The Child Who Is Zechariah’s Hope – Sermon on Luke 1:5-15 for Midweek Advent 1

Luke 1:5-25

⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

⁸ Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷ and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹ And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³ And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

²⁴ After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were an ideal couple. They were both righteous before God. In other words, they both had faith in God’s promises to send the Messiah who would crush the serpent’s head and deliver all God’s people (Gen. 3:15; Is. 9:14). They both walked blamelessly in keeping the commandments and statues of the Lord. But this dear couple had to walk the sad road of infertility. They had no child.

It is interesting how often Scripture will introduce a new era of salvation history with a barren womb. The beginning of God’s chosen people who would be the lineage of the Messiah begins with Sarah’s barren womb which would bring forth Isaac. In the age of the kings, the focus is on Hannah’s barren womb which would bring forth the prophet and king-anointer, Samuel. Now here, at the time of the Messiah, God will bring the forerunner and proclaimer of the Messiah from Elizabeth’s barren womb. And the Messiah Himself will come from the virgin womb of Mary.

As Zechariah is serving in the Temple, he is given all these wonderful promises about the child he and Elizabeth will bear, but he doubts. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” It’s ironic that Zechariah doubts like this. After all, Zechariah’s name means, “God remembers.” Apparently, Zechariah didn’t live up to his name. He didn’t remember that God remembers. Somehow, this righteous and blameless man didn’t remember how God had acted for Abraham and Sarah with the birth of Isaac and for Elkanah and Hannah with the birth of Samuel. Zechariah didn’t remember, but God did. God remembered His merciful promises to deliver mankind from sin and death. God remembered His mercy and steadfast love (Ps. 25:6-7). Whenever Scripture talks about God remembering, it isn’t simply that a bit of information had been momentarily lost in God’s mind and suddenly found. No. When God remembers, He acts.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Zechariah that day in the Temple to announce that God was going to act and bring about the long-promised salvation. God was about to send John the Baptizer, the one whom God promised would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Savior (Mal. 4:5-6). But Zechariah, God’s priest, doubted and was made silent for his unbelief.

Dear saints, too often we are like Zechariah. We have been made God’s royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9). In His mercy, God has chosen you to do priestly work – to pray, to train your children in the Scriptures, and to proclaim God’s goodness and mercy to everyone you meet. You and I have every reason to be bold and confident in everything we do because of God’s promises to us. But too often we find ourselves doubting. Doubting that God has and will deliver us. Doubting that we have been justified by grace through faith. Doubting that we have peace with God. Doubting that we have access to God’s grace. All of this doubt grieves the Holy Spirit. And our doubt mutes us from proclaiming God’s love to others.

Like Zechariah, we may forget, but God does not forget. Instead, God continues to act. He has sent Jesus, the Messiah who is our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14) and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Jesus came and used His voice to bless, to pray, to teach, and the gather sinners. Our guiltless Christ was silent before His accusers and went to an unjust death in your place. There, from the cross, Jesus uttered the greatest blessing any priest could speak, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Now, Jesus sits at God’s right hand as your intercessor and advocate.

In Advent, we focus on Jesus’ coming. He came in humility at His birth in Bethlehem. He comes in humility now in His Word and Sacraments. And He will come again in glory on the Last Day. So, as we wait, let us remember His mercy never comes to an end but is new each and every morning. And He gives us better than we ask or think.

We ask for comfort from our wounded consciences, and He gives comfort on top of comfort (Is. 40:2). We ask Him to help is in our earthly trials, and He gives us an eternal Kingdom. We ask for help to endure pain, disease, and sickness, and He gives us the promise of full and complete healing in the resurrection on the Last Day.

Dear saints, whenever we consider the Child whose birth we will soon celebrate, let the answer to “What Child is this?” always be, “This is Christ the King whom angels sing.” And may our voices join with theirs now and for all eternity because He who has promised is faithful and He will surely do it. Amen.

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

A King for the Stubborn – Sermon on Matthew 21:1-9 for the First Sunday of Advent

Nov28

Matthew 21:1-9

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵ “Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine that you are on the gameshow Family Feud. I’ll pretend to be the host, Steve Harvey. “We asked 100 people: What word would you use to describe a donkey?” Yeah, I bet “stubborn” would be worth 97 points. This past week, I did a lot of reading on donkeys and found an article titled, “Fourteen Reasons a Donkey Is an Ideal Hiking Companion.”^[1] A few of my favorite sarcastic reasons: They don’t engage in chit-chat but are very good listeners. Big ears. They kick really hard and are, basically, the Chuck Norris of the equine family. They aren’t interested in social media, so you won’t freeze at the summit while you wait for them to try and get the perfect shot to post in Instagram.

But some of the more serious reasons are: They will carry your stuff for you. They have great endurance. They are focused and surefooted in all types of terrain. Donkeys have great memories and can remember areas they have been up to 25 years previously. They are a good judge as to whether or not a path or situation is potentially dangerous, and it’s nearly impossible to persuade a donkey to take a path that it considers sus (sic.). (For you old, out-of-tough folks, that means ‘suspicious.’) And that last reason is why most people consider them to be stubborn. If a donkey senses danger, it won’t budge.

Remember Balaam’s donkey? Balaam was riding his donkey to go curse the people of Israel on behalf of the king of Moab (1 Kgs. 22). God was angry at Balaam for going and sent the angel of the Lord to stand on the road with a drawn sword. The donkey saw the danger, but Balaam didn’t. The donkey went off the road and into a field, so Balaam struck his donkey. Then, the angel stood in a narrow path with a wall on both sides. The donkey moved to the side, right against the wall, which smushed Balaam’s foot, so he struck her again. Then, the angel went to another narrow place. This time donkey lay down, and Balaam struck her again.

So, God opened the donkey’s mouth to speak to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Balaam complains to his donkey that she has made him look like… well, another word for ‘donkey.’ And the donkey responded, “You have ridden me your whole life. Do I normally treat you this way?” Balaam answered, “No.” Finally, God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn, and Balaam fell on his face.

Balaam’s donkey was being stubborn and refusing to walk near the angel of the Lord because it was good for the donkey, but it was also good for her rider. The stubbornness of donkeys is one of their best qualities. It protects them and their companions.

It’s interesting that the donkey Jesus rode in our text didn’t sense the danger ahead for its Rider and dig in its heels. Maybe, that donkey didn’t realize that sinful man is even more stubborn than a donkey.

Donkeys are supposed to be stubborn, but we aren’t. Quite honestly, when it comes to being stubborn, we sinners are far more guilty than donkeys. The Old Testament prophets – especially Jeremiah – talk about how we stubbornly refuse to listen to God. Our old nature is a wild, unmanageable donkey (Jer. 2:23-24). We have stubborn hearts that turn us aside from God’s way (Jer. 5:23). Too often, we allow our stubborn, sinful hearts to lead us in gratifying our fleshly desires. We are not loving toward God or our neighbor. Instead, we dig our heels into the ground and demand our own way. And when we do run, it is generally toward sin and away from God. Repent.

There’s no way to know if the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem knew about the danger that lay ahead for its Rider, but Christ certainly knew. And that is why He rode forward. Christ came to be the King for stubborn sinners. He knew the suffering He would endure for you, and your stubborn heart is no match for your King’s loving and merciful heart. Today, you hear how He comes to save you, humble and mounted on a donkey.

