Tag Archives: Fear

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

Luke 21:25–36

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isaiah 51:9–16

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unlocked – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19–31

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Normally, I try to have one main theme or point in my sermons. Today, I’m throwing that out the window, and you’re going to get three mini-sermons. Yes, each of them is mini.

Sermon #1 – Jesus unlocks the New Creation. When God the Father created the world, He formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature (Gen. 2:7). Now in our Gospel text here, the resurrected Son of God stands among His disciples the very evening He rose, and He breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld” (Jn. 20:22-23).

The way the Holy Spirit inspired this to be written, we are supposed to see those two things – Jesus’ breathing on the disciples and also what He says about the Holy Spirit and forgiveness – as one action. In other words, Jesus’ statement is how Jesus breathes on the disciples. With the breathing of those words, Jesus is unlocking the new creation to you, believer. You who are in Christ through faith, you are a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

Sermon #2 – Locked doors don’t matter to Jesus. This text drops us into the room with the disciples Easter evening, so 1,991 years and seven days ago. It had been a chaotic day. Angels were appearing and talking to people. The resurrected Jesus has been popping up all over the place. Even with all of that going on throughout the day, the disciples and the women are gathered together in a house with the doors locked because they were afraid.

Luke in his Gospel also tells us about that evening (Lk. 24:36-49), and the way Luke records it, it seems like there is a disagreement between them all. It seems like some of them believe Jesus is raised, but some of them think something else is going on because Luke says that even when they see Jesus they think He is a ghost (Lk. 24:26-27). 

The way John words things here in v. 19, it makes it seem like Jesus invisibly goes through the locked door, but once He’s through He is suddenly visible. But listen to how Luke records it (Lk. 24:36): “As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’” The way that is worded makes it seem like Jesus was right there the whole time, and He suddenly appears – He makes Himself visible – while they are all confused and trying to make sense of everything that had been going on that day.

Then, Jesus asks for some food, and He eats a piece of broiled fish because, of course, ghosts wouldn’t be able to eat food. Then Jesus shows them His hands, feet, and side (just like He does here). The disciples touch Jesus. Not only do they see Him, they also feel Him hug Him. Who knows? Maybe they even gave Him high fives and fist bumps.

Now, here’s the point of mini sermon #2: Just because you can’t see Jesus with your eyes, that does not mean that He isn’t here. Jesus promised, at least a few months before His crucifixion, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt. 18:20). Dear saints, Jesus is really, truly, actually here with us this morning. If He wanted to, He could appear and ask for something to eat. Anyone carrying a can of sardines? But even better, He is here and will give you His Body to eat and His Blood to drink. Jesus is here. So, believe.

Sermon #3 – Jesus has some unlocking for you to do. When Jesus gives the Holy Spirit, He gives Christians the authority to forgive and to bind sin (Jn. 20:22-23). Remember when the lame man was lowered through the roof to be before Jesus (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26); what did Jesus say to him? “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled because they rightly said that only God can forgive sins. Then, Jesus proves He is God and has authority to forgive sins by healing the man. Well, the one who has the authority to forgive sins extends that authority to His Church the same day He rose from the dead.

I’ve used this analogy about absolution before, but it’s helpful and worth hearing it again. Imagine you are found guilty of a crime and locked in prison. As you sit in your cell, a judge looks over your case and rules that you are innocent. He sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. The guard comes to your cell with the keys, unlocks the door, walks you out of the prison, and releases you back into society. Now who set you free – the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both. The judge uses his authority to free you, and the guard uses his hands and feet to free you. Both things work together – the judge’s authority and the guard’s releasing because of that authority. 

When we gather together as God’s people here in God’s house, it is right for us to confess our sins together. And it is right for the man you have called to be your pastor – which is me – to proclaim God’s absolution and forgiveness for those sins. In the church, the pastors are the guys with the keys (Mt. 16:18-19). And please know that I wouldn’t have the guts to declare that forgiveness if Scripture didn’t clearly say that is what I, as the pastor, am to do. That is why the absolution is “by Christ’s command and authority.”

And this authority isn’t only given to pastors to announce over congregations. Jesus gives all believers this authority. You can announce this forgiveness. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, point them to Jesus. Tell them that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done. And I do that because that’s what Jesus Himself would do.”

Dear saints, Jesus is way better at forgiving than you are at sinning. The absolution is a great gift that Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce (Jn. 20:21). That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that declares those sins are gone. As far as the east is from the west, so far has Jesus removed our transgressions from us (Ps. 103:12).

Dear Ava, that brings me to you. Ava, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19) and clothed you with Himself (Gal. 3:27). In your Baptism, Jesus joined you to His death so that you have a Jesus-kind of death – in other words, a death that doesn’t last long and ends in resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). Ava, you have been born of God; stay in the faith which overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4).

Our service today opened with 1 Pet. 2:2, “Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word.” May all of us continually be fed and nourished by that Word that unlocks our sin and opens the way to eternal life. 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.

Fear Not, Confess – Sermon on Matthew 10:26-33 for the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Matthew 10:26–33

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

32 “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If we’re honest, we all have to admit that there are times we have been afraid to speak the truth. What Jesus tells us in His Word, we are often afraid to bring into the light. We hear things in Church that we don’t whisper outside these walls, and we don’t dare shout from the housetops.

Jesus clearly says that nothing is covered or hidden that will not be revealed and known. But speaking the truth can still be hard. We don’t want to say something that will cause us to be criticized, ridiculed, and rejected. We don’t want to deal with the discomfort of knowing we have offended someone. We don’t want to be misrepresented as being hateful people. But every reason for not speaking has a common root – fear. But all those fears in the wrong things. We are fearing those who can kill the body but not the soul. Repent. Repent and stop fearing mere men, but fear God who can destroy both the soul and body in hell.

As I mentioned earlier, today is the 493rd anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession which lays out a summary of what we believe, teach, and confess here at Christ the King. I want to give a very brief bit of history about that presentation before I apply the rest of this Gospel reading to you. I’m sorry if you don’t like history, but it will be helpful for you to hear it so you can boldly live out your faith in today’s culture.

In 1529, the army of Muslim Ottoman Empire was marching its way from Istanbul, Turkey into Europe and through the Holy Roman Empire. But the unusually rainy weather that year caused the Muslim invaders to stall out just south of Germany before they returned home. Emperor Charles V knew the armies would probably return, and he wanted unity in his empire so they could all fight against the Muslim armies together. This meant that Charles had to deal with the religious problem between the German territories who had been awakened by Luther’s proclamation of the Gospel on the one side and the Roman Church on the other side.

Charles called the Lutheran princes and officials from the Roman Church to meet in the city of Augsburg. When the Lutheran princes arrived, they were met with an order from Charles to participate in a festival called Corpus Christi. That festival of the church of Rome is where a priest or bishop would consecrate the elements of the Lord’s Supper, but then, rather than consuming it, the Bread would be placed in a golden box and paraded through the town so people could see the elements. The Roman church taught that simply seeing the Bread was a way for the people to commune. The whole thing flies in the face of what Jesus says about the Lord’s Supper. He says, “Take, eat,” not, “Take, walk behind, and look.”

