Luke 21:25-36

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now – Sermon on Jude for Midweek Advent 1 2020

Dec3

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forgiven Forgivers – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35

Nov8

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Matthew 18:21-35

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

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We need to start with some context before we dive in to what Jesus says here. Earlier in Mt. 18, Jesus makes it clear that His disciples will always struggle against sin in this life. Christ says, “If your right hand or right eye causes you to sin, cut it off and pluck it out” (Mt. 18:8-9). Then, Jesus goes on to establish a process for restoring and forgiving those who have sinned against you by talking to them privately, bringing one or two witnesses, declaring it to the church, and finally expelling them from the congregation if they still refuse to repent (Mt. 18:15-17). I would be negligent if I didn’t mention that this process is always intended to restore the sinner back into fellowship. Finally, right before this text, Jesus promises that when sins are loosed from sinners in the Church, they are loosed in heaven (Mt. 18:18).

Now, we get to Peter’s question which immediately follows all of that. “How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Peter was being generous. Most rabbis in Jesus’ day had a three-strikes-and-you’re-out approach to this question, and Peter more than doubles it. The essence of Peter’s question is, “How much do I have to put up with? When do I get to quit being taken advantage of?” Peter wants practical advice from Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t give any. Instead, Jesus says that we are to forgive as often as sinners repent.

There is some debate as to whether the phrase Jesus uses here means ‘seventy-seven’ or ‘seventy times seven.’ Either way, the point Jesus is making doesn’t mean we count to seventy-seven or four-hundred-ninety, “I forgive you’s.” Jesus doesn’t want us counting the sins of our neighbor. Christ wants us to keep on forgiving even as we are forgiven. Those forgiven by God are to be forgivers. The parable Jesus tells illustrates this innumerable forgiveness.

The king in the parable wants balanced books, clean accounts. And he’s completely happy to forgive enormous debts rather than demand payment. Settled accounts is the goal, and erasing debt is the quickest way to get there. In the parable, when the king forgives this ten-thousand talent debt (equivalent to two-hundred-thousand years’ salary), Jesus shows that the kingdom of heaven is not like any earthly kingdom.

The kingdom of heaven is established and sustained only by God’s generosity and His ongoing, ridiculous, extravagant forgiveness. No one is a citizen of the kingdom of heaven without the forgiveness of Christ, the King of kings. And if you are not shaped by this forgiveness, if this forgiveness doesn’t change you and you still hold back forgiving others, you are not truly citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Instead, God will hand you over to the devil. Those forgiven by God are to be forgivers of those who have sinned against them. According to Jesus, God the Father will deliver you straight to eternal hell if you do not forgive your brother from your heart (v. 33).

This text should make us squirm, and I know that many of you don’t particularly like this parable. It causes the Law to shine clearly on our hearts so that we recognize that forgiveness doesn’t flow out of us as well as it should. We are more likely to hold a grudge, demand repayment, and want those who have sinned against us to be punished. Even though God promises, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Ro. 12:19; Dt. 32:35), we desperately want to have a part in that vengeance. We don’t want to be a doormat. We don’t want to be taken advantage of. We want justice for the sins committed against us. So, when Jesus says that God will deliver us to hell if we do not forgive others from our heart, we should be bothered, we should be agitated, and we should be afraid.

If the final verse of this text – and several other verses like it (Mt. 6:15; Mk. 11:25-26; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; Jam. 2:13; 1 Jn. 3:10) – if this teaching doesn’t bother you, repent. It should. The only people who think that they don’t need to forgive are those who do not value or do not believe they have Christ’s forgiveness. In other words, if you refuse to forgive others, you will not be forgiven.

This teaching from Jesus is hard and bothers you. It doesn’t bother you because you think Jesus is being ridiculous. It bothers you because you actually want to forgive. You want to be like God – in a good way. You want to forgive others as He has forgiven you, but you aren’t quite there. So, you feel conflicted and convicted.

Please know that if you struggle with this, it is not a sign of doubt. It is a sign of faith. It shows that you do indeed love the forgiveness of Christ. You love His word. You want His forgiveness and you want to be defined by that forgiveness. The whole reason that you are bothered is that you recognize that you do not fully live up to Christ’s calling. The fact that you are bothered is evidence that you still need forgiveness. You areforgiven, but you are not yet without sin so you need ongoing forgiveness.

Take heart! If you recogniae this, it means that the Holy Spirit continues to work on you forgiving your sins – even your sins of unforgiveness. Live in that forgiveness and continue to strive to forgive. Try to let go. Try to stop obsessing about getting back. Quit daydreaming about vengeance. End your passive aggressive remarks. Put the sins committed against you into God’s hands because all sins are ultimately committed against Him (Gen. 39:9; Ps. 51:4).

Remember that Jesus died for the sins of the world (1 Jn. 2:2) and that God Himself wants to forgive all sinners (1 Tim. 2:4). You also want what God wants. You love what God loves. You trust what He says so you want to be reconciled to your enemies and those who hurt you. You want them to be saved, and you work at forgiving as you have been forgiven.

Of course, our old nature doesn’t want to forgive. On this side of glory, faith is always a struggle against our sinful flesh. Our good works and our forgiveness of others is always going to be imperfect, but it is still real and it is still good.

But know this: Your struggle to forgive and to live like Christ is a sign that His Word is true and that your sins are forgiven. He is the one who taught you to pray that you would forgive the trespasses of others as you have been forgiven, and Christ will answer that prayer.

All of that being said, Jesus doesn’t get into all the exact specifics of what this looks like exactly. There are nuances of forgiveness that aren’t dealt with here. Jesus isn’t saying that a person who steals your bicycle shouldn’t give it back or pay and be punished for his theft. Jesus isn’t saying that a child who hits her sibling shouldn’t have consequences when she repents.

There are consequences for sin on this side of glory. Those consequences are godly punishments, and they do not negate forgiveness but should be understood as merciful penalties and helpful tools for curbing further sins.

For example (and this is very important): When someone steals and cheats but repents and asks for your forgiveness, you forgive them and don’t hold a grudge against them. But that doesn’t mean you are required to put them in a position where they can repeat their sin. If a drunk driver crashes into you and paralyzes you, you don’t have to send them a bottle of wine when they ask for forgiveness. You forgive them, but you can still, as a Christian, have them prosecuted and even seek restitution from them. In fact, that might be the most loving thing you do for them.

Finally, as we heard in our Old Testament lesson (Mic. 6:6-8), God isn’t pleased with our offerings no matter how great and costly they are. We cannot even begin to make repayment on the debt we owe Him. Instead, God has shown what is good and what He requires: Do justice. Love mercy. And walk humbly with your God.

In the end, that humility comes when we remember the overarching principle and defining character of Christ’s Kingdom. What defines Jesus’ kingdom is the fact that He does not remember our sins and iniquities (Jer. 31:34). All our transgressions have been set down upon Jesus. He settles your account by His forgiveness. We can stand in this mercy and grace and have hope. For with Christ there is forgiveness that He may be feared (Ps. 130:4). Amen.^[1]

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

^[1] This sermon is an adaptation of a sermon by Rev. David H. Petersen of Redeemer Lutheran Church Ft. Wayne, ID.

