Listen here.

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

The Word of God always works. As surely as rain and snow make the ground wet, the Word of God works.

Time after time, Scripture makes this clear. In creation, God speaks, and things that don’t exist obey. Jesus speaks to a deaf man and his ears open (Mk. 7:31-37). And Jesus tells dead-as-a-doornail Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and he does. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” And Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.”

But it doesn’t matter how clear Scripture makes it. It doesn’t matter how many times we read these verses from Isaiah or see countless examples in the Scripture that the Word of God works, we simply and sinfully do not believe this because there are times when it appears to us that God’s Word isn’t working. The results we expect just aren’t there. The Scriptures are pouring down, but where is the sprouting? Where is the fruit?

In our Gospel lesson (Mt. 13:1-9, 18-23), the Parable of the Sower and the Seed and its explanation, Jesus deals with our objections to the truth that God’s Word always works.

In the parable, Jesus teaches that God’s Word has enemies. The devil is first of those enemies. He is always trying to snatch away the Word as soon as the seed falls. Satan wants nothing more than to take that seed from you as soon as possible. That is why you have a hard time listening to sermons and why you get distracted when you read your Bible. Satan is always trying to steal God’s Word from you.

But there is another enemy of God’s Word. Trials, tribulations, and persecution also threaten the harvest that comes from hearing the Word of God. Troubles in this life tempt us into thinking that God is far away and has either abandoned us completely or isn’t interested in what is going on in our life. We wrongly think that, as a Christian, we should have less trouble and a better life than those who aren’t Christians. But Jesus never promised that. Jesus did not say, “Take up your Lazy Boy and follow Me.”

The Christian life isn’t easy. When tribulations and persecutions come, that isn’t the time to give up on God’s Word and retreat. Those trials should cause us to hold tighter to God’s Word. To sink our roots deeper into the promises that come only in the Scriptures.

Both the devil and the trials of this life are deadly enemies to the Word of God. But it is the third enemy, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the enticement of stuff that is striking – especially this time of year.

Imagine a man standing just outside the door of our church, and every Sunday he would hold out $1,000 to you as you approached. The $1,000 is yours, free and clear, so long as you don’t come into church and listen to God’s Word. Would you take it?

Sadly, you are lured away by less than that. That tournament your child is playing in keeps you from hearing God’s Word and receiving the promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation. The lake is really nice to visit this time of year, and a few Sunday mornings of fishing and relaxing are much more appealing than being in a pew. Or, and I am guilty of this too, we would rather watch one more episode on Netflix before bed rather than spending time in the Bible.

Psalm 119:72 says, “The [Word] of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold or silver pieces.”

Brothers and sisters, we all need to repent. Repent and once again hear the effective Word of God. Notice that even when these enemies of God’s Word prevent the harvest – they never succeed because the Word, the seed, is ineffective.

The seed of God’s Word always has life in it. Even if we are hard-hearted pavement, the Word has life. Even if the rocks prevent our roots from receiving nourishment, the Word grows. Even if the weeds of the pleasures of this life choke out the growth, the Word works.

Repent and hear again this promise: God’s Word does not ever, never ever, return empty but accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent. And remember that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.

The Word was sent by the Father to dwell among us. Jesus, the Word of God, bore all the accusations the Law could throw against you and of which He was innocent. The Word was sent to the slaughter, to accept your guilty verdict and to be killed on the cross for crimes that you committed.

And He is risen. Jesus has broken down the gates of hell and opened heaven to you believer, that you might live. And still, constantly through His Word, He speaks you righteous. He declares you innocent, and there is no one left to accuse or speak a word against you.

Hear His Word now: You are forgiven. Your sins are gone. Now, go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Sprout, and bear fruit for His name. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 11:25-30

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸ “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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

Jesus prays, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will.”

Hang on there, Jesus. What’s all this talk about God hiding things from the wise and understanding? I thought God wanted all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. What does God have against the wise and understanding?

Well, there are two kinds of wisdom – according-to-the-world wisdom and according-to-God wisdom. According the world, the wise are those who have it all figured out. An answer for every question. And it isn’t that God doesn’t love the according-to-the-world wise; it’s that they don’t want God or His love and mercy because the don’t want to need His mercy. Those who are wise according to the world want to be above God and not below Him.

The other kind of wisdom – the according-to-God wisdom – is to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10).

So, Jesus’ prayer which opens this text is speaking against the according-to-the-world wisdom. “Thank You, Father, for hiding the treasures of Your kingdom from those who don’t think there are any treasure to be found. Thank You for hiding Your mercy from those who would rather crawl their way back to You than receive Your mercy. And thank You, Father, for hiding Your wisdom under the foolishness of the cross (1 Cor. 1:21-24). Thank You for hiding Your strength under weakness and Your victory under defeat. Thank You for revealing these things to little children.”

Little children. Jesus said that unless you become like one of them, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Mk. 10:15). These “little children” are those who receive, trust, and depend – all characteristics that we are supposed to grow out of. And in this world, we should become independent, productive members of society. But none of us ever grow out of our need for God’s love and mercy.

As long as we are in this world, we are sinners. And, unlike wine and certain kinds of cheese, sinners don’t get better with age. That is what Paul was getting at in our epistle text (Ro. 7:14-25).

Paul tells his sad story. He is a man who truly wants to do good. He knows what is right, and he earnestly and honestly wants to do it. But he can’t. He always fails. He delights in God’s Law, but he also recognizes that he is a total, complete, abject sinner. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Does he give up? No.

Instead, Paul knows the wisdom of God, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! He has redeemed me. He has shed His blood and died on the cross for me.”

Blake, today you are baptized. Today, you are born again. Today, Jesus has chosen to reveal Himself to you. Stay childlike before God. Stay totally, completely, wholly dependent upon your Heavenly Father.

Blake, by the grace of God as you grow, you will learn many things. You will learn to crawl, stand, walk, and eat on your own. You will learn to ride a bike, read, and drive a car. Your life will be filled with assignments, deadlines, and all sorts of other pressures. You will learn how to be a productive member of society. And by God’s grace, you will become an independent, smart woman like your mother, your aunts, and your grandmother.

But don’t ever be fooled into thinking that you outgrow your dependence upon God.

Blake, and all you believers here today. You never outgrow your need for the love, mercy, and provision of God.

So, when you feel the weight of the world, don’t be afraid to recognize that you bear those burdens because of your sin. After the Fall, God said by the sweat of your brow that you would eat. Confess that it is because of sin that life is hard.

But then, hear Jesus’ constant invitation. “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

The Christian life is work. But always remember who is carrying the load. Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father.” Jesus bears every load, every weight, every burden.

Luther says that it is like a mule pulling a cart with a flea on its nose, and the flea pulls with all its might. Jesus bears the heavy load and lets you walk with Him as He carries you. Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light because He bears the weight – not you. Jesus does the heavy lifting. And in Him – only in Him – you find the rest that you seek.

May this mystery be revealed to each of you here, for this is the Father’s gracious will. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Romans 7:1-13

¹ Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? ² For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. ³ Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

⁷ What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” ⁸ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. ⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

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

God commands us to not want what we don’t have, “You shall not covet.” Such a small command. Not only is it small by the number of words, but it seems such a small, harmless thing to do. So what, if you covet your neighbor’s things? It’s not like you’re actually stealing. So what if you covet your neighbor’s wife or husband? It’s not like you’re actually committing adultery.

But that is exactly what the devil wants us to think. Satan wants us to minimize the sin of covetousness so that we fall into all sorts of other sins that harm ourselves and our neighbor.

Coveting is where sin starts. Remember King David? He was out enjoying his balcony one evening, and he saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, bathing. David sinned by coveting his neighbor’s wife, but the sin didn’t stop there.

David had an affair with her – breaking 6^th Commandment. To cover up his sin, David had Uriah killed – breaking the 5^th Commandment. David took Bathsheba as his wife – breaking the 7^th Commandment. In his actions, David lied – breaking the 8^th Commandment. He dishonored his parents by not doing what they had taught him – breaking the 4^th Commandment. By breaking all those other Commandments, David was not honoring God’s name and God’s Word – 2^nd and 3^rd Commandments. In all of this, David broke the 1^st Commandment, serving his desires rather than the true God.

What started with breaking the 10^th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,” turned into a Commandment-smashing spree.

Coveting is a lot more dangerous than we think it is. In Colossians 3:5, Paul says that coveting is idolatry. How can he say that? Well, think about it. At its core, coveting is you believing that God got it wrong when you don’t have what you want. You put yourself in the place of God and, in effect, say, “That thing should be mine.”

That is why God gave the Commandments about coveting. Like Paul did, we don’t give coveting a second thought, but it is deadly dangerous.

Think of your conscience like a radar that picks up the threats of sin. Your conscience radar can pick up the threat of murder, stealing, lying, etc. But coveting is like a stealth bomber. Your conscience doesn’t even notice it.

That’s why Paul says here, “I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the Law, sin lies dead.”

Sin is like a sleeping dog, and the Law comes along and kicks it awake. God doesn’t let sleeping dogs lie – not when it comes to sin. God doesn’t want you to be ignorant of your sin and your deadness. So He gave the Commandments.

The Law cannot make you a better person, and the Law certainly cannot make you righteous. That is not why God gave the Law. God gave the holy, righteous, and good Commandments to show you just how dead you are in sin.

The Law always accuses and comes to kill you, sinner, by showing you that you do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. The Law shows us all that we are covetous idolaters in our hearts and married to sin.

Repent. You were married to sin, but Jesus has come. God made Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin and to die to sin – for you. You were married to sin. But in Baptism, God joined you to Jesus so that you would die to sin and be married to another – to Jesus who has been raised from the dead. And now you are reborn in Jesus, and there is no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus.

Now, God looks at you and sees Jesus, His beloved child. The life you now live, you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave His life for you (Gal. 2:20).

Believer, your Husband, your Savior Jesus, calls you to His table to receive His holy body and His precious blood to assure you once again that your sins are forgiven. He gives you His risen body and blood so that you may serve Him. Because of what Jesus has done, you belong to Him, now and forever. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Jeremiah 20:7–13

⁷   O Lord, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;

you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.

I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.

⁸   For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, “Violence and destruction!”

For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.

⁹   If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”

there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,

and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.

¹⁰ For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!

“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my close friends,
watching for my fall.

“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we can overcome him
and take our revenge on him.”

¹¹ But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
they will not overcome me.

They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.

Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.

¹² O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
who sees the heart and the mind,

let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.

¹³ Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!

For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.

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

In case you didn’t notice, Jeremiah isn’t too happy with the God who called him to be a prophet. And he’s plenty honest about it.

Jeremiah feels like Yahweh has deceived and tricked him. Jeremiah seems to be in a submission hold, and God isn’t letting him tap out. He is a laughingstock, and everyone is mocking him. God’s Word has become for him a source of anguish because Jeremiah continually has to preach the Law and announce the judgment and destruction that is coming upon God’s people.

If you want to know what life is like for a preacher, these verses let you inside. Jeremiah is ready to hang it up. He wants to be done preaching God’s Word. But if Jeremiah doesn’t preach, God’s Word becomes a burning fire in his heart and bones. He wants to quit, but he can’t. Here, Jeremiah unloads his frustration and despair.

Why? Why is Jeremiah fed up with being God’s prophet? Well, God called Jeremiah at a time when people were hardened against God’s Word, so God didn’t give Jeremiah a happy sermon to preach. The context of this text gives us a glimpse of this.

Back in Jeremiah 19:14-15, God sent Jeremiah to the courtyard of the Temple to preach, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all the towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear My words.”

Did the people listen and repent? Nope. They didn’t like the sermon, so they just figured they’d get rid of the preacher. Pashhur, the priest, heard Jeremiah’s sermon and beat him. He put Jeremiah in stocks in the Temple.

The next morning, Pashhur came and let Jeremiah out of the stocks, but Jeremiah didn’t retract his sermon. He doubled-down. He preached right to Pashhur, “God doesn’t call you ‘Pashhur’ (which means ‘freedom’), but ‘Terror on Every Side.’ You will be a terror to yourself and to all your friends. You will watch as they are killed. You will see the city be destroyed and plundered. You and your friends will go captive into Babylon, and there you will die” (Jer. 20:1-6).

Jeremiah started with a bold sermon, and the persecution only made him more sassy – at least in public. But the first four verses of this text show how Jeremiah was on the inside. He wants out of the preaching business.

To my great shame, I must admit that I can sympathize with Jeremiah here as he cries out to God. There are times when, like Jeremiah, I say, “I am not going to mention God or speak in His name anymore,” because I get tired of people not listening. Forgive me.

And even though you (most of you, anyway) aren’t preachers, maybe you can empathize with Jeremiah too.

How often do you get mocked, ridiculed, and become a laughingstock to those around you for standing on the truths of God’s Word? It wears you out. How often are you timid to take a stand against the lies of the devil that have become so prominent in our culture and society? Too often, it is much easier to remain silent than to be called racist, bigoted, old-fashioned, and close-minded.

But, too often, because fear rejection, we end up fearing those who can kill the body more than the God who can destroy both the soul and body in hell (Mt. 10:28).

Repent. All of us need to repent.

In our Gospel lesson (Mt. 10:5a, 24-33), Jesus told us to expect persecution. The world called Jesus Beelezebul, the prince of demons, you can expect the same.

But always remember – in spite of whatever rebukes, chastisements, and rejection you may face – God is with you as a dread warrior. He has delivered your soul from death and your feet from falling.

Jesus, the dread warrior, has already faced your most dreaded foe. On the cross, Jesus went to battle with all the forces of evil. He defeated sin, death, and the devil. On that cross, Jesus was dreadful to look at. He was one from whom men hide their faces (Is. 53:3). Yet, Jesus has carried your griefs and sorrows. Upon Jesus, God laid all your iniquity and sin.

Because of Jesus’ crucifixion, you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God (Ro. 6:22).

Go boldly from here, ready to face whatever the devil and the world may throw at you. You have Jesus, the dread warrior, at your side. In God you trust. What can man do to you? Amen.

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

Listen here.

Genesis 1:1-2:4

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

⁴   These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

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

If you held a grasshopper in your fist, what could the grasshopper know about you and your nature? Maybe two things. First the grasshopper would realize that you are big and powerful enough to hold him. And, second, the grasshopper would know that you are worth fearing because you could crush him in an instant.

The grasshopper would know more about itself as well – how small, weak, and helpless it is. And it might try to do different things to keep from being crushed – like wriggling around to creep you out so you drop it.

The same is true of us and knowing God. Left to our sinful selves, all we can know about God is that He is bigger and more powerful than us, and that He should be feared because He can destroy us. And you see people do all sorts of silly things they think will keep God from crushing them.

The ancient Greeks would do all sorts of things to appease the gods they thought were in control of the various parts of the universe. The Muslims do everything in submission to Allah to show their obedience. Today, atheists try wriggle their way out of God’s hand by lying to themselves that they aren’t in His palm. And, sadly, even us Christians try to do things that we think will make God more pleased with us. But all of that is based only on false perceptions of who God really is.

So, go back to thinking about a grasshopper in your hand. How could that grasshopper know more about you and your nature? For that to happen, you would have to become a grasshopper and talk to it in grasshopper terms and interact with it as a grasshopper.

This is what God has done for us in Jesus. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came down in our likeness and our nature. If you want to know what God is like, the answer is found only in Jesus of Nazareth.

Apart from Jesus, all we can know about God is that He is big and powerful, but once Jesus enters the equation, we see that God truly is merciful and gracious just as He says He is. With Jesus in the picture, everything that God does becomes the story of how God loves us, creates and cares for us, redeems us, and sanctifies us.

As you heard the account of creation, I hope you had the opening verses of John’s Gospel running in the background of your mind informing what you were hearing. If not, here you go:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known” (Jn. 1:1-3, 14, 16-18).

So, sinners, hear of God and how He is. Though you are a sinner, deserving nothing good and having nothing loveable about you, God died so that your sin could be set aside, answered for, and forgiven.

Because of this, you no longer need to be afraid of the God who, in the beginning created you. He is your Father because of Christ’s atonement on the cross.

Now, when you look at the Scriptures and see all of God’s actions, look at them through the lens of what Jesus has done for you on the cross. See how in the beginning, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was there creating all things good. See how even now, God is sustaining all creation even though we have sinned against Him.

See how God moved the course of history so that at the fullness of time He sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law to redeem us who were under the Law (Gal. 4:4).

See how God the Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to convict you concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8).

When you are convicted of sin don’t flee from God. Flee to God because He has died for you. Be convicted of your righteousness recognizing that your righteousness does not come from what you have done, but what God has done for you in Christ. Be convicted of judgment knowing that when you appear before God with hands that are empty of good works, God sees all the works of Christ and His blood which covers you.

And know, that according to Jesus’ command, you have been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19). God has placed His name on you and will not ever forsake you.

The infinite, unfathomable, and incomprehensible God, in His boundless mercy, has created you. Though you sinned against Him, He has come and redeemed you. And He is pleased to lead and guide you through His Word.

Today, rejoice and sing, “Glory be to God the Father. Glory be to God the Son. Glory be to God the Holy Spirit. Glory be to the One, true God, now and forever because He has shown mercy to us.” Amen.

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

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Acts 2:1-21

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

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

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

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;

¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It’s June 4, 2017. Here you are at church, and everything is much the same as it was last week. Some Scripture readings, confession of sins, absolution, little prayers here and there. Just another normal, predictable Sunday morning at Christ the King.

Well not, entirely ‘normal.’ Today is Pentecost. So, you hear about the giving of the Holy Spirit, and it is impressive, full of fireworks. A mighty rushing wind. People are filled with the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire rest on those gathered together. Those 120 believers go out and preach the Gospel in the various languages of the world. Then, after this text, 3,000 new believers are added to the number of Jesus’ disciples.

All of this certainly is impressive, and we look at our little congregation gathered in the flatlands of northern Minnesota and wonder, “Where are all those signs today? Why aren’t we seeing the fireworks? Why aren’t thousands being added to our numbers?”

Remember when Elijah hid from Queen Jezebel after defeating the priests of Baal? Elijah fled to Mount Horeb and sat in a cave. A strong wind comes that tears the mountains and breaks the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then, there is an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then, there is a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally there is a low whisper, and that is where the Lord is. From that thin sound, God speaks to Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:9-13).

The day of Pentecost is similar. All the fireworks of Pentecost are impressive, but those outward things confuse the people. Some even mock those who were preaching saying that they are crazy drunkards.

But it is when Peter preaches that things happen. Peter, who had been the Jesus-denying coward, is now preaching boldly. He tells the people how the prophecy from Joel – the signs in the sky and on the earth – is all fulfilled in Jesus. And Peter hammers the Law. This Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, you crucified, but God has raised Him from the dead (Act 2:36).

And the people who had been mocking and ridiculing the disciples are cut to the heart and will ask when Peter’s sermon is done, “What shall we do?”

And Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (Act. 2:38-39).

The fireworks of Pentecost are impressive, but Pentecost isn’t impressive because of them. Earthquakes, winds, and fires happen even when the Holy Spirit isn’t there.

What really makes Pentecost impressive is what cannot happen without the Holy Spirit working through the Word proclaimed – repentance and faith.

Only by the Holy Spirit can you be called by the Gospel. Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten the darkness of your hearts through His gifts of Word and Sacrament. Only by the Holy Spirit working through these means are you kept in the true faith day after day.

It doesn’t matter if the Holy Spirit adds 3,000 people to the number of Christians in one day or if people are added one by one. The Spirit creating faith is always a miracle more impressive than strong, rushing wind or tongues of fire.

Even if the Word and Sacraments seem boring, they are the Gospel and the power of God unto salvation. Wherever believers are gathered together to receive these gifts and to confess their faith in Christ, there the Holy Spirit is working because no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” apart from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).

The fireworks don’t prove that the Holy Spirit is at work. So what sign should look for if we want to gauge if the Holy Spirit is at work? Listen to Jesus, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me” (Jn. 15:26).

Whenever you hear about Jesus’ finished work for you, when you hear about Christ crucified, risen, and ascended for you, there the Holy Spirit is working to bring you to repentance and faith. May God grant this to us and kindle in our hearts the fire of His love. Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. Timothy Winterstein as inspiration for portions of this sermon.

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Luke 24:44-53

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

And, today, let’s add to our alleluias.

Alleluia! Christ is ascended!
He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!

This past Thursday marked forty days after Easter and one of the most important days for the Christian Church – the Ascension of Christ. The Ascension means that Jesus – the One who has redeemed you, shed His blood and died for you, and who is risen for you – this Jesus now sits on the throne and rules the entire universe. The Ascension proves that Jesus has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil.

In the Ascension, Jesus stopped being in only one place at a time. Remember in the Gospels how Jesus would appear even after He was raised? He appeared to Mary Madeline near the tomb. He appeared to the disciples minus Thomas in the upper room Easter evening, and again to all the disciples together a week later. Jesus appeared while disciples were fishing at the Sea of Galilee. And in 1 Corinthians 15, we read that Jesus appeared to 500 witnesses all at one time. In each of those appearances, Jesus was there in that one particular place.

Now, because of the Ascension, Jesus is everywhere all the time in all the world even though we don’t see Him. Remember, that Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18, 20).

As the Introit –  Psalm 110:1, the third most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament – said about the Ascension, Jesus our Lord is seated at God’s right hand with His enemies as His footstool. And maybe, you’re objecting because the verse reads, “The Lord says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Don’t forget what our Epistle text (Eph. 1:15-23) also said. Christ was raised from the dead and seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places above all rule, authority, dominion, and above every name that is named not only in this age but in the one to come and, “[God] put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.”

In His human flesh, Jesus, your Savior ascended to God. Now, His nail-scarred but resurrected feet press down upon every enemy of God and every enemy of yours. The Ascension is something to celebrate because the sin-forgiving, death-destroying body of Jesus now covers every corner of the earth. Jesus is with you always protecting you from all harm and giving you every blessing.

But the devil does not want you to rejoice and delight in this, and so Satan attacks you, believer.

The devil attacks all the things that Jesus has done, but he attacks unbelievers and believers in different ways. With unbelievers, the devil attacks Christ’s birth – Christmas. He assaults Christ’s death and resurrection – Good Friday and Easter. The devil does not want people to believe that God became man, that Jesus died, and that He rose again because to believe those things is to be saved.

But once you are a Christian, the devil does not stop his attacks. But with believers, the devil does not come straight at Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. Instead, the devil chips away at the joy and hope that you have because of Jesus’ Ascension.

From time to time there are videos online of people watching an iceberg break apart. You hear creaking and cracking. Smaller chunks of ice, the size of a car, fall into the ocean. Every now and then, bigger chunks the size of a house fall off. But then, suddenly, half of the iceberg, maybe the size of the new Vikings’ stadium, slips away into the water.

The Ascension of Jesus is like all those smaller chunks that the devil tries to chip away from us so that our whole faith is ripped away from us.

So the devil tries to deceive us into thinking that Jesus has up and abandoned us. Satan tries to turn up the volume on all the evil and wickedness going on in the world to drown out Jesus’ statement that He has all authority in heaven and on earth, that Christ is far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion.

So, Satan points us to the terrorist attacks. He shows us how ISIS blows up a concert in Manchester England, killing twenty-two people, and a couple days later, they shoot up a bus of Christians in Egypt killing twenty-nine of our brothers and sisters in Christ (ten of those were children). The devil tries to focus our attention on the mess of our national politics and economy. The devil points us to how small and insignificant the church appears to be in this world and how many are leaving the church and abandoning the faith.

And the devil puts all the chaos, all the wickedness, all the pain and suffering before us and shouts as loud as he can, “Did Jesus really say that He has all authority in heaven and on earth? If Christ’s enemies are His footstool, how can I do all these horrible things? You must be some fool to believe what Jesus says!”

And too often, we listen. We do not believe that Jesus even now rules and reigns to all eternity. We are robbed of our joy, the world sees us running around worried and panicked, and the devil laughs.

Repent.

The Ascension doesn’t promise us that you will always see Jesus crushing His enemies with our eyes. But the Ascension does promise that His victory is real. The Ascension means that no matter what you see with your eyes, what God says is stronger and more real than what you see.

Look at the end of this text and see how Jesus ascended. “Lifting up His hands He blessed [the disciples], and while He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

Jesus’ hands were lifted up in blessing, and Scripture never says that Jesus’ hands are lowered. Jesus doesn’t stop blessing you. Your God, your Savior, Jesus is at God’s right hand blessing you in His ascended victory, now and forever.

Alleluia! Christ is risen and ascended!
He is risen and ascended indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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

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1 Peter 3:13-22

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Writing a sermon on this text is no easy task. Believe me. I know, I’ve tried.

Peter begins today by telling us Christians to be zealous for what is good. And Peter doesn’t hide the fact that even when we do good, when we do the right thing, we will suffer, we will be reviled and slandered. And yet in the midst of our suffering, we should always be ready to give an answer, a gentle and respectful answer, for the hope that is in us. Peter reminds us that if we suffer for righteousness’ sake, we are blessed.

Peter points out that even Jesus suffered for doing good. Christ, the righteous One, suffered for sins He didn’t commit. Instead, Jesus suffered for your sins and for my sins. The Righteous One suffered for all us unrighteous ones that He might bring us to God. He was crucified. Killed. Put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

Finally, Peter talks about Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison. He tells us about Noah, the ark, and the deliverance that God granted through water. Peter connects Noah and the ark and the Flood to Baptism clearly saying, “Baptism now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” And Peter concludes saying that Jesus has now gone into heaven, is at the right hand of God, and angels, authorities, and powers are subjected to Him.

It is a hard text. Doing good. Suffering. Jesus’ death and resurrection. Noah. Water. Baptism. The Ascension. There is a lot here. And how is it all tied together?

Like Peter tells us to, let’s consider Noah and the flood. Usually, when we think of the Flood we think mostly of God’s judgment upon sin, and it is certainly right to do that. Noah lived in an evil time. The world was so full of sin and wickedness that God regretted that He had created mankind at all. So, God determined to blot out man from the face of the earth.

But the Flood is also about God’s deliverance and salvation because “Noah found favor (lit. grace) in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).

Though God determined to condemn the world through the Flood, God also determined to save Noah and his family. To save Noah, God told Noah to build an ark, to bring his family and the animals in, and to be delivered from the coming judgment.

For 120 years, Noah suffered as he built the ark. Can you imagine? Day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade people saying, “There’s crazy Noah building a big ol’ box. Hey, Noah, what did you say you are building that for?”

“God told me to.”

He was ridiculed by everyone else, but he persisted in doing good through his suffering. And Noah’s persistence was his preaching to those who did not listen to God’s voice. In fact, in 2 Peter (2:5), Noah is called a “herald (lit. preacher) of righteousness.” Once the ark was completed, God shut Noah and his family into the ark (Gen. 7:16).

The Flood came, and the waters drowned and doomed everything outside the ark.

Peter says that this is what God has done for you in your Baptism. God has drowned and destroyed all the sin and evil that surrounded you, condemning it in a watery death. And God has put you safely into the ark of His Church.

Remember, the flood waters condemned and drowned, but the Flood also delivered. it was those same waters that lifted the ark and everyone inside to safety.

Believer, everything that Christ has done for you – His perfect, sinless life; His death; His resurrection – it is all delivered to you in your Baptism. In your Baptism, God has united you with Christ’s death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). In your Baptism, God has clothed you with Christ (Gal. 3:27).

So, when you suffer for doing good, have no fear. In your Baptism, in that flood of righteousness, God has delivered you from all sin and evil and delivered to you all that Christ has done for you.

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.

Listen here.

John 14:1-14

¹ “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me.”

If your goal in life is to make a lot of money or have lots of power over others, the easiest way to do it is to stir up fear and manufacture a crisis. The first step in creating fear and crisis is to point out how things are changing and convince everyone that change is bad. Once people convinced this change is scary and terrible, you can keep dipping your hand in their wallet and controlling their behavior.

For years, we were constantly warned about global warming. The earth was getting hotter. We were told, “We are putting too much CO₂ in the atmosphere. The sea levels are rising. We have to get rid of the smog over our cities.”

So, the politicians came saying, “Elect me, and I’ll save you. I’ll make sure greedy corporations don’t keep spewing poison into the atmosphere. I’ll keep your water clean. I’ll make sure your kids breathe safe air.”

And scientists and businesses followed the politicians. “Give us funding so we can do studies.” “Make people buy our lightbulb that looks like spaghetti because it uses less energy.”

It’s gotten so absurd, there are cities spending countless hours and money debating and doing studies about grocery bags. At first, they didn’t want us using paper bags because we were cutting down all the forests, so we started to use plastic. But all those plastic bags are filling up landfills and killing fish and birds. Now, we are supposed to bring reusable bags whenever we go to the store. And those bags need to get washed so we don’t die of salmonella, but washing them uses more energy. And we’re back to square one.

All sorts of nonsense was done in the name of saving the earth and handing a cleaner planet to our children. Never mind the fact that, for nearly twenty years, the global temperature has been staying stable.

So, to keep getting elected and to keep getting funding and to keep making money the scientists, politicians, and businesses no longer talk about “global warming.” No. Now, it’s “global climate change.” Hot summer? “Global climate change.” Cold, snowy winter? “Global climate change.” Rainy? “Global climate change.” Drought? “Global climate change.” And, whenever possible, make sure you call it “catastrophic global climate change.”

None of this is to say that we should be pigs and pollute the planet. Everyone wants clean air and water. And for goodness sakes, this is a sermon – not a stump speech on the politics of weather and mankind’s effect on the climate.

So what’s the point? The point is that people will use change to create fear so they can control you and take your money. It’s almost a mathematical formula: Change X Fear = Money and Power. And the bigger the change, the bigger the fear, the more money and power.

Climate change is an easy target to pick on because in all the fear and fuss about the weather, no scientist, politician, or business will tell you what temperature it’s supposed to be. They don’t tell you what the temperature is supposed to be because if we ever achieve it, there is no more change, nor more fear. And that means they lose their power to take your money and control how you live.

But this same thing happens even in the church. Change is turned into fear in order gain control. The church is aging and shrinking, so we need to do something to draw in young people. The church needs to get more with the times. Giving is down, and the church is struggling to survive. So buy this book, come to this seminar, employ these methods, or your church will die.

But none of those things work precisely because none of it is the means that God has given the Church to do ministry. God has given to His Church His Word and the Sacraments. That’s it. Through these, and through them alone, God creates faith. But that doesn’t sell. So the books, seminars, and methods don’t suggest the Word and Sacraments. And every few years, there are be new books, new seminars, new methods.

We need to repent. We need to repent of our worry when we think we need to save the world. We need to repent of acting as though God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament are no longer the answer. We need to repent of our fear. We need to repent and listen to Jesus.

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe. Believe in God, believe also in Me.” So, what are you worried about? What is troubling you?

Whatever it is you fear, whatever it is that worries and troubles you, the answer is faith in Christ. In this sinful world, things change. The answer is Jesus and what He has done for you.

Troubled by politics? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by the weather? It doesn’t matter if there is or isn’t catastrophic global climate change, and it doesn’t matter if we are causing it or not. Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by our relationship with Russia or North Korea saying they will wipe our country off the face of the planet? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by the decline in the church? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

In Christ, God has given you promises that He will not go back on – not now, not ever. Believe.

Believe because Jesus has rescued you. Jesus has ransomed you. Jesus has gone to the cross and prepared a place for you with Him forever. Jesus has put His name upon you in your Baptism and claimed you as His own. Jesus has given you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Jesus has absolved you of all your sins.

If you stray, Jesus will seek you out. If you fall, Jesus will pick you up. If you are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13). Believe.

The simple fact of life in this fallen, broken world is that things change. In this sinful world, the times are always changing. Bob Dylan once said, “There is nothing so stable as change.” He was wrong.

With all the change and decay in this world, there is one thing that always is forever stable and enduring: Jesus has died and risen for you; Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Jesus is the chief cornerstone of forgiveness, life, and mercy; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame – not now, not ever.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe in 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.

Listen here.

John 10:1-16

¹ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

What is the mark of a Christian? Today, Jesus boils it down to one simple thing, “My sheep listen to My voice.” What makes you a Christian? You listen to Jesus.

There is a lot of talk in the Scriptures about God’s people being sheep, and a lot could be said about how dumb and helpless sheep can be. But the main thing about sheep in this text is one of the good characteristics of sheep – their hearing. Sheep don’t have exceptional hearing like dogs, but they do have very discerning ears.

The way sheep were cared for in Jesus’ day helps us understand this text.

Each town would have a big pen where all the shepherds would bring their flocks at night so they could go home and get some rest. A gatekeeper would be there through the night to make sure no one stole away the sheep. In the morning, the shepherds would go and call out to their sheep. Each flock would gather together and follow their shepherd and go about their sheepish day.

So, picture this scene playing out day after day. Thousands of sheep from many different flocks are in one huge pen, and dozens of shepherds are all calling out to their flocks at once. And in the midst of all the baaing and calling, the sheep, with their discerning ears, would pick out the voice of their shepherd, go toward it, and follow him.

This is how it is with you, Christian. This world is full of voices shouting at you. All sorts of things are trying to get your attention, attempting to get you to follow their voice instead of the voice of your Shepherd, trying to draw you away from your Shepherd.

The voice of one thief calls out to you, “It sure is nice of God to give you green pastures of His Word, but there is so many other things you could eat that would taste even better. I can show you fields of wealth and pleasure. You can feast there and be filled with all they have to offer. Just follow me, and I’ll show you. Those green pastures will always be there.”

The voice of another thief beckons you, “It sure is nice of God to lead you by the still waters of His love, mercy, and forgiveness. But you don’t need that all the time. You are a good sheep. Sure, you aren’t perfect, but no sheep is. And don’t you get bored of being by those still waters? I can show you things much more exciting. I can take you to oceans with big waves of pride. I can take you to rushing rivers of power and influence. Follow me, and we can have an adventure. You can always return to the still waters of God’s love and mercy if you want to.”

The voice of another thief whispers sweetly to you, “It sure is nice of God to lead you in paths of righteousness, but those paths of righteousness can be very hard. I can lead you on paths that are easier. I can lead you on the paths of tolerance and acceptance. So many other sheep walk on them, and you know what they say: there’s safety in numbers. All these paths lead to the same place in the end.”

The promises are enticing and possibilities are alluring. So you follow the voices of those thieves. For a while, the food of those other fields tastes good. For a while, the other waters are more exciting. For a while, the paths are much easier.

But soon you find that you are in the desert. Alone. Hungry. Scared. The thief has lured you away, and you are lost. Without your Shepherd. The wolf comes and snatches you because you have listened to the voices of thieves.

Repent.

Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” And by listening to the voices of thieves, you are damned.

So, hear again the voice of your Shepherd. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Jesus, your Good Shepherd, has come. Jesus took all the thief’s stealing, killing, destroying. For you, Jesus was robbed of the glory that was rightly His. For you, Jesus was killed. For you, Jesus was destroyed so that you would not be – not now, not ever.

Today, don’t listen to the voices of the thieves. Hear Jesus, your Shepherd, calling out to you, little flock. Do you hear Him? He is calling now. “Take. Eat. This is My Body given unto death for you. Take. Drink. This is My blood shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sin.”

Hear His voice. Follow Him. He sets a table before you. And listening to His voice, His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life, and you dwell in His house forever.

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.