Tag Archives: Bible

The Devil’s Playbook – Sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 for the First Sunday of Lent

Matthew 4:1–11

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

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

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

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ 

and 

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

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

For years now, you’ve heard me say that the devil has one trick up his sleeve and that is to get you to doubt God’s Word. In the luscious perfection of the Garden of Eden, the devil began his temptation by asking the woman, “Did God really say?” And in the temptation of Jesus, the devil takes the exact same approach. He begins the first two temptations with, “If you are the Son of God…” Remember, this came immediately after God the Father declared at Jesus’ Baptism, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mk. 1:11; Mt. 3:17). So, when Satan begins, “If you are the Son of God,” he’s trying the exact same tactic he used in the Garden, “Did God really say?” Trying to cast doubt on God’s Word is the only play in the devil’s playbook, and this is helpful to know. But we need to consider this scheme of the devil more closely because he is so skilled at running this play.

Enough of you enjoy football that I’m going to try this analogy. Even if you don’t care about football, I think the analogy is still helpful, so please stick with me. Some teams will primarily use just one play called an ‘option.’ In this play, the quarterback sees where the defense is and how they move at the beginning of the play, and that will determine what he does with the ball – pass, hand it off, or keep it himself. It’s one play that has several options for success, and a skilled quarterback simply choses the best option available. This one play can be extremely effective. So, when we understand how Satan runs his one play to utilize the options he has before him, we can better defend against each of those options.

When the devil tempts us with his, “Did God really say?” he wants us to start speculating, “Why doesn’t God want me to have this thing?” whatever that thing is. There are three main answers to that speculation. One, God doesn’t actually know what I need. Two, God doesn’t want me to be happy. And three, God doesn’t have the power or ability to give that thing to me.

If any of those things are true (which, of course, they aren’t), then God isn’t worthy of our obedience or worship. And when we start speculating on those false possibilities, we begin to think that God either can’t or won’t help us. Then, we assume that we have to help ourselves, but doing that put us in the place of God which means that we fall into idolatry and sin. So, when we recognize what those temptations are doing, we can better defend against the temptation. Because the truth is: God does know what you need. He knows what you need before you ask Him (Mt. 6:8). And He promises to give it to you (Mt. 6:32). God does want you to be happy – happier than you can possibly imagine – just not necessarily in the way or in the timing you might have in mind. He doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11), and He knows how to give good gifts to His children (Mt. 7:11; Ps. 85:12). And God is able and pleased to give you everything that is good for you (Lk. 12:32).

Our problem is that we don’t always recognize how simple and shortsighted we are. We don’t always know what is and isn’t good for us. Too often, we are like spoiled children who think things that are harmful to us would make us happy. God knows better than we do, and He won’t ever hold back when it comes to giving us things that are beneficial for us (1 Cor. 1:7).

With all of that in mind, let’s consider these three temptations. Jesus is starving because He hasn’t eaten for forty days. The devil runs his play, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Notice how insidious this is. The devil wants Jesus to speculate, “Why doesn’t God want Me to have bread?” At that very moment, the heavenly Father was providing bread for everyone in the world. Christ is the only one who actually loves and obeys God. So, why is He starving? The devil is tempting Jesus to think that His heavenly Father either: 1) doesn’t know what He needs; 2) doesn’t want to give Jesus what He needs; or 3) isn’t able to give Jesus what He needs. Again, all of those things are false.

But Jesus doesn’t fall for the play; He doesn’t speculate. He simply responds, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Dt. 8:3). Jesus trusts that God can and will provide what is needed when it is needed. He doesn’t fall into the temptation.

If we stick with the football analogy, it’s second down, and the devil goes back to his same play. He takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple and says, “If you are the Son of God, jump off. God has promised to send the angels to protect you.” Satan wants Jesus to test God’s ability to keep Him safe. The devil is, basically, saying, “Let’s see if God will notice when you are in danger and if he can help you when you need it.” But Jesus doesn’t need to test drive God’s protection. God has promised He will care for Him, and that is enough. So, our Lord responds, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Dt. 6:16).

Now, it’s third down, and the devil is in a bad spot. But he still runs the same play trying to get Jesus to think that God is holding out on Him. Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory and offers them to Jesus if He will worship him. Jesus will, and does, receive all the kingdoms of the world but only after He has redeemed them by dying and rising again. But the devil wants Jesus to take that authority early. But our Lord doesn’t fall for the trick. Jesus quickly responds with Scripture again, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve’” (Dt. 6:13). Now that He is ascended to the throne of all creation, Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18) with all things placed under His feet (Eph. 1:21-22).

Now, let’s bring this to you. Again, the one play in the devil’s playbook is for the devil to get you to question God’s Word which leads you to speculate that God is holding out on you. Dear saints, God does not and will not ever deny you anything that is good for you. Psalm 84:11 says, “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Recognizing that God promises to provide and care for us is the best weapon we have to defend against temptation. The last verse of this text is so important for our fight against temptation because it clearly shows us that God wasn’t withholding anything from Jesus. At the right and proper time, God did give Jesus the bread, protection, and authority He needed and desired. “The devil left [Jesus], and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.” And don’t think for one second that God only does this for Jesus because He does it for us sinners too.

We saw God do the same thing for Adam and Eve in our Old Testament text (Gen. 3:1-24) even after they had fallen into temptation and sinned. God gave them chance after chance to repent. Every question God asks in Gen. 3:9-13 is a merciful call to repentance because God knows that they need confession and absolution. Even when they don’t repent and confess their sins, God still gives them what they need. He gives them a promise that He will send Jesus, the Seed of the woman, to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Then, God instructs both the woman and Adam what life will be like now that they have brought sin into the world (Gen. 3:16-19) which will help them face the challenges ahead. There, God still promises to provide food for them. After that, God covers their nakedness and shame with animal skins (Gen. 3:21). And finally, God sends His cherubim with a flaming sword, to protect them from the horror of eating from the tree of life and living forever in sin (Gen. 3:22-24).

In all of that, God is protecting them, providing for them, loving them, and giving them everything they need for life and salvation. Dear saints, if God will do that for Adam and Eve immediately after they sinned, how much more will God do for you now that He has sent Jesus to die and rise again to redeem and purchase you?

Because of what Christ has done, you are His beloved children. Jesus, your great High Priest has been tempted in every way as you are, yet without sin. Christ knows the difficulty of facing the temptations the devil throws at you, so He has sympathy for you. And even when you fall into temptation and sin, you can draw near to His throne where you will find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:14-16). Amen.

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

Rooted – Sermon on Luke 8:4-15 for Sexagesima Sunday

Luke 8:4–15

4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, I’m taking a different approach on how I’m preaching this text. We’ll use the parable and explanation as a lens through which we look at what is happening in this text. You’re all smart people, so I think you’ll catch on pretty quickly.

One day Jesus saw massive crowds coming toward Him. So many had come to listen to Him teach that Matthew actually lets us know that Jesus had to teach from a boat while the crowds listened from the beach (Mt. 13:1-9). But Jesus didn’t see this as just another day at the lake. No. He saw fields that were ripe unto seeding. He saw ground that was ready to be planted with God’s Word. So, Christ reached into His bag and started throwing the good Seed of God’s Word as far and wide as He possibly could.

As He taught, Jesus threw some seed on the path. He noticed that some were not paying much attention. They were nodding off or distracted by one thing or another. They could hear His voice, that wasn’t the issue. But He could tell that the Seed of the Word wasn’t sinking in. Christ wasn’t worried about this. Jesus knew He could get a harvest there, but He didn’t want the Seed to be trampled down or eaten by the birds. So, Jesus took out His plow. He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” But even though the plow broke the soil up, it quickly went back to being impermeable. The seed just stayed on the top. And Jesus watched in grief as the birds came and devoured the precious Seed from the soil of the path.

As Jesus taught, He threw some Seed on the rocks. Christ saw that they were joyfully listening and excited to hear. But Jesus also knew their excitement would die down, their joy would fade, and they would soon face times of testing. The Seed Jesus was spreading grew up quickly, but the roots weren’t digging down because of the rocks underneath. Jesus knew the sun would soon come out with its heat. Plants need the sun and its warmth, but if those plants didn’t have roots that could find moisture, they would wither and die. So, Jesus rolled up His sleeves to pick the rock out of that soil. He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” But the rocks just kept returning. No matter how many tons of rock Jesus removed, there was always more. And Jesus grieved as the hot sun of those trials beat down on the soil, and the plants withered away before the Word could produce fruit in that rocky soil.

As Jesus taught, He threw some seed among the thorns. Christ saw others who were listening, but those thorns threatened the growth of the precious Seed. Christ knew those listeners would go back to their homes and focus on other things – their jobs, their families, and their houses. Even though Jesus Himself had given those good gifts, He knew that soil loved those thorns more than the Word, and if those thorns weren’t plucked and picked, they would choke out the Seed of the Word. So, again, Jesus rolls up His sleeves to remove those thorns by calling out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” With those words, Jesus carefully and meticulously uprooted the thorns, but they kept coming back. The Seed of God’s Word was there and growing. But Christ mourned as He watched the thorns of the cares, riches, and pleasures of life prevent that soil from producing fruit.

But there was a fourth kind of soil that did produce fruit. In fact, it produced a miraculous harvest of a hundredfold. What made this soil good? Well, we have to remember that there is no soil that is naturally and natively good. No. Jesus, the Sower always tends what He plants with His Word. Everywhere Jesus sows the Word of God will look like an unlikely place to produce fruit, but as He continues to work on the soil, He brings about a harvest by plowing, picking, and plucking the unworthy soil.

Even the twelve disciples were those bad soils. Think of Thomas as the soil of the path. Easter evening, the Gospel Seed was tossed onto Thomas. He heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, but the birds simply devoured that Seed. Thomas refused to be tilled and softened, but Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas. Christ continued to dig His plow into the hard soil of Thomas’ heart. And one week later, Thomas believed and confessed Christ as his Lord and God (Jn. 20:24-28).

Think of Peter as the rocky soil. Peter had been warned about falling into the temptation of denying Jesus three times. Peter needed to produce the fruit of fleeing temptation, but his stone-hard heart didn’t let the roots of Jesus’ warning find the moisture it needed. Peter was withered in the hot sun of that test. Three times Peter denied knowing Jesus (Jn 18:15-18, 25-27). The Seed planted in him got scorched, but Jesus hadn’t given up on Peter either. Christ continued to sow the seed of His Word and remove the rocks from Peter’s heart. Through the labor of Jesus’ sowing and tending the soil of Peter’s heart, Peter was restored and produced great fruit as he later fed, tended, and shepherded Jesus’ lambs (Jn 21:15-19).

Several of the disciples were also the thorny soil. They saw Jesus anointed with expensive ointment shortly before He was arrested and thought it was a complete waste (Mk. 14:3-9). They were choked out by the cares and riches of this life, but Christ didn’t give up on them either. Jesus continued to pull and pluck those thorns by teaching them how that anointing was preparing Him for His burial. The sad reality, though, is that for all of Jesus’ plucking and tending, the soil of Judas Iscariot’s heart still ended up being choked out by the thorns of thirty pieces of silver (Jn. 12:4; Mt. 26:14-16).

Dear saints, all of this is to say that Jesus, the Sower, doesn’t merely scatter the Seed of His Word, walk away, and only come back periodically to see what’s happened with His precious Seed. No! He is the constant gardener. He continually scatters the Seed of His Word which guides, teaches, forgives, feeds, and strengthens you. He also digs and plows to break up the hard soil. He clears the soil of rocks and thorns. Through His Word, He corrects, exhorts, and rebukes. Some of what He does is gentle. He consoles, comforts, and encourages by declaring His love, mercy, and forgiveness. And Jesus constantly guards His field to protect what He has planted (Is. 5:1-7). He does all of this, the planting, the tending, the weeding, and the guarding so that the Seed of His Word gets well-rooted to produce abundant fruit in and through you.

Dear saints, you are God’s children. Through His Word, He gives you an honest and good heart. Yes, you are attacked by the devil, threatened by temptation, and seduced by the cares and riches of this world. But by God’s grace, He will sustain you as He continues to work on you through that same holy and precious Word. May that Word be deeply rooted in each of us today and always. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Amen.

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

Calling Friends & Family to See Jesus – Sermon on John 1:43-51 for Midweek Advent 2

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

As is often the case, we have to remember where we’ve been, so we can see where we’re going.

Last Wednesday, we heard how Andrew became a disciple of Jesus. Andrew heard John the Baptizer declare Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Andrew asked where Jesus was teaching so he could learn more, and Jesus invited him, “Come and see.” As Andrew listened to Jesus teach, his eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit to see that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. So, Andrew ran and found his brother Simon Peter and brought him to Jesus.

That’s where we’ve been, now here’s where we’re going.

The day after that, Jesus finds Philip, and calls him, “Follow Me.” We don’t know how long Philip was with Jesus or what happened while they were together, but Philip comes to believe the same thing Andrew believed the day before. This Jesus dude is the fulfillment of everything Moses and the prophets (i.e. the entire Old Testament) wrote about.

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I learned to moderately despise the puns that pastors would make; they were just so bad. So, I’m going to need your advanced forgiveness for this pun I’m about to use. Philip’s name means (of all things) ‘lover of horses.’ Philip is so excited about finding the Messiah that he gallops off to find his buddy, Nathanael to tell him about Jesus. When a person hears good news, they naturally want to share it with others – especially with people who are close to them.

Dear saints, you too have found the Messiah, the Savior and Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, probably more accurately (like Philip) you have been found by Him. Jesus came and found you lost and dead in your sin. He has raised you to new life, given you the forgiveness of all your sins, and gifted you with the Holy Spirit so that you are now God’s temple (1 Cor. 6:19). Maybe the excitement and joy of that fact has worn off a bit. Well, it’s time for God to restore to you the joy of His salvation (Ps. 51:12).

Just think what your life and existence would be like without Jesus. You would have no real purpose or meaning for life. You would have no hope. You would be destined for an eternity in hell. All the pain and suffering you experience in this life would be nothing more than signs that you are living in a cold, meaningless world.

But with Jesus, everything is different. All your sins are forgiven. You are a child of your heavenly Father. You know that for all eternity, you are safe and secure in God’s eternal, almighty hands. You know that the suffering and tribulation you experience in this world is known by Jesus, but He has overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). He is causing all things to work together for your good because loves you, you love Him, and He has called you according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). That is what it is to be found by Jesus who calls you to follow Him, just like He did with Philip.

And Philip wants nothing more than to share this good news with his friend Nathanael, but Nathanael doesn’t jump on board right away. He’s more interested to stay in the shade of his fig tree than meeting someone from Nazareth. I don’t know what Nathanael’s beef with Nazareth is. Maybe his childhood rival was from there. Maybe Nathanael is skeptical about the Messiah being from Nazareth because he knew his Bible well enough to know that Nazareth had no connections to the Messiah. Bethlehem, sure (Mic. 5:2), but not Nazareth. I think we can all empathize with Nathanael to a degree. If you came to me all excited about something in/from Mandan, I’d echo Nathanael, “Can anything good come from Mandan?”

But Philip doesn’t give up. He doesn’t argue with Nathanael or try to remind him about the really good doughnut shop in downtown Nazareth. Nope. Philip simply says, “Come and see.” And Nathanael saw.

Without any pleasantries exchanged between them, Jesus knows Nathanael and who he is. As Nathanael walks up to Him, Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” In other words, Nathanael is a straight-shooter and doesn’t mince words, not when he expresses his thoughts about Nazareth or anything else. Nathanael is dumbfounded and maybe a little convicted, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That’s all it took. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanael believed.

Dear saints, that’s the power of Jesus working through His Word. Philip doesn’t have to do a whole bunch of convincing and arguing with Nathanael. Philip doesn’t even have to share his personal testimony or anything like that. Nathanael is called to be one of Jesus’ disciples simply because of Philip sharing his joy of being found by Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus does the rest (i.e. Jesus does it all).

Maybe you know people who are skeptical and even have animosity toward God. You might think that nothing will ever get through to them. Take heart. Jesus works through His Word to do things far beyond our imagination. Two sentences from Jesus changed Nathanael’s heart toward this carpenter’s Son from backwards Nazareth.

Now, I can’t say that Jesus will convert your skeptical friends or family as quickly, but Jesus will work on them through His Word. As surely as rain and snow make the ground wet, God will use His Word to accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (Is. 55:10-11).

It all comes down to sharing good news with others. You share good news all the time. You find a trusty mechanic, a good burger, a nice cup of coffee, you see a good movie, read a good book, or even find a funny meme on social media, and you find yourself telling others about and introducing them to it. Pretty much the only time we keep good news to ourselves is if/when we think sharing it with others would mean that we get less of it. 

Repent of that, and remember you don’t get any less Gospel when you share it with others. Instead, you gain new brothers and sisters in Christ. Feel free, absolutely and joyfully free, to share the best thing in the history of the world – the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind.

Luther (supposedly) once said, “Christians are simply beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.” Maybe when you invite people to come here to God’s house, they will be skeptical like Nathanael was at first. Don’t worry about it. Keep telling them. Keep inviting them. At least those beggars will have heard where the bread is. You don’t need to be eloquent. Simply invite those whom you love to, “Come and see.” Amen.

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

One – Sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is your impression of or reaction to the following words: unity; inclusion; oneness; togetherness?

They are all good words and concepts, but those words probably throw up some red flags for you. Who doesn’t want unity? Wouldn’t it be great if our country was really the United States of America? No one wants to be excluded and left on the outside. It’s true that the team that plays together wins together. But would you say that we live in a time of unity? Probably not. We’ve gotten used to hearing that we are more divided now than at almost any other point in our nation’s brief history. Some even speculate that we may be on the verge of another civil war. Who knows?

But the more divided, fractured, and fragmented we become, the higher the desire there is for unity. The biggest obstacle to unity in this world, though, just might be the desire and calls for unity. For there to be unity, there needs to be something people are united on. And because the world is full of sinners who all want our own way, we are going to have a difficult time finding a point of unity. The selfishness, pride, and greed around and within us – yes, even in us Christians who still wrestle with our old Adam – will continue to cause division.

Well, this text doesn’t give us any suggestions for bringing unity to our culture or nation. There is nothing here to help us mend the political, economic, racial, and other divisions that we face in our society and culture today. Sorry. There are other passages of Scripture deal with that. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” And Philippians 2:4 probably gives us the best advice in achieving peace in our culture when it says to not look only to your own interest but to the interest of others.

Our text today, when it talks about unity and being one, refers to the unity that exists between Christians, and this unity between Christians is twofold.

First, there is a unity that all Christians simply have. We could call this a ‘vertical unity,’ and this unity consists of how sinners are made one with God. All Christians are sinners who by nature were children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Christians of all time and in all places are united by the one faith in Jesus who is our Savior, the only Savior. Because Jesus is the only Savior, we are united in Christ who is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only access we have to God the Father (Jn. 14:6). When the Holy Spirit works faith in us, this unity simply exists.

All Christians believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Through Him, every Christian of every tribe, language, race, and even denomination is united on the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16). Through that Holy Spirit-wrought faith, every Christian is joined to the one holy Christian Church confessing the one hope of forgiveness and eternal life. That means that every Christian is part of the one body with Christ as the head (Eph. 4:15). This unity exists, but we also recognize that this unity is invisible.

This brings us to the second unity, and that is the unity that all Christians are to strive for. We can call this a ‘horizontal unity’ of how we as Christians are united with one another. This unity is of conviction and true confession. We rejoice in the unity we have here in our congregation, and we have been rejoicing in the unity we have with our sister congregation on the other side of the river as we gather together on Wednesdays. But we also rejoice in the unity we have with Christians of other denominations: Lutheran Brethren, AALC, Missouri Synod, ELS, ELCA, Evangelical Free, Covenant, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Catholic, and I could go on and on.

Now, even as I mention all those different church bodies, you are probably thinking, “Pastor, aren’t all the different denominations a sign that we Christians are not united?” To a degree, yes. But there is also something counterintuitive about all the different denominations is actually a sign of our unity. 

Now, please bear with me as I flesh this out. Go back to the first unity, our vertical unity. All Christians have one Lord, one faith, one Baptism. But one of the things that divides the various Christian denominations and disrupts that horizontal unity is what the different church bodies believe and teach about Baptism. Here at Christ the King, we teach that Baptism is God’s work where He forgives sins (Act. 2:38), joins us to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11), gives us the new birth (Jn. 3:5), and saves us (1 Pet. 3:21). Many Christians (and please note that I am calling them ‘Christians’) who attend other churches do not believe that is what the Bible teaches about Baptism. They will say that Baptism is something a believer does for God as an outward expression of an inward change.

The Bible does not teach both of those things. Those two doctrines cannot both be true. One is right, and the other is wrong. And it would be wrong and even sinful for either us or other Christians who believe differently to say, “Well, it doesn’t really matter what we believe about Baptism.” It does matter. What we believe about Baptism matters because Scriptures teach us about Baptism. And Jesus tells Christians to keep and observe all that He has said to us in and through the Scriptures (Mt. 28:20). Just a few verses after our text, Paul tells us to “not be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). God wants us to be rooted and grounded so that we rightly handle His Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Christians want to stay true to what the Scriptures teach. The only way we can stay true to what the Scriptures teach is to continue to grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures. That is why it is important for you, Christian, to keep learning and diving into the Scriptures that are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16). So, dear saints, be in the Scriptures. Read and meditate on them daily. Come to Bible study and Sunday School to continue being equipped by and through God’s Word. The best way to maintain and strengthen the horizontal unity between Christians is to be grounded in the Bible.

This brings us back around to the differences between Christian church bodies: The silver lining in the doctrinal differences that exist between the various denominations is that we are all trying to be true to what the Bible teaches. In other words, we are taking what Jesus teaches in the Bible seriously. We take it seriously enough that we recognize when those differences exist and when we are not united in doctrine. We don’t rejoice in that horizontal disunity, but we love each other enough to be honest about it because what the Bible teaches is important. That is why we – with humility, gentleness, and patience – point those who believe differently than we do to what Jesus has said. We don’t pridefully lambast them saying, “You aren’t a Christian if you don’t believe just like I do.” No!

Instead, we do what our text calls us to do. We work to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We can’t maintain or keep the unity of the Spirit unless that unity already exists, and it does. The unity of the one holy Christian Church is a gift given by God Himself through faith in Christ.

The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, the oneness that God has given all Christians, is a precious thing. We hold on to this unity as we hold onto Christ and His Word in humility. Jesus was glorified after He humbled Himself by being obedient to His death on the cross (Php. 2:8). That act of humiliation was rewarded by God the Father. And because of Christ’s obedience, the entire Christian Church is washed clean of sin. Christ’s humiliation is the glory of every Christian. So, let us imitate His humility by bearing with our brothers and sisters in Christ in love and forgiving as we have been forgiven. And we rejoice in God’s promise that we are now, right now, united in Him and are one with all our fellow Christians in a unity that is real whether or not we see of feel it.

And we patiently await the day when Christ will return and bring His one holy Christian and apostolic Church to live forever with Him as one. Amen.

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