And for us stubborn sinners, that is good news. He doesn’t come as a conquering king on a war horse or elephant. He comes humble and mounted on a beast of burden. Jesus comes to carry your burden of sin on His shoulders to the cross where He will be even more humble and lowly and die for your sins.

And now, Christ does for you just what He did for that donkey He rode into Jerusalem. In the Absolution, Jesus has sent His disciple with authority to come and untie you from your sin (Jn. 20:22-23). He has loosed you from your stubbornness in sin and freed you to go with Him bearing your cross as His willing disciple.

As we begin the season of Advent (which means ‘coming’), we want to remember all the comings of Christ, our King and Savior. He came in Bethlehem: born of a woman, born under the Law to redeem you who were under the Law (Gal. 4:4). On the Last Day, He will dome again in glory with all the angels to judge the living and the dead.

But we don’t want to forget that Christ still repeatedly comes now in humility in His Word and Sacraments. He comes to give you what you could never earn or deserve – a place in His eternal kingdom. He washes away your stubborn stains of sin and makes you clean, righteous, and holy. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

^[1] https://www.thehikinglife.com/2020/02/14-reasons-why-a-donkey-is-the-ideal-hiking-companion/

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

Nov21

Matthew 25:1-13

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The five foolish virgins had one problem. They were “morons.” That’s literally the word Jesus uses – μωρός. So that’s how I’ll refer to them; if you have a problem with me calling them morons, you can take it up with Jesus. Being morons was their only problem. The fact that they had lamps but no oil is problematic, but their problem is that they are morons. Having an oil lamp but no oil is silly. Wicks without oil can only burn for a few seconds before disappearing in a choking mess of smoke.

We might think that the wise virgins not sharing their oil with the morons is a problem. It doesn’t seem very charitable. Why don’t the wise just offer to let the morons walk in the light of their lamps? Well, we don’t know enough about the customs of Jesus’ day to know why each girl needed to have her own lamp. And who knows? Maybe that arrangement would have been acceptable. But notice what the morons did. When the call rings out, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him,” they moronically wander away from the banquet hall to try and buy some “midnight oil.” What shop would be open at that hour?

While the morons are gone on their hopeless shopping trip, the bridegroom arrives. The five wise virgins go in to the marriage feast, and the door is shut. When the five morons finally return begging to be allowed in to the feast, they are met with the horrifying reply, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

Jesus tells this parable as a warning for us to be ready for His return. The moral of the parable is, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. But Jesus didn’t tell us when He would return. So, He commands us to watch and be ready. Wake up from your sleep today. Wake up now. When the feast begins, Jesus wants you there. Have oil. Don’t be left outside.

But now, we have a problem. Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is. Is it the Bible, faith, grace, the Holy Spirit, or the Sacraments? Jesus doesn’t say. But the Scriptures would indicate that it can be and is all of those. I’m open to other suggestions that you might have, but my guess is that Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is so that we seek after all those things because each of them – Bible, faith, grace, absolution, and the Sacraments – are kingdom of heaven things. And Christ tells us to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).

That is why you are here today. God has gathered you here around His Word and Sacrament. This is where you need to be and where you belong. In this place, you hear God’s Word, are absolved of your sins, and receive Christ’s risen Body and Blood. In this place, you are supported by your brothers and sisters in Christ, and your presence ministers to them. Here, you unite in prayer making intercessions for yourselves and others, for our nation and this world. This is how faith is given, sustained, and strengthened. The Church is the well-fortified barracks where you are fitted with the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11). And, here, you help others prepare for the battle.

But you don’t get to stay here. You will return to the battlefield of the world. It is necessary, and it is, in fact, what God has called you to do. You are called by God to go into the world and deal with lazy coworkers and incompetent supervisors and bosses. You will have to endure your children’s temper tantrums, your spouse’s failures and shortcomings, the loneliness of a widowed house, and your relatives’ problems. You will go back to school and classes with boring teachers, pointless homework, and bullies. God calls you to face all of that even while you struggle with your own sins of anger, lust, gossip, and envy.

In each of those places, each of those callings and vocations, the devil has laid all sorts of traps and snares for you; he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan attacks you in those arenas because everywhere you go, you carry God’s light to a darkened world. Christian, every relationship you have is a holy, divine calling. And because you are God’s child, everything you do has spiritual value. How you handle work, school, chores, laundry, dishes, and whatever else has both temporal and eternal consequences. That is why you come to church and get what is necessary for your salvation. But what happens here must extend to the rest of your week.

Don’t be a moron thinking that a couple hours at church each week (or two to three times each month) is enough to prepare you for what you will face out there. You need more. And parents, listen up. Your children can’t share your oil and can’t walk in the light of your lamp. Each one needs his or her own lit lamp. So, if it hasn’t been your family’s practice in the past, start today. Make the reading of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship around God’s Word together as a family your top priority each day. Fathers, God calls you to take the lead on this. Wives, if he doesn’t do it on his own, pester and nag him until he does.

Family time in the Bible doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy. Start simple. Start with the Gospel of John and read one paragraph each day. After you read, pray for your friends and family. It can be as simple as, “Bless grandma and help Phil. Amen.” Then, pray the Lord’s Prayer. That will take five minutes. You can do that. You have the time to do that. And if you don’t have enough time, rip something out of your schedule. If your job makes it impossible, quit. Find a new one – even if it means a pay cut and you have to buy a smaller, cheaper house. This is eternally serious. Your salvation and the salvation of your children depends on it. If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start again the next. Make it a habit for you and your kids to pray together on the way to school or practice or wherever. All of this will help to begin to make God’s Word part of your regular conversations as you watch and remain ready for His return.

Ok. That was the Law part of the sermon. And, I hope was a bucket of ice water to awaken you from slumber. Now, we need the Gospel. And there is one more problem to address: Now, be honest. Does this parable strike fear into you?

Honestly, if you summarize the parable, it is a story of ten silly girls who fall asleep waiting for a party. Five are able to light a lamp and get to go into the party. Five can’t, so they have to go away. And if your high school experience was like mine, if you aren’t at the party, you just end up at home sulking and feeling a bit lonely and sorry for yourself.

So, when Jesus tells us that the purpose of this parable is to get us to watch for the day of His return, why did He use this analogy of a wedding party and ten silly, sleepy girls? If being ready for His return is so important, why not tell a parable with more urgency and more horrific consequences? Why not a parable of ten fishermen – five who wear life jackets and five morons who don’t and drown when the storm comes and the boat sinks? How about ten soldiers – five who carry their sword at all times and five morons who leave their swords lying around and get slaughtered when the enemy ambushes them?

Well, that is precisely why Jesus’ parable is different. In either of the parables I just suggested, the return of Jesus is depicted as a terrible, tragic event – a storm at sea, or a sudden attack by an enemy army. But in Jesus’ parable, the thing we need to be ready for, well, it’s the greatest day ever – the day of the arrival of Jesus, the Bridegroom and Savior of all mankind. A day of feasting, joy, laughter, and blessedness for those who are ready to enter with Him. It is the very thing we are looking forward to and longing for.

Once we have worked ourselves into a tizzy about the dire urgency of Christ’s return, we need to step back, take a deep breath, and remember: Christ’s return is not something horrific that you need to be scared of. Jesus’ return means that you will be in eternal bliss, happiness, contentment, and joy. There will be no more pain, tears, or sorrow. Christ’s return is something to anticipate – more than a child anticipates the arrival of her favorite aunt and cousins. That excited expectation is what Jesus is highlighting with this parable.

