The Move – Sermon on Luke 10:23-37 for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Aimé Morot (1850-1913). “Le bon Samaritain”, 1880. Huile sur toile. Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Petit Palais.

Luke 10:23-37

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus didn’t say that the priest and Levite only passed by the half-dead man in the ditch. Christ added the fact that they passed by, “on the other side,” to even further distance them from him. They moved away. Both intentionally and deliberately ‘un-neighbored’ the guy. You’ve heard me say this before, but it’s worth repeating. The reason our English word ‘neighbor’ is spelled so weird is that it comes from the word ‘nigh’ as in ‘near’ and the word for ‘dweller.’ The same thing is true for the Greek word that gets translated ‘neighbor.’ The word means near, but it refers to an individual, so it means ‘close by person.’

In the parable, the priest and Levite aren’t dealing with a gray area. “I wonder if he really needs help?” There are times you might see a person begging for money on the street, and you don’t know that person. You don’t know if giving them money is just going to aid an addiction or be a type of soft theft where they take your money and use it for something different than you intended when you gave it. In this parable, there’s no ambiguity. The situation is black and white. It’s simple. He’s been robbed, stripped, beaten, and left dying in the ditch. If he doesn’t get help, he’s going to die. So, why do the priest and Levite not only pass by, but pass by “on the other side”?

They are trying to quiet their conscience. The more distance they can put between them and this guy in the ditch, the easier it is for them to not think about him. They make a move. They move away from the guy’s need toward their own comfort. Now, this is a parable, so we can’t ask them what they thought was more important than the guy’s need. Maybe it was their schedule. Maybe it was the fact that they knew it would cost them time and money to help the guy. Maybe they just wanted to be left alone so they could have some ‘me time.’ It doesn’t matter. They move away from need of their neighbor toward their own comfort and pass by on the other side.

Then comes the Samaritan. He sees the guy, and he also makes a move. But his move is in the complete opposite direction. He moves away from his comfort toward the guy’s need. And I’m sure he would have preferred comfort. The Samaritan has things going on. He’s got a schedule to keep and a family to feed. His time is limited and valuable. He has all the same reasons and excuses the priest and Levite have. But the Samaritan sees the man, and he moves toward the need.

Jesus makes it clear that the Samaritan has compassion. The way Jesus says it is that his guts were wrenched. The Samaritan went to the man; bound up his wounds; poured on the medicine of oil and wine that he had with him; he set the guy on his own animal; brought the man to the inn; cared for him through the night; gives the innkeeper two denarii (imagine a few hundred bucks); asks the innkeeper to take care of him; and promises to return and pay off any additional expenses. That’s nine things the Samaritan does. Nine ways he moves away from his own comfort toward the guy’s need. It’s absolutely beautiful and noble. Who doesn’t want to be as generous and loving as the Samaritan?

Primarily, this parable shows us a tiny fraction of what Christ has done for you. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, made the ultimate move away from comfort and toward you in your need. Though Jesus was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. He emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant by being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross (Php. 2:6-8).

He did all that because you needed it. The eternal Son of God made the move from His comfort toward your need. And for that, God be praised! That’s the main point of the parable. But I want to spend the rest of this sermon focusing on what Jesus says before the parable.

After the lawyer correctly summarizes the whole Law with “Love the Lord your God with your soul, strength, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says, “Do this and you will live.”

Now, when Jesus said that, I do think it was partly to show the lawyer that he was the guy left for dead in the ditch because the Law robbed and stripped him of any self-righteousness (Gal. 3:19). But, at the same time, when Jesus says, “Do this and you will live,” He is being completely straightforward. Christian, do the Law. Do God’s will. The Law is how God created you to live. The Law is how Jesus wants you to live. It isn’t how you’re saved, but it is how Jesus wants you, believer, to live (Gal. 3:21-22). Jesus wants to motivate you to also be one who moves away from comfort and toward need.

This world is full of needs, but I’m going to focus on one very specific need today because it’s a need that everyone can meet, everyone can fulfill. And that is the need of speaking the truth in a broken and fallen world and that loves lies. The martyrdom and assassination of Charlie Kirk this week is a reminder of the lengths that the demonic forces will go to silence the truth.

Christian, do not be afraid to stand on the truth. Yes, speaking the truth can come with a cost. You might offend others. You might be ridiculed and called all sorts of names. You might lose your job or friends. But, dear saints, do not let that silence you. Silence in the face of lies is nothing other than bowing at the pagan altar of comfort.

Charlie was an amazing example of someone who loved others in a way that led him to move away from comfort toward need. He intentionally went to places to talk with people who suppress truth. He would shine the light of the truth in that darkness with logic and rhetoric that few have. But his example should teach us one simple lesson: the Truth always wins.

Jesus taught us that the devil is a liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). That means wherever there is falsehood, the devil and his demonic forces are at work. Dear saints, don’t give an inch to what is false. Stand on the truth. Speak the truth and know that you are not alone. God doesn’t give many people a sphere of influence as large as Charlie had, but the numbers of people you can reach don’t matter.

Even though most of us (myself included) don’t have the rhetorical and debating skills that Charlie had, those are skills that can be nurtured and strengthened. So, strengthen yours. We’ve seen how one person can influence millions of people. That’s great; for that, God be praised. But imagine what God will do through thousands of people with smaller spheres of influence use that influence to speak the truth to the people around them. You don’t need a larger audience or bigger microphone. You can simply speak to the precious lives that God has placed around you.

And as you shine the light of truth, know that, ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you win people over. That might not happen. But it’s also not your job. That task solely belongs to the Holy Spirit who alone can – and does – change hearts. Leave the results to Him. The only thing that matters that you are faithful (1 Co. 4:2-5).

Our Christian faith requires us to love our enemies and pray for those who curse and persecute us. It does not require us to stand silently in the midst of chaos, evil, savagery, and violence. That would only be a move toward comfort. Dear saints, move toward need. This world needs to hear that sin is bad, and there is forgiveness for sin because of the death and resurrection of Christ. They need to hear that life is precious from womb to tomb; that a man and a woman should get married before they do things that create children; that God created people in His image with gifts and talents that should be nurtured, strengthened, and used for the benefit of others; that criminals should be justly punished; that men are men and women are women; and all sorts of other things. Saying those things in a loving way can be difficult, but it is the loving thing to do.

So, spread the name and light of Jesus every opportunity you have and everywhere you go. With your words and actions, point others to the beautiful, the good, the orderly, the unchanging, and the unending. Because, ultimately, all of that points people to the love of God that comes only through Christ.

As you do that, remember that light has no fellowship with darkness (2 Co. 6:14). Yes, absolutely, strive to rescue others from the darkness. But, if they love the darkness rather than the light (Jn. 3:19-20), shake the dust from your feet (Lk. 9:5).

Dear saints, Jesus is your Good Samaritan who moved from comfort toward your need. You, go and do likewise (Lk. 10:37). Move away from comfort and toward the needs of your neighbor – especially toward those who have believed the devil’s lies. And as you make that move, live in the Light that will never know dusk. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

What fellowship has light with darkness?