The Lutherans were appalled at the situation. One of the Lutheran rulers stood before Charles and replied to this demand, “Before I would deny my Lord and Savior in this way, I would gladly kneel before you and have my head chopped off.” In other words, “No.” Charles could barely speak German, so he responded, “Nicht kopf ab. Nicht kopf ab.” Which is, “Not head off. Not head off.”

A few days later, at 3:00 PM on June 25th of 1530, Charles, the Roman officials, and the Lutheran princes gathered to hear the doctrinal statement of the Lutherans which is the Augsburg Confession. In that document, the Lutherans wanted to show that they were not heretics but were faithfully preaching the doctrines of Scripture and traced their doctrine and practice back to the early years of the church. Crowds came to hear the confession; in fact, so many people gathered they couldn’t all fit in the castle. The windows were opened, and the document was read in its entirety. The voice reading it was so clear and articulate that it is recorded that thousands outside the castle were able to hear. And all the Lutherans stood as it was read.

By holding to that confession, the Lutheran princes were all risking their lands and lives, but they held firm to those Scriptural doctrines anyway. They spoke of God’s testimonies before kings and were not put to shame (Ps. 119:46). And they didn’t know how Charles, the head of the government, would respond. It was possible that they would all be executed, and their lands and people would be attacked by Charles’ armies. It was possible that Charles would agree with them. They didn’t know. They didn’t have control. All they could do was speak God’s testimonies and leave everything in His hands.

Ok. History lesson over.

Today, we don’t have control over the government. We don’t have control over the culture or the media. We don’t have control of the perception others have of us. So many things are outside our control, but that’s ok. It’s ok. Our confidence in confessing God’s testimonies is never based on having control or tax benefits or a favorable political or social environment. 

We can always speak God’s testimonies and not be put to shame. Yes, we might be mocked and ridiculed and labeled as ‘old-fashioned.’ Yes, we might be kicked to the side of the culture. Yes, we might even be persecuted by the government, society, and media. But that doesn’t matter because none of them have control over reality. They’ve never had that control, and they never will because their word didn’t create the heavens and the earth. Their word didn’t establish what is right and what is wrong. Their word doesn’t determine the truth. But God’s Word did and still does.

By God’s Word the heavens and the earth were made. By God’s Word, Christ was sent to be the Savior of sinners. By God’s Word, you have been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified as the Church. By God’s Word, you are kept and sustained in the one true faith.

That is why we can confess God’s Word without fear. The worst anyone can do to us is merely kill our bodies; they cannot touch our souls (Mt. 10:28). The God who created the sparrows by His Word knows when one of them falls to the ground. And that same God is your heavenly Father who has numbered every hair on your head. That same God is the One who came to earth, took on flesh, shed His blood, and died for you. That same God is the One who inscribed your name in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8).

Now, we might wish that God would send revival to our land. We might wish that God would send reformation to unite the scattered and divided Christians here on earth. We might wish that God would raise up another Luther or, like He did in our Old Testament reading (Neh. 8:1-2, 5-6, 9-12), another ruler like Nehemiah or another priest like Ezra who can restore the Word of God to our land and to the people around us. But God in His wisdom, which is greater than yours, hasn’t given one – at least, not yet. But God has raised up you. God has placed you in your family; in this congregation; in your workplace; in this city, state, and country to confess His testimonies, and you will not be put to shame.

So, dear saints, acknowledge Christ before men, and He also will acknowledge you before God the Father (Mt. 10:32).

And if you still fear to speak His testimonies and acknowledge Christ, if you aren’t sure how to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), here are some suggestions for overcoming that fear:

Start by being here at church for the services and Bible studies. Learn from God’s Word because that will help you grow in your faith. And, as you grow, you will be more equipped to confess.

Then, talk with your family after church. Talk about the hymns and the Scripture readings. Talk about what you leaned in Sunday school and the sermon. Discuss with your spouse, kids, and parents what God taught you and how He encouraged and blessed you through His Word. All of that is zero risk because you won’t be persecuted for doing that. It won’t put you or them in danger. Also, it is good practice for confessing the faith and speaking the truth of God’s testimonies to others.

If you’re already doing that, expand further out. Confess to friends and relatives that you are close to – people who are a little further out but you have a good, solid relationship with. If you mess up and say something that offends them, you have a better chance of getting another opportunity to confess better or more clearly. That is also low risk.

As you become more comfortable doing that, keep going. You will be better equipped to confess to people you are less familiar with and even to strangers. The more you confess, the better you get at it. And along the way, you will be building up and encouraging those around you to confess as well.

Dear saints, fear not. Confess God’s testimonies.

When time is no more and you stand before God, you will only have Him to answer to. Everything else will pass away. As many days as God gives to you, confess Him knowing that only God and His Word will stand. The world may try to shame us, but they don’t have any power. The power of men comes and goes. All flesh is like grass and eventually passes away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever (Is. 40:6, 8; 1 Pet. 1:24-25).

Dear Christian, Jesus is risen. We are going to win. Amen.

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

Forgiven & Blessed – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-31

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The evening of the Resurrection, Jesus seeks out the disciples just like He sought Adam and Eve when they hid themselves behind some fig leaves in the Garden. Fear had reduced those ten disciples to a bunch of dead bones (Ezk. 37:1-14). It was only ten of them because Judas had betrayed Jesus, and Thomas wasn’t there. Where was Thomas? The text doesn’t specifically say, but we do have some clues from Scripture. So, put on your Sherlock Holmes hats, and let’s do some deductive reasoning together.

Early that morning, Peter and John saw the empty tomb and the neatly folded burial cloths (Jn. 20:1-10). And throughout the day, Jesus had been appearing to all sorts of people. First, to Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:11-18), and shortly after that, to the other women who had gone to the tomb (Mt. 28:9-10). At some point, Jesus appears to Peter privately (Lk. 24:34) and to two other disciples, who were not part of the twelve, on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35). So, Jesus is popping up all over the place, but the disciples have locked and imprisoned themselves in that upper room afraid for their lives.

They knew that the Pharisees had Pilate set a guard at the tomb to keep the disciples from trying to fake a resurrection (Mt. 27:62-66). These ten disciples are afraid that a bunch of soldiers are out looking for them to kill them just like they had killed Jesus. So, again, why isn’t Thomas there? The Gospel of John seems to suggest that Thomas wasn’t afraid. Thomas has been given the unfortunate nickname ‘doubting Thomas,’ but he may have been bolder and more fearless than the other disciples. Back in John 11, which was probably just a few weeks before the crucifixion, Thomas was ready to die with Christ. In John 11, Jesus suggests that they all go to Judea where He will raise Lazarus. Eleven of the disciples aren’t too keen on the idea because Jesus was almost stoned there twice (Jn. 8:59, 10:31), but Thomas speaks up, “Let’s go with Him that we may die with Him” (Jn. 11:16).

So, back to the day of Jesus’ resurrection: Peter and John tell the other disciples that they had found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene reports that she has seen and talked with Jesus (Jn. 20:18). The other women tell the disciples that they have seen and talked with angels and with Jesus (Lk. 24:10-11). The two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus and Peter all say that they have seen Jesus (Lk. 24:33-35). All these reports of Jesus’ resurrection are coming in, which might have made Thomas curious. Now, Scripture doesn’t say explicitly, but it isn’t a stretch to imagine that Thomas isn’t behind those locked doors because he is out trying to find Jesus. If he gets caught by the soldiers and killed, so what? He is ready to die with Jesus.

