Listen here.

John 11:17-27, 38-53

¹⁷ Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sure, you’re a decent person – not perfect, but decent. Yeah, you could try harder, but your intentions are good. A slight improvement here and a little more effort there, and just imagine how good you could be.

The only problem is that, eventually, you die. And when you die, your prospects for improvement and goodness decrease. Rapidly.

Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ house four days late. There stands Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. He stands before the stone of His buddy’s tomb and says, “Roll away the stone.”

And Martha – practical, practical Martha – says, “You probably don’t want to do that. It’s been four days. My brother, God bless him, he stinks.” The KJV is quite a good translation, and here is one of the places I love it. In the KJV, Martha says, “Lord, He stinketh.”

When you stinketh, nothing – no matter how good or moral or upright you were – nothing about you matters. When you stinketh, the only thing that matters is what kind of God you have.

So, what kind of God do you have?

You see what kind here and in our Old Testament lesson (Ezk. 37:1-14). Ezekiel sees the valley full or bones. There were many, and they were dry. They weren’t full of love for God or love for their neighbor. They weren’t even able to muster up a stink – not any more.

God asks, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Not wanting to give the wrong answer, Ezekiel defers, “O Lord God, you know.”

“Well,” God says, “Preach to the bones.” (There’s a suggestion for a new congregation’s name – Dry Bones Lutheran.) “Preach to the bones, Ezekiel. Say, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. You will live and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

So, Ezekiel preaches to a congregation without ears. And through that preaching, both the preacher and the bones know who Yahweh is.

Who is this Yahweh? He is the Resurrection and the Life. When God says, “Live,” you do. You can be dead as Lazarus and stinketh, you can be dead as those dry bones, you can be as dead as Marley from “A Christmas Carol,” when the Lord and Giver of life says to the dead, “Get up! Come out!” you do.

That is the kind of God you have. At His word, you who are dead gain life – endless life.

You have the kind of God who comes with life-giving words. The kinds of God who simply speaks to stinky Lazarus, “Come out,” and he does.

Ezekiel preached a sermon to dry bones, and they lived. Jesus preached to stinky Lazarus, and he lived. So, here is your sermon:

You – yes, you sinner. You are dead in sin. You stinketh. Come out. Come out of your stinky-ness. Come Holy Spirit and breathe on these dry bones that they may live.

Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life has taken your death and killed it in His death on the cross. You will not stink. You will live. And by this, you will know that He is Yahweh.

Your God and your Lord is here today to put His resurrected Body and His resurrected Blood into you so that you will not stink. Instead, you will have the pleasant, fragrant aroma of Christ. Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. Dr. Stephen Paulson as inspiration for this sermon.

Listen here.

John 9:1-41

¹ As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud ⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

⁸ The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰ So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹² They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. ¹⁷ So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹ and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰ His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹ But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²² (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) ²³ Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴ So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵ He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶ They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷ He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸ And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰ The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. ³² Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴ They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” ³⁸ He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” ⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” ⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus’ disciples ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

What a horrible question. And yet, you do the same thing. You and I are prone to fall for the same error as the disciples. Call it karma or luck or whatever you wish, but we bow down to the false (small ‘g’) god of justice. You live by the false presence, “What goes around comes around.” You live, think, and talk as though there it is some kind of fairness and equity that is behind everything that happens in the universe.

We figure that when we, or someone we know, does good things, good things should happen in return.

Someone dies at the young age of 53. “I can’t believe it. He was such a good person.” Get pulled over for running a red light. “Why is this happening to me? I just gave money to that homeless person.”

And we fall the other way too. We see someone suffering and wonder what that person has done to deserve it. Someone has cancer. “Yes. You know that he smoked for twenty years.” Someone has heart problems. “Not surprising. She ate too many processed foods and never exercised.”

Now, none of this is to deny that certain sins have specific consequences. Those consequences are built in to the way creation functions. But here’s the hard truth: Death, the wages of sin, is going to get you no matter how well you live. We all have sinned. And because of our sin, creation is broken and suffers.

“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Repent. Repent of your false sense of justice. Repent of your looking for answers for suffering. Repent of your belief in karma and luck.

Repent and listen to Jesus’ answer. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Do you hear what Jesus is saying? Sin and the horrible, destructive wake it leaves behind you, has set in motion a chain of events that ends not with disaster, but with blessing.

It was never God’s plan for us to fall into sin. It was never God’s intention that there would be illness and death. God never wanted men to be born blind.

And yet, in the mystery of God’s grace for you in Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20), God took a fallen situation and didn’t just restore it – He remade it better than it ever was.

To rescue you from your sin, God became man. Lived a perfect, sinless life. Died a bloody death on the cross. Rose again. And ascended in His resurrected body to the right hand of God.

