Category Archives: Sermon Manuscript

How Can Water Do Such Things? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 3

Listen here.

III. How Can Water Do Such Things?

It is not the water indeed, that does such great things, but the Word of God, connected with the water, and our faith which relies on that Word of God. For without the Word of God, it is simply water and no baptism. But when connected with the Word of God, it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says to Titus, in the third chapter: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior; so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement.”

Martin Luther Small Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

To recap what we have covered so far: We heard how Jesus says disciples are made – baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching God’s Word. Last week, we considered how Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives salvation to all who believe. With all the things that Scripture says Baptism does, we rightly wonder, “How can water do all this?”

This is the same question that Naaman had (2 Kgs. 5:1-14). Remember Naaman, the commander of the enemy Syrian army? He had leprosy, but he went to Elisha God’s prophet in Israel. Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River and he would be clean. Naaman wasn’t too happy with that prescription. He figured the rivers of Syria were better than all the waters in Israel. So, he wasn’t going to do it until one of Naaman’s servants basically said, “Why not give it a try? If the prophet has said this, it’s at least worth a shot.” Naaman went and washed, and he was cleansed. God had indeed spoken through His prophet, Elisha, and the waters of the Jordan became a life-giving and life-restoring stream. It wasn’t that the waters were special or healing, but because of God’s promise. When he exited the Jordan, Naaman’s skin was like the skin of a child. Smooth as a baby’s bottom.

So, speaking of babies and water. Let’s consider the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in our Gospel lesson (Jn. 3:1-17). Nicodemus comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness and has an incredibly interesting discussion with Christ about salvation.

There is too much going on in this text to cover everything. We’d be here until morning. We’re simply going to stick to one thing, and that is the fact that Nicodemus keeps thinking one way while Jesus is talking another. I’m going to translate these verses differently than the ESV does to try to bring out some of the nuances of the conversation because it helps us see what Jesus is teaching and how Nicodemus misunderstands. The first thing Jesus tells Nicodemus is, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is fathered/begotten from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Greek has two words for how kids come about. Here Jesus uses the Greek word γεννάω. Now, γεννάω is typically the word that refers to the father’s contribution to how a child comes into the world. For example, when Gen. 5 goes through the genealogies of the first people, the Septuagint, which is Greek translation of the Old Testament, will use the word γεννάω. It talks about how Adam γεννάω’d Seth. And Seth γεννάω’d Enosh. And Enosh γεννάω’d Kenan, and so on. Γεννάω means ‘fathered’ or ‘begat.’

The other Greek word for how children come into existence focuses on the mother’s action in bringing a child into the world. That word is γίνομαι or ‘birthed.’ When I was in seminary, Sarah and I lived in the brand new housing units on campus. Shortly before our one year anniversary, the kind woman who donated the funds for those units to be built came to tour them. We had our house cleaned up and gave her a tour. As she was about to leave, we again expressed our gratitude for her generosity. Right before walked out the door, she asked Sarah, “And when will you begin birthing?” If I had had quicker wits back then, I would have responded, “About nine months after I begin begetting/fathering.”

In these verses, Jesus repeatedly talks about begetting/fathering, but Nicodemus continually stays in birthing mode. Jesus says that we sinners must be γεννάω’d begotten/fathered from above, but Nicodemus can’t imagine being γίνομαι’d birthed a second time. “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Even though Nicodemus is using the same word Jesus uses, γεννάω, he is still thinking about being birthed γίνομαι’d by a mother.

So, Jesus further explains. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is fathered of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is fathered of the flesh is flesh, and that which is fathered of the Spirit is spirit.” What Jesus is saying here is that there is another way to be fathered – a water and Spirit kind of being fathered.

We need this mode of being fathered because we have all been fathered/begotten by sinful fathers. Ephesians 2 says that we are dead in our trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1) and because of that we are children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). 1 Corinthians 15(:22) says that because we are descended from Adam we will all die, but in Christ we shall be made alive. Adam is the father and begetter of all sinners. But God desires to give us a new begetting from Christ who bore our sins on the cross. He took your sins from you because He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Through Baptism, Christ begets and fathers you so that you are children of righteousness.

In other words, when God connects His Word to the waters of your Baptism, you are begotten anew from above – from God.

Which brings us back to our Epistle text (Tit. 3:1-8). “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us.” So, please notice. God is the one who saves. We aren’t saved because of works or prayers done by us in righteousness. God saves us by His own mercy. How does God do this saving? “By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by [God’s] grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:4-7).

Dear saints, what God’s Word is saying here is that we are begotten/fathered by God through the washing of regeneration in our Baptism.

Christian, through your Baptism, you have been made an heir of God. You have been begotten from above and are poised to inherit everything that is God’s. John 1:12-13, which you hear every Christmas Eve service, puts it this way, “[T]o all who did receive [Christ], who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born (but the Greek word there is γεννάω ‘begotten/fathered’), not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of [the will] of God.”

By the power of God’s Word connected to the waters of your Baptism, you have a new begetting. With this begetting, God has given you all of Christ’s holiness and righteousness. You have been begotten by God and made and heir with Christ. Live as a child of God as our text from Titus stated. God has delivered you from your old, sinful, foolish, disobedient ways. He has rescued you from your various passions and pleasures.

So, you Baptized child of God, live out your calling as God’s beloved child as you devote yourself to good works. Amen.

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

What Gifts or Benefits Does Baptism Bestow? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 2

Listen here.

II. What Gifts or Benefits Does Baptism Bestow?

Baptism works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe, as the word and promise of God declare.

What is this word and promise of God?

It is the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in the last chapter of Mark: “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week we considered how Jesus instructs His disciples to make disciples of all nations/ethnicities by baptizing them and teaching them. Since Jesus has instituted Baptism as the means to make disciples, Baptism cannot be an empty, optional thing. It is vital. We also introduced the idea that God places His Name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – upon us when we are Baptized. Wherever God’s name is, there is salvation. Psalm 54:1 says, “O God, save me by Your name.”

