Adopted – Sermon on Romans 8:12-17 for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Romans 8:12–17

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Whenever you say something about God, you are simultaneously saying something about yourself. When you refer to God as ‘Lord’ or ‘Master,’ you are saying that you are His servant. When you call God the ‘Creator,’ you are also saying that you are His creation and creature. When you say that God is ‘Almighty’ or ‘omnipotent,’ you concurrently saying, “I am weak.” Now, of course, God is all those things. He is your Lord, your Master, and your Creator. God is the Almighty who is all-powerful. Scripture clearly and repeatedly gives those titles to God. And because God is all of those things, you are the inverse. You are God’s servant and His creation. You are weak, in fact, much weaker than He is. And there is a time and place for you to recognize and confess all of that about yourself. That’s proper and right.

The thing to notice, though, is that when you talk about God in those ways, you are using language that is only focused on the difference of power between you and God. Again, yes, of course, there is a difference of power between you and God. But, Christian, your relation to God isn’t primarily measured by power. If all you know about God is how big, immortal, wise, powerful, sovereign, etc. He is, then all you can do is throw yourself on the ground before Him and hope for the best.

The Epistle reading is filled with language that proves that the relationship between you and God isn’t based solely on power. You, believer, are a son of God. God is your Father. That fact illumines all the other titles of God. The all-powerful God is your Father. The Creator is your Father. The Lord and Master of all things is your Father. God is your Father, and you are His son.

Now, before I go any further, something needs to be crystal clear. When the Bible talks about Christians as ‘sons’ here, that doesn’t mean only the men and boys have this status, but women and girls don’t. No! That’s not what this means. The term ‘son’ here means that you are God’s child and have a legitimate, legal claim and right to inherit everything that belongs to God. And this changes everything for you and for how you now live in this world He created.

Paul here is elaborating on what Jesus had already taught. Remember, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, Jesus’ response is, “When you pray say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’”(Lk. 11:2; Mt. 6:9). With these words, Jesus is tenderly encouraging us to believe that God “is truly our Father and that we are truly His children, so that we may boldly and confidently come to Him in prayer, even as beloved children come to their dear father.”[1]

These verses (along with many others) clearly teach that this status of being God’s son and child is not something that you have earned. God, by His grace, has done it. He did the work of making you His son. You are not sons of God by virtue of your existence. You aren’t biologically God’s sons. Sure, everyone is created, knitted, and formed by God in their mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13), but that simply means that you are His creature. Not everyone is a child of God – not in the way Paul is talking about it here. You, believer, are God’s sons because you are adopted. God has chosen you and made you His sons (Eph. 1:5). The Holy Spirit has brought this about by giving you faith in Christ. 

Because you are God’s adopted sons and have Him as your Father, you, dear saints, are God’s heirs with a coming inheritance. You, Christian, are an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ, and Scripture clearly says what you will inherit. You will receive the entire world. The whole world belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” All of creation belongs to God, and because it belongs to your heavenly Father, that is your inheritance as His heir. Back in Romans 4:13, Scripture says that the promise to Abraham and to you who share the faith of Abraham (Ro. 4:16; Gal. 3:29) is that you are all the heirs of the whole world. That’s your inheritance; that’s what is in store for you, believer.

Because that is your coming inheritance, your life is different now – especially regarding the things you suffer. Look again at v. 17. You are children and “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” That word ‘provided’ might make it sound that you need to go do something – go and find Jesus to suffer with Him. But that can’t be the case.

Jesus has already suffered, bled, and died for you. Now, He’s risen. And Jesus isn’t suffering anymore. He is seated at God’s right hand with all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18). Christ’s suffering is over. So, when Paul talks about suffering here, he isn’t saying that you need to find Jesus somewhere over there and join Him in His suffering. Instead, Paul is saying that Jesus is beside you in your suffering – whatever that suffering may be. This can change our attitude toward suffering. You suffer in this life with Christ beside you. He is with you in your suffering. Your inheritance is coming, but for now, you suffer with Jesus at your side.

All of us are tempted to groan and grumble when we suffer even though the Bible tells us, “Do all things without grumbling” (Php. 2:14). We’re all guilty when it comes to this. We say things like, “He doesn’t know all the things I do for him.” “She’s only thinks about herself.” “The roads are so torn up and full of potholes.” “It’s too hot.” It’s way too easy to grumble and complain. My fellow adopted children of God, we need to fight against this.

I’m going to borrow and update an analogy from John Newton, who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Imagine that a man is traveling to claim a massive inheritance. Picture a multi-million dollar lakefront mansion. The waters are clear and clean. Trees all around. A huge boathouse. A pole-barn filled with fancy new and collectable cars. And a massive safe filled with gold bars. But imagine that the man traveling there is driving ’03 minivan that breaks down just before he arrives at the estate, and he has to walk the last mile. We would think he’s an absolute fool if he was grumbling that last mile, complaining, “My minivan is broken! My minivan is broken!” That’s us. We are on the way to our inheritance. It’s just around the corner. Yes, things have gone wrong, and we are suffering. But it isn’t going to last very long.

Now, that analogy might minimize the suffering you’re enduring right now. Some of you have been enduring a lot of physical, mental, and spiritual pain. Some of you have lost spouses, parents, and children. Your suffering is hard, difficult, and real. It absolutely is. But whatever that suffering is, it is nothing, absolutely nothing, in comparison to what you are about to receive when you get to your inheritance. And whatever is broken now will be fixed when you arrive. You’ll have plenty.

Dear saints, you are on the way. You have suffered losses. It’s hot. You’re tired, dirty, and sweaty. Yes, it’s difficult.

Keep going. Your inheritance is just around the corner. Christ is coming. Keep your mind on your inheritance (Col. 3:1-4), brothers and sisters of our heavenly Father. Amen.

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

[1] Luther’s Small Catechism Lord’s Prayer Introduction.

Completed – Sermon on Matthew 5:17-26 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 5:17–26

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This Gospel reading today is all Law. These verses begin a long section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is, basically, giving a long commentary on the Ten Commandments which runs all the way to the end of chapter 5 – thirty-two verses worth of our Lord’s teaching on the Ten Commandments. Now, God’s Law, which is succinctly given to us in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17), does a couple different things.[1] Let me just briefly tell you what they are before we focus in on one.

First and foremost, God’s Law shows us how creation works. It reveals what is good in this life. In other words, the Commandments teach you how to be happy and how to live in perfect harmony with God, harmony with your neighbor, and harmony with the rest of creation. Because God’s Law does this, you can think of it as a ‘curb,’ and keep that term in your mind because we’re going to come back to it in just a bit.

Second, because the Commandments teach us how creation works, they also show us where we are living in a way that is contrary to how creation works. The Law shows us how we have violated God’s will, how we have offended Him, and have earned His wrath because of our sin. In other words, the Law accuses us. It stands there like a perfect, clear mirror showing us what we really look like, and it isn’t a pretty picture.

As far as your salvation is concerned, this is the most important thing the Law does. It accuses you and exposes the fact that you are not what you are created to be. So, when you see yourself in the mirror of God’s Law, run to Him in repentance seeking His mercy which He freely gives to you for the sake of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Again, as far as your salvation is concerned, this is the most important thing God’s Law does. But! Make sure you notice that the Law is only a mirror because of that first function, the ‘curb,’ which again simply shows us how God has ordered creation.

So, back to the ‘curb.’ Unless you have really poor spatial awareness, you probably don’t think about curbs very often. Maybe, you hit the curb when you’re driving your spouse’s vehicle that has a longer or wider wheelbase than you are used to, but that curb just bumps you back onto the street keeping you off the sidewalk and lawns. Typically, if you hit a curb when you’re driving, it’s no big deal. It just means you’ll need to get your tires realigned a bit sooner.