Yes, this parable is a warning. Our lamps can run dry. Faith must be continually fed by God’s Word and the Sacraments. Repent. Believe. Have faith in Christ.

And yes, Jesus teaches that as the end draws near the signs of His return are alarming: wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation, earthquakes, persecution, hatred, false teaching, and love growing cold (Mt. 24:4-12). But, when you see those things, remember what that means for you. Christ says it means your redemption is drawing near (Lk. 21:28). The bridegroom is coming, and you are His bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (Eph. 5:27).

Dear saints, this world is ending. Good riddance. You have Christ. Your redemption is secure and your eternity certain. So, look forward to that day. Stay awake. Keep eagerly anticipating and looking for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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

Sorrow & Sighing Will Flee – Sermon on Matthew 9:18-26 for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

Nov14

Matthew 9:18-26

¹⁸ While [Jesus] was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.

²⁰ And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

²³ And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went through all that district.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text begins with, “While [Jesus] was saying these things….” which means it is plopping us into the middle of a conversation. Matthew could have just told this as a stand-alone story by starting with, “One time a ruler came to Jesus….” Both Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels do that when they record the story (Mk 5:22-43; Lk. 8:41-56), but Matthew was inspired by the Holy Spirit to include more context. He connects these two miracles with the discussion Jesus is currently having. So, please, grab your Bible, so you can see what Jesus is saying. Open, turn, tap, or whatever you do in your Bible to Mt. 9:14-17.

Some of John the Baptizer’s disciples come to ask Jesus a question, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” Notice what their question assumes. “We’re pious, religious people, and we fast. The Pharisees are pious, religious people, and they fast. Why aren’t Your disciples religious and pious like us? Why don’t they fast?” These disciples of John figure that Jesus’ disciples should be practicing their religion like they and others do. In other words, at the root of their question is the idea that Jesus is just a regular teacher and nothing new or special. They must have missed the fact that John had been pointing and pushing them toward Jesus (Jn. 3:25-30).

Jesus answers the question from John’s disciples by saying (Mt. 9:15-17), “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Then, Jesus goes on to talk about old cloths and new patches and new wine and old wineskins. But the point of interest here is this talk about the Bridegroom being present – something that John the Baptizer had taught.

In Jesus’ day, wedding feasts were an even bigger ordeal than they are today. A wedding feast would last several days – sometimes even a week (Gen. 29:27) or two.^[1] Refusing to eat at a wedding feast would be at least inappropriate if not offensive. Imagine if you invited someone to come to your house for dinner in two weeks. You carefully prepare the menu making sure it will be tasty and nourishing. You go out shopping picking the best produce and meat. You spend hours preparing the food. Your guest arrives, sits down for the meal, and announces he won’t be eating because he is fasting. It’s rude and wrong.

When Jesus says that His disciples don’t fast because the bridegroom is present, He is saying that the Old Testament promises about God’s people being married to God (Is. 54:5-6; 62:4-5; Hos. 2:14-20) are coming true in His ministry. The day of deliverance that God had been promising since the Fall has come. The Messiah is here, and the wedding feast has begun!

But now, while Jesus is saying these things, a ruler comes and tells Jesus that his daughter has died. Mark’s Gospel tells us that his name is Jairus (Mk. 5:22), so I’m going to refer to him by his name. Jairus has a legitimate reason to be mourning, but the Groom is present. And the wedding feast that is Jesus’ ministry will not be disturbed by death of anyone except the Groom. (But even His death ends up being only a brief interruption of the feast.) Jairus knows that Jesus, the Groom, won’t let his daughter’s death stand, so he says to Jesus, “Come lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” So, what does Jesus do? Look carefully at v. 19, “Jesus rose and followed him.”

Matthew doesn’t just say that Jesus follows Jairus to his home. Christ “rose.” That word that gets translated ‘rose’ a word for resurrection. In fact, Matthew uses that same word again in v. 25 when the little girl will arise from her sleep of death. The word can mean “stand up,” but most literally it is what we do in the morning when we get out of bed. And it is what we Christians will do on the Last Day when we rise up from our graves. But Matthew is giving a nice little foreshadowing of what Jesus is going to do when He gets to Jairus’ house. The little girl’s rising from death only happens because Jesus rises first. Dear saints, the same is true for you. You will rise again because Jesus is risen – no question about that. [Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]

On the way to Jairus’ house, we get a little interruption in the story. A woman who has been suffering from a discharge of blood for twelve years hears about this wedding feast and decides that all she needs to do is touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment and she will be ‘saved.’ The word there doesn’t just mean ‘made well,’ it means ‘saved’ from her disease. She does. She is. And Jesus proves that her idea of touching His garment isn’t just a superstition about Jesus’ clothes. Her faith saves her.

For twelve years, she had been ceremonially unclean from this menstrual bleeding. This meant for twelve years she couldn’t go to the Temple, couldn’t get married, couldn’t even attend some family gatherings. But Christ brings her into the celebration of the joy of the Messiah’s wedding feast. She gets even better than what Isaiah got when the burning coal touched his lips (Is. 6:7), and she ascends the ladder to heaven that Jacob saw in his dream (Gen. 28:12).

After all this, Jesus arrives at Jairus’ house. He dismisses the people who are there making a commotion and mourning. By the way, these were professional, paid mourners, so they knew who was dead and who wasn’t. But Jesus dismisses them saying, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping,” which says a lot about what your Savior thinks about your death. The mourners laugh at Christ, but Jesus simply takes this little girl by the hand and lifts her up from the nap of death. Her spirit returns (Lk. 8:55), and she lives.

Dear Natalie, that brings me to you. Natalie, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19) and clothed you with Himself (Gal. 3:27). In your Baptism, Jesus joined you to His death so that you have a Jesus-kind of death – in other words, a death that doesn’t last long and ends in resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11).

Natalie, no one here knows what God has in store for your life in this world. But, dear Natalie, we do know this because Scripture promises: You heard it in our Epistle lesson (Col. 1:9-14), God has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Natalie, and all you saints, God promises in our Old Testament lesson (Is. 51:9-16), “I, I am He who comforts you.” You are the redeemed of the Lord. You shall come to the eternal Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will be on your head. You will, without a doubt, obtain gladness and joy. Whatever sorrow and sighing you endure in this fallen world, whether it is caused by others or by your own sins and failures, that sorrow and sighing will flee away because they are utterly defeated by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Jesus, your Savior and Groom, has borne your griefs and carried your sorrows. Your sorrow and sighing cannot and will not stay with you. They will flee because Jesus lives. And because He lives, so will you. Amen.

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

^[1] The apocryphal book of Tobit (8:20) speaks of a two-week wedding feast for a particularly important wedding.

The Most Blessed Story Is True – Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 observing All Saints’ Day

Nov7

Matthew 5:1-12

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

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Blessed.” Nine times, Jesus proclaims a blessing in this text. Each of these blessings that Jesus speaks is the kind of story that we like – a rags to riches story. The poor, the down and out, the little, and the weak rise from their pitiful condition and get something good.

Other than the Bible, the book my nose has spent the most time in is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. And, I have to say the obvious, don’t just watch the movies, read the books – they’re infinitely better. The little hobbits “rise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great,” and topple the dark lord, Sauron. We love that kind of story. We love how Cinderella ascends from mopping the floors of her wicked stepmother and waiting on her cruel stepsisters to live in the palace married to Prince Charming.