I didn’t realize it until a friend and colleague texted me this morning, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday gave me a similar feeling to what I experienced twenty-four years ago on 9/11/01 while I was attending Bible College.

I first heard of the terrorist attacks during our choir period. The director came into the room very distraught and told us there had been an explosion at the World Trade Center. That’s all we knew at that point, so we prayed and went on with practice. I foolishly dismissed the director’s concern, figuring he was merely being overdramatic.

On the way to my next class, I saw a television that revealed the carnage and destruction. I spent the rest of that day in a fog.

That evening, I sat outside a coffee shop with a few friends as we watched cars line up at the gas station. We discussed the evil and darkness of this world and felt totally inadequate to do anything about it. That conversation was a stark reminder that so many things in this world are completely outside our control. Praise God, that they are not outside of His.

God only gives each of us a certain sphere of influence, and we must be faithful in that. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that Scripture teaches that faithfulness is the only true rubric of success and only God’s determination of faithfulness matters (1 Cor. 4:2-5).

Yesterday, Charlie Kirk, a godly man who was faithful over his large, God-given sphere of influence, was assassinated – another reminder of the evil and darkness that vainly seeks to fill this world.

My fellow saints, what are we to do? Here’s where I suggest we start:

  1. Remember. “This world is very evil.” A hymn was written in the 12th century with that title. It was true then; it remains true today and every day. Read and/or sing that hymn. It’ll give you a proper, Scriptural perspective on facing the evil of this world. You can find it here.
  2. Be faithful. God hasn’t given many a sphere of influence as large as Charlie’s, but the size of our spheres doesn’t matter – only faithfulness does. Do what God puts in front of you to do with diligence, determination, strength, and zeal. Then go to your bed in peace (Ps. 4:8).
  3. Fight. Fight knowing that this fight is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). No, this fight will not be won with any weapon that can do bodily harm. The war has already been won by Christ’s death and resurrection. Battles still rage, but the victory is secure. Fight the battle with the words of Truth and speak.
  4. Speak. Charlie did this with excellence and eloquence. He spoke into the darkness in ways that few of us can. But his example taught us one simple lesson: THE TRUTH ALWAYS WINS. Speak knowing you are not alone. Even though most of us (myself included) don’t have the logic and rhetoric of Charlie, it is a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened. Strengthen yours. Then, go. Drive back the evil with words of Truth. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you win people over. That’s not your job anyway; that task belongs to the Holy Spirit who alone can change hearts. What matters that you are faithful to the Truth.
  5. Pray. Take up the armor of God that shields you from the assaults of the enemy and place the battle squarely in the divine hands that were pierced for you. Jesus is still the Lord of hosts who rules and reigns over all things in His resurrected Body. Christ still governs all things on earth for the sake of His Church (Eph. 1:22-23).

We do not need to mourn for Charlie, and he wouldn’t want us to anyway. He has more peace and joy now than he ever had in this life, and he had plenty of both. We do mourn for his widow and children, but we do so knowing that Christ has them. We mourn for ourselves and for this world that no longer has Charlie’s light. And we mourn knowing and trusting that God determines when each individual’s race has been won (2 Tim. 4:7).

Finally (to paraphrase another person), our Christian faith requires us to love our enemies and pray for those who curse and persecute us. It does not require us to stand idly by in the midst of chaos, evil, savagery, and violence. Spread the name and light of Jesus every opportunity you have and everywhere you go.

As you do that, remember that light has no fellowship with darkness (2 Co. 6:14). Yes, absolutely, strive to rescue others from the darkness. But, if they love the darkness rather than the light, shake the dust from your feet.

Go. Live even now in the Light that will never know dusk.

Enoughness – Sermon on 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

2 Corinthians 3:4-11

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine that you received an invitation to a banquet. You get yourself ready and put on your best suit or dress. You drive to the location and enter the building to find that this banquet is a lot fancier and way more formal than you realized. The crystal chandeliers and candles cast a golden light over an exquisitely decorated room. The tables are set with fine china and crystal flutes. You look at all the other guests and discover that they are wearing either designer tuxedos with cufflinks and cummerbunds or sparkling gowns and jewelry. There you are sticking out like a pigeon in a peacock parade.

You try to mingle with the glittering guests, but they mostly ignore you. The only acknowledgement you get are cold smiles and people saying, “Oh, I love your outfit,” as they turn away laughing and asking each other, “Who’s that guy?” You pull out the invitation, and, sure enough, it’s got your name and address. But you’ve had it. It must have been a mistake. So, you start looking for an exit, one that will allow you to avoid as many people as possible.

As you’re leaving, the host of the gala approaches and calls you out by name saying, “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve got all sorts of people I want to introduce you to.” You try to explain that you should probably leave because you don’t fit in. You point out that you aren’t as polished as everyone else there and mention how the crowd has already rejected and made fun of you. But the host simply says, “You aren’t here to be fancy. You’re here because I invited you. My choice is enough to make you belong. Just stick with me.” The rest of the evening, he takes you around the room showing you off, bragging about you, and highlighting how important you are to him. He seats you next to himself at the head table. The rest of the evening, your confidence grows. Now, you are treated with respect and honor by everyone else – not because you’ve won them over. Your importance is rooted in the host’s attitude toward you, and his opinion carries a weight that no one can challenge. It is enough.

Dear saints, such is the confidence you have through Christ toward God.

In this text, Paul is defending his office of being an apostle. There were some false teachers in the congregation at Corinth who were saying that Paul didn’t have the authority to say anything in the church. They questioned the sufficiency of Paul’s preaching. They were saying that Paul’s preaching of God’s grace through Christ was not enough. That’s why he says that God had made him sufficient to be a minister of the ‘new covenant’ of the Gospel that points people to Jesus as the Messiah (2 Cor. 3:6). And that’s why Paul goes on in v. 7-11 of this text to compare his ministry of the Gospel to Moses’ ministry under the old covenant.

Now, this would be a really good text to preach at an ordination service as a man is called by God to be a pastor. All pastors, myself included, need to recognize that when they preach, they aren’t doing it by their own authority but by the authority that God has given (1 Pet. 4:11). When God puts a pastor into a congregation, he is there to deliver God’s gifts to God’s purchased and redeemed people.

Pastors are called to speak two different words to their congregations. First, pastors are to preach ‘the letter that kills’ also called here ‘the ministry of condemnation.’ In other words, pastors are to preach the Law. And second, pastors are to preach ‘the ministry of righteousness,’ the Gospel. God sends pastors to declare that people are sinners so they can be pointed to repentance and faith in Christ. That’s the main point of this passage. But what Paul says here can be applied to other callings and vocations as well.

Dear saints, you have been called out of the darkness of your sin into God’s kingdom. You are called to be God’s hands and feet to the people around you so you can render service to them. And you can have confidence as you serve and carry out those vocations. You are not sufficient on your own. God Himself has made you sufficient. In this text, the word translated ‘sufficient’ means enough.

There are all sorts of places we might look to build confidence and find our enoughness, but there is only one legitimate source of confidence. Any other source will lead to bad outcomes. The most common place we look is inside ourselves – our abilities, our eloquence, our strengths or skills. There are certainly productive, able people who are successful at many things. The problem is that when those moments of success come and we think it’s because we’re sufficient in ourselves, pride sneaks in. We start comparing ourselves to others and look down on them. We get puffed up, and when that happens, we’re setting ourselves up for a big fall. Even when you are successful and humble, the devil will attempt to draw your attention back to yourself and your humility, and again, pride sprouts up.

If you to think that you are strong and capable on our own, you will start to think that you can handle the challenges in life by yourself. When that happens, you’ll quickly find that your own strengths and abilities fade and fail. And when you fail, it’s easy to fall into despair.  The devil wants you to be constantly looking at yourself because there you’ll see that your strength and ability isn’t enough to do all that God has called you to do. Any setback or misstep can be used by the demons to paralyze you.

But when God is the source of your confidence, and He is, then, you lack in nothing. Look at the sheer holiness and privilege of your callings – spouses, parents, children, teachers, friends. When you first recognize the massive, holy responsibilities that God has given you, you realize that these things are beyond you. And you aren’t adequate to carry those vocations out. You can’t claim anything – any ability, any strength, any eloquence, any skill – as coming from you. But God Himself has given you everything. He has won and purchased you by giving His Son, Jesus to die on the cross as your Savior. Everything you are, everything you have, every calling and responsibility has been given to you as a gift. And what God has given you is enough.

As citizens of God’s kingdom, recognize that God has given you more than enough, more you can imagine. He has given His gifts in full measure, pressed those gifts down into you to make room for more and His gifts are always running over (Lk. 6:38).

The same Holy Spirit who blew through the upper room at Pentecost now fills you with everything you need to carry out the tasks entrusted to you. The Holy Spirit who abides in and with you is like that host at the gala. He accompanies you and makes you worthy to be in His kingdom. Anyone who questions that worthiness insults Him directly and isn’t worth listening to. God Himself has made you sufficient and enough. 

By His calling, His redeeming, His grace, His sanctifying, He has made you enough. And that is enough. Dear saints, your enoughness is from God, and from God alone. So, go; boldly carry out the tasks that He has given you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Live Man Walking – Sermon on Ephesians 2:1-10 for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Dead man walking!” That phrase originated just over 100 years ago. It was called out when a death-row inmate was being marched through the prison halls to the execution chamber. When that phrase was shouted, the inmate was, obviously, still alive, but he was as good as dead. The inevitable was soon to happen, and judgment would be carried out. Imagine how lonely that soon-to-be-executed inmate would feel hearing that phrase, “Dead man walking.” Yes, he is still breathing, still has a beating heart, still alive, and still a part of humanity. But his demise is mere moments away.

Here, in the first three verses of this text, Paul might as well be calling out, “Dead man walking!” about each of us as he describes our former life in sin. Because of our sin, every one of us was marching to our imminent demise. Hopeless, doomed, and lonely.

God created us in such a way that we are connected to each other. We have all blossomed from the root of Adam. Since the poison of sin ran through his veins, it has spread through the entire plant of humanity. And it isn’t just the fact that you and I inherited Adam’s sin and are charged with a crime that he committed. No. We all willingly march straight forward into the deadness and rebellion against God that we have inherited from Adam.

We do not become sinners by sinning. We sin because we are, by nature, sinful and unclean. We sin against God in our every thought, word, and deed. We were born revolting and fighting against every notion that we should submit ourselves to the will of God, against every idea that we should serve our neighbor. In other words, we fight against what God created us to be. That’s a losing proposition. And yes, our life in sin is that broad road that has been traveled by every member of the human race. But it is still a long, lonely road.

But – that word can be so beautiful – “but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive” (Eph. 2:4-5). God saw our lonely, helpless, hopeless state, and, in His great love for us, He did something about it. God be praised!

The ESV does a very good job with its translation here through v. 5-6; I just want to highlight it a bit further. Notice all the withs in v. 5-6. God, because of the great love with which He loved you, has made you alive together with Christ, raised you with Christ, and seated you with Christ in the heavenly places. God saw your situation, and He has joined you to and with Jesus. Now, you are alive with, raised with, and seated with your Redeemer and Savior who is the Lord and King of all creation.

Your place in heaven is secure because what is true of Christ is now true of you who have become incorporated into and joined with Him. Dear saints, Jesus became what you are, so that He could make you what He Himself is (St. Irenaeus).

Because of Jesus, no longer are you a lost, lonely “dead man walking.” Now, you are a “live man walking.” All this is yours by God’s grace, through God-given faith. It isn’t because you have made the right sacrifices or have done enough good works. It isn’t because of your efforts, your desiring, your deserving, your trying, or even your deciding. Nope! It isn’t because of your actions or work at all.

It’s only because God has worked faith in you so that you now cry out, “God be merciful to me, the sinner” (Lk. 18:13). Through Jesus, God Himself has made you alive with Christ, raised you with Christ, and seated you with Christ. Normally, when Scripture talks about Christ being seated, it adds that He is seated at God’s right hand. Over and over again, it does this (Ps. 110:1; Mt. 26:64; Mk. 14:63; 16:19; Act. 7:56; Ro. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:3).

That’s why, when we confess the creed (either Apostles’ or Nicene), we confess that Jesus is “seated at the right hand of God the Father [Almighty].” But notice here in v. 6 that when Paul announces that you are seated with Christ, he doesn’t add the phrase “at God’s right hand.” That is because God’s right hand isn’t so much a place or location. Instead, it is a position of authority and honor.

Christ has been raised from the dead and has ascended into heaven where He is seated at God’s right hand with all power and authority in heaven and on earth. You are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, and yet you remain here on earth – but still in a position of authority because you are seated with Christ. No, you aren’t all-powerful or everywhere-present like Jesus. But, you do have a share in His authority as you live here on earth. Christian, you have risen with and are seated with Christ not in such a way that you are removed from this world. Instead, you are exalted here – in this world, in this life – with the divine honor of being God’s child.

God intentionally leaves you here to exercise that authority in His creation through your good works. That’s why God has prepared those good works for you to walk in. And – this needs to be abundantly clear – the good works that God has prepared for you to walk in are not some secret thing that God hasn’t revealed to you. You don’t have to go around searching for these good works as though they are hidden. These good works are all around you. And you find them in the people that God puts right, smack dab in front of you.

You have been raised from your deadness in sin to be living men who walk in the love for both God and your neighbor that He created you to have. God has made you His ‘workmanship,’ His work of art, shining His light in a dark, evil, lonely world that is following the prince of the power of the air.

God has made you alive, raised, and seated you with Jesus so that in the coming ages He can show you the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward you in Christ Jesus.