But know that there are different kinds of curbs. If you’re driving on I-29 or Hwy. 2, there aren’t what we normally call curbs, but there are those rumble strips that shake the car and make a loud noise to keep you from straying off the road. You might hit those rumble strips periodically on a curve or when the wind is blowing exceptionally hard. But there are still other curbs. If you’re driving on the freeways in the Cities, the curb might be a thick, four-foot concrete wall to keep the traffic traveling in opposite directions from colliding. Those, you avoid, and, hopefully, you’ve never hit or scraped one of them because it’ll do extensive damage to your car. Rumble strips, normal neighborhood curbs, and concrete barriers are all types of “curbs” that keep vehicles where they should be – on the road and away from danger.

Now, take that idea of those different types of curbs to God’s Law and the Ten Commandments. We might hear the 5th Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” and think of the curb of the 5th Command as the thick, four-foot concrete barrier. It’s big, but it’s also quite easy to avoid running into it. You can always see it and know that hitting it would cause significant damage. Because the 5th Command is so big and impending, you easily avoid it. But just because you’ve never physically murdered someone, don’t think that you’re righteous according to the 5th Command.

Here, in this Gospel text, Jesus says that the 5th Command is also a regular curb. Christ says, “Don’t relax on this command because everyone who is angry with his brother is also guilty of murder” (Mt. 5:22a). Jesus shows that the 5th Command isn’t just a concrete barrier to keep us from physically murdering someone, it’s also a curb that keeps us from being angry toward our neighbor. Again, when you’re driving your vehicle, you might bump a curb a couple times a week or once a month. But just because you don’t think much about your anger toward others doesn’t mean that God doesn’t notice. Even nudging the curb of anger toward your neighbor makes you liable to judgment and earns you an eternity in hell.

Think back to Genesis 4. Before Cain murdered Abel, God asked Cain, “Why are you angry?” (Gen. 4:6). Even though God hadn’t yet given the command, “Thou shalt not kill,” God was warning Cain there with the 5th Command because Cain was angry. But Cain blew right over the curb of anger that God had constructed and smashed into the concrete barrier of murder.

Jesus goes even further and tells us about the 5th Command rumble strips. Calling someone a fool is the same as murder (Mt. 5:22b). And Jesus still isn’t done. Christ teaches us that the 5th Command demands that if we remember that someone has something against us that we must go to them and try to reconcile, or we are violating the 5th Command (Mt. 5:23-24).

When it comes to keeping the 5th Command, it’s not enough for you to not physically murder someone or never be angry. It’s not even enough for you to never call someone a fool. You also need to seek reconciliation with others who are angry against you. Otherwise, you have 5th Commandment blood on your hands. Jesus is teaching here that you’ve run into all kinds of 5th Commandment curbs. You do it every day. And because of that, you are guilty before God and liable to His eternal judgment.

Jesus, who was the One who spoke the Ten Commandments, clearly spells out what they mean. You could say that He is giving us the “fine print” of the Commands explaining the full, complete picture of what they demand. But don’t misunderstand that either. It isn’t as though the Ten Commandments weren’t enough. They are enough. Imagine you told your teenage kid to clean the kitchen, and all he does is wipe down the exposed counters and leaves a pile of dishes by the sink. (To be clear, this is not an example from my household. My kids know better.) You come into the kitchen and see all the greasy, grimy pots and pans. You’d rightly get after him and say, “I told you to clean the kitchen. Get back in there.”

Here, when Jesus teaches us the “fine print” of the Ten Commandments, we are left with no excuse for hitting any of the curbs of any of the Commandments. Christ says, “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. You need a righteousness that exceeds the goodest [sic.], most moral person you know of, or you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:19-20). And when Jesus talks about the “least command,” He is not saying that the Ten Commandments have a ranking where some are more important and some less. No! Christ is saying that the tiniest infraction of any of the Commandments, even refusing to reconcile with someone who is angry with you, makes you unrighteous and means that you are outside the kingdom of heaven. In other words, we’re all in deep, deep trouble. Repent.

Repent and know that Jesus completes and fulfills the Commands in another way than just explaining them more fully. Jesus also keeps all the Commands, all of God’s Law, perfectly and completely – for you. Every aspect of every command was perfectly obeyed by Jesus. And His obedience is yours through faith in Him.

Think of it this way: God is going to grade you on one test, and that is the test of keeping His Law, and you need to get a perfect score, 100%, never hitting any curb – ever, or you will spend eternity in hell. Even with an open book, the best, most righteous person is going to bomb that test. Maybe get a score in the teens or something. But also know God has told you that you can use a partner to take the test. Through faith, Jesus is your Partner for this final exam, and He answers every demand of the Law perfectly. Through faith in Him, His full, complete righteousness is yours. 

And now, He invites you to receive that righteousness as He gives you His righteous Body to eat, and His holy, cleansing, forgiving Blood to drink. So, come to His table and receive His perfect righteousness. Amen.

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

[1] The Formula and Epitome of Concord Art. VI. both talk about the three uses of the Law – 1) curb, 2) mirror, and 3) guide. This sermon is written with the understanding that the 2nd and 3rd uses of the Law are both subsets of the 1st. So, I’m not denying the 3rduse of the Law in any way. Instead, it is a clear extension of the 1st use as is the 2nd.

Fishers of Men & Fish – Sermon on Luke 5:1-11 for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

Luke 5:1–11

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, we hear Jesus calling Peter along with James and John, “From now on you will be catching men.” After they are called, they bring their boats to the shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus. They didn’t make sure their boats were properly registered for the marina. They didn’t clean, fold, and neatly store their nets. They didn’t sell this massive catch of fish to a person someone with a booth in the marketplace. They didn’t take care of any of the details that would have been required to leave their fishing business or to sell this massive quantity of fish. Instead, they leave everything and follow Jesus to learn to become fishers of men (Mk. 1:17).

This isn’t the first time Jesus calls these men to follow Him. Most Bibles have a heading over this reading in bold letters that says something like, “Jesus Calls the First Disciples,” but that’s a bit misleading because, when we look at the other Gospels, we can easily see that this is the not the first time Jesus has called Peter, James, and John to follow Him. John 1 is where Jesus first calls these guys. There, Andrew, who is Peter’s brother, is a disciple of John the Baptizer. Andrew hears John call Jesus the Lamb of God. Andrew goes and finds Peter and they both begin to follow Jesus. The other guy Jesus calls away from being a disciple of John the Baptizer is John who gets his brother James. These guys follow Jesus and end up at the wedding in Cana where they see Jesus turn water into wine and believe in Him (Jn. 2:11).

So, by the time we get to this text in Luke 5, Peter, Andrew, James, and John have already been called by Jesus to be His disciples. But when this text begins, they are still providing for their families through their fishing business. And by the end of this text, they are called to full-time disciples or (if you remember what the word ‘disciple’ means from last week’s sermon) they care called to full-time ‘learning.’ After this text in Luke 5, they aren’t fishers of fish anymore. Instead, they are learning from Jesus to be fishers of men.

When you read the rest of the Gospels, it is clear that they don’t start catching men immediately. They do leave everything to follow Jesus, but when they leave their boats and nets here, it is the beginning of their training. The follow Jesus for about three and a half years and watch all that Jesus does. They listen to His teaching, they see Him do all kinds or miracles, and they are witnesses of His resurrection. They only start catching men after Christ makes them apostles and sends them out to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Act. 1:8). The listen to Jesus’ call and proclaim the Gospel. Thanks be to God.

The thing to notice today is that there is another individual in this text whom we easily overlook. That character is the father of James and John named Zebedee, whose name means, “my gift.” Zebedee is simply mentioned as James and John’s father, but in Mark we are told that James and John leave Zebedee in the boat to follow Jesus (Mk. 1:20). Jesus didn’t call Zebedee to be a fisher of men. Instead, Zebedee, the father of two of the three closest disciples of Jesus, gets left in the boat.