Now, as we move to the second question about Baptism and consider what gifts and benefits Baptism bestows, we see according to Scripture that Baptism works forgiveness of sins. After Peter preached on Pentecost, his listeners were convicted by the Law and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter responded, “Repent and be Baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins” (Act. 2:38). Because Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, it delivers from death and the devil (see Col. 1:13). (The idea of forgiveness being deliverance from death and the devil will be part of the sermon this Sunday.) Baptism also gives salvation to all who believe.

According to the plain words of Scripture, Baptism saves. You heard it tonight. Palin as the nose on your face, 1 Peter 3:21 says, “Baptism now saves you.” Before we get into the specifics of that text, I want to acknowledge that there are Christians (and, please, note that I truly call them Christians) who deny that Baptism saves. I’ve heard many Christians ask me, “You do know, the Bible doesn’t teach that Baptism saves, don’t you?” I point them to 1 Peter 3:21, “Baptism now saves you.” And they don’t have an answer. I have a friend who learned Greek at a Baptist college. His class translated this verse, and the professor said, “There is no denying what this verse says, ‘Baptism saves,’ but we know that isn’t what this verse means.”

That is a dangerous approach to theology and leads down a perilous road. If Scripture says, “Baptism saves,” but it doesn’t really mean, “Baptism saves,” then what other passages don’t really mean what they say? The devil loves to take little slivers of doubt like that to destroy the faith of Christians by sowing the seeds of unbelief in all sorts of texts – both Law and Gospel. Satan will whisper, “Does the Bible mean what it says, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph. 2:8)?  Does John 3:16 mean what it says? Did Jesus really mean it when He said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (Jn. 14:6)? Did God really say, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ or, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’? (Ex. 20:13-14, 16)?”

Now, this is a bit of an aside, but I love you too much to not address this: We could call Baptism an “apex doctrine.” Let me explain what that means. In biology, there are apex predators – the animals at the top of the food chain. For example, sharks are the top of the food chain in the ocean. Nothing hunts the sharks. So, when there is a shortage of plankton in a part of the ocean because there are high levels of mercury, the biologists will test the blood of sharks even though they are interested in learning about the plankton. Here’s why. 

Plankton will absorb the mercury, but the mercury won’t be detectable in the plankton. As you move up the food chain, mercury levels will get higher at each level. The fish that eat plankton have a little higher level of mercury. And the fish that eat the fish that eat the plankton have even higher levels. But the sharks that eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the plankton will have the highest concentrations of mercury. So that’s where the biologists look. They look at the apex predator because they will have levels of mercury that are detectable. Ok.

Baptism is one of the doctrines at the top of the food chain when it comes to being able to detect doctrinal poison. Little levels of poison don’t necessarily kill you right away, but there is no amount of theological poison that is safe. So, to you kids who are in middle school and high school, when you go off to college, move away from home, and look for a church, don’t necessarily pick the church that is the most fun to go to. Look at what that church believes – and look especially to what that church teaches about Baptism and I’ll add the Lord’s Supper. The ‘little’ theological problems that can be hard to see get more detectable when it comes to the church’s teaching about the Sacraments.

Ok. To 1 Peter 3. That text is so rich and dense, I’m not going to cover everything. Instead, I want to give you the context and then focus on what it says concerning Baptism. I’ll start at v. 18:

Jesus suffered once for sins, the righteous One for us unrighteous ones, that He might bring us to God. Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. What this text is saying is that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter, but before He physically came out of the tomb, He went in His spirit to hell and preached to those who were in that place of torment that they experience now. We know they have torment before Christ returns because of Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus in Lk. 16:19-31, but that is not their final destination. When Christ returns, everyone will be raised from the dead. Those who do not believe in Christ will be cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). So, Christ went to that place of torment and proclaimed His victory over sin, death, and the devil. And Peter mentions specifically that Jesus preached to the souls who did not listen to Noah’s preaching while he built the ark. And Peter mentions them because of the point he is about to make about Noah, his family, the ark, and Baptism.

Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives, eight people in total, were brought safely through the water of the Flood (Gen. 7-8). In the Flood, God was judging unbelief and saving the faithful at the same time. And in the Flood, God uses the same ingredient or instrument to bring both judgment and salvation. It was the waters of the Flood that killed the sinful, unbelieving people, and it was the same water that raised Noah and his family above God’s judgment that came through the Flood. In the Flood, water was the instrument of both death and life.

The same is true of Baptism, and we’ll consider this more fully in two weeks when we look at Romans 6which teaches that Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection. But for tonight, see how Baptism delivers us from sin, death, and the devil by defeating them, and how it saves us. According to this verse (1 Pet. 3:21), Baptism saves because it isn’t just washing a little dirt from a person. Instead, Baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. And this Baptism saves because it connects us to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, some will ask the question, “Do you have to be Baptized to be saved? What about the thief on the cross. He wasn’t Baptized and Jesus said that he would be in paradise that very day.” To which we respond, that’s right. But go again to what Jesus says in Mk. 16:16, “Whoever believes and is Baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Notice that unbelief is the only condition that Jesus mentions with regard to being lost and condemned. Those who trust in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of their sins are saved. Those who don’t believe aren’t – even if they are Baptized. If you do not believe in Christ, you are still in your sins. Faith in Christ is to believe that Jesus has removed your sins.

All of this is to say that you can be saved without being Baptized. Deathbed and foxhole converts are just as saved as those who are Baptized as infants and remain believers their entire life.

The main thing about saving faith is that it believes something. To simply say, “I believe,” is an incomplete confession of faith. What is it that you believe? Christians, children of God believe what God has promised them.

Remember when God promised old, childless Abraham (then Abram)? God brought Abraham outside, told Abraham to try to count the stars, and promised that Abraham’s offspring would be as numerous as the stars. God made a direct promise to Abraham there under that night sky, and Gen. 15:6 says, “[Abraham] believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

God connected His promise to Abraham to something physical, the stars. And I love to imagine what the nights were like for old Abraham after that. I can picture him going out on a clear, cloudless night and seeing all the stars because there was no light pollution. How many nights, do you suppose, Abraham would remember God’s promise and start trying to count the stars? How long would he count before he realized it wasn’t possible? And then he would get tired, smile to himself, go to his bed, and fall asleep thinking, “Well, God made a promise to me. It’s hard to imagine and believe, but God promised.”

Dear saints, God has made promises to you as well. God didn’t bring you outside to look at the stars, but He did bring you to the font. In your Baptism, God promised that He washed away your sins (Act. 2:38). At the font, God promised that you who are Baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). God promised that those waters joined you to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-4, Col. 2:12). There God promised that He delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col. 1:13-14). These are all things God has said in the Scriptures about what He did for you in your Baptism. God is true to His Word, and faith clings to and believes those promises of God.

So, when you wash your hands or face, when you take a shower, when raindrops keep falling on your head, you too can remember God’s promises to you. Everything Christ has won for you by His life, death, and resurrection was delivered to you in your Baptism by God’s decree. And God counts that faith as your righteousness. Amen.

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

What Is Baptism? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 1

Listen here.

I. What is Baptism?

Baptism is not simply water, but it is the water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word.

What is this word of God?

It is the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in the last chapter of Matthew: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I’m no Julie Andrews, but I’ll attempt a little Maria von Trapp impersonation here, “Let’s start at the very beginning – a very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A-B-C. When you sing, you begin with Do-Re-Mi…” When you consider Baptism, you begin with Mt. 28:19.

Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Our crucified and resurrected Savior, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, passes His authority to His disciples. But what exactly is Jesus telling His disciples to do here? What is the command? I can still hear and picture a particular missionary repeatedly telling a group I was in, “The command is to go!” Actually, it isn’t. And, in fact, the word ‘go’ is probably the least important word in this verse. That’s a horrible thing to say about anything Jesus tells us, but it’s true. In all honesty, you could remove the word ‘go’ and what Jesus says would have the same meaning. Just quickly, here’s why.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus meets the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. Jesus wants His disciples to ‘make disciples’ of ‘all nations.’ Since ‘all nations’ are not there on that mountain, the disciples are going to have to leave the mountain in order to do what Jesus wants them to do. But because Jesus does say, “Go,” it is important. I don’t want to overly bore you here with grammar, so I’ll just get to the point. “Go,” is not a verb in Jesus’ sentence here. The idea is more along the lines of, “as you go,” in other words, wherever the disciples go, here is what they are to do. “Disciple all nations.” The command Jesus gives is ‘disciple,’ and ‘disciple’ is not a word that we are used to being an action. Normally, we hear the word ‘disciple’ and think it is a person – one of the twelve or a Christian today. But that’s the command, ‘disciple’ or ‘make disciples.’

And Jesus specifies whom the eleven disciples are to disciple – “all nations.” The word, there, for nations is ἔθνος – where we get our word ‘ethnicities’ or ‘all types of people.’ Jesus wants all ethnicities to be His disciples because – “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” And to fast-forward to when we will consider infant Baptism, that is one of the reasons we baptize infants. No matter their skin color, country, heritage, age, or ethnicity, Jesus wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).

How are Jesus’ disciples to disciple all ethnicities? Two things are necessary: First, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and second, teaching them all that Jesus has said.

Notice that, according to Jesus, the water of Baptism is tied to the divine, triune name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God places His holy name on you in Baptism. But this is more than simply slapping a bumper sticker or luggage tag on you. When you were Baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God brought you into fellowship with Himself. God gave you a new character, new identity, and even new birth.

When you put your name on a loan or marriage certificate, something changes. You are bound to an agreement or a person. When the eternal, unchangeable, holy God puts His name on you, that is significant.

That’s why teaching is also part of making disciples. It will take our entire lifetime to learn what it means to have God’s name placed upon us, the Baptized. That is why you come to church and listen to sermons, why you study and read your Bible. You have been made a disciple through water and the Word. Keep learning what that means, you children of God!

Now, some object to what the Bible says about God working spiritually through something physical like water. To that, we have to ask, “Has God ever used something physical to bring about salvation?” To that we have to say, without hesitation, “Yes!” Jesus became a literal, physical human to die on a cross, shed His blood, and rise again. In Christ, God used something physical to bring about something spiritual.

As humans, we are physical and spiritual – body and soul. So, it makes complete sense for God to save us through both physical and spiritual means – water and Word.

Now, it is vitally important that we recognize that Baptism isn’t simply water, but water used according to God’s command and connected to God’s Word. Without the Word and command of God, there is nothing special about the water used. That same water could be used to boil potatoes, wash your hands, or mop the floor. God’s Word and promise connected to that water is essential.

We might wonder, “Why would God chose to connect His promises to something as common as water?” God could have connected the same promises to honey, milk, or kiwi juice. But He didn’t. Asking why water is used in Baptism is like asking, “Why didn’t God create us with six arms? Why don’t birds say, ‘Moo’? Why doesn’t salt taste sweet?” The only answer is that God didn’t do it that way. Let’s let God be God, and let us be His creatures.

Again, God’s Word is essential to make a Baptism, but so is the water. Consider the importance of water through Scripture. It was over the water that the Holy Spirit hovered at the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:2). It was through water that God brought His people into the Promised Land (Jos. 3). It was through water that God led His people out of slavery (Ex. 14). It was with water that the priests were to wash their hands and feet before they went near the altar to minister to the Lord (Ex. 30:18-21).  And it was into the water that Jesus stepped to fulfill all righteousness (Mt. 3:15). 

Christian, as we will see in the coming weeks, in your Baptism God has done all of this for you. In your Baptism, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you. In your Baptism, you have been brought out of your slavery to sin. In your Baptism, you have been brought into the Promised Land of the kingdom of God. In your Baptism, you have been brought into God’s presence and before God’s altar. In your Baptism, God has fulfilled all righteousness and saved you. 

Finally, because Jesus commanded Baptism and as we see what it does in the coming weeks, we know that Baptism isn’t merely a human work. Baptism is God’s work. Just as God has redeemed you through the shedding of blood through Jesus’ hands, He has adopted you through the washing of water in Baptism done by human hands. In your Baptism, God gave you His grace, mercy, forgiveness, and adoption. It didn’t miss. Amen.