I just have to say here that a text as beautiful and full and rich as this one is barely needs anything added to it. You can just read it over and over and it is enough. But let me preach a little more and change gears here:

The shooting this past Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that left two dead and 18 wounded is a sober reminder to us: this world is very, very evil. The devil, the prince of the power of the air, is constantly at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). Satan along with his demonic forces of evil constantly tempt everyone to live out the passions and desires of our flesh, and it often appears to us as though the devil’s reign of evil has no limits. But God doesn’t and won’t let the devil roam unchecked (Job 1:10, 12; 2:6; Mt. 12:29; Col. 2:15).

Even though it seems as though we are entering into a new era of martyrdom in our country and that the persecution of Christianity is increasing and inevitable, God has not given Satan free reign. Jesus is still on the throne and the Head of all things (Eph. 1:22). Jesus is still in control – even in this dark age (Eph. 1:21). Whatever the future holds, God’s grace is, and will remain, constant.

God does not change. He knows what He is doing, and He uses martyrdoms, as painful as they are, for good (Ro. 8:28).

God has delivered those two saints, those two young martyrs, to Himself in mercy, and they are free. God has also made them an example to us that some things are more precious and valuable than living. May God, in His mercy, give us all a measure of their spirit.

We were dead, but now we are alive because of God’s grace given to us by faith. Jesus Himself is our risen and living Savior. Even if we die, we live because Jesus lives, and in Him we live too. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Your Visitation – Sermon on Luke 19:41-48 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Luke 19:41-48

41 And when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This Gospel text takes place on Palm Sunday. The crowds have laid palm branches and coats on the road as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk. 19:36, 38). The Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke them, but He refused. Instead, He said, “I tell you, if they were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Lk. 19:40).

But while all this joy and celebration surrounded Jesus, Luke tells us here what is going on in Jesus’ heart. Christ comes to the crest of the hill that overlooks Jerusalem, and He weeps. He has come to visit Jerusalem and bring the peace that surpasses all understanding (Php. 4:7). But He weeps because the city is so twisted and corrupt that it doesn’t know or recognize the things that make for peace. Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem when their Roman armies will set up a barricade all around the city to rip it apart brick by brick. All of this will happen because the people did not know the time of their visitation (Lk. 19:44).

We look forward to some visits. Especially if they live far apart, kids will ask how long it’ll be until they visit grandpa, grandma, and the cousins again. You get excited about an upcoming visit with your college or high school friends. But other visits can be uncomfortable – a visit to the dentist, a visit from the OSHA inspector, or a visit to the principal’s office. 

When Jesus says, “You did not know the time of your visitation,” the word He uses for ‘visitation’ (episkopē) is where we get our English word ‘scope.’ A couple days ago, I was talking with a woman who had a partial knee replacement years ago, but she still had continual pain. Her doctor decided to use a scope to look into her knee and see what was going on. That scope revealed that she had an infection that never showed up on other imaging or lab work. The only thing that revealed the infection was that scope. The doctor needed to get in there and see what was causing her pain.

The visitation Jesus talks about here is Him scoping things out in the city. What does that scope reveal? It reveals that the citizens of Jerusalem, the ‘city of peace,’ do not know the things that make for peace. It revealed that the Temple – God’s house, the place where God promised to deliver His mercy and forgiveness to sinners – had become a hideout of robbers. Jesus’ visitation, that scope, revealed how disordered the city was.

That’s why Jesus goes into the Temple. He drives out the infectious thieves from their den and daily fills the Temple with His teaching. Sadly, by the end of the week, the chief priests, scribes, and other leaders decide to arrest Jesus, put Him on trial, condemn, and crucify Him. And the people of Jerusalem still didn’t know or recognize the things that make for peace.

So, in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus’ prophecy here, the Roman general Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem. It was one of the most horrific events in human history. About one million people were killed. Titus took enough gold from the Temple to pay for the building of the Coliseum in Rome and burned Jerusalem to the ground.

All of this – the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple – should serve as a reminder and a warning to us. Judgment is coming. This world cannot and will not last. Those who do not have faith in Christ will be damned, so repent and believe in Jesus.

Don’t fall into the temptation of being comfortable and complacent in yourself and in your sin. Just because God doesn’t send immediate judgment upon your sin doesn’t mean that God doesn’t mind or care that much about it. In our Old Testament reading (Ez. 3:8-11), we heard how the people rebuilt the Temple. When the foundation was laid, the people sang responsively, “[The Lord] is good, and His steadfast love and mercy endures forever.” Yes, God’s mercy endures forever, but His patience over sin does not.

So, be warned. Be warned but also have hope. There is a purification and replacement of what is broken in this world. The day is coming when all that is corrupt, evil, and infected will be swept away and replaced with what is pure. There is a final freedom and peace from all your enemies.

As you consider this text, ask yourself, “Did Jesus visit Jerusalem to bring judgment or to bring peace?” The answer is, “Yes. Both.”

After His tears dried, Jesus’ first order of business was to visit the Temple and expel the money changers. But He didn’t stop there either. Jesus kept returning to the Temple so He could fill it with the good news that He had come to bring God’s forgiveness, life, and salvation. The whole reason Jesus had gone to Jerusalem was for the sake of peace – true, ultimate peace.

Christ visited Jerusalem to bring the very peace that was first promised to Adam and Eve even after they had fallen into sin (Gen. 3:15). Jesus visited Jerusalem so He could reconcile God and man through His blood. Christ won that peace through His cross and resurrection. And now, Jesus guards that peace with His protection.

Notice how Luke tells us that Jesus’ enemies couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t touch either Jesus or the crowds who listened to Him. Wherever Jesus’ Word is proclaimed the enemies of Christ have no control. They wanted to destroy Jesus, but they couldn’t do a thing (Lk. 19:47-48). Only when Jesus decided are they able to arrest and crucify Him. And through His death, Christ brings His promised peace.

So, dear saints, know the day of your visitation. Today is that day. Today, and every day you come to this place to hear God’s Word, Jesus is visiting you and proclaiming to you the things that make for peace. Yes, there are times when that visitation means Jesus has to remove the filth and shame of your sin. But that is how God brings about His peace.

Jesus’ visitation delivers you to the new, true, heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22-24) where God dwells with you and your enemies cannot touch you. They cannot touch you because they cannot touch Jesus. They have already done their worst to Him, and now, He lives forever. And because He lives, you live too (Jn. 14:19).

Psalm 48 describes the fortress that you have in the holy Christian Church, a fortress that is not founded on bricks that can crumble. No, the fortress Christ has delivered you to is built upon the foundation of God’s Word, which will never fade, fail, or fall. Listen to the description of your fortress from that Psalm: “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever” (Ps. 48:12-14). 

In this tower, the only danger, the only threat you face is if you would leave its protection. Dear saints, God has and is visiting you here, now to bring you His true, abiding peace. Amen.

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

Escape – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When you’re nearing the end of a task or a project, that’s not the time to get lazy, sloppy, or careless. As you get near to the goal, you need to pay close attention to what you’re doing and finish strong and make sure that you are doing things right. You’ve maybe seen replays from football games where a receiver or kick returner makes an amazing play, outruns the defense, and is about to cross the goal line. But he starts celebrating a few inches too soon and drops the ball right before the endzone. That one, careless act erases everything that he did before.

Well, here, Paul says that the end (τέλος, ‘the completion’) of the ages has come (1 Co. 10:11). And remember, he’s saying this to Christians nearly 2,000 years ago. Since it was true way back then then, it’s even truer now. Paul is encouraging us to finish strong and cross the goal line. He says, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall,” (1 Co. 10:12). In other words, don’t fall away, don’t fumble the ball, when you are so close to Christ’s return.

Plain as day, Paul tells us exactly what might drag us down and cause us to fall. In the opening verses of 1 Co. 10, he invites us to think about all the ways God’s people sinned, rebelled, and were judged after God had delivered from slavery in Egypt. He reminds us how they fell into idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling, causing them to be destroyed. Paul says that those things took place as examples for us.

Even though they had had God’s protection under the cloud, even though they had God’s miraculous deliverance and passed through the sea, even though they were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea, even though they ate the same spiritual food we eat and drink the same spiritual drink we drink – even though they had all those blessings from God, they were overthrown. So, Paul warns us to not be like them. To not be idolatrous, going after our own golden calves, and to not indulge in sexual immorality. To not put Christ to the test and become destroyed.

We need to learn from their example so that we don’t stumble and fall into temptation and sin right before the end of the ages. Christ is returning, and we need to persevere. If you think that you stand on your own, repent. You’re in big trouble and are about to fall (1 Co. 10:12).

Paul concludes here in v. 13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

So according to Scripture, we need to learn from from the failures of others, because we are also prone to fall. We face the same temptations they did, but God is – and always will be– faithful to provide the way of escape. Often in ways that we don’t expect.

Everyone faces the same temptations. Now, being tempted is not a sin. But coveting is a sin. That’s why God gives us the final two Commandments about coveting. Coveting is the stealth bomber of sin. It flies under the radar of your conscience. Your conscience usually detects the sins that you commit in an outward way. But the sin of coveting is committed in an inward way.

You might feel guilty about replying to your spouse or someone else in an angry way that is rude and inconsiderate. But you might not be too troubled about feeling anger if you don’t let that anger out. To be clear, both of those are sins need forgiveness. Both need repentance and faith. But the 9th and 10th Commandments about coveting show that God’s Law governs even our inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions. You’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating over and over again. Scripture equates coveting with idolatry (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5).

Coveting is, basically, saying, “God, You messed up. That thing over there should be mine over here.” When we realize that coveting is idolatry and is how we place ourselves above God, then coveting becomes gross and disgusting. Don’t falsely desire what God hasn’t given you. Let God be God.

So, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh always tempt us first to covet. They will put things in front of us that we think should be ours. Coveting is the way in which we begin to break any/all of the commandments.

But look closely at verse 13, and you’ll see three comforting truths:

First, the temptations that you face are not unique. Yes, the devil, the world, and our own flesh will individually tailor certain temptations to each of us. But everyone is tempted by the same things. Maybe in different ways, maybe through different processes, but the things that tempt you are the same things that tempt others as well.

Second, God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. God knows precisely how much weight, how much pressure, of temptation you can bear. Imagine temptations as ropes or chains that the devil would use in order to pull you toward sin. Satan cannot use ropes or chains that are too strong for you. God simply doesn’t allow it. Those chains of temptation will completely snap at the exact weight that God Himself has determined. But also, realize what that means: 

Whenever you or I sin, we aren’t pulled into that sin by forces stronger than us. No. We just didn’t fight back long or hard enough for those cords to break. In other words, when we sin, we jump headfirst into those pits. So, fight back. Fighting temptation isn’t just a mortal combat for your physical life. It’s an eternal combat for your soul. If you want to see the chains of temptation snap, just read Mt. 4 or Lk. 4 to see how Jesus resists the devil’s temptations.

The third promise that God gives here in v. 13 is that God will provide the way of escape. You have an escape out of temptation. Sometimes, people will misconstrue v. 13 and say things like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” On the one hand that’s true, but it’s only half true. And half-truths are often worse than blatant lies. That phrase places all the weight of fighting temptation on you and your own psychological capabilities. That phrase is basically saying, “You just need to be mentally strong enough to handle it.” Well, God gives something much better than that. He gives a way of escape.

Think of Joseph. Joseph gets attacked by his brothers and thrown into a pit, but Joseph can’t handle staying in the pit the rest of his life. So, God gives an escape, and that escape is that he is sold as a servant to Potiphar in Egypt (Gen. 37:28; 39:1). Later, Joseph can’t handle Potiphar’s wife asking him day after day to fornicate with her. So, God gives Joseph another escape by putting him safely into an Egyptian prison (Gen. 39:7-20).

In Joseph’s life, we see that God causes all things – even things we think are bad or horrible – to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). 

In every temptation, God gives a way of escape. I know that example of Joseph might not be comforting, so think of Paul himself. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10, he talks about having a thorn in his flesh. He prays three times that God would remove that thorn, but God’s response is simply, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

It may be that your escape from temptation is only going to come through other trials, like it was for Joseph. Or, it may be that your escape from temptation is God’s promise of His continual grace, like it was for Paul. But ultimately, your way of escape is coming because Christ is returning.

Believer, Christ is returning to bring you to the new creation. The end/completion of the ages and the resurrection of the body is the ultimate escape from temptation. So, press on in your fight against temptation and sin.

Rose, that brings me to you. Rose, today you are baptized, not just into Moses, but into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, Rose, you bear His name (Mt. 28:19). Persist. Persevere. Fight against the temptations that the devil, world, and your own flesh will throw at you.

And all you dear saints, you fight too. To strengthen you in that fight, Jesus now invites you to His table. Here, He delivers His Body and Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sin. Here, you receive God’s grace and mercy. Here, you see God’s faithfulness to you. Resist, fight, flee temptation because the end of all things is at hand. Amen.

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

Implanted – Sermon on James 1:16-21 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

James 1:16-21

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Even as we live in a broken and fallen world, God continues to shower His good gifts upon us. Everything good in your life – your family and friends, the air you breathe, the tasty food waiting for us downstairs, the green leaves on the trees, and the cushioned chairs under your posteriors – all of it comes from the Father of lights, the almighty Creator of the universe. And your heavenly Father isn’t stingy. His good gifts started immediately at the beginning of your life, the moment of your conception. He intricately weaved you together in your mother’s womb, and He has and will sustain you all the days of your life with His good gifts (Ps. 139:13-16). And God still gives more.

On top of His good gifts, God gives perfect, complete gifts that also come ‘from above.’ In these verses, James uses language that echoes what Jesus says in Jn. 3. That only those who are born again, or ‘from above,’ (same word) by water and the Spirit will see the kingdom of God. The greatest and perfectest [sic.] gift God has given you is the new, from-above birth that James mentions in v. 18. This new, spiritual birth is yours through faith. “Of [God’s] own will, He brought you forth.” And God didn’t even wait for you to begin living to give you this gift of new birth and salvation. Before God created all things, even before the foundation of the world He had inked your name in the Book of Life (Mt. 25:34; Eph. 1:4-5; 2 Tim. 1:9).

Dear saints, you didn’t earn your place in God’s family. God freely gave it. That’s how you were and are and remain saved. It isn’t your work; it’s God’s perfect gift. Period. In your Baptism, God gave you the gift of faith as He implanted His life-giving Word into you. And the Holy Spirit has watered and nurtured that Word so that it would grow, mature, and bear fruit. Micah and SidaLee, today you aren’t earning God’s gift or approval. Instead, you are simply publicly acknowledging the gift you have received from Him as you stand, rooted where God has planted you.

Micah, SidaLee, and all you saints, count on God continuing to give His good and perfect gifts to you. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you can reach out and grab those gifts before God gives them. Our reading starts, “Don’t be deceived.” It’s a good translation, but the word James uses has a nuance to it of following the wrong path.

You would be utterly and sinfully deceived to think that you can snatch God’s good gifts before God gives them. That is the path of filthiness and rampant wickedness where those gifts cease to be gifts. It is the path of darkness that only leads to more darkness. The devil, the world, and your own flesh will try to lure you down that path of darkness to your eternal death. Do not go down that path.

But that is not the path you are on, Christian. Your path is to recognize the good and perfect gifts for what they really are – gifts from your Heavenly Father, your merciful Savior, and your comforting Holy Spirit. Your path is illumined by the true, eternal, inerrant, infallible, Word of God that is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Ps. 119:105). And you can know without a doubt that Word will never fail you.

Christ Himself is that Word, and there is no shadow, no shiftiness, no variation in Him. The sun sets, and the moon goes down. But Christ does not. Even though Christ describes this path as narrow and difficult (Mt. 7:13-14), you can confidently and safely run down that path with your eyes fixed your eyes on Christ, the Author and Perfector of your faith (Heb. 12:1-2). That confidence comes because He has implanted His Word in you.

I have to apologize for mixing metaphors about going down a wrong path on the one hand and being planted on the other hand. But it’s what the Holy Spirit inspired James to do. So, I guess, I’ll do it too.

Receive the implanted Word. A tree doesn’t need go off on a journey to find more nourishment to grow taller and bear more fruit. Instead, it stretches wider – both with branches and roots. That stretching enables that tree to receive more and more. And the more it receives, the more fruit it bears.

By God’s will, you were brought forth, planted, and are continually nourished because your God is a giver. With a giver, you can receive or reject, but you can’t make a deal. The giving-God doesn’t play around with negotiations, and you cannot make a deal with Him because you have nothing to offer that isn’t His already.

Be comforted. God doesn’t tire of giving. He just gives more. He would have all of you open your hands wider to keep receiving His good and perfect gifts. And if you are worried that His gifts will get too big and overwhelm you, there is a simple solution: Join God in His giving game.

Because God continues to pour out His gifts and blessings on you, you know that you are free to bless others and join God in giving His gifts away. Your giver-God pours out His good and perfect gifts on you because He has made you His child. With each gift, He nudges you to open your hands wider to both to receive from Him and give to others as well.

So, Micah, SidaLee, all you saints, open your hands wide to receive God’s good and perfect gifts (Ps. 81:10). Always continue to receive the implanted Word which saves your soul and delivers the righteousness of God to you now and always. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Waiting & Receiving – Sermon on Isaiah 40:25-31 for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

Isaiah 40:25-31

25 To whom then will you compare me, 
that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: 
who created these? 
He who brings out their host by number, 
calling them all by name; 
by the greatness of his might 
and because he is strong in power, 
not one is missing. 

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, 
and speak, O Israel, 
“My way is hidden from the Lord, 
and my right is disregarded by my God”? 
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? 
The Lord is the everlasting God, 
the Creator of the ends of the earth. 
He does not faint or grow weary; 
his understanding is unsearchable. 
29 He gives power to the faint, 
and to him who has no might he increases strength. 
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, 
and young men shall fall exhausted; 
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; 
they shall mount up with wings like eagles; 
they shall run and not be weary; 
they shall walk and not faint.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

One of the greatest spiritual dangers that we all face is that, as we go through difficulties in life, we forget very obvious things – especially the fact that God loves us and is in control of all things. But it’s not as though you’ve actually forgotten it. It’s just that you don’t believe it. You don’t live your life in what you know to be true.

Smack in the middle of this text, God asks a question, and it sounds like He asks it out of frustration. “Why do you say, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God.’?” God doesn’t even wait for an answer. Instead, He addresses His question with a question. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.”

Your God doesn’t wear out like you and I do. It’s not as though He needs to go sit in His lazy chair and kick His feet up to take a nap. He never encounters a situation where He isn’t quite sure what to do. We have known and we have heard that God is everlasting, that He is the Creator of the ends of the earth who does not grow faint or weary. We know that God has infinite understanding, that He gives power to the faint and strength to the weak. Our problem is that we don’t live like that is true. We encounter difficulties and live as though God does none of those things.

Dear saints, your God created every single star in the universe. Scientists guess that there are somewhere between 100-400 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy. They don’t know the exact number, but that’s the estimate. Think about this – even if we took the small end of that estimate – if it only took God one second to name each star, 100 billion seconds is equivalent to 3,171 years, 66 days, 17 hours, and 46 minutes. And that’s just our galaxy.

Scientists estimate that there are between one to two trillion galaxies. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me that as we learn how to look farther we found out that the universe is even bigger than that. And it was nothing for God to create all those things. God created all of those things simply by speaking, “Let there be lights in heavens,” (Gen. 1:14) and there they were. Every one of them with a name and carefully placed in its position by your mighty God.

Now, contrast that with how God created you. When God created Adam, He didn’t simply speak. He got down into the mud and dirt and dust. He molded, formed, and shaped you from that dust and breathed into your nostrils the breath of life (Gen. 2:7). He intricately knitted you together in your mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13, 15).

Beyond that, God saved you by taking on your flesh and blood. He entered into His creation and subjected Himself to the weariness and fatigue that you endure (Jn. 4:6). Christ knew suffering and pain (Is. 53:3). Jesus did all of this to step between you and the wrath of God that you and I deserve because of our sin. He came to die and rise again in order to win you as His own.

In other words, God is much more invested in you than all the rest of creation. He’s more interested in what goes on in your life and what happens with you than with all the stars and galaxies that He calls by name. Again, we know this, but by the way we often live, it sure doesn’t look like it. Instead of waiting upon the Lord and soaring like eagles, we flap around like chickens.

I’m no expert on chickens, but the few times I’ve seen them “in flight” it’s pretty unimpressive. When they do get airborne, it’s usually because they’ve jumped as high as they can. They beat their wings – feathers flying all around. And the best they can do is just to fall less quickly. That’s the picture of us when we aren’t waiting upon the Lord. The best we can do in our own strength is fall a bit slower.

Eagles are completely different. This past Tuesday, Sarah and I just got to watch three eagles soaring in the distance. I don’t know what they were looking at, but for, maybe, five minutes they kept circling round and round. They would swoop down periodically, but then they would ascend on the invisible updrafts. The whole time we watched those eagles, none of them flapped their wings even once. They were just lifted by those updrafts. Those huge birds didn’t need to extend any effort to fly.

Dear saints, that is the picture of those who wait upon the Lord. This waiting on the Lord isn’t simply marking off time and watching the minutes and seconds tick by. This waiting is living in a confident expectation of God’s action on our behalf. This waiting is simply resting in God’s mercy which lifts us up to heaven. Romans 4:5 puts it this way, “To the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

I’ll confess my own weakness in this. I’m not good at waiting. I don’t like doing it. I don’t have the patience I should have. Waiting is difficult, and I suspect this is true for all of us. We wrongly live as though everything around us is dependent upon our work, our effort, our wisdom. We think we have to get everything figured out on our own. It’s exhausting. Waiting might feel like we’re descending or, even, free-falling. But this waiting is waiting in faith where we receive from God, and He lifts us up.

I want to change gears for a minute to talk about this upcoming sabbatical. Dear saints, my prayer for this sabbatical is that all of us would come to a better understanding that this is God’s congregation and that He is more interested in His Word being proclaimed here than we are. I’ll confess that I start to slide into the sinful attitude that certain things are dependent on me and what I do. If that were actually the case, you, dear saints, are in deep trouble.

So, during this sabbatical, I’m going to do my best to rest. In 1 Co. 3:5-7, Paul tells the congregation in Corinth that he and other pastors are nothing. He says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” This sabbatical will help all of us remember that.

God loves His church. He loves this congregation. He is more ready to give than we are to receive. So, thank you for the gift of this sabbatical so I can stop, wait, and receive from God for an extended time. I trust that God will use this time to renew and refresh me in ways that will benefit me and in ways that will benefit you.

May God remind all of us that when we are weary and exhausted that He is our strength. He is the One who lifts us up by His mercy and grace. His incomparable love carries us along. He protects and keeps us. He grows His church. He forgives our sins. He makes a place for us in eternal life through His inexhaustible love and work for us in Christ Jesus. May we all wait and receive from Him. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Dirty Work – Sermon on Ezekiel 34:11-16 for the Third Sunday of Easter

Ezekiel 34:11-16

11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

One of the most common metaphors that the Bible uses for how we relate to God is the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. It’s not the most common image, but it’s toward the top. It’s probably merciful that God didn’t make it the most common one because it isn’t overly complimentary. Sheep aren’t strong or fast or smart or impressive animals. Sheep are needy and, honestly, stupid. They get themselves into all kinds of dirty, sticky messes. The imagery isn’t meant to be flattering, but we don’t need to be flattered. God be praised that He doesn’t expect us to be anything more than His sheep.

When you’re the sheep, the image is very comforting. That’s why Psalm 23 is so popular. When you’re the Shepherd, it’s a lot of work – in fact a lot of dirty work. That’s why this text from Ezekiel 34 isn’t as well-known as Psalm 23. The context of this passage is that God is speaking against the shepherds (i.e. the rulers and religious leaders) whom He had called to shepherd His people. He is speaking against them because they hadn’t been faithful (Ezk. 34:1-10).

These shepherds failed to do what God called them to do. They had been feeding themselves instead of the sheep. They had fattened themselves by devouring the sheep. They had not strengthened the weak; they had not healed the sick; they had not bound up the injured, brought back the strayed, or sought the lost. Because of these failures, God’s sheep had been scattered over the face of the earth. God’s sheep had become food for the wild beasts, wandered all over the mountains, and were scattered with no one to search or seek them.

So right before our text starts, God says to those shepherds, “I am against you and will require My sheep from your hand.” God says that He’s going to put a stop to their neglect and lack of care for the sheep. He Himself will rescue them.

One of the classic children’s stories that I enjoy is “The Little Red Hen.” You remember how it goes. The little red hen finds some wheat seed and asks her friends, the dog, the cat, the duck, and the pig a series of questions. “Who will help me plant the seed, water the seed, harvest the wheat, grind the grain, bake the bread?” To each question, there’s the rhythmic reply, “’Not I,’ said the dog, ’Not I,’ said the cat, ’Not I,’ said the duck, ’Not I,’ said the pig.” So, the determined hen says, “Then I will do it myself.” Then, when the bread is finally out of the oven, the little red hen asks, “Who’s going to help me eat the bread?” And of course, the dog, the cat, the duck, and the pig are all eager and ready to eat, but she says, “No, you didn’t help me plant, water, harvest, grind, or bake. I will eat it myself.” And she did.

This passage has a similar tone to it. The shepherds had not done their job, and so God says, “Ok. I will do it Myself.” And He does. He did exactly what we needed as His sheep.

God says that He, Himself, seeks us, rescues us from all the places we’ve been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. He brings us out from the peoples, gathers us from the countries, brings us into our own land, and feeds us with good pasture. He makes us lie down, seeks us when we’re lost, brings us back when we’re strayed, binds us up when we are injured, strengthens us when we are weak. He does all the dirty work that sheep need from their shepherd. God’s frustration here is not directed at the sheep – it’s directed to the shepherds. God willingly does all of these things out of His love, care, and compassion for you, His sheep.

When Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd in our Gospel reading today (Jn. 10:11-16), He says that He is that Shepherd. His work of seeking us lost ones, bringing back us strayed ones, binding up our injuries, and strengthening our weaknesses – all of this happens as He lays down His life for us. That is how He is your Good Shepherd.

You are His sheep. He cares for you and does all the dirty work of being your Good Shepherd. Christ does all of this dirty work for the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2) of having you as His sheep. Your Good Shepherd fully knows that you need to be fed, found, brought back, bound up, and strengthened. In other words, He knows you are His sheep who need His care.

But don’t miss the fact that, as your Good Shepherd, He knows what tasks and responsibilities you can handle. So, He calls you to be His under-shepherds. Just because you are an under-shepherd doesn’t mean you are no longer His sheep. You are always a sheep. But He, as the Good Shepherd, entrusts the care of His sheep to you. Can you imagine a parent saying about their kid, “That’s God’s child, not mine”? Of course not! A parent recognizes, “That’s my child that God has given and entrusted to me.”

Dear saints, every relationship you have is a calling from God to care for His beloved sheep. Be faithful in those callings whether you are a parent, a worker, a student, a friend, a sibling, whatever. You are an under-shepherd.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus calls us hired hands (Jn. 10:12-13). Jesus doesn’t say that all the hired hands are cowards who run away at the sight of the wolf simply because they are hired hands. He says that the ones who flee do so because they don’t care about the sheep. Christ has given you callings and wants you to have the same care for His sheep that He has entrusted to you. Again, the context of this passage from Ezekiel is clear that God intends that His under-shepherds be faithful in doing the dirty work of caring for His sheep. So, be a good under-shepherd.

Dear saints, you have been called to follow Christ’s example (1 Pet. 2:21). Imitate and follow Him. Your Good Shepherd has joined you to His cause of bringing back the strayed to the Shepherd and Overseer of souls (1 Pet. 2:25). Jesus is the Shepherd who clears the path before you, His sheep. Christ is also the janitor who cleans up after you when you fail as His under-shepherd.

Dear saints, you are called to do the dirty work of being shepherds, caring for God’s flock, and ministering to all the different needs of God’s sheep. You are to bind up the injured, bring back the strayed, and strengthen the weak.

I want to close with these verses from 1 Pet. 5:2-4 where the Holy Spirit says to all of us, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” And listen to the conclusion, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 

God be praised that Christ Himself is our Good Shepherd who both leads us and follows after us as He cares for all His sheep. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

Far More – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-31

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine you were building a house. You wouldn’t start by arranging the furniture or painting interior walls because there aren’t any rooms or walls to paint. You’d begin with the foundation – a foundation that is solid and will stand firm in the midst of wind, rain, snow, and all the other things our northern climate could throw at it because the prettiest walls and nicest furniture won’t save a house from collapsing.

Our faith has a foundation that can withstand all the things that the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh can and will throw at it. John wrote to give that foundation. He clearly states that he doesn’t record all the signs Jesus did – there were far more. In fact, John says that even if he tried to write everything Jesus did, the whole world wouldn’t be able to contain the books that would be written (Jn. 21:25). But the signs John does record provide a solid foundation for eternal life (Jn. 20:30-31). John says that he chose his signs to reveal Jesus’ identity as the Christ and Son of God. But each of those signs are rightly read and understood only when we consider the ultimate sign – the eighth sign – which is Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

As I was considering what to preach from this text, I thought it would be fun to preach on the last two verses because preaching on them meant skimming through and summarizing the entire Gospel of John with all the signs that it contains. So, here we go.

The first sign John records is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (Jn. 2:1-12), which reveals that Jesus has authority over creation. Jesus uses His authority to provide not just what is good, but what is extravagant and delightful. The sign invites us to see that, In an empty world, Jesus fills our lives with His abundant joy.

The second sign John recorded was Jesus healing the royal official’s son (Jn. 4:46-54). Jesus simply speaks a word while He’s about sixteen miles away from where that boy lay dying, and the child was healed in the same moment. This sign shows Jesus’ boundless authority over both distance and death.

The third sign is when Jesus heals a crippled man who lay by a pool in Jerusalem (Jn. 5:1-14). Because Jesus does this sign on the Sabbath, it reveals that Jesus is the One who brings true rest by making the broken whole. That sign shows that in a world paralyzed by sin and pain, Jesus restores.

We heard the fourth sign a few weeks ago – the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus women and children with five loaves and two fish (Jn. 6:1-13). That sign recalled how God had fed His people in the wilderness with manna, but Jesus says He has come to do far more. The sign shows that He is the very Bread of Life from heaven (Jn. 6:35) who nourishes us for eternity.

The fifth sign immediately follows that when Jesus walks on water (Jn. 6:16-24). As the disciples battle a storm, Jesus walks to them on the sea, and when He gets into the boat, they immediately arrive at their destination. This sign also reveals Jesus’ dominion and authority over creation. But here, Jesus also invokes the divine name – Yahweh, “I am” – on Himself (Jn. 6:20). This sign shows that Jesus is the God who safely brings the troubled to their desired haven (Ps. 107:28-30).

The sixth sign is when Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth (Jn. 9). This sign confirms Jesus’ claim that He is the Light of the World (John 9:5). Jesus has come to give us more than simple sight. In a dark world, Jesus opens our eyes to the light of His truth.

The seventh sign is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-45). Lazarus had been dead four days, but Jesus simply calls him out the grave. This sign reveals that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25). This sign shows that Jesus is the Author of Life (Act. 3:15).

These seven signs show Jesus is the gracious Creator, the mighty Healer, the generous Provider, and the Lord over death. John chose these seven signs, and again, he admits that he could have written far more. Those seven signs point to the fact that Jesus was sent by God. And yet, do they really prove that Jesus is God’s Son? Other prophets who had been sent by God had done similar signs. Moses had turned water into blood (Ex. 7:14-25). Elijah and Elisha had healed and raised people from the dead (1 Kgs. 17:17-24; 2 Kgs. 4:18-37). Elisha also miraculously fed a crowd with a tiny amount of food and had some left over (2 Kgs. 4:42-44).

However, Jesus is more than a prophet. He’s the Christ and Son of God who brings life to all who believe in Him. When John wrote this Gospel, he wasn’t out to prove that Jesus was a powerful individual. John wants far more than that. He wants you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and Savior so that you would have life in His name (Jn. 20:31).

That’s why John doesn’t say what all the signs are pointing to until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those seven signs point to the most important, eighth sign – Jesus’ dying and rising. On the cross, Jesus’ glory shines brightest (Jn. 12:23-24). He takes your sin and your shame. And the empty tomb is what seals the deal. Christ died and raised Himself to life (Jn. 10:17-18) so you can know that all sickness, sin, death, and fear; all pain, sorrow, and sadness; all trouble, toil, and tribulation will be done away with forever. That’s the solid foundation.

Mary Magdalene sees the risen Jesus and worships (Jn. 20:11-18). The fearful disciples see and rejoice (Jn. 20:19-20). Unbelieving Thomas has his disbelief melt into the declaration, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28). Christ’s resurrection proves more than every other sign because it shows that Jesus is where you find far more than temporary blessings. Jesus is where God gives you grace upon grace (Jn. 1:16) and manifests God’s saving love for you (Jn. 1:18).

The signs John writes down to strengthen and encourage your faith weren’t tricks. They aren’t fables or nice stories. They’re evidence. Faith in Christ isn’t a blind leap. John’s signs are rooted in history, witnessed by real people. Their initial doubts actually bolster our faith. Most of the eyewitnesses of Jesus chose to die rather than denying Him and the things He did because Jesus proved that He is the Son of God.

Believe, and have life in Jesus’ name (Jn. 20:31). Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil. He is the sure, sturdy foundation on which you can build your entire life. Jesus is the Christ. In a crumbling world, you have a Savior who has come to restore all things and make them new (Rev. 21:5).

You can build your entire life on the foundation of Christ. The cross and resurrection are the sure cornerstone. A life built on that is no flimsy shed. It’s a fortress. Trust Jesus because, in Him and in Him alone, you have life – eternal, abundant life in His almighty name. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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