Now, there’s no question that Zebedee believed that Jesus was the Messiah and Savior. Zebedee made great sacrifices as a believer in Jesus. He didn’t try to stop his sons from following Jesus to learn to catch men even though he probably planned to have James and John take over the family business, but he lets them leave everything to follow Jesus. We know that Zebedee’s wife, Salome (Mt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40; 16;1), was one of the women who supported Jesus during His ministry. She was also present at the cross and the empty tomb on Easter morning.

So, when we consider this text, we see that Jesus calls people some people away from their careers and livelihood to become fishers of men. But don’t miss the fact that Jesus calls others to stay and remain in their careers and be fishers of fish. This is still the case today. Jesus calls some to be nurses of patients, farmers of crops, secretaries of offices, law enforcement officers of cities, landscapers of homes, teachers of students, mothers of children, and we could go on and on. Jesus also calls some to leave their careers and train to become full-time preachers and teachers of His Word. In other words, Christ calls some men to be pastors.

Scripture is clear that we need men to be pastors. God wants pastors to shepherd His flocks in His congregations. That is important. But as your shepherd and pastor, I want to make something absolutely, crystal clear: this does not mean that pastors have a ‘spiritual calling,’ and you have a ‘secular calling.’ Nope! Every Christian has a spiritual calling to be a Christian and to faithfully carry out your vocation, whatever that vocation may be.

In the kingdom of God, we need many, many more parishioners than pastors. We need more Zebedees than Peters, Jameses, and Johns [sic.]. In fact, we need at least ten Zebedees for every one pastor. In all likelihood, God used Zebedee so that James and John could follow Jesus and learn how to become fishers of men. It’s even likely that God used Zebedee to sell that miraculous catch of fish to finance James and John’s training under Jesus.

In short, most believers are called by God to be fishers of fish, and this is by God’s good design. Dear saints, not every believer is called to be a fisher of men. That might be contradictory to what you’ve heard, but it’s true. That doesn’t mean that Zebedee didn’t share his faith with people that he came into contact with. I can’t prove it from Scripture, but I’m sure Zebedee pointed people to Jesus as the Messiah and Savior whenever he got the chance. Yet, his chief vocation was fishing. And God works through these callings, not just to put food in bellies but also to put His Word into people’s ears.

God works through your calling to give people what they need. God works through teachers to prepare their students for the different callings those students will have. God works through those students who become doctors, engineers, architects, accountants, and mechanics to provide His blessings. When we pray for our daily bread, God answers that prayer through hundreds of people – farmers, factory workers, bakers, drivers, insurance brokers, etc. God doesn’t answer our prayers for daily bread through fishers of men. If everyone was called to be a fisher of men, we’d all starve – including pastors. God uses you, your work, your salary, and your generosity to fund the proclamation of His Word.

So, God be praised for the many Zebedees who started this congregation and sacrificed their time, talents, and treasures to give us this building, and God be praised for those of you who have worked to maintain it, keep it clean, and fund the ministry here so we can come here each week and receive God’s gifts of His Word and Sacrament. Hundreds of Zebedees have made it possible for us to be here today. We owe them our gratitude and thanks. They have sacrificed to expand and maintain our facilities. And God calls all of us to this same work so we can pass on a place where our children and others can come to hear the Gospel. May the casting of nets from this place continue now and in the future years until Christ returns.

So yes, we praise God for the fishers of men who have stood in this pulpit and faithfully proclaimed God’s Word, and we pray that God would call more men to answer that calling. But none of that happens without the Zebedees, who are equally important. Let all of us pray that God would grant a miraculous catch of people that fills the boat of this sanctuary.

Dear saints, you have been brought into God’s Church, and now Jesus invites you to His table to receive His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. Through this Sacrament, you are strengthened to be whatever God has called you to be. Faithfully carry out the calling and vocation He has given you. Because through that vocation, God will continue to expand and further of His kingdom. May God bless you and the work He gives you to do. Amen.

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

Learning – Sermon on Luke 6:36-42 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Luke 6:36–42

36 “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Certain words and phrases get used so often that we easily forget what they actually mean. In Christian circles, one of those words is ‘disciple.’ What does ‘disciple’ mean? Honestly, it can mean a lot of things. Maybe you hear that word and think of the twelve guys Jesus called to follow Him. That’s good. They were the twelve disciples. It also isn’t wrong to understand ‘disciple’ as an alternate term for ‘Christian.’ Totally legit. There are all sorts of books, podcasts, videos, and ministries today that talk about Christian ‘discipleship’ and they basically use that term to refer to a journey of spiritual growth. Sure, that’s fine too. But what is a disciple?

The Greek word that gets translated as ‘disciple’ simply means ‘one who learns from another,’ so let’s shorten that to this – a disciple is a ‘learner.’ So, when Jesus says in Jn. 8:31, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples,” He is telling us to keep learning from Him as we read, hear, and confess the Scriptures. When Jesus says in Jn. 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” He is saying the world will have evidence that we have learned and are learning from Him by our love for one another (1 Jn. 2:3, 3:23).

Well, today Jesus gives us a hint at how long our training as His disciples and learners will be. He says to us, “A disciple/learner is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher”(Lk. 6:40). Your education and learning from Jesus will last until you are like Him. So, don’t worry about throwing a graduation party. God Himself will throw one for you in the Resurrection and the life of the world to come. 

This Gospel reading is from what is called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain,” and He teaches some hard and difficult lessons for us learners, disciples, and Christians. These lessons are all intended to make us like Him. “Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. Judge not. Condemn not. And give abundantly.” But before we get into these lessons, I’d like to briefly point out that Jesus has been teaching us those same lessons today through His Word in our liturgy even though you might not realize it.

There’s a great analogy for this in the movie “The Karate Kid,” which is about a high school-aged boy, Daniel, who moved to a new town where he has no friends. He’s an outsider who keeps getting beat up by a bunch bullies. He asks Mr. Miyagi, the handyman for his apartment complex, to teach him karate so he can defend himself. So, Mr. Miyagi tells him to show up early. Daniel arrives, and Miyagi has him wax all of his vintage cars with a certain technique – “Wax on. Wax off. Breathe in through nose, out through mouth. Wax on. Wax off.” Daniel spends the whole day waxing those cars, and Miyagi tells him to come back the next day and has Daniel, “Sand the floor,” with specific motions and breathing. Again, it takes Daniel the whole day to sand the floor. The next day, it was, “Paint the fence.” The fourth day, “Paint the house.” Daniel finishes after sunset and is fed up. He yells that he quits and starts to storm off in anger and frustration because he been worked to the bone but hasn’t learned any karate.

Miyagi calls him back and tells Daniel, “Show me wax on, wax off. Show me sand the floor,” and the other moves. Then Miyagi, without any warning, starts throwing punches at Daniel, and each of those moves are different ways to block the punches. Finally, Miyagi goes berserk throwing all these punches and kicks at Daniel, and he blocks all of them using the moves he instinctively learned doing those tasks. Miyagi stops and bows. Daniel suddenly realizes that he’d been learning karate the whole time he was waxing, sanding, and painting. Our liturgy is doing the same thing Miyagi was doing for Daniel – it teaches us the major lessons we need to train our spiritual instincts as learners and disciples of Jesus.

Today, Jesus teaches us, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not. Condemn not.” We come here each Sunday and confess our sins then sing, “O God the Father in heaven; O God the Son, Redeemer of the world; O God the Holy Ghost, true Comforter, have mercy upon us.” And then, we hear the absolution. That is training us to be merciful, even as our Father is merciful. It might feel like we’re just mindlessly reciting or singing the same words week after week, but we are learning how God is merciful to us so we can be merciful to others.

Even if we are just going through the motions without much thought or sincerity, God is still teaching us how merciful He is by proclaiming His forgiveness. The liturgy is training us so when people sin against us and hurt us and then offer insincere, half-hearted apologies, we remember how God has forgiven us even when we were insincere and didn’t feel particularly guilty. 