But while Thomas is away, Jesus appears to the ten, speaks peace to them, shows them His wounds, breathes the Holy Spirit on them, and sends them out to with the authority to forgive sins. Then, Jesus leaves. At some point, Thomas comes back and the ten say, “Jesus was here, and you just missed Him.” Thomas is frustrated, and he doesn’t respond well at all. He defiantly says, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

It ends up, all eleven disciples had locked themselves up, just in different ways. Ten had locked themselves in the prison of the fear of death, but Thomas has locked himself in the prison of unbelief because he hasn’t seen what the others have seen. Well, those prison bars and doors aren’t a problem for Jesus. Christ appears through the locked doors of fear to forgive the sin of the ten. And Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive sins saying, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Then, one week later, Jesus will appear to Thomas and unlock the doors of unbelief. But let’s consider for just a minute how Jesus gives the ten the authority to forgive sins.

Think back to when Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered through the roof (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26). Instead of healing the guy right away, Jesus says to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled at this saying that only God could forgive sins. So, Jesus heals the paralytic proving that He has the authority to forgive sin. Now, on Easter evening, Jesus passes that authority on to the disciples and, ultimately, all Christians.

Sin has put all humanity behind bars in the prison of death. But Jesus has come to give release to everyone who is in captivity to sin (Lk. 4:18; Is. 61:1). Because God has called me to be the pastor here, I am called to give that same release of sin. It is why, after we have confessed our sins and receive the absolution, I say, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His command and authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins.” Because Jesus has the authority to forgive and passed this authority to all Christians, it is as though Jesus is doing it Himself. Think of it this way.

Imagine you are guilty of a crime and in jail. As you sit there in prison, a judge across town rules that you are innocent. That ruling doesn’t do you any good until that judge sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. Then, the guard comes with the keys, unlocks your cell, and releases you back into society. Now, in that scenario, who set you free, the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both.

If the judge declares you innocent but the guard doesn’t go to your cell and open the door, you are still behind bars. On the other hand, if the guard lets you out without any order or declaration from the judge, you are free, but you will live the rest of your life waiting to be arrested because you haven’t been justly declared innocent.

Now, non-Christians live as though the guard has let them out, but the judge hasn’t issued the ruling that they are set free. They are like Thomas on the evening of the resurrection. Jesus has taken the punishment they deserve and forgiven them of all their sins, but that freedom doesn’t do them any good because they don’t believe that they are really, truly free.

Christian, that is where you come in. You can announce this forgiveness to others. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, you can tell them of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tell them that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and His resurrection shows that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done.”

There is another side to this. Some Christians are like the ten disciples. They live as though the judge has issued the ruling, but they stay in their cell as though the guard hasn’t let them out. So, they remain in prison fearing that that freedom will get them in trouble. Dear saints, when you hear the absolution, it is nothing more than the guard letting you out of the prison of sin and death by Jesus’ ruling that you are forgiven. You really are free, and your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12).

That is the Gospel message. That is the authority Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce. That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that, because He died and rose again, sins are forgiven. They are gone.

I want to close with Jesus’ response to Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus replies, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus is speaking about you there. The risen Jesus had you in mind when He spoke those words. You have not seen Your resurrected Savior in the flesh. You don’t see the marks in Jesus’ hands and side. Instead, you see crosses that remind you of the death that Christ died for you. You see the Font where Jesus delivers to you His mercy and forgiveness and washes away your sins. You see an altar on which nothing has ever been sacrificed but which Jesus uses as His table to feed you bread and wine which Jesus says is His risen Body and Blood.

You do not see, but you hear the same proclamation of Jesus, “Peace to you.” That peace is yours because Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity is crucified, died, and was buried. He is risen again to give you His peace and the forgiveness of all your sins now and for all eternity. Dear saints, you are forgiven and blessed by your crucified and risen Lord and Savior.

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

Amen.

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

The Fear of a Fraud – Sermon on Genesis 28:10-17 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Genesis 28:10-17

10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

With a stone under his head, imagine what was going through Jacob’s mind as he lay down to sleep. We have to track what has happened in Jacob’s life up to this point. The name ‘Jacob’ name means ‘deceiver,’ and he had certainly lived up (or down) to his name (Gen. 27:36). Jacob was the younger twin of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was the older brother by a foot (Gen. 25:25-26) because Jacob was born clinging to Esau’s heel. As the younger sibling, Jacob wasn’t in line to receive either the birthright or the blessing that God had first given to Abraham who passed it on to Isaac. Now, Esau was supposed to get them.

These two brothers grew up, and, one day, Jacob was cooking a pot of stew when Esau came home exhausted from working in the field. Esau asked Jacob for some of the soup, but Jacob didn’t act in a brotherly way. Instead, Jacob pulled off the biggest case of price-gouging in history and sold a single cup of that stew for Esau’s birthright (Gen. 25:29-34). Of course, Esau was a fool to agree to this sale (Heb. 12:16-17), but that doesn’t let Jacob off the hook for being a total jerk.

Later, when their father was old, blind, and thought he was near death, Isaac asked Esau to prepare a meal for him so he could pass God’s blessing on to Esau. Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, heard about this and told Jacob to pull a fast one over on his dad so he would get the blessing. Initially, Jacob was hesitant, but ultimately, he went along with his mom’s plan. Jacob dressed up in Esau’s clothes so he would smell like Esau. He even put animal skins on his arms so he would feel hairy like Esau in case his blind father touched him. The plan worked pretty well. At first, Isaac was skeptical because he recognized Jacob’s voice. But after Jacob lied several times, insisting he really was Esau, Isaac gave Jacob the blessing that the Messiah would come from Jacob’s descendants (Gen. 27:1-29).

After this, Esau decided he’d had enough and planned to kill Jacob after their father died. Rebekah heard about Esau’s murder plot, so she sends Jacob from their home in Beersheba to Haran (which is about 450 miles away as the crow flies) to find a wife. Our text here picks up about 50 miles into the trip, maybe two days into the journey.

So, again, imagine all the fear Jacob must have faced as he lay down. He had reason to fear because, for the first time in his life, he is away from his parents. He had reason to fear because his brother has plans to kill him. He had reason to fear because he is going to an unfamiliar land where his mother wants him to get a wife. His past is full of fraud, and his future fat with fear. And now, as the sun goes down, he has nothing to lay his head on but that rock.

Yes, the rock would have been an uncomfortable pillow, but what really made Jacob uncomfortable is his rightly guilty conscience telling him how big of a fraud he had been. Sure, in the eyes of men Jacob had gotten both the birthright and the blessing, but what about in the eyes of God? Would God honor the blessing that had been passed down to him?