The stories where the small, weak, despised, and ostracized overcome all the obstacles and live happily ever after capture our attention. They are often a nice escape from reality because we know that not everything works out so perfectly. And even though we like to hear, “and they all lived happily ever after,” we know that real stories don’t end up that way. Cinderella grows old, wrinkly, and dies. The Ugly Duckling turns into a swan, but eventually gets entangled in a windmill. And Bambi either gets chronic wasting disease or shot during hunting season.

So, back to Lord of the Rings for just a moment: Old Bilbo was the one who found the ring of power which gave him an unnaturally long life. He has passed the ring on to his nephew, Frodo, and retired from adventuring at the elven house of Rivendell so he could settle down and write a book about his adventures. But when Bilbo finds out the ring must be taken on a perilous journey to Mount Doom to be destroyed, he figures it’s his job. He mourns for a bit saying, “I was just writing an ending for [my book]…. I had thought of putting: and he lived happily ever afterwards to the end of his days.” That last phrase, “to the end of his days,” is more realistic. Happily ever after can only last so long in this fallen world. Psalm 90:9 says, “we bring our years to an end like a sigh.” Deep down, we know that happily ever after doesn’t come in this world. Rags-to-riches stories rarely happen, and even when they do, those riches don’t last.

So, when Jesus sits down on the top of the mountain and teaches us the Beatitudes, we know our Lord doesn’t lie. We want our own happily ever after, so think we need to try to be what Jesus describes in order to be eternally blessed. But, when we hear who Jesus says is blessed, we take a step back. Who wants to be poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry, thirsty, and persecuted? We spend so much time and energy trying to avoid being those things. We want to be spiritually strong, not poor in spirit. We want to be happy and joyful, not mourning. We want to be powerful, not meek. And we typically avoid persecution at all costs.

Today, as we observe All Saints’ Day, it is important to remember that the Beatitudes are not attitudes that Jesus commands us to have. They are not Jesus’ advice on how we must arrange our lives to attain our own rags-to-riches, happily ever after ending. That approach turns the blessings Jesus gives here into be-curse-itudes. Instead, the Beatitudes are a description first of Jesus and then of who you are, dear saints, because you are in Jesus.

And we can say that because of what Christ has done. Christ’s story is a better but different kind of story than rags-to-riches. In fact, Christ’s is the only story that even makes rages-to-riches possible. It is the story, the true story, of Jesus who went from riches to rags to save us ragged sinners.

The eternal Son of God left His dwelling in heaven. He humbled Himself to be born in a manger and entered this sin-sick world. Christ endured every temptation, disappointment, and sorrow you have ever and will ever face. He was poor in spirit (Mk. 14:34). He mourned death (Jn. 11:35). He was meek (same Gk. word in Mt. 11:29 and Mt. 21:5). He became hungry (Mt. 4:2) and thirsty (Jn. 19:28). He was merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker. And persecuted? Yes, He was persecuted. Abandoned by even His closest friends, betrayed into the hands of evil men, beaten, mocked, scorned. Crucified, forsaken by God the Father, died, and buried. It doesn’t get any lower than that.

Jesus didn’t have to do or experience any of this, but out of His great love for you – He did. “He left His Father’s throne above, so free so infinite His grace. Emptied Himself of all but love and bled for Adam’s helpless race.” Jesus left the riches of heaven to descend to you and me in the filthy rags (Is. 64:6) of our sin. He came to you to raise you from your rages to His riches. He did that to make you His saints, His holy ones, His beloved, His blessed.

Dear saints, you don’t ever have to wonder if the blessings Jesus proclaims in the Beatitudes are for you. If v. 3-10 were all we had, then, sure, maybe there would be doubt. But Jesus closes the Beatitudes by saying, “Blessed are you.” You are blessed now even when you are reviled, persecuted, and slandered for your faith in Jesus. Rejoice and be glad, your reward is great in heaven.

“Beloved, [you] are God’s children now, and what [you] will be has not yet appeared; but know that when He appears [you] shall be like him, because [you] shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn. 3:2). Blessed Jesus, may that day come soon. Amen.

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

Sneaky Slavery – Sermon on John 8:31-36 for Reformation Sunday

Oct31

John 8:31-36

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The crowds answered Jesus, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.” Right.

They must have completely forgotten their history. They had been slaves in Egypt until God delivered them from their slavery. Even when they arrived in the Promised Land, they were ruled by the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Midianites, and the Moabites. They were taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians. They had been under the Greeks and the Persians. And even when Jesus is talking to them here, they are under Roman authority. They had to pay taxes to Caesar and are worried that if people believe in Jesus, the Romans will come and take away their place and nation (Jn. 11:47-48). And remember, the chief priests wanted to kill Jesus, but they had to get permission from the Roman governor Pilate (Jn. 18:11). In fact, when you consider the 1,500-year history of the Jewish people, there is probably only a few hundred years where they were not in some sort of slavery to another nation or power.

But when Jesus says, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” they are offended. Even though these are words of comfort and Gospel, there is an implied bit of Law here. Since the truth will (future tense) will set you free, that means that you are in bondage.

We have to recognize Jesus’ audience. He is speaking to the Jews who believed in Him. I know our translation throws in the word ‘had’ in there – “the Jews who had believed in him.” But that implies that they believed at one time but have stopped believing in Him. That isn’t what the Greek is trying to get across. The verb makes it clear.

Jesus is talking to people who do currently believe in Him, but their faith is shallow and in danger. In fact, by the end of this chapter, the faith of these people will be gone. They are offended at Jesus’ Words of Gospel and freedom. They believed in Him, maybe because of the miracles or because He was interesting to listen to. But they don’t abide, they don’t remain, in Jesus’ Word. They are a prime example of the path in Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the Seed. The Word is sown there, but the devil and demons quickly snatched it away (Mt. 13:4, 19) because their hearts were hardened with pride.

“If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” These are gracious words, but there is also a warning here for you and for me. That warning is this: It is possible to fall away. If you do not abide and remain in Jesus’ Word, then you are certainly not Jesus’ disciples; you will not know the truth, and you will not be free. Only those who abide and remain in Jesus’ Word are true disciples and become free.

Dear saints, Jesus might as well be speaking these very same words to you here today. You also need to abide in Jesus’ Word. You also need to know the truth which sets you free. Whether you recognize it or not, you are in bondage worse than any slavery this world can throw at you. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

Sin has so infected us that we have a wrong sense of freedom. We think freedom means that we can do whatever we want whenever we want. We think freedom is a life without obligation or responsibility. That kind of existence, well, it doesn’t exist. Instead, we are captive and slaves to our sinful desires.

The Scripture readings you heard today have made this entirely clear. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (Jn. 8:34). We sin; therefore, we are slaves to sin. And you can’t just wiggle out of this saying, “Well we don’t really have a choice in the matter.” Our slavery to sin is at a higher level than that. We are slaves in our will. We deliberately chose to sin. It isn’t just weakness or mistakes. We have all ignored our conscience, and knowing exactly what we are doing, we have chosen to sin. We sin on purpose and repeatedly.

And even when we do fight against our sinful desires, which is good, we still are doing so out of slavery. Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11-32) shows that there is a slavery when we rebel and try to live apart from our heavenly Father, and there is also a slavery when we try to win the approval of our heavenly Father by life of obedience.

So, remember the younger son? He deliberately tells his father to drop dead so he can have his inheritance early. That son takes all that he has, quickly wastes it in reckless living, and has to hire himself out feeding pigs. Remember, he was longing to eat the slop he was feeding the pigs. What he thought would bring him freedom made him a slave to pigs. So, he concocts a plan to go and ask to become a servant in his dad’s house in order to get a little food in his hungry tummy. Now of course, you know the story. The father doesn’t even hear the offer of his wayward son. Instead, the father restores this little brat to be a son and throws a party.

