Listen here.

Galatians 5:1-25

¹ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

² Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

You are saved by works. You heard me right. You are saved by works. But don’t misunderstand: you are not saved by your works but by the works of Jesus for you. As He did His Father’s will of suffering, bleeding, and dying on the cross, Jesus set you free from the Law of sin and death (Ro. 8:2). Through Jesus’ work of becoming a curse for you, you have been made right with God. Christ has made and set you free. Stand firm in that freedom.

Stand firm in the freedom that Christ has won for you. Stand firm in the fact that it is Christ’s righteousness alone that makes you right with God. Stand firm in God’s proclamation that you are in Christ and a rightful recipient of all of God’s promises. Don’t be so foolish as to think that you are free and saved by a concoction of grace plus your work and efforts, otherwise “Christ will be of no advantage to you,” and you will be obligated to keep the whole Law. You are saved by Jesus alone. Jesus plus nothing equals everything. Hold fast to Jesus’ work for you.

Aesop tells a fable about a dog who was given a bone from the butcher. As the dog went home, he had to cross a bridge over a calm, clear pond. The water was so still it’s reflection was like a mirror. As the dog crossed the bridge, he happened to look down and thought he saw another dog with a bone that was bigger than the one in his mouth. In his greed, the dog dropped his bone as he lunged and snapped at his own reflection to get the bigger bone only to find himself swimming for his life to reach the shore. Finally, he managed to scramble out and realized what a foolish dog he had been.

We do the same. We have been given the greatest bone in the Gospel – one that reconciles us to God for all eternity. But we think there is another bone, a better bone, and this other bone takes two different forms. And we fall for both:

The first, let’s call ‘the meatier bone.’ This is the bone of works. We know that God is angry at our sins, so we conclude that God will be pleased with our good works. So we drop the bone of the Gospel and snap at the meatier bone of good works. But when we do this, we lose everything.

For the Galatians, the meatier bone was circumcision. They were being told that they needed to keep the law of circumcision in order to please God. But that law had already been fulfilled by Christ. Paul emphatically says, “No! If you think that obeying some law or doing some other work will make you right with God, then Christ is of no advantage to you. If you want to be justified by the Law and works, then you have fallen away from grace.”

Paul writes, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything.” In other words, when it comes to being righteous in the sight of God, it doesn’t matter what you do or what you do not do. The only thing that counts is “faith working through love.”

Which brings us to the second bone we lunge after. Let’s call it ‘the tastier bone.’ This is the bone of sin. Our sins taste good – at least for a while. But they never leave us full and we are always looking for something even more tasty. But when we lunge after those sins we lose hold of the Gospel.

By saying that the only thing that matters is “faith working through love” Paul is already warning against the tastier bone. Paul writes, “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Paul also writes in 1 Cor. 9:19, “Though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all.”

To keep us from falling from either of these two fake bones, Luther takes these verses and offers us two statements that are very helpful: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”

While these statements seem to be contradictory, they are both true. When you think that you have to do good works to complete or improve your salvation, remember the first. When you think that you can go on living for your sinful self, remember the second.

The Gospel gives you everything. Don’t think that peace with God comes by anything but through faith in Christ. The Scriptures do command us to do good works, but those good works are always done in service to our neighbor. You do not have to aim your good works at God. God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does. So aim your good works at your neighbor. Live in step with the Spirit bearing the fruit of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Let’s get away from talking about dogs and bones. Let’s talk about this fruit. You, believer, bear fruit. Jesus says that He is the Vine and you are the branches (Jn. 15:4-5). A branch does not produce fruit to benefit itself. It produces fruit for the benefit of others. Same with you as you bear the fruit of the Spirit.

You belong to Jesus. He has claimed you as His own. He has grafted you into Himself. And now, fruit comes forth. With the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law, no comparing, no scorekeeping. The Spirit produces this fruit where and when it pleases Him – all for the benefit of your neighbor.

And you will fail to bear this fruit. But that is when you return to Christ’s mercy which never fails. When you fail to bear the fruit of the Spirit, and you will, return to Jesus. Your love, joy, and peace, your patience, kindness, and goodness, your faithfulness, gentleness and self-control will all fail. When those fail, hear God’s word of forgiveness, remember your Baptism, and come to the Lord’s Supper. There, your God will forgive you, refresh and restore you. God will pour out His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control upon you so that you can go back into the world and bear those good fruits. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Galatians 3:15-4:7

¹⁵ To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. ²⁰ Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. ²¹ Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²² But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

¹ I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Paul writes about your freedom. Your freedom was won when Jesus Christ became a curse for you on the cross (Gal. 3:13). Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection for you has made you right with God. Paul continues to battle against those who say that faith is not enough and that you have to live a righteous life to be right with God. Paul says, “Not a chance! You are either saved by Christ alone through faith alone, or Jesus died for nothing.”

God made and kept His promises to Abraham and to Abraham’s offspring. In English, we can say that all of a man’s descendants are his offspring (plural), but we can also say that each individual descendant is a man’s offspring (singular). It is the same with the word that Paul uses in this text. But Paul makes it clear that the offspring who was given the promise is not many but one, namely Christ. In other words, all God’s promises to Abraham’s offspring are fulfilled in Jesus. But If God made promises that are only for Christ, what good is that for you? We’ll get there – eventually.

But first, Paul writes, “Before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.” By giving the Law, God kept you under captivity – in protective custody.

God gave the Law for your own good. God’s Law keeps you from hurting others and harming yourself. The Law restricts you with rules and regulations, “Do this. Don’t do that.” When you are tempted to kill, steal, lie, or gossip, the Law holds you back from doing those things that would destroy you and those around you. Like prison bars and razor wire, the Law keeps you in custody – it protects you. But protective custody is still custody. And this is good. But those who are kept under lock and key never love the custodian. Prisoners don’t love the prison guards.

In the same way, you do not love God when you are under the Law. You will fear Him and His punishments, but you will not love Him. God gave the Law to be your prison guard restricting your freedom. The Law keeps you from doing what you want to do, but again this is good. Because you are sinful, bent in upon yourself, what you want to do is harmful to yourself and to others. So God puts you under the guardian of the Law.

As your guardian, the Law always raises the bar. Do you think that you fear, love, and trust in God above all things? The Law responds, “Yeah right. You haven’t even scratched the surface.” If you think you are holy, the Law says, “Oh, not holy enough.” If you think you are pure, the Law says, “Not pure enough.” Do you think you are a good spouse? The Law says, “Pbth. Not good enough!” Do you think you are an exemplary employee, a fine parent, or an obedient child? The Law says, “You aren’t even close to what God demands of you.” If you plan to point to your good works on the Last Day, the Law will say to you, “You and your good works can go to hell.”

The Law kills you and every notion of goodness you have. The Law simply whispers and blows away your fig leaves to expose how naked and shameful you are.

So why did God give the Law? First to protect you and those around you. But more importantly, God gave the Law to drive you to Christ. All the Law can do is teach you that you do not and can not please God with your works. If you could earn God’s favor by living a good life by keeping the Law, then Christ died for nothing. The Law shows you your sin, and this is good because, again, the Law drives you to Christ – the one to whom the promises were made.

Now that you are in Christ, Paul writes, “Now that faith has come, you are no longer under a guardian – no longer under the custody of the Law.” As you have faith in Jesus, the Law has nothing more to say to you. “Christ is the end of the Law… to everyone who believes” (Ro. 10:4). In order for the Law to condemn you, believer, it would have to condemn Jesus – and it already has. Jesus was condemned for you. Jesus died your death and took your place in hell. Hell has no vacancy for you.

Remember when Moses was hidden in the cleft of the rock while God passed by? That is now a picture of you. You are hidden in the Rock of Christ. God puts you in the cleft of Christ’s wounds, in His pierced hands and side. Hide there and the Law cannot touch you. Now, believer, you take refuge in Christ who is the promised offspring of Abraham to whom all God’s promises were made.

You are now sons of God through faith, “for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” When God looks at you He doesn’t see your sins past, present, or future. When God looks at you, He sees Jesus covering you. He doesn’t see your disobedience because He sees Christ’s perfect obedience. He doesn’t see your sin; He sees Christ’s holiness. All of this is because God made a promise to Abraham and to Abraham’s offspring.

And here is the point: the promises made to Abraham’s offspring were not made to many – they were all made to Christ. And because of your baptism, you are in Christ so now you receive those promises. God made promises. God has kept those promises. You belong to Christ. You are Abraham’s offspring and a rightful heir of all God’s promises. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Galatians 2:15-3:14

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

¹⁷ But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. ¹⁹ For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

¹⁰ For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” ¹² But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— ¹⁴ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

You feel it. You feel it in your body every night when you grow weary and need to sleep, when you get sick, when your stomach is empty enough that it growls, or even when you stub your toe. You feel it in your emotions when you become angry with your spouse, or when the sorrow and angst of a broken relationship keeps you up at night. You see it. You see it on the news when people and nations war against each other, when the weather destroys people’s homes and livelihoods and brings back memories of when it happened to you. You see it when your loved one is lowered into their grave, and you are reminded that same fate is somewhere in your future.

All of this is the same as as when Nathan points his finger at David in our Old Testament lesson (2 Sam. 11:26-12:14) and says, “You are the man!” All of these things point to you and say, “You are the one who is under the curse of the law and the curse of sin.” “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” You are under the curse of the law.

The curse of the law impacts every aspect of our life. But we all do our best to ignore it. Like Simon the Pharisee in our Gospel lesson (Lk. 7:36-8:3), we look at others and believe that we are more moral or worthy than the other sinners in our midst.

We try to cover our cursed lives with as many good works as we can muster in the hope that, in the end, the scales will tilt, at least a little, in our favor. But we will never find comfort that this has actually happened. In the end, there is no ignoring it or covering it up. In the end, we all stand before the holy, righteous God and Judge who demands that we abide by all things written in the Book of His Law.

But the curse has been removed – more than that, it has already been carried out.

In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus, His Son, born or a woman, born under the law to redeem you who were under the curse of the Law (Gal. 4:4) because you could not and would not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law. Jesus entered this sin-cursed world and placed Himself right beside you in your muck and filth. But Jesus went even further.

Though Jesus had lived a perfect, sinless life and had done every righteous deed, He bore your sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus is the Divine Thief. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Jesus took those sins of David, the sins of the woman, the sins of Paul, the sins of the Galatians, and your sins. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus Christ redeemed you from the curse of God’s Law by becoming a curse for you. There on that cross Jesus became the only object of God’s wrath. God poured all of His wrath against all your sin upon Jesus, and hell’s flames were drowned with His holy blood.

The Law used to say, “Let every sinner die.” But now because Jesus has taken all sin, the Law looks around and finds no other sins on you or on anyone else. Your curse is gone. As Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). You, yes you, have been decursified because of the love and mercy of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

So now, when you feel that the circumstances of this life turn sour, don’t assume that you are still under the curse. You are free, redeemed from the curse.

There was a woman on a ship in the middle of a terrible storm, and she was terrified. So she went to the captain of the ship, who happened to be her husband, and asked him, “Why am I so terrified of this storm, and you’re not concerned at all?” But her husband said nothing. Instead, he unsheathed his sword and held it to her chest as though he was going to kill her. He simply looked at her sternly. But after a few moments his wife giggled at him.

Her husband asked her, “Don’t you understand that this sword is sharp and could kill you in an instant?” The wife responded, “Of course I know it’s sharp. But I’m not afraid of a sword when it is in the hand of my beloved husband.”

And the captain responded, “Then neither am I afraid of these storms when they are governed by and in the hand of my heavenly Father.”

The same is true for you. When all of the signs of the curse are surrounding you and threatening you, remember that they are all in God’s control. And you have been redeemed from the curse. You, yes you, sinner, have been decursified. Nothing in this life can harm you because Jesus has become a curse for you. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Galatians 1:11-24

¹¹ For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹² For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Amelia,

Today, you are baptized. Today, Jesus has washed you in His righteousness. Though you are cute little infant, you were dead in your sins. But Jesus has come, and, just as He interrupted the funeral procession in our Gospel text (Lk. 7:11-17), He has stepped in between you and death. Amelia, Jesus has said to you, “Dear daughter, arise.” And as He gave that young man back to his mother, Jesus has given you to your parents.

Amelia, Jesus can do all of this because the death He died, He died once for you and once for all, and the life that Jesus now lives, He lives to God (Rom. 6:10) – for you and for us all. Jesus lives to make you alive with His Gospel. Christ’s death and resurrection is for you and for everyone here. Don’t ever turn away from this Gospel because it is not made up by man. This Gospel is given by revelation of Jesus Christ. If it is taken away, nothing is left. No hope. No grace. No forgiveness. No mercy. Only a holy God who demands that you be holy as well. And, dear Amelia, you will never measure up to those demands.

But Amelia, the good news is that God set you apart before you were born, and today, in your baptism, He has called you by His grace and has revealed His Son to you (v. 15-16a). Amelia, again, this is not man’s Gospel, but the Gospel that Jesus reveals. Because the Gospel comes from Jesus, it cannot be deprived of its power to set you free. You can bank your life, your eternity, on it.

And Amelia, this Gospel will change you. Paul here talks about his former life in Judaism, before he believed in Christ, back when he even had a different name – Saul. Saul was zealous for a bunch of human traditions that he thought would make him right with God. So when Saul heard that the apostles were preaching that faith in Christ alone was what made you right with God, he was enraged. By persecuting these first believers – by his cooperation in the stoning of Stephen and by his rounding up Christians to put them in prison (Acts 8:1-3) – Saul thought he was rendering service to God. He persecuted the very church that God had established, that Christ had shed His blood and died to create. But Christ’s blood had also been shed for Saul. God had set Saul apart before he was born. Christ called Saul by His grace. This Saul became Paul and preached the Gospel. Paul’s testimony is incredible and beautiful, but notice it is beautiful because it reveals the power of Christ’s forgiveness.

Amelia, beware because there are still people who are like Saul in his former way of life. They will attack your faith in Christ and think they are doing God’s work. This persecution comes in the form of false teachings – teachings that say there are certain works or qualities you have to do or have in order to be in God’s favor. Amelia, these false teachings will come from others, and they will even come from within yourself. They are all attempts to, little by little, rob you of your faith in Christ. These false teachings will sound different at times, but they will all boil down to this: “If my sin is causing me problems, either with God or with others, then my good works will fix all of that.” Don’t listen to those voices. Don’t ever trust in your good works. And pray for those who persecute your faith. Pray for them because Jesus died for their sins too.

Amelia, always remember that God is only pleased with you as you are in Christ. And as you are in Christ, good works will follow. But, Amelia and all of you, don’t go looking for those good works. The good works that Paul did were a comfort to the other believers – not to Paul. Those other believers heard how Paul was now preaching the faith he had tried to destroy, and they glorified God because of this. It’s just as Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory (not to you but) to your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:14, 16).

So today, Amelia, we glorify God because of you. We see your good works. We see you honoring your father and mother, trusting in them to protect and provide for you. We see you keeping the Sabbath, coming and hearing God’s Word which creates and sustains your faith. And we look forward to seeing how God will continue to produce the fruits of good works in you.

Amelia, we glorify God because you have been set free. There is nothing more you can do to earn or merit your salvation. You are free – free to be you. Free to be the child of God that He has declared you are. You are free to serve your neighbor. Free to honor your father and mother. You are free to walk in the good works that God has called you to do (Eph. 2:10).

And, yes, you will fail. You will fall short. But even then you are free to approach God for forgiveness. You have come to Jesus, and He has given you the living water that only He can give. That water has become in you a spring of forgiveness will never run dry but will well up to eternal life (Jn. 4:14). Amelia, and all of you here, Jesus and Jesus alone has set you free. And as He says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36). Amen.

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

Listen here.

Galatians 1:1-12

¹ Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹¹ For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹² For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus gave Himself for your sins to deliver you from the present evil age, according to the will of your God and Father. Did you hear that? Jesus gave Himself, all of Himself, to the point of death on the cross, suffering the eternal wrath of God. Jesus gave Himself up to death for this reason – your sins. Why did Jesus do this? He did it to deliver you from the present evil age. All of this was in harmony with the will of God your Father. In other words, God is pleased with this arrangement. Because of that, “to [Him] be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

That right there could be the whole sermon. And on a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, you might prefer that nothing more be said. Start up the closing hymn, pray the Lord’s Prayer, and head out of here. Well, sorry, there is more.

Jesus gave Himself for your sins to deliver you from the present evil age, according to the will of your God and Father. The question is, do you believe this? This is the Gospel. More could be said about it, but nothing more needs to be added to it. The Gospel says apart from your good works, apart from your worthiness, apart from your piety, apart from your deserving, God has saved you. Jesus has delivered you.

This is the message that Paul had preached to the churches addressed in this letter, but the people there were abandoning this message. Instead of living in the complete freedom that comes from the Gospel, the people in the churches were listening to false preachers who were saying, “Sure this Jesus stuff is great, but now more needs to happen. Paul didn’t give you the whole story. Now that you are saved, now that you have heard about Jesus, you have go farther. Now, you need to keep the Law.”

This, dear saints, is the voice and message of Satan, but you and I listen to it. Satan likes nothing more than to get you to doubt that what Jesus has done is enough. And this is a constant battle. The devil simply points you to any number of things – the fact that you are still living in this present evil age, the fact that you still sin, or whatever he finds works on you – and he chips away at your faith to create any cracks of doubt. Then, he worms his way in to widen those cracks. His ultimate goal is to completely shatter your faith and get you to utterly reject God’s Word.

But the devil is content with being patient so long as he can simply get you to doubt, at least a little, what God promises. This was the devil’s work in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. The first words we hear from Satan are, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And you know the rest of that story. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie that there was more, that God had held some good thing back from them.

This lie is what Paul deals with in the whole letter to Galatians. And it is serious, eternally serious. It is so serious that Paul dives right in to combat this satanic teaching.

In all of Paul’s other letters, he will open basically the same way he does here in v. 1-5. He identifies himself (v. 1-2a). He identifies who the letter is addressed to (v. 2b). He gives a blessing (v. 3-5). But in every one of Paul’s other letters, he will give thanks for the believers there. In Philippians, he writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…” (Php. 1:3), and he goes on to say why he is thankful for them. In Romans, Paul says, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world” (Rom 1:8).

Even when Paul writes to the church in Corinth, which was a messed up congregation – where men were sleeping with their mothers-in-law – to Corinth Paul writes, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:4).

But Paul doesn’t do that in this letter to the Galatians. Look at v. 6. Paul says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different Gospel.”

In other words, Paul says, “You idiots! Have you lost your minds? These false teachers are sending you on a wild goose chase to find another way of salvation, and there isn’t another one. You won’t find it.” And Paul goes on to say that if an angel from heaven or even if he, Paul, preaches something different than what he first preached, let him be accursed.

In other words, don’t be duped. Don’t believe that there is anything you contribute or add to your salvation. Your salvation has been totally, completely, eternally accomplished by Jesus who has given Himself for your sins. This is the one Gospel. There is no other.

Bet all your chips on Jesus and what He has done for you. This one Gospel message is not man’s gospel. It is given by Jesus.

Beginning today, our Epistle readings take us through the book of Galatians. This little book of the Bible gets to the heart of the Gospel and what it means for us. So, these next six weeks, the sermons are going to focus on the richness of the Gospel – the fact that you are saved solely and exclusively through the work and merit of Christ and that you do not and cannot add anything to it.

Jesus – and Jesus alone – is the atonement for your sins. Believe in Him. Trust Him alone. Jesus’ work saves you and nothing else. This is the one and only Gospel. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 8:48-59

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

In the name of the blessed Trinity who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Bruer,

Today you are baptized. Today, God sent a flood that condemned all that was sinful and unbelieving in you while He placed you safely in the ark of His holy Christian Church (Gen. 6-9; 1 Pet. 3:21).

Today, God has led you through the sea out of slavery to sin as all your enemies perished behind you (Ex. 14-15; 1 Cor. 10:1-2).

Today, God has led you into His promised land (Josh. 3; Col. 2:11-15, 3:1-4).

Today, the Holy Spirit descended upon you, and the Father has proclaimed, “You are My beloved son, with you I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:13-17; Eph 1:11-14).

Today, dear Bruer, you have been united with the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:3-11). God did not abandon you to rot in your slavery to sin. He has come and rescued you. God has saved you not because of anything you have done but because of His rich mercy. He has given you the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-7). And Bruer, Jesus promises in our text that as you keep, as you believe, His Word, you will never see death (v. 51).

Bruer, it is fitting that today you have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because today is Trinity Sunday. Jesus told His apostles to make disciples by baptizing in the name of this blessed Triune God and teaching those disciples of all nations to keep everything Jesus has said (Mt. 28:18-20).

David, Bailey as parents and Brandon, Brianne, Danny, and John as sponsors and the rest of you here as witnesses of this great thing that God has done, you are called to continue teaching little Bruer all that Jesus has said. And this is no small task for two reasons: First of all because the devil and the world now have him in their sights. He will be attacked in so many different ways. And second, because Jesus said so many things. How do you go about this task teaching all that Jesus has said in the face of the opposition of the devil and the world?

Well, the best place to start is to consider who God is. In the Scriptures, we are taught that God is One God and Three Persons. And the clearest expression of this is the Apostles’ Creed. So, every part of life is an opportunity to teach about the Father who created, the Son who redeemed, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies, makes holy.

So teach. Teach Bruer about the Father who created. When Bruer looks around at this beautiful creation and sees all the wonderful gifts that God has given, teach him. Teach him that the Father created all that exists. When Breuer is fed by the food on your table and has enough to eat, remind him that is the Father who has given that nourishment and sustains him. When Bruer gets sick and recovers, teach him that the Father has preserved his body.

Teach Bruer about Jesus, the Son. Teach him that this Jesus, who is true God, became man. When he sins against you he feels guilt, forgive him. Teach him that because Jesus has bought and freed you from all those sins, you forgive him too. Teach Bruer that Jesus did not buy him with silver and gold, but with His holy and precious blood, with His innocent sufferings and death. Teach Bruer that Jesus did this so that you might be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. And, teach Bruer that Jesus is coming again.

Teach Bruer about the Holy Spirit. Teach him that the Holy Spirit has called him through the Word of God, specifically the Gospel. Teach Bruer that whenever he hears God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit continues to make him holy. Teach him that the Holy Spirit is the one who opens his ears to Jesus’ word of forgiveness. And, when Bruer sees the pain and sin and suffering in this world, teach him that because of what Jesus has done that when the Last Day comes, Bruer will be raised from the dead and given everlasting life because he believes in Jesus. Teach Breuer that all of this is most certainly true.

Bruer, today God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – this blessed Trinity – has begun a good work in you. And I am confident that He will be faithful today and forever to bring that good work to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). May we be faithful as well. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 14:23-31

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹ but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Johnny, Justin, Evan, Liam, and Michaela,

Today, you confirmed your faith. In the presence of God and this congregation, you acknowledged the gifts of forgiveness, faith, and salvation that God gave you in your baptism. You publically renounced the devil and all his works and all his ways. You confessed your faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You promised to remain faithful to the Word of God – to hear it frequently and faithfully. You promised to live according to God’s Word and to continue and remain steadfast in this confession. You have said that you intend to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from the faith. All of this you have vowed to do by the grace of God.

How do you go about all of this by the grace of God? Good question! Jesus says to you and to all of us, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.”

The natural question for you to ask yourself, then, is, “Do I keep Jesus’ word?” Well, what does it mean to keep someone’s word? We know what is meant by keeping a garden – tilling, watering, fertilizing, seeding, weeding, pruning, etc. But what does it mean to keep someone’s word? It depends, somewhat, on what kind of word(s) that person has spoken.

Now, the whole Bible is God’s Word, and Jesus Himself is the Word who became flesh. So, sometimes, to keep Jesus’ word, you will have to take a stand against what the world is telling you to do. When the Scriptures say, “You formed my inward parts; You knit me together in in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:13) or when the Bible says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27), to keep those words means that you stand behind them. You hold them to be true – absolutely true. And, my dear confirmands, this will continue to be more and more difficult. This world hates God’s Word, and Jesus calls you to keep it.

What does it mean to keep Jesus’ word? Again, it depends on what the word is. On the one hand, the question, “Do I keep Jesus’ word?” should, be a terrifying question – a deadly question, a killing question. Remember some of the things Jesus has said. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… And, you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:37-39). Because Jesus is giving commands there, to keep Jesus’ word would mean that you should actually do that – that you obey what Jesus says there. Part of keeping Jesus’ word means that you obey what He says.

How about this one: when Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20). Jesus isn’t giving a command there. But He is making a truthful statement. Part of keeping Jesus’ word there would mean that you are always trying to be really, really good.

Or when Jesus says, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). To keep that word of Jesus… Well, hopefully when you get to that word of Jesus, you realize that you are in a heap of trouble.

What does it mean to keep Jesus’ word? Well, it depends on what the word is. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just speak words of crushing, condemning Law. Jesus has more words to say. After Jesus rose from the dead, He kept saying to His disciples, “Peace be with you.” Well, how do you keep that word of Jesus? It isn’t a command, so you don’t have anything to obey. It isn’t something you have to try to do.

When Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” believe that He gives that very peace through His words. Jesus gives that peace because Jesus has taken all your sins. He took those sins to the cross, and He has died for you. He suffered God’s wrath for you. He rose again for you. Believe it. That is probably the best way to understand Jesus when He says, “Keep My word.” Believe it. In fact, all you can do with those Gospel words is simply believe them. Receive them.

So, when Jesus says, “Keep My word,” – it doesn’t matter what that word from Jesus is – believe it. When God has something to say about how this world is ordered, believe that it is true. When God gives you a command to obey, believe that you must do it. Believe that it is in your best interest to follow it. When Jesus gives you a Gospel promise, believe it. Trust it. Bank your life now and even your eternity upon it.

Keep Jesus’ word. Believe what He says to you. And thank God that He has sent the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance all that Jesus has said to you. So hear what Jesus says to you.

Jesus’ word to you is, “Your sins are forgiven.” Keep, believe that word of Jesus.

Jesus’ word to you is, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Keep, believe that word of Jesus.

And today, Jesus’ word to you is, “Take, eat. This is My Body given for you. Take, drink. This is My Blood shed for the forgiveness of your sins.” Keep, believe that word of Jesus.

Jesus’ word to you is, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Keep, believe that word of Jesus.

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” Johnny, Justin, Evan, Liam, and Michaela, keep all the words of Jesus – both Law which kills you and your sinful self, and Gospel which raises you to everlasting life. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 17:20-26

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

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

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Christ is ascended!
He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!

Jesus prays for you. That’s right, just before He was arrested, tried, condemned, crucified, and killed Jesus prayed for you. John 17 is often called Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer.” In this prayer, Jesus prays for Himself (v. 1-5), He prays for the disciples because they will remain in the world (v. 6-19), and here, in this text, Jesus prays for the whole Church who will believe in Him through the word of the Apostles. That means, dear saints, Jesus prays for you. The part of His prayer that we will focus on today is this, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me [Jesus means you], may be with Me where I am to see My glory.”

Well, where is Jesus? Right now, where is He? We’ve confessed that He ascended into heaven where He is “seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” This past Thursday marked forty days after Easter when Jesus ascended. He was taken up before the disciples. A cloud took Him out of their sight. Jesus’ physical body, His human nature, was lifted into heaven. The dust from which Jesus’ was taken is now sitting on the throne of heaven. In the Ascension, your flesh is given the ultimate upgrade because Jesus, your Savior and brother, now rules and reigns over all creation. And He is everywhere. Ephesians 4:10 says, “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”

But just because Jesus has ascended does not mean that Jesus is not interested in you anymore. Just the opposite. Before Jesus ascended, He told the disciples, “I am with you always,” (Mt. 28:20) and He promised, “Where two or three of you are gathered in My name, there I am” (Mt. 18:20). You don’t see Him, but does that matter? If Jesus has said that He is with you, then He is with you – even though you don’t see Him.

Actually, the fact that you don’t see Jesus physically is a good thing. Speaking of His ascension, Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away” (Jn. 16:7). If Jesus still appeared like He did for those forty days after Easter, you would have reason to doubt that He is always present with you. You would have to check the news or the “Where is Jesus Now?” app. Russia? Trinidad? Indonesia? Well, if He’s there, then He can’t be here.

Dear saints, Jesus is with you. He is ascended to God’s right hand where He lives and reigns to all eternity. But the devil likes to tempt you to disbelieve what Jesus says. The devil wants you to believe that he is running the show here on earth. Satan takes your focus off of the risen and ascended Jesus to focus only on yourself and the things going on around you.

Just think about this: Remember the last verses of the Gospel of Matthew, what is often today called “The Great Commission”? I bet if you talked to one hundred average Christians coming out of church on a Sunday and asked them to summarize the Great Commission, they would say something like, “Yes, Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations.” I would also guess that most of them would leave out that the Sacrament of Baptism is how Jesus tells us to make disciples, but that is for another time.

Now, Jesus instructing us to disciple all nations is very important. But, for now, simply hear what Jesus says in those last verses of the Gospel of Matthew, without the part about making disciples. Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Hear it again, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Satan would love nothing more than to rob you of these beautiful promises of Jesus. So as you watch the world fall apart around you, as you watch babies being killed and sold for parts. As you watch ISIS slaughter Christians in the Middle East. As you watch our country care more about which bathroom .3% of the population uses than about caring for our veterans. As you watch all of this, remember Jesus still has all authority in heaven and on earth. Remember that He is with you until the end of the age to keep you and bless you.

Yes, it is hard. You see so much evil and sin surrounding you. You are living in the tribulation (Jn. 16:33). But remember Jesus’ prayer for you is, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am to see My glory that You have given Me.” Jesus is with you here and now, in His Word. Jesus is with you in His Sacraments. Do you see Jesus’ glory? Maybe not with your eyes. But that’s ok. As one pastor has said, “The eye of faith is the ear.”

So look with your ear. Find Jesus as He speaks to you through His Word. Jesus is with you as that Word is read and vibrates your eardrums, or as that Word shines into your eyes from the pages of your Bible. Find Jesus in the waters of your Baptism. Find Jesus in the Bread and Wine of His Supper. Find your Savior where He has promised to be and see His glory. See that He rules and governs all things by His mercy and for your benefit. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Listen here.

John 16:23-33

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

²⁵ “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷ for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” ²⁹ His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! ³⁰ Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

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

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has won. He has overcome this broken, fallen world. Jesus said this even before He went to His death on the cross. Now that we live in the resurrection, now that we live in the time after Jesus has defeated death, how much more can we say, “Amen, Jesus. You have overcome the devil, our sin, and this world full of tribulation and heartache”? Jesus is ascended and is now at the right hand of the Father. He will bring you to be with Himself for all eternity. And yet, the tribulation continues. You suffer in this tribulation while God delays the final judgment. Take heart, believer, God only delays in order to get all His chosen children to safety.

Until the day He returns, Jesus has given you the gift of prayer. Jesus says, “In that day, you will ask nothing of Me.” He is speaking of the time of the resurrection. Jesus is speaking of today. “In that day, you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

What happens when you ask in Jesus’ name and do not receive? The devil and the world love to throw this in our face and rob us of our joy. When we do not see God answering our prayers in the way we want, they twist this promise of Jesus in two common ways. The first is this: Some say that if you pray for something and have enough faith, you will get everything you want. You see this in books or preachers teaching this on TV. So if you have a job that you don’t like or isn’t paying as much as you want, just pray to God, “Heavenly Father, give me a job that pays $250,000 per year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.” Then, they say, if you really believe, God will answer that prayer. And if you don’t get what you are asking for, then you don’t have enough faith and are holding God back.

But you see what that does? It makes God’s answer to prayer contingent upon you. It takes Jesus’ promise and turns it into a crushing statement of Law. And people start to wonder, “Well, if I don’t have enough faith to get God to answer this prayer, how do I know I have enough faith to be saved?” It is a terrible thing.

The second way Jesus’ promise, gets twisted – “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you” – goes like this: Every now and then, people will say things like, “When we pray, we shouldn’t always be asking God for things. We should be praising Him, thanking Him, etc.” I think is error more common here, at least I get roped into this one from time to time. There is some truth in that. We should praise and thank God in our prayers. But asking God for things isn’t sinful; it isn’t wrong. God isn’t sitting up in heaven listening to your prayers and keeping a tally of how many thanks you have offered before He will listen to another request.

Again, that makes God’s answer to our prayers contingent upon us and how we pray. Then we try to figure out the right prayer recipe. We start to think, “I’ll throw two cups of adoration, three tablespoons of thanks, a dash of a request. Throw it all up in the heavenly prayer oven and see how it turns out.”

Repent. God doesn’t answer your prayers based either on how much faith you have or what formula you use when you pray. Both of these wrong teachings on prayer obscure the beautiful promise that Jesus has for you.

So why is it that God doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly how we pray them? Notice that right after Jesus tells us, “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you,” He says, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech.” That means when Jesus says, “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you,” He is using figurative speech. He means whatever we ask that is in accord with Jesus’ Name and mercy. We know this because that night Jesus sincerely prayed in Gethsemane that His heavenly Father would deliver Him from having to go to the cross. But Jesus ended that prayer with, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Mt. 26:39).

Look at what Jesus says is true. He says when you pray, you are asking not only His Father, but your Heavenly Father. And Jesus says that God the Father loves you because you have faith in Jesus. So when you pray, you pray with the boldness and confidence of a child approaching a loving, caring father.

This is so beautiful. Isn’t this wonderful? Most of the time, what do children ask their father for? Food? Clothes? Shelter? Safety? Sure, sometimes, but not mostly. Most of the time children ask for trivial things. That is just how it is with children.

And praying for frivolous things isn’t wrong – it is natural for children. Besides, God already knows what you want before you ask (Mt. 6:8). So ask! Ask for petty things like a good parking spot or a sunny day on your birthday or for the Twins to win. Ask for whatever you wish because it doesn’t annoy your Heavenly Father. God delights in your trivial prayers because you are His child.

When you pray for things that you desire, it is exercising your faith. When you ask for petty, simple things, you are actively believing that God has the ability and the desire to give you everything good. And God already knows what you need, and He provides it even when you don’t ask for it. And if God doesn’t answer your prayer just as you ask, He is still giving you all good things because He loves you.

Finally, pray to your Heavenly Father because it makes a difference. Jesus wouldn’t tell you to pray if it didn’t. A man walking down the street might pass by several panhandlers and not give any of them a nickel. Either he is cynical and knows that many abuse handouts and use them only to buy alcohol or drugs, or he is simply selfish. But that same man walking down the street with his child is different. The child sees that something is wrong asks the father to give to the beggar, the father is moved by his child’s compassion and gives. Don’t take that analogy too far. God is not cynical or selfish. But your prayers have an effect. They make a difference in the world, and we shouldn’t make light of that fact.

Your God has called you to pray. So don’t worry about making your prayers perfect. Don’t worry about asking for the right things. Just pray. Pray for what you want. Pray to make that green light. Pray to slow your graying hair. And, maybe, in the next breath, you pray for a cure to your aunt’s cancer, for peace in the Middle East. Wonderful. Your Father is pleased by your prayers. Pray for all of these things in Jesus’ name boldly, confidently, and fearlessly.

As you live in this world full of tribulation, this world that Jesus has overcome, pray. Pray because according to Jesus, it makes a difference. Your loving Heavenly Father acts because of them. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Listen here.

John 16:12-22

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

¹⁶ “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷ So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹ When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

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

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“A little while,” Jesus says, “and you will see Me no longer, and again a little while, and you will see Me.” On this side of the Cross and Resurrection, we know what Jesus meant by, “A little while.” But the disciples have no clue. They can’t figure it out. So Jesus explains it to them. “A little while and you won’t see Me because I’m going to be bloodied and buried in a tomb. The result of this is that you will have sorrow but the world will rejoice. But then a little while and you will see Me because I’m going to rise from the dead. The result of this is that all your sorrow will turn into joy that no one will be able to take from you.” So, what Jesus is saying here is that the sorrow and the joy of Jesus’ disciples is bound up to how it is with Jesus.

This is also true for you. Your sorrow and your joy is bound up to how it is with Jesus. And because your sorrow and joy is bound up to how it is with Jesus, you should always be joyful. Now, to be joyful doesn’t mean that you aren’t ever sad or that you never cry. Jesus was sad; He cried when Lazarus died (Jn. 11:35). It is good to be sad when a loved one dies. It is good to mourn when God’s good gifts are taken away. Being sad about those things teaches us to long for the Resurrection when all sadness is taken away and creation restored.

But in the midst of our sadness we should always have joy because Jesus has risen never to die again, and He now lives and reigns to all eternity. “Rejoice always,” (1 Thess. 5:16) because Jesus is always with us in His Word and in the Sacraments. “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Php. 4:4). But we aren’t always joyful, and that is because of sin. Think through this with me.

Start with this question: What brings you joy? Think about that for a moment. I hope a lot of things come to mind because there are so many good things that God gives to you. What brings you joy? Your family, your home. Hopefully, your work, your hobbies. The things you taste and touch and smell all these good things bring you joy.

Now, I want to ask you a different question: What would rob you of your joy? Here is the kicker because when you answer this question, you will find out what your idols are. What would rob you of your joy? Would getting cancer or some other sickness rob you of your joy? Then you are idolizing your body and health. Would losing your house rob you of your joy? Then you are idolizing your property. Would a certain candidate getting elected this November rob you of your joy? Then you are idolizing the government.

Think through the Ten Commandments with me for a minute. Normally, we think of the Commandments as God putting restrictions on our behavior. That is one of the things the Commandments do. But by giving the Commandments, God protects you and the things He gives you. So consider the Commandments in reverse order:

10 – Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. God gives you contentment in the relationships He has given you.

9 – Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house. God gives you contentment in the things He has given you.

8 – Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. God protects your reputation with the truth.

7 – Thou shalt not steal. God protects the things He has given you from people who would take them away.

6 – Thou shalt not commit adultery. God protects your covenant relationship with your spouse so that you can have a joyful, happy marriage.

5 – Thou shalt not kill. God protects your body and the very life He has given you.

4 – Honor thy father and thy mother. God gives and protects order in this world by giving the gift authority.

3 – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. God gives His Word and preaching so that you can hear the voice of God.

2 – Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. God gives you the gift of prayer. You use God’s name to call upon Him in every time of need.

1 – Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me. This is the big one. This is where God gives you Himself. God the Father who created you, God the Son who redeemed you, and God the Holy Spirit who has sanctified you, He invites you to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. He also invites you to find your joy in Him alone.

A pastor friend[1] of mine used this analogy, and I think it is very helpful. Imagine, you are settling new land. You live by a pond that provides you with water. Eventually, that pond dries up. Now, you have two choices: you can lay down and die, or you can follow the stream that fed that pond and see what happened. Well, you do follow that stream and find another pond. But then that one runs dry. So you follow the stream to another pond and it runs dry. Nine times this happens. Finally, the ninth pond runs dry and you follow the stream and you find the source that never runs dry.

That is how it is with the Commandments. If you look for your joy in the gift of contentment that God gives in the 9^th and 10^th Commandments, that will be taken away. Or if you find your joy in your stuff that God gives in the 7^th Commandment, that will be taken away. If you find your joy in your life, in the 5^th Commandment pond, eventually that will be taken away. If you find your joy in the 3^rd Commandment, in worship and the gift of hearing God’s Word, that, sometimes is taken away too. Even the joy in the 2^nd Commandment, the gift of prayer, that dries up too.

So all you are left with is the source – the first Commandment. There, God says, “Let everything else go. I am your God.” And that, brothers and sisters is where your joy comes from. And when you have God as your God, when you have the source, then all of those other ponds are full. All of those things that God gives and protects, you know are from the God who says, “I am all you will ever need.” And even if those other ponds dry up – even when God’s good gifts are taken away – you still know that God is your God. You have the source of all good things. You have the fountain of all joy.

As Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Today, we repent. Repent of finding your joy anywhere else but in God. Repent of those idols that give only fleeting joy. Turn back in faith to your God.

Jesus tells the disciples, “You will not see me. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” Remember, your joy and your sorrow is bound up to how it is with Jesus, your God.

Here is how it is with the God who says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” He died for you. He was crucified for every commandment you have failed to keep, for every time you have found false joy in something other than Him.

And now, Jesus takes joy in forgiving you all of your sins, and that forgiveness is unassailable. Jesus now finds His joy in you – in calling you His own. So take your joy in Him. Because He lives and reigns to all eternity, no one and nothing will ever take your joy from you. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

[1] Thanks to Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller for this analogy.