Through what Jesus has done, you see God as you never could before. You see that God is full of sacrificial grace and love for you. You see that God takes the punishment that you justly deserve and restores a paradise better than Eden ever was.

In Christ’s death and resurrection, your eyes are opened to a greater love. See His beautiful grace which has turned you, sinner, from being His enemy to being His child.

Jesus takes His spittle and restores a man’s sight. Through this miracle, Jesus shows you what He has come to do – to make a new creation.

The man in this text has his vision restored, and yet he still endures suffering from his parents, his religious leaders, and his community. But he has Jesus. He has faith. Faith that looks past the suffering he endures to the end, the completion of what Christ has come to do. And, believer, so do you.

When you suffer, when you endure the effects of sin, when you are overwhelmed by the cares of this world, don’t look for justice. Instead, tell the world, the devil, and your own flesh, “You can keep your karma. I’ll take the mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Amen.

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

Listen here.

This sermon was preached on the blessed occasion of the Baptism of Haylee Lundstrom.

John 4:5-30

⁵ So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” ¹⁷ The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” ¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

²⁷ Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” ²⁸ So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰ They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

So much for chivalry, manners, and first impressions. Without so much as a ‘please’ Jesus commands this female stranger, “Give Me a drink.”

“Well, nice to meet You too.”

Jesus asks her for what she should be asking Him for. Jesus even tells her that He is asking her for water so she will ask Him for water.

Jesus says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

You know what this shows us? You and I don’t even know what we need until God tells us. Our asking always falls short. But thank God that He is better at giving than we are at asking. We ask for a serpent, and He gives us a fish. We ask for a stone, and He gives us bread. If we ask for a sip of water, He gives living water.

Jesus says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Imagine how enticing that would have been for her. Think of what this woman had to do every day: Every day, she would wake up and walk to the well lugging an empty jug on top of her head. Every day, she would hook that jug to a rope, lower it down the deep hole, and heft it back up again. Every day, she would have to carry the water back to her house so her family could drink, cook, and clean. Every single day.

Hard work. Thirsty work. And she had to do it again and again. Outside of death, there was no end to her need, her work, or her thirst.

For this woman, getting water from Jacob’s well was a daily reminder of the Law and of sin. While your job is a blessing from God, it is also a reminder to you of your sin. Because of sin, you now get food and water by the sweat of your brow. Just to stay alive physically is work. But you need something more. You need to have a restored relationship with God so that you can live eternally with Him. But to do a work to merit eternal life is impossible.

Because of our sin, this world now runs by the Law. But the Law is all work, and it never ends. No matter how hard you work at keeping the Commandments, there is always more to do. With the Law, you can do all the right things, but if your heart is not right, even doing the right thing is still sinful.

The Law promises life but doesn’t deliver it (Ro. 7:10). It might quench your thirst for a little while. You might feel good when you do a good work, but it doesn’t impress God. And even when you feel good about your works, the thirst for righteousness returns quickly because the Law always demands more.

Repent. The water of Law and works does not work precisely because you work for it, and the work only makes you more thirsty. You need living water. You need grace water. You need what Jesus offers.

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

By asking her for a drink, Jesus is reminding the woman that she is thirsty for something better than water from a well.

Only Jesus can give water that quenches the eternal thirst for righteousness. Jesus gives this water without you having to work for it. Jesus has done it all for you.

For you, Jesus lowered Himself into the well of death. When He died, His side was pierced with a spear and out came blood and water. After three days, Jesus drew Himself out of death and, now, He lives. He did this so that He could give you the living water that springs from His pierced side – water that wells up as a spring of eternal life.

Haylee, today you are baptized. Today, Jesus has given you this living water. This water of your Baptism has joined you to Jesus’ death and resurrection and is always enough to satisfy your thirst for righteousness.

Haylee, and all you baptized believers, because of what Jesus has done you have peace with God. God has demonstrated His love for you in that while you will still a sinner rebelling against Him, He died for you giving you His grace, His love, His forgiveness, and His mercy. God has poured His love into your hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He has given to you.

Jesus never gets His drink in this text. But that’s no problem. Your Savior, is always more interested in giving than receiving.

When Jesus tells this woman that He is the Messiah, she leaves her jar. That is an important fact. She left her work and her labor behind. Jesus had given her everything she needed. So, she went and told the whole town about this Jesus who gives better than she could ask.

You here today, drink. Drink from Jesus’ waters. Drink in His Baptizing you. Drink of His righteousness, His innocence, and never thirst again. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 3:1-17

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For lack of a better term, this text is very vertical – it has a lot of up and down talk.

