Tag Archives: Faithful

Escape – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When you’re nearing the end of a task or a project, that’s not the time to get lazy, sloppy, or careless. As you get near to the goal, you need to pay close attention to what you’re doing and finish strong and make sure that you are doing things right. You’ve maybe seen replays from football games where a receiver or kick returner makes an amazing play, outruns the defense, and is about to cross the goal line. But he starts celebrating a few inches too soon and drops the ball right before the endzone. That one, careless act erases everything that he did before.

Well, here, Paul says that the end (τέλος, ‘the completion’) of the ages has come (1 Co. 10:11). And remember, he’s saying this to Christians nearly 2,000 years ago. Since it was true way back then then, it’s even truer now. Paul is encouraging us to finish strong and cross the goal line. He says, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall,” (1 Co. 10:12). In other words, don’t fall away, don’t fumble the ball, when you are so close to Christ’s return.

Plain as day, Paul tells us exactly what might drag us down and cause us to fall. In the opening verses of 1 Co. 10, he invites us to think about all the ways God’s people sinned, rebelled, and were judged after God had delivered from slavery in Egypt. He reminds us how they fell into idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling, causing them to be destroyed. Paul says that those things took place as examples for us.

Even though they had had God’s protection under the cloud, even though they had God’s miraculous deliverance and passed through the sea, even though they were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea, even though they ate the same spiritual food we eat and drink the same spiritual drink we drink – even though they had all those blessings from God, they were overthrown. So, Paul warns us to not be like them. To not be idolatrous, going after our own golden calves, and to not indulge in sexual immorality. To not put Christ to the test and become destroyed.

We need to learn from their example so that we don’t stumble and fall into temptation and sin right before the end of the ages. Christ is returning, and we need to persevere. If you think that you stand on your own, repent. You’re in big trouble and are about to fall (1 Co. 10:12).

Paul concludes here in v. 13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

So according to Scripture, we need to learn from from the failures of others, because we are also prone to fall. We face the same temptations they did, but God is – and always will be– faithful to provide the way of escape. Often in ways that we don’t expect.

Everyone faces the same temptations. Now, being tempted is not a sin. But coveting is a sin. That’s why God gives us the final two Commandments about coveting. Coveting is the stealth bomber of sin. It flies under the radar of your conscience. Your conscience usually detects the sins that you commit in an outward way. But the sin of coveting is committed in an inward way.

You might feel guilty about replying to your spouse or someone else in an angry way that is rude and inconsiderate. But you might not be too troubled about feeling anger if you don’t let that anger out. To be clear, both of those are sins need forgiveness. Both need repentance and faith. But the 9th and 10th Commandments about coveting show that God’s Law governs even our inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions. You’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating over and over again. Scripture equates coveting with idolatry (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5).

Coveting is, basically, saying, “God, You messed up. That thing over there should be mine over here.” When we realize that coveting is idolatry and is how we place ourselves above God, then coveting becomes gross and disgusting. Don’t falsely desire what God hasn’t given you. Let God be God.

So, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh always tempt us first to covet. They will put things in front of us that we think should be ours. Coveting is the way in which we begin to break any/all of the commandments.

But look closely at verse 13, and you’ll see three comforting truths:

First, the temptations that you face are not unique. Yes, the devil, the world, and our own flesh will individually tailor certain temptations to each of us. But everyone is tempted by the same things. Maybe in different ways, maybe through different processes, but the things that tempt you are the same things that tempt others as well.

Second, God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. God knows precisely how much weight, how much pressure, of temptation you can bear. Imagine temptations as ropes or chains that the devil would use in order to pull you toward sin. Satan cannot use ropes or chains that are too strong for you. God simply doesn’t allow it. Those chains of temptation will completely snap at the exact weight that God Himself has determined. But also, realize what that means: 

Whenever you or I sin, we aren’t pulled into that sin by forces stronger than us. No. We just didn’t fight back long or hard enough for those cords to break. In other words, when we sin, we jump headfirst into those pits. So, fight back. Fighting temptation isn’t just a mortal combat for your physical life. It’s an eternal combat for your soul. If you want to see the chains of temptation snap, just read Mt. 4 or Lk. 4 to see how Jesus resists the devil’s temptations.

The third promise that God gives here in v. 13 is that God will provide the way of escape. You have an escape out of temptation. Sometimes, people will misconstrue v. 13 and say things like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” On the one hand that’s true, but it’s only half true. And half-truths are often worse than blatant lies. That phrase places all the weight of fighting temptation on you and your own psychological capabilities. That phrase is basically saying, “You just need to be mentally strong enough to handle it.” Well, God gives something much better than that. He gives a way of escape.