Well, God came to Jacob that night and gave him the comfort he wasn’t expecting. In a dream, Jacob saw a ladder set up between heaven and earth. That ladder was the connection between the two as the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And God said to Jacob, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring will spread abroad to the west, east, north, and south. And in your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. Jacob, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

In other words, God is saying, “Jacob do not be afraid. You may be a fraud, but I am not. I’m going to keep My promises. Yes, you took advantage of your brother to get the birthright, but I’m still going to give you the offspring and land I promised to give to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, you fooled your father into giving you the blessing, but he still spoke the words that I put into his mouth. So, I’m going to give you what was promised even though you received that promise deceptively and impurely. The Messiah that I swore to give to Abraham and to your father is going to come from your own body. And when the Messiah dwells in this land that I promised to give to you, heaven is going to touch earth. The Messiah, who will be your descendant, is going to unite heaven and earth, unite God and mankind, and bring my forgiveness and blessing to all the families of the earth. With His forgiveness, all mankind will have the right to ascend to the throne of God. Jacob, don’t think for one second that your fraud and deceit will make My promises void and go away. My promises are My promises. Your sin, deceit, and trickery cannot change what I have promised.”

Do you ever find yourself having similar fears as Jacob had? Do you ever worry that God’s promises aren’t really for you because you are unworthy? Do you think His blessings aren’t for you because you have too much sin and baggage? Do you see all your unfaithfulness think His mercy cannot be yours? You have confessed to have faith in Jesus in the past, but do you question if you’ve really meant it? You recognize that the sins you speak against publicly are the same sins that you privately love. You are surrounded by all sorts of evidence that you are a fake Christian and a complete fraud. You know that God can see through your façade, so you figure His promises aren’t for you.

Dear saints, do not fear. Even though you are a fraud, God is not. When you are filled with that doubt and fear, close your eyes and look for Jacob’s ladder, and you find that ladder in Christ. Jesus is the One who unites heaven and earth (Jn. 1:51). The eternal Son of God took on your flesh and blood and shed His blood which cleanses you from all your sin. This Jesus is the one who has given you the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). A right that you have not earned or deserved, but God Himself has stamped His seal of approval on your adoption papers with the very blood of Jesus.

It is absolutely true that those who do not believe in Jesus will be eternally condemned. But know this, the sincerity of your faith does not and cannot change the fact that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for you (1 Jn. 2:2). Your faith is not what causes your salvation. Faith is what receives that salvation. God doesn’t save you because you believed His promises purely. God saves you because He sent Jesus to be Jacob’s ladder connecting heaven and earth and reuniting God to the sinners of this world. Look to the cross. Look to the perfect work of Jesus alone.

Notice Jacob’s reaction after this vision. Notice how, in the last verse, we are told that Jacob was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” All of Jacob’s fears of leaving his family, the threats of his brother, even the fear of himself because of his doubt is all removed. The only fear Jacob has left is God alone. The multitude of God’s grace promised to him brings Jacob a holy and right fear of God.

I’m going to change gears a bit here because we might find it surprising that Jacob would fear after hearing all these wonderful promises. The thing is: fear and service go together. Hebrews 2:15 teaches us that our fear of death actually causes us to become slaves of the devil. We don’t like to think about it this way, but the truth is that we end up serving what we fear. For example, if you are afraid of public shame and humiliation, you might be hesitant to share about your faith in Christ and end up serving your reputation instead of God. But there is a right fear – the fear of God. Luther’s explanation to the 1st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” is, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” And Scripture repeatedly says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Pr. 1:7; Pr. 9:10; 15:33; and Mic. 6:9).

Even though we live in the safest time in all of history, there is a lot of fear today. The best explanation for why that is is that we fear things that are not worthy of our fear (Lk. 12:4-7) and we end up serving them instead of fearing and serving God alone. But when we fear God alone, He casts out all other fears (1 Jn. 4:18).

I’ll close here with a few verses that are so interesting. (I printed them on the back of the Scripture insert for you.) It’s Jer. 33:7-9 where God gives all these wonderful promises. He promises there that He will bring Judah and Israel home from their captivity. He promises to cleanse them from their sin and rebellion. He promises that their city will be a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who hear about all the good God will do for them. And here is God’s conclusion to all those promises: “they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and prosperity I will provide for them.”

Dear saints, like He did for Jacob in our text, God has a multitude of promises to love you, forgive you, care for you, deliver you, and rescue you out of every trouble. Let Him alone be your fear, and He will cast out every other fear with His love and mercy. Amen.

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

Fear, Love, & Trust – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:34-46

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “The Lord said to my Lord, 

       ‘Sit at my right hand, 
until I put your enemies under your feet’?

45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, here they go again. Those tricksy Pharisees. Trying to catch Jesus, trying to get our Lord to say something that would get Him in trouble. Last week, it was at a banquet watching to see what Jesus would do with a sick man (Lk. 14:1-11). This week, it’s with a test question. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

To be honest, there isn’t really anything wrong with the lawyer’s question as it is. (More on that in a bit.) But the motive behind the question was sinful. The Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus pitting one part of God’s Word against another. It’s impossible to know exactly what they had planned to do with Jesus’ response. Maybe, they figured Jesus would say that the 1st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” was the greatest. Then, they could falsely accuse Him of teaching that profaning God’s name, dishonoring parents, murder, stealing, or lying wasn’t a big deal. Whatever their plans and thoughts were, they were trying to make Jesus look like a fool with this question about the Law.

They miscalculated. Badly.

They didn’t realize with Whom they were speaking. Jesus is the Author of the Ten Commandments. He carved them into stone tablets and declared them to Moses and all the people of Israel (Jn. 1:18). Trying to trick Jesus with a question about the Ten Commandments is like trying to trick Herman Melville with a question about Moby Dick, Mark Twain with a question about Huck Finn, C.S. Lewis with a question about Aslan, George Lucas with a question about Luke Skywalker, or Dr. Seuss with a question about the Cat in the Hat. (Hopefully, one of those combinations works for you.)

Jesus, the Author of the Law, will not let one part of His perfect will – which is expressed in the Commandments – be pitted against the rest. The Commandments are not in competition with each other. To love God with the whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind is the first and great commandment. And notice how Jesus continues. He says there is another commandment, a second commandment, that is like the first and great commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, it is interesting in Mark’s account of this same encounter with the Pharisees Jesus says there’s no other commandment – singular – greater than these – plural (Mk. 8:31). In other words, perfect love of God and perfect love of your neighbor go together. The two are inseparably tied together and are really one commandment. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love for God is demonstrated by love for the neighbor. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” In other words, when you love your neighbor, you are loving God who has commanded you to love your neighbor.

Some people today will say that since Jesus distills the Commandments down to, “Love God, and love your neighbor,” that we don’t need the Commandments or any other teaching about God’s Law. Basically, they will say, “We just have to love each other.” Be careful with that. The reality is that we need the Commandments, we need the Law, to teach us what love looks like.

If you want to love God, love your neighbor, and here is what that looks like: Loving God is obeying His command to honor your father and mother by serving, obeying, and respecting them. Loving God is obeying His command to not murder your neighbor or cause him any suffering. Loving God is obeying His command to not commit adultery – which means, husbands, live a chaste life for your wife, and wives, live a chaste life for your husband. Love is not stealing, rather helping your neighbor improve and protect his property. Love is not bearing false witness and putting the most charitable construction on all that your neighbor does.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you think what you are doing is motivated by love; if your thoughts, words, or actions fall outside of these Commands, it is not love. In fact, we could go a step farther and say that, whenever your actions fall outside of the Ten Commandments, they are selfish and sinful actions motivated by hatred toward both God and neighbor.

Dear saints, all of this is to say, we all have a lot of reasons to repent. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. We let our fear of things other than God dictate how we act. We let our love of things that are not God distract us from the God who loves us. We let our trust in things other than God draw us away from God. Again, dear saints, repent. The Law always accuses us and shows how we fail in our obligation to love God and neighbor.

