Category Archives: Historic One Year Lectionary

The Lord’s Battle – Sermon on 1 Samuel 17:40-51 for the First Sunday of Lent

1 Samuel 17:40–51

40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.” 

48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Faith is the main characteristic David exhibits when he faces Goliath – not courage. Of course, David is courageous. There’s no question about that, but David’s courage is fueled by and rooted in faith. 

What you just heard isn’t the whole story of David and Goliath. And please know that when I use the word ‘story,’ that doesn’t mean that this is some made-up fairytale. Not at all. This story, this true story, happened. When we talk about Bible stories, we’re doing it in the same way you might ask your parents to tell you the story of how they met. It’s something that actually happened in history.

There was a Philistine warrior named Goliath who was over 9 ft. tall, who had a coat of bronze armor that weighed about 125 lbs., and whose spear tip weighed around 14.5 lbs. (1 Sam. 17:4-7). Goliath and the rest of the Philistine army assembled on one mountain while King Saul and the Israelite army mustered on an opposing mountain with a valley between them (1 Sam. 17:1-3). Every morning and evening for forty days, Goliath would issue a challenge, “Give me a man to fight. If he kills me, we’ll be your servants. But if I kill him, you’ll be our servants” (1 Sam. 17:8-10, 16).

Enter David. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. David’s three oldest brothers had followed Saul into battle, and Jesse asked David to go and see how his brothers were doing in the battle and bring them some bread and cheese (1 Sam. 17:12-18). While David was there, Goliath issued his challenge again, and David heard (1 Sam. 17:23).

You have to remember the context. Saul is still the king, but we already know that the next king won’t be a descendant of Saul. Back in ch. 16, David was already anointed to be the next king after Saul. After that anointing, the Holy Spirit rushed upon David (1 Sam. 16:6-13). But David doesn’t immediately go to the palace and ascend the throne; instead, David only goes to the palace to play his guitar whenever King Saul is tormented by a demon (1 Sam. 16:14-23). Even though he’s been anointed to be the next king, David fluctuates between serenading Saul and tending his father’s sheep.

David has faith in God’s promise that he’s going to be the next king. David so firmly believes this that, when he’s sitting in the field watching over his sheep, he’s not worried when bears or lions come after his lambs. He figures, “I’m not king yet, so not so fast, bear. Get back here, lion.” And he grabs them by the beard and kills them (1 Sam. 17:34-35). Easy peasy lemon squeezy. In other words, David rightly believes that until he becomes king, God is going to protect him.

It’s the same thing when David hears Goliath defying God and His armies and His people. Since Saul still has the crown that will eventually belong to David, he won’t let Goliath’s mockery stand. God has promised to make David the next king, so what could Goliath possibly do to him before he ascends the throne? It is that faith that gives David courage. So, David accepts Goliath’s challenge.

David simply trots onto the battlefield, reaches into his bag to take out a stone, flings it into the Philistine’s skull, and lops off Goliath’s head with his own blade. David might not have even broken a sweat. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, headless, and utterly defeated, they fled.

Dear saints, last week I mentioned how we wrongly think of ourselves as the heroes of all sorts of Bible stories, and I specifically mentioned how we aren’t David defeating Goliath. Instead, we should see Jesus fulfilling this story. In Jn. 5:39, Jesus says that the Scriptures bear witness about Him (see also Lk. 24:44). While the true story of David defeating Goliath is something that actually happened, even it points us to Jesus who has defeated our greatest enemy.

It’s helpful to start by remembering who your enemy is. Eph. 6:12 says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Those enemies, who would all easily overpower us, have the devil as their champion, a giant that opposes us and mocks us.

But dear saints, you have a David, a shepherd, who had perfect faith in God’s promises. In our Gospel reading (Mt. 4:1-11), you heard how Jesus perfectly trusted God despite the devil’s temptations. Christ trusted God’s promise to give Him food at the right time. You heard how Jesus perfectly trusted God’s promise to protect Him from danger. You heard how our Lord perfectly trusted God’s promise to give Him all the kingdoms of the world. So, He engaged in the battle and won.

This same Jesus, with the same perfect faith, perfectly trusted that God would deliver Him, would not let Him see corruption (Act. 2:27), and would not abandon Him. So, Jesus engaged in battle against Satan, sin, and death. The odds against Christ looked overwhelming. But on that cross, Jesus dealt the death blow to your enemy. And on the morning of the Resurrection, Christ emerged victoriously holding the crushed, severed head of the devil (Gen. 3:15; 1 Sam. 17:57). Jesus disarmed all the powers of evil and put them to open shame (Col. 2:15).

Jesus is your David, who has defeated your Goliath.

Now, do you have a place in this story? Sure, absolutely you do. You are in the Lord’s army and have endured the bragging, the mocking, and the scorn of the devil. But Jesus brought all of that to an end. Because of His death and resurrection, you know that the Lord saves not with a sword or spear but with the precious blood of Christ.

The battle is the Lord’s, and He has given all your enemies into your hand (1 Sam. 17:47). In the verses that follow our text, Saul’s army pursued the defeated the Philistines and pushed them back until they had plundered their camp (1 Sam. 17:52-53). That’s where you come in.

You, dear saints, are in the mop-up crew. Jesus, your Champion, has won on the field of battle, and His victory encourages you to join Him in the fray. You see Christ’s victory, and it fills you with a newfound strength and courage. Jesus’ triumph fills your mouth with laughter and puts shouts of joy on your tongue (Ps. 126:2). His conquest transforms you.

Before His victory all you could do cower in fear as your enemy boasted and mocked you. Now, that is all over. Now that Christ has won, you are turned into men again. Men who are emboldened to engage in the war.

Now, you participate in the battle – even though that part doesn’t win the war in a meritorious sense. You are heartened and encouraged by Christ, your Champion, and participate in His victory. You wage war against a routed, headless, defeated foe.

God is not mocked. The battle is His. He is risen. He is now seated on the throne with all things subjected under His feat because He has won.