But don’t forget about the older son. He didn’t do all the wrong things his younger brother had done. He didn’t tell his father to drop dead. He didn’t demand his inheritance be given to him so he could move away and blow it all. He didn’t end up in the pigpen. No, the older brother hadn’t done anything wrong. But that didn’t make him any less of a slave.

Instead, that older brother insists that he did all the right things. He was dutifully working in his father’s field when his despicable brother returned. And when his father came outside to compel him to come and join the party celebrating his brother’s restoration, he answered his father, “I’ve served,” notice that, “I’ve servedyou my whole life. I’ve never disobeyed your command. I’ve never wasted your money. But when this son of yours comes home, you go and kill the fattened calf for him.” And the parable ends with the father pleading with his oldest son to join the party.

We know that slavery can come from living contrary to God’s Commandments; that is entirely clear and plain as the nose on your face. But there is another slavery – a slavery that is more sneaky – and that is the slavery of the older brother and the people Jesus is speaking to in this text. That is a slavery of us trying to live in such a way that God owes us for all the good we have done. My fellow sinners, repent of that thought as well. God will never be in our debt.

In this text and in parable of the Prodigal Son, we clearly see that God doesn’t want slaves. He wants sons. Slaves don’t remain in the house forever – only sons do.

That is why Jesus has come. The only begotten Son of God came to do His Father’s will. He came to fulfill God’s Law and to be the perfect sacrifice for your sins and free you from slavery. Yes, you sin, and that reveals your slavery. But at the same time you are also a son – redeemed, purchased, and adopted by the blood of Christ. At the same time, you are a slave and a son, a sinner and a saint.

Dear saints always remember what Jesus says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”Christ has. You are free. Free from the condemnation of the Law. Free from the bondage of sin. Free from the fear of death. Free from the burden of having to earn your salvation. Free from the burden of having to complete your salvation. Free to serve God and neighbor without the nagging worry of whether you’ve done it well enough.

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has set you free by His death and resurrection. He has freely given you the gift of new life, and that comes with a happy and joyful future that will last to all eternity. If the Son sets you free – and Christ has by His death and resurrection – you will be free indeed. So, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” (Lk. 12:32). Amen.

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

Very Good – Sermon on Genesis 1:1-2:3 for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Oct24

Genesis 1:1-2:3

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

An overture is a medley that opens an opera, suite, or play, and it introduces the different songs you will hear through the whole work. Movies used to do this often. Most of you are probably familiar with The Sound of Music. The movie begins with scenes of the mountains and fields surrounding Salzburg, Austria, and after Julie Andrews frolics through the grass singing “The Hills Are Alive,” the overture begins. The overture continues several more measures of “The Hills Are Alive,” but then transitions into “Do-Re-Mi,” followed by, “A Few of My Favorite Things,” which morphs into “Something Good,” and closes with a brief hint to “Climb Every Mountain.” There aren’t any lyrics in the overture, so you don’t know that part of the song, but you get to hear the melody so it sticks in your mind and you are able to recognize it when the actual song enters the movie. Not every song gets into the overture, but it gives you an idea of the significant events that are coming up in the film.

Well, the text we just heard is the overture of all of Scripture. So much of what the Bible teaches is introduced in these verses, but too often we miss them because we’re so familiar with the account of creation. So, we’re going to do our best to open our ears to hear the themes that are introduced in this text. We will catch some of the melodies presented to us, so that when the rest of Scripture gives us the lyrics, we can recognize the music behind the song. Just so you know, because there is so much packed into these verses, we aren’t going to be able to hit everything. Sorry.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to one of the great, mysterious theological truths of Scripture – we serve a triune God. In Hebrew, the third and fourth words are ‘God’ and ‘created.’ The interesting thing is that the word for ‘God’ is Elohim, which is a plural word, but the verb for ‘created’ is singular. This would sound really weird to a Hebrew-speaker reading it. Imagine if you read, “The painters (pl.) cleans (sg.) their brushes.” It’s a little jarring.

On top of that, in v. 2-3, you are introduced to each of the three Persons of the Trinity (especially if you know the rest of your Bible). You see the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. (The Holy Spirit’s connection to water is a whole theme of Scripture by itself, but we’re not going to dive into that today.) The Holy Spirit is over the water. God the Father speaks. And the Word that is spoken is Jesus who was in the beginning with God through whom all things were made (Jn. 1:3).

We see a return to this theme of the Trinity in v. 26 where God says, “Let us make man in our (pl.) image (sg.) after our (pl.) likeness (sg.).” Then, v. 27 says with poetic beauty, “So God (pl.) created (sg.) man (sg.) in His (sg.) own image, in the image of God (pl.) He created (sg.) him (sg.); male and female He created (sg.) them (pl.).” Just briefly, as a sidenote, part of us being created in the image of God is that we share with God a plurality. Our one God has a plurality of three, one mankind has a plurality of two. This is why I would encourage you to not use someone’s “preferred pronouns” – especially if those pronouns are the plural, they/them. That is a demonic attempt to twist and mangle God’s creation and to make an individual more than he or she actually is. Moving on.

The second part of the overture I’ll point out today is that God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33). And we see this in the details of what is created each day. In v. 2, we are told that the earth is without form and void. In days 1-3, God creates defined spaces that give form and order, and in days 4-6, God fills those spaces. You can think of it as God creating a shelf on days 1-3 and God filling those shelves days 4-6. Day one, God creates light and time; then on day four, God fills it with sun, moon, and stars. Day two, God creates the atmosphere and waters; then on day five, God fills those spaces with birds and fish. Day three, God creates land and plants; then on day six, God fills the space with animals and mankind.

This is so beautiful. God doesn’t just build the house of creation. He also fills and decorates it. Because God creates with this order, we can say that wherever and whenever we see disorder, there are evil forces working against God. Satan brought that disordering when he tempted Adam to fall into sin, and we see that continued work of the devil and demons wherever there are attempts to bring anarchy, chaos, and confusion. After the Fall in Gen. 3, the rest of the Bible is about God bringing order back into a sin-sick, chaotic creation.

The third movement of this overture we will highlight is the movement from darkness to light. Verse 2tells us that before God spoke over the formlessness and void, there was darkness over the face of the deep. Before God creates, there is darkness, but then God speaks, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And notice how each of the first six days end with the refrain, “and there was evening and there was morning the ___ day.” So, each day of the creation account begins with darkness and moves toward light.

In our culture today, we mark the beginning of a day at midnight, and this is totally fine. We’re just using the way the Roman empire counted time. The Hebrew culture considers the start of the next day to be right around sunset, which would be about 6 PM because they are closer to the equator than we are. So, they have kept that theme of a day moving from darkness to light. And in the Church, we do this as well. Christmas begins in the “eve.” When it is dark, we celebrate the birth of Christ, and the day moves toward the light.

The interesting thing is that when we get to the seventh day, the pattern “there was evening and morning” that we have heard six times, is broken. There is only mention of the fact that there is a seventh day. So, this entire account moves from chaos and darkness to order and eternal, never-ending light. The book of Revelation shows the conclusion and culmination of this beautiful movement from darkness to light. Rev. 21:23-25 tells us that the eternal city of God will have no sun or moon for the glory of God gives it light and there will be no night there.