The liturgy trains our spiritual instincts beyond the lessons Jesus teaches in this text. We hear God’s Word and learn to say it back to Him and to the world when we confess our faith using the Creeds. The liturgy teaches us how to pray in good times and in bad times. Our liturgy and hymns teach us who God is and how He is toward us to strengthen our faith toward Him and our love toward one another. When our service closes with the benediction and doxology, we are reminded that we have been in God’s gracious presence, and He dismisses us with His abundant blessings as we go from this place singing His praise.

Yes, of course, there are going to be weeks where we might simply be going through the words and actions of the liturgy. That’s going to happen. But I would strongly encourage you to do your best each week to slow down, pay attention, think about what you are doing, and consider why we are doing what we are doing. God, through His Word in our liturgy, is working on you to prepare you for the spiritual battles you face throughout your life.

I could go on and on about the different things Jesus uses in the liturgy to teach us, but I want to close with one more from today’s text. In this text, Jesus teaches us, “Give abundantly.” We bring our tithes and offerings to God, we put them into the plate, and God showers the gifts of His Word and teaching on us. He gives us His mercy and grace. He gives us a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives us His full attention as we pray and ask for His help and His blessing. God gives and gives and gives so that our lap is overflowing.

Dear saints, you cannot out-give God. Because of what Jesus has done for you, because He has suffered, shed His blood, and died for you, you have received abundant, overflowing, eternal treasures. God has done that for you throughout your entire life. He has done it today. And, if Christ tarries, He will be here to do that again for you next week as well. God’s giving knows no end. Because of God’s mercy freely given to you, you also can be merciful and giving toward others. God even invites you to test Him in this. In Malachi 3:6-12, God says, “Bring in the full tithe and watch what I will do. I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Dear saints, you have had a forest of logs removed from your eye by the grace of God given because of Christ. May Christ continually teach us this through His Word, and may we be humble enough to continually learn from Him as we are made to be merciful and giving like He is. Amen.

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

Correction – Sermon on Proverbs 9:1-10 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Proverbs 9:1–10

1 Wisdom has built her house; 
she has hewn her seven pillars. 
2 She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; 
she has also set her table. 
3 She has sent out her young women to call 
from the highest places in the town, 
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” 
To him who lacks sense she says, 
5 “Come, eat of my bread 
and drink of the wine I have mixed. 
6 Leave your simple ways, and live, 
and walk in the way of insight.” 
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, 
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. 
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; 
reprove a wise man, and he will love you. 
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; 
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. 
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, 
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What comes to mind when you think of a wise person? Maybe you picture an individual. Some of you see a gray-haired man with a long beard and weathered robe sitting on top of a mountain. Maybe, you think of your grandpa, dad, or a former pastor – not your current one! Maybe, when you think of a wise person, you think of characteristics and qualities. Someone who doesn’t immediately react. Someone who ponders and mulls over possibilities before responding to different questions and situations that arise.

We might think a wise person is someone very put together and successful. Someone who is well off financially and made the right career choices and investments. We build up this wise person into someone who never makes mistakes. Here’s where we need our first correction because a person who never makes mistakes is not a wise person – that’s a perfect person. Wisdom does not mean a person is always right – not even close. Instead, a wise person is someone who is good at being wrong. And what I mean by that is that a wise person is someone who listens to correction. A wise person is someone who knows they don’t know everything and is willing to be learn from their mistakes and from the experience of others.

Our text says, “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you” (Pro. 9:7-8a). When we hear those lines, we might think that is advice to keep us from wasting our time and correcting someone who won’t take correction. In other words, we interpret that as a way to disdain others. “I pointed out his mistakes and how he was wrong, but he didn’t like it and lashed out at me. He must be a wicked scoffer because he didn’t listen to the wisdom I tried to give him.”

There is truth to that interpretation, but I don’t think that is how we should understand those verses. Instead, the Holy Spirit would correct us and have us understand those verses a diagnostic tool on ourselves when we are corrected. In other words, when someone corrects or reproves you, how do you respond? Do you lash out at that person? Do you offer up all sorts of excuses to defend your actions? Do you hate it when people correct you? If you do, you are the wicked scoffer.

Here’s why we should take it that way. Look again at what comes right after those verses, “Reprove,” same word used above, “Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning” (Pro. 9:8b-9) A person who is truly wise welcomes correction when he is wrong. A wise person knows he doesn’t know everything and is willing to keep learning more and more. A wise person is even willing to be rebuked, “You messed up here.”

Now, receiving that kind of reproof and rebuke isn’t fun. No one likes being corrected. We all resist admitting that we made a mistake, sinned, or failed. But after the sting of being corrected wears off, we should step back, reflect, repent, and learn from those mistakes and sins so we can do better in the future. When we do that, we can be actually grateful for the person who rebuked us because that person has had a hand in making us better, smarter, and wiser.

That is the path of wisdom: Humbly receiving correction and rebuke. Pondering advice and reproof. And implementing changes to improve and progress toward being a better, more complete person.

Now, all of this is surface level stuff and is true for everything. It’s true for how to be a boss and manage employees; how to treat a patient; how to keep track of your finances; how to dribble a basketball; and how to sweep a floor, wash the dishes, and mow a lawn. Even the most experienced person can be corrected and improve at those tasks. Recognizing that other people have good advice and insight to make us better at those things is to be wise. The thing about that is that you could hear a lecture about this kind of thing from a TED talk, a self-improvement lecture, or a motivational speech. But this is a sermon, so let’s take this further.

First and most obviously, we need to take correction, instruction, and reproof from the Scriptures. What the Bible calls a sin is sin. When you do what God has forbidden or failed to do what God demands, recognize that as the sin that it is. When you are reading the Scriptures and realize that you need to repent, well, repent.

Remember how Adam, after he had eaten the forbidden fruit, had his eyes opened to realize his nakedness and shame. Then, Adam heard the sound of God walking in the Garden and tried to hide from God (Gen. 3:8). But God wasn’t coming to destroy Adam; He was coming to give Adam chance after chance to repent. I’ve taught this so often that you might be tired of hearing it, but we all need to hear this repeatedly.

When God calls out to Adam, “Where are you?” He is giving Adam an opportunity to repent. When God asks, “Who told you were naked? Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat?” God is giving Adam a second and third opportunity to repent. Adam does finally admit his sin, but when he does, he blames God, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me the fruit and I ate” (Gen. 3:9-12). Even though Adam barely admits his sin and even accuses God for his transgression, God still responds in mercy promising to send the Seed of the Woman who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).

Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean you should be like Adam. Instead, learn from his example and do better than he did. When the God says, “You are a sinner,” say, “Yes. I’m a sinner. I need Your forgiveness.” And know that God is a better forgiver than you are a sinner.

Secondly, learn from the example of the people in Scripture when they sin and are reproved. In 1 Cor. 10:1-12, Paul talks about all the things God had done for His people when He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, baptizing them as they passed through the Red Sea, and nourishing their bodies with food and water. But they still sinned. They made the golden calf, they repeatedly grumbled, and rebelled. They were judged, bitten by poisonous serpents, and destroyed by their enemies. Paul’s conclusion to all of that is, “These things happened to them as an example, but they were written for our instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11; Ro. 15:4).

Wisdom includes learning from their experiences. So, know your Bible. Learn from Abraham’s folly in trying to make God’s promises come early (Gen. 16). Be instructed by sinners like David and Peter who repented of their great sin and failures and were restored. One of the reasons Scripture records the failures of the heroes of the faith is so we would not fail, fall, and sin in the ways they did. Another reason is so we can see how God extends His abounding mercy to them, even in the midst of their failures.

Where do we get this wisdom? Our text tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Here is where we need another correction. Fear comes up a lot in Scripture, but is fear a good thing or a bad thing? In many places in Scripture, fear is the thing from which Christ came to rescue us. “Fear not,” is the most common command in the Bible. You heard it in last week’s Epistle reading, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 Jn. 4:18). Yet at the same time, Scripture says about God, “With You there is forgiveness that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4). The Bible calls us to fear, and strangely we are to fear God. This can leave us confused. On one hand, we are told Jesus frees us from fear. And on the other hand, we are told to fear God. Why would God want us to fear Him?

There are two types of fear in Scripture. One is a sinful fear that runs away from God like Adam did. James talks about that kind of fear when he says that the demons believe in God and shudder (Jam. 2:19). But the right fear of God is completely different. This right fear of God is not being afraid of God. The right fear of God is spoken of in Isaiah 8:12-14 which says, “Do not call conspiracy what this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will become a sanctuary.”

A right understanding of the fear and love of God that Scripture talks about recognizes the two are not opposites. It’s not like the fear of the Lord is cold water that extinguishes your love for Him. No. When you fear the One who gives you His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, you are corrected and realize that there is nothing left to be afraid of. He is in control of all the other things that might cause you fear. When you rightly fear the Lord of hosts, then you will not fear what others fear because He can and will deliver you from whatever other dreadful things might come your way. Again, with your God there is forgiveness, that He may be feared (Ps. 130:4).

Finally, dear saints, God, who is Wisdom itself, calls you to come to His feast. We might think such a banquet is only for the wise and that we have to attain wisdom on our own before attending this feast. But if that is what you think, you need one more correction. God, who is Wisdom itself, calls and invites you who are simple and lack sense. God calls all of us simpletons, “Come, eat of My bread and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Amen.

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

Feast & Famine – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

Luke 16:19–31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 37:16 says, “Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked” (see also Pro. 15:16).

Today, Jesus puts before us two men. One is fabulously rich, the other pitifully poor. One wears royal clothes, the other painful sores. One feasts sumptuously every day, the other craves crumbs. Jesus makes sure to highlight these major differences between the two men, but Jesus also makes sure that we know what they have in common.

First and most obviously, both die. Both face an eternal existence after death. And that existence is something that all the powers of this world have no influence to change or control. After his death, the rich man is no longer rich, and he is powerless to modify that. After his death, Lazarus is no longer poor. He has eternal riches and gifts that he didn’t earn and cannot be taken away.

But there is something else that these two men have in common with one another. Both men are passive. In other words, things happen to them. Now, this can be easy to miss, but once you see it you can’t ignore it.

To see it, let’s start with Lazarus. Jesus says that Lazarus is located at the rich man’s gate. But notice how Lazarus gets there. Jesus says that Lazarus is laid there. In other words, someone or something puts him there. Lazarus doesn’t intentionally go to the rich man’s gate day after day after day. If you were a destitute beggar but could move on your own, you’d go places where you would get help. And it would make sense to go to a rich man’s gate, but if you saw that rich dude feasting every day and he never gave you crumbs that fell from his table, you’d probably move somewhere else and hope to get noticed and helped in that new location. So, Jesus is clear that Lazarus is laid there (v. 20), but Jesus doesn’t say exactly who put Lazarus there, so let’s keep investigating.

Jesus says that the dogs came and licked Lazarus’ sores. Where did those dogs come from? They weren’t people’s personal pets that are sent to Lazarus. They were likely wild dogs. Psalm 50:10 says that every beast and the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. Again, it isn’t directly stated that God sent the dogs. So, let’s keep looking.

When Lazarus dies, what happens? Jesus says that the angels are standing there, waiting to carry him to heaven. Now, there’s an important clue. Psalm 103:20 says that the angels are the mighty ones who obey God’s Word. Here, these angels are commanded to not only escort Lazarus to heaven, they are also the ones who carry him there. They wait for God’s command and direction. And in God’s timing, those angels carry Lazarus to heaven but not one moment before God decides.

Now, if God is in total, complete control of the end of Lazarus’ life, it would make sense that God was in control of everything leading up to that as well. No sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. Scripture promises that the hairs of your head are numbered (Mt. 10:29-31). The Bible is clear that God was in control of everything happening to Lazarus during his entire life (Ps. 139). God was governing all of his steps and movements. So, Lazarus, poor and sick though he was, was being taken care of by God throughout his entire life. God was the one who laid him at the rich man’s gate. God sent the dogs to comfort him by licking his sores. God sent the angels to carry him to heaven. And after he dies, God comforts Lazarus in paradise. Lazarus is passive. Things happen to him at God’s direction.

Now, consider the rich man. When Abraham is responding to the rich man’s request for Lazarus to give him a drop of water (more on that in a bit), Abraham says, “Remember that you in your lifetime received your good things” (Lk. 16:25). That tells us a lot about the rich man and his riches. All the things he enjoyed in his lifetime were given to him as gifts. His royal, purple clothes were a gift. His sumptuous feasts, a gift. His house and gate, a gift. Even the beggar Lazarus lying at his gate was a gift from God. Lazarus was a God-given opportunity for the rich man to share all the good things he received. But the rich man didn’t see any of his blessings as a gift. By all appearances, the rich man imagined those gifts were all things that he had earned, and he saw Lazarus as an inconvenient nuisance. But from heaven’s perspective, they were all gifts that were given.

That doesn’t mean that the rich man wasn’t a hard worker or a savvy investor. What it means is that He was a recipient of all the good things he enjoyed during his life. God gave it all. Everything he had – even the things he had earned – was given to him by God. But this rich man didn’t receive them as God’s good gifts. Instead, he saw everything revolving around him. If it was good, it was for his own pleasure and use. If it was inconvenient – like a beggar at his gate, it was a hurdle to his pleasure. He never gave thanks to God for the gifts, so he never thought to share the gifts God had given to him with others. He was foolish in his thinking and life (Ro. 1:21-22). All of this meant that he couldn’t enjoy the gifts he had been given. Even his feasting was a famine because he received it in isolation. He didn’t share his bounty with others.

In the end, it didn’t matter how little Lazarus had, and it didn’t matter how much the rich man had. What mattered was faith. Lazarus had faith that was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). The rich man didn’t have faith, and when he stood before God to be judged (Heb. 9:27), he lacked the righteousness God demands (Mt. 5:20).

Now, we might feel sorry for the rich man as he’s suffering in hell. It is a pitiful thing to see someone think that a drop of water is merciful. And we certainly don’t want anyone to go to eternal condemnation. But the rich man’s torment doesn’t lead him to repentance. Look at how the rich man acts in hell. It doesn’t seem like the rich man has changed at all. He doesn’t ask to leave hell. He’d rather have Lazarus leave his comfort. Even in torment, the rich man is bossing people around. He still doesn’t talk to Lazarus; instead, he tries to tell Abraham what to do. The rich man thinks it is unfair that he is in hell. Underlying his desire to have Lazarus rise from the dead and warn his brothers is an attitude that arrogantly says that he knows better how to evangelize unbelievers. The rich man is basically saying, “If someone rises from the dead, then there will be a lot more people in heaven and fewer in hell. If I had seen someone rise from the dead, I wouldn’t be here.”

But in the end, the rich man hadn’t listened to the Scriptures. He hadn’t believed God’s Word. He hadn’t repented. He hadn’t believed in God’s mercy. Instead, he neglected God’s Word, and because of that, he was poor. On the other hand, Lazarus had the eternal treasure of God’s Word which made him rich – even in his earthly poverty. In Lazarus, we see the truth of what Pro. 15:15 says, “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”

Now, where does this leave us? We aren’t as wealthy as the rich man, and we aren’t as poor and destitute as Lazarus. All of us are somewhere in the middle, but that doesn’t change the fact that everything we have – whether it is a feast or a famine – is given to us from the hand of God.

God has given you two hands with two palms which are created to receive the things that God gives. And those hands have five fingers with space between them, which allows the good gifts of God fall through your hands to others. Because He is the Creator of all things, God has an infinite supply of gifts to give to you. He gives you everything freely, and He desires that you receive it as a gift so you don’t clutch at it and try to keep it for yourself. You, dear saints, are a conduit that receives from God and passes His bounty on to others. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

Most importantly, you were poor miserable sinners. But Jesus saw you in your poverty. He left His feasting and became poor for your sake so you, through His poverty, would become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Christ has come to give His own Body and Blood unto death for your sake. Now, He is risen forever and invites you not to have just some crumbs that fall from His plate. He invites you to have a seat at His table. Leave the famine of your sin and greed. Come and feast in His presence. Amen.

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

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Romans 11:33–36

33 Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments
and how inscrutable his ways! 
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, 
or who has been his counselor?” 
35 “Or who has given a gift to him 
that he might be repaid?” 
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who has seen the ocean? Probably everyone has seen the ocean. If you haven’t, I can show you a picture or video after the service and, technically, you will have seen the ocean. But a picture or video doesn’t do the ocean justice. It isn’t the same as seeing it in person with your own eyes. So, how many of you have been to the ocean and have seen it, smelled it, and felt it?

Now, which ocean(s) – the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic? Maybe you have seen each of them, but how much of them have you seen? Did you see a bit of it from a beach? Have you been on a boat where no land is in sight? “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Even then, you only saw just shy of three miles of ocean before the curve of the earth pulled the rest of it away from your sight. And your field of vision only allowed you to see so much without turning your head or spinning around in circles, which, if you are prone to seasickness, is not something I would recommend. And even if you’ve been so far out to sea that no land was in sight, you can only say that you’ve skimmed the surface of the ocean – literally.

Have you seen what’s in the ocean and on its floor? Have you been able to snorkel or scuba dive to see what’s down there? How deep have you gone? Twenty, fifty, one-hundred feet? I have one friend who has dived to somewhere near that depth. As far as I know, I don’t know anyone who has been 1,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. The average depth of the ocean is about 2.3 miles deep. Some people have gone that deep. But think about the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, which is nearly 7 miles below sea level. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only three have ever been down there.

Many people have gone up into space, orbited the planet hundreds of times, and have seen the majority of the oceans’ surface. But they haven’t been through all the oceans at all the depths to see what lies underneath the surface. So, I ask again, have you seen the ocean? Ultimately, no one can claim to have seen the oceans in their entirety. The best anyone can accurately say is, “I’ve seen a tiny fraction of the ocean.” The oceans are too big, too wide, too deep for anyone to see very much of it. But still, we wouldn’t call someone a liar if they said that they have seen the ocean. To see part of it is to truthfully say that you’ve seen it.

All of that is to set this up: These verses come at the tail end of Paul’s main theological treatise in Romans. In the first eight chapters, Romans is a thorough skimming of the surface of theology. It has dealt with the fact that no one is righteous in the way that God demands. Because of that everyone deserves death and condemnation. But God, in His mercy, has delivered the very righteousness He demands to those who have faith in Christ. By believing that God has come in the flesh of Jesus; believing that Christ suffered, bled, and died; and believing that He rose again for you, you are righteous – as righteous as Jesus is righteous. 

Then, Paul dives deeper into the depths of the theological ocean. He writes about how God delivers that faith through His gracious choosing of you. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul talks about the doctrines of election and predestination. Believer, you are saved exclusively because of what God has done. Jesus has done the work to deliver, rescue, and save you from your sin. The Holy Spirit has called you through God’s Word, given you faith to believe, and will sustain your faith as He works through the Scriptures (Ro. 10:17). Your salvation is entirely based on God’s mercy (Ro. 8:29-33) and the fact that He chose you to be in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5). The culmination of Paul’s short dive into the doctrine of predestination comes in the verse just before this text where his conclusion is, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all” (Ro. 11:32).

Now, the doctrine of predestination is a huge topic, and I’m not going to go into it today. I have preached on it the past. And if you ever have questions about it, please feel free to talk with me. (I enjoy having any theological conversations.) The only reason I mention predestination here is to set up the context of the praise that we heard in this reading. God’s mercy in delivering salvation to us unworthy sinners leads to this doxology, this song of praise that is our reading: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”

Whenever we study theology, no matter what branch of theology is being studied, we come to a point where we realize the simple truth that God is bigger than us. God has revealed much to us in His Word, but He hasn’t revealed everything. His riches, wisdom, and knowledge go to a depth that we cannot reach. His ways are inscrutable and inconceivable. It isn’t just that they are hard to understand they are far, far beyond our comprehension. Just like how you’ve only seen a small sliver of the ocean, but you haven’t seen the whole thing. The more I study theology and the Bible, the more I realize there is to learn. It’s a regular occurrence for me to be reading a passage and suddenly realize, “I’ve never noticed that before.” Christian, there’s always more to be learned and meditated on when it comes to theology and the Bible. More and more and more and more. And it is always a joy and delight to discover more.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday which ends the festival half of the Church year which began in Advent. The Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost seasons focus on God’s work for us by coming, declaring, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and sending the Holy Spirit. Now, on Trinity Sunday, we recognize that the work of our salvation is exclusively brought about by the plan and efforts of the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, Trinity Sunday is a fitting time to pause, step back, and simply praise God for all He has done, accomplished, and delivered to us. Even though we’ve spent the past six months considering what God has done to save us, we’ve just barely scratched the surface. Even when we do it again and again, there is still more.

We can’t know God’s mind. We can’t advise Him. We can’t give or offer anything to Him. That’s why Paul closes in v. 36 with this doxology, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Consider each of those in order. “From Him,” God the Father is the source and Creator of all things. “Through Him,” God the Son has set all things in order and gives them to us. “And to Him,” the God the Holy Spirit directs all things so they find their end and meaning in this one God.

Rejoice because this One unfathomable, inscrutable, inconceivable God took it upon Himself to create, redeem, and sanctify you. So, “to Him be glory forever.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

The Lasting Legacy of Pentecost – Sermon on Acts 2:1-21, 36 for the Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1–21, 36

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, 
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
and your young men shall see visions, 
and your old men shall dream dreams; 
18 even on my male servants and female servants 
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above 
and signs on the earth below, 
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness 
and the moon to blood, 
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

With all the amazing things that happened on the Day of Pentecost, it’s easy to miss the most amazing thing God did when He poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh (Act. 2:17; Joe. 2:28-29). Our attention is so quickly and easily grabbed by the wowie-zowie things, that we get distracted from the lasting gift that God bestows with this giving of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is about the sounds, not the sights. It’s about the audible rather than the visible. The work of the Holy Spirit is not so much in what is seen as in what is heard.

Yes, there are tongues of fire that rest on those believers, but as best as we can tell, those tongues of fire were only seen by the 120 Christian believers who had gathered together in one place (Act. 1:15). Notice, there is the sound of a mighty, rushing wind (Act. 2:2), but curtains aren’t flapping, dust isn’t flying, hats aren’t blowing down the street. It’s only the sound, and that sound fills the house where they are gathered. These 120 believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and are given the ability to speak in languages that represented every nation that existed, but they hadn’t ever learned those languages (Act. 2:5, 8-11).

It is that sound of wind that draws the bewildered multitude to the apostles (Act. 2:6). The people from all those nations weren’t drawn like moths that saw a flame; no, they were drawn by the sound. And those people heard something even more amazing. They heard those believers declaring the mighty works of God in their native languages. For some, that message led to further curiosity, “What does this mean?” But for some, it led to mocking, “They are drunk and filled with wine” (Act. 2:13).

Now, consider that accusation as I slightly modernize it. Imagine you are there in that crowd. All the people from Italy are standing around someone who’s speaking Italian, and they’re listening intently because they can understand. All the Brazilians gather around the guy speaking Portuguese. All the people from France, and 22.8% of the Canadians who speak French, are listening to someone speaking French. You hear the guy who’s speaking American,[1] and you can understand everything because it is being spoken fluently. You hear the Gospel. You are told that God came in the flesh of Jesus. You hear that He suffered, bled, died on the cross, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven. And you hear that Christ did all of this to forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life.

After hearing that message in American, you go over to the people who speak Portuguese (because, of course, people who speak French are rude) and you ask in one of the ‘commercial, business’ languages – either Greek, Latin, or Aramaic – what they heard. And it’s the same Gospel message. The only difference was that they heard it in Portuguese – fluent, articulate Portuguese. So, it’s clear that these Galilean hillbillies are speaking languages they didn’t know. Your conclusion would probably not be, “Oh, they must be drunk.” Getting drunk doesn’t endow a person with fluency in another language. In short, it probably wasn’t the act of speaking in other languages that elicited that accusation; instead, it was probably the content of what was being said. “You’re saying that God came to earth as a human. But He did it to die, and by that death I’m forgiven? You must be drunk.”

But the sounds of Pentecost still aren’t done. Peter stands up, and here is where we see the most amazing thing about Pentecost. Peter doesn’t stand up to perform a visible sign. He doesn’t heal the sick, cast out demons, or raise the dead. Peter stands up to speak and preach a Holy Spirit-inspired sermon to the entire crowd. That should be astounding to us.

We know Peter and what kind of man he was just fifty-three days before Pentecost. A young servant girl had simply asked Peter if he knew who Jesus was, and that led to Peter denying Jesus three times (Mk. 14:66-72). But now Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches to a crowd of over 3,000 people. And it is a bold sermon. He doesn’t hold back. He does point to Jesus with the sermon, but not with loud Gospel overtones.

I’ll just summarize his sermon. “Men of Israel, Jesus was here just a short time ago. He did all sorts of miracles, and you know about them. You know He was sent by God, yet you put Him to death. Now, we have seen Him raised from the grave. This Jesus has now ascended into heaven. He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and He will use that authority for the sake of His Church until He has put all His enemies under His feet. That’s a big problem for you because you put Him to death and are His enemy. You’re in trouble. Amen.”

It’s a sermon that would have been highly criticized in seminary because it doesn’t really contain any Gospel. How does a guy like Peter preach like that, especially because he preaching that accusation against himself? Peter knows his own guilt. The only explanation is that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and emboldened in a remarkable way. The sermon itself is a miracle. But then, the response to that sermon is even more miraculous.

Over 3,000 people ask, “What can we do?” Before this, the crowds had heard some amazing things and wondered what it all meant, but now? Now, they are cut to the heart (Act. 2:37), and they recognize their guilt. This is amazing because most of them probably were not present in the crowd on Good Friday crying out, “Crucify, crucify Him.” The foremost expert on the history and practices of this time, a guy named Alfred Edersheim, says that there may have been some overlap but the majority of the people there for the Day of Pentecost weren’t there for the Passover. So, Peter is addressing a crowd of hardened sinners who could have offered all sorts of excuses arguing for their innocence of Jesus’ death. But over 3,000 of them don’t. They confess and repent with a simple, “What shall we do?” (Act. 2:37).

And Peter adds a postscript to his sermon and tells them, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Act. 2:38). That very day, 3,000 souls were saved. 

They were given faith. They were also given and filled with the Holy Spirit. But that filling of 3,000 people with the Holy Spirit is so understated. Luke doesn’t tell us about another mightier wind that rushed even louder. No. They confess, repent, get Baptized, and are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are saved. How were they saved? Through the Holy Spirit’s work of pointing sinners to Jesus in simple preaching and through the Holy Spirit’s working through water and the Word. And through those means, the Holy Spirit creates faith.

Dear saints, that same miraculous work of the Holy Spirit through preaching continues today. In fact, that is what is happening even now. It is through God’s Word proclaimed by the mouth is this sinner that the Holy Spirit is creating, strengthening, and sustaining your faith. Right now, through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is filling this place and pointing you to Jesus (Jn. 15:26).

Don’t think for one minute that the Holy Spirit isn’t working just because you don’t see whatever you think might be evidence of the Holy Spirit. The lasting legacy of Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit points sinners to Christ. Jesus Himself said that’s the Holy Spirit’s work (Jn. 15:26). Right here, right now, the Holy Spirit is calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying, and preserving you in the one true faith. He is here abundantly forgiving you of your sin. And the Holy Spirit invites you now to Jesus’ table where He will work through other means, through bread and wine which are Jesus’ Body and Blood. Come, receive, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

[1] Yes, I know ‘American’ isn’t an official language.

A Covering of Love – Sermon on 1 Peter 4:7-11 for the Easter 7/Sunday after the Ascension

1 Peter 4:7–11

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When something is coming to an end, there is often a sense of urgency. The last month of my senior year of high school, my class of twelve got together more often than we did the years prior. At Bible camps, kids will goof off at the campfire, but the last night they will share about their life, reflect more on what they have learned, and talk about how they hope to be different and better when they go back to their regular lives. When a family member is in their last days, every moment, every word, every interaction carries more weight to it. As the end draws near, little things become even more insignificant, and the big things become even bigger.

In this epistle reading, Peter says that the end of all things is at hand. Because Jesus has died, risen, and ascended into heaven, His work as the Savior of mankind is complete. Everything necessary for your salvation, redemption, and restoration has been accomplished. Now, your Savior and Brother sits on the throne of all creation. At any moment, Jesus can return and bring an end to all things. All of this is to say that we are living in the end times. Peter said this nearly 2,000 years ago, so it’s at least as true now as it was then. The end, the completion, the finishing of all things is at hand.

And that has a different ring to it than if Peter had written, “The end of all things is coming soon,” doesn’t it? “Soon” presupposes and anticipates a delay – even if it is only a short delay. But Peter doesn’t talk about Christ’s return as coming soon. It is “at hand.” That gives an extra ‘umph’ of urgency and immediacy. But the fact that the end of all things is “at hand” doesn’t excuse us to be worried and get frantic. Peter here doesn’t allow us to be the Christian version of Chicken Little running around and yelling, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling.” Not even close.

Instead, we are called to be self-controlled and sober-minded. In other words, we are to be in control of all our actions. Yes, of course, this refers to not getting drunk with alcohol. It includes that, but Peter means more than that. This call to be self-controlled and sober-minded is an echo of what Jesus says in Mt. 6:25-34, “Do not be anxious,” because when we are anxious, we do all sorts of ridiculous things. There is a myriad of awful, evil, horrible things going on in the world, but Jesus hasn’t given you permission to worry about it or run around all frantic and anxious.

The danger of anxiety and worry is that it would distract us from our prayers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our worry will change what is going to happen. But more often worry distracts us from prayers. Take your worries and anxieties and turn them into prayers (1 Pet. 5:7). In a very real sense, worry is just a form spiritual drunkenness. Worry can distort the truth and the reality that Christ is in control of all things. To be self-controlled and sober-minded here is to let the fact that Jesus is ascended to the throne of all creation, that He has promised to hear your prayers, and that He promises to answer those prayers, let those truths keep you calm, clear-headed, and focused. Don’t get drunk with worry and the cares of this world. Be self-controlled and sober-minded because the end of all things is at hand.

Instead of being worried, Peter gives us three instructions of what we are to do as we live in the time of the end. We are to love, show hospitality, and use our God-given gifts. Each of these instructions could be its own sermon. But today, I want to focus on the first one because Peter says it is the most important of the three. He says, “Above all love one another,” and he tells us why we are to love one another, “because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Now, we have to be clear on a couple things here. First, Peter isn’t equating this love that covers a multitude of sins with forgiveness. Yes, forgiveness is a loving thing that releases sins. God’s love for us, which is manifested in Christ’s death, that love has forgiven and removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Other places in Scripture call us to love others by forgiving their sins, but Peter is doing something different here when he talks about covering a multitude of sins. We are to have a love that makes the sins of others invisible. We are to have a love that hides the sins of others.

That brings us to the second thing that needs to be clear. This does not mean that we don’t call sin what it is – sin. Sin is sin is sin. To say anything different is not loving. It isn’t loving to say that it’s ok for someone to be addicted to drugs because that is just the way God made them. That’s not love. Sin needs to be brought to the surface so it can be repented, confessed, and forgiven. So, what does it mean that love covers a multitude of sins?

It means that when others sin against us – especially our brothers and sisters in Christ – we are called to love them in such a way that overlooks, ignores, buries, and covers those sins. Holding grudges just isn’t worth it. The 8th Commandment and its explanation in the Small Catechism is especially helpful here: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not deceitfully lie about, betray, backbite, nor slander our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the most charitable construction on all that he does.”

It is extremely easy for us to put the least charitable construction on the actions of people who sin against us. Someone cuts you off in traffic or budges in front of you, and you assume, “That guy is an idiot,” or, “She’s rude and inconsiderate.” But you know what is just as easy? Maybe it’s slightly more difficult because of our pride – it’s just as easy to put the most charitable construction on their actions. “That person just made a mistake. Maybe, they have something going on in their life that I don’t know about.” The danger for us is that when we are always ascribing the worst motives to others, it’s easy to assume and imagine that they do the same to us. That is a dangerous place to be.

Of course, when someone sins against you and you point it out, that person should repent and ask for forgiveness. That’s how things should work. But what happens when you point out someone’s sin and they say, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” and they don’t ask for forgiveness? What do you do then? Is the relationship over? No. It shouldn’t be. That is where this passage comes in. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” And this is what we are to keep doing. Keep loving one another earnestly and fervently because love covers a multitudeof sins.

This covering up of sin through love is a distinct virtue of Christians that does not exist in the world. But the world will notice when you do this, Christian. They will see it and be drawn to it. This kind of love for one another isn’t always going to be pleasant for you. But it will be attractive to those who aren’t Christians. Having this kind of love that covers sin might be the most important evangelistic work that you do. Repeatedly in the book of Acts, this kind of love between Christians is what attracted others to see what was different about believers. So keep loving one another earnestly, since that love covers a multitude of sins.

Now, I know that was a lot of law. I recognize that. I’ll just point out that this text is full of law, so that’s what I have to preach. But I will close with this: your heavenly Father hasn’t only covered your sin and pretended that it isn’t there. No. Because of Jesus, He has removed it, forgiven it, trampled it under His foot, and cast it into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19). Because of that – because your sins are gone, taken away, and forgiven – you can more easily cover the sins of others in Christian love. Amen.

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

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

Keep Asking – Sermon on John 16:23-33 for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 16:23–33

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In this Gospel reading, Jesus gives us a command to pray. On the night He was betrayed, Christ said to the disciples, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24). So, according to Jesus if you want full joy, ask. That’s the command. ‘Ask’ in other words, pray. And the grammar there has a durative aspect to it. It is what you are to continually do. “Keep asking.” That has a different nuance to it than the way the ESV translates it here with just the word ‘ask.’

I don’t particularly like running. I know some of you here do, God bless your soul. I don’t, but when I was in junior high and high school, I ran cross country to help get me in shape for swimming season. At meets, people would stand along the course and cheer us runners on, and it would have been very frustrating if they said, “Run.” That’s what I was already doing. Instead, they would cheer, “Keep running.” Here, Jesus is doing something similar. He’s cheering you on by commanding you to keep asking and keep praying. And we need this encouragement because prayer is work.

Lately, the devil has doubled his efforts to discourage the work of prayer. That attack of Satan comes in many ways, but I’ve noticed it most often after someone commits an evil, heinous crime, politicians and pagans will say, “Prayers aren’t enough. We need to actually do something.” And we Christians, myself included, hear that and start to get at least a little shy about what prayer does. I know I’ve been guilty at times of saying things like, “Well, all we can do is pray.” God, forgive me.

Your prayers work. They work powerfully. They are not a waste of time. In Col. 4:2, 5, Scripture says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer,” and that call comes in the middle of several instructions which Paul says are, “making the best use of the time.” Christians are to use their time wisely and prayer is a good and wise use of your time because prayer does stuff. When you are praying, you aren’t wasting time. Praying isn’t setting aside important things to take a break. Prayer is the important thing. Christian, prayer is the most powerful, impactful thing you can do. A few verses later (Col. 4:12), Paul talks about a man named Epaphras who is “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers.” Does that sound like he’s taking some time off and relaxing? Nope! He’s doing something mighty and powerful by praying.

James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person,” and, yes, that is you, Christian, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Prayer accomplishes things because of the power of the One to Whom you are praying. C.S. Lewis might be the most brilliant Christian thinker of the last hundred years, but he gets something wrong about prayer. He said, “[Prayer] doesn’t change God. It changes me.” Sure, yes, prayer changes us, but prayer changes God as well. Scripture teaches that God changes course because of prayer. He does something different than what He was going to do.

James 5:17-18 says that Elijah prayed fervently that it would not rain, and for three and a half years there was no rain. Then, he prayed that it would rain, and it did (1 Kgs. 17:1; 18:42-45). God told King Hezekiah to get ready to die. But he prayed, and God added fifteen years to his life (Is. 38:1-6; 2 Kgs. 20:1-6). Through the prophet Jonah, God told the people of Nineveh that they were going to be destroyed in forty days. But they prayed, and God changed His mind and did not do it (Jon. 3). In our Old Testament reading (Num. 21:4-9), God’s people were complaining about the bread that God was literally raining down from heaven for them to eat, so He sent fiery serpents to kill them. They prayed, and God delivered them because of their prayer. I could go on, but those are all crystal-clear examples of prayer changing what God was doing.

Picture God up in heaven. He is sturdy, calm, cool, collected. He’s got all His plans laid out of how He’s going to conduct the affairs of the world for the benefit of His people. When He Baptized you and made you His child (1 Jn. 3:1-3), He invited you into His “situation room.” There He is looking over His plans, and He asks you, “What do you think we should do here? How should this be handled?” You’d respond, “Um, well, I don’t know. You’re God. Shouldn’t You have this all under control and know how to run everything?” But God says, “Come on, now. I want to know what you think. What do you suggest?” So, you say, “Well, maybe You could move that thing over there. Send someone to preach Your Word over here. Heal this person. Bless that one.” And God says, “Ok. I like it. That’s the plan.”

Now, this doesn’t limit God in any way. The effectiveness of your prayers and the foreknowledge of God is a mystery that we cannot comprehend – similar to the doctrine of the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. How can there be one God yet three Persons? How can Jesus be 100% God and 100% man? We can’t understand or comprehend those things. But Scripture teaches them, so we believe them. The same thing is true about your prayer. Well, Scripture teaches that God is sovereign; He knows what will happen and isn’t your slave. And Scripture also teaches that your prayer changes what God will do. Just because you can’t fit those two things together logically, don’t throw one of them out to make it make sense to your logic.

Instead, see these two seemingly incompatible teachings of Scripture – God’s sovereignty and the power of prayer – see them as a further proof of God’s great love for you. The reason you ask and God responds is His love for you. Back to our Gospel reading, Jesus says in v. 26-27 (I’ll paraphrase a little bit), “Ask in My name. I don’t need to ask the Father for you because the Father Himself loves you.”

This is why God wants you to pray and brings you into His situation room. When you love someone, you permit them to affect and influence your actions, decisions, and directions. Think of a father who comes home from a rough day at work where everything went wrong. He’s frustrated and discouraged. He gets home and just wants to sit in his chair and watch the game. But he gets home, and his son asks, “Daddy, can you read this book to me?” That might not fit in with the father’s plans, but he loves his son and gladly sits on his bed and reads to him. And they spend time laughing and joking together.

When you love someone, you permit and even prefer to let them change what you want to do. Instead, you do what they want. And in that sacrifice, you and the person you love find joy.

Well, God is your perfect, loving Father, and He never tires of your asking. He loves you. He knows your sin and failures. Yet, the Father loves you because you love Jesus and have been forgiven much (Lk. 7:47). So, keep praying. Keep asking. Amen.

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

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