No one would say that the fighting you do is safe or without danger. No one would say that there is no skill needed for the part you have to play. Far from it. To be sure, the challenges you face are real and they are dangerous. But you know that the outcome is not a mystery. 

Your Champion has already turned the tide. Jesus has defeated the Goliath of sin, death, and the devil. So the foes you face, whether that foe is temptation or sickness or trauma or whatever, know they all fear you because your Champion has defeated theirs. Goliath is dead and headless. Jesus has won. He brings you in His train and on His team.

Christ has won the victory. He doesn’t need you, but He has won you. Now, you follow Him on the field of victory. What Christian would not want to follow Him? You know who fights for you. You know who has concurred and gives you the victory. And you also know the promises He has made to you. Promises that He will fulfill. Believe those promises, and act and live accordingly. Amen.

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

Gift & Assignment – Sermon on 2 Peter 1:2-11 for Ash Wednesday

2 Peter 1:2–11

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Pause – Sermon on Luke 18:31-43 for Quinquagesima Sunday

Luke 18:31–43

31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. 

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Generally, when we let our imagination go wild, we like to be the heroes. Boys imagine hitting a grand slam in Game 7 bottom of the 9th two outs down by three, or they imagine they are the receiver who dives to catch the hail Mary as time expires to win the Super Bowl. Girls imagine they are Cinderella dancing the night away with Prince Charming, and getting engaged after he returns her glass slipper. Even when it comes to Bible stories, we like to imagine that we are Joshua toppling the walls of Jericho or David slaying Goliath or Elijah defeating the prophets of Baal.

In the two parts of today’s text – the Passion prediction and the healing of the blind man – the only hero is clearly Jesus, and He fully embodies the perfect love that was described in our Epistle reading (1 Co. 13:1-13). This is the third time Jesus explains to the disciples that He is going to Jerusalem to be betrayed, mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, flogged, crucified, and raised from the dead. But the disciples don’t understand Jesus, the saying is hidden from them, and they could not grasp what Jesus said.

Still, Jesus’ love is on full display. Jesus is patient with and kind toward them. He is not irritated or resentful at their thick skulls. Jesus is going to Jerusalem and will endure all these things because His love does not insist on its own way. Instead, Christ submits to His Father’s will in perfect obedience.

By going to the cross, Jesus will bear all things. All the burdens, all the sins, all the transgressions, all the iniquities, all the wrongdoings, all the evil, all the brokenness of this fallen world – Jesus will bear all of it in His body (1 Pet. 2:24). He does it all for you. Jesus’ journey from His throne in heaven, down into your flesh. His fasting and temptation in the wilderness. His path through the lands of Israel with no place to lay His head (Lk. 9:58). His teaching, healing, casting out demons, forgiving, and restoring. His triumphal entry. His betrayal. His suffering. His death. His burial. His three day rest in the tomb. His resurrection. His ascension. And His continual rule and authority over all things is a journey of love for you.

Jesus’ entire work is directed outward. He didn’t need to do any of that to benefit Himself, and He doesn’t do it for His own, personal gain. He does it because He loves you. And this love of Jesus wasn’t based on your loveliness. It was based on the fact that the God the Father loves you and wanted to rescue you. So, Jesus, God the Son, loved you and did everything necessary to save you.

God hated seeing what sin and death had brought to His creation, so He did something about it by undoing sin and death by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christ lived the life we were unable to live. He obeyed the whole will and Law of God that we were unable to obey. He took up His cross, endured punishment that you and I deserved, and gave up His dying breath. All of this is done for you.

Jesus does all of this with full knowledge. None of it surprised Him. Christ knew exactly what is going to happen to Him. And still, He goes and does all of this to love you with His perfect, pure love. 

Back in Lk. 9:51, we are told that Jesus had “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” In other words, Jesus is determined to do this loving thing for you. He was focused on redeeming creation, on getting there, and accomplishing it. He goes toward Jerusalem in love.

Day after day, Jesus gets closer to His goal until He arrives in the city of Jericho, which is about fifteen miles from Jerusalem. He’s close – about a day’s journey from the city. But Jesus isn’t in a rush. Sometimes, when you have to do things that you know are going to be unpleasant and painful, you just want to get it over with and put in your rearview mirror. Again, Jesus doesn’t do that. Instead, He paused along His way through Jericho.

Christ hears the blind man’s cry, “Son of David have mercy on me.” Jesus doesn’t say, “I’ve got more important things to do. I’m going to have mercy on you when I get to Jerusalem and go to the cross.” No. Our Lord stops.

The cry for mercy from any corner of His creation gets Jesus’ full attention. He commands that the blind man be brought to Him. Jesus asks him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And in love, Jesus gives the man the mercy he desired. “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus’ mission to be the Savior of all creation does not stop Him from pausing to give His mercy to the individual He meets along the way. He pauses and heals him.

Dear saints, Lent begins on Wednesday, and Lent is a good time for us to pause and consider all that God has done for us. Today, pause and ponder whom you are most like in this text. Again, we’re not the hero; we’re not Jesus. Instead, sometimes, we’re like the disciples who do not understand or grasp what God is doing for us and saying to us. Sometimes, even though God has plainly and clearly spoken, we are blind and don’t understand what God is doing.

Sometimes, we are broken like the blind man. Even though the blind man could not see with his physical eyes, he understands who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Despite his physical blindness, he has faith that Jesus can and will restore what is broken. So, when Jesus is present, he cries out for mercy. And Jesus gives him the mercy, restoration, and healing that he needed. Maybe, like the blind man, you look foolish to the world how you relentlessly call out to Jesus for His mercy.

Whom are you more like? It probably depends on the day, maybe even the moment.  Whether you don’t have any clue of what God is up to like the disciples or whether all you can do is cry out for mercy, the thing to do is follow Jesus.

Notice that even though the disciples don’t get all the things that God had said through Jesus and through the Scriptures, even though they are blind in their hearts and minds – what do they do? They go with Jesus. They follow Him to Jerusalem and the cross. The blind man, even though he could not see anything until Jesus gave him the sight he desperately wanted, what did he do? He followed too.