Now, I said earlier that there isn’t anything wrong with the lawyer’s question about what is the greatest Command. But that question, by itself is incomplete because the Law leaves us hanging out to dry under God’s wrath and punishment. At best, the Law can only curb and deter people from sin, but that’s as far as it can go. The Law is good because it tells us what we must do, but the Law is limited because it can only reveal what we have failed to do. The Law is never helpful in saving us unless we also know the One who hung upon the cross for all our sins of failing to love God and neighbor.

That is why Jesus asks His question about the Christ. Just like in last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus turns the tables and asks the Pharisees a question, “The Messiah, whose son is he?” And the Pharisees were right when they answered, “David’s son.” God had promised that a son of David would sit on David’s throne forever (1 Sam. 7). But David also wrote in Psalm 110:1, which is the verse that Jesus quotes, that this Son of David is also David’s Lord. So, Jesus’ question is, “How can the Messiah, David’s son, also be David’s Lord?”because a father would never call his descendent, “Lord.”

Here, Jesus is teaching the Pharisees and you that the Messiah is both God and man. Here’s why that is so important:

Because the Messiah is God, He has kept the Law perfectly. And because He is man, that keeping of the Law is for you. Jesus perfectly loved God and your neighbor in your place. And through faith, that perfect keeping of the Law is credited to you (2 Cor. 5:21).

The easiest example of this is the 4th Commandment. The Law says, “Honor thy father and mother. Love God by loving your parents as yourself.” And you are left saying, “God, I haven’t done that. I need Your help.” If the Jesus had not come to earth as a Man, God would have to say, “Well, I’m God. I don’t have a father or mother, so I can’t help you. You have to do that yourself.” But God did become a Man. Jesus had a mom and a dad. He did love and honor them perfectly. So, He can and does help you by reckoning His obedience and keeping the Commandment to your account. And this applies to each and every one of the Commandments.

Jesus, the eternal, righteous Son of God, became a Man, perfectly loved God and neighbor, died, and rose again. Through this, He has brought the Law to perfection. This might be too simplistic of an explanation, but it might help shape our thinking.

In His answer to the lawyer’s question, Jesus shows us that the Law has a divine aspect and a physical aspect – love God (divine) and love neighbor (physical). God be praised, that He has given you a Savior who is also divine and physical – God and Man. So, now, when you hear the Law and what it requires of you, you realize that you are lost and deserve God’s wrath and judgment in both body and soul. So, you cry out, “God I’m lost. I deserve punishment and death, could You take that punishment and die for me?” And because the Son of God has taken up your flesh, Jesus says, “Sure. I already have.”

Dear saints, Jesus has perfectly loved God and neighbor for you. All of His perfection and righteousness – His perfect fear, love, and trust in God – is given to you through faith. And to strengthen that faith, your Savior is here now to give you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

Fear & Forgiveness – Sermon on Genesis 50:15-21 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This is a phenomenal text and a beautiful conclusion to a long story of Joseph and his brothers. I know you’re familiar with it, but I still want to review it to highlight some details that are often overlooked so we can see just how dramatic this scene is.

Joseph’s father, Jacob, had two wives (which Scripture repeatedly shows is a bad idea), and his wives were sisters, Leah and Rachel, and this family arrangement poisoned the relationship of these two sisters. Because Jacob loved Rachel but not Leah (Gen. 29:31), God made it so Leah is able to have children, but Rachel isn’t. Without getting too much into the seedy details, only after Jacob has ten sons does Rachel conceive and bear Jacob’s two youngest sons, Joseph then Benjamin. So, of his twelve sons, Joseph was Jacob’s hands-down favorite, and Jacob didn’t hide that fact (Gen. 37:3).

When Joseph was seventeen years old (Gen. 37:2), he started telling his brothers about his dreams where they bow down to him and serve him (Gen 37:5-8). What can you say? He’s the spoiled-rotten, favorite child. Sometime shortly after this, Joseph’s brothers concoct a plan to murder Joseph (Gen. 37:19). But Joseph’s oldest brother, Reuben, convinces his brothers to simply throw Joseph in a pit, and Joseph ends up being sold to a caravan of slave traders. Joseph’s brothers lead their father to believe that Joseph has been attacked by a wild animal and is dead (Gen. 37:31-35). The slave traders take Joseph to Egypt where he is sold to a man named Potiphar who is an officer of Pharaoh and his title is the captain of the guard (Gen. 39:1). Joseph works hard and eventually becomes the overseer of everything in Potiphar’s house.

Potiphar’s wife finds Joseph attractive and tries to seduce him, but Joseph refuses to sin against God and his master. So, Potiphar’s wife makes false accusations against Joseph (Gen. 39:1-19). And just quickly – I’ve mentioned this before – I think there is good reason to believe that Potiphar doesn’t believe the accusations of his wife against Joseph because if he had Joseph would have been executed immediately. Instead, Potiphar puts Joseph into the same prison where Pharaoh’s prisoners are kept (Gen. 39:20), and Scripture tells us that the keeper of that prison is Pharaoh’s captain of the guard (Gen. 40:3), which you remember is Potiphar’s title. This helps explain why Joseph quickly gets put in charge of basically running the prison (Gen. 39:22-23).

While Joseph is there, Pharaoh’s chief baker and cupbearer anger Pharaoh and get thrown into the same prison where Joseph is. They each have a dream that troubles them, and Joseph notices they are down in the dumps. The cupbearer tells Joseph his dream, and God gives Joseph insight to interpret the dream. The cupbearer’s dream means that he will be restored to his position in three days, and Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him when he gets back to serving Pharaoh his wine (or whatever Pharaohs drink). The chief baker hears that the cupbearer’s dream means something good will happen, so the baker wants Joseph to interpret his dream. The baker, however, doesn’t get good news about his dream. Joseph interprets his dream to mean that Pharaoh will have him executed in three days. The baker is probably even more disappointed when the interpretation of both dreams comes true (Gen. 40:1-22). The only problem for Joseph is that the cupbearer forgets all about Joseph for two whole years (Gen. 40:23-41:1).

After those two years, Pharaoh himself has a couple of dreams that none of his magicians can interpret. Only then does the cupbearer remember about Joseph and the interpretation that God had given him about those two dreams (Gen. 40:8, 41:16). So, Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and hears his dreams about fat cows getting eaten by skinny cows and bad crops eating good crops. Joseph says that God is telling Pharaoh (Gen. 41:25, 28, 32) that seven years of plenty are coming, but those good years will be followed by seven years of severe famine. Joseph suggests that Pharaoh tax one-fifth of the produce during the years of plenty so there will be enough food stored up for when the famine comes (Gen. 41:33-38). Pharaoh basically says, “You’re my guy. You’ve got the Spirit of God in you. You’ll be in charge of implementing this plan.” So, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of all Egypt, has everyone bow down to Joseph wherever he goes, and even gives Joseph one of his daughters as a wife (Gen. 41:37-45). And at this time, Joseph is thirty years old (Gen. 41:46).

Now, just to sum up: Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery (Gen. 37:2). His first 13 years in Egypt are spent partly as a slave in Potiphar’s house and at least two (but probably more) years in prison before he becomes, basically, the prime minister of Egypt at age 30 (Gen. 41:46). For the next seven years, Joseph oversees the storing up of so much food and grain that they stopped keeping track of how much extra they had (Gen. 41:49). So, at this point, Joseph has been in Egypt for 20 years and is 37 when the famine starts. And the famine was so bad people from all over the earth came to Egypt to buy grain (Gen. 41:57).

Joseph’s father and brothers are still living in Canaan, and they have no food. So, Jacob sends Joseph’s brothers to go and buy grain in Egypt. All of Joseph’s brothers except his only full brother, Benjamin, go down to Egypt to buy food. But if you want to buy food in Egypt during this time, the guy you have to see is Joseph. So, when Joseph’s brothers arrive at the checkout counter, Joseph is the one taking the money (Gen. 42:1-6).  And when your life and the lives of everyone in your entire family is in the hands of the prime minister of the only country that has grain and when that prime minister is the clerk, you don’t ask if there are any sales, specials, or coupons. You don’t want to get him upset with you. You show him respect. So, Joseph’s brothers bow down to him fulfilling Joseph’s dream that he had twenty years before (Gen. 37:5-8). But Joseph’s brothers don’t recognize him after twenty years, and they figured he was dead. However, Joseph recognizes his brothers and remembers his dream (Gen. 42:9a).

Now, we need to pick up the pace. Joseph puts his brothers through the ringer for the next 3 chapters of Scripture which span two years. Joseph throws them in jail for three days (Gen. 42:9b-17). He sets them up to think that they didn’t pay for their food (Gen. 42:25, 35). Two years into the famine, Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt a second time to buy more food (Gen. 45:6). And Joseph shows favoritism to his only full brother Benjamin whom Joseph forced to come on this second trip (Gen. 43:34). And Joseph concocts a plan to make it appear that Benjamin has stolen Joseph’s silver cup (Gen. 44:1-2). When his brothers are confronted with this, the brothers all go back to try and save Benjamin from punishment because they know their father will die if they don’t return with Benjamin (Gen. 43:1-14; 44:18-29) whom Jacob thinks is the only living son of Rebekah (Gen. 35:16-20).

Now, before the brothers had left Canaan the second time to buy food, Reuben tried to make a deal with their father Jacob by saying, “We’re not going to get food in Egypt unless Benjamin comes with us, and if he doesn’t come back, you can kill my two sons” (Gen. 42:37-38). But Jacob doesn’t agree to this pagan-like, child sacrifice arrangement. But then Judah says, “Listen, dad, I’ll be responsible for Benjamin. If he doesn’t come back, you can kill me” (Gen. 43:8-10). So, when Judah sees that Joseph is going to punish Benjamin for stealing his cup, Judah gives a beautiful speech, which I’d encourage you to read later today (you can find it in Gen. 44:18-34). In that speech, Judah basically repeats the Gospel promises that Joseph had grown up hearing. Judah says, “I didn’t commit this sin, but treat me as the one who did.” In other words, Judah says, “Let the guilty one go free. Give me the punishment that one deserves, so he can return to the arms of his father.”

And you have to realize how impactful this is. Joseph has been the only Christian in Egypt for 22 years now. He didn’t have any fellowship with fellow believers. He had to be content simply remembering the Gospel promises his father had taught him up until he was sold into slavery at age 17. Now, at age 39 he gets to hear his brother Judah preaching that Gospel to him. Judah is living out the Gospel promise that he failed to live out 22 years before when he had a hand in selling Joseph into slavery.

Joseph is so overcome with emotion that he reveals himself to his brothers. He tells them to get Jacob and the whole family and move to Egypt because there are still five years of famine left (Gen 45:6). The family arrives in Egypt and lives in the best land of Egypt. And Joseph takes care of them for the next seventeen years in Egypt until Jacob dies (Gen. 47:28). Which, finally, brings us to our text.

Even though Joseph had forgiven his brothers (Gen. 45:4-15) and provided for them during those seventeen years, they still fear that Joseph is going to punish them now that their father had died. Joseph’s brothers make up this story, “Hey, bro, right before he died, dad totally told us that you can’t punish us for our sin against you 39 years ago.” You see, through those 39 years, Joseph’s brothers are repeatedly haunted by their guilt of sinning against Joseph (Gen. 42:21-22, 28; 43:18; 44:16). And even after living for 17 years under Joseph’s care and forgiveness, they are still afraid that their sin is going to be punished by Joseph.

But look how beautifully Joseph replies (Gen. 50:19-20), “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” In other words, Joseph is saying, “Listen, I wasn’t just taking care of you because I loved dad, and now I’m going to get back at you because he’s gone. I have truly forgiven you. I love you, and will continue to care for you.” And please notice carefully what Joseph said there, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Think back to our Gospel reading today (Lk. 6:36-42). Those verses contain every non-Christian’s favorite saying of Jesus, “Judge not.” If any atheist knows a lick of Scripture, it’s probably those two words of Jesus. But the way unbelievers (and even some Christians) twist those words is abhorrent. In fact, the words of Jesus in our Gospel reading today are probably the most misunderstood, taken-out-of-context words of all Scripture. Sinners love to say, “Jesus told you not to judge.”

But when our Lord says, “Judge not,” Christ isn’t saying that Christians are never allowed to point out the sin of others and call them to repentance. Instead, Jesus wants us to not be hypocrites. Christ doesn’t want us judging others unless we recognize that we need repentance too. So, Jesus gives the analogy of the logs and specks in eyes. In short, Jesus wants you to repent of and remove your timbers of sin in your eye so that you can see clearly and help remove the specks of sin in your neighbor’s eye. Jesus is clear that He wants everyone’s eyes to be free of logs and specks.

Now, all of that brings us back to Joseph and his brothers. The brothers feared that the only reason Joseph was being nice to them was because of their father Jacob. Now, their dad is gone, and they figure the hammer is about to fall, so they fear. So, see how Joseph, in such a godly way, addresses the seriousness of their sin by rightly acknowledging that they meant evil against him. He doesn’t say that their sin didn’t matter. But then, Joseph immediately comforts them with the Gospel and forgiveness.

Dear Christians, if we identify ourselves as any of the characters in this story, it should be Joseph’s brothers. We follow their pattern. We sin and fear that our punishment is just waiting to fall, but our brother, Jesus, comforts us with His forgiveness and cares for us for all eternity.

Jesus teaches us that we sinners are right to fear God. Jesus says in Mt. 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” According to Christ, we should fear God. And when we do, God comforts us and kindly speaks His absolution over us. Psalm 130:3-4 says, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” Because Jesus, the sinless One, has died in your place, God forgives you and cares for you. Because Jesus went to the cross to shed His blood providing everything you need for eternal life, you are set free to run back to the arms of your Heavenly Father.

When you rightly fear God because of your sin, He smiles back at you and says, “Yes, your sin is terrible, but I have taken care of it. I love and forgive you.” When you fear, love, and trust in God above all else, God says to you, “Fear not, my beloved child.” And when God, the only One who is worthy of your fear does that for you, you are set free from all fears because His perfect love casts out your fear (1 Jn. 4:18) now and forever. Amen.

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

Whom Shall I Fear? – Sermon on Psalm 27 for the Seventh Sunday of Easter & Confirmation Sunday

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Alyssa, Isaac, Annalise, and Naomi, God be praised for each one of you today. You have done a lot of work. You have read, studied, memorized, and learned a lot to get to today. This is good, and we praise God who has given you the ability to complete all that work. I hope that each one of you also recognize the work that your parents have done to help you. Matt and Lisa, Jon and Mel, Sam and Sarah, you have made sure your child was in class and have helped your child study and memorize. In other words, you parents have been faithful to the promises you made to nurture and raise your child in the faith when they were Baptized. God be praised for that as well. And I hope that each of you confirmands thank God for your parents’ faithfulness. Not all children have parents who faithfully keep those vows, but you do. You can also thank your Baptismal sponsors (or godparents, if that is what you call them). They also have been faithful in their prayers for you and supporting your parents in their duties.

So, today is a day to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate all the work that you and your parents and sponsors have done. Even more so, it is a day to celebrate because you will receive Jesus’ very Body and Blood and all the promises Christ gives with that.

But I do want to caution you. Just because you have come to this day of your confirmation, that doesn’t mean that you have finished the race. The beginning of Hebrews 12 talks about the life of a Christian as a race. And for everyone here who isn’t being confirmed today, you listen very carefully too. Heb. 12:1-2 says, “Let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The Christian life is a marathon; it’s a race that requires endurance. Alyssa, Isaac, Annalise, and Naomi, each of you are off to a good start. There’s no question about that. You are running well. But none of us can say exactly how far along you are in the race. As important and momentous as your Confirmation is, it isn’t time to relax a little bit and rest your legs. Keep up the pace. Keep pressing on; keep learning; keep growing in your faith. You aren’t at the finish line – not yet.

And to some of you Christians here today, maybe you have been slacking and slowing up in the race of faith. Repent. Consider this your reminder to keep running. Maybe you have been a bit lazy and started walking or even stopping to smell the roses. Maybe you have gotten completely off course. Now is the time to come back to the race. Put your past failures of loafing, slacking, and being lazy behind you. Start running again and forget them. St. Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14, “[Forget] what lies behind and [strive] forward to what lies ahead. Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 

Now, whether you are being confirmed today, were confirmed years or decades ago, or are not yet confirmed, it is good to remember that there are two other days that are more important than your confirmation day. The first is the day of your Baptism. It was at your Baptism that were begotten from above (Jn. 3:3, 5), joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11), and clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27). That is why the day of your Baptism is more important than today. So, just briefly: 

Alyssa, you were Baptized June 10th of 2010 at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Wilson, WI. God used the hands of Pastor Les Johnson, your grandpa, to Baptize you. And your Baptismal sponsors were Stephen, Frieda, and Jodi.

Isaac, you were Baptized August 14th, 2007 here at this font by the hands of Pastor Gary Jorgenson. Your sponsors were Mark and Melissa. Many of those who are here today were present that day as well.

Annalise, you were Baptized February 15th, 2009 at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church in Salinas, CA. You were Baptized by the hands of the pastoral intern, Sam Wellumson. Apparently, his supervising pastor thought he needed some experience doing a Baptism. Your sponsors are Abby, Nathen, Andrew, and Matt.

Naomi, you were also Baptized at this font on August 1st, 2010 by my hands. Abby, Nathen, and Andrew are your sponsors. Just like Isaac, many here today were witnesses of your Baptism. And Naomi, you are the first person I’ve confirmed whom God has put under my pastoral care for your whole life. While I rejoice in that, I also feel like I owe you an apology. But I trust God knows what He is doing.

Now, each one of you, know that your confirmation today is actually tied to your Baptism. Jesus says that disciples are made by Baptizing and teaching (Mt. 28:18-20). So, today, you are simply confirming and publicly confessing that the work that God began in you when you were Baptized has continued, and you have kept the faith that God gave you in your Baptism. And by God’s grace, you will continue in that faith.

The other day that is more important than today is still ahead of you and is the day you will cross the finish line when Jesus returns. On that day, by God’s grace, Christ will say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21, 23). So, again, keep pressing on until you reach that day. Keep learning God’s Word. Keep gathering with your fellow believers to be encouraged, sing God’s praises, be strengthened by God’s Word, and be fed by Christ’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.

Today is not your completion of learning and studying God’s Word. Confirmation is not a graduation from Sunday School or Church or something like that. As hard as you have worked and as much as you have learned, you have just begun to explore the depths of the riches of God’s Word. Keep it up your entire life.

Ok. To the sermon proper. (Don’t worry, I know how long I’ve gone already).

Today’s sermon is titled “Whom shall I fear?” which comes mainly from our call to worship from Psalm 27. But this idea also fits with all three of today’s readings (Ezk. 36:22-28; 1 Pet. 4:7-14; Jn. 15:26-16:4) about being a believer in Christ and the dangers that surround all Christians. It also fits with the verses each of you picked as your Confirmation verses which are all related to faith triumphing over fear (Josh. 1:9; Ps. 46:10; Ps 4:8; Dt. 31:8).

I’d encourage everyone to open a Bible to Ps. 27. You already heard about one-third of it from our Call to worship. But I want you to see the progression of the Psalm as David originally wrote it. Most of the Psalms are pretty Lutheran in their structure (which is, admittedly, putting the cart before the horse). Most Psalms begin with a complaint or confession of sin and move toward hope and the promises of God, but Psalm 27weaves around a bit differently. And in a lot of ways Ps. 27 follows the pattern of the Christian life of faith.

In v. 1-6, David starts out very confident in his faith. V. 1 – because God is David’s light, salvation, and the stronghold of his life, he has no reason to fear. V. 2-3 – when enemies assail him, they are the ones who fall. V. 4-6 – all David wants to do is be in God’s temple and worship. In those first six verses, David has a lot of excitement and energy and enthusiasm.

But then in Ps. 27:7, there is a shift to earnest prayer. We don’t know specifically what it is, but something is causing David to suffer. He’s crying aloud to God (v. 7). He’s pleading his case. God wants David to seek His face. David is earnestly doing that (v. 8), but God still seems hidden (v. 9a). David isn’t doubting God; he hasn’t fallen away. David still recognizes that God has been his help and salvation, but David really needs God’s presence and salvation now (v. 9b-10).

It seems as though David is realizing that the life of faith is more difficult than he thought, and he wasn’t as prepared as he assumed he would be for the trials that have come his way. He begs God to lead him on a level path and deliver him from his enemies (v. 11-12).

Finally, the last two verses (v. 13-14) come back full circle. David recognizes that he cannot manipulate or control the world, so he sets everything in the Lord’s hands. God has made promises, and David will patiently wait for those promises to be fulfilled.

So, the Psalm opened with excitement and braggadocios faith that a young Christian (or confirmand) might have. Then, after getting beaten up by the world, that faith matures into a calm, quiet, peaceful trust and patience on God.

You confirmands, and all you Christians, there are times of great joy and excitement in the life of faith. Those “mountaintop experiences” are good, and we can praise God for them when they come along. But don’t be discouraged when those experiences fade. Don’t despair when life is hard. When it seems that evil and all sorts of danger surrounds you, remember that Jesus has promised to be with you forever (Mt. 28:20). Because of those promises:

Alyssa, as your verse (Josh. 1:9) said, you can be strong and courageous. God is with you wherever you go.

Isaac, as your verse (Ps. 46:10) said, when times get tough, be still and know that the God who is exalted over all creation is by your side.

Annalise, as your verse (Ps. 4:8) said, even in turmoil and tribulation, you can lie down and sleep in peace because God makes you dwell in safety.

Naomi, as your verse (Dt. 31:8) said, you have nothing to fear because God will never leave you or forsake you.

You can know all of this because of what the church celebrated this past Thursday. Thursday marked 40 days after Easter, which means it was the celebration of when Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus, the eternal Son of God who became man, is now seated as the ruler of all creation. That means the one who died and rose again for you is ruling and reigning over all things. In other words, Jesus, your Savior, is in control of all that happens.

And even though you still live in a fallen world full of sin hear what Scripture promises you. Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

And in a few moments, your Savior invites you to receive those immeasurable riches of His grace and be His guest at His table. Come. Join in the feast. Receive Jesus’ Holy Supper of His very Body and Blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.

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

Amen.

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

Made to Lie Down – Sermon on Ezekiel 34:11-16 for the Third Sunday of Easter

Listen here.

Ezekiel 34:11-16

11 For thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today, we could add:

Alleluia! Christ is our Shepherd!

He is our Shepherd indeed! Alleluia!

Repeatedly, Scripture gives us the picture of God being our Shepherd and us being His sheep. It came up in all three readings today – epistle (1 Pet. 2:21-25), Gospel (Jn. 10:11-16), and this Old Testament lesson, but it comes up all over the place. I’ve seen it suggested that this shepherd-sheep metaphor is the most common way Scripture describes our relationship to God. I couldn’t verify that, but it certainly is common throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Now, sheep are probably the most desperate, vulnerable, weak, prone to wander, and defenseless creatures in all of creation. So, this imagery isn’t meant to be flattering, but that’s ok. We’re Christians and don’t need to be flattered. It isn’t meant be a complement, but it is meant to be comforting. 

My fellow sheep, we have all lived down to the reputation of sheep. And, God be praised, Jesus has no expectation of us beyond being His sheep. He has no expectation that you figure out how to provide for yourself, to take care of yourself, or even to defend yourself. Sheep don’t run fast or kick hard. Sheep don’t have sharp teeth to bite back or a stinky musk to spray at their attackers. Nothing. Sheep have one defense, and that is their shepherd. God does not expect us to be anything more than a sheep, and, God be praised, He desires nothing more than to be our Shepherd.

Deep down, we all know that we are helpless and unable to do anything for ourselves, and that is probably why the sheep-shepherd imagery is so often used for comfort in times of trouble. It’s probably why Psalm 23 is so often used at funerals. Sometimes, when families are picking out texts for a funeral, they’ll ask me, “Would Psalm 23 be a good text to use? It seems so common at funerals.” Yes, of course it is a good text. Some things, no matter how often you hear them, don’t get old. Hearing your spouse or children say, “I love you,” doesn’t get old. Neither should the comforting picture of God, and specifically Jesus, being our shepherd because the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

We love to hear the many ways that Psalm 23 describes how God provides for us as our Shepherd. He provides so that we have no want, leads us beside still waters, restores our souls, leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, and defends us from all evil even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And you probably noticed that I skipped over one phrase in there. But you are smart people, and if you noticed the title of the sermon at the bottom of your Scripture insert, you realize that phrase is what I am going to focus on today. Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” And, just so you know, that phrase, “makes me lie down,” wasn’t a fluke we heard it again in this text from Ezekiel where God says, “I Myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down.”

Sure, we understand that we are sheep. We need to be protected from dangerous wolves, lions, and bears. But does God really need to make us lie down? Aren’t we capable of doing that? Can’t we just let gravity take over and lie down? Why does God need to make us lie down?

Apparently, to lie down and rest, is even beyond the capability of a sheep of God to do. Sometimes it might be because we are bored being a sheep. Sometimes it is because we are foolishly curious. Sometimes it is because we get afraid and run from the danger, but in running from that danger, we leave the protection of our Shepherd.

In fact, our inability to lie down might be the greatest danger that we face. Peter says in our epistle lesson, “You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Here, Peter depicts our main problem is us going astray and leaving our Shepherd. God making us lie down is the solution. Our biggest danger is walking away from the flock and from the care of our Shepherd. So, Christ, our Good Shepherd, makes us lie down. And this is remarkable when you think about it.

The world tells us to fear all sorts of things. When you watch the news, it’s all about fear. One of the heads of a major news network this past week was caught saying that his network intentionally put the most dire, bleak news in front of their viewers in an effort to get higher ratings. He actually used the phrase, “If it bleeds it leads.” In other words, the more violent, fearful a news story is, it’s more likely to be put in front of you. The guy even talked about how he caught himself hoping that the COVID death toll ticker they kept on the screen for their viewers, he hoped that it would go higher so the station would get better ratings. Thankfully, he admitted feeling bad about it. Pray for him. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will continue to use his conscience to bring him to repentance and faith in Christ.

But this is what the world does; the world preaches fear. Fear the virus. Fear global warming; oh, wait, it’s ‘climate change’ now, right? Fear terrorists. Fear Iran, China, North Korea, Russia. Fear riots. Fear the other political party. Fear fascists. Fear anti-fascists. Fear gun violence. Fear the government taking away your Second Amendment rights. Fear immigrants. Fear the national debt and deficit spending. Fear. Fear. Fear. They all do it – CNN, Fox, it doesn’t matter. Because the world does not have the protection Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they mock and ridicule Christians if they don’t join them in their fear.

My dear, fellow sheep, yes, we need to be vigilant and aware of what is going on around us. All of those things are predators like wolves, bears, and lions that threaten the flock, but those are not things to be afraid of. Not when we have Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Instead, those are the things we should bring to our God in prayer.

And I do want to be clear; this isn’t at all to say that you should do nothing when it comes to any of those things. Do what you can. Work, write, vote, engage, and be the change that this world needs. But as you do all of that, remember none of those things are worthy of your fear – not if your Good Shepherd is risen from the dead and is watching over you. And He is.

Instead, dear sheep, recognize that leaving the promises of the Gospel is the greatest danger we face. It is when we leave the Gospel promises and the care of our Good Shepherd that we fall into sin and are incredibly vulnerable to becoming lunch to all sorts of things in this broken, fallen world. If a sheep was smart, the thing that sheep would do is stay close to its shepherd. But since we aren’t that bright, our Shepherd makes us lie down. 

And when we have been scattered, when we have wandered into the valleys and caves of the wolves, when the days of clouds and thick darkness leave us cowering in fear, God searches for us sheep and seeks us out. He brings us into His church and feeds us with the good pasture of His Word. Because that is what God does. He seeks the lost. He brings back the strayed. He binds up the injured. He strengthens the weak.

This is exactly what Christ has done. Jesus has sought you out. He Himself bore your sins in His body on the tree, that you might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. Your Good Shepherd laid down His life for you. He laid in the tomb, and now He is risen and lives forever to be your Good Shepherd.

Come now to His altar where He prepares a table for you even as you continue to live in a fallen world. Today, He brings you close to Himself. He makes you lie down so He can feed you, defend you, protect you, heal you, and deliver you. He has won the victory. So, come. Be made to lie down.

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

Amen.

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