Jesus tells Nicodemus of earthly things but he doesn’t believe, so Jesus asks, “How can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” Jesus says that no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven. Jesus reminds Nicodemus that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and that He, the Son of Man must also be lifted up. And all this vertical stuff starts back in v. 3, but most English translations miss it. Jesus says, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born from above (not ‘born again’) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In this whole conversation, Jesus is trying to get Nicodemus to see how a relationship with God works. Nicodemus thinks that his relationship with God is a from below effort.

You and I are the same as Nicodemus. We know that God is angry because of our sin, but we then conclude, wrongly, that God must be pleased with our good works. We think that we can get back to God by climbing up to Him. So we try to ascend to God from below by climbing up one of three ladders.

The first ladder is moralism. To be fair, I am quite certain that most, if not all, of you know that you cannot be saved by your works. Reading the Scriptures is a good vaccination against you attempting to climb this ladder for your salvation.

But it is still common among Christians to think that the ladder of moralism is still an important ladder to climb. You are tempted to think that even though you don’t do good works to get saved but once you are saved, then, you’d better get in gear. Many Christians will say, “Yes, I’m saved by grace, but now I need to do good works to show my appreciation for what God has done for me.” Maybe you think that the Christian life is all about living a sanctified life, but sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit.

This is how the devil likes to point us to this ladder. He’ll even steady it for us while we climb up it because this ladder takes our eyes off Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and turns our attention to our works and efforts. But the ladder of moralism will only reach so high, and none of your salvation depends on you climbing it.

The second ladder is mysticism. This is probably the most dangerous ladder for you and me. Mysticism is the ladder of the emotions and feeling close to God.

When your feel like God is far away, you start seeking things that make you feel closer to God than you were yesterday – maybe it is music, a ‘mountaintop experience,’ being in creation, or something else. The ladder of mysticism is a maze of different attempts to feel closer to God. And what worked a month ago might not work today. Mysticism is like a drug, you start to get accustomed to its effects. So you need a bigger hit, you need a stronger drug than last time.

The devil likes to use the ladder of mysticism to lead us into despair. Jesus has told us where He meets us – in His Word, in the Sacraments, and in the Absolution. Sometimes those things will make us feel close to God, but sometimes, if you are honest, they don’t.

If you don’t feel close to God, if you don’t feel peace and joy in the Word and Sacraments, it isn’t a problem with the Word and Sacraments. It is a problem with your feelings, not with God’s promises. And we get into a trouble when we try to get the feeling of being closer to God through anything other than where God promised to give us His forgiveness.

The devil drives you to mysticism by pointing out your sins and making you feel guilt and shame while the Bible tells that you are forgiven and saved. Nowhere does the Bible tell you to feel forgiven or saved. The Bible just tells you that you are forgiven and saved through faith, trusting God’s promised forgiveness which He delivers through His Word and Sacraments.

The ladder of mysticism is unstable and confusing. It leads only to doubt in God’s plain promises. You do not get closer to God on the ladder of mysticism.

The third ladder is rationalism. This ladder is an attempt to climb to heaven by having a perfect knowledge of God.

But here, again, you can only know God by what He has revealed to you in His Word. When you try to learn about God apart from the Bible, you end up in despair.

Salvation is not a matter of knowing about God. Rather salvation is about God knowing you. He knows your sin. He knows your shame. He knows your regret. And your God still came down knowing that you would not appreciate it enough, thank Him enough, or praise Him enough.

If salvation is about you knowing God, then despair. We finite, mortal creatures cannot know the eternal, infinite God. You cannot be saved by climbing the ladder of rationalism.

All three of these ladders – moralism, mysticism, and rationalism – are our failed attempts as creatures from below to ascend to God by our work, feelings, or thinking.

Repent. At best, each of those ladders is a stair climber. You can do a lot of work and waste a lot of effort, but you never make any progress getting nearer to God. Left to itself, your sinful flesh is doomed and cannot accomplish any work that earns or deserves God’s favor.

Nicodemus views his relationship with God from below. He keeps thinking that salvation is about him and his efforts. We see this clearly when Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born from above, and Nicodemus is already trying to figure out what he needs to do to be reborn. “So, Jesus, should I climb back into my mom?”

But Jesus refocuses him. Jesus shows Nicodemus and you here today the true way to get back into a right relationship God – the from above way.

Salvation is always God’s gift. God loves you. You get to God in this way:

He comes down. He comes giving His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you. He comes to you in Word and Sacrament not to condemn you, but so that you would be saved through Him.

As our Epistle text said (Ro. 4:5), to you who do not work by climbing ladders but believe in Jesus who came down to justify the ungodly, that faith is counted to you as righteousness. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 4:1-11

¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus, the Son of God, true God and true Man, is the only one who can undo what happened in the Old Testament lesson – the Fall (Gen. 3:1-21). So if the devil can get Jesus to sin in just one, tiny way, there would be no Savior, no one to undo the damage of the Fall. But, praise be to God, the devil fails.

The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It is interesting to see these three temptations in light of Genesis 3.

The first temptation of Jesus is the, “Eat this,” temptation. “Here Jesus, eat this. If you are the Son of God, You can command these stones to become bread.”

The same happened in the Garden. The devil had asked Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Since it worked so well on our first parents when they weren’t even hungry, the devil tries it on Jesus.

But Jesus trusts God. Forty days earlier, God declared at Jesus’ baptism, “You are My beloved Son. In You I am well pleased.” And Jesus trusts His Father’s word, so He responds, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus trusts God’s provision.

The second temptation of Jesus happens at the pinnacle of the Temple. The devil says to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, go ahead. Throw Yourself down. God will protect You from harm. He will not let you even strike Your foot against a stone.”

The same thing happened in the Garden of Eden. The devil made a false promise to Eve, “You will not surely die.” It worked then, so the devil tries it again.

Again, Jesus trusts God. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” God’s Word is enough, Jesus doesn’t need to test God’s promise.

The third temptation of Jesus is on the high mountain. The devil shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and all their glory and promises, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

The same thing happened in the Garden when the devil told Eve, “You will be like God. You can be something more than what God has already made you to be.” It worked then, so the devil tries it on Jesus.

But again, Jesus answers with God’s Word. “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. So, get out of here, Satan.” Jesus stands strong where we did not.

Jesus resisted all of Satan’s temptations. The devil fails, and failing, he flees.

There is all sorts of talk today about “fake news.” Some stories that get reported are blatant lies, stories of things that never happened. But “fake news” can be much more subtle than that. Adding a little information here, or omitting a little information there turns the truth into a lie.

This can happen on a larger scale too. People will impose our 21^st century ideas on historical events and try to re-write what happened in the past. It’s called “Revisionist history.” Both of these things are bad. They are lies and break the Eighth Commandment.

Why do I bring this up? Glad you asked. In the Temptation of Jesus, we see Him obeying God and not giving into the temptations of the devil. In doing this, Jesus doesn’t just re-write history, instead, Jesus re-writes history truthfully. The one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so Jesus’ one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men (Ro. 5:18).

Jesus has done what was demanded of you, but you failed to do.

Your first parents wrote a terrible history for humanity – a history full of sin and death. But Jesus’ obedience has written a new, truthful history for you.

Jesus always obeyed God. He actively obeyed His Father and never gave into sin. Because of that, you who are in Jesus, you who believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection, God now looks at and sees Jesus.

When Jesus resisted temptation, He resisted it for you. When Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, He did it for you. When Jesus was hung on a cross to endure God’s wrath, He did it for you. When Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again, He did it for you.

So now, when God looks at you, He sees one who did not eat from the tree. He sees one who did not fail to trust God’s Word. He sees one who did not bow down and worship Satan. He sees one who did not ever break the first, fourth, second, or any of the Commandments.

God looks at you and sees Jesus and His perfect obedience that we see in this text and in all the Scriptures.

Now, what does God say to you? He says, “Come back to the Garden. Be guiltless again. Here, eat this. To undo the curse of sin and the curse of the Fall. Take, eat. This is My Body given unto death for you. Take, drink. This is My Blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 17:1-9

¹ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today, in hearing this text, we stand with Peter, James, and John to see the beautiful, awesome vision of Jesus’ divinity shining through the veil of His human nature. Imagine being there. Jesus’ face shines like the sun. His clothes become white as light. And there are Moses and Elijah talking with Him.

Peter, good ol’ Peter, loves it. He wants to stick around. He’s got a plan. “Let’s build three tents. One for you, Jesus, and one each for Moses and Elijah.” But Peter’s plan gets interrupted. God the Father has something to say. “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

Let’s do what God says, ok? Let’s listen to Jesus. Jesus says two things in this text, and we need to listen to both statements. The first thing Jesus says after the Father speaks is, “Rise, and have no fear.” More on that later. The second thing Jesus says is, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Jesus commanded Peter, James, and John to keep quiet, to shut their mouths, about the Transfiguration. “Don’t tell anyone about what you have seen here. Don’t tell them about the hidden glory that was just revealed. Yes, I am God in the flesh. But there is more for Me to do. I must rise from the dead.” You see, as great as the events on the mountain of Transfiguration were, Jesus has another mountain to climb.

And like Peter, James, and John, we and all disciples, all Christians, need to follow Jesus from the Mount of Transfiguration across the valley of Lent to that other mountain. We descend the Mount of Transfiguration with all of its glory and splendor and see our destination – another mountain, Golgotha – looming before us. And it is there, on that other mountain, we see the true glory of God, more glorious even than the Transfiguration. On that mountain, you see that your God is willing to die to save you, His people. And the events of Golgotha are similar to the events of the Transfiguration.

The events on the Mount of Transfiguration began in prayer. Jesus, Peter, James, and John went to this mountain to pray. Luke tells us that while they were there, the disciples fell asleep, and they awake to see Jesus’ transfigured glory (Lk. 9:28-36).

Across the valley of Lent, on Golgotha, Jesus will begin in prayer too. Peter, James, and John are with Jesus again. And they will fall asleep while Jesus prays, again. On Golgotha, Jesus’ face does not shine like the sun, but with agony and bloody sweat.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, the disciples are awakened by the glory of Jesus’ metamorphosis where His entire being shines with glory.

Across the valley on Golgotha, the disciples are awakened by the tramping of soldiers and the clanging of their weapons. There the Son of God in the flesh will be defiled and kissed by the filthy betrayer, seized by guards, spat upon, stricken, and beaten.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, the disciples marvel at the glory they see. Peter tries to take matters into his own hands and build those tents to retain the glory. But Peter’s plan to stay there with Jesus is stopped by the voice of God the Father.

Across the valley, on Golgotha, Peter will take matters into his own hands. He will reach out his hand to grab his sword and fight. But Peter will be stopped by Jesus Himself. “Put your sword away Peter. You know that I can call upon My Father and He would send twelve legions of angels to fight. But if that happened, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?” And when Jesus’ divine glory does not appear, Peter will flee just like all the other disciples.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, Jesus is joined by two men – Moses and Elijah – who speak to Jesus about His exodus and what will happen on the other mountain.

Across the valley, on Golgotha, Jesus is again joined by two men who are lifted up on crosses next to Him. These criminals will taunt and mock Him for being on that mountain. One will be brought to faith when He sees the hidden glory of God in the flesh crucified.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, bright, white clouds glow. The Father’s voice booms through the sky like thunder proclaiming Jesus to be the King, “This is My beloved Son; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

Across the valley, on Golgotha, there are clouds again, but they fill the whole land with darkness. There, Jesus is proclaimed to be Hing once again as He hangs under a placard with the words, “Jesus of Nazareth – King of the Jews.” Jesus, the beloved Son, will cry out to His Father. But the Father doesn’t follow His own command to listen to Jesus. Instead, Jesus’ cries are met with deadly silence because God turned His back on Him, the chief of sinners.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, the glory fades when Jesus descends to accomplish His task.

Across the valley, on Golgotha, the glory fades when Jesus breathes His last and is sealed in the tomb.

But, here is the important part, the task is accomplished. It is finished.

The tomb was sealed, but the earth cannot veil Jesus’ glory. On the third day, Jesus breaks free.

On the Mountain of Transfiguration, we do see glory – glory indescribable. But across the valley, there is a better glory that is uncontainable.

Today, and throughout Lent, listen to Jesus’ other words: “Rise, and have no fear.” Travel through Lent knowing that the glory of Golgotha is even greater than the glory of the Transfiguration. “Rise, and have no fear.” Jesus, God in the flesh, is crucified and risen for you. Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. Christopher Thoma as inspiration for this sermon.

Listen here.

Matthew 5:38-48

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus says, “You therefore will be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Maybe, you are thinking, “Hold on there, pastor. Didn’t you just read that Jesus said, ‘You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’? What are you doing? Don’t go changing the Word of God on us.”

Well, the way the ESV translates the verse is the Law way. And as Law, this verse says that you need to use a right measurement when it comes to your good works. So, first, quit measuring yourself by others’ standards. Who cares what Tom, Dick, Harry, Mary, Sheila, or Amber thinks about how good you are? It doesn’t matter if they say you are a good person. There is only one standard of morality that matters and that is God’s.

Stop using the standards of others to determine if you are a good person. And stop comparing yourself to others and their morality. “Well, no one is perfect, so I must be ok. We all get a poor grade when it comes to works. Maybe our professor, Mr. God, will grade on a curve. I’m better than most.” Nope. It doesn’t fly. It doesn’t change your grade in Goodness 101.

First of all, the statement, “No one is perfect,” is false. God is perfect. Jesus, the God-man, was perfect. Never sinned, not even once. And second, God doesn’t lower His standards. He can’t, and He won’t. If you want to be called a child of God, you must reflect who your Father is. Be perfect as He is perfect.

The measuring stick of perfection doesn’t have marks like a ruler or a measuring tape. There’s no such thing as 12 ³/₈^ths perfect. There is perfect or not perfect. Pretty good, trying harder, working on it, making baby steps don’t fall into the ‘not perfect’ category. And if you don’t get to the standard of perfection – sorry.

Remember what Jesus just said in the Sermon on the Mount last week, “You’ve heard it said, ‘You shall not murder.’ But I say to you, if you’ve been angry, same thing. You’ve heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, don’t even think about it. You’ve heard it said, ‘Don’t lie.’ But I say to you, your lips and mouth are full of lies and deceit. You deserve judgment and damnation. You are of the evil one.”

Are you enjoying this measurement from Jesus? Probably not. But Jesus isn’t done measuring you. Not yet. He’s got some more standards.

Jesus wants to ask you about your enemies. “You’ve heard it said, ‘An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. You got slapped on your right cheek? Offer him the left. Someone took your coat? Give him the shirt off your back too. Don’t retaliate. Don’t resist.

“You’ve heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you love your enemies. That’s right – love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. I make rain fall on the just and the unjust both. I’m good to those who do not love Me. I’m loving to those who do not fear Me. I give My blessings to good and bad, friend and enemy, alike. You want to be perfect? Do as I do.”

This is life under the Law. Infinite, eternal, constant, consistant perfection is demanded. Nothing less. If you don’t measure up to God’s standard of perfection, you are His enemy.

So repent.

Repent and believe the Gospel. While you were yet enemies, while you were a sinner, Christ died for you.

In Christ, God loved you. Jesus was slapped and offered the other cheek. He was forced to go one mile, but went all the way to the cross and the grave. Jesus was stripped of His cloak, but gave His life for you. He prayed for those who persecuted Him, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus did this all to completion. He did it all for you. When it was all completed, Jesus said so. “Τετέλεσται. It is finished.” The very word that closes our Gospel reading. “You will be τέλειοι, perfect, complete, whole, finished as your Father in heaven is τέλειοι, perfect, complete, whole, finished.”

The Law, the must-have-perfection is what is demanded of you from God. The Gospel, the freely-given-perfection is what is handed to you by Jesus. So what are you trusting? Are you trusting your works, your morality, your completeness, your wholeness? Or are you trusting Jesus’ works, His morality, His completeness, His wholeness?

Trust Jesus. Trust His perfect life. Trust His becoming sin for you. Trust His death on the cross. Trust His resurrection and ascension. Trust His giving the Holy Spirit to you in your Baptism. Trust His Body and Blood given to you and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

When it is all about Jesus, His words, “You will be τέλειοι, perfect, complete, whole, finished, as your Father in heaven is,” are the greatest news you could ever hear.

Everything that Christ has done, He has done for you “that you may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.” You will be perfect, complete, whole, finished. Blessed are you who live in the perfection of Jesus. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 5:21-37

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶ Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Most jokes do not work unless you have certain pieces of information. This past NFL season, DIRECTV had a series of commercials called “Peyton on Sunday Morning.” As I was watching a game early this season one of those ads come on. The commercial opens with Peyton Manning sitting in his pajamas on his couch with his feet on the coffee table. He calls his brother, Eli, to tell him that he has NFL Sunday Ticket which allows him to watch every game in HD. So Eli should come over and Peyton even offers to make nachos. But Eli declines, “I can’t, man. I’m playing.” Peyton sadly shakes his head and says, “Oh yeah…. Alright, I’ll pencil you in for Tuesday.”

Sarah saw this commercial and asked, “How is that funny? Aren’t they both quarterbacks?” I had to inform her that Peyton had retired, a fact that I thought every red-blooded American knew, but apparently, I was wrong. I guess there are more important things than knowing the status of quarterbacks. Anyway, the light went on, and Sarah then understood the humor behind the commercials. She didn’t quite get them before because she didn’t have all the information.

The same thing happens in all sorts of movies, television shows, and suspense stories. There are certain clues that point to this person being the killer. But then, one piece of information comes to light, and everything falls into place and reveals what really happened. Columbo was great at catching criminals in their own words with his notorious line, “Just one more thing.” That “one more thing” was always the final piece of information needed to see the criminal’s guilt.

In this Gospel text today, Jesus is doing exactly that. But to bring our sin to light, Jesus doesn’t say, “Just one more thing.” Instead, Jesus says, “But I say to you.”

Jesus is preaching about the Commandments – specifically the 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Commandments. But what Jesus tells us is no joke. His sermon does not give us that important nugget of information to bring us into hysterical laughter. Instead, Jesus’ preaching on the Commandments reveals the horrific murder scenes, the scandalous affairs, and the blatant lies that surround us every day. Like a black light revealing the traces of blood stains in an otherwise clean-looking room, Jesus’ words reveal just how sinful and depraved we are.

Jesus challenges our attempts to justify ourselves in the sight of the Law. In fact, He obliterates any claim we might have to keeping the Commandments.

Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. When you use angry words to insult your brother, you are liable to the council and the fire of hell.”

Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that look, that glance, that peek was just as evil as adultery in the eyes of God because you have already committed adultery in your heart.”

Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, don’t even bother with taking oaths. Anything more than a simple, ‘Yes,’ or, ‘No,’ comes from the evil one.”

And here is the rub. No amount of external discipline can change the hateful and murderous, the lustful and adulterous, the dishonest and deceitful ways of your heart. If you cut off one hand that keeps sinning, the other will make up for it. If you pluck out the eye that focuses on those lusty images, the other eye will compensate.

What Jesus says is true: It is better and preferable to enter the kingdom of heaven with one hand and one eye than to be thrown completely into hell. But self-mutilation doesn’t get you into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus will not and cannot lessen the Law. The Law stands forever accusing you, sinner. Not the least commandment, not an iota, not a dot will perish from the Law until all is accomplished.

These words of Law that Jesus preaches in the Sermon on the Mount are true and eternal words. But they are not Jesus’ last word. On another mountain, on Golgatha, Jesus preaches the Gospel that all the Law is accomplished in Him. He takes your sin, your anger, your murder, your lust, your adultery, your lies, and your betrayal. He takes it all and fulfills all the Law for you when He says, “It is finished.”

Sinner, you can’t get out from your punishment on a technicality because your sin has already been punished to the full extent of the Law on Jesus. You see, there are no loopholes in the Law of God because there are no gaps in Jesus’ mercy.

Just as Christ has reconciled you to God, be reconciled to others. Be forgiven. Be free. Love your neighbor even when you think he deserves your hatred. Husbands, love your wives and cherish them. Wives, honor your husbands and be submissive to them. Children, obey your parents for this is right. Be salt. Be light. Be forgiven. Be a beam of mercy in this dark world. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 5:13-20

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Identity is a word that seems to be getting thrown around a lot today – and not in a good way. Discussions about identity cause all sorts of questions about who and what we are. And be careful, especially on social media, that you don’t label someone. You don’t want to be perceived as being judgmental!

But everyone is someone (obvious statement for the day), so everyone has an identity. But what is it that gives you your identity? While the world argues about if your identity comes either from biological facts or from how you perceive yourself, let’s listen to what Jesus says about your identity.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God in the flesh, has something to say about your identity. Jesus, the Word incarnate, has something to declare to you. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” Notice, Jesus does not say, “You will be salt and light.” He does not say, “You should be salt and light.” He simply says, “You are. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”

God doesn’t ask nicely if you want to be salt and light. He doesn’t invite you to accept the fact that you are salt and light. He simply declares it. God is powerful enough, His Word has the potency to make whatever He says to be so. When God said, “Let there be light,” there was. So when Jesus says, “You are salt. You are light,” you simply are. You are what Jesus says you are.

But let’s imagine, let’s suppose, that you don’t believe what Jesus says here. Maybe, you don’t feel particularly salty or overly light. What happens then? What happens when you don’t believe God when He says, “You are the salt of the earth”?

Well, Jesus answers that. When salt loses its saltiness, it isn’t good for anything anymore. So, that non-salty salt is thrown out and trampled down under people’s feet.

And what happens when you don’t believe God when He says, “You are the light of the world”? Jesus has an answer for that too. First, things become absurd. It is like trying to hide a huge city set way up high on a hill. Then, it becomes dangerous. It is like putting a dry basket over a flame. What happens when you put a basket, when you put fuel, over a burning lamp? Fire breaks out and burns everything up.

Too often, we don’t believe God when He declares things about us. And that unbelief ignites all sorts of evil around us. The Bible is full of tragic stories about when people do not believe what God says about them.

The first one is the most tragic. God said Adam and Eve were good – very good. But they turn around and instead of believing what God said, they believe Satan’s lie that they should be something more than what God said they were. And from that moment on, all sin, all wickedness, and all evil springs simply because we do not believe what God has said, what God has declared about us.

Our sinful flesh, the world, and the devil tell us, “Don’t be too salty; you’ll raise our cholesterol and give us a heart attack. Dim that light a bit; it’s just too bright.” And, all too often, we listen and oblige. That’s why Jesus comes once again to declare you to be His salt and light in this world.

So, stop disbelieving. Stop doubting what Jesus says about you. Repent of your sin. Repent of your unbelief.

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.” Salt isn’t salt for itself. Salt is salt to make things salty. So, you salt of the earth, salt the earth.

How? By being what Jesus has declared you to be. Be forgiven. Be righteous. Be the dash of flavor that makes life in this fallen, sinful, bland world a little more tasteful.

Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” So, shine. Shine out. Jesus, who is the light of the world, commands your light to shine. Jesus flips the switch so your good works will shine in the darkness. And others will see your good works and give glory to God.

And what good works should you do? Well, there is good news here – you don’t have to make any good works up. Simply look at the Commandments, look at the Law which does not perish, not an iota, not a dot of that Law will perish until it is all fulfilled.

God says, “You will have no other gods before Me.” So do the good work of believing God. Fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. He is saying, “Bet all your chips on Me being a good God to you.”

God says, “You will not take My name in vain.” Do the good work of calling upon His Name whenever you have any need. Do the good work of praising His Name.

God says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Do the good work of hearing God’s Word which declares you, to be a sinner, but which also declares that you, sinner, are made righteous because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God says, “Honor your father and mother.” Do the good work of recognizing the gifts that God gives you in those in authority above you. First, in your parents but also in the other authorities over you who provide for you and protect you.

God says, “You will not kill.” Do the good work of defending the lives of others by helping and befriending your neighbor.

God says, “You will not commit adultery.” Do the good work of loving your spouse.

God says, “You will not steal.” Do the good work of assisting your neighbor in keeping his property and living.

God says, “You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Do the good work of speaking the truth. Be honest. Defend your neighbor when others gossip.

God says, “You will not covet.” Do the good work of not longing for and craving what God hasn’t given you. Instead, do the good work of being content with what He has given you.

Will you fail to do these good works? Yes. Resoundingly, yes. When you fail to do these things, God says you are a sinner. But still believe that. Believe that you are a sinner becauseJesus has come, not for the righteous, for you, sinner. Believe that He has fulfilled the whole Law and gives His righteousness, His good works, to you.

Believe what Jesus says about you. You are forgiven. You are His beloved child. You are His salt. You are His light. Believe Jesus because you are what Jesus says you are. Amen.

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

Listen here.

Matthew 5:1-12

¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² And 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.”

Grace, mercy, peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Henning,

Today, you are baptized. Today, Jesus has washed you in a saving flood. Today in your Baptism, you were buried with Jesus into His death so that, just as Jesus is risen from the dead, you too would walk in newness of life. Today, you have received the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Now and for the rest of your life, the Word of God will continually show you your sin in the Law. Hear that Word and repent. Repent and continue to listen to the Word of God. Hear the Gospel which always and continually points you to Jesus and what He has done for you. Listen to that Gospel. Listen to the word of the cross. It is foolishness in the ears of those who refuse to repent. But not for you. For you and all your brothers and sisters in Christ it is the power of God.

Jesus’ words in this text are the Gospel. Jesus is announcing blessings upon you and all your brothers and sisters in Christ here today and throughout thousands of other places across the world where these same words are being preached.

Henning, by proclaiming these blessings upon you, Jesus is speaking you and all believers into His kingdom. So Henning, and all of you here, listen to what Jesus says. By these words of Gospel, Jesus is proclaiming that you are saved.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus says when you have a bad spiritual life, when you aren’t praying enough, when you aren’t loving enough, when you know that you bring nothing to the table and have nothing to offer God, Jesus says you are blessed because He gives you the kingdom of heaven. Jesus has come not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” As you recognize that you are living in a world of sin and death, you know things are not as they should be and so you mourn and cry out to God. Jesus says that you shall be comforted because Jesus has come and fixed everything that is broken.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” When you are weak, when you have no strength, when you recognize you are powerless against all the evil in this world and the evil within yourself, you are blessed. Though you are small, weak, and meek, you will inherit the earth.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When you are starving for the righteousness you do not have, when you are parched in desert of your sin, Jesus says you are blessed. Christ will satisfy every hunger and quench every thirst you have by giving you His righteousness.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Because Jesus has already made you part of His kingdom, you will have mercy upon others – even though you aren’t aware of it. Jesus will continue to pour out upon you His mercy. And because Jesus has made you pure in heart you will see God.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” As Jesus has given you His peace, you will make peace among others. And you are blessed.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” All you believers, the world is going to hate you because you believe Jesus has made you righteous. But don’t mind it. No matter what the world says, yours is the kingdom of heaven.

And so you can know that He means all these words for you, Jesus finishes by saying, “Blessed are you. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When you take your stand upon the Word of God and others hate you because of it, Jesus says that you are blessed. God has counted you worthy of suffering persecution for His great name. It is nothing new for the people of God to be reviled in this world.

Blessed are you. Hear that again, “Blessed are you.” Blessed are you when people hate you because of what the Word of God says. In each of these Beatitudes, by saying you are blessed, Jesus says you are saved.

You will be tempted to not believe what Jesus says here. But believe it because these are Jesus’ words of Gospel to you. Scripture says (1 Cor. 1:30-31) that, because of what God has done for you, you are in Christ Jesus, “who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” Amen.

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