Think of Joseph. Joseph gets attacked by his brothers and thrown into a pit, but Joseph can’t handle staying in the pit the rest of his life. So, God gives an escape, and that escape is that he is sold as a servant to Potiphar in Egypt (Gen. 37:28; 39:1). Later, Joseph can’t handle Potiphar’s wife asking him day after day to fornicate with her. So, God gives Joseph another escape by putting him safely into an Egyptian prison (Gen. 39:7-20).

In Joseph’s life, we see that God causes all things – even things we think are bad or horrible – to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). 

In every temptation, God gives a way of escape. I know that example of Joseph might not be comforting, so think of Paul himself. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10, he talks about having a thorn in his flesh. He prays three times that God would remove that thorn, but God’s response is simply, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

It may be that your escape from temptation is only going to come through other trials, like it was for Joseph. Or, it may be that your escape from temptation is God’s promise of His continual grace, like it was for Paul. But ultimately, your way of escape is coming because Christ is returning.

Believer, Christ is returning to bring you to the new creation. The end/completion of the ages and the resurrection of the body is the ultimate escape from temptation. So, press on in your fight against temptation and sin.

Rose, that brings me to you. Rose, today you are baptized, not just into Moses, but into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, Rose, you bear His name (Mt. 28:19). Persist. Persevere. Fight against the temptations that the devil, world, and your own flesh will throw at you.

And all you dear saints, you fight too. To strengthen you in that fight, Jesus now invites you to His table. Here, He delivers His Body and Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sin. Here, you receive God’s grace and mercy. Here, you see God’s faithfulness to you. Resist, fight, flee temptation because the end of all things is at hand. Amen.

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

Successful Steward – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 for the Third Sunday of Advent

1 Corinthians 4:1–5

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In these days leading up to Christmas, gifts are probably taking a lot of your time, energy, and mental space. Maybe, you’re still looking for that perfect present that evens out the number of gifts and the amount you’ve spent on each individual. You might be struggling to find a spot to hide everything until you can get it all wrapped, or you’re closely following the tracking information so you can intercept the packages before they are discovered on your front step.

In this season of giving gifts, it’s good to remember that everything you have is a gift. Just two verses after this reading (1 Cor. 4:7), Paul rhetorically asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?” Everything we possess has been graciously given to us by our God and Father (Jn. 3:27). Our houses and vehicles, our food and clothing, our families and jobs are all good gifts freely given by the hand of God. He has given you your time, your talents, your body, your energy, and strength. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you have earned anything you have. God has given it. The epistle of James says, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam. 1:17).

Because everything you have is a gift, that means you are a steward or manager of those gifts. It all belongs to God, and God wants and expects you to use everything He has given you to love Him by loving your neighbor (Mk. 12:28-31). Stewards know that what they have will all eventually be returned to their Owner, and on the Last Day, you will give an account to God for how you have used those gifts (Heb. 4:13). The issue that Paul is dealing with here is about being a successful steward.

Here, Paul is specifically talking about his stewardship of his office, his vocation, of being an apostle. God made Paul a steward of the mysteries of God. That means that Paul is to preach God’s Word and write the sacred, Holy Spirit-inspired Scriptures. He recognizes that he needs to be faithful in that. But this text extends far beyond just Paul.

All stewards are required to be faithful with what they are given. Paul writes, “It is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). In other words, faithfulness is the one standard by which stewards are judged. And there is great comfort in this. Stewards aren’t judged by numbers or growth or success or fame. Faithfulness is the one, and only, standard by which a stewards’ success will be determined. And the only One who can and does judge by that standard is God, the Giver of the good gifts that we have.

As Paul writes about himself here, he says, “with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court” (v. 3a). It doesn’t matter how they judge him. And it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. In fact, Paul says that it doesn’t even matter what his own estimation is; he says, “I do not even judge myself” (v. 3b). The only thing that matters is what the Lord God judges (v. 4). In God’s timing, He will bring to light the things that are now hidden in darkness and disclose the purposes and intentions of the heart. Then, and only then, will each one receive his commendation and praise from God (v. 5).

Dear saints, there is such freedom for you here. It can be incredibly easy to get discouraged in life. We make our plans, and they don’t pan out. We struggle through our tasks at work and don’t seem to make any progress. We do our best to teach our kids and train them how they should act, but they keep disobeying. We try to provide financially for ourselves and our families, but we always seem to be behind. In all those moments, we start judging ourselves and our work by metrics that – honestly, in the end – don’t really matter.

Now, that does not mean that we shouldn’t use those metrics to improve and do better as stewards. I’m not saying that. We should always strive to be better stewards of what God has given us.

What I am saying, though, is this: At the end of the day, at the completion of a task, when we consider how well we’ve done at anything, the question we should ask is, “Have I been faithful?” In other words, “Did I do what God has given me to do? Did I use the resources and means that God provided in the best way I could?” If the answer to that is, “Yes,” then that is enough. But remember that your estimation doesn’t matter. Only God’s does.

This standard of success for stewards applies to all areas of your life. It applies to your schooling, your marriage, your career, your time, talents, and treasures because, again, all of it is a gift from God. Some of you think far worse of yourself than you really are. And, yes, some of you think far better of yourself than you actually are. The day will come when God will reveal all sorts of hidden obstacles and struggles – as well as blessings and gifts – that we didn’t have any idea were there. And then, He will be the Judge who commends or condemns. So, don’t you go jump the gun. Don’t bother with rating or grading yourself. God will take care of it when He comes.

Another pastor put it well when he said that this text gives us a “blessed uncertainty” as it concerns our success, our failure, our progress, or our lack of progress. And there are at least two reasons God wants you to have this uncertainty.

First, God wants you to be uncertain about your success because if you were confident in either direction – either how well or how poorly you had done – that becomes a distraction to you remaining faithful. If you’re always looking around to see how well or how poorly you’re doing, you’re probably not paying enough attention to what you are actually doing. God wants you to be focused on the thing He has given you to do. All you have to do is to be faithful.

Second, and more importantly, God wants you to be uncertain about your success because He wants you to be certain of only one thing – just one thing. And that is the certainty of your position in Christ alone. God wants you to be certain that you are justified because Christ Jesus has died for you. Through faith in Him, your sins are not and will not be counted against you. You have a future and a hope in Christ that is immovable. Keep your focus and attention on that because, again, that is certain.

Dear saints, the Lord, and the Lord Jesus Christ alone, judges you. And, through faith, you already know what that judgment is. You heard it in the Absolution. Jesus Himself says, “I entirely forgive you all of your sins because I have died for them.” Rejoice in that, my fellow stewards of God’s gifts. Amen.

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

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

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Luke 8:4-15

1 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.

This is Jesus’ first parable, so a quick note about parables is important here at the outset. We get some insight as to the reason Jesus teaches in parables when the disciples ask Jesus what the parable means. Jesus tells them, “I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not understand.” In short, parables are not intended to make things clearer. The parables, according to Jesus, are meant to obscure things. And here’s why:

The crowds had begun to reject Jesus’ teaching. Basically, what Jesus says He is doing is teaching these know-it-alls in riddles, so they realize just how dumb they really are (see esp. Mt. 13:10-17). You know how it is when you are around a group of people and there is a joke that you aren’t in on. You get curious and want to be ‘in.’ So you ask questions and dig deeper to be part of the ‘in’ crowd.

God be praised, the disciples fall for the bait and do exactly that. Please notice, that. These guys who have been called by Jesus to be fishers of men, even they have to ask Jesus what the parable means. When the disciples ask Jesus what He means by this parable, they are exercising and growing in their faith. They go to the right place with their misunderstanding; they go straight to Jesus. “Dude, what are you talking about?” Whenever you have doubts or questions or feel like outsiders, you do well to follow the disciples’ example here. Let’s all go to Jesus, the Word made flesh, and get things cleared up.

Honestly, this particular parable really is quite simple. And to make it idiot-proof and so we don’t get it wrong, Jesus gives us the cheat sheet. We can thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring the Gospel writers to help us dense folk today. So, since you have ears, hear what God desires you to hear.

In the parable, the seed is the Word of God. The different places where the seed falls – the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil – are the various conditions of the heart. While we might be tempted to ask, “What kind of soil am I?” it is probably better to recognize that you and I are each of these types of soil at different times. And even though Jesus doesn’t explicitly say this, I think the types of soil that are presented in the parable are in a particular order. Jesus starts with what is easiest for the devil to attack and prevent fruit from being produced and moves to the types of hearts that are more difficult. So, let’s go through each of them.

