesus’ warning against these false prophets. Yes, it’s a stern, sober warning. But it also means that there are true prophets and shepherds who give the medicine of immortality for free.

As you receive the free medicine of the Gospel, beware of false prophets. Beware of the ravenous wolves who would lure you away from this Gospel. They are the most serious danger you face, Christian.

Jesus tells you why they’re dangerous. Sure, Jesus calls them ‘ravenous,’ but that isn’t what makes these wolves a threat to you. The danger isn’t in their sharp teeth and powerful jaws. It isn’t their speed and strength. No, the wolves Jesus warns against are strange. They are odd wolves.

This might sound a little silly but, as I studied this text this week, I kept thinking of children’s stories. I first thought about “The Three Little Pigs.” In that story, the wolf is dangerous because he huffs, puffs, and blows the houses of straw and sticks down. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think wolves are known for their lung capacity. That wolf at least warns before he comes after the pigs.

Then I thought of “Little Red Riding Hood.” In that story, the wolf doesn’t barge in the door or announce himself with a roar. Instead, he puts on the grandmother’s nightgown, pulls the cap over his ears, softens his voice, and climbs into the bed. For Little Red, the most dangerous thing in the room looked and sounded like the safest person she knew.

That’s the kind of wolf Jesus warns about here. What makes these wolves dangerous is their deception. They come disguised in sheep’s clothing. The wolves who will destroy you look like sheep. They sound right. They will talk about Jesus. They can quote the Bible. They may even do mighty works in Christ’s name (Mt 7:22). The danger is not their strength. The danger is their clothing. 

If these false prophets came to you and looked like a wolf, you would run. If they came preaching open blasphemy, you would barricade the door. But that’s not how they come. They come dressed as a Christian teacher. They appear with a Bible in their hand and a smile on their face. These false prophets come saying things that sound almost right. That is how they get into the house.

Jeremiah warned about the same thing centuries earlier in our Old Testament reading (Jer. 23:16-29). The false prophets of his day did not stand up and say, “Forget about Yahweh,” or, “Follow these other gods.” No! They sounded nice. They softened God’s Law. They proclaimed false things to sinners. “Everything will be fine, and no disaster will come upon you” (Jer 23:17). They spoke visions of their own minds and called it the Word of the Lord. They filled the unrepentant people with false hopes and false comforts. And, sadly, the people listened, because the message felt safe, soft, and comforting. Like a grandmother’s voice. We face the same deception.

But Jesus tells us how to spot the difference. Christ gives us one test: “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Mt 7:16). You don’t recognize them by their personality, by how nice they are, or even by whether they can quote Scripture. Remember, the devil himself used Scripture when he tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11).

According to Jesus, you spot these false prophets by their fruits. The fruit of a prophet is his teaching—just like the fruit of a baker is the bread he bakes, or the fruit of a doctor is the healing he brings. For anyone who prophesies—anyone who proclaims God’s Word—you have to ask two questions: First, “Does this point out where I have sinned? Does it faithfully proclaim that I am a sinner in need of God’s grace and mercy?” Or, “Does this tell me that God loves me and others just the way we are without any repentance?” The second question to ask is, “Does this point me to Christ crucified and risen, freely, without my works?” Or, “Does this put the weight back on my shoulders? Am I being told that my salvation depends on me putting in a little more effort or sincerity or a few more good works?”

Jesus says that a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit (Mt 7:18). In other words, the teaching will eventually show itself. But you need to know the real thing well enough to compare.

That is why Christ keeps driving us back to the Scriptures. That is why studying the Bible is not just some optional busy-work. You can’t turn off your ears and mind the moment a sermon starts. Jesus is calling you to be fruit inspectors. Not because you are smarter than everyone else, but because the wolves are that good at disguise.

God’s Word doesn’t always flatter you. It doesn’t always say, “Peace, peace,” because there isn’t always peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11; Ezk. 13:13). Scripture isn’t always pleasant. It isn’t always what you want to hear. God’s Word kills our old, sinful nature so that it can make us alive. It shows you the wolf and then points you to the only refuge—Christ Himself.

Whenever someone claims to proclaim God’s Word, be suspicious. Watch for red flags. That discernment is a good work that Jesus gives you to do today and every day.

Be wary of every teacher and preacher—including the one standing in this pulpit. Don’t just trust me because I’m so smart, handsome, and friendly. (I’m not much of any of those things.) Test the teaching. Compare it to the Scriptures. Hold fast to God’s Word. See the goodness of His Law. And cling to the Gospel—the full, free forgiveness of sins that the Gospel delivers to you. Build on that.

The wolves are always out there in their soft, wooly, sheepish disguise. But the Good Shepherd has already laid down His life for you, His sheep. His voice, His Word, is what will keep you safe now and for eternity. Amen.

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

Claimed & Filled – Sermon Exodus 20:1-17 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Exodus 20:1-17

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Once upon a time there was a perfect world. There was no death, no pain, no tribulation, no tumult. Everything was perfect because there was no sin. There were no ‘little white lies’ or gossip. No one ever said, “I promise,” because everyone only and always spoke the truth. No child retaliated against a sibling. There were no unfaithful husbands or wives because each man and woman only had eyes for his or her spouse. Not only was there no murder, there was also no fighting, no insults, no anger (Mt. 5:21-48). 

This perfection existed because everyone heard God’s Word and listened. They received every good gift from God’s hand with open hands and thankful hearts. There was no turning away from Him, no idolatry, no suspicion. God was their everything, and they were His. They trusted Him completely, loved Him above all things, and rested in Him and the gifts He freely gave. And this peace with God spread to peace with the rest of creation (Gen. 1:31; 2:15-25).

People wanted nothing but good for their neighbor. There was no envy, no suspicion, no asking, “What’s in it for me?” Work was joyful and fruitful. Life was whole because the God who created all things was in perfect harmony with each part of His creation. Because the one relationship that matters most was perfect, everything else was perfect.

This perfect world is not a fairy tale. It was the world as God created it to be, and the Ten Commandments are simply a description of what that harmony looked like. The Commandments are not a list of arbitrary rules that God made up after suffering, death, and sin entered the world and everything had already gone wrong. They are the blueprint of creation as God designed it to function. They show us what life looks like when we are right with God which makes us right with our neighbor and right with the rest of creation.

Sin—both your own sin and the sins others commit—is what has disrupted the perfection that God created (Gen. 3:1-19; Ro 5:12). Because of that sin there is now death, pain, lies, anger, betrayal, covetousness, and every brokenness that we live with every moment of every day.

Into that brokenness, God came to reclaim what was lost. He did it in the Garden when He promised to send the Seed of the Woman who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). He did it when He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that all the families of the world would be blessed through them (Gen. 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). God also does it when He speaks these Ten Commandments.

The most overlooked part of the Ten Commandments is what is often referred to as the introduction, “God spoke all these words saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:1-2). Notice that God doesn’t begin with rules His people must keep in order to be His people. He begins with the proclamation, the promise, “I have already claimed you because I have brought you out of slavery. I have made you Mine.” Only after that does God give them the rest of His words that shape the life of His people.

I’ve preached this before, but it bears repeating: Nowhere does the Bible refer to this portion of Scripture as “the Ten Commandments.” Instead, Scripture calls them “the Ten Words” (Ex. 34:28; Dt. 10:4). Notice how, as God speaks them, it isn’t, “You must,” or, “You must not.” It is, “You shall,” and, “You shall not.” These words describe the life of one who belongs to God. This is how life will be if you belong to God.

So, when these words don’t describe us (and that will regularly be the case), that means that we aren’t living as God intends us to live. That is when we need to repent and run back to God and ask Him to rescue us from our deadness and slavery to sin (Ro. 6:1-2).

Also, notice who speaks these words. The text says, “God spoke all these words.” In Hebrew, the word for ‘God’ is Elohim, which is plural. The triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is speaking from that mountain. The Holy Spirit is inspiring the Word. The Father is also there. But it is the Son who speaks these words with His Own voice (c.f. Ex. 3:2-4, 12). Jude 5 explicitly says that Jesus, the Son of God, saved His people out of the land of Egypt. The very Son of God who would come to die and rise again is the One giving the Ten Commandments/Words to His people.

This changes how you hear them, doesn’t it? These are not the cold demands of some distant deity. These are the words of your Savior who loves you and has claimed you by His death and resurrection. He tells you how to live once again in perfect harmony with God and with the rest of creation.

In our Gospel reading today (Mt. 5:17-26), Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt. 5:17). Jesus didn’t come to set the Commandments off to the side or to say they don’t matter. He came to fill them up, to keep them perfectly in your place. And He clearly shows us just how deep they go. It is not only murder that breaks the 5th Commandment—anger in the heart does too. It is not only adultery that breaks the 6th—lust does too. The Commandments are multifaceted. They reach into the heart. They expose us. They show us that we have not lived as the people God has claimed us to be.

That’s why the Law accuses. Because of our sin, we cannot fill what God requires. When Jesus says that He’d come to fulfill and accomplish the Law and Prophets (Mt. 5:17-18), He’s giving us a picture. Imagine that God has given each of us a five-gallon bucket and says, “Fill this bucket to the brim and overflowing with perfect obedience, with holiness, with good works done from a pure heart.” That is what He asks. But what do we do with that bucket? In our sin and weakness, we don’t fill it. Instead, we toss it around, spill its contents, and leave it empty and damaged. We turn inward and are selfish, lazy, and rebellious. We do not love God with all our heart. We do not love our neighbor as ourselves. Our buckets are dry.

But, dear saints, here is the Gospel. Jesus does not come and take the bucket away or wink and say it doesn’t matter. He does not coddle us and say the Commandments are too hard or that we should just ignore them and give up. No! He comes and fills your bucket for you.

Christ lives the perfect life of obedience in your place. Every Commandment kept from the heart, every jot and tittle fulfilled. On the cross, He takes your spilled and empty bucket from your rebellious hands and fills it Himself. He bears the shame. He bears the punishment you and I deserved. He dies the death our sin earned. He rises again and hands your bucket back to you full of His perfect obedience. That is what Jesus means when He says that He came to fulfill the law.

Now, because of what He has done, you are claimed by His Blood and filled with His righteousness. You stand before the Father not with your own empty bucket, but with Christ’s overflowing bucket (Gal. 3:27; Ro. 13:14). The Father is pleased with you and proud of you for Jesus’ sake (Heb. 2:10-11).

What this means now is that the Commandments aren’t only accusations standing against you. They are also the path your Savior has already and perfectly walked for you. And they curb sin as you walk through this life and this world. They guide you as His claimed and filled people to love God and to love your neighbor. You do not keep them to earn God’s favor—you already have that in Christ. Now, you keep them because you are His, because His Spirit is at work in you, because this is the life He has given you to live.

When you hear the Commands, do not hear a bunch of impossible demands that God knows you cannot keep. Instead, hear the voice of your Savior who has already kept them for you and who now, by His Spirit, empowers you to walk in them. Because of Christ, you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Ro. 6:11). Yes, repent when you fail. But also, trust that Christ has filled the bucket. And then, by grace, strive to live as the claimed and filled people you are.

You are not your own. You were bought with a price (1 Co. 6:19-20). You have been claimed out of slavery—out of the slavery of sin and death—and you have been filled with the very life of Christ. That is who you now are because that is whose you are. God has claimed you as His own, and you are filled by God with the perfection of Jesus. God be praised! Amen.

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

Hope that Heralds – Sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-17 for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

1 Peter 3:8-17

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Look again at v. 15. (I’m sorry the sermon reading fell on a page turn in your bulletin.) Peter encourages you to always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. So, Peter anticipates that you, Christian, will face a particular question about your hope. This question implies that hope isn’t only something that’s deep inside you—in your mind or heart. No, dear saints, your hope is something that will manifest itself. Your hope speaks. Your hope heralds to the world because your hope changes, guides, and directs who you are. Your hope influences how you use your words and how you behave in such a way that the world is going to recognize that there is something different about you. Believer, Jesus declares that you are the light of the world (Mt. 5:14). When you are asked about the reason for the hope within you, that is because Jesus has made you the light of the world that shines in a dark place.

So, I have a question: When was the last time somebody asked you that? When was the last time somebody asked you, “Why do you hope the way you do?” or, “What’s the reason for your hope?” Maybe some of you get asked this question regularly—all the time. But I would guess that most of us aren’t fielding that question too often. And there are a couple possible reasons we aren’t asked this question.

One reason is that you don’t actually hope in anything different than what the world hopes. You just blend right in with them. Like the world, you hope that your income will cover your expenses. Like the world, you hope that your retirement account will keep growing or (if you’re already retired) will last long enough. Like the world, you hope that the wars and violence and troubles you see will settle down. The world might not see any difference between your hopes and theirs, so they aren’t going to ask you why you hope the way they do. Now, just to be clear, none of those hopes are bad or sinful per se. But if that’s all you hope for and you don’t have higher hopes, you should repent and examine your priorities. As a Christian, your priorities and hopes should be much higher and have a lot longer view than that.

The second reason you might not be asked for the reason for the hope in you is that you actually are being asked this question—you just don’t realize it. And I think this reason is much more likely. That’s why Peter tells us that we need to be prepared. I’m willing to wager that people really are asking about your hope, but they aren’t asking verbatim, “What is the reason for the hope that is in you?”

Instead, they might just start talking about things that are happening in their life because their life isn’t going well. Or they might comment on the news and how chaotic things are all over the world. They are concerned about things going on around them and talk about that, but they’re actually asking you for a reason for your hope, they just don’t say it straight out because they’re embarrassed or scared to admit their fears and worries.

You’ve probably gotten used to people ‘testing the waters’ (so to speak) with other kinds of questions. We Midwesterners are especially known for this. You’ve probably had people ask you about your plans for the weekend, but what they’re really asking is if they can tag along with you. (I’m not saying that’s wrong or that the person is lying, but being direct is usually a better way to converse with others.) 

Some people will talk to you about things that they don’t feel comfortable talking about with others. What they’re doing—even though they don’t realize it—is asking you to explain why you’re different or why you have the hope that you have as a believer. Part of being prepared to make a defense is being able to discern when someone is opening a door for you to give the reason for your hope.

So, what is the reason for your hope? What makes a Christian’s hope so different that it shows, that it is manifest, that it heralds? At the end of v. 14, Peter says, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.” Literally, the Greek there reads, “Do not fear what they fear.” Most translations do something similar to what the ESV does. (I don’t want to get too deep into the reason it’s translated that way because it takes a while. You can ask me later.) Basically, the verse is specifically addressing the topic of believers who might be suffering and face persecution for doing what is right. But the principle reaches further than just that. The reason you believers have a hope that will bring inquiries is the simple fact that you aren’t afraid of the things this world is afraid of. The things that terrify unbelievers don’t cause you any concern.

Think of how anxious you would be if you didn’t have faith in Christ. Unbelievers live in the false idea that they have to make their own way in this world without a loving Creator who is their heavenly Father. Without a merciful Redeemer who died for all their sins. And without a comforting Sanctifier who advocates for them in heaven’s courtroom. That would be horrible, but even beyond that, unbelievers have to earn their own happiness. If they want any sense of security and safety, it would have to come from their own hands. Basically, they would have to fight for it. Their conscience testifies against them, so they struggle with always having to excuse their sin or live under that constant accusation. For an unbeliever every aspect of life is full of uncertainty. If they believe this world and life is all there is, then it truly is a survival of the fittest. Even if they believe there is a god (little ‘g’ god), they don’t know for certain how to get that god on their side.

In our Gospel reading (Lk. 5:1-11), we saw how Peter had known that kind of fear firsthand. He was going about his life with his boat, his nets, and his fish trying to make a living in this world. Suddenly, Peter realized that he was standing before the almighty Son of God. He fell to his knees and cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Lk. 5:8). Everything that mattered to Peter evaporated in a moment because he realized God was there with him in the boat and that he was a sinner. Unbelievers know the same thing could happen to them at any moment. Anyone who doesn’t have faith in Christ knows—deep down, they know—that any sense of security they have could be pulled out from under them in a flash because their security and their hopes are all a facade.

But for you, dear saints, you don’t fear what the world fears. You don’t have to worry about your future because it is in God’s omnipotent, merciful hands. You don’t have to be afraid for your health, your home, your children, your job. You have nothing to fear because you have God’s promise to forgive you all of your sins.

As a believer, you know that you are now a child of God. You know that, because you have the forgiveness of your sins, you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Sure, you are still a citizen of this world and fall into similar worries of unbelievers. But you also believe in the life of the world to come. Yes, you have an earthly citizenship and a heavenly one, so the trials and tribulations of this world hit you differently because you have a higher hope.

Stick with me as I change gears for a minute to reflect on your hope in light of the 250th birthday of our country.

America isn’t perfect. (There’s an understatement for you.) America isn’t perfect, but it is still one of if not the most blessed nations God has ever given throughout the history of the world. I’m not talking about the country we had 10, 20, 50, or however many years ago. I’m talking about the country you woke up in this morning. We should be extremely and profoundly thankful for the nation we have right now.

You live in a nation where the Word of God is plentiful. You probably have several Bibles in your home. Even if you don’t have a physical Bible, you can get one on a device. You are free to gather with other Christians. In fact, you could move anywhere in this country and be within an hour’s drive to a faithful Lutheran congregation where the Word is taught in its truth and purity and the Sacraments are given as Christ instituted them. God has richly blessed us. We should make it a point today (and every day) to thank Him.

Yet even in this blessed nation, people live in fear. They are anxious about the news, about division, about the economy, about the future. They are afraid of what might happen if things keep going the way they are or if they don’t return to something else in the past. But you, believer, you do not have to live that way because your hope is different. You have Christ. And in Christ, you have a good conscience before God.

You are prepared to give a defense of your hope because you have a good conscience. That’s why you aren’t afraid of what they fear. That’s why you are ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you. You have a good conscience.

Sure, you have plenty going on in your life, just like everyone else in this world does. But unlike them, you can live unafraid, with a clean conscience before your heavenly Father for the sake of Christ Jesus. God is not against you—He is for you. Christ has cleansed you from all your sins by His blood. He has sprinkled you clean in Baptism. He feeds you with His own Body and Blood in the Supper. He promises to bring you to the home of your hope in heaven.

That is why your hope heralds. It shows, and people notice the difference. They ask—sometimes directly—but often in roundabout ways. Dear saints, be ready. The reason for the hope that is in you is Jesus. He has taken away your sin. He has given you a good conscience. He is your hope now and forever. Amen.

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