Entrance – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13-17

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

John the Baptizer didn’t invent Baptism. Baptism had been around for a long time before John. The most basic meaning of the verb ‘baptize’ is ‘to wash.’ In the Old Testament, God gave instructions to people who had become spiritually unclean to wash themselves before going to the priest to be declared clean. Just a few examples: If a person had contact with a corpse, he had to wash himself before being declared clean (Lev. 11:25). People with a skin disease, they were unclean, but when that disease cleared up, they were to wash and become clean (Lev. 13:6). And the person who brought the scapegoat into the wilderness was unclean because that goat was loaded up with the sins of all the people (Lev. 16:21, 26). When he returned he would wash and become clean from his proximity to all that sin. I could go on, but you get the picture. If anyone had contact with something that was unclean, that person was to wash and be declared clean. This is part of the background of the baptisms going on before and in John’s day.

To get an idea of what happens at Jesus’ Baptism, I want you to think about what happens when you wash dishes. You fill the sink, and the first dish goes into clean water and is washed. But the second dish goes into water that less clean because of the grime that has been washed off of the first dish. With every dish you wash, the water in the sink gets dirtier and dirtier. But you don’t empty the sink and replace the water for every dish. Even though that water is dirty with the filth and grime of many dishes, it still gets the final glasses and silverware clean. But when you are all done, you wouldn’t want to drink the contents of the sink.

Picture a similar thing happening as John baptizes. A thief would come to John confessing his sins. John would apply the waters of the Jordan to him, and he was clean because that sin had been washed away by the water. Adulterers would confess their adultery, and those waters cleanse them. A gossip would confess her sin and is washed. This was happening over and over. Sins are being washed away from sinners while the waters of the Jordan are getting dirty – even filthier than your sink does when you wash dishes. But now, Jesus comes to the banks of that sin-filled, scummy Jordan River to be Baptized, so John hesitates. He doesn’t want to Baptize Jesus because he recognizes that he is the sinner who needs to be washed by Jesus. But Jesus says, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then, Jesus enters those sin-filled waters and absorbs all those sins into Himself like a sponge. In His Baptism, Jesus takes all those sins so that He can bring them to the cross and die for them. And we say this because it is only after Jesus’ Baptism that John declares that Jesus is the Lamb of God who ‘takes away the sin of the world’ (Jn. 1:29). John can say that because of what happened in Jesus’ Baptism.

Scripture wants us to see that Jesus is absorbing all the sins in His Baptism because what happens in Jesus’ Baptism is the opposite of what happens to us sinners in our Baptism. In Jesus’ Baptism, He had all the sins of all people placed upon Him. In Isaiah 53, God says that Jesus would be numbered with the transgressors (Is. 53:12) and that God would lay on Jesus the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:4-6). Just like the scapegoat had the sins of the people confessed on it and laid on its head (Lev. 16:21), Jesus had the sins of the world placed upon Himself in His Baptism.

Baptism didn’t wash Jesus clean like it does you (1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26). Jesus was already clean because He lived a sinless life. Instead, Jesus’ Baptism infects Him with our sins, and Jesus does this willingly. We sinners come to the clean waters of Baptism filthy in our sins, and we come out with the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5). Jesus is clean, pure, and without sin. But then, He steps into the filthy waters and comes out loaded up with all those sins leaving the waters completely clear and clean to be used in your Baptism.

Now, that brings us to what happens to each of us in our Baptism. Some Christians will say that Baptism is merely symbolic, but they are only half right. The Bible does teach that Baptism symbolizes things (which we’ll get to in a minute), but the Bible also teaches that God actually does stuff in Baptism. So first, what does the Bible teach that Baptism does – not just symbolically but in reality?

Scripture teaches in Ro. 6:3-5 that in your Baptism God joined you to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Galatians 3:27 teaches that God clothed you with Christ’s righteousness and holiness in your Baptism. 1 Peter 3:21 says that your Baptism saved you. God did all of that to you in your Baptism. This is not my opinion, understanding, or interpretation; it is what the Bible teaches. God works through Baptism to do all those things. So, continue to live every day in all the gifts and benefits that God gave you in your Baptism.

Baptism actually does each of those things, but does that mean that Baptism is not symbolic? No. Baptism is also symbolic. But the reason Baptism is symbolic is because God actually does things in Baptism. The symbolic things about Baptism teach us how to use our Baptism. While Romans 6 teaches that Baptism actually joins you to Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul will go on in the rest of Romans 6-7 to say that we Baptized still sin. From that we conclude that Baptism also symbolizes the new life we are to have after our Baptism. Baptized Christians should daily repent and die to sin so that our new man would daily come forth and rise to live before God in righteousness and holiness forever (SC Baptism IV).

1 Peter 3:21 teaches that Baptism actually saves, but when you look at the context, you also see that Baptism symbolizes Noah’s Flood. In the Flood, the water was both the instrument of judgment and deliverance. The floodwaters were sent to purge evil from the world and wash it away. But the waters were also the instrument that saved Noah and his family. So, the picture in Christian Baptism is that the waters wash away, purge, and judge the sin and evil in you. But that doesn’t mean that once you are Baptized, you never need to darken the door of a church again. Instead, those waters of your Baptism also lift you up above God’s judgment and save you as you remain in the ark of the Christian Church.

1 Corinthians 10:2 teaches that Baptism symbolizes that you are led out of slavery to sin just like the Israelites were led out of slavery in Egypt by passing through the waters of the Red Sea, so don’t go back to your slavery in sin. And I could go on and on about other things that Baptism symbolizes. But I want to leave you with one final thing that your Baptism symbolizes, and that is your entrance into the kingdom of God.

In our Old Testament lesson (Josh. 3:1-3, 7-8, 13-17), God led His people out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land through the waters of the Jordan. In the same way, God leads you out of the wilderness of sin and death and into the promised land of His kingdom, His rule, and His reign as you follow Jesus. This is so comforting. In your Baptism, God led you out of death and into new life with Him.

But, dear saints, let us also remember where Jesus was led after His Baptism. In a lot of ways, we could say that Jesus’ Baptism was the beginning of His work as the Savior. Everything Jesus did before His Baptism – His birth, His obedience, and sinless childhood – was preparation. Then, after Christ exited the water of His Baptism, He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness (Mt. 4:1). He went to battle with the devil fighting against temptation; casting out demons; healing the sick; restoring creation; raising the dead; and suffering, dying, and rising again.

In the same way, Christian, your Baptism is your entrance into a life of following Jesus as you fight temptation, as you serve your neighbor, and walk in a life of holiness and righteousness. In your Baptism, you are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). And your Baptism is your entrance into a life filled with good works which God prepared beforehand that you should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).

Even though you repeatedly fall into sin, the things God has done for you in your Baptism are still available to you. You will fail in your Christian walk, but God remains faithful to all the promises He has given to you in your Baptism. So, keep returning to them. Keep trusting in those promises because God is faithful to you, even when you are unfaithful to Him (2 Tim. 2:13).

Dear saints, Scripture teaches that God began a good work in you in your Baptism, and He will be faithful to complete it at the day of Jesus Christ (Php. 1:6). Amen.