Whether you understand what God is up to or not, the conclusion is the same. Follow Jesus. Follow Him to the cross. No matter where you are in your journey through life, no matter how much you understand what God is doing, no matter how much you need from God, no matter how much God has already given you, follow Jesus to the cross.

Stay the course. And as you go with Christ, He will give you ample reasons to glorify God and give Him praise. Amen.

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

Return – Sermon on Isaiah 55:6-13 for Sexagesima Sunday

Isaiah 55:6-13

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; 
call upon him while he is near; 
7 let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts; 
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, 
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways 
and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven 
and do not return there but water the earth, 
making it bring forth and sprout, 
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; 
it shall not return to me empty, 
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, 
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 

12 “For you shall go out in joy 
and be led forth in peace; 
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing, 
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; 
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, 
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

A lot of decisions you make in life are based on the recommendation(s) of others. But you rank and evaluate those recommendations based on several factors. For example, if you need to replace the windows on your house, you’ll probably ask someone who just remodeled, “What kind of windows did you get? What brand? Who installed them? Were they punctual?” Depending on their experience, you might get the same brand and kind of windows but have another contractor install them. Or, if you find out that person has only had those windows for a few months, you might try to find someone who got new windows in the past two years because they know how those windows work in the hot and cold. Just one positive or negative recommendation might be all you need to make your decision.

But even when you can’t ask someone you know personally, you might look for recommendations. You shop online, and you’ll read through the reviews of complete strangers. If you see a couple hundred variations of, “Five stars! Works exactly as described. Would definitely buy again.” You’re more likely to buy that product rather than another one that only has a dozen reviews.

Sometimes, you don’t seek recommendations, but they’re offered to you anyway. You meet a friend for coffee, and she tells you that you “have to” try this drink or see this movie or meet Sally because she’s just so great. You might really like that friend. But, depending on how much you trust her taste in those things, you might follow her recommendations or not.

Here, Isaiah is giving you an unsolicited recommendation. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” And it’s a recommendation you can trust because it’s backed by Isaiah’s own personal experience. Of all the prophets the Holy Spirit could have inspired to give this recommendation, of course it comes from Isaiah.

When Isaiah was called to be a prophet (Is. 6:1-7), God was very findable and extremely near. Isaiah was in the Temple, the place where God had promised to dwell among His people. But by God’s design, the Temple had all sorts of separation. There was smoke and walls and curtains to maintain a safe distance between the holy God and sinners.

As Isaiah was in the Temple that day, all of the protection of the smoke of the incense, the walls, and the curtain was stripped away. Isaiah doesn’t just see the ark of the covenant, which represented the throne of God; instead, he sees the actual throne where God sits. Isaiah sees the angels flying and hears them singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of armies.” Again, God was very findable and near. But in that moment, Isaiah would not have recommended that you seek God or call upon Him. Instead, Isaiah wished he wasn’t there. He called down a curse upon himself: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5).

Now, think about that for a minute. When Isaiah woke up that morning, he had unclean lips. He had those unclean lips as he walked to the Temple. Isaiah lived among people of unclean lips long before he saw God on the throne. So, what was it that made Isaiah despair? What caused his conscience to go into overdrive? It was God’s nearness. It was the fact that the holy God had found him, and that terrified Isaiah.

I heard a distinction from another pastor, and I think it’s helpful: There is a difference between a troubled conscience and a terrified conscience. A troubled conscience is aware of sin. A troubled conscience will say things like, “I’ve made some mistakes, but nobody’s perfect. At least I’m better than that guy.” When you have a troubled conscience, you know that there’s something wrong with you and something wrong with the world.

A terrified conscience recognizes more. A terrified conscience recognizes that God is mad because I’ve sinned and that He has promised to punish sin. Think back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had a troubled conscience when they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame. But then, when God showed up, they had a terrified conscience and tried to hide behind some bushes or trees.

Neither a troubled conscience nor a terrified conscience is going to seek God when He can be found or call upon Him when He is near. If your conscience is merely troubled, you won’t think that you need Him. You’ll wrongly think, “I’ll just make up for my mistakes.” And if your conscience is terrified, you’re going be as silent as possible when God gets close because you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. 

Before I go on, I need to make something crystal clear: God doesn’t want you to remain in the state of having either a troubled or terrified conscience. God wants to forgive you and give you a pure, clean conscience (Heb. 10:21-22). But because you and I are sinners, we are going to have a conscience that is either troubled or terrified. And frankly, it’s much, much better to have a terrified conscience. If your conscience is merely troubled, or if you think you will fix your conscience by trying to do better, I have no good news for you. None whatsoever. All I can say to you is that you will always be troubled until you stand before God’s judgment throne. Then you will be terrified, but it will be too late. God will condemn you, and you will spend an eternity in hell and terror. Repent now. Return to God now, now while He is near and may be found.

But if the Holy Spirit has worked a terrified conscience in you, then I do have good news. To you who know you can’t fix your own guilt and shame, to you who know that you cannot hide from the Holy, Almighty, and Just God – know that God is near to you now. And this is a good thing.

When Isaiah’s conscience was terrified to the point that he thought he was finished, God sent one of those angels to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal. That act took away Isaiah’s guilt and atoned for his sin (Is. 6:7). That compassion and abundant pardon from God brought Isaiah even closer to God. But now he had a new, cleansed, and purified conscience.

Because of that merciful, gracious, forgiving, atoning act of God, Isaiah makes this recommendation from his own experience. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”

When v. 7 of this text says, “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,” that wickedness and unrighteousness includes all the sinful things you do with our lips, hands, feet, and mind. Sure. But take particular notice of the last half of v. 7, “let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him.” In other words, the wickedness and unrighteousness you are to forsake is failing to seek the Lord while He may be found and your unwillingness to call upon Him when He is near.