Known – Sermon on Revelation 7:9-17 for All Saints’ Day

Nov1

Listen here.

Revelation 7:9-17

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”

¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me,

“These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, yes, you saints.

What sets the saints apart? How do the saints become holy? Normally, when we use the word ‘saint’ we are thinking about the really good people. If the church were a classroom, we think the saints would be those who are on the ‘A’ honor roll, the summa cum laude graduates. But that is not the Scriptural way to talk about saints. Instead, that kind of thinking is close to the Roman Catholic idea of saints – those who have done enough good works to avoid purgatory.

The saints are not those who have done so many good works that they earned extra credit before God. Saints aren’t the teacher’s pets. Instead, the saints are those who are made holy by Jesus. We got a picture of the saints in this reading from Revelation 7. The saints are those who have come from every nation, tribe, people, and language who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That means, you are included in the number of the saints. You have been cleansed and made holy by Jesus and have had your sins wiped away by Christ.

Today on All Saints’ Day, we remember the saints who are not famous to the world, but they are famous to us. We knew them, took Communion with them, prayed, fellowshipped, and worshipped with them. As a congregation today, we remember with thanks to God Grace Hjelle, Carol Quern, Delores Malm, and John Griffith. We love them and we miss them, but as much as we love them, we know that they probably won’t be remembered in history books. They probably won’t be remembered by many others, but we will never forget them. In particular, we remember that while they have finished their course of faith, they are not gone from us. They have become part of the great cloud of witnesses that was mentioned in our verse of the week (Heb. 12:1-2), who surround us and are now cheering us on as we run our race of faith.

So far in our service, we have had two Biblical descriptions of all the saints that focus on how many there are. The saints are this ‘great cloud of witnesses’ from Heb. 12, and then here from Rev. 7:9 they are called a ‘great multitude’ that is so large you cannot count them. Imagine this massive throng, this sea of people, this glorious crowd so numerous that it takes your breath away. But don’t think for one minute that because there are so many of them that each individual becomes anonymous.

In v. 13, one of the four elders asks John, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” And I love John’s response. It’s like he says, “Boy, I hope you know!” But the elder tells John who they are, where they have come from, and how their robes got to be so white. Listen to the answer:

“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

These people are all known, intimately known, by God! They have white robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Think about this for a minute. Remember Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast (Mt. 22:1-14). They have been called and invited. They have been greeted at the door. They have been given a wedding garment.

These people are guided by Jesus, their good Shepherd. Think of what Jesus says about this in John 10. “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11). Jesus goes on to say about those who are His sheep, “I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me”(Jn. 10:14-15). And the book of Revelation says that each one of these people have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5, 13:8). In other words, each one of these people are known by God by name. God knows who they are, and He even knows the number of hairs on their head (Mt. 10:30).

The saints are the known ones! Known and loved by God. God be praised!

Because they are known by God, look at what these saints know by what they sing. Our text has two songs sung by two different choirs. The second one is sung by the choir of angels surrounding the throne. The angels sing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (v. 12). But the first song, the song of the saints, is different.

The choir of saints sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (v. 10). The angels didn’t sing about salvation, but the saints do. This is remarkable.

Now, there is something you need to know about this song, the original Greek does not have the word ‘belongs,’ the ESV supplies that word. The Greek doesn’t have a verb here. Greek does this at times. It leaves us to supply the verb. When Greek doesn’t supply a verb, it is because it doesn’t want to limit the action in any way, so ‘belongs’ is as good verb as any. But it is also legitimate to say, “Salvation is or belongs or is accomplished by or depends upon our God and to the Lamb.”

In other words, the eternal song of the saints is that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Now, of course, they are singing about this because it is true. They wouldn’t be singing about something false. But you don’t sing about normal, everyday things. You sing about wonderful things, amazing things, remarkable things. The saints in heaven are amazed and, we could even say, surprised that salvation belongs to God alone. Are they really surprised by that? You wouldn’t think they would be. It’s what the whole Bible teaches. It’s obvious that salvation is by grace alone.

It must be that even though they knew that salvation is by God’s grace alone, but when they got into heaven and saw this reality, they understood better than they ever did before. They are even more amazed and stunned by the salvation they have by grace now that they are in God’s presence.

This is marvelous, it should give us hope, and it should make us excited for when we are with Jesus. We also know that salvation is by grace alone. But we get so focused here about how to live our lives, how to be better people, how to have better relationships, how to improve in good works. All of that is good and right. But while the saints in heaven did those things while they lived here, when they arrive in heaven all those things fade away. The saints are eternally amazed at what God has done for them in saving them.

Dear saints, I hope that you never tire in this life about hearing that God has saved you by His infinite grace. And I hope that even though I mention in every sermon that Jesus has gone to the cross, shed His blood, and died to save you from your sin, I hope that you realize that this salvation will merit an eternal song of praise to Jesus. I want to hammer that into you with every sermon and through the liturgy we use here every week. But you will know it even better and it will be more glorious when you arrive in the presence of your Savior.

No matter how many times you hear it now, no matter how wonderful the Good News of the Gospel is in this life, it is still like looking at a picture of the Grand Canyon but never visiting it. Pictures can capture wonderful moments and remarkable beauty, but it never matches the reality.

On this side of heaven, we are always fighting the temptation to think that we offer something to God for our salvation. But know this, dear saints who are known by God, God’s mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation is more than enough to satisfy God’s wrath and remove it forever.

Apparently, things are clearer in heaven than they are here. May God bring us at last to that throng who is known by Him and who knows better than we do now the salvation that Christ has won for us. In that day, we will also know, and we will join in their song. Amen.

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

Unmoved – Sermon on Psalm 46 for Reformation Sunday

Oct25

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Psalm 46

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Winston Churchill is often cited as the one who coined the phrase, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” In a tasty bit of irony, the quote wasn’t original to Churchill. He was slightly altering a quote from a Spanish-born, American-raised, man named George Santayana, and the original statement was, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Since today is the last Sunday in October, we remember with gratitude how God used Martin Luther to preserve His Church and the preaching of the Gospel for the world. So, today’s sermon is going to be slightly different than most sermons you will hear me preach. First, we are going to consider a little bit of Reformation history especially surrounding the writing of the hymn we just sang “A Mighty Fortress.” Then, we are going to consider the lyrics of the hymn by looking at the Biblical text the hymn is based on, Psalm 46. So first, the history.

As popular as “A Mighty Fortress” is, we actually know very little about it. The earliest hymnal that contains it is from 1533. Historians mostly agree that Luther wrote the hymn sometime during the years of 1527-1528, about a decade after he posted the 95 Thesis on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg.

Now during the first eight years after Luther posted the 95 Theses, Luther was fighting mainly against abuses in the Roman church. It is important to note that Luther wanted to reform the church and not break away from it. However, as Luther repeatedly tried to get the leaders in the Roman Church to return to the pure teaching of the Gospel, they decided to throw him out by excommunicating him. In April 1521, Luther refused to recant of his writings at the Diet of Worms where he famously stated, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.” Luther was supposed to be executed for his teaching, but a nobleman hid Luther in Wartburg Castle for ten months.