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

God Made Known – Sermon on Exodus 40:17-21, 34-38; Titus 3:4-7; and John 1:1-18 for Christmas Day 2022

Dec25

John 1:1-18

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Until the Temple was built, God was happy to dwell on earth in the tent of the Tabernacle. We heard about it in our Old Testament lesson from Exodus (Ex. 40:17-21, 34-38). If you’re like me, the first thing that comes to mind about the book of Exodus is God sending plagues on Egypt to deliver His people from slavery. It is a significant part of the book. Chapters 5-15 deal with the plagues, the Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea. But a similar chunk of Exodus, in fact 13 chapters (Ex. 25-31, 35-40), deals with the Tabernacle. In Ex. 25-31, God picked the curtains, furniture, and standardized the dress code. And in those chapters, God spent a lot of time designing His throne.

That throne would be a box about 3 x 2 ft. which we know as the Ark of the Covenant. Inside that box was placed a golden jar of manna, Aaron’s rod that miraculously bloomed, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments (Heb. 9:4). But the most important part of the Ark was the gold cover which was called the mercy seat. The mercy seat had two big golden angels facing each other, and the wings of those angels pointed toward an empty spot which God declared to be His throne on earth where He would meet with His people (Ex. 25:17-22).

In today’s Old Testament lesson, we heard about the first time the Tabernacle was pitched. The poles were assembled, the curtains hung, the furniture arranged, and the Ark brought into the Most Holy Place. The cloud of God’s glory entered the Tabernacle. And that cloud would dictate the movements of God’s people. When it stayed, they stayed, and when the cloud went up, the people would pack up their things and move.

Once each year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to sprinkle the blood of a goat between the wings of those golden angels above the mercy seat, but visually that space was always empty. Only by faith in God’s promise did the high priest and God’s people know that God was dwelling with them. For generations this went on. God’s people brought that box with them wherever they went. But a King never appeared to sit on the throne of the mercy seat. God’s presence with His people was always invisible. So, it always seemed as though something was missing.

Until today. Today is the day, the day of great joy for all people – for you. In the birth of Jesus, the King appeared. As we heard last night, King Jesus wasn’t born in a palace with soft beds and linens. He didn’t even come to that tent to sit in that empty space above the golden throne of the Ark. No. He appeared humbly, born in a stable and placed in an empty feeding trough until He would finally be enthroned on the cross. King Jesus had appeared to save His rebellious people.

As our Epistle lesson (Tit. 3:4-7) said, “When the goodness and loving kindness of our God and Savior appeared, He saved us.” The word for loving-kindness in Greek is philanthropia, where we get our word ‘philanthropy’ – lover of man. God Himself is the ultimate philanthropist. He has appeared in the flesh of Jesus to love you by saving you.

You aren’t saved by doing all sorts of good, righteous works. You are saved by God’s mercy through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. And God pours His Holy Spirit out on you richly through Jesus Christ, your Savior.

Dear saints, God has come to you, here on earth. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). Literally, John says the Word became flesh and ‘tabernacled’ among us. And by Jesus’ tabernacling with us, God is made known.

He came with a glory that isn’t frightening, but with a glory full of grace and truth. From the fullness of His mercy, goodness, and loving-kindness, we receive grace upon grace. God’s glory is no longer covered in a smoke that fills the Tabernacle. The truest form of God’s glory appears to you today in the body Jesus. And that glory draws to itself the presence and attention of angels, shepherds, wise men, and all who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

The Ark and throne of God that was in the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple had served its purpose. Because of the birth of Jesus, because of Christmas, there is a better place where God meets man. It’s here, at this altar, and every Christian altar.

Here, you have a better manna – Jesus’ true Body and Blood given to you for the forgiveness of your sin. Here, you have something better than Aaron’s rod. You have the royal branch of David’s tree (Jer. 23:5). And here, you have those Ten Commandments which have been fulfilled (Mt. 5:17-18) and fully credited to your account.

Dear saints, in Jesus, God makes Himself known as your Savior, your King, your Deliverer. Merry Christmas! Amen.^[1]

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

^[1] This sermon has been adapted from a sermon written by Pr. Ralph Tausz of Melrose Park, IL.

Come & Behold – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2022

Dec25

Luke 2:1–20

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The birth of Jesus – the very thing we are here to celebrate tonight – doesn’t get much ink in the Scriptures. Don’t get me wrong. The entirety of the Bible is about Jesus coming to save humanity from sin. But His birth comes and goes rather quickly, quietly, and uneventfully.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ birth only takes half a verse (Mt. 1:25). John’s Gospel, which we will consider in tomorrow’s sermon, simply says that Jesus, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). We could say that John doesn’t record anything about Jesus’ birth because Jesus became flesh the moment He was miraculously conceived. Mark doesn’t include anything about Jesus’ birth; he jumps straight into Jesus’ ministry (Mk. 1:1-11). And even in this familiar reading from Luke 2, Jesus’ birth fills only one verse, v. 7.

The first six verses of this text show how God was working behind the scenes and using Caesar’s census and taxation to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where God promised the Savior would be born (Mic. 5:2-5a). There, we see that God uses even the most powerful people the world to bring about His purpose and plan – even when they don’t intend to. Then, v. 8-20 are about the announcement of Jesus’ birth, which is what we are going to meditate on.

As shepherds are tending their sheep out in the field, an angel of the Lord appears to them and God’s glory shines all around them. The shepherds are terrified, but the agnel says to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy…. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Notice that the angel is speaking directly to the shepherds. The angel tells them, “Fear not.” This has to be to the shepherds because the other people in and around Bethlehem aren’t terrified; only the shepherds are. Also, notice how the angel directs his speech to them, “I bring you good news… unto you is born this day a Savior.” The angel isn’t speaking over the shepherds’ heads to the entire world. Finally, the angel gives the shepherds instructions how to find this newborn Savior. “You’ll find Him wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” This news and announcement is specifically directed to the shepherds that first Christmas night.

Now, it isn’t the first Christmas anymore, and you have probably noticed that I’ve been skipping over a phrase as I’ve been talking about v. 10-11. I’m not ignoring it. I’ve delayed including it to make a point, and it is time to make that point.

The message of the angel that first Christmas night is good news for those shepherds. A Savior has been born to them. Eventually, that good news will spread over the days, years, and centuries. The first Christmas it was for the shepherds, but this good news of great joy will be for all people, but please know that it is for you specifically and directly, in the same way it was for the shepherds that night.

If that angel was here tonight, he would say directly to you, “I bring you good news of great joy… unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Don’t get lost in the broad scope this announcement. It isn’t as though this Savior is born for all people, and since you’re part of ‘all people,’ I guess, you’re included. No! Unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Maybe some Christmas Eve, I’ll preach to each of you individually. But the sermon would be the same for everyone. “Unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”

You infants, I’m preaching to you right now. Some might think it’s silly because you can’t understand or comprehend, but this is God’s Word. And the Holy Spirit accompanies that Word to create and sustain the faith God gave you in your Baptism. So, you infants, unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Your Savior was once just like you – small and helpless. His father and mother had to carry Him around and do everything for Him. Jesus came to save you. Jesus says that you are the model of our faith and to you belongs the kingdom of God (Lk. 18:18-19).

You children, you’re part of this too. Jesus is your Savior. You aren’t perfect. You sin. But unto you children is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Jesus loves you and desires that you come to Him (Mk. 10:13-16). And know this, you are the reason that Jesus grew up as a child.

You adults who have busy, full lives. You have a lot of pressures. Working. Putting food on the table and keeping the house warm. Running kids from one thing to another and helping them with homework. In between all of that, you try to find time to clear your sidewalks and driveway from the ridiculous amount of snow we’ve gotten. You do your best, but you lose your patience. You say and do things to your kids, spouse, friends, and coworkers that you regret. You might have all sorts of things on your mind right now about the rest of the evening’s activities and the credit card bill that is coming to pay for tonight. Well, you adults, give me at least five seconds of your attention: Unto you adults is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

You seniors, you’ve seen a lot of changes throughout your life, and very few of those changes have been for the better. Even though Christmas isn’t the same as it was in your childhood, Jesus hasn’t changed. Your Savior is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Jesus loves you no less today than the day you were Baptized and brought to faith, and your God will remain faithful to you all your days.

And you who mourn the recent death of a loved one, I know Christmas can be especially difficult. Tonight, you might find yourself looking to an empty chair or wanting to make a comment to someone who is no longer with you. And that absence tonight is just another reminder of the pain and loneliness you feel daily. In the midst of that pain, don’t be ashamed of feeling the joy of the birth of Jesus. You can feel sad tonight, and it’s understandable if you do. Even Jesus wept at the death of His friend, Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). Just know that joy and sadness can mingle together because this good news of great joy is also for you. Unto you is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this same Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25).

Again, the angel would say to each of you, “Unto you is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” The only difference between you and those shepherds is that you cannot go to see Jesus in the manger. He didn’t stay there. Yes, His infant arms were tucked tightly into that manger so those same arms could be stretched out upon the cross. His head was surrounded by hay in a feeding trough to later be crowned with thorns. His body was swaddled and laid in a manger so that same body could eventually be wrapped in linen cloths and laid in a tomb. But just as He did not remain the manger, neither did He remain in the grave.

Even if you went to Bethlehem right now, you wouldn’t behold Jesus there. Instead, you have something better. You have His presence here and now. The Savior born unto you this day says, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them” (Mt. 18:20).

You who have gathered here in Jesus’ name, come and behold Him. You never have to wonder if God loves you. He has demonstrated His great love for you (Ro. 5:8). If you want to know what God thinks of you, first, look down into the manger, then look up to the cross. There is your answer. Merry Christmas! Amen.

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

Gentle, Reasonable Rejoicing – Sermon on Philippians 4:4-7 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dec18

Philippians 4:4-7

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Before I share a quote with you, I want to be clear on something: I am a Vikings fan, through and through. Have been and will be all my life. I feel like I need to say that because the quote comes from the former Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi. In 1967, the Packers’ kick returner, Travis Williams, scored a touchdown and danced in the endzone to celebrate. As he returned to the sideline, Lombardi told his excited rookie, “Travis, the next time you make it to the endzone, act like you’ve been there before.”

Now, I share that quote to help us get to the meaning of one particular word in this text; it’s in v. 5, “Let your reasonableness (the Greek word there is pronounced epieikēs) be known to everyone.” There really isn’t a good English equivalent for epieikēs, which is utterly unfortunate. Other translations will use words like gentleness, graciousness, and moderation, but each of those only convey one part of the word’s meaning. Epieikēs – refers to a strength that doesn’t need to prove anything to other people because that strength is accompanied with gentleness, meekness, and humility. We could compare it to scoring a touchdown, calmly handing the ball to the ref, and heading to the sidelines to get ready for the next play. A player who does that is confident enough to know that he has the strength and ability to find his way into the endzone again so he can be humble.

Now, all of that was to simply convey the meaning of epieikēs. When Paul wrote Philippians, he wasn’t writing to a football team, so let’s get to what this means for us Christians.

Dear saints, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” The life of a Christian is a life of rejoicing. Why can you be joyful always? Because you are a sinner who deserves nothing but God’s punishment, but that is not what God has given you. Instead, you have a Savior. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come in the flesh. He has taken your place. He lived a perfect, sinless life for you. He is the Lamb of God who takes away your sin (Jn. 1:29) and brings it to the cross where He endured the punishment that you deserved because of your sin (2 Cor. 5:21).

And in place of your sin, Jesus has fully forgiven you and has given you His perfect righteousness. When God looks at you, He sees His holy, beloved Son (Gal. 3:27). Nothing can take that away from you – not sickness, not financial troubles, not pesky relatives, not greedy politicians. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord (Ro. 8:38-39). Now, that is reason to rejoice.

In your rejoicing, let that epieikēs – that confident, humble, gentle strength – be evident to everyone you encounter because Jesus, your Savior, is at hand. Christian, Jesus is coming back, and He will bring justice and righteousness. You don’t have to prove or assert yourself. You don’t have to make everything right in a fallen world. Jesus will come and do that. Just a few verses before our text, we are told that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from [heaven] we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Php. 3:20). So, when you face any type of adversity in this world, you can have a moderated, calm kindness and gentleness because you stand in the strength of Jesus who is going to fix everything that is broken and make everything right.

Yes, this world is going to throw all sorts of trials, tribulations, and adversities at you that will make you worried and anxious. But this text tells us what to do with those worries so our humble, gentle strength – our epieikēs – continues to be known to everyone. Turn those anxieties into your prayers. Whatever makes you worried and anxious, doesn’t need to dictate how you act. Instead, hand that thing over to God in prayer. God promises to take care of that thing in the way that is best for you and for those around you (Ro. 8:28).

Christian, the almighty, all-powerful God and Creator of all things is also your Redeemer. Rejoice! He freely gives you His salvation. In Isaiah 30:15, God makes a promise to you that explains why you can have this epieikēs; He says, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

Dear saints, in Jesus you are sons and daughters of God and have the victory over every evil because His death on the cross has delivered you (1 Cor. 15:57). “Christ’s resurrection guarantees the victory of [you,] His brothers and sisters. Christ’s second coming brings the final fulfillment. And Christ, [your] Lord, is at hand.”^[1] Amen.

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

Today’s sermon was abbreviated due to our Sunday School Christmas program.

^[1] Rev. Dr. Normal Nagel. Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel. Concordia Publishing House, 2004. p. 27

Patience – Sermon on Matthew 11:2-11 for the Third Sunday of Advent

Dec11

Matthew 11:2-11

² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

For a long time, John the Baptizer stood on the banks of the Jordan preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). Massive crowds were going out to John confessing their sins and being baptized by him (Mt. 3:5). But not anymore. Now, John is sitting in the dungeon of Herod’s palace, and all he can hear are the sounds of Herod and his nobles partying, feasting, getting drunk, and doing all sorts of debaucherous things (Mt. 14:6-7).

The reason John sends his disciples to Jesus here is not entirely clear. Some suggest that John was trying to get his few remaining disciples to leave him and follow Jesus. That could be, I suppose, but my guess is that the theologians who promote that theory don’t preach very often. The devil and his demons love to torment preachers after they’ve left the pulpit by whispering, “No one is listening. No one cares. All your words and work have amounted to nothing.” Satan and his minions try to convince preachers that the Word of God is ineffective and weak. But that is a total, complete lie. The opposite is true. All flesh is like grass that withers and fades, but the Word of our God stands forever (Is. 40:6-8).

John had clearly confessed that Jesus was the One who was greater than he was (Jn. 1:15). John confessed that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). There is no doubt that John knew Jesus was the Christ who was coming to save His people from their sins. But it seems – and know this is my opinion, but it’s an opinion that is shared with many others as well – it seems that John’s state of mind was being affected by his imprisonment. Jesus sure appeared to be taking His sweet time in ushering in the kingdom of God. Jesus hadn’t done anything to get John out of prison, and He didn’t appear to be delivering His people. So, John longed for reassurance, “Are you the Coming One, or shall we look for another?”

John’s question is on the edge of being rude. Basically, John is complaining that Jesus is taking too long and isn’t being the Messiah that John imagined He would be. We could almost translate John’s words, “If You’re the Coming One, hurry up and get going, or we’re going to look for another.” Jesus is patient with His answer. He doesn’t say, “Yes, I am the Coming One. Just wait.” Instead, Jesus tells John how He is coming. “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”

Jesus knows what He is doing. He will work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). Christ comforts John with the only comfort there is for those who wait, either patiently or impatiently, and that comfort comes solely from the Word of God. The salvation Jesus came to bring was more than just to save John from imprisonment and martyrdom. Jesus came to save all humanity from their sins. So, if John must wait, it will be worth it. Christ’s grace will be sufficient for John – even if he must remain in prison until he is martyred, which he will (Mt. 14:1-12).

Dear saints, just like He is with John here, Jesus is gentle with us, His children, even when we grow impatient and angry. Jesus didn’t give up on John, and He doesn’t give up on you. In our suffering, we need to look to and find comfort in the Word and promises of God which stand forever.

In the Scriptures, John doesn’t get to see Jesus perform any miracles. John simply has to trust the reports of the miracles. Here, John doesn’t get a detailed plan or timeline of how and when Jesus is going to bring about the long-promised salvation. John simply has to trust. Sitting there in prison, he has nothing more than the Word and promise of Jesus. Even John the Baptizer, the forerunner and herald of the Messiah, must live by faith given in and through the Word. The same is true for us.

In this life, we often have to face tribulation, sickness, instability, and uncertainty. We are imprisoned in a world where the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). We pray that God would remove the trials we face, but there are times when the only answer we get is, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Dear saints, be patient as you wait for Jesus and his deliverance. Even if it seems as though Christ is taking His sweet time, He is doing what is right and good and best. Our nation might continue to crumble and even fall. The wicked might appear to prosper and grow even more evil (Jer. 12:1). You might watch as your loved ones go through sickness and even to death. I hope and pray that isn’t the case, but it may be. Even in the midst of those things, rejoice and remember what God has promised, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Ro. 8:18).

As painful as your sufferings are, they are temporary. Have patience. Your Savior knows what He is doing. And as you wait for Him, arm yourself now with the Word of God and His promises which stand forever.

Dear saints, rejoice and have patience. God is for you, and no one can stand against you. And you know that God is for you because He has already given up His Son to save you. God has already given you His Son, Jesus, to die and rise again for you, so He will, without a doubt, give you all good things (Ro. 8:31-32).

Rejoice and be comforted by the words of your God. He promises that your warfare is ended. Your iniquity is pardoned. Jesus has come and paid double for your sins. He has removed those sins from you as far as the east is from the west, and He has given you His perfect righteousness. This same Jesus is coming again for you. Amen.

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

The Trap that Liberates – Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 for the Second Sunday of Advent

Dec4

Luke 21:25-36

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, it is Advent, so we consider and prepare for the coming of Jesus. Advent prepares to remember and celebrate His first coming in our flesh to die, rise again, and save us from our sin. In Advent, we also recognize that Christ regularly comes to us as we gather together around His Word and Sacrament. But we also prepare for Jesus’ second coming in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. That is the focus today.

Jesus came once, and He is coming again. This does take faith, but Christ’s return does is not difficult to believe. Jesus has already come once to pay for your sins and redeem you. So, there is no doubt that He’s going to come back to retrieve you.

Imagine if someone went to Rydell’s, requested the most expensive car on the lot, and paid for it in cash. (I looked and, right now, it’s a ’22 Cadillac Escalade that costs $112,000.) If that buyer told the dealer, “Hold on to it for me. I’ll be back to pick it up.” If he is delayed a few days, a week, even a month, the employees would know; he’s coming back. He paid for it, so he’ll be back to get it. Well, your Savior, Jesus has ransomed you from this dark and fallen world. He purchased you not with silver or gold, but with His holy and precious blood (1 Pet. 1:18-19). There is no doubt: He will come back to claim you as His own.

Now, of all the passages of Scripture describing Christ’s return, this one might be the most encouraging and reassuring – even with all those horrific signs. It is comforting because it puts perspective on all the evil that surrounds you. The signs Jesus mentions – the powers of the heavens and the entire world being shaken, the distress of nations and perplexity at the roaring of the sea and waves – all those, according to Jesus, are signs for you to straighten up. In other words, while the world and all creation crumbles around you, you are to raise up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.

But you do need to watch yourselves. Don’t be consumed by the signs and get weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. That day will come upon many like a trap that snaps shut and kills its prey. So, be very aware of how you are reacting to the things you see even now.

All the things going on in the world – the politicization of absolutely everything, pandemic, violence, division, descension, natural disasters, economic difficulties, and even the sorrows we endure in this world – all these things are signs that this world can not and will not endure. So, watch yourself now and consider what those things do to you. Jesus doesn’t want you running around in a panic like Chicken Little now, and He doesn’t want you falling into a trap then. All of these signs point, not to your destruction, but to your redemption. You’ve heard me use this illustration before, but it is too good to not regularly use, and it can be easy to forget this.

Imagine that you are in a castle at night, and suddenly all the guards and soldiers start running to the walls of the castle. They suit up in their armor; grab their swords, battle axes, bows, and arrows; and take their positions on the wall because, outside the castle walls, an army is marching to attack the castle. The boots of the attacking army stop, and you hear the shouts of captains telling the troops to load the catapults and start banging away at the castle gate with the battering ram. Then you hear it. BOOM! The battering ram hits the castle doors, and the walls shake. BOOM! A rock launched from a catapult hits its target. Windows break, glass comes crashing to the floor, and dust falls from the ceiling. Again, and again, and again. BOOM!

Normally, you would be terrified in a situation like that. But not now. Not now because you are in the prison of that castle and are being held captive. The commander who is leading the attack on the castle is Jesus coming to save you. Knowing that, every crash, every clang, every shout of battle, every wall that crumbles around you means that your release and rescue is getting closer and closer. You see the morning sunlight breaking on the horizon, and you know that the day of your redemption is dawning.

Jesus says, “Your redemption is drawing near.” Now, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute! I thought Jesus already brought redemption.” As long as we’ve been Christians, we have been taught that Jesus has redeemed us – bought and freed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil with His holy and precious blood and with His innocent sufferings and death. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says that Christ is the Lamb without blemish or spot who has redeemed us. Hebrews 9:12 says that Jesus entered once into the Holy Place by means of His own blood and secured for us an eternal redemption. Jesus said so Himself on the cross, “It is finished”(Jn. 19:30). Christ has made full satisfaction for all your sins. So, why does Jesus, when He is talking about the end of the world, why does He talk about your redemption drawing near as though it is something in the future?

Christ does it to encourage, comfort, and teach you that in His second coming, everything that He has already accomplished for you in His first coming will be fully yours when He returns. It is yours now by faith, and it will be yours by experience when He returns. Yes, your redemption is complete. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, left to be done. Jesus has purchased you. The transaction is complete. You belong to Him. And all the signs that Jesus mentions here are like tracking updates for a package you are waiting for, and the goods will be delivered soon.

Dear saints, this fallen, sinful world is walking straight into a trap that will devour them and be their end. But not you. For you, Christian, you who have been redeemed by Christ, Jesus’ return is no trap. It is your great hope and expectation. It is your liberation. It is the day of your deliverance and eternal freedom.

We don’t like it when the world seems to be coming apart at the seams. Our fear probably lies in the fact that this world is all we have experienced and known. So, when we see it falling apart at an alarming rate, we get anxious. Repent. This world is not all there is.

This world is ending. Good riddance. Every sign pointing to the end of this world is a sign of your rescue. Those signs are pointing you to the return of your Deliverer, your King, your Savior. Come quickly, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20). Amen.

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

The Door – Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

Nov20

Matthew 25:1-13

¹ [Jesus says,] “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

One year ago, I preached on this text. After that service, we decorated the sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas season just like we will today. The following Sunday, Lindsay, Siobhan, and Stephanie came up to do our Advent candle lighting. After they did the readings and prayer, Lindsay went to light the first candle. The wick held the flame for a fraction of a second then went out because… there was no oil in that candle. And the wick would not hold a flame.

I bring that up for two reasons: First, whoever brings out the Advent candles today, please check the oil levels so we don’t repeat that this year. The second reason I bring that up is that this parable can seem so trivial. Last year, we were perfectly capable of having our worship service without that candle being lit. We didn’t need its light or the heat created by it. We just moved on. Not having oil seems like such a minor thing. In the parable, five girls are unable to light lamps because they didn’t have oil. Did all ten virgins need to have lit lamps? Was it really that important?

Apparently, yes. In the parable, not having oil to keep a lamp lit makes the difference between being in the feast and being left out. In fact, according to Jesus, having oil makes a person wise, while not having oil makes a person a moron. That’s literally the word Jesus uses; the word translated ‘foolish’ in our text is the Greek word μωρός where we get our word ‘moron.’

Now, we don’t know enough about wedding customs in Jesus’ day to know why it was so important for all the ten virgins to have enough oil to keep a lamp lit. The groom didn’t need those lamps to be able to see his way into the marriage feast. He had already made his way through the town to get to the location. All we know is that once the groom arrives, the lamp must be lit.

Jesus teaches that there will be a final cut off point. There is a moment when your status of being in or out will not and can not change. While the five morons are off trying to buy oil from the sellers – and remember this is at midnight, so those sellers would have closed up their shops and had probably gone to bed hours earlier – while the five morons are off on their futile errand, the groom arrives. The feast starts. The door is shut. And that door will not open again. Those who aren’t ready will be left outside forever.

The coming of the groom made a division. Those who were prepared poured oil in their lamps and went into the wedding feast with him. But the morons start scrambling around trying to find oil, and when they return, they find they are out in the darkness where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the last words they hear from their Savior, the groom, are, “I don’t know you.”

Let’s consider a few things about that door that gives entrance to the wise and excludes the morons.

First, notice that when the groom arrives, those who were ready go through that door immediately (v. 10). When Jesus returns, you won’t have to do any convincing or proving of yourself. You won’t have to go somewhere to be purified. Your worthiness to enter is established. There is nothing left for you to do. Christian, your entrance is immediate. If you die today, you will be escorted by the angels directly into Jesus’ presence where your soul will await the resurrection. And if Jesus comes before you die, you will go straight into the banquet of the eternal wedding feast.

That brings me to the second thought about the door. Remember what is behind that door. It’s a wedding feast. Wedding feasts are fun. At your wedding feast, you had family, friends, classmates, and coworkers – a bunch of people who are special and important to you – they all were in the same room mingling, eating, laughing, dancing, and celebrating with you. Your wedding reception was filled with people who will probably never be in the same room again – at least not in this life. Your cousin from Nebraska, your college roommate from California, and your boss will never be in the same room again, but at your wedding feast, they all enjoyed each other’s company. Now imagine that laughter, joy, and merriment times infinity.

The third thought about this door is that it gets shut. Normally, we think about this as a horrifying thing, and for the unbeliever it is. Absolutely, it is. For those outside there will be no entering once the door is shut. But you, Christian, are not left outside. You are inside. How do you suppose Noah and his family felt about God shutting the door and closing them in the ark as the rains came down and the floods went up? They would have felt safe and secure. It’s the same for you. When God shuts that door, He will close out any bit of danger or evil so that it will never touch you.

Finally, the door being shut means that you, Christian, will be forever with Jesus. In the parable, how many entered into the wedding feast? It wasn’t just the five wise virgins. There are six. The bridegroom is inside with them, with the five wise virgins. The groom doesn’t say, “Go on in.” No, they go in with him. It’s so obvious, but don’t miss that.

Dear saints, now is the time to fill your flasks with oil! You do not know how much you will need. The five morons knew they needed oil all along. As soon as the cry went out, that was their only focus, but it was too late. Everyone knows they need oil. Get it now. Why, why would you ever think you have enough oil?

The oil isn’t expensive – in fact it’s free! But you don’t have eternity to get the oil. There is a deadline, and you do not know when that deadline will come. Don’t procrastinate. Receive the gift of faith through the ways God has promised to give it. Go ahead and hoard it. Why would you become complacent and think you don’t need more of God’s Word, God’s mercy, God’s grace, and God’s Sacraments?

Jesus is coming. The Bridegroom said He would return to take you to where He is. But you do not know when. Today feels like a lot like yesterday, and yesterday felt like the day before. And because Jesus didn’t come yesterday or the day before, it can be easy to think that Christ is not coming today. Don’t become a moron, repent! It is easy to fall asleep. It is easy to get distracted with many things and think the time to get oil will last forever. But it won’t.

Yes, this parable is a warning. Yes, it is a call to endure and persevere because being left outside would be horrific. But. But at the same time let’s all take a deep breath and laugh because we are waiting for a party where there is gladness, peace, and joy.

When Jesus warns about His coming, He doesn’t tell a parable about ten soldiers – five wise who always kept their swords within reach and five morons who couldn’t remember where they set their weapons down. Then, the enemy attacked, and the five morons were utterly defeated. No. It’s the parable of the ten virgins waiting for a party.

Jesus is coming, and we wait for that day with expectation, hope, and joy. And, now, Jesus your Savior comes to you to meet you at this altar to have a feast of forgiveness and mercy. Communion is the closest we will get to the party before Jesus returns. It’s a foretaste of the feast to come.

So, dear saints, come. Your bridegroom is here with you now. Trim your lamps because you have the oil of salvation. Amen.

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

Living Forgiveness – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Nov13

Matthew 18:21-35

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said to Peter, “No, forgiving seven times isn’t enough. Instead, seventy-seven (or it could also be translated ‘seventy multiplied by seven’) times.” Now, Jesus doesn’t mean that you forgive and forgive and forgive, but when you get either to 76 or 489 forgivings (sic) you warn the other person, “Listen buster, you’ve only got one left.” Nope, let the forgiveness flow freely.

Before we consider the parable, we have to do some conversions. Two different servants have two different debts. Servant 1 owes the king 10,000 talents. A talent was originally a unit of weight that later became a unit of coinage, and the value of that coinage would change a lot. Most resources say that one talent is equal to twenty years of pay for the average worker. So, imagine your annual income, double it, and slap five zeros on the end of it. That’s what the first servant owed the king. Even if he lived and worked every day for 2,000 years giving every penny to the king, it would only shave off a 1% sliver off his debt.

Servant 2 owed a debt to servant 1 to the tune of 100 denarii. Now, this is still a significant amount of money. The average worker earned one denarius per day. So, we’re talking about a little over 3 months’ worth of pay. Significant yes, but a manageable amount. It is totally conceivable and reasonable that someone can pay off a debt of 100 denarii.

Now, the three main characters in the parable are obvious: the king, servant 1, and servant 2. But as we consider the parable today, I want you to imagine yourself in the roll of one of the minor characters. Imagine you are one of the other servants.

The king has called you and all the servants who owe him money to the castle. You are standing in line outside the king’s office. You compare debts with the other servants. You are a little nervous because you don’t know what the king is going to do about your debt. Now, imagine you are standing in line behind servant 1 who owed the 10,000 talents, and you know how large his debt is. He goes into the king’s office, but you don’t know what is happening behind that door. You want to catch a glimpse of servant 1 as he comes out because his demeanor will give you an indication of how it is going to go for you. If he’s smiling or skipping, you’d have a sense of relief because you’d know that the king is in a good mood and your meeting with the king might not be so bad.

Finally, the door opens. Servant 1 comes out of the king’s office, he immediately runs over to servant 2, wrings his neck, and demands that the guy pay him everything. What are you going to conclude about how his meeting with the king went? He didn’t come out in shackles to be led to the prison, but he wasn’t happy. Seeing his treatment of servant 2, you would probably assume that the king had not forgiven his debt and demanded full payment. You would probably deduce that the king gave him some time – maybe a couple of weeks or months – to pay off the debt.

Dear saints, that’s the problem of refusing to forgive.

If people don’t know what happens here in this sanctuary, the only clues they have would be to watch how you act when you aren’t here. So, as others watch you, what will they conclude about what has happened here? What would they think about your king? Would they figure that He demanded that you pay? Would they think He is gracious and merciful, or would they assume that He is a King who demands that all debts get paid?

Dear saints, God wants to be known for His goodness. God wants to be known by His mercy. God wants to be known for His willingness to freely forgive. And if you refuse to forgive those who have sinned against you, what does that say about your God and King?

All this is to say, dear saints, that you, as forgiven servants of the King, are called to live out the forgiveness you have in Christ. This can be a difficult thing because it goes against our nature to forgive. But the cure of our unforgiveness doesn’t come from being beaten down by calls to forgive. The cure for our unforgiveness is to have a right understanding the massive debt that each of us owe to God. When we wrongly think that have only a little debt of sin, we can only have a little Savior. Jesus didn’t go to the cross because you were a few bucks short of your heavenly entrance fee. He went to the cross because your sin was so great that you are too dead to even see the gates.

Sin – all sin – is against God (Ps. 51:4; 1 Cor. 8:12). Every day, you and I rack up an unimaginable, incalculable debt of sin. And when God calls you in to settle accounts what does He do? Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God simply wipes it out. Because of Jesus, as far as God is concerned, your debt of sin never existed.

Jesus completely erased your debt by the shedding of His blood. He went to Calvary, not so you would have enough time to get your act together and become a better person. He went to raise you from your deadness in sin. When you were lost, powerless, and dead, Jesus made all – not just a portion – all of your debt His own. And on the cross, He killed and cancelled that debt. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for you (2 Cor. 5:21) and He bore all your sins in His body upon the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). And now the grave is empty. Your debt of sin has been erased in the death and resurrection of your Savior.

You are forgiven. Jesus didn’t die just to get you to a zero balance; He came to erase your debt and fill your account with His righteousness. His mercy is complete. He has paid and absorbed all your debt, and you owe Him nothing. There is absolutely nothing left for you to pay, and there is nothing you could do to even begin to pay Him back. Even the thought of paying Him back is offensive because what He has done is so complete, so wonderful, and so merciful.

Now, when your neighbor sins against you and you feel the hurt and pain of those transgressions against you, don’t reach out your hands to grab your neighbor by the throat. Instead, let the nail-scarred hands of Jesus remove your hands from around your neighbor’s throat and make you right and at peace with Him and your neighbor.

There is no denying the fact that forgiving others is a difficult thing to do. Sin is a debt, and that debt must be paid. Forgiving others is absorbing the debt that is owed to you. The pain that comes from the sins of others is real and often terrible. It is always tempting to our old nature to hold a grudge, to make them pay, to construct a prison in our minds, and to put the offender into it. But the only thing that prison will ever hold is you. Unforgiveness imprisons you in a space where there is only judgment. Dear saints, unforgiveness is hell.

To forgive means ‘to send away.’ The only way to be freed from the pain and hurt of sin that others commit against you is to forgive it, release it, and send it away.

Forgiving others does not mean you approve what they have done. Forgiveness means that the offense has hurt you, but you won’t return the pain upon them with judgment. And forgiveness isn’t a license for the other person to continue sinning. The biggest lie the devil will ever tell you is that forgiving someone will just encourage them keep sinning against you, taking advantage of you, and making you a doormat. That satanic lie is a sneaky attack on God’s forgiveness. Is God worried about His forgiveness encouraging you to sin? Nope! Absolutely not. He forgives you fully and freely.

Dear saints, God’s forgiveness of you is a living, life-giving thing. No matter how much and how often you come under His debt with your sin, God gives you His mercy and forgiveness. God remembers your sins no more (Jer. 31:34). Because of Jesus, your sins are released from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). God has shown you, what is good and what He requires of you. Do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). Let that full, free forgiveness that God has given you in Christ be the key that opens the gates of your forgiveness toward others. Amen.

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

Blessed, Now and Forever – Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 for All Saints’ Day (Observed)

Nov6

Matthew 5:1-12

¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you
when others revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
¹² “Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven,
for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Just to let you know, this sermon is on the Beatitudes. It might not seem like it at first, though, because we’re going to take a round-about way of getting into it.

Dear saints and holy ones. That’s you, Christian. You are a saint; you are a holy one. That’s what the word ‘saint’ means – it simply means ‘holy one.’ You are not holy because you have lived a holy life, done enough good works, and performed at least two verifiable miracles. No. You are holy because God has made you holy through Jesus who died and rose again for you. He shed His holy and precious blood on the cross, and you have washed your robes white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). If Jesus is holy (and He is), then you are holy because you have been Baptized into Christ and have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27).

This also means that you are God’s holy, beloved children now (1 Jn. 3:2). “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to [you], that [you] should be called children of God; and so [you] are” (1 Jn. 3:1). That Epistle lesson today (1 Jn. 3:1-3) invites us to behold, to see, this great love of God the Father.

So, picture a great, mighty, wealthy, powerful king. This king is unimaginably strong. His family is large. His servants are devoted. His castle is breathtaking. His kingdom is magnificent and awesome. This king has huge armies with formidable soldiers who defeat every enemy they face, and he is brilliant when it comes to war strategy.

This king is fighting against his enemy, and into his camp is brought a lowly, pitiful servant of the enemy. This servant had been fighting against and trying to usurp the king. This pathetic servant is bloodied, clothed in rags, and injured so badly that he looks like he’s about to die. This servant has been captured and is thrown on the ground before the king. The king should just put him to death. Maybe, if the king wanted to be nice, he could throw the servant into a dungeon to live out the rest of his miserable days. But the king doesn’t do that.

Instead, the king walks over to this poor wretch, kneels next to him, and gently lifts his head to look at his face. Finally, the king speaks. He pardons and forgives the servant for his rebellion. Then, the king takes the man’s hand and helps him stand up. He tends to his wounds, puts him in the best tent, and feeds him the finest food. The king gives him an office in his kingdom and even adopts this servant as his own child. That man was an enemy and good as dead. But now, he is the royal heir of the king.

Behold, what manner of love the Father has given you, that you should be called a child of God. Dear saints and holy ones, that is your story. But that isn’t the end of your story. Yes, you are God’s children now, but what you will be has not yet appeared, but it has been described and promised. Now, this brings us to the Beatitudes.

Our translation of each of the Beatitudes, begins with the word ‘blessed.’ It’s a good translation, but it might leave us with a superficial and limited understanding because people speak about being ‘blessed’ in very shallow ways. Today, when people talk about being blessed, they typically mean good things are happening to them, and those good things are obvious to everyone. But the status of those whom Jesus declares to be ‘blessed’ are not things that we usually consider to be blessings. The first four are needs and lacks; things that we think of as deficiencies – poor, mourning, meek/humble, and being hungry and thirsty. And the next four are virtues – merciful, pure, peacemaker, and enduring persecution.

The word Jesus uses that gets translated as ‘blessed’ refers a state of being that is happy (in fact the word Jesus uses here is how the Greek translation of the Old Testament translates the Hebrew word for ‘happy’). But even the word ‘happy’ falls short because the word also means joyful, at peace with God and the world, and content. This blessedness ultimately refers to being what you are meant to be because you are reconciled to God.

So, think back to the picture of the mighty, powerful king who adopts that servant. Imagine that adopted servant kept going out with the king to fight in battles. He might question some of the king’s strategies. He probably thinks the king is taking risks that are too great or retreating and giving up territory that should be defended. Sometimes, the newly adopted servant might think that the king is out of his mind and that the kingdom is crumbling or even already fallen. But the king keeps putting everything into perspective. He reveals his plan and assures the servant that what he is doing is intentional and that the victory is soon to come.

The Beatitudes are just that. They are Jesus putting everything into perspective and telling you that the evil and sorrowful things you see and experience in this world are not a danger to the kingdom because the war has already been won and the kingdom is fully secured by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Satan is defeated. The devilish head of the serpent has been crushed. The light of Christ will always drive away the darkness.

Just take one of the Beatitudes as an example. Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Typically, our experience tells us the opposite. We normally think that it is the strong, proud, type-A personalities who are blessed because they always seem to get ahead and have the most influence over what takes place in the world. But consider Jesus, the meekest human ever. Though He was God in the flesh and Creator of the universe, He was meek and submitted to His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary (Lk. 2:51). King Jesus entered Jerusalem meek and mounted on a donkey (Mt. 21:5). Christ could have called twelve legions of angels to deliver Him from being arrested, beaten, and crucified (Mt. 26:53), but He didn’t. In every aspect of His life Jesus was meek and humble. Now, He is risen and seated at God’s right hand on the throne of the universe with all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18).

So, when Jesus says, “The meek will inherit the earth,” you can trust Him. Psalm 37 expands on what Jesus says in this Beatitude. In summary, Psalm 37 says to not worry about people who do evil, they will soon fade like the grass. Be still before the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and don’t worry about it when evil people seem to be prospering because they will be cut off. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more. The meek shall inherit the land and delight in the abundant peace that God will give to them. I would encourage you to read Psalm 37 before you read or watch any news. Then, read it again afterward. Let God’s Word and promises put everything into perspective.

As Jesus speaks the Beatitudes to you, you are like Abraham. You stand in the Promised Land without an army, weak, and surrounded by enemies, but Christ promises, “This is all yours.” And, like Abraham, you believe and trust God’s promise and that faith is counted to you as righteousness (Gen. 15:5-7).

Again, when Jesus repeatedly tells you that you are blessed here, He is saying that you are exactly what you are meant to be. In a world that is still tainted with sin, it is right and good for you to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, and to hunger and thirst for righteousness. It shows that you recognize that things are not now as they were created to be. It is also proper for you as a child of the king to have those virtues – merciful, pure, peacemaker, and enduring persecution. Jesus uses the Beatitudes to encourage and remind you that the brokenness surrounding you has already been fixed by His death and resurrection.

Here Jesus comforts you by telling you that all your suffering is temporary, and in that suffering, you are following in the same footsteps that He walked. If the world treats you badly, know that you are not alone. That is how the world treated the saints who came before you, and if Jesus continues to delay, it is how it will treat the saints who come after you. If the kingdom of heaven is anything, it is a kingdom of hope. And you can have this hope because you have these blessings now and in the future.

Dear saints, the kingdom of heaven is yours. Your pain, your loneliness, and even your suffering is not random or accidental. Your mourning will cease, and you will be comforted. Some of your loved ones have gone to heaven and have already come to their reward. They are now before the throne of God and sheltered in His presence. Jesus, the Lamb, has shepherded them and wiped away every tear from their eyes (Rev. 7:15-18).

And even though you are separated from them now, that separation is temporary and a lot less distant than it seems to be. Those saints in glory join us here because we have come to Mt. Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. We are surrounded by innumerable angels in festal gathering and surrounded by the assembly of all the saints who are enrolled in heaven (Heb. 12:22-23). This is true because we have come to Jesus. This is the hope that surpasses all understanding (Php. 4:7). When the fight is fierce and warfare long, listen and hear the distant triumph song. Then your hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

Dear saints, you are blessed by Jesus, now and forever. Amen.

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

Salvation unto Us Has Come – Sermon for Reformation Sunday (Observed) 2022

Oct30

The Scripture readings for our service today were Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28; and John 8:31-36.

A sheet with Scripture verses that were used to compose the hymn “Salvation unto Us Has Come” can be found here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We are all slaves – every one of us. Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And here in v. 34, Jesus says, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” And don’t misunderstand the word ‘practice’ there. It is a fine translation, but we might get the wrong idea if we think the word ‘practice’ means someone who does something over and over to get better at it. I don’t think anyone here is actively trying to get better at lying, stealing, cheating, etc. The word Jesus uses here that gets translated as ‘practice’ is simply the word ‘do’ or ‘does.’ We will say that a doctor ‘practices’ medicine because medicine is simply what the doctor does. Literally, Jesus’ statement here could read, “All who do sin are slaves to sin.” And because “all have sinned,” (Ro. 3:23), we all are slaves to sin.

Slaves do not remain in the house. Only sons do. That is why you need Jesus – the eternal Son of God – to set you free. Christ sets you free through His Word because His Word delivers to you everything that He has done and accomplished on the cross. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are delivered from your slavery, you are freed, you become God’s child, and, as God’s children, you remain in the house forever with Jesus.

Now, that’s a full sermon right there, but we’ve still got some time. So, I want to bring in a guest preacher to teach us the same thing. The name of the preacher is Pastor Paul Speratus. Pastor Speratus wrote the hymn that you have in your Scripture insert. This hymn, “Salvation unto Us Has Come,” ends up being a complete summary of the theology of the Reformation, and since today is Reformation Sunday, we’re going to sing it and let it preach to us. I know some of you will find this boring, but please give me just a minute to set the stage for how this hymn came to be written.

Speratus was a Catholic priest in Salzburg, Austria. You probably know Salzburg because of the movie The Sound of Music. Well, Speratus had read Luther’s writings that came after the 95 Thesis, and Speratus recognized how far the church had wandered from the teaching of the Scriptures. So, Speratus starts preaching Law and Gospel in Salzburg. Luther got condemned for his writings in 1521, but Luther was protected from that sentence of death – basically, by being kidnapped and hidden in a castle where he spends 300 days translating the Bible into German. Well, Speratus also ends up being sentenced to death for heresy in 1523 and was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Like Luther, Speratus gets rescued from execution. But during his time in prison, Speratus writes this hymn.

You might think that sitting in prison and waiting for execution, Speratus would write a hymn about God’s protection and provision. But no. Speratus writes a hymn about the theology of salvation. Speratus wrote this hymn because Luther had just started conducting services in German and called on German-speakers to write hymns that taught the truths of Scripture in the German language so the people would have good songs to use in worship. This hymn is one of those. Apparently, when Luther first heard it, he offered the singer all the money he had in his pocket for the lyrics. And the hymn ended up being included in the first German hymnal which only had eight songs in it. The history lesson on the hymn is now over.

Personally, I love how clearly this hymn teaches what the Bible teaches, and according to Scripture, that is what Christian songs should do (Col. 3:16). The nice thing about this hymn is that Speratus included the Scripture passages he had in mind when he wrote the hymn. Those passages are included on the insert in your bulletin. This hymn would be a good addition to your devotional time. If you don’t have a regular devotional, my suggestion would be to read the passages for the first verse then sing it. The next day sing the first verse, then read the passages for the second verse and sing it. The third day, sing the first two verses, then read the Scriptures for the third and sing it. Do that for ten days adding a new verse each day.

By the time you finish, you will be a great theologian because this hymn so clearly teaches Law, Gospel, and holy living. It clearly teaches how our good works don’t help or save us, which is what the church of Rome was falsely teaching. Instead, faith produces the fruit of good works which are good because they serve our neighbor.

So, we’re going to let the hymn preach to us. Because it’s a long hymn, we won’t sing all ten verses at once. I’ll give your voices a break and make brief comments here and there. Feel free to sing it from the insert, but if you would like to have the music, it is #410 in your hymnal. Let’s start with the first verse.

1. Salvation unto us has come
by God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
they help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer.

This verse summarizes everything that will come after it. God, by His free grace and favor given through Jesus, has set you free. Through faith in Jesus, you are a child of God. The last two lines of that verse tell us what Jesus has done. He made the payment for you. He is the one and only Redeemer.

Now, because the hymn was written in German then translated into English, some of the wording is slightly changed from the original to make the poetry work in English. But those last two lines in German say that Jesus, “has done enough for us all. He has become our Mediator.” Jesus has done everything you needed to be saved, and now He sits at God’s right hand interceding for you and governing all things for your good.

Now, the hymn goes on to elaborate what Jesus needed to do. Let’s sing verses 2-3.

2. What God did in His Law demand
and none to Him could render
Caused wrath and woe on ev’ry hand
for man, the vile offender,
Our flesh has not those pure desires
The spirit of the Law requires,
and lost is our condition.

3. It was a false, misleading dream
that God His Law had given
That sinners could themselves redeem
and by their works gain heaven.
The Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
that lurks within our nature.

Because of our sinful nature, we don’t even begin to do what God requires of us through the Law. And even though we falsely think that we’re better than others, the Law is a bright mirror that shows our desperately lost and sinful condition. Let’s sing verse 4.

4. From sin our flesh could not abstain,
sin held its sway unceasing;
The task was useless and in vain,
our guilt was e’er increasing.
None can remove sin’s poisoned dart
Or purify our guileful heart—
so deep is our corruption.

Apart from Jesus, we have no hope of salvation. The poison of sin continues to slowly kill and destroy us. The Law leaves us dead in sin. But that does not mean that we are without hope. We’ll sing verse 5.

5. Yet as the Law must be fulfilled
or we must die despairing,
Christ came and hath God’s anger stilled,
our human nature sharing.
He hath for us the Law obeyed
And thus, the Father’s vengeance stayed
which over us impended.

Jesus has fulfilled the Law for you. He is your substitute. The eternal Son of God took on your flesh to do all this for you. He perfectly obeyed the Law for you. He suffered the punishment your sins deserved. And because of that, God sees Jesus’ perfection when He looks at you, believer. God has no anger left for your sins because Jesus has taken it all. Verse 6.

6. Since Christ hath full atonement made
and brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
and build on this foundation.
Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,
Thy death is now my life indeed,
for Thou hast paid my ransom.

There is nothing left for you to do to be saved. Everything is done; it is finished (Jn. 19:30). The hymn takes a turn in that verse and addresses God directly. We ask God to apply everything Jesus has done to us. His death is your life. He has fully paid the ransom for your soul. Verses 7-8.

7. Let me not doubt, but trust in Thee,
Thy Word cannot be broken;
Thy call rings out, “Come unto Me!”
no falsehood hast Thou spoken.
Baptized into Thy precious name,
My faith cannot be put to shame,
and I shall never perish.

8. The Law reveals the guilt of sin
and makes men conscience-stricken;
The Gospel then doth enter in
the sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;
The Law no peace can ever give,
no comfort and no blessing.

Jesus calls to you, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Trusting in that call, you will never ever be put to shame. Jesus has come so that you have eternal, abundant life. Verse 9.

9. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone
and rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known.
with love and hope increasing.
Yet faith alone doth justify,
Works serve thy neighbor and supply
the proof that faith is living.

Faith in Jesus is the only thing that saves you, but faith is never alone. Christian, you do good works, but those works never save you. Those works are simply the fruit of the Spirit that serves your neighbor and shows that your faith is alive and well.

Now, the hymn closes with a doxology. We get swept up into the liturgy of heaven and join all the saints who have gone before us by praising God for what He has done for us in Christ. Let’s sing the final verse.

10. All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
to Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God that saved us by His grace—
all glory to His merit!
O Triune God in heaven above,
Who hast revealed Thy saving love,
Thy blessed name be hallowed.

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

Entrance – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

God Made Known – Sermon on Exodus 40:17-21, 34-38; Titus 3:4-7; and John 1:1-18 for Christmas Day 2022

Come & Behold – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2022

Gentle, Reasonable Rejoicing – Sermon on Philippians 4:4-7 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Patience – Sermon on Matthew 11:2-11 for the Third Sunday of Advent

The Trap that Liberates – Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 for the Second Sunday of Advent

The Door – Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

Living Forgiveness – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Blessed, Now and Forever – Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 for All Saints’ Day (Observed)

Salvation unto Us Has Come – Sermon for Reformation Sunday (Observed) 2022