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

Isaiah 55:6-13

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb16

Matthew 20:1–16

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is the greatest gift given in this parable?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb9

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

Exodus 34:29–35

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb2

Luke 2:22–40

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan26

Romans 12:16–21

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan19

Romans 12:6–16

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan12

Romans 12:1–5

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pleased – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2024

Dec25

Luke 2:1–20

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men, with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Grace, mercy, and peace is yours this night from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The one thing you should learn from Christmas is that God’s greatest, most earnest desire and purpose is to be with you. That’s the “true meaning of Christmas.” Hollywood will give all sorts of other answers about what the “true meaning of Christmas” is – hope, joy, giving, family togetherness, whatever. To one degree or another, those are only related to God’s desire to be with you. Each of those things is only on the fringe of the purpose of Christmas. The birth of Jesus proves that God doesn’t want to be far away or disconnected from you. He wants to be with you. Each day. Every day. God wants to be with you, as close as possible – even within your own heart (2 Co. 1:22).

I say that because of how Luke records the event. The actual birth of Jesus only takes up a tiny fraction of the reading from Luke 2:1-20. In the first five verses, Luke tells us about the census that Caesar Augustus decreed. All the details in those verses – about Augusts, the fact that it was the first registration while Quirinius was governor in Syria, the fact that Joseph was from Nazareth but had to go to Bethlehem, etc. – all of that seems to be there because Luke wants you to know that what he records has been carefully researched. He’s paid attention to the details. He wants you to know that he got all of this exactly right.

Then, Luke simply records Christ’s birth. It is while Joseph and Mary are in Bethlehem that the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth, wrapped the Infant Jesus in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in the only place available – a manger – because there was no other place for them to be, except in that stable.

It’s remarkable, the way God inspired Luke to write this. The most important thing that has ever happened or will ever happen in all of history – the birth of Jesus – is simply stated. “She gave birth.” That’s it. The thing that gets the most focus, and what we will focus on tonight, is the announcement Jesus’ birth, which starts at v. 8.

Some shepherds are nearby watching over their flocks that night. It was an otherwise normal night for these shepherds. We don’t know how many shepherds there are, but we do know the number of angels that appear to them. At first, it’s one. One angel appears, but that angel isn’t the only thing that appears. The “glory of the Lord” also shines around the shepherds. And because of this, the shepherds are afraid. They are filled with a great (the word in Greek is μέγας), a mega fear. Why?

The source of their fear wasn’t that single angel. No, they are afraid because the glory of the Lord was shining around them. That’s the closest reference to their fear. Why would they be so afraid of God’s glory shining around them? Well, they’re afraid because even though God’s glory is a beautiful and wonderful thing, but it is only wonderful if sin isn’t part of the equation. When there is sin, we can’t stand in God’s presence. In Scripture, sinners are always terrified when they find themselves in God’s presence (Ex. 20:18; Jdg. 13:22; Is. 6:5).

Now, I’ll admit that the text doesn’t mention sin. God didn’t inspire Luke to tell us that the shepherds were filled with mega fear because they remembered that they were sinners. Sure enough. But Luke didn’t need to tell us they were afraid on account of their sin because he records what the angel tells them.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great (there’s that word μέγας again). Good news of mega joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10).

This angel gives two reasons for the shepherds to not be afraid – the two “for” statements. The first because the angel gives to not be afraid is, “Because I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.” The source of this great joy is now (present tense) for these shepherds, but it’s not for the shepherds alone.

The angel makes it clear that this great joy that will be (future tense) for all people. That includes you! The good news was given to those five or ten or however many shepherds then, but the good news of mega joy continues to be given throughout the millennia. What the angel said then still echoes to all mankind, even right now, even as you are hearing it.

The second reason the angel tells them to not be afraid is, “Unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Remember that the shepherds fear because God’s glorious presence makes them keenly aware of their sin, but the angel is quick to announce to them that there is a Savior from sin. So, let’s shorten the entire message from the angel. “Don’t be afraid; you have a Savior. He’s just been born.”

That proclamation is the solution to the shepherds’ fear. For the shepherds, the message was that very night that their Savior is born. For you here tonight, you also have nothing to fear because your Savior was born, about 2,021 years ago.

Every one of you here has a Savior. Maybe, you have believed that as long as you can remember. God be praised! Maybe, you used to believe that, but don’t believe it anymore. Maybe, you’ve never believed it. Your belief or unbelief doesn’t change the fact that your Savior is born, and I’m here tonight to tell you to believe it. Believe it because that’s how it benefits you.

Next, this one angel gives the shepherds a sign as proof that their Savior is born. They’ll find a Baby swaddled up and lying in a manger. And at the end of the text (Lk. 2:16-17), the shepherds find exactly that. There, swaddled up in a feeding trough, was the Savior of the whole world. What the angel announced to those shepherds and what that angel is announcing to you now is true. The sign proves it.

We need to go back, though, to what happens just after the shepherds hear this good news of mega joy. Right after the angel’s announcement, there appears with that one angel a huge army of the heavenly host.

The text doesn’t say that they this angel army came, arranged themselves into a choir, and began to sing. Instead, this army of angels appeared to the shepherds. From this, we are to understand that that massive troop of angels was there in that field the whole time. They just weren’t visible to the shepherds for a period, but now they are. This angelic host was present because they wanted to be there and listen to that one angel announce to the shepherds this good news of mega joy.

Angels aren’t like God. God is everywhere all the time. But angels aren’t; they aren’t omnipresent. But it is true that there are angels all around us even though we can’t see them. The Bible has all sorts of examples of angels being around people, but those people can’t see them (Num. 22:31; 1 Kg. 6:17). The night of Jesus’ birth, that angelic army choir wanted to watch as all humanity receives her King.

That angel army sings, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men, with whom He is pleased!”

This song reveals that God is pleased with all mankind. The Greek word there for ‘pleased’ is εὐδοκία. It’s two words combined together. The first part is εὐ, which means ‘good,’ and δοκία, which means ‘thinking.’ In other words, the birth of Jesus proves that God is thinking good toward all humanity – every man, every woman, every boy, every girl. You. Everyone. God is pleased with you, and you can know this because He has sent a Savior to become one of you. That is your peace. Your peace is that you have the goodwill, the good-thinking of God in heaven.

Now, I don’t know all of you here tonight. I don’t know if all of you believe this or not. But I’m here tonight to tell you from God’s Word, from the mouth of God Himself, this message: The eternal, almighty, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing God has come to dwell among you in your flesh and blood to save you from your sin. You can believe it without a doubt.

God thinks good things about you. Even though you have sinned against Him and others whom He loves, God isn’t disappointed with you. God should be. Without a doubt He should be, but He isn’t. He isn’t shaking His head and regretting that He created you. No! He is pleased with you. He loves you. That’s why He comes to save you.

Jesus, God in the flesh, your Savior, has come to you, and that is why the angel choir sings.

Again, each one of you here tonight, if you know anything, know this: God doesn’t want to be far away or disconnected from you. He wants to be with you. Each day. Every day.

Your Savior is born. He is born to shed His blood, to redeem, to ransom, and to rescue you from your sin. God is pleased to save you, to remove your sin and my sin. He has come to remove your guilt and my guilt. That is why and how you can know that God is pleased with you. Amen.

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

The Bearing Lamb – Sermon on John 1:19-29 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dec22

John 1:19–29

¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵ They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, ²⁷ even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The first few verses of this text are a little frustrating. A bunch of priests and Levites come to John the Baptizer and ask him, “Who are you?” John answers with a negative statement, “I am not the Christ.” I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation similar to this.

Imagine you’re at, say, your spouse’s company Christmas party. You don’t know many of the people there. You know a lot of names because your spouse talks about all those coworkers, but you don’t really know them. Imagine your spouse is off in a corner talking to those coworkers leaving you with the other spouses of those coworkers. Things are a little awkward, so you try to strike up a conversation with someone. You lean over and ask, “What do you do for a living?” and get the reply, “I’m not the President of the USA.” You’d probably be looking for another conversation.

That is how John replies. But these priests and Levites have come on a mission. They’ve been sent to figure out just who John is. So, they start aiming at all sorts of targets. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not.” “Ok. Are you the prophet?” “Nope.” “Argh. Who are you? Give us something. We have to give a report.”

Finally, John opens up, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (Is. 40:3). There, John is doing what he was sent to do; he points people to Jesus. And John keeps talking about Jesus like an excited kid, “Among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Then, the next day, John really gets going. He sees Jesus coming toward him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

That is the most beautiful sermon you could ever hear, but I want to press in on it a little bit more. The words are familiar, but just like all the words of Scripture, there is always more to learn, more glean from those simple words. Today, focus on two of those words “takes away” (in Greek is actually only one word). That translation is a bit vague and nebulous.

You might think that is referring to what Jesus does on the cross, and in a sense, that is right. Jesus brings your sins to the cross and buries them by His death. But what John the Baptizer says here is a lot more specific than our translation makes it sound.

Nearly every English translation uses the phrase, “takes away.” The word there is a common one, and in a lot of places it’s a slam dunk that it means “take away.” In Luke 6:29-30, Jesus uses this word twice. He says if someone ‘takes away’ (same word) your coat, give him your shirt as well, and if someone ‘takes away’ your goods do not demand them back. In the parable of the Sower and the Seed, Jesus talks about the seed that falls along the path and the birds come and take it away (Lk. 8:12).

But this word also can clearly mean ‘to carry’ or ‘bear’ something. Jesus uses it in that way in Mt. 16:24 where He says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up (there’s the word) his cross and follow Me.” There, Jesus isn’t saying that you should first take away your cross and then follow Him. He means that you pick up your cross, that you bear the weight and load of your cross, and you follow Him. That’s the idea of what John is saying here.

And John uses this word in the present tense. John points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who is bearing the sin of the world.” Jesus is the sin-bearing Lamb of God. For about three and a half years, starting at His Baptism and ending on Good Friday, Jesus bore and carried the weight and load of the guilt and sin of humanity.

The Bible talks about your sin and my sin in a lot of different ways: darkness, death, blindness, slavery, debt, alienation from and animosity toward God. The Bible talks about your sin being dirty, stinky, rotten. But here sin is described as heavy, as a weight bearing down on your soul (see also Heb. 12:1). The sins you and I have committed and the sins that have been committed against you, Jesus bears and carries them all.

Maybe, you remember the third verse of the hymn “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”
“And ye, beneath life’s crushing load
whose forms are bending low,
who walk along the climbing way,
with painful steps and slow,
look now, for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing.”

I just wish that verse was a little more clear about why those glad and golden hours come. They come because Jesus, the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world, has lifted that crushing load. He has taken those sins and carried them.

That load of sin, that crushing burden, is taken from you by Christ. If you read on after our text, you’ll hear why John can say this. John saw the Spirit descend like a dove and remain on Jesus at His Baptism (Jn. 1:32). From that experience of being the one who Baptized Jesus, John knew that Jesus was the One whom God had promised would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). John knew that Jesus was the scapegoat who would bear and carry the sins of all humanity into His grave (Lev. 16:21-22), which is now and forever empty.

John knew Isaiah’s message that God would send One who would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, and have the iniquity of us all laid on Him (Is. 53:4-5). That One is Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who bears and carries the sins of the whole world.

This call from John is for all of you, for your hears to hear, “Behold the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world.”

You see, your sin, my sin, all sin, has a place, a location. Sin is either on you, and you have to bear and carry its guilt for all eternity, or that sin is on Christ, the Lamb of God, who has already borne it for you. Why, why, would you keep carrying it? You can, sadly, you can continue to carry your sin. If you refuse to believe in Christ, that burden can remain on you. But that would be, frankly, foolish. Jesus has carried it for you. Believe that, and be unburdened. Through faith, your sin is on Christ, and you are saved.

Dear Iris, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19). Iris, Jesus, the sin-bearing Lamb of God, has lifted that burden and has now clothed you in His righteousness (Gal. 3:27), and you have been born of God (Jn. 3:3, 5). Iris, continue believing that.

Iris and all you here, know and believe that God is for you. He is on your side. Christ has done what you could not do for yourself. He has borne your sins. He bore, carried, and dealt with them once for all, for you.

So, be unburdened, Jesus has come to save you by being the sin-bearing Lamb for you. Amen.

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

The Fruit of Liberty – Sermon on Isaiah 11:1-5; Romans 1:1-7; and Luke 4:16-21 for Midweek Advent 3

Dec19

Isaiah 11:1-5; Romans 1:1-7; and Luke 4:16-21

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Our text from Isaiah 11 tonight (Is. 11:1-5) refers to a shoot, a root, and fruit that will come from a branch rising from an unexpected place – the stump of Jesse. Then, the verses that come immediately after this text (Is. 11:6-10) talk about predators lying down with things that are normally their prey, but none will be hurt or destroyed. Instead, that root of Jesse will be a glorious resting place for all nations. Now, if that portion of Isaiah makes it sound like creation will be restored, you’re hearing it right. All creation will be restored. A harvest of the fruit of liberty will spring from the stump of Jesse.

Our Epistle reading (Ro. 1:1-7) talks about this same Shoot, Jesus, being descended from David. It says that He was declared to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection (Ro. 1:3-4). So, in our reading from Is. 11, we have a picture of hope rising from barrenness, and in our reading from Ro. 1, we have a picture of power from an ancient, kingly line. Now, it might not seem like it at first, but these two pictures are completely compatible.

Many of you know this, but in case you don’t: the Jesse mentioned here in Isaiah was the father of King David. Jesse only does two things in the Bible. In 1 Sam. 16:1-11, Jesse is there when David is anointed to be king after Saul, and he is briefly mentioned in 1 Sam. 17:17-20 when he sends David to see how the fighting is going against the Philistines. David, Jesse’s son, far eclipses his father in the Bible.

That’s why that reading from Isaiah mentions the stump of Jesse and not the stump of David. Isaiah is prophesying that there will be a new David – One who is like David but who will far surpass even what David did. That One is Jesus, who will come and make all things new. The Spirit of God will rest upon Him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh. This Jesus will be a new and greater King, greater even than David was.

King Jesus will judge the poor “with righteousness” (Is. 11:4a). Normally, when we hear about judging, it means to condemn, but here it means that King Jesus will come to make things right for the poor. King Jesus will, “decide with equity for the meek of the earth” (Is. 11:4b). Unlike the ‘equity’ we hear about today, the kind of equity Isaiah speaks about is a good thing. For the meek and powerless – King Jesus will use His power to make things right.

To summarize what Isaiah is saying in that passage: King Jesus is going to do a whole lot more than simply make the world a little bit better. He is going to defeat death and all violence. He will put an end to suffering. He will restore everything to the way it was in the unshattered bliss of the Garden of Eden.

In Luke 2, we see just how far King Jesus will go to rescue the poor. The Son of God was born not like the son of a powerful general in a mansion, or like a prince in a palace. He was born into the family of a poor carpenter in the tiny village of Bethlehem. He will preach, teach, heal, and die. But from the darkness and gloom of His grave, King Jesus will powerfully rise again (Ro. 1:4).

Now, we’re going to change gears a little bit because we have to consider the Gospel reading (Lk. 4:16-21). One Sabbath, Jesus comes to His hometown of Nazareth, where He had been raised as a Child, and He enters the synagogue. Back in those days, they used a lectionary like we do in church. Certain passages of Scripture were read at different times during the year. That day, the reading was from the prophet Isaiah, and it was Jesus’ turn to read. So, the attendant hands Jesus the scroll.

The way Luke records this, it seems like the attendant had unrolled that scroll to the reading for that day, but Jesus turned the page (I know that’s not how it works with a scroll, but you get the idea), and Jesus reads from a different passage. What He reads is mostly from Isaiah 61:1-2, which was understood to be about the Messiah. The themes of what Jesus reads are very similar to our text from Isaiah 11 tonight, but they are different.

Now, if you read Is. 61:1-2, you’ll see that Jesus does something very interesting. He reads, “The Spirit of Yahweh God is upon Me.” Remember that’s what happened at Jesus’ Baptism. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon Him (Mt. 3:16; Jn. 1:33). He continues, “Because [Yahweh] has anointed Me.” The Hebrew word there is the where get our word ‘Messiah,’ and in Greek it would be ‘Christ.’ They both mean ‘anointed one.’ For what purpose did God anoint Jesus?

Jesus keeps reading, “To proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind.” That part about the blind is actually from Is. 42:7 which is a few inches above what He was already reading. Then, Jesus goes back to Is. 61, “To set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor.”

Then, with the reading finished, Jesus rolls up the scroll, hands it back to the attendant, and sits down, which is how they would preach in those days. (When I get older and more frail, we’ll remember this and get a preaching chair for me.) The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. They’re holding their breath to hear what He will preach. But before we consider what He preached, we need to realize something.

This likely took place about one year into Jesus’ ministry. The people had heard that He had been Baptized in the Jordan. They knew that He had turned water into wine, cleansed the Temple, and had done many miracles. They hoped that He would do some of those miracles now, here in His hometown (Lk. 4:23). But Jesus doesn’t. He just sits and preaches this message: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

There’s more interaction that takes place between the congregation and Jesus that we didn’t hear tonight. But, when Jesus is done preaching, the people drive Him out of the synagogue, out of the town, out to a cliff, and are ready to toss Him over the edge to kill Him. Now, I know I’ve preached some bad sermons in my fifteen years here, but no one has tried to throw me off a cliff afterward – not yet. Maybe, it’s just because we don’t have cliffs in this part of the world. Why do these people want to kill Jesus for His sermon?

Without a doubt, part of the reason was they recognized that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. But I think there was more to it than that. It was more personal. When Luke says that Jesus “began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Lk. 4:21), that’s Luke’s shorthand way of saying he’s summarizing Jesus’ sermon. So, if it was true that the Scripture was fulfilled and good news was being proclaimed to the poor, liberty was being proclaimed to the captives, the recovering of sight was being proclaimed to the blind, and liberty being given to those who are oppressed, do you see what Jesus is calling His hearers through His sermon? He’s saying that they are the poor; they are the captive; they are the blind and the oppressed. They don’t like hearing that, so they want to get rid of Jesus.

Let’s take all of this and apply it to us. First, as we share the Gospel with others, we should be ready for the proclamation that Jesus is the Savior for the poor, captive, blind, meek, and oppressed, we should be ready for that to be rejected simply because all sinners, including us, don’t want to hear that they are those things. If you walked up to a stranger and said, “Jesus forgives you all of your sins,” yes, you are sharing the Gospel with them, but they’re probably going to be offended. They’ll probably respond, “Listen, I’m a good person. Why are you calling me a sinner? Get away from me.”

It’s better to let Christ’s light and love shine through you by being kind, gentle, and merciful and be ready to share why you are those things. Tell them, “God has been kind, loving, and forgiving to me.” With people you know better, just be patient. Eventually, they’ll tell you about their sins, even though they probably won’t use the word ‘sin.’ They’ll talk about their failures, shortcomings, or mistakes. And be ready to share how Christ covers all of those for you.

And as we wrap up this Advent series, that leads to the second way this text applies to us. When God advents (i.e. when He comes), He comes to restore you (Gen. 3:9). They day is soon coming when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Until then, you be humble. Be quick to repent. Be quick to believe all that God says to you. When God calls you a sinner, believe Him. When God says that He is faithful and just to forgive sinners and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9), believe that too.

Dear saints, the abundant fruit of liberty, forgiveness, and life comes from a place where we would not expect it to come. From the stump of Jesse, from that seemingly dead root, God caused Jesus to sprout, grow, blossom, and bear fruit. Through Jesus, and through Him alone, you have good news. You have liberty. And you have the Lord’s favor. All of that is yours because Jesus has come and defeated sin and death by His cross and resurrection. And He is coming again to bring you to the fullness of His salvation and to eternal life. Amen.

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

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

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

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

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

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

Pleased – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2024

The Bearing Lamb – Sermon on John 1:19-29 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Fruit of Liberty – Sermon on Isaiah 11:1-5; Romans 1:1-7; and Luke 4:16-21 for Midweek Advent 3