First, the path, and listen most closely right now. Open your ears here for two minutes. If you don’t listen to any other part of this sermon, listen to this. The path represents those who hear the Word of God, but then, the devil comes and takes away the Word from their hearts. Look again at the end of v. 12. Our translation, the ESV, has Jesus explaining what happens to the seed on the path by saying, “so they may not believe and be saved.” Now, the ESV is a faithful translation (I wouldn’t be using it for our services if I didn’t think so), but I think the translators unintentionally mislead us a little bit here (and to be fair to the ESV, other translations do the same thing). They make it sound like there are two verbs there – ‘not believe’ and ‘not be saved.’ But, actually, there is only one verb. ‘Not believe’ is a participle and ‘not be saved’ is the verb. In other words, more literally, Jesus says, “so that having believed they may not be saved.” In other words, these people hear God’s Word, and they believe it. But before that Word can begin to grow and sprout, the devil simply snatches it away. This is the devil’s easiest attack on the Word of God. And I think we’ve all experienced this.

To my great shame, I will admit that there are times when I hear God’s Word and it goes right in one ear and out the other. For example, after I drop my kids off for school, I will listen as my phone plays one of my daily Bible readings while I drive here to work. And there are days when I get distracted by something – thinking about my day, or another driver who doesn’t come to a complete stop or use their turn signal or whatever. The reading ends, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what I heard. Other times, I’ve listened to sermons – good, solid, biblical sermons – but once the sermon is over, I couldn’t tell you what the sermon was about. Again, this is the easiest way for the devil to attack the powerful, effective Word of God. He simply snatches it away because it falls on the hard, concrete path.

People of God, when you hear God’s Word, when you read the Bible, when you sit in those chairs and hear the preaching, listen up. Do whatever it takes to pay attention. Get enough sleep on Saturday. Have some caffeine before you come. Don’t let your heart be a paved, hardened path where the devil can simply come and snatch God’s Word from you.

Now, that you’ve heard that, I hope I have your attention and you keep listening.

The second place the seed of God’s Word falls is the rock. This ground is a little more difficult for Satan. This is when we hear God’s Word and receive it with joy. But then those promises get scorched by the heat of trials. We believe the Word for a while, but when times of trouble and testing come, we abandon those promises and fall away.

How many times does God promise to be with you always, but then, when hot trials come, we think God is angry with us and has abandoned us? Trials, tribulations, and troubles are not the time to doubt God’s promises! Think about it the terms of this parable. The heat from the sun represents the trials. But it isn’t the hot sun that kills plants. If plants have good, deep roots that reach down to where the moisture is, the heat from the sun is what causes plants to grow and bear fruit.

Think of when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced death – they faced the hottest trial that anyone can encounter, literally! But they refused to let that trial wither their faith. They had roots that went down to the moisture and their faith prevailed and even flourished when Jesus walked with them in the burning fiery furnace. If you know even a little bit of church history, you know that the church typically grows when it is persecuted. Dear saints, when trials and tribulations come, that is not the time to abandon God’s promises. That is the time to sink your roots deep into them and find the moisture you need. Those trials will in fact cause you to grow and not wither away.

The third place the Word of God falls is among the thorns. The thorns are the cares and riches of this life. Jesus here is warning us that trials and tribulations aren’t the only enemy to our faith. Good gifts that God gives can also be bad for our faith. We are tempted to think that when we are comfortable and not facing trials that we will be left alone, but that isn’t the case. We cannot let our guard down when things are going well. The devil will still attack us, but this is also where he has the hardest time. Satan hasn’t been able to simply snath the promises of God away, and he hasn’t succeeded with his fiery trials. So, the devil has no other choice but to try and choke out God’s Word. But this attack takes the longest and is the hardest for him to accomplish. Here, the devil has to try to slowly introduce weeds to choke out God’s Word. He can’t do it all at once, otherwise we would recognize the attack and be on guard against it. So, he works slowly to choke out God’s Word from your heart.

This is just a reminder. Those weeds – the riches, pleasures, and cares of this life – will always be a threat and nuisance to you. Christian, there will be times where you will need to go out and pick weeds from your life. You can’t simply trim weeds. You have to pull them up by the root. Dear saints, ask yourself, “What has gotten in the way of the Word of God? What things keep me from hearing the blessings God would give me through His Word?” When Jesus talks here about the cares and riches of this life, He doesn’t get specific. Instead, He wants us to constantly assess ourselves and see what is hindering us from rejoicing in God’s Word and being participants in God’s family.

Now, we are ten days away from the beginning of Lent. Today is February 7th and Lent begins February 17th. Scripture doesn’t give specifics for each of us as to what chokes out our faith; instead, God’s Word gives us wisdom to discern what might be slowly strangling us. I am calling on you now to use that wisdom.

Lent is typically a time to remove particular hinderances to our devotion to God’s Word. The Scriptures call it fasting. Fasting is not commanded, but Jesus does assume that His disciples will fast at times (see. Mt. 6:16-18). Fasting is not a way to make God more pleased with you. God couldn’t be more pleased with you who believe that Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins. Instead, fasting is a way to uproot the thorns that the devil would use to choke out your faith. Fasting curbs your sinful, fleshly desires. Fasting, basically, tells your flesh, “You are not in charge of me.”

Lent is a time to pull out those weeds and thorns that would choke out your faith. You have ten days to consider what you might remove from your life for the forty days of Lent. Maybe, there is something that would be beneficial for you to give up in order to discipline your flesh and give extra attention to God’s Word. Again, God doesn’t command this. It’s not something you have to do, but it is a good practice. Don’t think that God will be more pleased with you if you fast. Instead, know that it is a good and beneficial discipline to deny yourself something so that thing, whatever it is, doesn’t become a choking, strangling thorn in your life of faith. Lent is a good time to pick weeds from your spiritual life.

Finally, the Word falls on good soil. Just as you, sinner, are the soil of the path, the rocks, and the thorns, you, Christian, are also the good soil. You are both and all at the same time. God’s Word comes and produces an abundance of fruit that yields a hundred-fold and provides for others.

When we hear this parable, one of the most shocking things is how the recklessly the sower throws around the seed. He throws it around willy-nilly and it lands all over the place. Well, right here at this altar, the sower is about to carefully plant the Seed of His Word deeply into you. You are about to come and receive Christ, the Word made flesh, His very Body and Blood. Let this careful, deliberate planting of God’s Word and the deliverance of God’s forgiveness of all your sins bear, let it bear the fruit of joy and love. Amen.

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

Faithful & Just – Sermon on 1 John 1:5-10 for Ash Wednesday

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The Scripture readings for tonight were Jonah 3:1-10; 1 John 1:5-10; and Matthew 6:16-21.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I was definitely old enough to know better. It was a cold, wet, Spring day. A friend from church, my sister, and myself were probably driving our parents crazy, so our parents dropped us off at the Williston Recreational Center to burn off some energy. The Rec. Center had two basketball courts, a few racquetball courts, and a hockey arena that still had the boards up but no ice. When we paid the fee and signed our names in, the employee told us that the empty hockey rink was off limits to the public that particular day, so we went to the basketball courts to play horse and lightning. But it didn’t take long before we got bored and decided we needed a little more excitement. So, of course, we went to the forbidden hockey arena.

I don’t remember exactly how we got past the front desk unnoticed, but we did. And we proceeded to have a grand time playing inside the boards. But not for long. I remember seeing the employee approaching the glass windows and door that separated the hockey arena from the lobby, and he didn’t look happy. I warned my friend and sister that we had been caught and were about to get in trouble. But my sister had a plan. She insisted that if we closed our eyes, the employee couldn’t see us. She said that it worked once for her friend. Now, I’m three years older than she is, so, again, I should have known better. But I did it. I closed my eyes as tight as I could and assumed the fetal position against the boards. I can only imagine how foolish we looked to that employee. Even as he hollered at us for being in there, I didn’t open my eyes until he tapped my shoulder.

Dear people of God, “If we say we have no sin,” (Notice that this is present tense. No matter how long you’ve been a Christian, not matter how much you’ve improved, no matter how much good you do, you still have sin.) “if we say we have no sin we deceive only ourselves,” and we look like a foolish child cowering with our eyes closed. We cannot flee from or escape the watchful eye of the God who created us. He knows your actions. He knows the words that come out of your mouth. He knows the thoughts of your mind. And He knows the hypocrisy of your heart. If we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us.

Repent because there is another way. Repent because that is the only way!

Scripture is clear that our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. This is one of if not the most common descriptions of God. In fact, this is how God Himself defines who He is (Ex. 34:6). Repentance of Ninevah by John Martin c 1840When Jonah preached to the sinners of Nineveh in our Old Testament lesson (Jon. 3:1-10), they repented from their evil, violent ways. And for them, it was as crazy an idea as closing their eyes to enable invisibility mode. The king says in his proclamation, “Who knows? God may turn aside from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” In other words, “Let’s try repenting. It might work.” Dear saints, we do not have to wonder how God will respond to humble, contrite sinners. Our Epistle Lesson (1 Jn. 1:5-10) says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Make sure you catch all of the words there in v. 9. The text doesn’t just say “If you confess your sins, God will forgive and cleanse.” No. The text says that God is faithful and just to forgive. We would expect to hear different words there – words like merciful, gracious, kind, generous, or even lenient. But that is not what Scripture says. God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Dear saints, God’s forgiveness delivered to you is right and just. That’s saying it in a positive way. And it is true in a negative way (or the opposite way): God would be unjust to withhold forgiveness from you who confess your sins. Your sin, your shame, your unrighteousness, your guilt was all laid upon Jesus on the cross. He has taken all of it and endured the punishment that you deserve. For God to give you any of His anger or displeasure because of your sin would not be right or just. He would be removed from the bench, disbarred, and thrown into prison if He didn’t forgive you.

Dear Christian, be comforted. God faithfully and justly and willingly and delightfully forgives you all your sins because of what Jesus has done for you. Amen.

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

What Are You Doing Here? – Sermon on 1 Kings 19:11-21 for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

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1 Kings 19:11-21

11 And [the Lord] said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lordpassed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lordwas not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lordwas not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. What are you doing here ElijahAnd behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When was the last time you felt like a total failure? You labored and worked and toiled and strived to complete that one monumental task. All your effort comes to an end, and the task is finished. But before you can pat yourself on the back, you look around and there is still so much to do. More to accomplish. More things that need your attention. And all you want to do is crawl into a cave and give up.

That’s where we find Elijah this morning. Fleeing, alone, scared, and hiding in a cave at Mt. Horeb (which is the same as Mt. Sinai) God asks in a low whisper, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah had had a busy month. But even before we consider what had just happened, we have to go back even further.

Elijah first came on the scene while Ahab was king in Israel. Ahab’s wife, Queen Jezebel, had introduced worship of Baal to God’s people. They were sacrificing their own children to Baal and praising themselves for it. The people were tearing down the true God’s altars and replacing them with temple prostitutes, and they would worship their false god by fornicating with them. All the while Jezebel was ruthlessly persecuting Yahweh’s faithful prophets by murdering them.

So, God sends the prophet Elijah to King Ahab to tell him that there would be neither dew nor rain (1 Kgs. 17:1). And for three and a half years (Jam. 5:17-18), Israel had no precipitation. Finally, God sent Elijah back to Ahab and the people of Israel saying, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him; but if Baal is god, follow him.”

After this, Elijah challenges Baal’s prophets to a duel – mano-e-450-manos. The 450 prophets of Baal would sacrifice a bull, lay it on an altar, and call down fire from heaven, and Elijah would do the same. The prophets of Baal call out all morning to their pagan god while Elijah taunts them because there was, of course, no answer (1 Kgs. 18:27-29). Elijah prepares his bull, places it on the altar, and Yahweh, the true God, answers by completely consuming the sacrifice. Afterward, the people of Israel confess, “Yahweh is God.” Elijah took the 450 pagan prophets and slaughters them, and God, sent rain once again.

However, Queen Jezebel wasn’t pleased. She sends a messenger to Elijah swearing by her defeated, pagan gods that she will kill Elijah by the same time tomorrow (1 Kgs. 19:2). That is why Elijah is on the run here in our text. God sends an angel to give Elijah food and water. That meal provided Elijah with the strength to travel forty days to Horeb (1 Kgs. 19:3-8) where he crawls into a cave.

So, after this great victory over the pagan prophets, after God’s provision of rain, after God’s provision of food, there is Elijah standing in a cave feeling very alone and very abandoned. God rightly asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah in the cave What are you doing hereListen again to Elijah’s response, “Listen God, I’ve been very jealous for You. I’ve done what You have commanded. But Your people have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your altars. And they have killed Your prophets with the sword. I’m the only faithful one left, and they are out to kill me as well.” Elijah’s response makes it sound like God had lost and that Baal had won. His answer makes it seem like no rain had fallen, and as though God had failed.

God won’t have it. Yahweh patiently but sternly whispers in Elijah’s ear, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He sends Elijah back with work to do. “Go anoint two kings and your successor as prophet.” And God promises that He will keep and preserve not just Elijah but another seven thousand faithful people for God who have neither bowed down nor kissed Baal. And Elijah goes.

Our society isn’t so different than Israel was in the days of Elijah. We live in a society that sacrifices our children on the altars of convenience and choice. Instead of cult prostitutes, we have every deviant sexual practice imaginable being tolerated and even promoted in our schools. Jezebel isn’t threatening our lives, but we have political leaders who might as well be Jezebel. They say that if we speak out against any of the prevailing sins in our culture, we are backwards and old-fashioned Bible thumpers. They threaten that our morals and the Scripture that teaches them will be forgotten and thrown in the corner of history to gather dust.

With all those voices against us, we might be tempted to be like Elijah and flee to our cave. But what is happening in our nation now is nothing new. We are saddened that the world is driving us to the cave, but, by our silence and fear of speaking out against sin, we have voluntarily walked halfway there in the first place.

Dear Christians, repent. We cannot retreat. We cannot have the defeatist attitude that Elijah had. God still has work for us to do. God has called you to be His salt and light in this world. He desires that you be His faithful witnesses proclaiming that Christ Jesus is the Savior of the world. The world does genuinely want to destroy us, but never forget that God is faithful.

Even if it looks like the Jezebels of our day have won, they haven’t. God defeats Jezebel both physically and spiritually. God told Elijah to anoint Jehu to be king of Israel in place of Ahab and his sons. A little while later Jehu overthrows Ahab’s son who was king. Then, Jehu marches into the city and has Jezebel thrown out of a window where the dogs tear her apart and eat her flesh (2 Kgs. 9:30-37). In her life Jezebel loses in spectacular fashion physically. But even more importantly, Jezebel loses spiritually.

Jezebel had a daughter named Athaliah who married Jehoram, king of Judah. Athaliah and her husband had a son, who had a son, who had a son, and so on and so forth, who eventually a boy named Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Despite Jezebel’s hatred and animosity of Yahweh, God made her the many times over great-grandmother of Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Jezebel tried to defeat God by hating Him. But God defeated Jezebel by loving her. With Jezebel’s blood coursing through His veins, Christ shed His holy and precious blood to forgive even the sins of Jezebel. On the cross, Jesus’ foot, which was formed from Jezebel’s genetic material, crushed the head of the devil and of Baal.

So, stop worrying about how things are going in this world. God is able, and has already, defeated your enemies because they are also His enemies.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” With words that are stern yet compassionate, God calls Elijah out of his cave and gives him work to do for the kingdom of God. And today, God calls you out of your cave because He has work for you to do as well.

God hasn’t called you to go anoint kings and prophets. But He has called you to raise up your children in the faith. God has called you to proclaim and confess that He has called you out of the darkness of your caves and into His marvelous light.

And when you do crawl into your cave, God calls you through His Word, “What are you doing here?” Jesus Coming out of the TombGod will continue to defeat His enemies by raising up faithful believers from the offspring of His enemies. Scripture doesn’t promise that the Jezebels of our day will fall before our eyes. In fact, it is very likely that the voices of Jezebel will continue to grow stronger in our culture and society.

But Scripture does promise that Baal is dead and Christ is living. Jezebel has lost, and you have already won. And, you, Christian, are called to remain faithful.

“What are you doing here?” Come out of your cave, and do the work that God has called you to do. Amen.

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

Mercy Over Anger – Sermon on Matthew 8:1-13 for the Third Sunday of Epiphany

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Matthew 8:1-13

1 When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.”And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

centurion with a sick servant5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”And the servant was healed at that very moment.

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

All the Scripture lessons today (2 Kgs. 5:1-15; Ro. 12:16-21; and Mt. 8:1-13) speak of both mercy and anger. Naaman, the commander of Syria’s army has leprosy and is mercifully healed by God through the prophet Elisha when he washes seven times in the Jordan. But, when Naaman first heard about how this healing would come, he was angry and wasn’t even going to do as God directed him through Elisha.

In our Epistle lesson (Ro. 12:16-21), we Christians are told to be merciful instead of getting angry and vengeful. We are told to not be haughty, but to associate with the lowly. We are told to not repay evil for evil and never avenge ourselves, but leave vengeance to the Lord. We are commanded to overcome evil not with anger but with good.

But the theme of mercy and anger is a little harder to notice in this Gospel text. Mercy is easy to see. Jesus is merciful to two men. First, to a leper who was physically and spiritually unclean but then receives better than he asks. And second, to a Gentile centurion who had a sick servant. This centurion, a commander of at least one hundred men, believes that even though he was unworthy to have Christ come under his roof our Lord has both the ability and mercy to speak a word from far away and heal his servant. So, you might be wondering, where is the anger in this Gospel text?

After Jesus praises the centurion’s faith, Jesus talks about the anger of those who spend eternity in hell. In the outer darkness, Jesus says people will experience only weeping and gnashing of teeth for eternity. That phrase “gnashing of teeth” is not some sort of torture, like an eternal dental procedure. “Gnashing of teeth” is a Hebrew expression of anger and rage. A person who is angry gnashes his teeth at the one who has made him angry. (You see this in Ps. 112:10and other places in the Old Testament.) You can watch this happen when children are angry with their siblings or peers. They clench their jaw, show their teeth, and growl. Hell is where anger and rage never go away and is never satisfied. And we need to consider this for a bit to see the horror of hell.

Those who are in hell insisted on going their own way in this life. They want to be their own lords rather than let God be their Lord. They insist that they be judged according to their own righteousness and merits (which is only a big, smoldering pile of scat anyway), and so they will be. They will be judged and condemned because their trust is in their own righteousness rather than in Christ’s righteousness won for them on the cross and given to them by God’s grace and mercy. And they will be angry with God because they think God has been unfair. In hell, people are given over to their own anger for eternity.

Jesus gives this picture in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Mt. 25:31-46). The goats are justly condemned to hell for their sins, but they are angry with God for not seeing what they thought were their plethora of good works. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk. 16:19-31) Jesus also shows how unbelievers grumble and angrily insist on their own way even when they are suffering. The rich man is in anguish and sorrow in hell begging Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers. Abraham says, “They already have Moses and the prophets.” In other words, they have the Scriptures, so they don’t need any further warning. But the rich man says, “That won’t work. My idea is better. Send Lazarus.” Even in there in hell, the rich man rejects the power and truth of God’s Word and angrily insists on his own way.

AngerHell is the place where people are given over to their anger. It is full of people whose pride has lead them to think that God owes them something because they are so good and righteous or because they belonged to the right club or had the right lineage. But they are wrong and so they are in torment stewing in their anger against God and there is no relief or release. All of that is the gnashing of teeth. So, when Jesus speaks of what hell will be, He gives a picture of darkness, sorrow, and anger.

Now, we need to consider this picture of hell as a place of eternal anger a bit because anger is so prevalent in our society. Anger is probably the most acceptable sin in our culture. We give in to it all too easily and quickly, but our expressions of anger reveal only our pride.

Someone cuts us off while we are driving, and we get angry. We sinfully think, “How dare that guy think he is so important that he cut me off like that?” Well, maybe he actually is more important. Maybe he is going to say goodbye to his dying relative.

Someone jumps into an empty line at the grocery store with a full cart while we have to wait holding only a gallon of milk. Or a coworker fumbles through a task leaving us to pick up the slack. Or our child forgets to do the chore we expected them to do and because of their absent-mindedness we end up behind schedule. We get angry because we see every inconvenience as an injustice against us. Our pride has been hurt, and we try to get even with that person or we take our frustration out on the first vulnerable target in our sights. In doing so, we act as though any hinderance to us is of cosmic significance. And our anger leads us to respond wrath and vengeance.

But by becoming angry – listen to this now – by becoming angry, we are stealing from God. “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says God. To give in to anger is to bring a little piece of hell upon yourself. In doing so, you hurt yourself and those you love. Your anger reveals your pride, and it is weakness. It is unhealthy and dangerous.

Repent. Let it go. Turn the other cheek. The Holy Spirit does not ever move you to anger. None of the fruits of the Spirit – neither love, nor joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, nor self-control – none of those have anything to do with anger. Instead, the Holy Spirit moves you to pity, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and mercy.

Now, pay careful attention here because this is the most important thing about this sermon. Mercy triumphs over anger. Consider Naaman in our Old Testament text. He went off in a rage when he thought Elisha’s prescribed ceremony was foolish. Naaman was a strong man, but we see that his strength was not in his military might rather in his humility and submission to the Word of God.

Same with the centurion in this Gospel text. While he had authority over many men and could order them around, he lacked the authority to make his servant better. He could not say to his servant’s sickness, “Go away.” And he lacked the authority to say to his servant, “Get better.” jesus-lamb-slain-silver-goldHe couldn’t do it because he didn’t have the strength or authority. The centurion’s truest strength was his submission and faith that Christ’s authority far surpassed his own. So, the centurion in faith and hope asks Jesus to merely speak the word, and his servant is healed at that very moment.

Dear saints, your Savior’s mercy is more than His anger toward you. Trust in that mercy. And when you are tempted to be angry with others, remember that God is just. He is just and merciful. May we, as His children, be like Him. Amen.

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