Since we’re talking about this seventh day with no darkness, we’ll move to the next beautiful piece of this overture – the eternal day of rest. The seventh day is totally unique in three ways. First, God doesn’t speak a single word on the seventh day. God is silent because the heavens and the earth were finished, completed. God has said all that needed to be said, and His creative Word continues to work to this day as it echoes through His creation. All of creation continues to run and exist because of the Word of God.

The second way the seventh day is unique is that it is blessed. On day five, God blessed the sea creatures and birds to be fruitful and multiply, filling the waters and the air. On day six, God blesses mankind to be fruitful and multiply filling, subduing, and having dominion over the earth. it. (Many people today are calling for population control. They say there are too many people on the planet. Dear saints, this is a demonic thought. God created the world to be filled with people, and He blesses us for the purpose of filling the world.) But then, God finishes creation by blessing a day. It is God’s intention to use the blessed seventh day to bless His people – both physically with rest from work, and spiritually with His holiness being conveyed from God to people.

The third way the seventh day is unique is that it doesn’t have an end in the text. The text makes the seventh day eternal and open. Even though we have fallen into sin, God has given us access to the seventh day of eternal rest until Jesus comes again in glory on the Last Day. Hebrews 3-4 encourages us to listen to God’s Word and enter God’s rest. Hebrews 4:9–10 says, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.”

Dear saints, there are so many wonderful themes here in the account of creation, but the one that tops them all is the power of the Word of God. Through His Word, God created all things in six days, and since sin entered the world, God has used His Word to bring the sin-induced chaotic creation back into order and rest. So, God sent His Son, Jesus, the Word made flesh, into the world. Colossians 1:19-20 says, “In [Christ Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”

The God who says, “Let there be ____,” and that which does not exist obeys, He now says to you, “Your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12), and they are. He says to you, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (Jn. 11:25-26), and it is true. He says to you, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will rest you” (Mt. 11:28), and you find peace.

Dear saints, this is very good indeed. God has created, redeemed, and sanctified you. Trust in what Christ has done, and you will find your eternal rest with God and will all His saints. Amen.

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

Just as He Transforms You – Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Oct17

Matthew 22:1-14

¹ And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, ³ and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ⁴ Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. ¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If this text was your only indication of God‘s character, what would be your opinion of Him? Because this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, we know that God is the king, but we see that this king gets very angry. He sends out his troops and destroys the murderers. He burns their city and then mocks the very same people he invited to his feast calling them ‘unworthy.’ But what might be the craziest thing about this king is his super strict dress code. He doesn’t just kick the underdressed man out. He has him bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now, maybe you get a little uncomfortable with a text like this. You might find yourself wishing that Jesus would stick to good parables – happy, nice parables like the Prodigal Son or the ones about seeds and birds. Or, maybe, you wish that God always talked like He did in our Old Testament lesson (Is. 55:1-9) where He lovingly invites, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.” We like that kind of God. But the God Jesus presents here – maybe not as much. I mean, seriously, who wants a God who gets all bent out of shape over a guy who doesn’t have the right clothes? Why does God have to be such a hardnose?

Well, dear saints, what if the God that Jesus presents in this parable is just as lavish, just as loving and inviting, as we heard in that Old Testament lesson? In fact, I would argue that even the ugly things that happen in this parable show God’s protection and provision, His mercy, grace, and love.

The king just wants people at his feast. So, he sends out “save the date” cards. When the time to feast comes, he sends his servants to invite those who received those notifications. Still, nobody comes. If we’re being honest, this king is a little too eager to have people at his banquet. Wouldn’t it be better if he was a bit more aloof? “Oh, you don’t want to come? That’s cool!” But the king isn’t that way. He desperately wants these people there at his feast. He wants them to celebrate with him.

So, he sends out his servants again saying, “See, everything is ready. The food is hot, the wine is poured. The music is playing. Come to the feast!” But now the people act wickedly towards the king’s servants. Yes, some only ignore the invitation, but some treat the servants shamefully even kill them. Not a good idea! To attack the king’s servants is the same as attacking the king himself. This cannot stand. The king is done sending his beloved servants to these wicked ingrates. Now, he sends his army to destroy those murderers and burn their city. All the king wanted of them was their presence so he could provide the feast of feasts for them. But they didn’t want anything to do with him.

We should be surprised that the parable isn’t over yet. The story continues. The king still wants a party. He wants guests. He wants people with him to celebrate the marriage of his son. So, he sends more servants out into the streets to invite anyone they can find – good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Just fill the banquet hall with people so we can celebrate. The servants go, and here we see how the servants love their king. The servants know what had happened to the last batch of servants the king sent out. But out of love for their king, they go despite the danger. And surprisingly, they have success! The hall is filled. People arrive at the palace. And every guest finds a place prepared specifically for them at the table even though they have come directly off the street. These guests have come just as they are, and everything is ready.

Now, a lot could be said about the king’s servants. A whole sermon could be preached from this parable about how the king cares for his servants and avenges them when they are wronged. We could consider how God protects you as you go about your work, witnessing for Him as you invite others to the feast. But you are smart people and have been paying good attention. So, I’m going to let you fill in those blanks because this parable is mainly about being worthy to be at the king’s banquet. And there’s one more glitch, one more snafu, in this parable that reveals God’s grace and mercy.

The king enters the banquet hall and spots one of the guests who is there without a wedding garment. So, the king walks over to him and says, “Friend,” or to put it in today’s vernacular, “Dude, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” No response. Nothing but utter silence. The awkward pause turns into a tragic and even terrifying moment when the king summons his servants and renders swift judgment saying, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s shocking. This underdressed man gets punished even more severely than the people who murdered the king’s servants. They were only killed and had their city burned to the ground, but this underdressed, speechless man with no excuse, he gets hell.

Why? Why does the king get so bent out of shape when a guy, who has been brought in from the street, looks like a guy who has been brought in from the street? Well, here’s the thing. The wedding garment that this man was expected to be wearing but wasn’t, that garment would have been provided for him at the door. The king would have provided all the guests with wedding garments along with all the food and wine and entertainment. The king didn’t expect his guests to provide anything to be at the feast, not even the clothes on their backs. So, this underdressed man had despised the king’s gift which meant he despised the feast, despised the other guests at the party, despised the king’s son, and even despised the king himself.

So, dear saints, what does this parable teach us about God‘s grace? Well, there is no question God calls you just as you are. God certainly doesn’t need you at His feast, but He desperately wants you there. He wants you for Himself for all eternity. That is why God sent Jesus to shed His blood and die for the sins of all people (1 Tim. 4:10). In Christ’s death, everyone has been reconciled to the Father (2 Cor. 5:19). But the sad reality is that not everyone wants the forgiveness and restoration Christ has won and purchased. The eternal wedding banquet of God is only for beggars who have absolutely nothing and need everything provided for them – even the very clothes that they wear.

For the self-righteous and self-satisfied, the Gospel is insulting. Imagine going to a wedding reception and being told by the host, “You can’t come in here like that. You look and smell disgusting. Strip off all your clothes. Leave your filthy, smelly, smutty rags in the dumpster. Get hosed off and put these fine, fancy, designer clothes on instead. They’re yours to keep. By the way, we’re so glad you are here. Welcome! Enjoy the feast!” Now, if you are infected with lice, homeless, dirty, and hungry you will appreciate that cleansing and gift and have the most marvelous time at the feast. But if you like yourself just as you are, if you are comfortable with yourself in your sin and shame, hearing that is a total, complete insult.