Instead, dear saints, return. Return to your God because He will abundantly pardon. Catch that – abundantly pardon. Your God pardons because His thoughts and ways are not like your thoughts and ways; God’s are infinitely higher. That doesn’t only mean God’s IQ is way up here and ours is way down here. While that’s true, that isn’t the context of Is. 55:8-9. Instead, God’s ways are the high, heavenly ways of compassion and abundant pardon, while our ways, frankly, aren’t. That’s even more reason for you to listen to Isaiah recommendation and return to God.

When God’s Word of abundant pardon goes out, that Word does not return empty. It accomplishes exactly what God sends it to do. In other words, when God says, “I forgive you,” what God actually means is, “I forgive you.” That very word of your high, compassionate, pardoning God removes your sin from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Because of that you will go forth in joy and be lead in God’s peace. The mountains and hills and trees and all creation will rejoice with you.

Dear saints, return to God. Return to Him for His mercy, for His grace, and for His abundant pardon. He is near. Seek Him now. Return to Him now. Amen.

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

A Fresh Look – Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16 for Septuagesima Sunday

Matthew 20:1–16

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is the greatest gift given in this parable?

At first glance, we think that it’s the denarius, that full day’s wage, handed to the workers who showed up last. But that’s the wrong answer. All the workers – those who were hired at the eleventh hour, the ninth hour, the sixth hour, the third hour, and right way at daybreak – they all get the same coin. It looks like the later you come, the greater the gift you receive. We think the only ones who don’t receive a gift are those who worked all day. They simply get what they had agreed to, what they bargained for – an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work. But the denarius is not the greatest gift in the parable.

The greatest gift is a place in the vineyard. All of these workers – no matter what time of day they were hired – all of them started out in exactly the same place. They were all stuck in the marketplace with no prospects, no future, no income. None of them had anything until the master came to call them into his vineyard.

None of the workers got into the vineyard on their own. All of them knew they needed work to provide for their families. But they had no shot at that until the master called them into his vineyard. Before the master called them, they apparently didn’t even know there was a vineyard or how to get there, otherwise they could have gone to his house, knocked on the door, and asked for work. But that’s not what happens. Instead, the owner comes to them, seeks them, finds them, and promises to give them what they need. It’s the master who brings them all of them in. So, into the vineyard they all go – each at the time of day when the master called – not one moment before, not one moment after.

Back up just a bit and imagine the thought process of the workers hired first. They went to the marketplace because, in that part of the world in Jesus’ day (and still today), people who didn’t have normal, secure, regular jobs, they would gather at a certain spot in the marketplace in hope of being hired. Again, the people who were hired at the beginning of the day had nothing, no money, no job, no prospects. So, as the sun rises and as they march toward the vineyard, they’re excited about the master’s promise of an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. That promised denarius motivated them. Throughout the day, all of their work and toil and enduring all the heat and sweat was tolerable because that denarius meant life for each of them and for their families.

The only thing that spoiled it, the only thing made that denarius unappealing, was the fact that others also received the denarius. Seeing others get the same denarius was the only thing that robbed those first workers of their joy in the denarius. To say it bluntly: comparison is the thief or joy.

Imagine a company has two positions open. You apply and are given one of the positions, and you love everything about your new job. You like the environment, your coworkers, and $100,000 per year compensation. But then, you find out that the person hired for the other position – who is doing the same job, working the same hours, and has the same experience as you have – imagine finding out that person makes $101,000. How would that change your perception of your job and salary? If you’re selfish like me, I’m sure your attitude would change. You’d feel cheated. You’d complain. It’d ruin your whole perception of your new job. But here’s the thing: nothing has actually changed. Your paycheck didn’t diminish. The environment around you didn’t get worse. Nothing has been taken from you. You haven’t lost anything. The only thing that has changed is your perception. Someone else has gotten something that you don’t think they deserve. Repent.

Dear saints, God’s grace isn’t only for you. It is certainly given to you, but you aren’t the only one who gets or needs it. Please, please don’t be so foolish as to demand that God give you what you deserve because what you deserve is an eternity in hell. God doesn’t want to give you what you deserve. He wants you to be in His vineyard. And, yes, He has work for you to do there.

Look again at v. 12-15. When the workers hired first grumble about their denarius and all the hard work they did in the scorching heat, the master doesn’t fight or question their claim. He doesn’t diminish the work they have done. Not one bit. The only objection the master against their grumbling is that he’s being completely fair with them. His generosity doesn’t mean they were short-changed. The owner simply says, “If you don’t like my generosity, take what is yours and go. You’re free to leave my vineyard and go back to the marketplace.”

Dear saints, yes, this is a parable about working in God’s kingdom, and I titled this sermon “A Fresh Look” because we all need to be reminded that life in God’s kingdom does require work. God’s call to be a Christian is a call to much work. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt. 16:24). That calling from your Savior is a call to work. But there is so much joy in your work in God’s kingdom. That’s not to say that all of the work is pleasant and easy.

Dear saints, there are many things in this world that require work, but the work itself is good. There is work, there is labor, there are difficulties involved in all good things. For example, being a parent is work – a lot of work, and even a lot of unpleasant work. Parents have to get up in the middle of the night, change poopy diapers, suck snot out of the noses of the babies. I don’t know anyone who thinks those things are pleasant or anyone who enjoys doing those things. But none of those things mean the baby isn’t a delight or a joy to be around. And there is blessing in doing them. People are happier and more content when they give of themselves and serve others. Yes, the work is its own reward.

Christian, you have been brought into God’s vineyard. A vineyard is a place where there is plenty of work to be done, but the purpose is not to produce grapes. Vineyards exist to produce wine which makes glad the heart of man (Ps. 104:14-15). Life in God’s kingdom is to live where work is done, but that work culminates in joy and feasting. The whole point of your work and labor and toil in God’s kingdom is to join God in producing joy.

Dear saints, you’re going to leave here and head back to your labor, back to your work, back to the heat and sweat and toil of your God-given vocations. But before you do, God invites you to His table to feast. Come and enjoy a foretaste of the feast to come. Come and receive the joy of receiving Christ’s Body and Blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sin. Come to the feast. Then, go. God still has vineyard work for you to do. Amen.

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

Come Near – Sermon on Exodus 34:29-35 for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

Today’s sermon is short because we spent time considering our liturgy during our service. If you are interested in learning more about that, please see the video of that service.

Exodus 34:29–35

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Moses was eighty years old when he led God’s people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and to Mt. Sinai (Act. 7:23, 30). When they all arrived at Mt. Sinai, Moses became a mountaineer of sorts. He kept going up and down – at least six, if not eight, total times. Before God gave the Ten Commandments Moses had already gone up and down the mountain three times (Ex. 19:3-7; 19:8-14; 19:20-25). He would ascend to hear God speak and descend to tell the people what God had said. Then in Ex. 20, all the people heard God speak the words of the Ten Commandments, but the people said that hearing God’s voice was too traumatic and fearful for them. They begged Moses to not let God speak to them anymore (Ex. 20:18-20).

God agreed to the arrangement that they came up with. Moses would be the mediator between God and His people (Dt. 5:23-33). So, Moses kept going up and down the mountain. After God gave the Ten Commandments, Moses went up again to hear the instructions of how to construct the Tabernacle so God could come near and dwell among His people (Ex. 24:9-32:15). While Moses was up there, the people decided they wanted a tame god, a god they could control. So they made the golden calf to worship (Ex. 32:1-10). So, God sent Moses back down. He saw the people worshipping the golden calf and threw the tablets of the Ten Commandments breaking them because they had broken God’s covenant. Then Moses went back up the mountain again.

Our text begins as Moses is descending Sinai one final time. This last journey up the mountain was probably the most grueling for Moses. The verse right before our reading says that Moses was on the peak forty days and nights eating no food and drinking no water (Ex. 34:28). Of course, that isn’t humanly possible, but God made it happen. The fact that Moses is even alive after all of that is a miracle. But not only was Moses alive, he wasn’t disheveled or haggard. Instead, Moses’ face shined because he had been talking with God. His face reflected God’s glory, and the people were afraid again.

Now, the cause of their fear wasn’t God’s voice. Instead, it was the fact that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. The people didn’t want to come near Moses. So, Moses would hide his face behind a veil when he finished speaking God’s Word to them.

All of this is to say that the people were afraid when God came near. They were afraid when God spoke to them directly, and they were afraid when Moses was their intermediary. The people didn’t want God to come near to them.

In Jer. 23:29, God describes His Word saying, “Is not My Word like fire, declares the Lord, and a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” But in Is. 55:10, God also says that His Word is like the rain and snow that creates life by giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. We might wonder, “Well, which is it, God? Does Your Word burn and break, or does it give life?” Well, dear saints, God’s Word does both. In Is. 55:11, God says that His Word will always accomplishes what God desires.

Dear saints, you cannot hear God’s Word and remain unchanged. Either you will be softened toward it, or you will be hardened against it. And that is one of the beautiful things about the liturgy we use here because, through that liturgy, God comes near so He can speak to you and create faith.

You hear God’s Law where He says that your sins have harmed you and alienated you from Him. Because of our sins, we should all be afraid like the people who didn’t want God to come too close. So our liturgy is also filled with the Gospel.

You hear how God comes near, not to destroy you but to forgive you and give you eternal life. You hear how Christ has come near by taking on your flesh and becoming one of you. Our Lord came near to remove the veil between us and God so we could stand in His holy, glorious, gracious, merciful presence. The entire service is designed to lead us out of our sinful desires and draw us to God’s side. Through our liturgy, God comes near to us so we can come near to Him.

Even though we have all sinned against God, He doesn’t want to be distant. Dear saints, God wants to bless you. He wants you to behold His face as it shines upon you in grace. He wants to lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace (Num. 6:24-26).

That peace with God is yours through the death and resurrection of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has come near to you to dwell among you. In Jesus, you see God’s glory, full of grace and truth. And from His glory you receive grace upon grace (Jn. 1:14, 16). Amen.

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

Enough – Sermon on Luke 2:22-40 for the Presentation of Our Lord

Luke 2:22–40

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, 
according to your word; 
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 
and for glory to your people Israel.” 

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 

39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Overcome By; Overcome With – Sermon on Romans 12:16-21 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Romans 12:16–21

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul assumes and presupposes that you are going to encounter evil. In v. 17 he writes, “Repay no one evil for evil.” You aren’t told, “If something evil happens to you, don’t turn around and do something evil in return.” The assumption of evil is even clearer in v. 21, “Do not be overcome (or ‘defeated’ or ‘conquered’) by evil, but overcome (‘defeat’ or ‘conquer’) evil with good.” Again, evil things are going to happen both to and around you. And those evil things are either going to overcome you, or you will overcome those evil things by doing good – which is the most Christlike thing you can do.

Imagine a cattle rancher taking care of his cows – feeding them, branding and tagging them, vaccinating them, checking if they’re healthy, whatever – what is he going to step in while he’s walking through that cattle pen? Without a doubt, he’s going to step in manure, cow pies, poop. It’s going to get all over his boots, maybe even on his pants and coat. It’s going to happen.

Now as he’s doing his work, suppose you’re watching him from the fence. Are you going to ask him, “How do you feel about stepping in that manure?” No! If you did, the rancher would probably say something along the lines of, “It just comes with the territory.” If you asked him, “How many piles do you step in each week?” he’d probably laugh because he doesn’t think about it in the moment or dwell on it afterward. He’s just used to it. He has enough experience with cows to know that he can’t teach them to do their business in a specific corner of the yard. It’s going to be scattered all over, and he’s going to periodically step in it.

And the rancher isn’t going to bother trying to get retribution on the cows. He isn’t going to spread his own feces around so the cows step in it. “See how they like it.” No! For one thing, the cows aren’t going to care, and it’d be too much work – very unpleasant work. The only thing a cattle rancher can do when he steps in manure is simply wipe it off before he gets in his truck or goes into his house or when his boots get heavy and caked with it. When he steps in it, he doesn’t dwell on it later. Instead, he just keeps walking.

Dear saints, you already know this, but sometimes it’s just helpful to plainly say it. This world is a cattle yard. This world is full of all sorts of stinky, smelly, steaming piles of evil. Generally, you don’t intentionallystomp around in it. Most of the time, you do your best to avoid it, but at some point, you’re going to get end up coming into contact with the manure of evil. It isn’t pleasant. You don’t like it, and you are right to not like it. But you also need to recognize and acknowledge that, when you end up caked in the manure of evil, it isn’t as though something strange is happening to you (1 Pet. 4:12). Everybody faces evil things. Everybody steps in the cow pies of evil. Everybody has bad days, weeks, months, years, and decades. Everybody. It’s part of life. It doesn’t matter how careful or careless you are. In a fallen and sinful world, you’re going to encounter evil.

This simple truth from Scripture is actually a great comfort. It helps us orient ourselves the right way. We’re going to step in the cow pies of evil. In a broken, fallen world, evil is going to happen to us. When we are confronted with evil, the best thing we can do is the unpleasant work of wiping it off and move on. Responding to evil by doing evil isn’t going to help. Neither is dwelling on it. Yes, learn from the evil things that have happened. Maybe, you don’t put yourself or others in a similar situation. But you have to do your best to scrape it off and move on.

I know many of you have encountered evil, horrific things. You’ve been neck deep in the manure of evil. You are right to weep about it, and as our text last week called for, I weep with you (Ro. 12:15). It stinks and is utterly rotten. But there also is a point at which you need to move on. You live and walk in the cattle pen of a sinful, evil, broken world.

Sin and evil throws creation out of order. No matter how small a sin is, it throws the whole, entire universe off-kilter. Remember, it only took one sin in the Garden of Eden to bring pain, strife, and death to all of creation. All sin, whether it’s your own sin or sins committed against you, sin brings chaos and disorder to creation. Still, you can’t fight sin and evil with more sin and evil of our own, just like you can’t save someone from drowning by giving them a cup of water. You have to get them out of the water they’re drowning in.

When we see sin and injustice, we naturally want to fix it. Since we are made in the image of God, we want to bring order and justice back into the world. That is what vengeance is. Now, vengeance isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’ve gotten so used to the word ‘vengeance’ being used in a negative way that we think vengeance is always evil. That’s not the case. Yes, vengeance can be evil when you think it’s exclusively your job to dole it out. But remember God Himself says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” Paul there is quoting Dt. 32:35. The same verse gets quoted again in Heb. 10:30. Throughout the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, we hear that God promises execute vengeance on the wicked. All of Ps. 94, and many other places in the Psalms this is repeated. God is just. He will punish all sin and make creation right again. That is His job and His promise.

So, know these two things and get them drilled into your head: First, you will encounter sin and evil. And second, know that fixing sin is God’s dominion. He will do it. It’s not up to you. You aren’t God. 

Yes, there are times when you are God’s instrument to execute vengeance. Parents, you are to discipline your kids (Pro. 13:24; 23:13-14; 29:15; Heb. 12:9-10). That calling has been given to you by God. And, to maintain order in society, God has given us rulers who have the God-given task of punishing sin with vengeance. Paul goes into that next in Ro. 13. Those earthly authorities are put there by God to be a terror to bad conduct (Ro. 13:3-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). But, generally speaking, we are to leave room for God to bring vengeance against sin.

Again, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is what Christ has done for you. Jesus did not let Himself be overcome by evil. It sure looked like it as He died on the cross. It appeared that evil had defeated Christ. But it didn’t. Not even close. Jesus overcame our evil with good. Good Friday indeed – the goodest [sic.] of good, when all the evil of this world was overcome, conquered, defeated, and crushed by the goodness of Christ.

Dear saints, this text is calling us to do the hardest thing in this broken world – to overcome evil with good. In other words, this text is calling us to be like Christ. The only way to do that is to let the goodness of Christ overcome both you and the evil within you. And when evil things happen to you, remember that evil person is another one for whom Christ died. Let the love and mercy of Christ fill you and spill out to others as well. Amen.

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

Serving the Body – Sermon on Romans 12:6-16 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

Romans 12:6–16

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When you stub a toe, your whole body reacts. Your face scrunches and grimaces in pain. Your arms and hands reach down to clasp the toe. Your throat groans, shrieks, or shouts. All of that happens naturally and instinctively. When you stub your toe, the rest of the parts of your body don’t say, “Who cares? That’s the toe’s problem.” I’ve never heard someone with knee, hip, or neck pain say, “The knee that is attached to me hurts,” or, “The neck that holds up this head hurts.” Instead, people say, “My knee hurts. My neck hurts.” And the whole body does what it can to help the part that hurts.

Dear saints, the Body of Christ is no different. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body is involved in that suffering. When one part rejoices, the whole body is involved (see also 1 Cor. 12:26). Being part of this congregation isn’t just about coming to hear the sermon. It’s about being a body, Christ’s Body. No one here is free to consider yourself separate or independent from anyone else here.

The reason I mention the Body of Christ is that today’s reading continues from last week’s. One time, Martin Luther preached on this text, and he said that starting the reading at v. 6 was the idea of someone who doesn’t understand the Bible. I think that’s an overstatement, but it is unfortunate to start at v. 6. Let me reread the final couple verses of last week’s Epistle, which lead up to this text but you didn’t hear today. Starting back at Ro. 12:4-5, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Then, our text continues, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them….”

The context of today’s text is that you are a member of a body – that’s what Christ intends for you. Yes, the whole Christian Church throughout the world and throughout time is the Body of Christ. Jesus is the One Head, and all Christians are the Body. But there’s no way this matters unless there is a local, in-person group of members. In other words, a congregation. Yes, there are Christians in Australia, Uganda, Brazil, and even Iowa. But you aren’t close enough to them geographically to do much for them. I know for a fact that there are Christians in Papua New Guinea because I know missionaries who have been there. But I haven’t met a single one of those believers. For them, I can’t do most of the things this text calls for. I can’t exhort, teach, or honor them. I can’t rejoice with them when they rejoice or weep with them when they weep. It’s just not possible.

This text wants each believer to focus on the parts of the Body of Christ that God has gathered around them. In other words, care for the people here, in this congregation. That’s why this is written to the Christian church in Rome. It’s why Paul uses the same analogy in his letter to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 12). And God wants this same arrangement for us here and in every Christian congregation. That’s why it has been preserved for us in the Bible. God wanted this in Rome and Corinth 2,000 years ago, and He wants it here, now, among us.

And I have to say: You do a good job of this. When I teach new member classes, one of the most common things I hear is, “This place just feels like family.” So, please know that I’m not preaching this text to get on your case. I’m not rebuking you. Instead, just like a sprinter will keep training to get a faster time, there is always room for improvement.

We can improve at serving, contributing, leading, being merciful, loving, abhorring evil, holding fast to the good, honoring, and showing hospitality. Let’s consider one area where we can improve today from v. 15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” The reason for diving into this is that I recognize my own shortcomings in this. So, yes, your preacher today is preaching to himself. This is a, “Do as I say,” because it is what Scripture says, “not as I do,” because I fall short here.

Again, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” First off, notice the prepositions there – with. God calls you to take on the joy and sadness of others. You aren’t called to fix people’s emotions or make them feel certain things. Instead, you join them in those emotions. As a poor example of this, think of Job’s friends; they got it half right. Job is sitting there in his horrific suffering, and his friends come to him. They were exactly right to do that. That’s where they should be. But their problem, which becomes a problem for Job, is that they try to fix everything, and they do an incredibly bad job at it.

Sure, there are times to rebuke, exhort, and encourage people. Scripture does call for that too (1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:2; Tit. 1:13; 2:15). But, dear saints, there are also times where you are to simply close your mouth, sit with others, cry and mourn with them if they’re sad, or jump and sing with them if they’re joyful.

This can be really hard, and for a variety of reasons. Again, we might be too quick to give advice, but another trap we easily fall into is comparing. When someone is struggling with something, it can be easy to share about a past struggle we had and make sure the other person knows how much worse we had it. Sometimes, just being there and listening to a person pour out their heart in sadness is exactly that that person needs.

As a good example of weeping with others, think about Jesus in Jn. 11. On Wednesday night, I taught through Jn. 11 where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. We won’t go through the whole thing, and I’m sorry to those of you who already heard this. But it’s worth hearing again. Jesus’ approach to Lazarus’ two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their grief is so interesting. Each sister talks to Jesus separately (Jn. 11:20-27, 32-34). Both of them say the same thing to Jesus when they see Him, “Lord, of You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” But Jesus’ interaction with each of them is completely different.

So, the two sisters are dealing with the exact same problem – the sorrow for over the death of a brother. They both begin interacting with Jesus the exact same way. But Jesus comforts each of these sisters differently. For Martha, Jesus has words of consolation. “Your brother will rise again. I am the Resurrection and the Life” and so on (Jn. 11:23, 23, 25-26). But just a few verses later when Jesus consoles Mary, all He does is go to the tomb with her and weep with her (Jn. 11:33-35). Yes, Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb and restores his life. But it’s that initial consoling Jesus has for each sister has a lot to teach us.

Here’s the lesson: get to know the different parts of Christ’s Body well enough so you know how to weep with them when they weep. If they’re already weeping, just be there for them. Join them in their sorrow. But when they aren’t weeping, make the effort to get to know them well enough so that, when they are weeping, you have a better idea of how to console them.

Finally, when you are weeping, know that people might not be able to do this well. But also know that Jesus does. Christ knows how to give you exactly what you need exactly when you need it. Jesus is here now. He invites you to His table to receive His Body and Blood. Here, Christ, the Great Consoler, continues to unite you as His Body and strengthen you in faith toward Him and in love toward one another. Amen.

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

Discern – Sermon on Romans 12:1-5 for the First Sunday after Epiphany

Romans 12:1–5

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

You will be changed. Please note how that was worded. It isn’t, “You will change,” even though that’s true. It wasn’t, “You must change,” as though this is all up to you. According to this text, you will be (passively) changed. Here, you are given a passive command, which we can’t really translate well into English. What we have there in v. 2 could be translated, “Do not become conformed to this world, rather become transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

In other words, there are things that are going to mold, shape, and change you. But there are some things that should not do that, and there are some things that should.

First, don’t allow the world to change you. The word there is, actually, ‘age.’ “Do not become conformed to this age.” This age isn’t only this world; it’s also the demons, forces of evil, and the culture that pull on you. Our age seeks to conform you to itself. We’ll talk about things like peer pressure and, maybe, even societal pressure. We are to resist those. But we are also to resist the demonic pressure and self-imposed pressure to fit in with this evil age. All those things of this age try to press, pull, form, and mold you like you’re Silly Putty. 

Hopefully, enough of you have played with Silly Putty for this analogy to work. You can easily make Silly Putty do all sorts of things. My siblings, cousins, and I would play with Silly Putty at my grandparents’ home in Faith, SD. We’d take it out of the red egg container and roll it into a bouncy-ball and play catch. When we got tired of that, we’d smoosh the puddy into a flat oval, press it onto the newspaper ink, peel it off, and stretch out the letters and pictures left on the putty. You can make Charlie Brown’s head look even more ridiculous with a blob of Silly Putty. When we got tired of manipulating a particular smudge of ink, all we had to do was simply push, roll, and re-flatten the putty, and it was ready to do another one. The ink from each image never actually left the putty; instead, it just got absorbed into it.

A lot of Christians have allowed this age to work on them like putty. And there are all sorts of reasons they allow it. Maybe they don’t want to be laughed at, so they’ll go along with the theory of evolution and try to make it fit with the account of creation. It doesn’t. It can’t, but they try anyway. Maybe they don’t want to be considered a fundamentalist, so they will compromise on all sorts of things like marriage, sexuality, abortion, and whatever. Here, Paul says, “Don’t. Don’t do that!”

When you allow this age to press and pull and stretch you in different ways, you are in a dangerous place. Just like I’d get bored bouncing a Silly Putty ball around, this age will try to conform you into all sorts of things for all sorts of uses. And just like the ink never really leaves a blob of putty, some of the ways this age will play around with you will stick with you your entire life. Christian, don’t let this age play around with you as though you’re a blob of Silly Putty.

I just need to add here: This world does change you in ways that are fine. There are plenty of lessons to learn from people and organizations that aren’t necessarily Christian, but be careful with them. Have your filter up. Keep in mind what Php. 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

All that being said, you are to allow change to come from other places. “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” What does that mean? We might wish that Paul had said, “Be transformed by keeping the Ten Commandments,” or, “Be transformed by praying at such-and-such a time.” That would be a lot easier to understand and do. But that’s not what Scripture says here. You aren’t given a set of instructions to do or accomplish. Instead, you’re given the result of this transforming. This transforming results in the renewal of your mind, and it results in an ability to discern the will of God. God wants you, as time goes by, to get better and better at testing and figuring out His will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect/complete.

Sometimes, we’ll talk about the Ten Commandments as God’s will, what He desires us to do. And that is true. God’s will is that you have no other gods, use His name rightly, keep the Sabbath, honor your parents, not kill, not commit adultery or steal or lie or covet. That’s God’s will – plain as day. But none of that takes discernment to figure out. God has clearly said it. “Thou shalt not murder.” When you get angry at someone and want to harm them, you don’t have to discern if you should or not. Don’t do it!

When Scripture says here that you should allow yourself to be transformed so that you can discern God’s will, it’s saying that there are times when God’s will is for you to do something or not do something, but He hasn’t clearly, explicitly said what His will is. Instead, you’re going to have to discern what you should do. Yes, the Commandments are there to help and guide you, but the Commandments don’t address every decision you have to make day by day.

For example. Let’s say your kids are behaving poorly. What should you do? There isn’t a Commandment that definitively addresses that. So, should you discipline them and make sure they feel your wrath? Do you go by Pro. 13:14, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him”? Maybe. That might be the most godly, loving thing you can do. Or, should you be patient with your kids? Should you follow Col. 3:21, “Do not exasperate your children, lest they become discouraged”? Should you pause, take a step back, patiently talk with them, try to understand what’s going on? Again, maybe. That might the godly, right thing to do.

How do you know which to pick – discipline or patience? The Bible says both are good. How do you navigate it? God has a will for that situation, but He hasn’t explicitly spelled it out in the Bible. God hasn’t said, “When thy child flips out after you deny their request for candy at Hugo’s in East Grand at 12:34 PM on Jan. 12th, 2025, here’s how you handle it. But if it’s at Ace Hardware, here’s how you handle it.” God has ways He wants you to live, but it might be difficult to know how to handle each particular situation that comes up moment by moment, day by day.

Should you give money to that person on the corner by Sam’s Club? Should you watch that show or movie? Here’s a good one: Should you engage with that comment on social media? Ha! Proverbs 26:4 says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” But in the very next verse, the Bible says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” You’ve got two verses back-to-back saying, “Don’t do it,” and, “Do it.” So, how do you know what to do?

I can’t tell you. No one can. In His wisdom, God has made these decisions challenging for us and require us to grapple and test and discern what we are to do. In other words, God wants us to do the difficult work of gaining and growing in wisdom. This is what it is to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. This renewal of your mind happens as you read the Bible. The Holy Spirit takes God’s Word and works on you, renewing and transforming you into what He wants you to be.

2 Tim. 3:16-17 says that all Scripture is inspired by God and is there to train you in righteousness that you may be complete, equipped for every good work. In other words, the Bible trains you and renews your thinking and mind. It transforms you. More and more, as time goes on, you are to be filled with God’s Word and bring it to bear in the decisions that are constantly coming at you each day.

This doesn’t mean you have to listen for a voice from heaven and have God directly speak to you. No. Don’t expect God to spell it out like that because that doesn’t take any work. Again, in His wisdom, God has made this more difficult, but that struggle is good for you and for me.

God wants this to be the rhythm of your life. Go about your life, make those decisions, and read the Scriptures. Evaluate how you made those decisions. Maybe, you’ll realize that you did poorly and didn’t do God’s will. Then, repent. Receive God’s forgiveness for that sin. Learn from your mistake. Do better the next time.

Maybe, you’ll realize you did well and that experience will make you better equipped to handle an even tougher decision in the future.

Then, armed with that experience and filled with wisdom from God’s Word, go, live a bit more. Make more decisions, and return again to the Scriptures. Live. Read the Bible. Live. Read. Constantly weave your life and God’s Word together. That work leads to godly discernment. It transforms and renews your mind.

Know that this transforming doesn’t happen very well if the only time you hear the Scriptures is when you’re here at church. Discerning God’s will is a life-long process. It takes work. But don’t forget that this is good work, and it is how God wants to be about His business of continually transforming you. And He isn’t treating you like a blob of Silly Putty. He’s sculpting you, or, even better, He’s metamorphosizing (that’s the word here translated ‘transform’) you into a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God (Ro. 12:1).

Finally, I want to make sure we anchor all of this to the context – both of this passage and the whole book of Romans. Remember this is an appeal, an appeal that is based on the mercies of God. In other words, only Christians who have been freely and completely forgiven of their sins because of what Christ has done – only they can be transformed in this way.

Even with all the discernment you gain from God’s Word, even with a mind that is filled with biblical wisdom, there will be times where you fail to do God’s good, acceptable, perfect will. That’s when you flee again to His mercies, which are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). And remember what Scripture said just a few chapters earlier in Ro. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. No condemnation.

Yes, grow and be changed by God’s Word. Don’t be conformed to this age. Instead, grow in wisdom, be metamorphosized, and discern. And always know and trust that Christ’s mercy covers you, now and forever. Amen.

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