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

Dust & Doves – Sermon on Jonah 3:1-10 and Matthew 6:16-21 for Ash Wednesday

Listen here.

Jonah 3:1-10; Matthew 6:16-21

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Tonight, you heard harsh words. They were the same words that were first spoken to your father Adam, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). God had said it would be this way, “In the day you eat of it, you will die,” and so it is.

God never intended to speak such harsh words of judgment over the crown of His creation. When Adam was created, God had lovingly and carefully formed him out of the mud. As a potter molds and shapes the clay (Is. 64:8), so God formed and shaped Adam. Then, God blew into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became a living soul. After God created Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, God blew on both of them again and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over everything that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). God wanted more and more of these creatures of dust which He had made in His image.

But tonight, we remember what we have destroyed by our sins. We need to remember because we so easily forget what our sin is and what our sin does. Your sins and my sins aren’t just little accidents here and there. They aren’t just making an occasional wrong choice. Every one of our sins is a rebellion against God. Sin corrupts and darkens and infects every part of us – body and soul. Our sin is the cause of our stiffness, soreness, tiredness, and fatigue. But even if we can hide the outward, bodily effects of our sin, we cannot hide anything before God. Eventually, sin will overtake us and we will return to dust.

Tonight, we remember what we have done to bring about our own death. We remember how we have lived as though God did not matter and as though we mattered most. We remember that our sin is every thought, word, and deed that we have done and what we have left undone. We remember that we justly deserve God’s present and eternal punishment. We remember that our heart is always turning everywhere except where true treasure is to be found. And, as we remember all of this, we repent.

As important as it is to remember our sin, our separation from God, and our mortality, there is something more important to remember and that is the fact that God remembers His promises to you.

Tonight, we heard about Jonah’s preaching and the repentance it brought to the people of Nineveh (Jon. 3:1-10). God had called Jonah to preach to that great city once before, but Jonah ran the opposite way. Jonah ran, not because he was afraid, but because he had faith in God’s Words. Jonah knew that God had promised to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Ex. 34:6-7). Jonah didn’t want that for the people of Nineveh. We heard how he went and preached a reluctant, one-sentence sermon of only Law. But despite Jonah’s reluctance and poor preaching, God’s Word was still effective. (And that, by the way, is a comfort for me.) The people of Nineveh repented and turned to the one true God whose mercy abounds.

The people of Nineveh heard and believed God’s Word (Jon. 3:5). And they took, what was for them, a shot in the dark. They repented thinking that maybe, just maybe, God would turn from His fierce anger. And it paid off. God forgave them.

A lot could be said about Jonah’s sinful attitude toward preaching to the people of Nineveh, but we’re going to leave that for another time. Tonight, know this. The same God who forgave the wicked sinners of Nineveh is also your God.

God sent Jonah, whose name means ‘dove,’ to proclaim peace to Nineveh. And even though that little dove, who now smelled of whale vomit (because that’s what he had become), and even though his sermon stank as much as he did, God’s peace arrived to those dusty sinners of Nineveh.

Tonight, God has done for you what He did for the Ninevites. God has sent the dove of His Holy Spirit. God has gathered you here tonight so He can breathe on you His life-giving words.

Your merciful God remembers that you are dust, and He has done something about it. God Himself took on a dusty, human frame when He was born. He took on your human flesh so He could draw all the poison of your sin into Himself. The same God is the One who forgives and raises the poor out of the dust to live forever in His kingdom.

Through God’s Word tonight, He is creating faith in us who were His enemies. He brings life to the dying. He opens the gates of heaven because this Word creates faith which remembers God’s promise that He will remember your sins no more.

Tonight, God invites you to His altar to hear another one-sentence sermon. “Take, eat and drink; this is the Body and Blood of Christ given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” He gives you this Sacrament so that we men and women of dust will live eternally. Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Pr. Ralph Tausz as inspiration for this sermon.

Unto Eternity – Sermon on Psalm 23, Revelation 22:1-21, and Luke 12:35-40 for Midweek Advent 3 2020

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, what will eternity be like? Through these Advent services, we’ve considered the comfort of Christ’s coming and what it means for us now and on the Last Day. But what does it mean for us beyond that? What does Jesus’ coming mean unto eternity? Even though we don’t get a ton of details, the overwhelming picture of Scripture has one common theme, and throughout the all texts tonight (Ps. 23; Rev. 22:1-21; Lk. 12:35-40), God serving you has been that theme.

First you heard how God serves you throughout your life. In Ps. 23, God serves you as your shepherd making you lie down in green pastures, leading you beside still waters, protecting you through the valley of the shadow of death, and finally preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies anointing your head with oil, and overflowing your cup. Indeed, God’s goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Really, the translation there is too weak. ‘Follow’ is not nearly strong enough.

The Hebrew word there is almost always a military term to pursue. It gets used when Pharaoh had his army chase the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:4, 8-9, 23). It is what Israel’s army did to the Philistine army after David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:52). At the end of Ps. 23 – the picture is so beautiful – God’s goodness and God’s mercy pursue you and hunt you down all the days of your life. No matter how often you try to flee, God is coming after you with His goodness and mercy. And that care and compassion of God will continue because you will dwell in His house forever.

In our Gospel lesson, we have another picture of God serving us. And it is so interesting. Jesus opens that text by commanding us to, “Stay dressed for action.” Literally, the phrase is, “Let your loins be girded.”Now, I’m sorry to do this to you on a Wednesday night, but the grammar is too important to not do it. This is a perfect imperative. In other words, it is a command to already be in a certain state. So, Jesus is commanding you to have your loins girded – which doesn’t mean much for us today. But in Jesus’ day this would mean that men would lift up the heavy robes from around their feet and ankles so they were ready work or travel. This is important because God gave the same command to Moses on how the people were to eat the original Passover meal (Ex. 12:11). They were to eat the Passover with their belts fastened (that’s the girded loins idea), sandals on their feet, staff in hand, and eat it quickly.

Now, remember during the original Passover, they had to put the blood of the lamb around their doors to keep the angel of death from entering their household. And this was the final plague which brought God’s people out of slavery. But in this text, Jesus bringing about a beautiful reversal. He gets our minds to be thinking about the Passover with the command to gird our loins, but, dear people of God, we aren’t waiting for the angel of death to pass over. Instead, we are waiting for our Lord and master to come home from the wedding feast He has attended.

So, here’s the picture: Jesus has died, risen again, and ascended to God’s right hand in heaven where there is a joyful celebration going on. But Christ has promised that He will come back for us, and He wants us to be ready for His return. And those who have heeded Jesus’ command to be ready to work when He returns find the most amazing thing upon His return. Instead of us, Christ’s servants, serving Him, Jesus serves us. In other words, Jesus will go to work while you recline at the table and feast for eternity.

Dear saints, Jesus, the Son of Man, came on Christmas day not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for you (Mt. 20:28). And Jesus is returning not to be served but to serve you and shower you with His eternal love.

Finally, we have the most beautiful picture of this in our Epistle text (Rev. 22:1-21). Christ Himself will be your Lamb who shepherds you by the still waters of the river of life which flows from the throne of God. He will feed you in the eternal green pastures from the tree of life which bring healing for the nations. No longer will there be anything that is cursed. You will see God’s face, and His name will be on your forehead. There will be no more night. God Himself will be your light, and you will reign forever and ever.

Dear saints, throughout these Advent services, you have been reminded of the urgency to be ready for Christ’s return. Jesus could come back before this service ends, so be ready. It could be months from now, so do not grow weary, but be ready. It could be millennia before He returns, so ingrain the faith in your children and pass on the faith to ensure others will be ready as well. We need to heed Jesus’ warnings about being ready for His return.

But then we need to take a deep breath and let it out with a laugh because what we are waiting for an eternal party. Christ has already come winning your salvation. Jesus continually comes bringing you His forgiveness. And your Savior is returning bringing eternal joys. 

Ultimately, know this: Jesus isn’t returning like a picky mother-in-law inspecting the china she gave you as a wedding present to see if it’s been chipped or damaged. Instead, Jesus is returning like your favorite uncle with treats in one hand and a pile of fireworks in the other. Yes, we do need to watch and be ready for His return but mainly because it would be such a pity to miss all the fun. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

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

At the Last – Sermon on Matthew 25:31-46 for Midweek Advent 2 2020

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Your Savior, whose first coming was humble and lowly yet announced by the angels, is coming again in glory, and every eye will behold Him. His swaddling clothes will be exchanged for royal robes, and instead of lying in a manger, He will sit on His glorious throne.

Your Redeemer, whose birth was celebrated by the shepherds, is coming again for you as your Good Shepherd.

Growing up, I remember fearing the day of Christ’s return and standing before Him to be judged. I think it started as a dream, but I would often replay the scene in my head. In my mind, the final judgment consisted of Christ setting up a tent (I don’t know why it was a tent) on 8th Ave. East in Williston, North Dakota. I pictured myself waiting in line to go in that tent which opened right in front of our mailbox situated on a wagon wheel.

In my mind, I entered that tent and there was a makeshift projector screen on one of the walls. Jesus invited me in and began to replay my life on that screen, and the replay lasted just over one second. Afterward, Jesus peppered me with hundreds of questions about my conduct and actions – especially regarding my sinful behavior. Sadly, I had no answer, no excuse to offer for my sins, iniquities, and shortcomings. Sadly, the end result of this was that I was terrified of the return of my Redeemer.

God be praised, that is not how Scripture depicts Christ’s return! There will be no replay of your life, no grand inquisition, no need to offer excuses. In fact, the only thing that I can’t disprove of my imagining of the final judgment is that it won’t take place on 8th Ave. East in Williston.

Our Gospel text tonight is typically known as “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.” However, there is no indication that this is a parable. The way Jesus talks here, we can expect that this is exactly how it will happen.

Christ will return in His glory. All the angels will be with Him. He will sit on His glorious throne. All people will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Sheep to the right. Goats to the left.

Christian, you will hear the sweetest, kindest, most merciful and beautiful words your ears have ever heard. “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Then, Christ will divulge before all people your good works and honor you for what you have done. Jesus will confess that you have been merciful even as God Himself is merciful. Christ will declare that you have given as you have received.

Now, we need to be clear. None of these works are the cause of God’s love for you. In fact, God loved and chose you from before the foundation of the world before you had done any good works. In His love for you, God prepared a place for you before you were born. You do not earn salvation and a place in His kingdom by works. Entrance into the kingdom is not a wage that is paid; instead, it is an invitation to be an heir.

The works that God will honor at the final judgment are simply the proof of your faith. 

God does reward good works in this life. He uses those rewards to strengthen and encourage you to continue to put off your sinful flesh. But most of His rewards are dispensed in the life to come so that you don’t grow complacent and lazy. But know this: even when God defers and delays His rewards, God takes notice of the good works because they are good and God loves them.

Dear saints, the infant Jesus who came to save you from your sins is the same King who does not and will not count your sins against you on the Last Day.

At the last, Christ will say to you, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” What a day that will be. Amen.

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

Father, Forgive Them – Sermon on Luke 23:34 for Good Friday

Listen here.

Luke 23:34a

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Whenever I read the passages about the crucifixion, I get frustrated. There is a big part of me that wants to enter into the story, grab people by the shirt, and tell them, “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

But imagine saying, “You don’t know what you are doing,” to the chief priests and Pharisees when they put Jesus on trial. Likely, they would have responded, “We know exactly what we are doing.” They had intentionally sought out gathered people who they knew would give false testimony against Jesus (Mt. 26:59-60), so they could put Him to death. In fact, for the majority of Jesus’ ministry, they had been trying to find a way to destroy Jesus (Mk. 3:6; Jn. 5:18).

Imagine saying to the crowds, “You don’t know what you are doing.” They probably would have said, “That man, Jesus, is dangerous. The chief priests and elders told us just how dangerous He is. It’s better for us to have murderer Barabbas freed and wandering the streets than to have Jesus leading people astray. We want Him crucified.”

Imagine saying to the soldiers, “You don’t know what you are doing.” They would have likely said, “Yes we do. We are experts with whips and hammers and nails. We know how to whip, beat, and flog a prisoner. We have been trained to know exactly where to put the nails in the hands and feet to avoid the arteries and maximize the suffering to make death on a cross as excruciating as possible.”

It seems as though everyone responsible for putting Jesus on the cross knew exactly what they were doing. But Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Was Jesus wrong?

No. In His mercy, Jesus looks on them from His with compassion, and absolves them. He forgives their sins. And He blesses them. Because that is exactly why He is dying. He is dying to forgive them, and He is dying to forgive you.

When we see Jesus dying on the cross, we are sorry for our sins. We know our sins are bad, but when we see how Jesus suffers for our sins, we know just how bad they are. We see what the cost is for our sins. We know how angry God is at our sins.

We know that it was because of our sins that Jesus was dragged around all night to the different trials. We know that our sin caused Jesus to be spit upon, beaten, and whipped. Because of our sin, Jesus was pinned to that splintered piece of wood and lifted up to hang there and suffocate to death. Because of our sin, Jesus endured the wrath of God as He hung in darkness, abandoned and deserted by His Father. All of it is sad, and it should make us sorry. There is no more severe preaching of God’s Law than the cross of Jesus because on the cross of Jesus we see what we deserve (FOC. Ep. IV. 9).

But know this: Jesus is not just suffering because of you; He is suffering for you and in your place.

Jesus wants to be on the cross. Now, it isn’t as though Jesus enjoyed being on the cross. Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus despised the shame of the cross. He wants to be there. He wants to pay the price. He wants to rescue, redeem, save, and forgive you all your sins.

Yes, Jesus suffers because of you, but even more wonderfully Jesus suffers for you. And Christ would have it no other way.

Remember when Peter says that he doesn’t want Jesus to go to the cross (Mt. 16:21-22), but Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Jesus is determined to be up there on the cross because it is the only way for you to have the gifts that He will win. To be on that cross is what Jesus wants.

Jesus wants to be crucified for you so that you can have His joy and His peace.

And this is why we call it “Good Friday” because Jesus is dying for you.

And He isn’t mad about it. Jesus isn’t upset or angry at you. He loves you and prays from the cross for you, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Amen.

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

The Church: Gathered & Sanctified – Sermon on the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed for Midweek Lent 5

The Scripture readings used for tonight’s service were Psalm 50; Acts 2:22-47; and John 17:17-26.

Listen here.

I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith; in like manner as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in this Christian Church, He daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true.

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

The Holy Spirit works to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth. One of the greatest records of the Holy Spirit doing exactly this is what you just heard from our Epistle lesson Acts 2[:22-47] which occurred on the day of Pentecost.

But to see the whole picture we have to go back to fifty days prior to Pentecost when Jesus was crucified. Remember the first recorded words of Jesus when He was nailed to the cross? “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). But after Jesus says this, the silence is deafening. No one is there to proclaim God’s forgiveness. No voice from heaven announces, “Yes, I forgive them.” Instead, Luke just continues to record how the soldiers cast lots to divide Jesus’ clothing and how the crowd mocks, scoffs, and jeers at Jesus. If we only had Luke’s Gospel, we wouldn’t know the answer to Jesus’ prayer, “Father forgive them.” But, thanks be to God, we know how God answered Christ’s prayer because the Gospel of Luke has a sequel – the book of Acts.

In that Epistle lesson, Luke records how Peter preaches to the people on the day of Pentecost. In that sermon, Peter points his finger to those gathered around him and rightly says that they were the very ones who delivered Jesus into the hands of evil men to be crucified. They delivered the Lord of Life unto death. But God raised Jesus from the dead. When they heard this, the Holy Spirit led them to cry out, “What shall we do?” And Peter responds, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

That very day, the Holy Spirit worked through the Word of God, and 3,000 people repented, were baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They were baptized, and they were forgiven. Just fifty days after Jesus’ death, some of the very people who placed Him on the cross are given salvation. As Peter says, they were saved from that crooked generation (Act. 2:40), but what were they saved to?

This is an extremely important thing to recognize. To be saved means that you are taken fromsomething and transferred to something else. You get saved from a sinking ship, to a floating ship (or to land). You get saved from quicksand to solid ground. You get saved from a burning house to a place that isn’t on fire.

A lot of Christians today think they are saved from this crooked generation of the world to a solitary life with just themselves and Jesus. But Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, and is risen to create His holy Christian Church. The Holy Spirit doesn’t save us so that we can be with Jesus alone.

Some Christians think they are saved from their old, sinful way of life to a less sinful life. A lot of churches cater to this idea and offer different series of self-help sermons: “Five Tips to be a Better Parent,” “Seven Steps to Improve Your Marriage,” “Four Habits of Being a Good Employee,” etc. Of course, there are many passages of Scripture that give us good, godly instruction on each of those things. God cares about how you raise your children, treat your spouse, and work at your job. But those are not the only passages of Scripture, and that is not the main focus of Scripture. The Holy Spirit has much more for you than being a better person.

To be a Christian is to be saved from this crooked generation, but Luke, in that passage from Acts, tells us what those first Christians were saved to. They were saved to be the Church led by the Holy Spirit. And what is it the Holy Spirit leads them to?

The text tells us exactly what they are led to. “And they [the first believers] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Act. 2:42).

Let’s take each of those in order:

First, the Holy Spirit led them to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The only place these first Christians could get the apostles’ teaching was by going directly to the apostles themselves. They would need to be where Peter, James, John, Matthew, or Thomas etc. was to get that teaching. The first Christians would gather around the apostles to hear them preach and teach Jesus crucified, died, risen, and ascended for the forgiveness of their sins. And as time went on, believers could read and hear the apostles’ teaching in the letters that have been accepted as Holy Spirit-inspired Scripture.

Today, you can go to all sorts of churches that do have God’s Word, but they don’t actually teach what the Scriptures teach. Instead, many churches try to explain away what God’s Word says. Some are blatantly and obviously departing from the Scriptural teaching that a sinful, immoral life is fine with God. Some are less obvious and teach things that are nothing more than what you could get from a life coach or motivational speaker. Christian, the Holy Spirit leads you to devote yourself to the apostles’ teaching. And if any preacher or I ever start to explain away what the Scriptures clearly teach, run away from me as though I were a foaming-at-the-mouth, rabid wolf.

Second, the Holy Spirit led the first believers to be devoted to the fellowship. Christians desire to be together. They desire to share common things. These things included one faith, one Lord, one Baptism, one God and Father, one Spirit (Eph. 4:4-6). But it also included their stuff. They were very generous in showing mercy and giving to the needy. They were a people who, led by the Holy Spirit, bared one another’s burdens. And, dear saints, that is something we desperately need today.

Third, the Holy Spirit led the first believers to devote themselves to the breaking of bread. They celebrated the Lord’s Supper as Jesus instituted it. Jesus gave the gift of Holy Communion for His Church to gather around and receive the blessing of His life-giving Body and His forgiving Blood.

A quick note on this during this time of pandemic and quarantine: From God’s hand, we have been given a chance to repent. Maybe, we have gotten lazy and thought that the holy things of God were normal. Maybe we assumed we would always have access to them. Let’s repent of that and remember how precious and gracious God is in giving them to us. But, please, also remember that even though we cannot receive it together as a congregation, I am happy and delighted to serve you as your pastor with the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood here or at your home. Just let me know. And pray that the day when we can receive the Sacrament together once again may come soon!

Fourth, and finally, the Holy Spirit led the first believers to devote themselves to the prayers. They interceded to God on behalf of others. They prayed with thanksgiving for the gifts that God had given them. They prayed in worship to the God who is merciful and gracious. These prayers characterized their life together.

Dear saints, Jesus forgave the very ones who crucified Him. By the working of the Holy Spirit through the preaching and teaching of the apostles, God called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified them just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies you. The Holy Spirit calls you out of yourself and your own self-interests to be the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). By the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through you, let your light sine so that others may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Mt. 5:16).

To close out this series on the Creed, dear saints, know that you have been created by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The holy, blessed Trinity loves you and has made you His own. Rejoice in His eternal lovingkindness toward you. Amen.

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

Sanctified by the Holy Spirit – Sermon on the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed for Midweek Lent 4

Sermon for the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed for Midweek Lent 4. The Scripture readings used during tonight’s service were Psalm 51; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; and John 14:15-21. Another important text is John 16:8-11.

Listen here.

I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith; in like manner as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in this Christian Church, He daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ.  This is most certainly true.

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

In this series, we have seen first, how the Father creates and sustains us; second, how the Son redeems us through His humiliation and exaltation; and now tonight, we will begin to consider the Holy Spirit and how He sanctifies us.

Sometimes, Lutherans are accused of not talking about the Holy Spirit enough. People today think the Holy Spirit is at work when they get a particular feeling or emotion because of things going on around them. Scripture is very clear that feelings are not a good gauge to determine whether or not the Holy Spirit is at work.

Now, maybe it is a fair assessment to say Lutherans don’t talk about the Holy Spirit very often. But it should be noted that the Holy Spirit is very content not being talked about. In fact, Jesus says that the work of the Holy Spirit is to point us to Him as our Savior. In John 15:26, Jesus says that when the Holy Spirit comes, “He will bear witness about Me.” In other words, whenever you hear about Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins, you can know without a doubt that the Holy Spirit at work in you creating faith.

We learn most about the Holy Spirit in John 14-16, some of that you have already heard. In that section Jesus repeatedly calls the Holy Spirit the ‘Helper.’ The word Jesus uses means ‘advocate, intercessor, or mediator.’ In John 16:8-11, Jesus tells us how the Holy Spirit helps, advocates, intercedes, and mediates for us.

Open scene with video and verses.

Listen to those verses, “When [the Helper, the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” As we begin to consider the work of the Holy Spirit, we should think about each of these.

Flip verses slide

First, Jesus says the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin “because the world does not believe in Me” (Jn. 16:9). Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin because they are so horrible.

We think that the opposite of sin is good works, and without the Holy Spirit, we wrongly think that our sin is something we can manage on our own. We imagine we can hide the stains of our sin by being kind to those around us. We think we can distract God from our lust, anger, pride, and selfishness with a few good works here and there.

But the opposite of sin is not good works. Romans 14[:23] says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” The opposite of sin is faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

So, as the Holy Spirit convicts us concerning sin, He shows us the depths of our sin, but He also points us to Jesus who has taken all our sin and punishment. The Holy Spirit shows us that we are fools if we think our sin can be taken away by anything other than the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin showing us that we need Jesus to be our Savior. But when the Holy Spirit has convicted us of our sin, He isn’t done. There is still more Spirit convicting to do.

Flip verses slide.

Second, Jesus says the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning righteousness “because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer” (Jn. 16:10).

The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to convict you concerning righteousness. In other words, because Jesus has died, you are righteous. You are completely freed from those sins which should separate you from God for eternity.

Satan, the accuser, comes along and tries to tell you that God doesn’t love you. He lies saying that Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t enough. He comes along and tries to tell you that you aren’t really a Christian and have been fooling yourself. Or if you call yourself a Christian you aren’t a ‘true Christian’ or a ‘committed Christian’ or an ‘on-fire Christian.’ But the devil’s whispers to you are all hogwash.

Listen to what the Spirit says to you in the Scriptures: The Holy Spirit says Jesus became sin for you so that, through faith in Christ, you have become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). You have been made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (1 Pet. 1:16). The Holy Spirit promises that there is no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus (Ro. 8:1). The Holy Spirit shows you that the righteousness you need has been totally and completely provided for you by Jesus who went to His Father saying, “It is finished.”

And the Holy Spirit still isn’t done.

Flip verses slide.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment, but notice He convicts concerning judgment not because you are judged, rather “because the ruler of this world is judged” (Jn. 16:11).

Christian, when you suffer, when bad things happen to you, you might think that God is judging you. But the Holy Spirit comes and says to you that you are not the target of God’s judgment. Satan is, and he always has been.

When God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden, the first judgment He gave was to the devil. God promised that He would send Jesus to crush the serpent’s head. Jesus has come and done just that.

The Holy Spirit’s work is to bring all this out into the open. Because of what Christ has done for you, you are not God’s enemy. God demonstrates His love for you that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Ro. 5:8). And even when you were God’s enemy, here’s how He treated you – He reconciled you to Himself by the death of Jesus (Ro. 5:10).

Go to regular video.

All of this is the Holy Spirit’s work. The Holy Spirit convicts you concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit takes all the work of Jesus and declares it to you (Jn. 16:13-15). He is your Helper, your Comforter, your Advocate. Through Spirit’s working, He opens the Scriptures to you creating, sustaining, and strengthening your faith while He guides you into all the truth.

So, dear saints, believe. Believe that your sin is paid in full by Christ’s shed blood. Believe that Christ’s righteousness covers you. And believe that you are judged worthy of eternal life because of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is at work right now through God’s Word so that you can discern and understand the mind of the Lord. As you listen to the Spirit speaking and guiding you through the Word of God, you know what is on God’s mind – your redemption and sanctification. Through all of this, you are given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). You are not left as an orphan. The Holy Spirit is with you and working within you to sanctify you and all Christians as God’s own child (Jn. 14:16-17). Amen.

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

Exalted for Your Redemption – Sermon on the 2nd Article of the Apostles’ Creed for Midweek Lent 3

The Scripture readings used for tonight’s service were Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-18; and Luke 24:44-53.

Listen here.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; and is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from where He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

What does this mean?

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true Man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord; Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, bought me and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with silver and gold, but with His holy and precious blood and with His innocent sufferings and death; in order that I might be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness; even as He is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity.  This is most certainly true.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week we considered the 2nd Article of the Apostle’s Creed and Jesus’ humiliation. Tonight, we continue to consider this article, but in the light of Jesus’ exaltation. Jesus, who is God and Man, is now seated at God’s right hand where He rules, governs, and directs all things in creation. This is great news, and we’ll finish by dwelling on that.

But first it is good to recognize where we confess Jesus’ humiliation and where we confess Jesus’ exaltation in the Creed. Jesus’ humiliation includes His conception by the Holy Spirit; His birth of the virgin Mary; His suffering under Pontius Pilate; His crucifixion, death, and burial. Two things should be mentioned at this point:

First, and this will be important later, the fact that the eternal Son of God took on human flesh – the term for that is the ‘incarnation’ – is not part of Jesus’ humiliation. The way or manner in which Jesus took on flesh shows His humility, but the incarnation itself is not part of Jesus’ humiliation. We have to confess that because Jesus is still truly Man. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He didn’t lay aside or set down His body. No, He ascended physically into heaven. Jesus still has and will forever have His body. So, again, the fact that the Son of God took on flesh is not part of Jesus’ humiliation because He keeps His body in His exaltation. Tuck that into the back of your mind because, again, it will be important later.

The second thing to mention here is Jesus’ descent into hell. It might seem foreign to us, but Jesus’ descent into hell is the first step of His exaltation when we confess the Creed. We are so used to being told about the horrors of hell that we probably think that going there must be terrible, and that is absolutely true for us. However, when Jesus descended into hell, He did so for an important reason.

The only Scripture text that teaches that Jesus descended into hell is 1 Pet. 3:18-19 which says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” Notice that this text teaches that Jesus is made alive in the spirit, in which, He goes and proclaims to the spirits in the prison of hell. As Jesus wins the victory over death by rising again, He descends into hell and proclaims His victory over the devil and the souls of those who refused to believe. Think of it as a victory lap when Christ preaches even to the devil and those who persisted in unbelief that by the shedding of His blood He has won the victory over sin and death.

So, with all of that in mind, when we confess the Creed, Christ’s exaltation begins with His descent into hell then continues with His resurrection from the dead on the third day; His ascension into heaven; and His continued sitting at God’s right hand to this day. Jesus’ exaltation will culminate when He returns in glory to judge the living and the dead on the Last Day.

So, what toes all of this mean for you now?

Well, in our Gospel lesson (Lk. 24:44-53), we got to hear Luke’s shorter account of Jesus’ ascension. Luke gives a longer view of the ascension with a few other details in Acts 1[:6-11]. But I want you to notice two particular details from the end of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus leads the disciples out to Bethany. Ascension 2He lifts up His hands and blesses them. And while He is blessing them, He is carried up into heaven. The last time Jesus was seen on earth, He is lifting up His hands in blessing. And Jesus continues to lift up His nail-pierced hands in blessing over you, dear saints.

The other detail to consider briefly is that the disciples worshiped Him. Imagine you walked around a corner and saw these disciples. Some of them are standing with their arms raised in praise and gazing into heaven. Some are kneeling with their faces to the ground praising Him. Maybe they are singing one of the Psalms. To someone who didn’t know what had just happened, seeing all this would look pretty ridiculous.

But it isn’t. Jesus was gone. He had ascended to God’s right hand. But the disciples knew that Jesus was not gone in a way that means that He is now absent from them. So, they return to Jerusalem with joy – with great joy. And they were continually in the Temple blessing God. And we join them.

Because Jesus has physically ascended into heaven and is exalted, we have an eternal High Priest who is crowned with glory and honor. As our Epistle text (Heb. 2:5-18) says, He has been made like us, and still is like us, in every respect, so that He is a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God. He is the one who carried our griefs and sorrows (Is. 53:4). He knows the struggles you faced today, and He endured the trials you will face tomorrow. Because He suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help you who are being tempted.

Dear saints, Jesus is exalted. Christ is risen, and He is ascended into heaven, but He is not gone. He is still with you. In fact, He has promised to always be with you. Jesus promises, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am among them” (Mt. 18:20). Jesus promises, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18, 20). We see Him with the eyes of faith. We see Him even though our eyes do not behold Him. We see Him because He has promised to be with us in His Word and Sacrament. We see Him in our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we see Him in our neighbor who needs our help because as we do good to the least of our brothers, we do also unto Jesus.

We see Jesus, and we watch for Him. We watch for Him because this same Jesus promises that He will return to dwell with you for all eternity. As God’s people we say, “Amen. Amen. It will be so. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” Amen.

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