When Luther finally returned to Wittenberg in 1522, he found that some radical reformers were taking his teachings too far. Some were destroying statues and art in churches. Some were teaching that the Lord’s Supper was only symbolic. Some claimed to be directly inspired by the Holy Spirit and that they had the ability to reveal God’s will apart from Scripture. So, Luther found himself fighting against these abuses as well.

Beyond that, Luther got very sick around this time. There were national threats as the Muslims were warring their way toward Germany. Catholic armies were threatening Lutheran areas. In August of 1527, a man who followed Luther’s teaching was martyred. That same Fall, a plague broke out in Wittenberg. During that plague, Luther’s wife, Katie, got sick and was quarantined twice. Just a few months later in December, Luther’s daughter, Elizabeth, was born and was always very sick. Things were so bad for Luther that he wrote to a colleague, “[I am] physically well, but outwardly the whole world and inwardly the devil and all his angels are making [me] suffer.” Luther spent the next six months praying that God would save little Elizabeth, but in May of 1528, she died.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress” based on Psalm 46. He wrote this hymn for himself, his family, and his church. A lot of times, this hymn is called ‘the battle hymn of the Reformation,’ but in one of his publications, Luther called it, ‘a hymn of comfort.’

So, today may we find comfort in the truths of Psalm 46 as they are expressed in “A Mighty Fortress” because we, like Luther then, face pandemic, upheaval, sorrow, uncertainty, and tumult. Follow along with me as we walk through this Psalm.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,  
a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,  
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam,  
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

First, notice that this Psalm is mainly written in the plural. God is ‘our’ refuge,’ ‘we will not fear,’ etc. This will be very important when we get to v. 10. Also, did you catch the confidence we have? Because God is our refuge, because God is our strength, because God is a very present help in trouble – we will not fear. “We will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.”

The devil loves to cause us to fear. Satan loves to whisper into our ears that we should be afraid of all sorts of things. Satan says, “Cases of COVID are rising. You should be afraid.” “The economy isn’t doing well, and your retirement account is shrinking. You should be afraid.” “Trump might get re-elected; Biden might win. You should be afraid.” “There is a lot of violence going on around the country. You should be afraid.” “We found an abnormal growth in your scans and need to do more testing. You should be afraid.” “God hates sinners and judges the unjust. You should be afraid.”

This is all the preaching of the devil. But God puts in our hearts and on our lips these verses. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” – any trouble. Even in the flood of the troubles of this life, even in the face of our ancient foe, the devil, who seeks to work us woe, God remains our mighty fortress who never fails us.

Why can we have this confidence and fearlessness? Pick up again at v. 4.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,  
the holy habitation of the Most High.

V. 4 tells us about a river whose streams make glad the city of God. Now, the earthly city of God is, of course, Jerusalem. But that is not and cannot be the city that this Psalm is speaking about because there is no river in Jerusalem. So, the Psalm has to be pointing us to something else. In fact, the Psalm is pointing us to what Jesus says in John 7. In John 7, Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, and while He is there, He speaks about a river. Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (Jn. 7:37-38).

Jesus is the fount, fountain, and the source of this river, and those who have faith in Him have rivers of living water flowing from their hearts.

It is never our strength or good works that provide the rivers of water that we need. It only comes from Jesus. If we confided and trusted in our own strength, no amount of our striving would do us any god. But Jesus, the Man of God’s choosing is on our side. In fact, He has set up His habitation (lit. His ‘tabernalce’) in our hearts (1 Cor. 6:19). He is the never-changing Lord of hosts. He will always win the battle.

We’ll pick up the pace now as we move on to v. 5.

⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;  
God will help her when morning dawns.

God is in the midst of His people as a very present help which means that His people are unmoved. Think about that. God’s church, His kingdom, His people are unmoved while everything we see and know is wavering, tottering, and melting. V. 6:

⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;  he utters his voice, the earth melts.

While nations rage and kingdoms totter, while the world is filled with devils threatens to undo us, God will triumph. The prince of darkness and all his forces and all his minions will be felled by one little word.

I’ve always wondered what that one little word was that Luther had in mind. What is the one little word that will fell the devil? There is no verse in Scripture that says what word destroys the devil. Certainly, Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh who defeats every craft and assault of the devil. I think in the context of the hymn combined with v. 6 here, any word from God will do. Everything God says exposes the devil’s lies and shows his emptiness.

On to v. 7.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;  
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

This verse will be repeated again in v. 11, and it is an echo of v. 1. The God who is our refuge and strength, a present help in every trouble is the Lord of hosts is with us as our fortress. Whatever threat faces us, we are eternally safe in the kingdom of God.

On to v. 8-9.

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;  
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;  
he burns the chariots with fire.

God has repeatedly shown that He can and will deliver His people from the mightiest kingdoms, powers, and forces on earth – from Egypt, Midian, Philistia, Assyria, Babylon, Rome, and on and on we could go. Every threat in this world is nothing for you, Christian, because of God’s might.

Now, we need to slow down again as we get to v. 10.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.  
I will be exalted among the nations,  
I will be exalted in the earth!”

I mentioned as we began to consider the Psalm that it is written in first person plural. The Psalm is rightly said and prayed by any of God’s people. But v. 10 stands out like a sore thumb because here God steps in and speaks. And what does He say when we are surrounded by threats? “Be still.”

Most art that I’ve seen that includes this verse is a relaxing, beautiful, calm, tranquil, idyllic scene. A quiet forest, a pristine beach, a beautiful plain, or a majestic mountain. None of those scenes are anywhere to be found in this Psalm.

Instead, this is what God speaks to us when chaos and evil, when destruction and death surrounds us. And what is it that He speaks to us as we watch everything falling around us, as we see the cosmos melting? What does God speak to us as He fights for us, as He wins every battle, as He defeats all our enemies, as He we find our refuge in Him? God says, “Be still. Cease.”

The only other time God says this is when He speaks to Moses at the Red Sea while God’s people are pinned between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. God says, “Fear not, stand firm. I will fight for you, you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13-14).

When everything surrounding you says that you should be afraid, God days, “Stay still. I’ve got everything under control. I will fight for you.” And again, the repeated refrain of v. 11 closes out the Psalm.

¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;  
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Dear saints, because Christ has died and risen again for you, God is on your side. Everything in this life can be taken from you by the devil and his minions, but the truth of God’s Word remains. Because Jesus is on the throne, you dwell in a kingdom that will last forever and ever. Stand strong. Take refuge in Christ. Be still in the midst of all the troubles of this world. You are safe and secure in His eternal kingdom. He will sustain you unmoved. Amen.

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

Authorized to Forgive – Sermon on Matthew 9:1-8 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct18

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Matthew 9:1-8

¹ And getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed over and came to his own city.

² And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he then said to the paralytic – a “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is the main thing in this text? Matthew tells us about this wonderful healing of a paralyzed man by a simple statement from Jesus. As amazing as that is, it isn’t what Matthew focuses on as he tells this story under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The healing actually takes second fiddle because it only takes up the last half of v. 6. Instead, the Holy Spirit would have us notice and focus on the absolution, the forgiveness of sins. God wants all sinners on earth to regularly hear the declaration that our sins are forgiven through Christ. So, as we consider this text, may our reaction be the same as the crowds. May we glorify God that He has given authority to all people to forgive sins.

This paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by his friends. Both Mark [2:3-12] and Luke [5:18-26] also tell this story, and they let us know that this man’s friends tore a hole in the roof where Jesus was teaching in order to lower the paralytic in front of Christ. After all this demolition and careful lowering of the man on his bed, there is the man before Jesus unable to move. Jesus sees the friends looking through the hole above him, He sees the shock of those who were listening to His teaching, and He sees the eyes of this man’s face. But most importantly, Christ sees the troubled conscience of this paralyzed man. So, Jesus says to him, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

This is an amazing thing for Jesus to say under the conditions. It was obvious to everyone in the room what this man needs. He can’t move. His limbs don’t work. Everyone in that house, and probably even us, expect Jesus to say, “Be healed.” But it doesn’t happen – at least not right away. Instead, Jesus speaks the absolution. Christ speaks first not to the man’s limbs but to his soul.

We know how the scribes responded. They concluded that Jesus was blaspheming. It would be interesting to hear what everyone else, especially this man’s friends, thought. They had to lug him up to the roof, tear open the ceiling, and carefully lower him down. I would love to know what they thought. They were probably wondering if all their efforts and all the risks they took to get their friend before Jesus had been worth it. But I wonder even more what the man thought.

Now, this is simply me speculating, but I think this man was more comforted hearing the absolution than being healed. I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to think that God is angry with me whenever something bad happens to me. I would guess you are similar. And I would also guess the same is true for this paralytic man, and he got to hear what he needed most. Jesus says to him, “Dear man, God isn’t mad at you. Your sins are no problem. They will be covered by My blood and by My death. You will have problems in this life, but your eternal life is absolutely, completely secure. And I will bring you to the resurrection where you will have a perfected body in eternal bliss.”

I have little doubt that these words that Jesus speaks are the sweetest, most life-giving words that the paralyzed man could have heard from Jesus.

Now, before we move on, let’s all agree on this – forgiving sins is an act of God. Right? Only God can declare what is sinful, only God can judge, and only God can forgive sins. In Psalm 51[:4] David confesses to God, “Against You, You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” Remember, David is speaking this after he sinned against Bathsheba and after he killed Uriah. But David rightly recognizes that, while his sin has and will affect many others, David recognizes that his sin is against God. So, if any and every sin is against God, only God can forgive sin.

So, while the scribes are grumbling about Jesus forgiving sins, Jesus says, “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, rise pick up your bed and go home.” And the man goes home – forgiven and healed. It is clearly demonstrated that Jesus can and, most importantly, does forgive sins. And there is enough there to cause us to rejoice all our days. Jesus can heal broken bodies, and even better, Jesus can heal broken souls. Jesus has the authority to and does forgive sins here on earth. But Matthew gives us something more that we need to consider today.

Matthew tells us that when the crowds see all of this, “they glorified God who had given such authority to men.” Notice, Matthew doesn’t way that they glorified God who had given such authority to ‘a man.’ That authority is given to men – plural. Forgiveness belongs to Jesus, but Jesus also passes that authority on to others, in fact to all, as well. Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to His entire church.

Dear saints, you have Jesus’ authority to announce the absolution. In John 20:22-23, Jesus breathes on the disciples giving them the Holy Spirit and says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” So, please notice, Jesus, the One who proves that He has authority to forgive sins, passes that authority on to you, Christian.

The best analogy for this is one I have used before. Imagine someone in prison. He is guilty and locked up for his crime and is in jail. Across town, the governor decrees that he is pardoned. His guilt and punishment is gone. But that act alone doesn’t do him any good. As far as the law is concerned, he is free. But he is still in his cell. So, the governor’s pardon has to be communicated to the prison warden. And even that doesn’t do the prisoner any good unless the warden sends a guard to the man’s cell who opens the door and lets the man out. Each of those steps must happen for the man to be truly free.

If the governor doesn’t pardon and the guard simply opens the cell, that guard is breaking the law. The guy may be out of prison, but he is still guilty, and he will always be looking behind him waiting for the authorities to arrest him again. And if the man is pardoned, but the guard never comes to open the cell, that pardon doesn’t do the prisoner any good either. Dear saints, that is the picture of the absolution.

God has heard the case against you. And the evidence of Jesus’ death and resurrection means that God declares you to be holy, righteous, pure, free, and pardoned. Then, God sends others with the keys to open your cell and let you out of prison.

This has already been done here today. After we confessed our sins, God sent your pastor with the keys to your cell to open it by saying, “By Christ’s command and authority you have the entire forgiveness of all your sins.” I love my job! Thank you for calling me here to do that.

But know, dear saints, that this isn’t just for pastors to do. It is good and right for there to be someone appointed to do that in a congregation where things should be done in an orderly way (1 Cor. 14:40), but that does not mean that the absolution should only be spoken by a pastor in a church service. You can also forgive sins because Jesus died for sinners. Christians are the fellowship of those who have been set free and absolved of all our sins. And we are the fellowship of those who are deputized to declare to others that their sins are forgiven as well.

So, when you talk to others, do that! It’s one thing to rejoice in the forgiveness you have, and we should, we absolutely should, do that. But do you declare this forgiveness to others? Hopefully, you forgive others when they have harmed and sinned against you. Christians should be the quickest to do that. But have you declared forgiveness to someone whose conscience is troubled by sins that don’t involve you? You can!

According to Scripture, every Christian has this authority. Again, Jesus says to you, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (Jn. 20:23). You have been absolved and set free from your sins. You have also been authorized by Jesus to set others free from their sins. God has put the same declaration of the Gospel into your mouth. Look for sins to forgive. Look for people who feel the guilt and bondage of their sin. Say to them something like this, “Dear friend, Jesus died for you. In Jesus’ name, your sins are forgiven.” Speak these words with authority.

These words are life, freedom, and joy. These words of Jesus, “Your sins are forgiven,” are words for your ears, and they are words for your tongue. May those words be in your ears, engrained on your hearts, and freely spoken from your lips. Dear saints, you are forgiven, and you are authorized to forgive others as well. Amen.

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

Sustained – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct11

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1 Corinthians 1:1-9

¹ Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

² To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ⁶ even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

This opening to 1 Corinthians is full of stunning praise. Paul mentions that the believers in Corinth were being sanctified and made holy in Christ Jesus which is why Paul calls them saints. They, like you, are calling on the name of their Lord Jesus Christ and confessing that Jesus is their Savior. After mentioning that, Paul begins to give thanks for these Christians. Listen to all the things Paul thanks God for. He thanks God that the Corinthian Christians have God’s grace given through Christ. He says that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift. Paul is thankful that God will sustain them in their fellowship with all believers until the day Christ returns. Again, it’s an amazing greeting.