Dear saints, God has invited you just as you are, but your God has no intention of you remaining just as you are. God loves you more than that. He transforms and elevates you. God has given you new clothes, splendent and radiant clothes. In your baptism, God closed you with the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:27). In that robe, you are without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; instead, you are holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27). Sure, you can despise that gift and treat it as though it is nothing. But you do so at your own peril.

God wants you at his feast, and at His feast there is only one rule: You don’t pay for anything. Everything is provided for you because of what Christ has done. And here’s the best part: Your God invites you now to this banquet where everything is ready. Come. You are invited just as you are. And God accepts you just as He has transformed and clothed you in Christ. Amen.

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

The Fear of a Fraud – Sermon on Genesis 28:10-17 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct10

Genesis 28:10-17

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

With a stone under his head, imagine what was going through Jacob’s mind as he lay down to sleep. We have to track what has happened in Jacob’s life up to this point. The name ‘Jacob’ name means ‘deceiver,’ and he had certainly lived up (or down) to his name (Gen. 27:36). Jacob was the younger twin of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was the older brother by a foot (Gen. 25:25-26) because Jacob was born clinging to Esau’s heel. As the younger sibling, Jacob wasn’t in line to receive either the birthright or the blessing that God had first given to Abraham who passed it on to Isaac. Now, Esau was supposed to get them.

These two brothers grew up, and, one day, Jacob was cooking a pot of stew when Esau came home exhausted from working in the field. Esau asked Jacob for some of the soup, but Jacob didn’t act in a brotherly way. Instead, Jacob pulled off the biggest case of price-gouging in history and sold a single cup of that stew for Esau’s birthright (Gen. 25:29-34). Of course, Esau was a fool to agree to this sale (Heb. 12:16-17), but that doesn’t let Jacob off the hook for being a total jerk.

Later, when their father was old, blind, and thought he was near death, Isaac asked Esau to prepare a meal for him so he could pass God’s blessing on to Esau. Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, heard about this and told Jacob to pull a fast one over on his dad so he would get the blessing. Initially, Jacob was hesitant, but ultimately, he went along with his mom’s plan. Jacob dressed up in Esau’s clothes so he would smell like Esau. He even put animal skins on his arms so he would feel hairy like Esau in case his blind father touched him. The plan worked pretty well. At first, Isaac was skeptical because he recognized Jacob’s voice. But after Jacob lied several times, insisting he really was Esau, Isaac gave Jacob the blessing that the Messiah would come from Jacob’s descendants (Gen. 27:1-29).

After this, Esau decided he’d had enough and planned to kill Jacob after their father died. Rebekah heard about Esau’s murder plot, so she sends Jacob from their home in Beersheba to Haran (which is about 450 miles away as the crow flies) to find a wife. Our text here picks up about 50 miles into the trip, maybe two days into the journey.

So, again, imagine all the fear Jacob must have faced as he lay down. He had reason to fear because, for the first time in his life, he is away from his parents. He had reason to fear because his brother has plans to kill him. He had reason to fear because he is going to an unfamiliar land where his mother wants him to get a wife. His past is full of fraud, and his future fat with fear. And now, as the sun goes down, he has nothing to lay his head on but that rock.

Yes, the rock would have been an uncomfortable pillow, but what really made Jacob uncomfortable is his rightly guilty conscience telling him how big of a fraud he had been. Sure, in the eyes of men Jacob had gotten both the birthright and the blessing, but what about in the eyes of God? Would God honor the blessing that had been passed down to him?

Well, God came to Jacob that night and gave him the comfort he wasn’t expecting. In a dream, Jacob saw a ladder set up between heaven and earth. That ladder was the connection between the two as the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And God said to Jacob, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring will spread abroad to the west, east, north, and south. And in your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. Jacob, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

In other words, God is saying, “Jacob do not be afraid. You may be a fraud, but I am not. I’m going to keep My promises. Yes, you took advantage of your brother to get the birthright, but I’m still going to give you the offspring and land I promised to give to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, you fooled your father into giving you the blessing, but he still spoke the words that I put into his mouth. So, I’m going to give you what was promised even though you received that promise deceptively and impurely. The Messiah that I swore to give to Abraham and to your father is going to come from your own body. And when the Messiah dwells in this land that I promised to give to you, heaven is going to touch earth. The Messiah, who will be your descendant, is going to unite heaven and earth, unite God and mankind, and bring my forgiveness and blessing to all the families of the earth. With His forgiveness, all mankind will have the right to ascend to the throne of God. Jacob, don’t think for one second that your fraud and deceit will make My promises void and go away. My promises are My promises. Your sin, deceit, and trickery cannot change what I have promised.”

Do you ever find yourself having similar fears as Jacob had? Do you ever worry that God’s promises aren’t really for you because you are unworthy? Do you think His blessings aren’t for you because you have too much sin and baggage? Do you see all your unfaithfulness think His mercy cannot be yours? You have confessed to have faith in Jesus in the past, but do you question if you’ve really meant it? You recognize that the sins you speak against publicly are the same sins that you privately love. You are surrounded by all sorts of evidence that you are a fake Christian and a complete fraud. You know that God can see through your façade, so you figure His promises aren’t for you.

Dear saints, do not fear. Even though you are a fraud, God is not. When you are filled with that doubt and fear, close your eyes and look for Jacob’s ladder, and you find that ladder in Christ. Jesus is the One who unites heaven and earth (Jn. 1:51). The eternal Son of God took on your flesh and blood and shed His blood which cleanses you from all your sin. This Jesus is the one who has given you the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). A right that you have not earned or deserved, but God Himself has stamped His seal of approval on your adoption papers with the very blood of Jesus.

It is absolutely true that those who do not believe in Jesus will be eternally condemned. But know this, the sincerity of your faith does not and cannot change the fact that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for you (1 Jn. 2:2). Your faith is not what causes your salvation. Faith is what receives that salvation. God doesn’t save you because you believed His promises purely. God saves you because He sent Jesus to be Jacob’s ladder connecting heaven and earth and reuniting God to the sinners of this world. Look to the cross. Look to the perfect work of Jesus alone.

Notice Jacob’s reaction after this vision. Notice how, in the last verse, we are told that Jacob was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” All of Jacob’s fears of leaving his family, the threats of his brother, even the fear of himself because of his doubt is all removed. The only fear Jacob has left is God alone. The multitude of God’s grace promised to him brings Jacob a holy and right fear of God.

I’m going to change gears a bit here because we might find it surprising that Jacob would fear after hearing all these wonderful promises. The thing is: fear and service go together. Hebrews 2:15 teaches us that our fear of death actually causes us to become slaves of the devil. We don’t like to think about it this way, but the truth is that we end up serving what we fear. For example, if you are afraid of public shame and humiliation, you might be hesitant to share about your faith in Christ and end up serving your reputation instead of God. But there is a right fear – the fear of God. Luther’s explanation to the 1^st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” is, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” And Scripture repeatedly says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Pr. 1:7; Pr. 9:10; 15:33; and Mic. 6:9).

Even though we live in the safest time in all of history, there is a lot of fear today. The best explanation for why that is is that we fear things that are not worthy of our fear (Lk. 12:4-7) and we end up serving them instead of fearing and serving God alone. But when we fear God alone, He casts out all other fears (1 Jn. 4:18).

I’ll close here with a few verses that are so interesting. (I printed them on the back of the Scripture insert for you.) It’s Jer. 33:7-9 where God gives all these wonderful promises. He promises there that He will bring Judah and Israel home from their captivity. He promises to cleanse them from their sin and rebellion. He promises that their city will be a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who hear about all the good God will do for them. And here is God’s conclusion to all those promises: “they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and prosperity I will provide for them.”

Dear saints, like He did for Jacob in our text, God has a multitude of promises to love you, forgive you, care for you, deliver you, and rescue you out of every trouble. Let Him alone be your fear, and He will cast out every other fear with His love and mercy. Amen.

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

Fear, Love, & Trust – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct3

Matthew 22:34-46

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

⁴⁴ “The Lord said to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet’?

⁴⁵ “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, here they go again. Those tricksy Pharisees. Trying to catch Jesus, trying to get our Lord to say something that would get Him in trouble. Last week, it was at a banquet watching to see what Jesus would do with a sick man (Lk. 14:1-11). This week, it’s with a test question. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

To be honest, there isn’t really anything wrong with the lawyer’s question as it is. (More on that in a bit.) But the motive behind the question was sinful. The Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus pitting one part of God’s Word against another. It’s impossible to know exactly what they had planned to do with Jesus’ response. Maybe, they figured Jesus would say that the 1^st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” was the greatest. Then, they could falsely accuse Him of teaching that profaning God’s name, dishonoring parents, murder, stealing, or lying wasn’t a big deal. Whatever their plans and thoughts were, they were trying to make Jesus look like a fool with this question about the Law.

They miscalculated. Badly.

They didn’t realize with Whom they were speaking. Jesus is the Author of the Ten Commandments. He carved them into stone tablets and declared them to Moses and all the people of Israel (Jn. 1:18). Trying to trick Jesus with a question about the Ten Commandments is like trying to trick Herman Melville with a question about Moby Dick, Mark Twain with a question about Huck Finn, C.S. Lewis with a question about Aslan, George Lucas with a question about Luke Skywalker, or Dr. Seuss with a question about the Cat in the Hat. (Hopefully, one of those combinations works for you.)

Jesus, the Author of the Law, will not let one part of His perfect will – which is expressed in the Commandments – be pitted against the rest. The Commandments are not in competition with each other. To love God with the whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind is the first and great commandment. And notice how Jesus continues. He says there is another commandment, a second commandment, that is like the first and great commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, it is interesting in Mark’s account of this same encounter with the Pharisees Jesus says there’s no other commandment – singular – greater than these – plural (Mk. 8:31). In other words, perfect love of God and perfect love of your neighbor go together. The two are inseparably tied together and are really one commandment. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love for God is demonstrated by love for the neighbor. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” In other words, when you love your neighbor, you are loving God who has commanded you to love your neighbor.

Some people today will say that since Jesus distills the Commandments down to, “Love God, and love your neighbor,” that we don’t need the Commandments or any other teaching about God’s Law. Basically, they will say, “We just have to love each other.” Be careful with that. The reality is that we need the Commandments, we need the Law, to teach us what love looks like.

If you want to love God, love your neighbor, and here is what that looks like: Loving God is obeying His command to honor your father and mother by serving, obeying, and respecting them. Loving God is obeying His command to not murder your neighbor or cause him any suffering. Loving God is obeying His command to not commit adultery – which means, husbands, live a chaste life for your wife, and wives, live a chaste life for your husband. Love is not stealing, rather helping your neighbor improve and protect his property. Love is not bearing false witness and putting the most charitable construction on all that your neighbor does.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you think what you are doing is motivated by love; if your thoughts, words, or actions fall outside of these Commands, it is not love. In fact, we could go a step farther and say that, whenever your actions fall outside of the Ten Commandments, they are selfish and sinful actions motivated by hatred toward both God and neighbor.

Dear saints, all of this is to say, we all have a lot of reasons to repent. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. We let our fear of things other than God dictate how we act. We let our love of things that are not God distract us from the God who loves us. We let our trust in things other than God draw us away from God. Again, dear saints, repent. The Law always accuses us and shows how we fail in our obligation to love God and neighbor.

Now, I said earlier that there isn’t anything wrong with the lawyer’s question about what is the greatest Command. But that question, by itself is incomplete because the Law leaves us hanging out to dry under God’s wrath and punishment. At best, the Law can only curb and deter people from sin, but that’s as far as it can go. The Law is good because it tells us what we must do, but the Law is limited because it can only reveal what we have failed to do. The Law is never helpful in saving us unless we also know the One who hung upon the cross for all our sins of failing to love God and neighbor.

That is why Jesus asks His question about the Christ. Just like in last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus turns the tables and asks the Pharisees a question, “The Messiah, whose son is he?” And the Pharisees were right when they answered, “David’s son.” God had promised that a son of David would sit on David’s throne forever (1 Sam. 7). But David also wrote in Psalm 110:1, which is the verse that Jesus quotes, that this Son of David is also David’s Lord. So, Jesus’ question is, “How can the Messiah, David’s son, also be David’s Lord?”because a father would never call his descendent, “Lord.”

Here, Jesus is teaching the Pharisees and you that the Messiah is both God and man. Here’s why that is so important:

Because the Messiah is God, He has kept the Law perfectly. And because He is man, that keeping of the Law is for you. Jesus perfectly loved God and your neighbor in your place. And through faith, that perfect keeping of the Law is credited to you (2 Cor. 5:21).

The easiest example of this is the 4^th Commandment. The Law says, “Honor thy father and mother. Love God by loving your parents as yourself.” And you are left saying, “God, I haven’t done that. I need Your help.” If the Jesus had not come to earth as a Man, God would have to say, “Well, I’m God. I don’t have a father or mother, so I can’t help you. You have to do that yourself.” But God did become a Man. Jesus had a mom and a dad. He did love and honor them perfectly. So, He can and does help you by reckoning His obedience and keeping the Commandment to your account. And this applies to each and every one of the Commandments.

Jesus, the eternal, righteous Son of God, became a Man, perfectly loved God and neighbor, died, and rose again. Through this, He has brought the Law to perfection. This might be too simplistic of an explanation, but it might help shape our thinking.

In His answer to the lawyer’s question, Jesus shows us that the Law has a divine aspect and a physical aspect – love God (divine) and love neighbor (physical). God be praised, that He has given you a Savior who is also divine and physical – God and Man. So, now, when you hear the Law and what it requires of you, you realize that you are lost and deserve God’s wrath and judgment in both body and soul. So, you cry out, “God I’m lost. I deserve punishment and death, could You take that punishment and die for me?” And because the Son of God has taken up your flesh, Jesus says, “Sure. I already have.”

Dear saints, Jesus has perfectly loved God and neighbor for you. All of His perfection and righteousness – His perfect fear, love, and trust in God – is given to you through faith. And to strengthen that faith, your Savior is here now to give you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

The Child Who Is Zechariah’s Hope – Sermon on Luke 1:5-15 for Midweek Advent 1

A King for the Stubborn – Sermon on Matthew 21:1-9 for the First Sunday of Advent

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

Sorrow & Sighing Will Flee – Sermon on Matthew 9:18-26 for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Most Blessed Story Is True – Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 observing All Saints’ Day

Sneaky Slavery – Sermon on John 8:31-36 for Reformation Sunday

Very Good – Sermon on Genesis 1:1-2:3 for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Just as He Transforms You – Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

The Fear of a Fraud – Sermon on Genesis 28:10-17 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Fear, Love, & Trust – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity