Shaken & Stirred – Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 for the Second Sunday of Advent

Luke 21:25–36

25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We’ll get to this text, I promise. But first, I want to make a quick comment on our liturgy. Right away, the term or word “liturgy” might seem dull or dry. But the word ‘liturgy’ is a biblical word that simply means ‘public service.’ It seems less common now, but people used to talk about a church either being ‘liturgical’ or ‘contemporary.’ But that isn’t a helpful distinction because every church has a liturgy. In some churches, that order looks like singing for a long time, hearing a sermon, singing again, and leaving the building. You know what the service looks like here. And in other churches you may have attended, it looks different. When Christians gather together in church, they do things in a particular order, and that order is the liturgy.

I’m not sure when, but sometime in the not-too-distant future I’m going to take the time during a Sunday morning service to explain the different parts of our service and why we do what we do when we do it. But that’s for another time.

‌Today, I want to highlight one of the parts of our liturgy which is the Collect. It’s that short prayer that is offered right after the Confession and Absolution and before the Scripture readings. The Collect changes every week, because it takes the different Scripture readings we hear during the service and collects (hence the name) them into a prayer that we offer to God. What the Collect does is it sets the theme for what we will hear from God’s Word each week. People have traced the origins of these prayers far back through Church history. They have been used by Christians since the 400-500’s.

‌I printed the main part of today’s Collect there for you in the Scripture insert, and I want to draw your attention to it again right now. “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds.” It’s a good prayer because we need to have our hearts stirred up by God, and Jesus certainly does that in this Gospel reading. Jesus says that the day is coming when, “The powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Lk. 21:26).

‌Shaking the heavens is no problem for God. God created all the celestial bodies on the fourth day of creation by simply speaking (Gen. 1:14-19). All the planets, solar systems, stars, and galaxies didn’t get where they are by accident. God did it with precision. Earth is about 91.6 million miles from the sun. If it were a tiny fraction closer to the sun, the whole planet would fry; a tiny fraction further, and it would freeze. And it isn’t just Earth’s proximity to the sun that sustains life. It is tilted in just the right way as well. Also, God created the other planets of our solar system in the right sizes and set them at the right distances to keep our orbit just right and protect us from asteroids. Our moon is just the right size and distance to sustain life on the planet by causing the high and low tides. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Milky Way galaxy is the perfect distance from other galaxies and black holes too.

‌You probably know the rule In carpentry, “Measure twice; cut once.” I’m not sure how to state a similar rule for creating the universe. Maybe, “Measure twice; carefully place all the powers of the heavens in their positions once.”

‌Well, Jesus tells us that all of it is going to be shaken. Normally, when things are shaken, it’s a violent and chaotic thing. You shake something and stuff goes all over the place and ends up in random positions when the shaking stops. But the same precision that God used in creating the heavens will also be used when God shakes them. Yes, everything is going to be shaken, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t in control of what’s happening.

‌Shaking the heavens is no problem for God. The bigger problem is stirring our stubborn hearts. That’s why Jesus tells us to “stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk. 21:36). In other words, don’t get in a tizzy when the powers of the heavens are shaken. Instead, pray that as the universe shakes that God would strengthen you to stand before Him when He returns.

‌This past Thursday, a news alert came on my phone that there had been an earthquake off the coast of central California and a tsunami warning had been issued. I said a quick prayer for the people and cities. (I’d encourage you, when you get an alert like that or when you hear sirens, the first thing to do is pray. At least send up a, “Lord, have mercy.”) About half an hour after I saw that alert, I took a break to check Twitter – I still can’t call it ‘X’ – to see if there was a tsunami since I know people who live in that area. I found a bunch of posts from people who lived in that area, and most of them were saying that they were more startled by the alert from their phone than they were worried about being swept away. I was fairly shocked. Even though a tsunami could still have been coming, people were complaining that the buzzing and noise from their phone was too loud.

‌Now, I know those emergency alerts are very shocking, but they’re supposed so they grab our immediate attention. But I found it remarkably interesting that people were scared more by their phones than they were about the possibility of their cars, houses, workplaces, and city being completely swept away in an instant.

‌But then, I realized that all those comments of misdirected fear is what I and, probably, most of us do. We get riled up about all sorts of things, but the things that get us riled up aren’t what is most important. Especially this time of year, we focus more on what gifts to buy, how much money we are spending, rushing around for all the parties and get-togethers, and the final exams or papers. But are we preparing to stand before Christ, the Son of Man? Our concern for temporary tings often leads to complacency about eternal things. Remember what Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away” (Lk. 21:33).

When you listen to the world, what do you hear them talking about? You hear about wars and rumors of wars. They talk about the atmosphere and “catastrophic global climate change.” And they’re definitely perplexed about all of it. Many of the signs Jesus speaks about in this text are the constant chatter of our day and age.

‌Dear saints, God would have you speak differently than the world speaks. You can see the different calamities happening in our world and use them as an opportunity to share the joy and hope you have of the Savior’s return. Yes, it is clear that creation isn’t going to last forever. This world will not endure because of the sin we have brought into it. But you know that Christ is risen. You know that His death and resurrection was to save the world. You know that your Redeemer promises to make all things new, and again, His words will not pass away. What He has promised will surely happen.

‌Jesus, your Savior, is coming again for your redemption. That puts a new perspective on all the evil and chaos of this world. You have Christ’s promise that the things you struggle with and have to endure in this world will cease and be replaced with the joy of living in God’s eternal kingdom.

‌Even as the powers of the heavens are shaken, we pray that God would stir up our hearts to be ready for Jesus’ coming. The cares of this life are certainly real, but they are nothing compared to the redemption that is coming and drawing near.

Dear saints, in the midst of the evil of this broken world, straighten up. Raise your heads. Your redemption is coming, and it is drawing near. Amen.

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

The Sign – Sermon on Isaiah 7:10-14; Galatians 4:4-7; & Luke 1:26-38 for Midweek Advent 1 2024

Isaiah 7:10-14; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 1:26-38

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

God’s Word always works. Sometimes, it’s instantaneous. At creation, God said, “Let there be…” and whatever God said on each of the six days of creation simply was (Gen. 1). We see this same thing in many of Jesus’ miracles. Our Lord would say, “Receive your sight,” to blind eyes (Mt. 9:28-29); “Be opened,” to deaf ears (Mk. 7:34); “Your son lives,” to a frantic father (Jn. 4:50, 53); and “Come out,” in front of the grave of dead-as-a-doornail Lazarus (Jn. 11:43). And all of things happened immediately.

However, it’s also true that God will say something, and time passes. The thing God says still happens. It just takes a while. God told Moses to go back to Egypt, deliver His people out of slavery, and bring all of them to worship Him on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 3:10-12). It happened, but it took a while (Ex. 19:1-2). God told Noah that He would send a flood to destroy all flesh (Gen. 6:13-22). That happened too, but only when enough time elapsed for Noah to build the ark and herd the animals onto it – possibly about 100 years (Gen. 5:32; 7:6). Ultimately, It doesn’t matter if God’s Word is delayed. What God says happens.

But we are impatient people. Even though time after time God has proven His faithfulness to His Word, we wrongly start to doubt and take matters into our own hands. Abraham believed God’s Word that he would be the father of many nations (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-6), but the delay in the fulfillment of that promise led Abraham to have a son with his wife’s servant, Hagar (Gen. 16:1-4). That momentary unbelief of Abraham, though forgiven, still has devastating repercussions to this day. You can wait and trust that God will come through on His Word (Hab. 2:3).

In our text tonight from Isaiah, King Ahaz of Judah is facing a problem. Neighboring countries are attacking Judah. The king of Israel and the king of Syria joined forces and invaded his land, they have besieged Jerusalem, but they hadn’t been able to destroy it. So, Ahaz devises a plan, but it’s a stupid plan. He asks for help from another one of his enemies, the king of Assyria, to fight against Israel and Syria. Ahaz even takes the gold out of the Temple to buy Assyria’s help (2 Kgs. 16:5-8). But God sends the prophet Isaiah to tell Ahaz that He’s in control and that Ahaz doesn’t need to fear Israel and Syria because they are nothing more than smoldering stumps (Is. 7:1-9).

That Isaiah text (Is. 7:10-14) begins when God invites Ahaz to request a sign for proof that He will deliver Judah from her enemies, and it is an open-ended invitation. Ahaz could ask for a sign as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven. In other words, Ahaz could have asked for anything. He could have been selfish and asked God for a million tons of gold to put in his treasury. But Ahaz refuses in a pious sounding way, “I will not put the Lord to the test.” Ahaz preferred to forge ahead with his own plans. He fancied the formidable Assyrian army over God’s invitation to simply trust and be firm in faith that God would deliver (Is. 7:9b). Bad idea. By rejecting that sign, Ahaz also rejected God’s Word and promise. He treated God’s Word as though it was meaningless and impractical. Ahaz had his own plans, and he didn’t want God to interfere with them.

God wasn’t fooled by Ahaz’s fake piety. But still God is merciful and will give Ahaz not just one but two signs of deliverance. One of them, which we didn’t hear, would be fulfilled in Ahaz’s lifetime (Is. 7:15-17). But the sign we did hear is more wonderful because it isn’t only a sign that Judah would be delivered from her enemies. Instead, the promise is that God would deliver all humanity because God would come and dwell among us.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel,” which means ‘God with us’ (Mt. 1:23). God promises that He is coming. And when He comes, He comes to deliver and save. But when God’s acts of salvation are met with unbelief, those acts become a judgment to the one who disbelieves. So, for Ahaz, Immanuel means judgment.

About 700 years later, God came through on His promise of Immanuel. In our Gospel text (Lk. 1:26-38), God sends the angel Gabriel to Mary. Gabriel announces to her that the time to fulfill that promise given to Ahaz has come. Though she is a virgin, she will conceive and bear a Son who will be the fulfillment of God’s promise to dwell with His people as well as all the other promises God had given to save His fallen creation. Mary’s response is completely different than Ahaz’s response. She seems to be filled with surprise and curiosity, “How will this be?” Gabriel simply reassures her that nothing is impossible for God (Lk. 1:37), and Mary simply trusts. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).

Sure, God’s promise that the virgin would conceive took a while – 700 years. But it happened at exactly the right time. God sent forth His Son, born of a woman. Born with your flesh and bone. Born to bear your sins to the cross. Born to redeem you. Born so that you could be adopted, chosen, selected into God’s family. Born so that you would be an heir of God (Gal. 4:4-7).

Dear saints, because God has already given you what is most precious to Him and most needful for you, you can believe that He won’t go back on any of His other promises to you. All of God’s promises find their ‘yes’ in Christ, in Immanuel (2 Cor. 1:20).

Jesus is God with you. And even more than that – Jesus is God for you. God is on your side. You can take His Word to the bank. Amen.

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

Determined – Sermon on Job 14:1-6 for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity

Job 14:1–6

1 “Man who is born of a woman 
is few of days and full of trouble. 
2 He comes out like a flower and withers; 
he flees like a shadow and continues not. 
3 And do you open your eyes on such a one 
and bring me into judgment with you? 
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? 
There is not one. 
5 Since his days are determined, 
and the number of his months is with you, 
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass, 
6 look away from him and leave him alone, 
that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Seasons change. This year, we’re having a particularly long Fall. We’ve been hitting 50°F regularly. The forecast says we’ve got a couple more days of that, but it’s definitely Fall. The sun is lower in the sky, and it’s getting dark earlier and earlier each day. Your grass might still have some green in it, but the brown is steadily progressing. Most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees, and you’re probably ahead of me in getting them off the lawn.

We’re used to these seasonal changes in this part of the world. During the months that end with ‘-ber,’ we start smelling autumn in the air. And I know some of you are already eagerly waiting for March and April when you get those first, faint scents of Spring. This portion of Job is like those brief whiffs of new life. But, because of his suffering, Job is deep in the declining days of autumn, and yet he is determined to smell the sweetness of Spring again.

To get the context of where we are in Job 14, remember: Three times in the first two chapters, Job is described as a man who is blameless, upright, one who fears God, and turns away from evil (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3). In other words, Job is a Christian. But God allows Satan to cause him all sorts of suffering, both in material and physical ways. Job’s suffering puts him in this autumn season of death.

As he suffers, Job’s three friends come to talk with him. Well, we call them “friends,” but that’s using that word extremely liberally because, honestly, they’re really, really bad friends. Each of them thinks he’s wise enough to know why Job is suffering and tries to explain it. The problem is that their ideas of why Job is suffering only make Job’s suffering worse. In fact, the conversation Job’s friends have with him is, basically, a third round of suffering inflicted on Job.

The first friend, Eliphaz, basically tells Job, “You’re suffering because you are being punished for some sin. But you should be thankful because this suffering is going to make you a better person” (Job 4-5). The second one, Bildad, basically says, “You’re getting what you deserve. Just repent, and your pain will go away” (Job 8). The third, Zophar, basically says, “Actually, Job, you deserve a lot worse. Make yourself worthy to stand before God and then your life will get better” (Job 11). It’s almost like each one of those friends is actively trying to be worse than the previous at explaining why Job is suffering.

Job had responded to each of those friends’ claims, but our text today is the second part of Job’s reply to the three of them collectively. The summary of what Job says in Job 13 is, “This suffering isn’t because God is punishing me for some particular sin. You guys can say whatever you want, but I have no problem insisting that I am righteous before God.” And remember, Job is right when he says that. Job hadn’t heard it, but God Himself declared Job to be blameless and upright. And even though Job is in the autumn of suffering, he stands righteous before God through faith (Hab. 2:4; Gen. 15:6).

Now, here in Job 14, Job longs for Spring and the season of new life. But he speaks about it in ways where we only get the faintest whiff of it. He’s still deep in the autumn of his suffering. That’s why Job talks about the few, troubled days of all mankind (Job 14:1). Job rightly says that all of us are like a flower that sprouts up but then withers (Job 14:2).

Look again at in v. 5. Job says, “[Man’s] days are determined, and the number of his months is with You, [God]. You have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.” Yes, Job is in a very dark place. He’s enduring a suffering that is hard for us to fathom. He’s lost his all of his income, and his children have died. But Job still recognizes that God is the One in control of all his days. Job knows that God determines both the beginning and end of a person. Because of sin, all of us are mortals. We all die, and each person has a God-determined number of days (Ps. 39:4, 139:16).

But then, in the verses that follow immediately after our text (Job 14:7-9), Job says that he longs for Fall to be over and Spring to come again. He says that there is still hope for a tree that is cut down because it can sprout again. Job acknowledges that roots grow old in the earth and the stump dies in the soil, but it will still put out branches at the first scent of water.

In other words, Job believes that, in spite of his current condition, God hasn’t and won’t abandon him – even after Job has breathed his last. Job believes in the Resurrection. In spite of his suffering, Job knows that he will rise again, and his own eyes will see his Redeemer standing victorious on the earth. That will become crystal clear in what Job says in ch. 19:25-27. But here in ch. 14, Job is still mostly in his “Fall funk.”

Now, I want to dig into v. 6 here a little bit. Listen to it again, “look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.” When I was initially reading this text to prepare for this sermon, that verse reminded me of other verses of Scripture like Ecc. 2:24 which says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” The way I understood it was that Job was asking God to look away from him and leave him alone so he could just enjoy the rest of his days. But after doing more study on the text, I realized that’s not what is going on here. Not at all!

If you look in your pew Bible, you’ll see that the ESV (which is what is printed for you) has a footnote that says the way we should probably read that first line of v. 6 is, “Look away from him that he may cease.” In other words, Job isn’t asking God to leave him alone. Instead, Job is saying that, as soon as God looks away from us, we die. Now, it might not seem like it at first, but there are actually two bits of comfort there.

The first comfort is that Job recognizes God is not ignoring him or looking the other direction. Even though Job is suffering, God is looking at him and is aware of his situation. Since God knows Job’s suffering, He also knows your suffering. God sees. God is alert to all the causes of your pain. That’s precisely why He sent Jesus to rescue and deliver you.

The second comfort is a little harder to recognize – like the first scent of Spring. What Job is saying here is basically, “Look away from me so I can come to the end of my days and die because I know there is a resurrection where there will be no more suffering.” Now, Job isn’t suicidal here. Instead, Job recognizes that his life is like the changing of seasons. He’s in the Fall of suffering and decay. The cold, dead of winter will come when God decides it will come. But after winter comes the new life of Spring and resurrection. That’s what Job is longing for.

In context, that first line of v. 6 is Job saying, “God, I know that I’m not going to live forever. I know that this suffering is temporary. Eventually, I will die, but You will raise me again. Even now in this suffering, my life is in Your hands. But I also know that my eternal future is in Your hands. And my preference right now is to move on and get to the resurrection stuff.”

That understanding gives us a better picture of what the second line of v. 6 says where Job talks about a hired hand enjoying his day. During the sweat and toil of work, a hired hand looks to the end of the day when he will rest and receive his wages. That’s what Job longs for. Through faith, Job knows that God will reward him when his life has ended, and he will have eternal rest.

So, dear saints, let’s apply all of this to you. You aren’t suffering like Job is here, and may God grant that none of you ever do. But everyone suffers to one degree or another in this broken world. Like Job, you can confidently place yourself in God’s hands. Yes, you are a sinner, but God can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing (Job 14:4). Your God brings life out of death. God cleanses, restores, and forgives. No matter what you suffer in this life, God still and always loves you because of what Christ has done on the cross for you.

We suffer many things in this broken, sinful world. Whatever we suffer points to the fact that this world is ending. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus will mention several signs of the end of the world, and they are all some form of suffering. But Jesus wants you to take courage. Every war and rumor of war; every earthquake and hurricane; every corrupt government and politician; every sickness, disease, death, and threat – all of them are only signs that this world is broken and will not last. But know that even in the midst of all those signs, God hasn’t forgotten you.

Jesus lives, and He is returning for you. You belong to Him. Through Jesus, God has delivered you and declared that you are His people. Christ is determined to rescue you. He brings life out of death, and He will lead you in green pastures and beside still waters (Ps. 23:2).

Jesus is your God and Savior, and He is absolutely determined to bring you safely through the autumn of this broken world into the eternal Spring of the New Creation. Amen.

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

Return to Comfort – Sermon on Isaiah 51:9-16 for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

Isaiah 51:9–16

9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord; 
awake, as in days of old, 
the generations of long ago. 
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, 
who pierced the dragon? 
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, 
the waters of the great deep, 
who made the depths of the sea a way 
for the redeemed to pass over? 
11 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return 
and come to Zion with singing; 
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; 
they shall obtain gladness and joy, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

12 “I, I am he who comforts you; 
who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, 
of the son of man who is made like grass,
13 and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, 
who stretched out the heavens 
and laid the foundations of the earth, 
and you fear continually all the day 
because of the wrath of the oppressor, 
when he sets himself to destroy? 
And where is the wrath of the oppressor? 
14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; 
he shall not die and go down to the pit, 
neither shall his bread be lacking. 
15 I am the Lord your God, 
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— 
the Lord of hosts is his name. 
16 And I have put my words in your mouth 
and covered you in the shadow of my hand, 
establishing the heavens 
and laying the foundations of the earth, 
and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When a little girl wakes up in the middle of the night because she’s scared, worried, or thirsty, it’s completely natural for her to wake up her parents. Tired as those parents might be, one of them – in our house it’s usually the mom (Thanks, hon!) – one of them will get up to help that child with whatever she needs. It doesn’t matter if that girl’s need is silly, like the fear of a monster under her bed, and it doesn’t matter if her need is justified like a dirty diaper or a horrible cough. That parent will go and help.

The parent will reassure the child, “No, I looked and there isn’t a monster under your bed.” “Yes, ants are strong, but you don’t have to worry about them carrying our house away.” “Even though you’re perfectly capable of getting your own drink, I know you’re scared to go into the dark bathroom, so I’ll get a cup of water for you.” “I’ll steam up the bathroom to help you with your croupy cough.” If a child doesn’t ask his or her parents for help in that moment of fear and need, it’s strange. Something is wrong or off. Parents are able and willing to help their children. That’s part of the job description.

As kids grow and mature, they become capable of doing things on their own so they need their parents’ help less often. And that is a good thing. Parents want that for their children, so parents teach their children to zip their coat, tie their shoes, and pour a bowl of cereal for themselves. To be a functioning person, you need to be able to do those sorts of things. But there is a sadness that comes along with children becoming more capable and independent. One day, you’re walking your son into his first day of pre-school. Then, what feels like two seconds later, he’s able to drive himself everywhere. But that independence comes with a cost. It means that, instead of being home, he’ll be at practice or work or going out with friends. And when you do see him and ask how his day was, all you get is a quick, “Fine.” Part of a parent’s job is to get their kids to the point where they don’t need parents to do things for them.

Again, this independence isn’t a bad thing, but it comes with a danger. The danger is that it can lead to becoming disconnected from others. We don’t ask others to help us even though they are able and willing to. And this goes beyond asking mom or dad or whomever to help us. It also extends to asking our heavenly Father for help.

As we become more independent and capable, we also get better at lying to ourselves. We wrongly think that we reach a point where we don’t need God’s help with the little things in life, like tying our shoes or driving to work. And those lies tend to snowball.

The lie starts with thinking, “I’m mature enough that I don’t need God’s help to tie my shoes,” which leads to, “God doesn’t help me tie my shoes.” Then, that leads to thinking that God doesn’t help as we go about all the other business of our day, whether it’s commuting, studying, working, eating, and all the other daily things that make up our life.

Of course, none of that is actually true. God does help us in all of those things. He has given us brains that send messages through the nerves He has given us so the muscles and tendons He has also given us so we can tie our shoes. God is the One who created the laws of physics and gravity that cause our shoelaces to move in consistent, repeatable ways. In reality, it’s not an overstatement to say that God tied your shoes this morning. Sure, He did it through you, but God did it. It is sad how we so quickly and easily forget God’s care for us over the entirety of our lives and actions.

Another thing that causes us to forget God’s care for us is fear. Usually, we think danger causes either a fight or flight instinct in us, but what might be even more common than fight or flight is for us to freeze and do nothing. When our brain can’t calculate if it’s better to fight or flee from the danger, we freeze. And when we freeze in the face of fear, we are the most vulnerable. It’s better if that fear causes us to flee toward God, our heavenly Father, just like a child going to her parents in the middle of the night.

The reason a children wake up their parents at night is they have a fear and instinctively flee to their parents to get the help they need. And it doesn’t matter if the fear is reasonable or not. That child’s fear drives him to his parents who love, care for, and help him because he either can’t or won’t fight the monster under his bed.

It’s that kind of good and right, childlike fleeing that is going on here in Isaiah. Isaiah is running back to God his Father in the middle of the night because God is the only One who can help him. Isaiah is saying, “Wake up, God. Wake up. I need Your help. You slew the dragon before and made a highway through the sea. Wake up and help me now.”

There is a beautiful honesty in Isaiah’s prayer here. He knows what he needs, and he’s asking his heavenly Father to give it. But even as Isaiah makes this request, he doesn’t know exactly what God is going to do. None of us mortals know what God is going to do. But Isaiah honest enough to pray to God and say that he wants God to do more than He’s currently doing. Isaiah wants God to do mighty things. He is like that little kid waking up his dad, and he is confident enough to know that God is his loving Father who will take care of him and give him exactly what he needs.

Dear saints, we need to become like children again, as Isaiah does here.

It’s easy for us to spot danger. For example, we think about the future and all of the unknown things the future holds and we are filled with fear and anxiety. Stop doing that.

Scripture would have you do the opposite. Throughout Scripture, people look back to the past and think about what God has already done for them. Those mighty things God did in the past help them trust in the present that God will do similar things in the future. And that is a much better approach than thinking we have to help ourselves by molding and shaping the future on our own.

To put all this into the words Isaiah uses here: If God made everything in the beginning, can He take care of everything now and in the future? Yes, He can. If God stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, can He do something about your life next week? Of course He can! He who made all things throughout all creation simply by speaking can certainly take care of the small fraction of creation that effects your life today, tomorrow, and sixteen years from now. In fact, He promises to. Hear again what your heavenly Father says, “I, I am He who comforts you.”

So, you children of God, return to Him. God wants you to be childlike in your trust in Him (Mt. 19:14). Because He is your heavenly Father, He is able and willing to take away both your stupid fears and your justified fears. God wants you to have that simple faith like the child who runs to his parents in the middle of the night with whatever is causing you trouble. Just like a parent’s job is to check for monsters under the bed and get a drink for her child in the middle of the night, it’s God’s job to care for every big or small, justified or silly thing that troubles you.

You are God’s children. You can be fearless in your prayers. God isn’t going to be surprised at any of them. You aren’t going to ask for something He’s never heard. You aren’t going to confess some sin that He hasn’t already forgiven for someone else. God knows how to do it, so wake Him up and ask Him for what you need.

You don’t have to be like the woman in our Gospel reading (Mt. 9:18-26) who tries to sneak something good from God. You can be much bolder than that. He is the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. None of the things that cause you worry or fear are greater than the one who comforts you, so return to Him.

In the Small Catechism, Luther offers us two prayers, one for the morning and one for the evening. Both of those prayers include the following statement that fit so well with this passage from Isaiah. The statement is this, “Into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things.” Our family uses those prayers during our drive to school and in our devotions in the evening, and those words have been rolling around in my brain this past week. And I would encourage you to consider using those prayers as well.

You can confidently place everything about yourself and all the things around you into God’s hands. Because God is your loving Father, He’ll take care of it all. And you can do this boldly. Your heavenly Father has already given you His only begotten Son to forgive you of all your sin, what other good thing would He ever withhold from you? Nothing.

As Ro. 8;31b-32 says, “If God is for us,” and He is, “who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with [His Son] graciously give us all things?”

Children of God, return to Him, and He will comfort you. Amen.

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

The Host – Sermon on Revelation 7:9-17 for All Saints’ Day (Observed)

Revelation 7:9–17

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, 
and serve him day and night in his temple; 
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; 
the sun shall not strike them, 
nor any scorching heat. 
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, 
and he will guide them to springs of living water, 
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints of God. Has anyone ever shown you a photo and said, “That’s a picture of me when I was younger”? The snarky, obvious reply would be, “Isn’t every picture of you a picture of when you were younger?” It doesn’t matter if the picture is almost immediately available on the screen of your phone or if the picture has been sitting in some dusty photo album for years. They’re all a picture of you when you were younger.

Photos are a great way to preserve memories and pass along the stories of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Even though those pictures captured just one moment in time, they remind us of so much more than the fraction of a second that it took for the shutter to open and close. They are a window into the lives of people in them, some of whom are no longer with us. Those pictures of the past have tremendous value.

When you take the time to look at old photos with family, you learn more about the people you love and can connect with them in a deeper way. You might find out that your quiet, tough, deer-hunting grandpa played the clarinet his freshman year of high school. You get the opportunity to tell your kids about the time you visited Mt. Rushmore as a kid just like they did. But when you went in 3rd grade, Aunt Jane got carsick on the drive up there. Two years ago at Thanksgiving, I learned that a pastor friend of mine has an uncle who was a groomsman for my father-in-law. Without looking through a photo album, I never would have known that my family was already tied to his.

With Thanksgiving coming up, I’d encourage you to do this. I know some of you kids might think it’ll be boring, but maybe you can make a game of it. See if grandma says, “That’s a picture of me when I was younger.” Just don’t make fun of her if she does.

In our text today we get to see an old picture, nearly 2,000 years old. But it is still a vivid, vibrant picture. It’s especially magnificent and spectacular because, even though it’s an old picture, it’s a picture of you in the future. The Apostle John sees the entire church – every Christian being welcomed into God’s presence. It’s a picture of the Church triumphant.

Now, before we look at the details of this picture, something needs to be crystal clear. This is not something in a galaxy far, far away. Nope! What is contained in this picture is right here and all around us. Hebrews 12:22-24a says that when you are here at church, “[Y]ou have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.” Can you see it? No. But does that mean it is any less real? Not at all!

Now, to the picture. The major details of the picture are a great multitude – more than anyone could count. People from every nation, tribe, and language. They stand before the Lamb who is on the throne. They wear white robes, wave palm branches, and sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” That’s what you see with a quick glance at the picture.

Next, our text gives the caption that’s under the picture which lets us know the identity of this multitude. One of the elders asks John, “Who are these people clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” Maybe John could have mustered up a good guess. Already in Revelation, John has seen a lot of awesome, amazing, wonderful things. But he’d rather hear the elder say who they are, so he punts the question back to him, “Sir, you know.” And the elder gives the caption, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” 

Now, that’s a good, accurate translation so long as we see that this is a present, ongoing thing – a continual process. To get the idea gets across, it could be translated, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.” In other words, this already massive crowd keeps growing bigger and bigger all the time as believers leave this life and enter the next, and they are leaving the great tribulation.

Now, there are some very smart Christians who disagree with me on this, but because of how Scripture uses the word for ‘tribulation,’ I do not think this is some future thing. In the opening verses of Revelation, John writes that he is our brother and partner of the tribulation and the kingdom (Rev. 1:9). Jesus, in Jn. 16:33, says, “In this world you have tribulation.” The word for ‘tribulation’ is θλῖψις (thlipsis) and it can be translated tribulation, affliction, trouble, and suffering. Different translations will tend to favor using one of those words more often than others. But when you look at all the different places the word is used, you can see that it is a description of our life in this broken, fallen world. It is to be in this veil of tears. The people in this picture John puts before us are coming out of this tribulation.

If you look back at the previous chapter (Rev. 6), you see that this multitude has come out of war, famine, sickness, economic hardship, persecution, and political turmoil. But now they are standing before the Lamb and singing His praise. What this means is that all the believers we love but have died, they are still singing God’s praise. They are all there in the great host. They made it.

They’re holding the palm branches, singing the songs, standing in the presence of Jesus, the Lamb who shed His blood and was slaughtered to forgive them all of their sins. Jesus, the Lamb who died and rose again is now their Shepherd. All of them are in this picture because they are the saints who have gone before us. God be praised.

But, dear saints, remember that this is All Saints’ Sunday. You are part of that host too. You are also coming out of the great tribulation. Yes, you’re still in it, but you are in the process of coming out of it as you hold to faith in Christ. It is a picture of you when you are older, and because you have this picture, your life in this great tribulation becomes a little more bearable.

The troubles and trials of this world that leave your robes tattered, torn, stained, and defiled, they will all be plunged into the blood of the Lamb and come out dazzling white. The afflictions and persecutions you endure now will go away because you will be sheltered by and in His presence. You know that your hunger and thirst for peace and security will be satisfied. The tribulations that make your pillow wet with tears, they will all be wiped away.

Yes, you, dear saint, are part of this endless, uncountable crowd, but you aren’t lost in the host. For you, for each and every one of you, God will wipe away every last tear. The whole host is there. Not one is missing. Yet, every individual is intimately cared for by the Lamb.

This is true because Jesus, your Savior, has come and made you His saint. He has and will make everything sad come untrue. Everything that has been broken because of sin will be all the more beautiful because it has been redeemed and made new by the blood of Christ. 

You, believer, are part of that host. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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

The Righteous Live by Faith – Sermon on Habakkuk 2:1-4 for Reformation Sunday

Habakkuk 2:1–4

1 I will take my stand at my watchpost 
and station myself on the tower, 
and look out to see what he will say to me, 
and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 

2 And the Lord answered me: 
“Write the vision; 
make it plain on tablets, 
so he may run who reads it. 
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; 
it hastens to the end—it will not lie. 
If it seems slow, wait for it; 
it will surely come; it will not delay. 
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, 
but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Redeeming the Time – Sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 5:15–21

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Help – Sermon on Matthew 9:1-8 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 9:1–8

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What do you suppose the friends of this paralyzed man thought when they heard Jesus? They had gone to a lot of trouble to bring him to Jesus. They had heard Jesus was at home (Mt. 9:1; Mk. 2:1), and people from all around knew that the power of God was with Jesus to heal (Lk. 5:17). We can imagine these friends going to the paralyzed man’s house and telling him, “Hey, Charles,” (he probably wasn’t named ‘Charles’ but go with me on this), “Hey Charles, Jesus is in town. We’re going to take you to Him and get you healed.”

They lift up Charles’ bed and lug him through the city streets. But when they get to where Jesus was, they find that too many people are there, and they can’t even get to the door (Mk. 2:2; Lk. 5:19). So, they take desperate measures. They lug Charles and his bed to the top of the house, tear open the roof, tie ropes on the corners of Charles’ bed, and lower him so he is before Jesus (Mk. 2:4). Charles’ friends are trying to catch their breath, wiping the sweat off of their foreheads, and giving each other tired fist bumps as they surround that gaping hole, thinking, “We did it. Jesus is going to heal our buddy so he can walk.”

But then, down in the house with dust swirling around them, Jesus looks at Charles, and Charles looks up at Jesus. And Jesus says those words, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” I imagine those friends were thinking to themselves, “You’ve gotta be kidding me, Jesus. We brought Charles here so You could fix his body!”

We don’t actually know what the paralytics’ friends thought, but we do know what the scribes and Pharisees thought, “Jesus is a blasphemer. Only God can forgive sins” (Mk. 2:7; Lk. 5:21). They grumble. They scoff. They doubt. But Jesus knows their thoughts and hearts, just as He knew the faith and believing hearts of this man’s friends. And because Jesus knows both the faith of these friends and the grumbling of the scribes, we also know that Jesus knew the paralytic’s thoughts.

Maybe, the paralytic was initially excited at the prospect of being healed and using his limbs. But based on Jesus words to him, there is little doubt that Jesus told him exactly what he needed to hear. The first word Jesus says, “Take heart,” is the same command Jesus will give to the disciples when they are out in a huge storm in the middle of the sea. They are being beaten by the waves and wind. Jesus appears, and they think He’s a ghost. But Jesus calms them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Mt. 14:27).

This paralytic man hears from Jesus the exact words he needed to hear as he was battered by legs that didn’t work and arms that couldn’t move. “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” As he was lying there before Jesus, maybe he figured Jesus would tell him how awful he had been and that his paralysis was punishment for his sin. But that’s not what Jesus says. Jesus tells him that in the midst of his suffering and horrible situation that he can be of good courage because his sins are forgiven.

Now, of course, Jesus ends up healing the man too. To silence the grumbling scribes and prove that He actually does have the authority to forgive sins, Christ heals the man.

That’s the main teaching of this text. Jesus proves that He has the authority on earth to forgive sins by healing the paralytic. And the crowds respond with fear and glorified God (notice how the text ends) who had given such authority to men. It’s plural. To men. Not just to the man, Jesus. To men.

That was true here, but it is even more evident on the evening of the Resurrection. Then, Jesus tells the disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them” (Jn. 20:23). Jesus, the One who has authority to forgive sins, delegates that authority to His Church, to all Christians. Because you have called me to be your pastor, I get to do that each Sunday morning. God uses my voice to proclaim His forgiveness to you. I get to be ‘the Absolution guy.’ It’s pretty cool. And please, don’t think I’m bragging. Believe me, I wouldn’t have the guts to say that if the Bible didn’t teach it. Forgiveness and absolution is the main point of this text.

But today, I want to draw special attention to this guy’s friends and their tenacity to help him by bringing him to Jesus. They know their friend’s need. They know Jesus is where he can get help. So, they do everything in their power to help him by bringing him to Christ.

Dear saints, you do this too. I know you do. But I’d like to point out three specific, concrete ways you do this because these things are easy to overlook. And when we overlook them, it’s easier to neglect doing them. Here are the three ways you help others by bringing them before Jesus, and they are in no particular order.

First, you help people by inviting them to church. Jesus promises to be here as we gather each and every week when He says, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I among them”(Mt. 18:20). You are eternally helping others when you bring them here, to God’s house and to the gate of heaven (Gen. 28:17) where Jesus meets them with His Word and forgiveness.

Second, you help people by praying for them. When you have an unbelieving family member or coworker who has some need. Help them by praying for them. As you lift others up in prayer, you are bringing them to and laying them before the feet of Christ. Don’t forget that. When someone is suffering, lift them up to Jesus in your prayers. Maybe Jesus won’t answer your prayers in precisely the way you expect. But He knows best how to help.

James 5:13-16 says that your prayers have great power. You don’t even have to tell the person you are praying for them. (Usually, I think letting them know you are praying for them is a good idea. But there might be times [e.g. if they are really deep in unbelief and hatred of God] you don’t. Use your God-given wisdom.) Even if they don’t share their problems with you, pray for them anyway. They might not share their struggles, but they probably tell you the ways they have been blessed. That same section of James 5 says that when someone is cheerful, you can give a prayer of thanks to God for the blessings He has provided.

Third, you help people by forgiving them. The forgiveness you have received from God frees you to forgive others when they sin against you. Christian, your gracious disposition toward them and toward the world is a way that the light of Christ shines through you (Mt. 5:14-16).

All of that brings me to you, Cooper. Cooper, today you are Baptized. Today, your parents have helped you by bringing you to Jesus who also says to you, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven. I have joined you to My death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-8). I have clothed you in My righteousness (Gal. 3:27), given you the new birth of water and the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:3, 5) and made you My child.”

Cooper, and all you saints, you are before Jesus right now. He invites you to His Table where He feeds you with His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. As you walk out of here today, remember that you have new life in Christ. Use your freshly given strength to help and serve your neighbor. Amen.

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

The Battle – Sermon on Revelation 12:7-12 for the feast of St. Michael & All Angels

Revelation 12:7–12

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Out of sight, out of mind.” Sometimes, you might use that phrase as an excuse, sometimes as a reason to procrastinate. It’s really easy to forget things that aren’t right in front of us. So, we make lists, set reminders on our phones, and put events on the calendar. Well, the Church has done exactly that for us today, September 29th, as we remember the angel, St. Michael, and all angels. Today, we remember that God has created all things, visible and invisible.

The Bible teaches a lot about angels, but it doesn’t answer every question we might have about angels and demons (which are just fallen angels). There’s a lot of garbage out there when it comes to angels. Be very discerning about what you hear, see, and read about angels. People have found that they can make a lot of money off the curiosity surrounding angels and demons. If you’re interested after the service, I can print a couple of my older sermons from a few years ago that overview what the Bible teaches about angels and demons. Today, as we consider this Epistle reading (Rev. 12:7-12), we’re mainly going to focus on the invisible, unseen battle that is currently raging around us. It’s something we need to see and recognize. We want it in our sight and on our mind because, through His Word, God gives us tremendous comfort in the midst of this battle.

The whole chapter of Revelation 12 teaches us about something that has happened and continues right now all around us. I know a lot of people think the events of Revelation are in the future, but that’s not necessarily the case. Some Christians will disagree with that. I promise I’ll show from Scripture why I firmly believe that Rev. 12 is both past and current and will continue until Christ returns.

To get a bit of context for what we heard, Rev. 12 starts with a scene of a pregnant woman who is about to give birth. The text says that her Child will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5). Psalm 2 uses this same language and imagery of Jesus. In Psalm 2, the nations are raging and trying to get out from under God’s rule. In response, God sets His King and Son on the throne of Zion (Ps. 2:6-8), and He rules with a rod of iron and dashes those rebellious, earthly authorities like a clay pot (Ps. 2:9). Who is this woman about to give birth? As Christians, we know that the virgin Mary is the one who gave birth to Jesus, but this text isn’t referring to Mary. Here in Rev. 12, this woman is representative of the whole Church, all believers. The reason I say that will become clearer in a bit, so stick with me, please.

In Rev. 12 we are told that a great red dragon – in other words, the devil – is waiting there to devour Jesus immediately after He is born. But Jesus is caught up to God and to His throne (Rev. 12:5). Basically, John skips over Christ’s entire life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. He does this to set up what happens to the Church. After she gives birth, the woman (who, again, is believers) flees into the wilderness where God has prepared a place for her to be protected and nourished. That’s the context for our reading.

Now, to the first verse of our text. There is war in heaven. That sounds weird. It’s heaven – a place where there is no more sorrow, crying, or pain (Rev. 21:4) – but this is what John sees. And think about this, the devil wasn’t able to devour Christ in a broken world. Not when He was an infant, not during Jesus’ life, not even in Jesus’ crucifixion and death. But he still tries to attack Jesus in heaven. Anyone with a half a brain knows that strategy isn’t going to work, but the devil’s hatred of God makes him absolutely foolish when it comes to battle strategy. Satan thinks he’ll fight to take Jesus off His heavenly throne, but the devil doesn’t get very far. King Jesus doesn’t even have to fight Himself. Instead, He sends His archangel Michael (see Jd. 9) who defeats the devil and permanently expels that worm and his angels (i.e. the demons) from heaven. God created Michael for that very purpose, and King Jesus doesn’t rob Michael of that glory. God lets Michael do his job of throwing the ancient serpent out of heaven.

Then, we hear this loud voice. Let’s walk through what this voice says. “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come” (Rev. 12:10a) Think through this. We have salvation, right? Yes, of course we do! Jesus has the power and authority over all creation, right? Yes, He does! Before He ascends, Christ says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Mt. 28:18). Despite what we might experience, has the kingdom of God come? Yes! Jesus says when He casts out demons by the finger of God, that means that the kingdom of God has come (Lk. 11:20).

So, what does the loud voice from heaven say next? “The accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:10b). Remember our Gospel reading (Lk. 10:17-20). Jesus had sent the 72 disciples out to preach the arrival of the kingdom of God (Lk. 10:1-9). Our text is Jesus’ response when they return. He says that through their ministry He, “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk. 10:18). A couple weeks ago, we saw from Job how the devil was in heaven with the other angels accusing Job of loving God because God was nice to him (Job 1:9; 2:4-5). The devil wasn’t content to only accuse Job; he was accusing all Christians, and heaven was sick and tired of it. But now, Satan can’t do that anymore because Michael has thrown him out of heaven and God’s presence. Now, we need to hear a little more from the heavenly voice.

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Rev. 12:10b-11). Again, back in Lk. 10:17, the 72 disciples are excited because even the demons are subject to them in Jesus’ name. This is still true, believer. The devil and his demons are continually defeated as believers proclaim Jesus’ name. Michael has knocked him out of heaven, and God continues to kick Satan while he’s down through the feet of believers by the power of Jesus’ blood and by your witness and testimony (Ro. 16:20).

Finally, the voice from heaven concludes, “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” The victory in heaven means there is no place for the devil there anymore. But God, for reasons only He knows, hasn’t sent the devil to his final destination of the eternal fire of hell (Mt. 25:41). Not yet. The devil now has come to the earth where He viciously rages because he knows that his time is short.

That’s the end our text, but the rest of Rev. 12 shows that the woman who gave birth to the Child is still pursued by the dragon. But God protects her in the wilderness and nourishes her (Rev. 12:13-14). Every time the devil tries to destroy her, his efforts are stopped, thwarted, and defeated (Rev. 12:15-17). That’s why I said earlier that the woman isn’t Mary but the whole Church – which includes Mary, but isn’t only Mary. The devil continues his futile fight against the Church, but we believers are protected and win the victory by the blood of the Lamb.

Now, here’s what all of this means for us, and why it is such a comfort. All the troubles we face today are spiritual battles against the demons. Scripture says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). All of those terms refer to the devil and demons. On the one hand, that verse reminds us that people are not our enemies. We do not have to fight against people because they are individuals who are loved, and whom Christ has died for. But that verse also reminds us that there is a constant spiritual battle going on all around us, and the victory has been won through our Savior, Jesus Christ. We conquer with Michael and all the heavenly host by the Blood of the Lamb.

Still, the battle rages on. We see this battle manifest itself in different ways. Abortion, public safety, the LGBTQ movement and all sorts of other topics – those are the different battle lines in the spiritual war going on all around us. Wherever our culture is fighting against God’s good order, that is where the battle lines have been drawn. And the victory doesn’t and won’t come from Congress, the White House, or through the ballot box. The victory comes at your dinner table. It comes in your home as you raise your children in the faith. It comes as you point others to Jesus, and as you faithfully carry out all your vocations. Wherever you testify about Christ, your Savior, there is the victory. The kingdom of God is strengthened and fortified as Christ is proclaimed, and it advances as unbelievers are brought into the kingdom through faith in Jesus.

Dear saints, this battle has been raging ever since the Fall into sin. Even when it appears as though the devil and his angels are gaining ground, remember that they are a defeated enemy. They cannot win. Jesus is on the throne, and He will never be removed. God calls you to be faithful. Keep confessing and testifying about Christ (Rev. 12:11). God has promised you His protection through the holy angels as you do what God gives you to do in this fight. And better than that, you have the victory through Jesus and His blood.

Your Lord, your Savior, your King, and your Captain invites you now to His Table to receive His very blood through which you gain the victory. Come and receive as He pours His mercy and forgiveness into you. Amen.

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

Friend, Move up Higher – Sermon on Luke 14:1-11 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Luke 14:1-11

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The game is afoot. This prominent Pharisee and his friends had invited Jesus to a Sabbath dinner party. Our Lord is in hostile territory. The Pharisees want to investigate how Jesus will behave on the Sabbath, and their focus is especially on seeing if He will work because that was strictly forbidden by their additional rules. Ironically, this means that they are working by keeping a close watch on Jesus. And Luke draws our attention to this sick man, “Behold, there was a man before [Jesus] who had dropsy.”

Now, Luke doesn’t come flat out and say this, but everything points to the fact that these Pharisees have intentionally set this situation up as a trap. The clues all point to the fact that this sick man was invited so they could test Jesus and see what He would do.

The man was sick with dropsy. The term for his condition today is ‘edema.’ It means that he is retaining water which causes his limbs to swell up in a gross way. In other words, you’d visibly see that this man isn’t well. On top of that, his swelling meant that he was unclean according to Lev. 13:2. This man’s sickness would normally have meant he wouldn’t get an invite to this Sabbath meal. Again, Luke doesn’t come straight out and say it, but there’s little question that this whole situation is set up to trap Jesus. But it doesn’t go too well for the Pharisees.

Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus knows what people are thinking (Mt. 9:4; Mk. 2:8; Lk. 5:22; Jn. 2:24-25). So, Jesus turns the tables and traps them. Notice that He initiates the confrontation by asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Of course, the answer is, “Yes, it’s lawful.” There are zero biblical laws against healing on the Sabbath. The reason there aren’t laws against it is simple. Who alone can heal disease? Only God can. Sure, doctors can treat diseases, but they can’t heal them. Throughout Scripture, God doesn’t give any laws against parting the Red Sea, turning water into wine, feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish, or raising the dead on the Sabbath. The Bible doesn’t have one word against doing those things because God is the only one who can do any of that.

So, the hunters become the hunted, and the trappers, the trappeese [sic.]. The Pharisees are silent. Jesus heals the man and sends him off with a body that is no longer gross and swollen. And Jesus isn’t done interrogating these folks. “Which of you, having a son or [even] an ox that has fallen into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t make sure to pull him or it out?” And, again, they don’t answer because they can’t. They would do that lesser thing of rescuing their son or animal from a well on the Sabbath, so of course God – who, again, is the only one who can heal – would deliver someone from a sickness and grant that relief on the Sabbath.

Then, Jesus tells a parable about seating arrangements against them. While they were watching Jesus, He had been watching them. They had all been trying to get themselves into best possible spot at the feast. They were all jockeying for positions to show everyone else how important they were. I’m sure this is not how they imagined this entrapment dinner party would play out. Jesus keeps coming at them but not to condemn them; instead, Jesus is calling them to repentance.

Yes, the Pharisees are always trying to condemn Jesus. Yes, throughout the Gospels, they are the enemies of our Lord. And yes, Jesus warns us to not become like the Pharisees. But we have to remember that Jesus died for them too. Jesus loves the Pharisees and wants them to repent, to believe in Him, and to receive His forgiveness. So, when Jesus exposes the foolishness of the Pharisees, we shouldn’t stand on the sidelines and hope they get injured. 

Remember, all of us have a little Pharisee living inside of us. Our sinful nature desires to be noticed and praised for our own goodness and holiness. The creed of the Pharisee, and all of us little Pharisees, is, “I’m a good person,” and we will do everything in our power to try and prove that to others. But if we are trying to impress others with our morality, the only accolades we will receive will be from other sinners. If we are outside of faith in Christ, the only thing we will hear from God is, “Depart from Me, you cursed workers of lawlessness, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 7:23; 25:41). 

We take God’s Law and misuse it to try and make ourselves look better than others. This is completely wrong. God didn’t give the Law for us to measure how we compare to others. God has given the Law for three purposes, and we have covered the three biblical uses of God’s Law recently, but it is always good to review those.

First, God’s Law shows us how creation works. The Commandments reveal how God has ordered things in creation. The theologians will describe this first use of the Law as a ‘curb’ that keeps us from driving off the road and causing damage to us and to others. Second, because God’s Law is a curb, it also shows us how sinful we are. This second use of the Law is a ‘mirror’ that reveals how wicked, wretched, and sinful we are. It brings us to repentance and faith in Christ. Third, God’s Law is a ‘guide’ which shows us how God wants us to live and how to love Him and love our neighbor. These three uses of the Law are clearly taught in Scripture. And 1 Tim. 1:8 says, “the Law is good if one uses it lawfully.”

Our problem is that we are like the Pharisees and use the Law in other ways that are not lawful. They are outside of how God intended the Law to be used. Instead of a curb, guide, and mirror, the little Pharisee in us tries to use the Law as a ladder. We foolishly attempt to use Law as a way to climb up to God. We wrongly imagine that if we do enough good works or climb a little higher than others then God will reward us. We wrongly use the Law as a foam finger cheering ourselves on, “I’m #1.” We misuse the Law as a podium trying to claim a spot that elevates us above others. The Law wasn’t intended to do any of that, but that’s how our sinful nature tries to use the Law over and over and over. Repent.

The Law puts us in our place. Again, it shows us how creation is ordered and works. That, then, shows us how far out of step we are with what God intends us to be and drives us to Him for His mercy and forgiveness. The sooner we learn this, the better. Because the only thing that can elevate us isn’t the Law. No thing can elevate us. Only God Himself can. And when we sinners repent, turn from our wickedness, abandon our own good works, and turn to Him for our righteousness and holiness, then, and only then, we become God’s friend, and He calls us higher. He elevates us.

Here’s the thing. Once God calls you, “Friend,” it almost doesn’t matter what He says after that. He could say, “Friend, unload the dishwasher,” or, “Friend, go rake the leaves.” If God calls you, “Friend,” that’s all you need. He knows all your sin, but He comes to you today and says, “You are My friend.” And He lifts you up. That’s what the absolution is. Jesus lifts you up, out of your sin, and says to you, “Friend, move up higher.” In Holy Communion Jesus calls you higher, to sit with Him at His table. Even your death is Jesus saying to you, “Friend, move up higher because I’ve made a way for you to live forever with Me.” 

You probably know the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus, but do you know what Jesus sings? What a Friend I Have in You. Dear saints, Jesus, and Jesus alone, lifts you up by saying, “Friend, move up higher.” Amen.

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