Listening to the opening of this letter, you might think that Corinth was the perfect congregation who had it all together. This introduction makes it sound like they figured Christianity out and had no problems. Maybe we should model what we do here at Christ the King by what was going on in Corinth. But then, in the verses that follow, we see that not everything in the church at Corinth was so great.

There were divisions in the church (1 Cor. 1:10-11). Some of the Christians in the congregation were saying, “I follow Paul,” some said, “I follow Apollos,” some, “I follow Peter,” and some piously bragged, “I follow Christ,” figuring no one could beat that.

As you keep reading this letter, you find out about all sorts of problems in the church of Corinth. You learn that a man was boasting about fornicating with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:1). The members of the church were suing each other in court (1 Cor. 6:1-8). Paul has to address the fact that marriages and families breaking apart because of immorality among these believers (1 Cor. 7). And it didn’t stop there. The congregation was having trouble at Communion. People were trying to get to the front of the line so that others weren’t able to receive the Sacrament, and some were even getting drunk in the church at the altar (1 Cor. 11:21).

Even their abundant spiritual gifts were becoming a problem because these gifts were making their worship services chaotic each week (1 Cor. 14:26-33). Whenever anyone had a thought enter their head during the service, they would stand up and interrupt the liturgy or the sermon to say it, and a lot of the time what was being said was in a foreign language that most didn’t understand. And maybe most troubling, some of the members there didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, and some didn’t even believe that Jesus rose on Easter (1 Cor. 15)!

Considering all these things, we might judge that this wasn’t even a Christian congregation. With everything that was wrong in the Corinthian church, you’d think Paul would simply start his letter by laying into them, but he doesn’t. Instead, Paul says, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.” And the fact that Paul starts this way should make us consider how we look at things within the church.

There are two ways we can look at things. With our physical eyes, we can look around, see how things are outwardly, gauge, and evaluate. And we should do this with our eyes. With our eyes, we can see a lot of good things. We can see the beauty of the fall colors and acknowledge the creativity of God. We can see all the beets on the road and know that the harvest is coming in much better than last year. With our eyes, we can see and know there are a lot of bad and evil things. We can see the riots and looting and division that is going on in our nation. We can see how politicians can’t agree on how to rule and recognize that all of this is bad for our country.

But our physical eyes have limitations. Our physical eyes cannot see how things are spiritually. You cannot look an individual or a congregation and see how they are doing spiritually. A church could have hundreds or even thousands of people attending each week with seven pastors and dozens of staff while running all sorts of programs and have seemingly unlimited funding, but none of that means the church is doing well spiritually. And maybe most importantly, you cannot even look at yourself and see how things are spiritually. You could have the entire Bible memorized, be reading the Scriptures every day, going to church every week, and giving 30% of your income to the church and still be on the road straight to hell if you don’t have faith in Christ. Because we cannot gauge how things are spiritually with our physical eyes, God has given us spiritual eyes.

Spiritual eyes understand the world, not through what we see, but through what we hear. Spiritual eyes see things as Jesus sees them. And it is when we stop looking at everything in a merely physical way and learn to look at everything through the cross of Christ, then we will be upheld and sustained. That is why later in this chapter Paul says, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22). In fact, when we consider everything in light of Jesus’ cross instead of what we can see with our physical eyes, we are comforted. Because of Christ’s cross, we have the comfort that God will sustain us guiltless, completely guiltless, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because of the cross, when God looks at us, He sees us differently. It is easy to look at ourselves and see that we do not keep the two great commandments that Jesus talks about in our Gospel lesson (Mt. 22:34-46). We do not love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength nor our neighbor as ourselves. Because we can see that, it makes us wonder what God, who is everywhere and knows and everything, sees. But when you have faith that Christ has died and risen again for you, God looks at you through the lens of the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for you, He took all of your guilt, all of your sin, all of your shame, all of your sorrow. Because of the cross, God does not see you, believer, in your sin. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Christian, you are clothed with Christ, as Galatians 3:27 says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” This is foundational to our faith and can sustain us in our weakest moments.

Also, when we believe and trust that God sees us through the cross of Jesus, we see God differently. In this world full of evil and trouble, we are tempted to think that God is angry and frustrated and distant from us. If your impression of God is based on what you see in the news, you will probably think that God is just waiting for the right time to smite you. But that is not where we should look to see what God thinks of us. Remember at the Last Supper, Phillip asks Jesus to show him and all the disciples the Father. And Jesus says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:8-9). If you want to know what God thinks of you look to Jesus and to His chief work of the cross. Because of the cross, we see that God has come to rescue and save us. We see that God has died and shed His blood for us. We see that God loves us. We see that nothing can separate us from His love. The crucifixion stands as the irrefutable proof of God’s love for you.

And Scripture also opens our spiritual eyes to see that this Good News, this Gospel, the cross of Jesus, isn’t just for us, but it is for all the other sinners in the world as well. The Gospel changes how we see our neighbor because Jesus was on the cross for them too. Jesus died for the sins of the world. God desires that all sinners repent and believe and be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Everyone you meet is loved and precious because everyone you meet is someone for whom Christ has died and shed His blood.

Dear saints, when it comes to your spiritual life, it is dangerous to trust what you see with your eyes. Satan loves to throw all sorts of things in front of you that will make you doubt God’s love for you. The devil will try to point you to every flaw and failure so that you do not trust what God promises.

Dear saints don’t fall for the trap. Trust what you hear in God’s Word and view everything through God’s promises. If God promises it, believe it without fail. Faith always relies on God’s promise, and without His promise there can be no faith. No matter what happens, this fact remains. God loves you, and He has sent Jesus to die and rise again for you. what Jesus has done, God will sustain you blameless until the coming of your Lord. This is not a presumption, dream, or speculation. It is God’s sure and certain promise to you. So be confident, be upheld, be sustained in what Christ has done for you. Amen.

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

A Seat at the Table – Sermon on Luke 14:1-11 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct4

Listen here.

Luke 14:1-11

¹ One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.

² And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. ³ And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” ⁴ But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” ⁶ And they could not reply to these things.

⁷ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

All of the Ten Commandments should do two things. First, the Commandments should expose how sinful we are and cause us to repent. Second, the Commandments should make us realize that God is good and that He is concerned for us and cares about all aspects of our lives. For example, the 5^th Commandment about murder should expose our anger and hatred toward others, but it should also show you that God values your life and wants to protect it. The 7^th Commandment about stealing should expose our greed and idolatry of money and stuff, but it should also show you that God wants you to have and enjoy the things He has given you. The 8^th Commandment about bearing false witness should convict us of how we use our tongues to lie, gossip, and speak negatively of others, but it should also show you that God loves truth and wants to protect you from false accusations, gossip, etc. This is true of all Ten Commandments, but because this Gospel lesson focuses our attention on what Jesus does at this Sabbath feast, we are going to focus on the 3^rdCommandment.

Hopefully, you have the 3^rd Commandment (and all the Commandments) memorized: “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” While that one sentence captures the essence of the Command, there is more to it when it is given by God on Mt. Sinai. Here’s the full thing (Ex. 20:8-11):

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The 3^rd Commandment shows God’s concern and care for us. In this Command, God guarantees a day of rest every week. And we didn’t even have to unionize to get it! As far as I know, there is no other religion where people are commanded to rest and receive. Foreigners, servants, and even animals get a day off. This rest not only makes people more productive, but it also honors and protects them. God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh. And because we are created in God’s image, we should follow His example and have the same privilege of rest.

God’s intent with this day of rest was that we should not only rest our bodies and minds, but more importantly God wants us to use the Sabbath to find rest for our souls. The day of rest is kept holy when we concern ourselves with holy things – especially hearing God’s Word preached and explained to us (Mt. 11:28-30; Act. 13:27, 44; 15:21). God knows that we need to work to provide food for our bodies, so He gives us six days to do that. And God knows that we need to be fed spiritually, so He set aside the Sabbath for that as well. According to Jesus, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk. 2:27).

Truly keeping the Sabbath by resting from our regular work to hear God’s Word is a witness to God’s grace. The gift of rest that God gives in the Command reminds us that salvation is never earned or achieved by our efforts. Eternal life is always freely given and received as a gift from God. If salvation is not received as pure gift, it will always be beyond our reach and we will never have it. Now, with all of that in mind, we turn to the text.

The good and merciful Command about the Sabbath was being abused by the Pharisees. Instead of rejoicing in the rest God was giving them in the Command, these legalists took the Commandment and used it as a club to beat others over the head. A legalist is not someone who takes the Law extra seriously in order to keep it, nor is a legalist someone who avoids temptation and sin because they love God’s Law. Instead, a legalist is someone who uses the Law of God to serve himself and make others feel inferior (Rev. David Petersen).

These Pharisees were feasting on the Sabbath but ignoring the man sick with dropsy. Basically, dropsy means this man had some condition that made fluid build up making him bloated and swollen. The man would have looked gross, and his condition might have led people to believe that he was a glutton who was getting what he deserved. It is even possible that the Pharisees had invited this man to the feast in order to test Jesus and see what He would do because they were “watching [Jesus] carefully” (Lk. 14:1).

So, notice that they aren’t resting on the Sabbath at all. They are working, and their task is to catch and trap Jesus. They are taking the Sabbath feast, which was meant to be a time for everyone to bask in God’s forgiveness and mercy, and turning it into a private party where they would ridicule our Lord and pat themselves on the back for keeping God’s Law all while not lifting a finger to help this poor man. Some rest that is!

But while they are working to test Jesus, He turns the tables and puts them under the microscope by asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Of course, it is obviously in accordance with the Law to heal and do good to others on the Sabbath. God had even addressed this in the books of Moses (Dt. 22:1-4). In Ex. 23:4-5, God says, “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.” And God never says, “Go ahead and forget about it if it’s the Sabbath.”

They knew the answer, but the Pharisees refuse to respond to Jesus’ question. So, Jesus does what He always does and heals the guy. After sending him away, Jesus asks the Pharisees, “Would you leave your son or even an ox that fell into a well on the Sabbath and not pull him out?” And still they refuse to answer. Their pride and hypocrisy is exposed, but Jesus isn’t done going after them yet. Jesus continues to run after them to give them rest. Christ wants these hard-working Pharisees to put down their labors and burdens and enter His rest. So, Jesus tells them this parable, which isn’t like most of Jesus’ parables. Instead, this particular parable is more akin to the wisdom we heard in our Old Testament Lesson (Prov. 25:6-14).

Now, we could take this parable as an etiquette lesson: Sit low and get honor by being paraded through the party to a higher seat. But that flies in the face of what Jesus is actually doing. Jesus wants to show them true humility. Pretending to be humble in order to get the praise of others is not true humility.

Notice what Jesus says is the lesson of the parable, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In the parable, Jesus doesn’t give you something to do by saying, “Be humble.” Yes, pride is your problem, but you can’t overcome your pride by being humble. Even thinking that you can fix your pride is, by definition, prideful. The anecdote for your pride is not you being humble – it is grace. Grace is humbling because it is never merited or earned. Grace is pure mercy, pure love, pure gift.

The parable is really all about Jesus. It tells of Christ’s path from glory down to earth and the grave and back again (Php. 2:5-11). Jesus removed Himself from the place of honor at His Father’s right hand in order to make room for you. Jesus was humiliated. He took the form of a servant. God was found in human form. Then, when we sinners saw God in the flesh, we pinned Him to the cross. But after all this, God does the strangest thing.

He sees that Jesus’ seat is open and that you are sitting down low in the muck and mire of your sin. He invites you to move up. You are invited to sit at the table He prepares for you. He anoints your head with oil and makes sure your cup overflows (Ps. 23:5) and is never set down empty. Then, on the third day, from the lowest place, Jesus is raised up. At His name, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. All of this has been done for you so that you can be honored by Jesus’ humility.

Dear sinners, we have fallen into the well of our sin, so Christ has come down into the well of sin for us. He dies in the lowest place of that well. And He invites you to step on His back, so you can get out and move to a seat of honor at His table.

Remember how each of the first six days of creation in Genesis end by saying, “There was evening and morning”? The seventh day, the Sabbath, the day of rest doesn’t mention that. The picture is of an eternal rest with God that doesn’t end. Well, today is our Sabbath, our day of rest. God now invites you to His feast, and there is a place of honor for you here at His Table. Leave your work, your striving, your pride, and your sin. Come, there is a seat for you here at God’s table. Come and receive what you have not earned or deserved. Your God has good things for you here. Amen.

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

Preview – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep27

Listen here.

Luke 7:11-17

¹¹ Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

We didn’t get to do it enough (at least in person) this past Easter Season. So, since we live in the Easter Age, and since every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection…

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This whole text is a wonderful preview of what will happen later in Luke’s Gospel. Everything recorded for us in this text actually happened and is part of actual history, but this text is a beautiful preview.

Jesus approaches the little town of Nain which is in Galilee. Nain is about six miles south of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Nain, the name of the town, means ‘pleasantness’ or ‘beautiful.’ Nain is on the slopes of a mountain. For those of you who have lived here in the Red River Valley your whole life, a mountain is like a dyke, but it isn’t there to prevent floods. A mountain is where the ground naturally goes up and up really high. It’s bigger than a dyke but isn’t man-made. Nain is on the lower slopes of Mt. Moreh, the same mountain where Gideon and his 300 men defeated the army of Midian with nothing but trumpets and torches in jars (Judges 7).

As Jesus and His entourage approach the gate of this beautiful town, our Lord encounters an ugly scene. Another large crowd is exiting the gate of the city. They follow a corpse carried by pallbearers on a bier which is an open coffin. Just behind the corpse, a widow is joined by most of the citizens of the town, and the corpse on that bier is the lifeless body of her ‘only begotten’ son (the same word used of Jesus in Jn. 3:16). The crowd is following her because the death of one member in the city is mourned by everyone in the city. And this death is particularly sad.

This poor woman is now absolutely alone with no one to provide for her. Her husband had already died, and in those days, she couldn’t just go out and get a job to provide for herself. After the death of his father, this son would have become the main source of hope and income for himself and his mother. But now, the son is dead, her hope is gone, and this woman is, according to Scripture, truly a widow (1 Tim. 5:3-5).

Proper etiquette would mean that Jesus and everyone following Him would move aside, get out of the way, and let this somber march of death pass by without interruption. But Christ, the Lord of Life, doesn’t yield. He doesn’t step aside for death. And so, these two crowds get mixed up and entangled there at the gate. It must have been quite a scene.

We need to pause here a minute. We talked last week about the Three Estates – the Church, the Family, and the State. If you didn’t hear that sermon, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to it because it is a helpful lens through which we can consider the world, what is going on around us, and how we are to serve God in Church, family, and state. And it is an idea I plan on pointing you back to regularly.

The gate where these two crowds meet was on the outer wall which surrounded the town of Nain. One of the ways we can imagine the Three Estates is as a set of three walls of protection around you. In medieval times, the seats of kingdoms would have three walls to protect the center of the city where the palace, the military base, and the stock of supplies were safe from enemies. So, when an enemy attacked a city, the first two walls could be breached, but the people could still defend themselves and what was most important.

That idea of three protective walls is one of the ways theologians picture the Three Estates of Church, Family, and State, and we can see how God protects our lives by providing order and peace in society through the first wall of the Estate of the State. We can see how God gives physical life and provides a safe environment for families to grow and learn and go about their business through the second wall of the Estate of the Family. And we can see how God gives spiritual life and sustains that life through the teaching of God’s Word through the third wall of the Estate of the Church.

But the devil is always attacking these walls and estates, and Satan is most effective in his attacks when he attacks from inside each of these estates. The best way for the devil to attack the Church is through false teachers within the Church. The best way for the devil to attack the Family is by going after parents and tempting them away from their family. The best way for Satan to attack the State is through politicians and leaders who make unjust laws.

Now, I need to address something before we move on here. Kids, listen up. Going off to college and moving away from your family is a dangerous time and you can expect the devil to attack you and your faith. Normally, the State isn’t going to punish you when you break God’s Commandments, so there is already a breech, or a weakness, in the wall of the State. When you move away from your family and live on your own, that wall of protection isn’t there in the same way as when you are living with your parents. And if you are living in a new town and don’t find a Church to attend every week that correctly teaches all of God’s Word, the devil has access to your conscience and will try to lure you away from the faith. In one fell swoop, the walls of protection can crumble around you. Too many kids end up denouncing Christianity shortly after they move away from home. So kids, when the time comes for you to move away from home, I would be delighted and more than happy to help you find a good church wherever you move. Ok?

Back to this poor woman. She has quickly had the wall of her family completely decimated. Her husband and her only son have died. She is vulnerable. She is weeping – and rightly so. Death is unnatural. God never intended that we should die. When someone you love dies, weeping and crying is a right response. Even Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, weeps at the death of His friend Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). So, why does Jesus tell her, “Stop weeping”?

Christ interrupts the funeral procession and gives her this command because He is about to act. Jesus could have reversed the order. Christ could have raised her son to life then told her to stop weeping, but He doesn’t. Instead, with this command, Jesus gives her an implied promise that her son will live again. These words from Jesus give a little preview into what He is about to do. Then, only after giving that promise, Jesus touches the bier and commands the young man to get up. The life-giving Word of Christ awakens the dead young man from the slumber of death.

Dear saints, I said at the beginning that this account is completely true. But it is also a preview. Christ, who raises the dead as easily as waking them from a nap, this very same Jesus went to His death. He hung on the cross. And as His holy and precious blood flowed out of His hands, feet, and head, He spoke to His widowed mother. Christ gave His mother into the care of John the disciple to provide a new family for her and rebuild that wall of protection. Then, Jesus died and His lifeless body was carried to a tomb.

But also, just like in this text, the march of death was stopped short. Death had to give way to the Word of Jesus at the gate of Nain, and death had to give way to Jesus on the third day when Christ burst from the grip of death. Death tried to swallow up the Lord of Life, but it bit off more than it could chew. In fact, death choked and died when it tried to consume Jesus. And on Easter morning, Christ rose victorious from the grave.

And yet, dear saints, even that is just a preview of what will happen when your Lord returns. Your sorrow, your loneliness, and your death will all be brought to an end. With a simple word, Christ will call you out of your graves. He will raise you and all believers to live forever with Him in perfection and bliss. In that day, we will confess just as the people of Nain did, “God has visited His people!”

Dear saints, while we look forward to that day, let us confess the same thing now. God has visited you bringing life and salvation to a dark, dying world. May He visit us again soon. Come, Lord Jesus.

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

Amen.

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

Three Circles of Protection – Sermon on Matthew 6:24-34 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep20

Listen here.

Matthew 6:24-34

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, Jesus preaches to us against worry by making fun of it. Jesus asks, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (v. 27). Christ is making a joke. Literally, Jesus says, “Which of you by worrying can add a cubit,” a measurement of length, “to your life?” which is, of course, measured in time. I don’t know a lot of tall, elderly people, but my grandfather, who died in his 80’s, was 6’ 2”. When I saw him never thought, “Wow. Grandpa must have worried a lot.” Jesus even makes fun of us worriers. When our translation quotes Jesus asking, “Will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” He is actually calling us a name – “you little faiths” or “little faithers.”

In His preaching, Jesus invites us wise and noble humans to slow down and hear the preaching of birds and flowers. When birds need food, they don’t go to the little bird grocery store where all the food grown by farmer birds is sold. It’s almost as if Jesus was inviting you to imagine certain types of birds working in each role. (Finches would be at the grocery tills – fight me.) Birds don’t keep their food in cupboards and pantries in their nests. Flowers don’t look for best sales of the season for clothes, but they are splendidly clothed. In His wisdom, God has ordered creation in such a way that He takes care of feeding birds and clothing the grass. The birds and grass trust Him, and Jesus says we should as well.

Kids, whenever you are studying science – botany, biology, anatomy, astronomy, physics, etc. – you get a small peek into all the ways we have observed how God has ordered creation. And the more scientists discover, the more we see about the complexity, intricacy, and beauty of God our Father and Creator. God put thought and wisdom and detail into every part of creation as He spoke it into existence. All of creation was designed by God to both continue and sustain life. He does it for birds and plants and animals and planets and stars and galaxies. And He does it for you.

And it is with that thought, I want to take a step back and consider how God gives order to provide for us and protect us, the pinnacle of His creation. As we see this wonderful and beautiful order, Jesus invites us to not worry when we are tempted to do so.

In His wisdom, God has given order to our lives by creating and instituting, what theologians call, “the Three Estates”: The Three Estates are the Church, the Family, and the State (or government), in that order are the three circles of protection that God has graciously given. Science cannot observe and study this, but from God’s Word we can see how God has woven these Three Estates into the fabric of creation to provide for you and protect you. When we consider what is going on in the world through the lens of the Three Estates, it helps shape and guide our thinking in a biblical way so that we do not worry. And even though things can get bad (and, even, currently are bad) in these estates, these estates cannot be completely overthrown or destroyed.

Each of the Three Estates has a “source” or when it was instituted. A “form” or what it consists of. And an “end” or goal. So, let’s talk about each of these:

First, the estate of the Church. The estate of the Church was instituted and has its source at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And this will take a bit of explaining. We are always and only righteous and holy through faith. Scripture repeatedly says, “the righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Ro. 1:17; Gal. 3:11).

Before they fell into sin, Adam and Eve had everything good from God because of the perfection of creation, so they needed a promise of God to believe. That promise was implied when God gave the command to not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:16-17). In other words, God’s command included a promise which was, “Evil is bad. Trust Me on this. When you find out what evil is, it won’t go well for you. In fact, you’ll die.” So, with this command and promise, Adam and Eve could have by faith what God never intended them to have. God didn’t want humanity to experience evil or death by sight, only by faith.

The estate of the church takes the form and consists of the Word of God preached and believed. As long as Adam and Eve believed God’s Word, they had the pure Church. God be praised that now, even after the Fall, we still have the Church which continued when God promised that the Seed of the woman, Jesus, would deliver and rescue us from death (Gen. 3:15).

Finally, the end or goal of the Estate of the Church is for us to have eternal life with God. So, we have, first, the Church: instituted by God’s promise before the Fall (and sustained after the Fall), with the goal and end of eternal life.

The second estate instituted by God to protect and provide for humanity is the Estate of the Family. The Estate of the Family has its source and was instituted also before the Fall when God took Adam’s rib and formed Eve. Then, God told Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). Even after the Fall, we know that God wants the Estate of the Family to continue because God repeats this command to Noah and his descendants after the Flood (Gen. 9:1).

The Estate of the Family takes the form of and us made up by husband, wife, and children.

And the end or goal of the Estate of the Family is also life, but, unlike the Estate of Church, the Family provides temporal, physical life. So, we have the Family: again, instituted by God before the Fall (and sustained after the Fall), with the goal and end physical life.

The Estate of the State is a little more complex because it was instituted only after the Fall. And there isn’t a direct passage of Scripture where God clearly establishes the Estate of the State. However, Scripture does clearly teach us that the Estate of the State is a good institution of God in both Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 where Scripture teaches that the State is not a terror to good conduct but to bad and that the State carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

A couple possibilities of when God establishes the Estate of the State could be: When God sent the cherubim to guard the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22-24). By prohibiting Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life, God was protecting them from living forever in sin. Some suggest that the Estate of the State was instituted after the murder of Abel, and there are some good arguments for that, but for the sake of time I’m not going to get into that now.

The Estate of the State takes the form of and uses the instrument of the sword and punishment. In other words, the State uses either punishment or the threat of punishment to protect and preserve life. Think of it this way, God established the State to bring about ‘little death.’ To the State God has given the tools of rules, punishments, jail, even execution and war to prevent more or bigger death.

Try this as an example: your car can probably go over 100 mph. But the authorities that God has established in the State have brought about a ‘little death’ for your car through speed limits. You have to drive down Columbia at or under 40 mph. because driving 100 mph. would endanger the lives of others. And if you refuse to obey the law, there is the threat of punishment through a speeding ticket, or, if you actually do drive 100 mph. down Columbia, you should be thrown in jail for reckless endangerment.

The goal of the Estate of the State is to preserve life. Because it is impossible for the state to give life, it’s only function is to preserve life through the means of that ‘little death.’ An analogy for this would be when a surgeon cuts open a person to do surgery on their heart or to remove a tumor. This brings about pain and death, but in an effort to preserve life. So, we have the State: instituted by God after the Fall, with the goal and end preserving life through punishment or “little death.”

Now, this ordering of creation has very important ramifications. When we worry about what is going on around us, the Three Estates let us see how God has provided these three circles of protection. The Three Estates also helps shape what we are to do. We are to be faithful citizens of the State by voting and following the laws that the State gives to protect life. We are to be faithful to our Family by being good parents and obedient children. And we are to be faithful members of Christ’s Church by trusting Him and growing in God’s Word and faith.

We are constantly bombarded with news, and it is easy to get caught up with what is going on in Washington D.C. or St. Paul or Bismarck. We tend to get so focused on the coming election and what is happening in the government – both at the federal and state level. With the economy in a bad place, an open seat on the Supreme Court, and pandemic, we start to think that the State has to do something, and the State does have a place to make rules and laws to protect life. But then – when you throw in riots, fires, hurricanes, masks, and social distancing – it is easy for us to look to the State for things that God hasn’t given the State to do. There certainly may be a place for the State to have care and direction when it comes to those things as well. And there is also a place for polite discussion and disagreement on what level and to what degree the State should or shouldn’t make those decisions.

But in all of this, we should recognize that the State exists only to protect life by minimizing death. It also means that the Estate of the State has nothing to do and has no purpose apart from the Estate of the Church and the Estate of the Family. Since life does not exist apart from the Church and the Family, there is nothing for the State to do without the Church or Family. So, the State is the most temporary and the least important of the Three Estates because it only exists to serve and protect the life that comes only through the Church and the Family.

Also, it is important for each of the Three Estates to “stay in their own lane.” Pastors should not shepherd their flock like a president or king. Families should not look to the State or the Church to provide for them. Politicians should not guide on what is right and moral. We could go on and on, but I hope you get the point. (And we can talk about all this later too.)

The end of all this, dear saints, is this: A lot of our worry (at least for me and what I see on social media) comes from what is going on in the State. Repent! It shouldn’t be this way. Yes, the State is important. The State and the authorities God has placed over us matter and are there to protect life. But what is going on in your Family much more important than what happens in the State. Put more of your focus and attention there.

Remember that Jesus promises to provide for your family. Jesus hasn’t given you permission to worry about anything. If Jesus wants to give you permission to worry about something, He’ll be sure to let you know. But until then, go about your work. And worrying is not work – even though it often feels like it. Worrying takes a lot of time and energy, but worrying isn’t productive. Remember, God has promised, and He will provide – even if it means sending ravens or a miraculous provision of flour and oil like He did in our Old Testament text (1 Kgs. 17:8-16). While you remember that what happens in your family is more important than what is going on in the State, even more important than what is going on in your family is what is going on at here at Church.

Here God provides everything you need for eternal life. He has given Christ to go to the cross, shed His blood, die, and rise again for your justification. He continues to pour out His mercy upon you from this very altar with this holy Supper. Sure, things are currently bad in the state. Maybe, things are even not so great in your family. But both could certainly be worse. Remember, God still protects and provides everything you need for eternal life through the Estate of the Church. And no matter what happens in this world, the gates of hell will never overcome Christ’s Church (Mt. 16:18). Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry, little faithers.

I want to close here with what Jesus says when He preaches almost the exact same sermon in Luke 12:29–31. Your Savior says, “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Amen.

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

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

Author Archives: pastorsamwise

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

Now – Sermon on Jude for Midweek Advent 1 2020

Forgiven Forgivers – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35

Known – Sermon on Revelation 7:9-17 for All Saints’ Day

Unmoved – Sermon on Psalm 46 for Reformation Sunday

Authorized to Forgive – Sermon on Matthew 9:1-8 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sustained – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

A Seat at the Table – Sermon on Luke 14:1-11 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Preview – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Three Circles of Protection – Sermon on Matthew 6:24-34 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity