Charismatic Vocation – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

1 Corinthians 12:1–11

¹ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Paul began this letter to the Christians in Corinth by saying that God had given them all knowledge, speech, and every spiritual gift they needed. Paul said that Jesus would sustain them guiltless until He returns (1 Cor. 1:4-8). With this glowing opening, you would expect the Corinthian congregation to be getting along splendidly. But you would be wrong.

There were divided groups that claimed loyalties to different former pastors causing dissension in the congregation. The members were suing each other in civil, secular courts. They were neglecting the poor. A man was having an illicit relationship with his father’s wife and bragging about it. Some members were getting drunk at Communion. On top of all that, there were even disputes about who was more holy based on the spiritual gifts they had received. So, the context of these verses is Christians fighting with each other over spiritual gifts and who was better because of them. That’s what the text is addressing. Now, I’m not preaching on this text because there is fighting here at Christ the King over who is more spiritual or less spiritual.

The reason I’m preaching on this text today is to encourage you to use the gifts the Holy Spirit gives you in your everyday lives. There is a tendency for all of us – please note that I’m including myself here – to be timid when it comes to living out our faith. I think a lot of that timidness has to do with ignorance about spiritual gifts. Paul begins by saying that he does not want us to be ‘ignorant’ about spiritual gifts. I know our translation says ‘uninformed,’ but the word there isn’t so much about a lack of information, rather it is about a lack of understanding, so ‘ignorant’ is probably better. So today, we want to grow in our understanding of spiritual gifts: what they are, how they are received, and how God uses them.

First, what are the spiritual gifts? The New Testament uses six different words or phrases to talk about spiritual gifts. I’m not going to go through all of them, but the Greek term χάρισμα is the most common and Paul uses that word twice in this text (v. 4 & 9). Yes, it is where we get our word ‘charisma.’ Χάρισμα means ‘gift of grace’ or ‘gracious gift.’

Scripture has two different lists of these gifts of grace, one is here in 1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27-30, and the other list is Ro. 12:6-8. The interesting thing is that the two lists aren’t the same. And there are many other verses throughout the New Testament that talk about other χάρισμα even though they aren’t included in a list. Many theologians suggest, and I tend to agree, that the lists are different and other χάρισμα are mentioned elsewhere because these lists aren’t intended to be comprehensive. In other words, there are more spiritual gifts than the ones listed.

There are some things that Scripture calls χάρισμα that we wouldn’t expect to be called ‘spiritual gifts.’ Here’s some of the surprises: service (διακονία where we get our word ‘deacon’); teaching; encouragement; generous giving; leadership; being merciful; a word of wisdom, guidance, or knowledge; faith (not what we would call ‘saving faith’ but an abundant trust and confidence in God’s provision); discernment of spirits; being an apostle; helpful acts; even chastity within marriage and outside of marriage – all of these are spiritual gifts, they are all χάρισμα. A lot of them aren’t so spectacular, but Scripture still calls them χάρισμα.

Second, how are the spiritual gifts received? According to our text (v. 4-7), these gifts are given through the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t ever work alone. Instead, the entire Trinity is involved. These various gifts are given by the Spirit; the varieties of places to serve are given by the same Lord (i.e. Jesus Christ, the Son). And the varieties of activities are empowered by the same God (think God the Father). We don’t determine what gift or gifts we receive, it’s up to our Triune God. And God will provide whatever gift we need to fulfill our Christian duty to our neighbor.

One of the ways we are ignorant when it comes to spiritual gifts is that we tend to confuse spiritual gifts with natural talents. I think one of the reasons we confuse the two is that there have been spiritual gift tests and inventories for decades that focus more on where we think we have talents and interests. Natural talents are certainly gifts of God, but spiritual gifts are what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gives you as you carry out the various callings God gives you in life.

Another problem that makes us ignorant of spiritual gifts is that we confuse the order of things. We think the talents we have should determine the callings we pursue. But repeatedly in Scripture and in your own life, it ends up being the opposite. You are called to do something, and the Holy Spirit equips you with the spiritual gifts you need to do it. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.” It’s a little trite, and that phrase can be wrongly interpreted to mean that we don’t need to train or prepare ourselves – i.e. the phrase can be used as an excuse to be lazy. But with a proper understanding, it’s not a bad saying.

You Christian parents, even if you planned on when you would begin having children, you probably quickly realized that there were a lot of things you didn’t know and skills you didn’t have to be a good parent. But the Holy Spirit has given and will give you what you need when you need it. Most often, God doesn’t equip us with gifts in advance. Instead, He gives us exactly what we need exactly when we need it to minister to others as we serve in our vocations. Wherever God calls you, He will give you whatever you need to minister to that person in that situation (Mt. 10:19-20).

Finally, how does God use the spiritual gifts He gives us? Paul will go on after our text to use the analogy of our bodies (1 Cor. 12:12-26). Your body has many different parts that all need each other. Eyes need ears and toes and noses and hearts and livers and kidneys. No part of the body can say that is doesn’t need the others. In the same way, each Christian is part of the body of Christ and is dependent upon the other members. Just as all the parts of your physical body work together to do one common thing – keep you alive – all the parts of the Body of Christ work together to do one common thing – proclaim the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I know I’ve used the term ‘vocation’ quite a bit in the past, but it is good to revisit it and be clear about what a vocation is in a theological and spiritual sense. When we talk about ‘vocation’ in the Scriptural sense, it means your office or your relationship to the person or people God has placed in your life at any given moment. Every moment of every day God puts you into a relationship with another person where you have different responsibilities. Those are your vocations.

As a silly example, if you find yourself in a moving car, you have one of two possible vocations. Either your vocation is to be a driver, which means your tasks are to drive safely, follow the traffic laws, don’t cause danger to others, and get to your destination safely, or, if you aren’t the driver, your vocation is to be a passenger and your responsibilities are to not make the driver’s vocation more difficult than it needs to be.

Here is the good news, God gives you all the gifts you need to fulfill your vocation every moment of every day. So, rather than filling out inventories and reading books to try to discover your spiritual gift, or your χάρισμα, simply ask yourself, “Who is my neighbor right now, and what is my vocation to that neighbor? How does God want me to serve this person/people?” and Scripture promises that everything will fall into place.

We should expect the Holy Spirit to give us what is needed in each situation we encounter. We should expect and pray that the Holy Spirit will give us what is needed based on whom and what God presents to us. Be attentive.

If you are talking with someone who is going through a lot of problems, the Holy Spirit is calling you to the vocation of being a supportive brother or sister in Christ. Then, pray for the spiritual gifts, the χάρισμα of encouragement, wisdom, knowledge, and compassion depending on the situation. If you are struggling in your marriage, pray for the χάρισμα of chastity, faith, and service. If you are playing with your kids, pray for the χάρισμα of joy and generous giving of your time and energy. If you are at work and have a difficult task, pray for the χάρισμα of service, leadership, or helpful acts. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Constantly let your vocation shape your prayers for the spiritual gifts you need in that moment, and watch God act. God loves to hear those prayers. He has promised to answer them. And God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will gift, equip, and empower you as He freely gives you the gifts you need to love and serve your neighbor. Amen.

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

The Steward – Sermon on Luke 16:1-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Aug6

Luke 16:1–13

¹ He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 24 opens by saying, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” Simply stated, everything and everyone belongs to God because He created it all. There is nothing you can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or experience that isn’t God’s. It all belongs to Him.

The only reason we think the stuff we have belongs to us, and the only reason we imagine the people in our lives are ‘my husband, my wife, my kids, my parents, my friends’ is that God is so deeply generous. He is a giver. 1 John repeatedly says, “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8, 16). In other words, if God ceased to be loving and generous, He would no longer be God. That is why you have everything and everyone you have. God loves you, and He loves to give you good gifts.

Let’s take that one step further because this isn’t true only for Christians. It’s true for everybody. Everyone is the recipient of God’s generosity. From the body they have, to the clothes they wear, to the food they eat, to the house they live in, to the people in their lives – everyone received all of it from God’s loving, generous, giving hand. The remarkable thing about all of this is that most people never have and never will acknowledge God’s provision, generosity, and love. But that doesn’t stop God from giving it.

Now, with that understanding, we can go to the parable. It’s a difficult parable because it’s one of those parables where Jesus uses the actions of a bad, sinful character to make His main point. A rich man had a manager working for him. This manager was a steward of the rich man’s accounts; he was in charge of the books. This manager was crooked enough that he had to be fired. But instead of putting him in chains to be escorted straight to prison, the rich man is generous. He tells the manager to go back to the office, assemble the books, and turn them over. In other words, the rich man, even though he has fired the steward, gives the steward the gift of time. To properly understand the lesson Jesus is teaching with the parable, our main concern is to understand what the steward does with that the rich man’s generosity.

The manager calls in the rich man’s debtors one by one, and you can imagine that they are all terrified of this meeting. They aren’t just getting a phone call from a debt collector; they get brought into his office. Each of them knows they owe these debts, so they’re afraid. And their fear plays right into the manager’s hand.

I imagine the interactions go something like this. A debtor enters the room, and the manager says, “My boss wants to know: what is your plan for this debt you have?” And you can imagine the debtor saying, “Yes. I know. I’ll try to shift things around a bit. Would it work if I got half of it to you by the end of the month and get the other half next month? I’ll do my best to get everything taken care of as soon as possible.” And the manager pretends to be compassionate and says, “Here, let’s just make this a little easier. I’ll talk the rich man down. Write a new debt here, and we’ll just call it good. Let me take some of that stress off of you.” How those conversations actually went we don’t know, but it is clear that the manager knows how to use these people and their stress to his advantage. His plan is to take care of them now so they will take care of him later – let him stay in their vacation houses after he’s left out on the street.

Is it unrighteous? Yup. Absolutely. He’s cancelling debts he has no authority over any longer. Or, to put it another way, he’s giving away someone else’s money. But here’s why it is so shrewd – the rich man, the manager’s former boss, is such a generous person that he isn’t going to reinstate those debts. The rich man is going to hear the whole town singing his praises for having lowered their debts, and if he were to reinstate them – which, by the way, he would have had every right to do – his reputation of being generous would be tarnished. The rich man would rather eat those losses than have his mercy and generosity doubted. The manager knows this about his former boss, and he bets everything on it in the hope his connection to the reduced debts will make people generous toward him later. That is what Jesus is commending.

Christ is saying with this parable that you can bet everything you have on God’s love, mercy, and generosity. Our Lord concludes the parable by saying, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when (not ‘if’ but ‘when’) it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Now, this is one of the most difficult things that Christ said. We know from everything else Jesus says that the unrighteous wealth can’t refer to things that you get in an unrighteous way like this manager did. Jesus clearly teaches against cheating and stealing. So, I think the best understanding of what Jesus means by ‘unrighteous wealth’ is just the stuff that God gives you that doesn’t deliver you God’s mercy and forgiveness – i.e. what we would refer to as ‘1^st Article gifts.’ That is all the created blessings that God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth gives to you. Yes, your money, but also your house, your job, your relationships, your time, your talents, etc. Use those things to make friends for yourself, but not just any kind of friends. Jesus here refers to the kind of friends who receive you into the eternal dwellings.

I think that is an important clue to understand what Jesus is saying here. You can give your stuff away and gain a lot of friends. But the way you get friends to dwell with for eternity is for them to become Christians. In short, Jesus is encouraging us to be as shrewd as this scoundrel of a manager and use our 1^st Article gifts to promote the preaching of the Gospel.

So, what does that look like? Well, there are billions of possibilities. So, I can’t tell you exactly what to do in every situation. But I’ll try a few.

It might mean you learn that your neighbor or coworker likes a certain food that you enjoy making. So, you invite that person over to prepare your grandma’s special recipe. You invest in that relationship and invite that person to come with you to church so they can hear the Gospel and believe.

It might mean that you use your talents to make things that you can donate to an auction that supports the Women’s Pregnancy Center or Riverside so a mom who is in a bad situation can get help that will also point her to the Gospel and so Christian children can be built up through their education to be lights in the communities they will eventually live in.

And, even more simply, return a portion of God’s money that He has given and entrusted to you by putting it into the offering plate to support the preaching of the Gospel and the ministry of God’s Word that takes place here. It isn’t as though God wants you to fill the offering plate apart from Him. Instead, it is that God Himself wants to fill the offering plate through you, so you become generous, giving, and loving like He is.

And know that the unrighteous wealth Jesus talks about here isn’t just about money. It’s about all the 1^stArticle gifts that God gives to you. Be a shrewd steward of everything God gives to you – your time, your talents, and your treasures – to make friends for eternity. By doing that, you become more and more conformed to the image of your giving and generous God.

As children of God and stewards of God’s gifts, be imitators of God by being merciful, loving, kind, giving, and generous. And the reason you can be generous with your 1^st Article gifts is that God has given you His 2^nd and 3^rd Article gifts along with your 1^st Article gifts. You have the true riches. You have God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and holiness freely given to you because of what Christ has done for you by dying and rising again. Those things will never fade, fail, or diminish. They are yours, Christian, now and for all eternity. Amen.

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

The Fruit & the Foundation – Sermon on Matthew 7:15-27 for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Jul30

Matthew 7:15–27

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I thought about beginning this sermon by yelling, “Look out!” But I have a mic, and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s ears or cause a heart attack. Jesus’ first word in this Gospel reading really sets the tone for everything else in it. “Beware.” It’s the kind of thing you shout when someone is in imminent, immediate danger. Throughout the Gospels, the thing Jesus regularly tells Christians to beware of is false teaching. In Jesus’ opinion – which, by the way, is the only opinion that matters – the thing you need to watch out for is false teaching and incorrect doctrine taught by ravenous wolves wearing sheep’s clothing.

One of the difficulties about these false teachers is spotting and recognizing them for what they are. False teachers don’t go around wearing t-shirts or name tags that say, “False teacher.” Instead, they are cleverly camouflaged. Under their soft, wooly exterior are jaws filled with fangs that are stained with the blood of sheep. They might bleat about Jesus and call Him, “Lord, Lord.” They might strut around like sheep, casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and doing many mighty works in Jesus’ name. But, on the Last Day, Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.”

So, how are you supposed to recognize these dangerous false prophets? Well, Jesus switches pictures and imagery. Now, it isn’t wolves and sheep; instead, it’s trees and fruit. Jesus says twice, “You will recognize [false prophets] by their fruits.” Now, we need to be clear here. Usually when the Bible uses a fruit analogy, it is talking about Christians’ service of love and good works, like the fruit of the Spirit. A false prophet, a false teacher, could very well appear to have all of those fruits. But here Jesus isn’t talking about the fruit of Christians in general; instead, He’s talking about the fruit of prophets.

So, think through this: What is the fruit of an apple tree? Apples. What is the fruit of a raspberry bush? Raspberries. You don’t go to a raspberry bush looking for apples, potatoes, or beets. Now, take that to different areas of work. What is the fruit of a baker? Bread, doughnuts, pastries, and cake. What is the fruit of an auto mechanic? A fixed car. You don’t go to a baker when you need your transmission fixed.

So, what is the fruit of a prophet? Their prophesizing, in other words, their teaching. In v. 16, when Jesus is talking about grapes and thornbushes and figs and thistles, He is saying that you must judge a prophet (which is just a teacher of God’s Word) by what he teaches. It doesn’t matter if they look good, are a nice person, or speak eloquently. What that person teaches is all that matters. A diseased apple tree is going to produce bad apples, but even if it produces nice shade, it isn’t really worth anything. When Jesus says you will know a prophet by his fruit, He means that you have to evaluate a prophet by the content of his teaching, by the doctrine. A false teacher will produce rotten, worthless, evil teaching. I know v. 18 talks about bad fruit and diseased trees, but ‘rotten, evil, and worthless’ are better translations of the words Jesus uses to describe the nature of those trees and their fruit.

What that means, dear saints, is that you must, for the good of your soul, you must pay attention to and constantly evaluate what you are being taught. Don’t blindly trust whomever you hear on the radio, or who wrote a national best-seller, or who happens to be in your podcast playlist, or has a YouTube channel. Listen, and evaluate the fruit, evaluate the teaching – even if it’s a boring sermon or study on something you’ve heard a thousand times.

You have to do this because the most dangerous false teachers will be very subtle and deceptive. It might just be one little thing that slips in. But the more often you hear something, the more likely you are to believe it. In fact, it’s even possible that a false teaching might slip in without the person being aware of it. Some of the most important conversations I’ve had as a pastor have come about because I taught something that threw up a theological red flag. A person came to me, told me what they heard, and challenged me on it. Those conversations can give me a chance to clarify what I taught and go back to Scripture. They help me be more careful, clear, and thorough when I preach and teach.

So, this warning from Jesus about you needing to be on the lookout for false teaching definitely applies to me. It doesn’t matter how nice and good looking I am. It doesn’t matter how many sermons you’ve heard me eloquently preach. Don’t blindly trust me. You have to discern if what you are hearing from my lips lines up with the Bible; if it points you to Jesus as the incarnate, crucified, and risen Savior; if it calls you to repent of your sins; if it encourages you to believe in Christ; if it urges you toward love for God and your neighbor.

You have to beware because false teaching might make you feel good and give you the warm-fuzzies. But that doesn’t always mean that it is the teaching God wants you to hear. In our Old Testament lesson (Jer. 23:16-29), God says that the false prophets say things like, “It will be well with you,” and, “No disaster will come upon you.” Because of our sinful nature, false teaching is often right in line with what we want to hear. But you have to evaluate the fruit of every teacher and every teaching you encounter because when you stand before God on Judgment Day, you don’t get to claim ignorance and deception for following wrong theology. Eve didn’t get a pass in the Garden of Eden just because the serpent deceived her (Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14).

And, I have to briefly add this: Theology is all round you. The nightly news has a theology. Gretta Thunberg and the whole climate change crowd have a theology. The commercials you see on TV, the songs you listen to, and the videos you watch all have a theology. Here, Jesus says that you must evaluate and discern the theology even of those things. I’m not necessarily saying you have to completely eliminate your intake of those things. That might be the case. But when those inputs cause you anxiety and despair, remind yourself of the true theology that Jesus is crucified, risen, has all authority in heaven and on earth, and is with you always even to the end of the age (Mt. 28:18-20).

Remember, false teaching is rotten, worthless, evil fruit. But it’s effects are more devastating than eating a bad orange. It is completely ruinous. False theology is like building a house with a foundation on sand. When the rains fall and the winds and the floods come, that house is going to have a catastrophic, disastrous fall.

But, God be praised, a house built on the foundation and rock of right, good, sound theology will withstand everything the devil and the world can throw at it. Dear saints, be wise. Eat the good fruit of sound theology. Build your house on the solid foundation of the rock of Christ. And you will never be moved. Amen.

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

Origins – Sermon on Genesis 2:7-17 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Jul23

Genesis 2:7-17

⁷ [T]hen the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It should come as no surprise, but this text is fundamental and foundational to understanding who we are as God’s creatures. But to really get to the roots of who we are, we first have to understand who God is as our Creator, and this text gives us one piece of that understanding. The other piece came just before our text.

The Bible gives us two very different accounts of creation. In Genesis 1:1-2:3, God creates the sun, moon, stars, land, sky, plants, fish, birds, mankind, and all things by simply speaking. Whatever He commands comes into being. The whole account is filled with the repeated words, “And God said…. And it was so.” Then, God rests. Throughout those six days of creating and the seventh day of rest, He is simply called “God” (Heb.‘Elohim’). In that first account account of creation, we see a God who is transcendent – He is not subject to the limitations we are used to.

But then in our text here, the second account of creation, we see something remarkably different. The difference can be seen just a few verses before our text began in how Moses refers to God. No longer is He simply ‘God’ – He is the Lord God. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh God. In other words, this transcendent, powerful God has a name, and He is close and personal – especially with the head of His creation, Adam.

Yahweh puts His hands into the earth, molds the clay to form the man, and breathes life into Adam’s nostrils (Gen. 2:7). Then that immanent, personal God plants a garden for Adam (Gen. 2:8-9). After our text, Yahweh remains close to Adam by causing him to sleep and performing a surgery on him in order to create the woman. And Yahweh brings the woman to Adam as his suitable helper and joins them together in marriage so they would become one flesh by having children (Mt. 19:6; Mk. 10:9).

From these two accounts of creation, we have an important insight into God. He is mighty, powerful, and uninhibited. But He is also intimately close and involved with mankind.

Finally, after God finishes creation, He rests on the seventh day. Now, God doesn’t rest on the seventh day because He is tired. He created by merely speaking, and God speaks a lot more through the rest of Scripture but doesn’t grow tired or need a nap (Ps. 121:3-4). Instead, those two creation accounts help us understand something about that day of rest. God rests because He has set up all of creation to be His Temple where He will rest in the order and peace that He has established.

When I was younger, I imagined God created everything while He sat far away in heaven, speaking things into existence, but staying aloof somewhere way up there in heaven. But that scenario isn’t compatible with the rest of Scripture.

God’s desire is to dwell with people, the crown of His creation. The final picture Scripture gives of the eternal bliss of believers is God making His dwelling with you (Rev. 21:3). This desire of God to dwell among His creation becomes especially clear after the Fall. When God delivers His people from slavery in Egypt, He instructs them to build the Tabernacle so He can dwell in their midst (Ex. 25:8). In that Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, God says that He will walk among them (Lev. 26:12; 2 Sam. 7:6-7) just as we see He does in Gen. 3:8. To do that, God’s instructions on how to build the Temple in Jerusalem include many of the same materials, like gold and onyx stones, and the same ‘floorplans’ we read about here in the Garden of Eden.^[1]

Now, that brings us to the nature of mankind. God puts Adam in the midst of that newly created Temple of Eden and gives Adam two responsibilities. Our translation says that Adam is there “to work it and keep it.” The two Hebrew words there can refer to a lot of activities, but when Scripture uses these two terms together, they most often refer to the duties and responsibilities of the priests in the sanctuary of the Tabernacle and Temple (Num. 3:7-8, 8:26, 18:5-6). In other words, this text is telling us that mankind was created to be the priest and guardian of sacred space. We were not created just to be gardeners.

On top of being priests, God set up mankind to be kings and queens over creation. God said, “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” (Gen. 1:26-28). So, from our very origin, we were created to be priests and the royal rulers over creation with God reigning in our midst.

Of course, sadly, we did not remain in that original state. Adam and his wife failed in their priestly duties. They did not guard the Temple of Eden as they should have. Instead, they let the foul serpent defile it, and they lost their priestly roles. Instead, God sent a cherubim to take over the responsibility of guarding the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24 [see also Ezk. 28:14-16]). They also gave up their royal status over creation. Instead of having dominion over everything that creeps on the earth, they listened to what should have been under their rule; they listened to the serpent’s lies. By eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they rejected God and His ordering of the world.

But, dear saints, God has provided a way back to the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:2, 14), a way back to being what we were created to be, a way back to our origin. Jesus, the new Adam (1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45, 47), has come and crushed the serpent’s head. By His death and resurrection, Jesus has now redeemed you and made you what you were created to be. Through faith in Christ, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His Own possession (1 Pet. 2:9). This very Jesus dwells among you even now (Mt. 18:20). And, as Christ’s people, you are called to be His priests and kings and queens, guarding the sacred spaces of this congregation and your family.

So repent. Repent of the times you have chosen to neglect and abdicate your position as God’s priests and royalty. Repent of the times you have listened to the serpent’s lies and not expelled him from the good gardens where God has placed you and given you priestly and royal authority. Repent because the only fruit you have gotten from those sins is death (Ro. 6:21).

And know, as our Epistle reading (Ro. 6:19-23) promises, that you have been set free from sin and are now the servants of God who gives you fruit that leads to sanctification and life (Ro. 6:22). And know that Christ has equipped you with everything you need to be His priests and royalty. You have the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) to defend against the attacks of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. And you have God’s promise that He will never leave you or forsake you. In a world that is still soiled and stained with sin, Christ has brought you back into His kingdom, and He will lead you to eternal paradise with Him. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

^[1] Gold and onyx (Gen. 2:11-12) are used to decorate the sanctuaries and priestly garments (Ex. 25:7, 11, 17, 31). The Tabernacle/Temple lampstand probably symbolizes the tree of life (Gen. 2:9; Ex. 25:31-35). Even the river flowing from Eden (Gen. 2:10) resembles Ezekiel’s Temple vision (Ezk. 47:1-12).

The Ten Words – Sermon on Exodus 20:1-17 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Jul16

Exodus 20:1-17

¹ And God spoke all these words, saying,

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, you are familiar with this text – or, at least, you should be. We know these verses as “the Ten Commandments” – even though Scripture itself never refers to them as the Ten Commandments. (More on that in just a bit.)

We have grown used to thinking that God only gave the Ten Commandments to show us our sin so that we repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin. Saying that isn’t wrong – not in the least! Scripture says that one of the reasons God gave us the Law is to tell us what we must and have failed to do (Ro. 7:7-12). That’s how Luther uses them in his Small Catechism, and in his hymn on the Ten Commandments that we just sang, he does the same thing, “You have this Law to see therein / that you have not been free from sin, / but also that you clearly see / how pure toward God your life should be.” But God gave the Ten Commandments to do more than simply show us our sin.

Scripture calls this text “the Ten Words” (Ex. 34:28; Dt. 4:13, 10:4). The Bible refers to them as “the Ten Words” because only one of them is actually an imperative (command) – “Honor your father and mother.” All the rest are indicative (statements). A perfectly legitimate – and, admittedly, shorthand – way to understand these verses would be, “You will have no other gods before Me…. You will not misuse My Name…. You will keep the Sabbath holy…. Honor your parents. You will not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, covet.”

As God’s people heard these words at the base of Mt. Sinai, they would have understood three distinct things at the same time. First, they would have understood that this is what God demands they do, which is how we normally understand them. Second, they would have heard them as a description of who they are and how God sees them. Third, they would have heard these as God’s promise to work in them to make them all these things (Php. 1:6).

Think of it this way: A boy might be pestered and bullied by a girl at school so much that he finally retaliates and shoves her to the ground. (You boys, don’t do that because that’s wrong.) They boy’s parents get called to the principal’s office and learn about the altercation. When they get home, the parents send the boy to his room as punishment. Afterwards, the father goes into his son’s room for ‘the talk’ and says, “We do not shove, hit, or be mean to girls.”

Notice what that speech from the father does. First, by saying, “we,” the father is still showing his son that they are in a relationship. The son hasn’t been abandoned or disowned; they belong together and are identified together as a unit. Second, the father is also saying that as a unit, they act and behave a certain way – they don’t use physical force against girls. Also, the boy knows that his dad is forbidding him to use physical force against a girl. All three of those things get communicated at the same time. The Ten Words here work just like that.

Let’s stick with that analogy about the boy and the girl bully to get one more thing about the Ten Words across. As soon as the boy pushed the girl to the ground and saw that she was dirty, dusty, and hurt, the boy’s conscience kicked in because he knew what he had done was wrong even before he pushed her. That rule or command, “Don’t hurt girls,” was already known by the boy even if he had never been taught it. The girl’s pain simply awakened his conscience. The same thing is true for these Ten Words (Ro. 7:7-8).

Cain knew it was wrong to kill Abel (Gen. 4:1-9) even though God hadn’t given the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder,” yet. Joseph knew not lie with Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:7-9) even though God hadn’t given the command, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Esau accused Jacob of cheating him (Gen. 27:36), and Jacob accused his father-in-law, Laban, of cheating him (Gen. 31:7) even though God hadn’t given the commandment, “Thou shalt not steal.” Abraham knew it was wrong to lie about Sarah being his sister (Gen. 12:11-20, 20:1-14) even though God hadn’t given the commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

Everyone knows to not break the commandments because God has written them into the fabric of creation and on the heart of every person (Ro. 2:15). Everyone, even atheists (Ro. 1:21-25), know that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt. 22:37). Everyone knows that we should love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt. 22:39).

God didn’t give the Ten Words so that we would know right from wrong. People knew (and still know) right from wrong already. Some think God gave the Ten Words to limit our freedom. Not at all. They are given in the context of God having set His people free, bringing them out of Egypt and slavery (Ex. 20:2). Instead, the Ten Words show God’s people what it looks like to be the free people He has created us to be. In the world that God has made, we aren’t free to do or be anything we please. We are free when we become what we are. A caterpillar is free to become a butterfly not a walrus. The Ten Words guide us to grow up to be what we are, and what we are is the very children of God (1 Jn. 3:2; Gal. 4:1-7).

Now, in an effort to assist with that growth, here’s some advice from Luther. Take each of the Ten Words with you into prayer and ask yourself these four questions: 1. What does this teach me? 2. What does this give me? 3. What does this show me to confess? And 4. What does this teach me to pray for?

For the first, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” you could pray something like this: “Father, thank you that You teach me that You are my God. Thank you that, as my God, You give me all good things. Forgive me for the times I do not trust You to be my God. Grant me Your Holy Spirit so I would love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

For the seventh, “Thou shalt not steal,” you could pray: “Heavenly Father thank You for giving me so many good things. Everything I have is a gift from You. Forgive me for loving and pursuing stuff more than You. Help me to use what You have given me to serve my neighbor.”

Now, all of this is to say that what is most important with regard to the Ten Words is to believe them. Romans 14:23 says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” As you believe the Ten Words, you see that God demands that you avoid certain sins and that you do certain good works. But you also see that God is accomplishing these things in you through faith. He has begun that good work in you when you were joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection in your Baptism (Ro. 6:1-11), and, again, He will complete that good work in you (Php. 1:6).

Dear saints, God promises that He is your God who has brought you out of slavery to sin by sending Jesus, who did not abolish the Law but fulfilled it. Through faith in Him, you have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Because of Him and His work, you will enter the kingdom of heaven, and He invites you now to a seat at His table. Amen.

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

Eager Waiting – Sermon on Romans 8:18-23 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Jul2

Romans 8:18–23

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christian, the Bible never says that you will escape suffering. In fact, Jesus promises that you will suffer. Jesus says that everyone who follows Him will take up a cross (Mt. 16:24). Jesus says that since the world persecuted Him, it will persecute you (Jn. 15:20). Jesus says that in this world you will have tribulation (Jn. 16:33). Jesus even says that the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God (Jn. 16:2).

Christian, you should expect to encounter suffering in this world. 1 Peter 4:12 tells us to not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. Whether or not we will experience suffering is not the question. Instead, our text here would have us consider how we endure the suffering because our typical response to suffering is not what Scripture would have us do.

Often, your initial response to suffering is to look to the time when your suffering will be over. Your kids keep getting up at night, so you look forward to when they finally stay asleep, and you can rest. Your checking account gets low, so you look to your next payday. You get sick, so you look forward to when you will feel better. Even though all of those things are welcome pauses to your suffering, they are only temporary moments of slight relief. And if that is all you hope for, you are setting your sights way too low. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Christian, this text is telling you that there is something even better in store for you than the end of your suffering. When you suffer, look past the end of your suffering and raise your eyes to the glory that is to be revealed to you (Rom. 8:18). It is a glory that you have even now, but a glory that you cannot see right now.

Look carefully at v. 19-21 of our text. “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Paul here is inviting us to look at our present suffering from the perspective of the rest of God’s creation, so let’s do that. Jesus helps us get that perspective In Matthew 5:45 where He says that God, “Makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good.” Imagine the suffering that the sun has had to endure since the Fall.

Because of God’s mercy, He has commanded the sun to serve idolators, adulterers, thieves, liars, and murderers. The sun was created to shine on the righteous, but God has commanded it to keep shining on both the evil and the good. God has called the sun to serve all people – including the unrighteous. The sun’s work of shining on the evil is wasted, but the sun does it gladly because it is obeying God’s merciful command. The same could be said about the clouds with their rain, the crops with their fruit, and the water with its nourishment. All creation would much rather only serve only you, Christian. As the sun and the rest of creation serves the evil and the good, the righteous and the unrighteous, it waits with eager longing for you to be revealed as the sons of God (Ro. 8:19).

Catch that. Creation longs for “the revealing” of the sons of God. It will take a “revealing” for creation to recognize you as the sons of God.

Some of you have told me that you don’t recognize how loved and valued you are by God. You don’t see yourselves as God’s children. But listen to what 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”

Here’s the truth. God sees you as His beloved child – holy, blameless, and righteous. Even though you can’t see that, and even though the rest of creation can’t see that, it’s true. But the day will come when you will be revealed as God’s children. All of creation will see it, and you will also see it.

Until then, live like the sun. Shine the light of Christ upon the righteous and the unrighteous as you eagerly wait for the time when you will be revealed before all creation as a beloved, holy, righteous child of God. Sure, you don’t see the glory God has given you yet. That’s fine. That day will come. God has promised. Jesus will return. Your body will be redeemed. You will rise, and all your suffering will fade away.

Dear saints, all suffering in this world is temporary. That doesn’t mean that your suffering doesn’t matter. Suffering can cause deep wounds that leave painful scars. Even though that is very true, the sufferings of this present time are all – every one of them – temporary. In fact, there is only one type of suffering that is nottemporary, and that is the eternal torment of hell. But that is not your destiny, Christian.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have God’s promise that the sufferings of this present time are not even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to you. And as you eagerly wait for your adoption as sons, as you eagerly await the redemption of your bodies, come to God’s table. Receive Jesus’ resurrected Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. Be fed with His mercy and grace which strengthens you to serve the rest of creation as you eagerly await His return. Amen.

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

Fear Not, Confess – Sermon on Matthew 10:26-33 for the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Jun25

Matthew 10:26–33

²⁶ “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

³² “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If we’re honest, we all have to admit that there are times we have been afraid to speak the truth. What Jesus tells us in His Word, we are often afraid to bring into the light. We hear things in Church that we don’t whisper outside these walls, and we don’t dare shout from the housetops.

Jesus clearly says that nothing is covered or hidden that will not be revealed and known. But speaking the truth can still be hard. We don’t want to say something that will cause us to be criticized, ridiculed, and rejected. We don’t want to deal with the discomfort of knowing we have offended someone. We don’t want to be misrepresented as being hateful people. But every reason for not speaking has a common root – fear. But all those fears in the wrong things. We are fearing those who can kill the body but not the soul. Repent. Repent and stop fearing mere men, but fear God who can destroy both the soul and body in hell.

As I mentioned earlier, today is the 493^rd anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession which lays out a summary of what we believe, teach, and confess here at Christ the King. I want to give a very brief bit of history about that presentation before I apply the rest of this Gospel reading to you. I’m sorry if you don’t like history, but it will be helpful for you to hear it so you can boldly live out your faith in today’s culture.

In 1529, the army of Muslim Ottoman Empire was marching its way from Istanbul, Turkey into Europe and through the Holy Roman Empire. But the unusually rainy weather that year caused the Muslim invaders to stall out just south of Germany before they returned home. Emperor Charles V knew the armies would probably return, and he wanted unity in his empire so they could all fight against the Muslim armies together. This meant that Charles had to deal with the religious problem between the German territories who had been awakened by Luther’s proclamation of the Gospel on the one side and the Roman Church on the other side.

Charles called the Lutheran princes and officials from the Roman Church to meet in the city of Augsburg. When the Lutheran princes arrived, they were met with an order from Charles to participate in a festival called Corpus Christi. That festival of the church of Rome is where a priest or bishop would consecrate the elements of the Lord’s Supper, but then, rather than consuming it, the Bread would be placed in a golden box and paraded through the town so people could see the elements. The Roman church taught that simply seeing the Bread was a way for the people to commune. The whole thing flies in the face of what Jesus says about the Lord’s Supper. He says, “Take, eat,” not, “Take, walk behind, and look.”

The Lutherans were appalled at the situation. One of the Lutheran rulers stood before Charles and replied to this demand, “Before I would deny my Lord and Savior in this way, I would gladly kneel before you and have my head chopped off.” In other words, “No.” Charles could barely speak German, so he responded, “Nicht kopf ab. Nicht kopf ab.” Which is, “Not head off. Not head off.”

A few days later, at 3:00 PM on June 25^th of 1530, Charles, the Roman officials, and the Lutheran princes gathered to hear the doctrinal statement of the Lutherans which is the Augsburg Confession. In that document, the Lutherans wanted to show that they were not heretics but were faithfully preaching the doctrines of Scripture and traced their doctrine and practice back to the early years of the church. Crowds came to hear the confession; in fact, so many people gathered they couldn’t all fit in the castle. The windows were opened, and the document was read in its entirety. The voice reading it was so clear and articulate that it is recorded that thousands outside the castle were able to hear. And all the Lutherans stood as it was read.

By holding to that confession, the Lutheran princes were all risking their lands and lives, but they held firm to those Scriptural doctrines anyway. They spoke of God’s testimonies before kings and were not put to shame (Ps. 119:46). And they didn’t know how Charles, the head of the government, would respond. It was possible that they would all be executed, and their lands and people would be attacked by Charles’ armies. It was possible that Charles would agree with them. They didn’t know. They didn’t have control. All they could do was speak God’s testimonies and leave everything in His hands.

Ok. History lesson over.

Today, we don’t have control over the government. We don’t have control over the culture or the media. We don’t have control of the perception others have of us. So many things are outside our control, but that’s ok. It’s ok. Our confidence in confessing God’s testimonies is never based on having control or tax benefits or a favorable political or social environment.

We can always speak God’s testimonies and not be put to shame. Yes, we might be mocked and ridiculed and labeled as ‘old-fashioned.’ Yes, we might be kicked to the side of the culture. Yes, we might even be persecuted by the government, society, and media. But that doesn’t matter because none of them have control over reality. They’ve never had that control, and they never will because their word didn’t create the heavens and the earth. Their word didn’t establish what is right and what is wrong. Their word doesn’t determine the truth. But God’s Word did and still does.

By God’s Word the heavens and the earth were made. By God’s Word, Christ was sent to be the Savior of sinners. By God’s Word, you have been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified as the Church. By God’s Word, you are kept and sustained in the one true faith.

That is why we can confess God’s Word without fear. The worst anyone can do to us is merely kill our bodies; they cannot touch our souls (Mt. 10:28). The God who created the sparrows by His Word knows when one of them falls to the ground. And that same God is your heavenly Father who has numbered every hair on your head. That same God is the One who came to earth, took on flesh, shed His blood, and died for you. That same God is the One who inscribed your name in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8).

Now, we might wish that God would send revival to our land. We might wish that God would send reformation to unite the scattered and divided Christians here on earth. We might wish that God would raise up another Luther or, like He did in our Old Testament reading (Neh. 8:1-2, 5-6, 9-12), another ruler like Nehemiah or another priest like Ezra who can restore the Word of God to our land and to the people around us. But God in His wisdom, which is greater than yours, hasn’t given one – at least, not yet. But God has raised up you. God has placed you in your family; in this congregation; in your workplace; in this city, state, and country to confess His testimonies, and you will not be put to shame.

So, dear saints, acknowledge Christ before men, and He also will acknowledge you before God the Father (Mt. 10:32).

And if you still fear to speak His testimonies and acknowledge Christ, if you aren’t sure how to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), here are some suggestions for overcoming that fear:

Start by being here at church for the services and Bible studies. Learn from God’s Word because that will help you grow in your faith. And, as you grow, you will be more equipped to confess.

Then, talk with your family after church. Talk about the hymns and the Scripture readings. Talk about what you leaned in Sunday school and the sermon. Discuss with your spouse, kids, and parents what God taught you and how He encouraged and blessed you through His Word. All of that is zero risk because you won’t be persecuted for doing that. It won’t put you or them in danger. Also, it is good practice for confessing the faith and speaking the truth of God’s testimonies to others.

If you’re already doing that, expand further out. Confess to friends and relatives that you are close to – people who are a little further out but you have a good, solid relationship with. If you mess up and say something that offends them, you have a better chance of getting another opportunity to confess better or more clearly. That is also low risk.

As you become more comfortable doing that, keep going. You will be better equipped to confess to people you are less familiar with and even to strangers. The more you confess, the better you get at it. And along the way, you will be building up and encouraging those around you to confess as well.

Dear saints, fear not. Confess God’s testimonies.

When time is no more and you stand before God, you will only have Him to answer to. Everything else will pass away. As many days as God gives to you, confess Him knowing that only God and His Word will stand. The world may try to shame us, but they don’t have any power. The power of men comes and goes. All flesh is like grass and eventually passes away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever (Is. 40:6, 8; 1 Pet. 1:24-25).

Dear Christian, Jesus is risen. We are going to win. Amen.

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

Your Good Things – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

Jun11

Luke 16:19–31

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If you had to choose, which character in this parable would you rather be? The rich man is clothed like royalty and has daily feasts. Sounds like a pretty good life. Lazarus has nothing. He apparently can’t walk; he has to be laid at the rich man’s gate. He’s poor and diseased. He’s so hungry he wants to the garbage that falls from the rich man’s table. And he can’t even fend off the dogs who come and lick his sores. But then, both of them die, and everything changes. Lazarus is escorted by the holy angels to paradise and bliss. The rich man dies, is buried, and goes to hell and eternal torment. So, which character would you rather be?

Most of you are probably thinking Lazarus. No one would choose to be the rich man. But a few of you smarties out there would say, “I’ll be Abraham. He was rich during his earthly life, and he went to heaven.” Very clever of you.

Today, we are going to focus on v. 25 of the parable where Abraham says to the rich man, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.”

That response is a little surprising to the eternal torment of the rich man. We expect that Abraham would tell the rich man, “You didn’t believe in Jesus,” or, “You didn’t love the Bible,” or even, “You received good things.” But Abraham doesn’t say any of that; instead, he says, “You received your good things.” It’s almost a little sarcastic as though Abraham is saying that the rich man received things that he thought were good – the clothes, the feasts, the expensive house, etc. All of those are good things and are gifts from God’s hand, but those aren’t God’s best things.

The rich man didn’t receive God’s steadfast love and salvation (Ps. 13:5-6); he didn’t receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. The rich man didn’t care about those things during his life, and he didn’t even care about them while suffering in hell. In hell, the rich man only desired relief from his suffering, and, when he couldn’t get that, he wanted his brothers to avoid the suffering. The rich man’s problem is that during his life and even in hell he rejected the means to avoid that suffering which is God’s mercy, steadfast love, and salvation which is delivered through the Bible – through the word of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles.

The devil wants to twist this parable so we think that we have to choose between two different existences. On the one hand, we could love God and go to heaven, or, on the other hand, we could love money and stuff and go to hell. So, we suppose, “I guess I’ll pick God” and go grumbling through this life. But the idea that you can only have either riches and hell or poverty and heaven is a false dichotomy.

God is the One who gave you the desire for nice things. The Scriptures even teach that God promises to fulfill the longings you have. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

So, Christian, do you care about living in a fancy house? Yes, you do. Don’t lie. Remember Jesus promised, “In My Father’s house are many mansions, and I’m going to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). When you go to heaven and Jesus shows you the mansion He prepared for you, are you going to tell Him, “Meh. I don’t really care about that”? No!

Christian, do you care about good food and feasting? Yes, you do. How many times does the Bible talk about eternal life as a lavish feast (Is. 25:6; Mt. 22:1-10; Rev. 19:9)? God promises that feast because He knows that it is appealing to you. It’s something you want from His hand.

Christian, do you care about nice clothes? Yes, you do. The Bible promises that you will have extravagant, dazzling robes that are washed white in the blood of the lamb (Eph. 5:26-27; Rev. 7:13-14).

Christian, do you care about living a pain-free life? If you don’t now, just wait a few years and you will. You care about a life without pain, and God has promised that one day your body will be raised incorruptible, glorified, imperishable (1 Cor. 15:42-44) and you will have no more pain (Rev. 21:4).

Being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to give up your desire for nice things. You don’t have to have some Buddhist or monastic attitude toward the blessings that God gives you. Instead, you can and should give thanks and praise to God who gives every blessing. The Bible talks about the mansions, feasting, spectacular clothing, and escape from pain and suffering because God knows that it is a draw for you – it’s something you desire. You long for those things, and that isn’t a problem – not by itself anyway.

What is a problem is trying to get those things apart from God’s giving of those things. When you’re narrowly focused on living a comfortable earthly life, it becomes easy to forget about eternity. When you are focused on temporal mercies, you quickly forget about eternal mercies. Do you want your enjoyment of all those nice things now for the fleeting moments of this life? Or would you rather have them just a little bit later and retain them forever?

I know this sounds like some of the prosperity preaching you might hear on TV. To be clear, the health and wealth preachers are heretics, and I’m not becoming one of them. Those preachers are wrong – not because they promise health and wealth – but because of when they promise it. They promise it now when God makes no such promise in the Scriptures, but God does promise you will have it for eternity.

The point of the parable is that the rich man loved those blessings more than he loved God and His Word. The rich man found his joy in the God’s gifts more than in the God who gives those gifts. The parable wants us to consider this question: What are my good things? Are your good things the temporal, fleeting pleasures of this life? Or are your good things the steadfast love, mercy, and salvation of God?

No one here is as destitute as Lazarus, and no one here is as wealthy as the rich man. You are all somewhere in between. The point of the parable is not for you to make yourself poor like Lazarus was, and the point is certainly not to make yourself like the rich man. The point of the parable is to get you to take your eyes off of the earthly things you either have or don’t have and focus on the eternal things that God gives you in His mercy which cannot be taken away. Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt. 6:21).

Our call to worship helps us have the right focus. Psalm 13:5-6 says, “I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” Christian, you have God’s steadfast love; you have His salvation. God be praised! That is more than enough. God has dealt bountifully with you because of what Jesus has done. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, you have an eternal inheritance that surpasses anything that the richest person could even dream of having.

Recognizing that you have the riches of Christ’s death and resurrection is the main point of the parable. And the parable has something to say about the riches you have in this life.

All of us are richer than we know. Even the poorest in our country would be the envy of most kings throughout history. Again, you aren’t the wealthy like the rich man, but you aren’t destitute like Lazarus. You’re somewhere between.

Don’t think to yourself, “If I were a little wealthier and closer to the rich man, I would be more generous with my things.” Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Jesus praised the two small copper coins that the widow gave, and not the fat checks of the rest (Lk. 21:1-4). Even though that widow’s gift was nothing in earthly comparison to the large sums put in by others, it was much more in Jesus’ eyes than all the other offerings combined. And remember, Lazarus didn’t want the rich man’s house, fancy clothes, or lavish feast. Lazarus only wanted what fell from the rich man’s table.

So, no; you probably can’t set up a trust fund that would cover the annual expenses of our congregation. Fine. But you can give your tithe. You probably can’t give a donation to pay for a new addition of a fellowship hall. Fine. But you can come and vacuum the sanctuary and scrub the toilets.

Dear saints, share your crumbs. They are more valuable than you know, and God will bless you as you give them away.

Hebrews 10:34 says, “You [Christians] joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” In other words, whatever blessings you might lose in this life, they pale in comparison to the eternal blessings and treasures God has in store for you. So, if you lose something here, don’t worry about it. Your eternal inheritance cannot be taken from you.

Dear saints, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness – which God freely gives through His Word – and every other blessing will be added unto you (Mt. 6:33). Amen.

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

In This Way, God Loved the World – Sermon on John 3:1-17 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Jun4

John 3:1–17

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sometimes, broad, general statements are more comforting than pointed, specific statements. I heard a church historian tell the story about Martin Luther being asked if he wished that John 3:16 read, “For God so loved Martin Luther, that He gave His only Son…” And Luther said, “No! I’d be searching my entire life for another guy named ‘Martin Luther.’”

Does God love you? How do you know? “For God so loved the world,” and you are part of the world, “that He gave His only-begotten Son that you who believe in Him will never perish but have everlasting life.” Yes. God loves you. He loves you. Yesterday, God loved you. Three months ago, God loved you. Five years ago, God loved you. While you were a sinner, God loved you (Ro. 5:8). Before you were born, God loved you. Two thousand years ago as Jesus carried His cross out of the gates of Jerusalem, God loved you. Before the foundation of the world, God loved you. Christian, according to Revelation 13:8, God wrote your name in the Book of Life even before He said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3).

John 3:16 is probably the most familiar verse of Scripture in our day and is the “ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s” of the faith. Today, we’re going to graduate “Christianity 101” and consider John 3:16 as “Christianity 201.” We’re going to dissect two words of the verse – the words ‘for’ and ‘so’ – because those words help us understand the context and meaning of the verse.

We’re going to spend most of our time on the word ‘for,’ so bear with me. Because the verse starts with the word ‘for,’ we have to consider the context. That word ‘for’ ties John 3:16 to what comes before it, which is Jesus recalling how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9), which was our Old Testament reading three weeks ago.

There, God’s people had been sentenced to forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14:28-35). During that time of exodus, the people become impatient and said the only reason Moses lead them out of slavery in Egypt was so they would die in the wilderness (Num. 21:5). They complained about the food God was miraculously and faithfully raining down upon them each day. So, God sends fiery serpents to bite the people, and many of them die. Finally, they ask Moses to pray that God would take away the serpents. God answers their prayer, but not by taking the serpents away. Instead, God gives them the cure for the venom. God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent, set it on a pole, and tell the people to look at if they are bitten and they would be cured of the venom and live.

This God-given cure seems odd, but consider it for a minute. The dead, bronze serpent lifted up on the pole is the God-given sign that God is destroying their enemy and killing it. By looking at the serpent, they believe that God is defeating their enemy and that He is in control. That faith is what saves them. Now here in John 3, Jesus says that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so must He be lifted up. In other words, the people were saved in the wilderness by looking at an image of their defeated enemy.

Now, this is a little more challenging to grasp, but it’ll be worth it. When Jesus is on the cross, He quotes Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34). Psalm 22 is one of the most vivid descriptions of the crucifixion – almost more vivid than what the Gospels record for us. The Psalm says, “all who see me mock me… they wag their heads” (Ps. 22:7) which we see happening in Mt. 27:39 and Mk. 15:29. The Psalm says, “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots,” (Ps. 22:18; Jn. 19:24). The Psalm says, “They have pierced my hands and feet,” (Ps. 22:16). I could go on, but you should just read Ps. 22 with the crucifixion in mind today.

The verse from Ps. 22 we need to focus on today is Ps. 22:6 which says, “I am a worm and not a man.” When Jesus quotes Psalm 22 from the cross, He is stating He is a worm and not a man. Now, stick with me here. Satan’s lies in the Garden deceived the woman; she ate (Gen. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:4), and Adam also ate. Our first parents sinned, and their sin brought the poison of death and corruption to all mankind. So, on the one hand, Jesus crucifixion places the sins of the world on Jesus, the new Adam, and punishes those sins there.

But, ultimately, the source and origin of that sin is the devil. The serpent’s deceiving poison brought sin and death into the world. That is why God promises to crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). This is why John 3:16 is tied to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. When we look to Jesus’ crucifixion, God wants us to see that Christ is defeating sin at it’s source which is the serpent. Most cultures and languages, including our own, make a connection between worms, serpents/snakes, and dragons. Here in John 3, Jesus says that He is the serpent who is hung on the cross for the salvation of the world. In other words, Jesus utterly defeats sin at its source.

When you look upon Jesus who is crucified for you, you believe that Jesus has taken the punishment for all sin and all evil. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin so that in Jesus you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

That brings us to the other word, ’so.’ The word there in Greek isn’t a magnifier or amplifier. It does not mean, “God loved the world so much.” The Greek word there means, “in this way.” God loved the world in this way, that He gave His only-begotten Son to utterly defeat sin and the origin of sin on the cross. Now, you who believe in Him will not ever perish, but have everlasting life. This is the way God loved the world.

God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16), but that can only be true because of the Trinity. For there to be love, there must be something to love. If God were one, He could not have love as part of His essence. Love would not be essential to His existence. A god who is only one could think highly of himself, but that isn’t love. Only with the Trinity it is possible for God to be love. There is an eternal love of the Father for the Son and Spirit, a love of the Son for the Spirit and Father, and a love of the Spirit for the Father and Son. This perfect relationship of love has eternally existed in the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In God Himself, there has always been an object of love. No other religion can say that love is essential to who God is because no other religion confesses the Trinity. Ever since the creation, that perfect, eternal love that has always existed between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now flows from God to us, His creatures. And we know that because God gave His Son to save and forgive us on the cross.

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is God. The Son has done for us what we could not do for God. Jesus has come and was perfectly obedient to all of God’s commands. Because He is God, Jesus can render His perfect obedience back to God on our behalf. And the Holy Spirit creates faith in that work of Jesus.

Dear saints, all of this is to say that because God is Triune, He can perfectly love and save you by grace. Because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are not simply His slaves or pets. No. You are the object of His love. God the Father has created you out of pure love. God the Son has redeemed you out of pure love. And God the Holy Spirit has sanctified you out of pure love. You are saved and redeemed to be God’s children.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come into the world not to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through Him. Blessed be the holy Trinity. Amen.

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

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost

May28

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.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Different holidays are celebrated in different ways. We just celebrated Mothers’ Day a few weeks ago. Flowers, chocolates, and gifts were given. Phone calls were made. And, probably, a few household chores like washing the dishes, vacuuming, and cooking were delegated to the non-mothers out there. All those are good ways to celebrate moms which is the purpose of Mothers’ Day. I doubt many people set off fireworks while singing “Joy to the World” for Mothers’ Day. Who knows? Maybe there are a few pyromaniac moms whose favorite song is “Joy to the World.” But, in my experience, moms typically police fireworks and the last thing on their minds between explosions are the words to the third verse of “Joy to the World.”

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it is good to remember those who have given their lives for our country by attending Memorial Day services, placing flowers on graves, and giving thanks for the sacrifice many have made so we can enjoy the freedoms God has given us in this country (Jn. 15:13). Even the barbecues and gatherings with friends are a fitting way to spend Memorial Day. Enjoy all those things as you give thanks to God for those who gave their lives for our country. But Memorial Day is tomorrow. Today is the Day of Pentecost. What is a fitting way to celebrate and remember Pentecost?

Honestly, it’s precisely what you are doing now. Here you are – God’s people in God’s house – gathered to hear the Gospel and the mighty works of God in your native tongue. You are following precisely in the footsteps of the apostles and first Christians by doing exactly what they were doing when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the whole world.

In our reading from Acts (Act. 2:1-21, 36), we find the first Christians all gathered together in one place on a Sunday. Just like you have gathered together with your brothers and sisters in Christ on a Sunday. As those first 120 Christians (Act. 1:15) were gathered, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Right now, the Holy Spirit is coming upon you as you hear God’s Word, are reminded of all the things Jesus has said (Jn. 14:26), and are pointed to Jesus, your Savior (Jn. 15:26). Those first Christians, who received the Holy Spirit, went out and proclaimed the Gospel in the languages of the people who were in Jerusalem. Today, you will be sent out of this place to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).

You’ve heard me say that every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection even though the dazzling angel isn’t sitting on the stone, and every Sunday is a celebration of Christmas even though Jesus is no longer laid in the manger while the angels sing to shepherds. Every Sunday is a celebration of Easter and Christmas, but we should probably add: every Sunday is a celebration of Pentecost. Even though we don’t have the sound of a mighty, rushing wind and the tongues of fire, all the essentials of Pentecost are present here each and every Sunday. In other words, the Holy Spirit is here pointing us to Jesus and equipping us for a life of faith because our service is filled with God’s Word.

Dear saints, the Holy Spirit is given and poured out upon you in the normal, familiar things of our service. Sure, it’s great when we have those ‘mountaintop’ experiences where we feel very close to God. We thank and praise Him for those moments, but not every day is meant to be lived in a spiritual high. Your Spirit-filled lives are spent in the normal, mundane trenches of work and home. You come here to be fed by God’s Word and strengthened in your faith in Jesus. In that, the Holy Spirit equips you for another week of faithfully carrying out your God-given callings and vocations which is where serve your neighbor.

To prove that the Holy Spirit is at work in all these things, just consider what Jesus tells us in this Gospel reading (Jn. 14:23-31). Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and bring to remembrance all that He has said (Jn. 14:26). Now, Jesus first said this to the apostles who were later inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible. That verse, John 14:26, is how we can know without any doubt whatsoever that when we read and hear the words of Jesus recorded for us in the Scriptures, we are reading and hearing the very words of God (see also Jn. 16:13-14). As the Holy Spirit declares to you everything that Jesus has said, He makes you holy so that you are a comfortable dwelling place for God. You, dear saints, are God’s home.

In the first verse of our Gospel reading here (Jn. 14:23) Jesus says, “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.” You know that you are commanded to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt. 22:37-38). Your problem is that this love is often difficult perceive. Is your love for God some emotion or feeling inside of you? Does it feel like you love God right now? How do you know if you love Him enough? What instrument should you use to measure your love for God? Well, Jesus tells you exactly how to measure your love for Him. Christ says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep (or “guard”) My Word.”

You might not feel tremendous love for God, you might feel as though God is far away and distant, but you will still come to church to hear His Word. You will spend time meditating on His Word and contemplating what He has said. When you hear God’s Word faithfully preached, when you read and study your Bible, you are keeping and guarding Jesus’ Word. It doesn’t mean you do it perfectly. Our hearts are still full of sin. But you are here today, so you are keeping Jesus’ Word. The very fact you are present here, according to Jesus, is evidence that you love Jesus because you are keeping His Word.

Jesus says that when you keep His Word, the Father loves you. Then – this is so remarkable – the Father and Jesus will come and make their home with you. That is a good translation. We will often make a distinction between a ‘house’ and a ‘home.’ Greek does as well. A house is a building where people live. There are many houses in Grand Cities community, but only one is your home where you feel perfectly comfortable.

Dear saints, God makes His home in you. You aren’t just a house for God. You are His home.

When I was in Bible College, our choir would go on tour, and we would sometimes stay at other people’s houses. One night in California, I stayed in the house of a couple who were both eye doctors, and it was probably the nicest house I’ve ever stayed in. Everything was clean, fancy, and expensive. When I arrived there, the hosts said, “Make yourself at home.” I didn’t feel at home. I felt out of place because I was a poor college student. Another time, I stayed at a house of a rancher. When I arrived there, that couple also said, “Make yourself at home.” Part of me still wonders if my hosts said that to excuse the mess that their house was. Dirty furniture; a wet, musty towel in the corner of the bedroom; grimy dishes in the kitchen. Even though my dorm room was at least as messy as that house, I didn’t feel at home there either. There are all sorts of reasons we don’t feel ‘at home’ in other people’s houses. That is why it is so remarkable that Jesus says the almighty, all-powerful, holy God makes His home in you.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit ignites in you a love for Him as you keep and guard Christ’s Word. And it is through that very same Word that the Holy Spirit makes you holy – He sanctifies you. Through faith, you are so holy and sanctified that the God who is holy, holy, holy (Is. 6:3) takes up residence within you, and He feels right at home.

It doesn’t matter if you think your life and heart are too messy for the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is perfectly comfortable dwelling in you because He has washed you, cleansed you, forgiven you, and filled you with the righteousness of Jesus, your Savior. Happy Pentecost. Amen.

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

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

Category Archives: Historic One Year Lectionary

Charismatic Vocation – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

The Steward – Sermon on Luke 16:1-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

The Fruit & the Foundation – Sermon on Matthew 7:15-27 for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Origins – Sermon on Genesis 2:7-17 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

The Ten Words – Sermon on Exodus 20:1-17 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Eager Waiting – Sermon on Romans 8:18-23 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Fear Not, Confess – Sermon on Matthew 10:26-33 for the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Your Good Things – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

In This Way, God Loved the World – Sermon on John 3:1-17 for Holy Trinity Sunday

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost