Tag Archives: Grace

Living Forgiveness – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said to Peter, “No, forgiving seven times isn’t enough. Instead, seventy-seven (or it could also be translated ‘seventy multiplied by seven’) times.” Now, Jesus doesn’t mean that you forgive and forgive and forgive, but when you get either to 76 or 489 forgivings (sic) you warn the other person, “Listen buster, you’ve only got one left.” Nope, let the forgiveness flow freely.

Before we consider the parable, we have to do some conversions. Two different servants have two different debts. Servant 1 owes the king 10,000 talents. A talent was originally a unit of weight that later became a unit of coinage, and the value of that coinage would change a lot. Most resources say that one talent is equal to twenty years of pay for the average worker. So, imagine your annual income, double it, and slap five zeros on the end of it. That’s what the first servant owed the king. Even if he lived and worked every day for 2,000 years giving every penny to the king, it would only shave off a 1% sliver off his debt.

Servant 2 owed a debt to servant 1 to the tune of 100 denarii. Now, this is still a significant amount of money. The average worker earned one denarius per day. So, we’re talking about a little over 3 months’ worth of pay. Significant yes, but a manageable amount. It is totally conceivable and reasonable that someone can pay off a debt of 100 denarii.

Now, the three main characters in the parable are obvious: the king, servant 1, and servant 2. But as we consider the parable today, I want you to imagine yourself in the roll of one of the minor characters. Imagine you are one of the other servants.

The king has called you and all the servants who owe him money to the castle. You are standing in line outside the king’s office. You compare debts with the other servants. You are a little nervous because you don’t know what the king is going to do about your debt. Now, imagine you are standing in line behind servant 1 who owed the 10,000 talents, and you know how large his debt is. He goes into the king’s office, but you don’t know what is happening behind that door. You want to catch a glimpse of servant 1 as he comes out because his demeanor will give you an indication of how it is going to go for you. If he’s smiling or skipping, you’d have a sense of relief because you’d know that the king is in a good mood and your meeting with the king might not be so bad.

Finally, the door opens. Servant 1 comes out of the king’s office, he immediately runs over to servant 2, wrings his neck, and demands that the guy pay him everything. What are you going to conclude about how his meeting with the king went? He didn’t come out in shackles to be led to the prison, but he wasn’t happy. Seeing his treatment of servant 2, you would probably assume that the king had not forgiven his debt and demanded full payment. You would probably deduce that the king gave him some time – maybe a couple of weeks or months – to pay off the debt.

Dear saints, that’s the problem of refusing to forgive.

If people don’t know what happens here in this sanctuary, the only clues they have would be to watch how you act when you aren’t here. So, as others watch you, what will they conclude about what has happened here? What would they think about your king? Would they figure that He demanded that you pay? Would they think He is gracious and merciful, or would they assume that He is a King who demands that all debts get paid?

Dear saints, God wants to be known for His goodness. God wants to be known by His mercy. God wants to be known for His willingness to freely forgive. And if you refuse to forgive those who have sinned against you, what does that say about your God and King?

All this is to say, dear saints, that you, as forgiven servants of the King, are called to live out the forgiveness you have in Christ. This can be a difficult thing because it goes against our nature to forgive. But the cure of our unforgiveness doesn’t come from being beaten down by calls to forgive. The cure for our unforgiveness is to have a right understanding the massive debt that each of us owe to God. When we wrongly think that have only a little debt of sin, we can only have a little Savior. Jesus didn’t go to the cross because you were a few bucks short of your heavenly entrance fee. He went to the cross because your sin was so great that you are too dead to even see the gates.

Sin – all sin – is against God (Ps. 51:4; 1 Cor. 8:12). Every day, you and I rack up an unimaginable, incalculable debt of sin. And when God calls you in to settle accounts what does He do? Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God simply wipes it out. Because of Jesus, as far as God is concerned, your debt of sin never existed.

Jesus completely erased your debt by the shedding of His blood. He went to Calvary, not so you would have enough time to get your act together and become a better person. He went to raise you from your deadness in sin. When you were lost, powerless, and dead, Jesus made all – not just a portion – all of your debt His own. And on the cross, He killed and cancelled that debt. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for you (2 Cor. 5:21) and He bore all your sins in His body upon the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). And now the grave is empty. Your debt of sin has been erased in the death and resurrection of your Savior.

You are forgiven. Jesus didn’t die just to get you to a zero balance; He came to erase your debt and fill your account with His righteousness. His mercy is complete. He has paid and absorbed all your debt, and you owe Him nothing. There is absolutely nothing left for you to pay, and there is nothing you could do to even begin to pay Him back. Even the thought of paying Him back is offensive because what He has done is so complete, so wonderful, and so merciful.

Now, when your neighbor sins against you and you feel the hurt and pain of those transgressions against you, don’t reach out your hands to grab your neighbor by the throat. Instead, let the nail-scarred hands of Jesus remove your hands from around your neighbor’s throat and make you right and at peace with Him and your neighbor.

There is no denying the fact that forgiving others is a difficult thing to do. Sin is a debt, and that debt must be paid. Forgiving others is absorbing the debt that is owed to you. The pain that comes from the sins of others is real and often terrible. It is always tempting to our old nature to hold a grudge, to make them pay, to construct a prison in our minds, and to put the offender into it. But the only thing that prison will ever hold is you. Unforgiveness imprisons you in a space where there is only judgment. Dear saints, unforgiveness is hell.

To forgive means ‘to send away.’ The only way to be freed from the pain and hurt of sin that others commit against you is to forgive it, release it, and send it away.

Forgiving others does not mean you approve what they have done. Forgiveness means that the offense has hurt you, but you won’t return the pain upon them with judgment. And forgiveness isn’t a license for the other person to continue sinning. The biggest lie the devil will ever tell you is that forgiving someone will just encourage them keep sinning against you, taking advantage of you, and making you a doormat. That satanic lie is a sneaky attack on God’s forgiveness. Is God worried about His forgiveness encouraging you to sin? Nope! Absolutely not. He forgives you fully and freely.

Dear saints, God’s forgiveness of you is a living, life-giving thing. No matter how much and how often you come under His debt with your sin, God gives you His mercy and forgiveness. God remembers your sins no more (Jer. 31:34). Because of Jesus, your sins are released from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). God has shown you, what is good and what He requires of you. Do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). Let that full, free forgiveness that God has given you in Christ be the key that opens the gates of your forgiveness toward others. Amen.

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

The Worst Economy – Sermon on Romans 6:19-23 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Romans 6:19-23

19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Romans 6:23 might be the most familiar verse in the whole book of Romans. Almost every evangelism class and tract you come across probably has this verse or, at least, a portion of it. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It’s a good verse to point to, but the danger of that verse being so familiar is that, when it is taken out of its context, it becomes little more than a slogan. It has a lot more force when we see it in its context.

When we understand this verse apart from its context – especially the phrase, “the wages of sin is death” – we most often take it to mean that when we do sinful work, the check we cash or the payment we get is death. In other words, we do sinful works and get paid with death. Now, I want to be clear. That interpretation is true, but it can lead to some serious and dangerous drawbacks. It can feed the false notion that some sins aren’t as bad as others. “Well, I only did this little sin, so I won’t get paid as much death as that other guy who did that big sin.”

The idea that sin is the work we do and the payment we get is death doesn’t actually fit the context. Consider your job. You have a boss. You have work and tasks. And a couple times each month your boss pays you for doing the work. When we think that sin is the work we do and death is the payment we get, we lose sight of who our boss is. 

What Paul is doing here puts the focus back on the boss. Sin is not just the works we do; instead, sin is the master, the employer, the boss we serve. And your boss pays with the currency of death. Talk about a bad economy. All humanity, all of us sinners, live in the worst economy where the employer is sin, and sin pays with the currency of death.

Sin is our master until Christ redeems us, buys us, and becomes our new master. Verse 22 of this text makes this clear. “Now… you,” you, Christian, “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God.” That means that sin used to own you, and when sin owned you, the wages Master Sin paid were death. But now Jesus is your master.

Now, we might wonder, why would anyone work under such a master as sin? Why not unionize and chose a better master with better benefits? Well, it is because Master Sin is so deceptive, sneaky, and insidious. Master Sin seems harmless, but he is entirely treacherous. Master Sin makes demand after demand after demand, but all of these demands seem so pleasant. Master Sin makes working for him appear to be so appealing and satisfying, but it is all a façade.

When we are working for Master Sin, we feel free. It seems nice and natural. It doesn’t feel like work. Nobody sins out of duty. You don’t sin because you feel like you have to. Serving Master Sin means you just do what comes naturally. You gladly work for Master Sin because it feels good and seems to make life easier. For those outside of Christ, serving Master Sin feels like freedom. And it doesn’t seem like the wages we will be paid matter all that much. We might wrongly think we can simply make a quick change in our lives before payday rolls around and everything will be fine. Beware. That is not the picture that Scripture gives here. Sin is not simply the type of work you do. Sin is your employer, your boss, your master, your owner.

Every moment, Master Sin is sucking the life from you, but while he does that, Master Sin likes to inject good feelings and energy into you every time he takes more blood. Master Sin is sucking your life away while you are enjoying it. But eventually, Master Sin will leave you dead at his feet, sucked completely dry and eternally lifeless and condemned. Repent.

Christian, you ought to hate Master Sin and his slave wages. But remember, as you heard in our Epistle lesson last week, you have been Baptized. You don’t belong to Master Sin anymore. You are no longer his slave. “You must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Ro. 6: 11).

Christian, know Master Sin for who he is and hate him. You have been bought and freed by the death and resurrection of Christ. So now, every time Master Sin calls to you from across the plantation lines, you ought to loathe him, his wages, his chains, and his whip more and more. Plug your ears to him, and run back to your new Master, your true Master, Christ Jesus, your Savior.

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God. Yes, the slave wages of Master Sin is death, but the free gift, the free gift, of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro. 6:22-23). Consider Jesus, your new Master, and how He is toward you. What does He pay? He doesn’t. He doesn’t pay anything.

God doesn’t pay you. Only those who need you and your work pay you, and God doesn’t need anything you could ever give Him. God Himself says, “Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him?” (Job 41:11). God can’t pay you wages, but He can and does give you gifts. And the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus your Lord. With Christ as your master, you leave the worst economy and enter a radically new economy. Ephesians 2:6-7 says, “[God] 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.” You think you like God’s grace now? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. None of us have. 

Throughout all eternity, God will show you the immeasurable riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. And these riches are incalculable. In this life, riches are always measurable. Even if you owned the whole world, your account would have a certain amount in it. Your net worth would always have a limit. But God’s gifts and riches are immeasurable because they are new every morning (Lam. 3:22). That is true now, and it is true through all eternity.

Think of that! For all eternity God will never have to show you a treasure of His grace and mercy a second time. Every one of them is new and one that you haven’t seen before. It will take an eternity of eternities for God to show you the riches of His love and kindness toward you. In our current economy in this country, it is easy to see the balance sinking lower and lower. But in God’s economy of gifts, He can show you the treasures of His mercy for trillions of trillions of years and all eternity is still before you, and nothing is diminished. There is just as much left as when you started. That is your life now in Christ Jesus, and that is your future.

So, when Master Sin comes knocking on your door whispering to you about his slave wages, send him away; tell him he can take his wages of death and shove them. And rejoice and hope in the gifts God has for you.

Your God desires to give you an infinity of riches and mercies delivered to you on account of the death and resurrection of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and all of it is His free gift for you. And Jesus, your God and Savior, wants to continue to show you the treasures of His mercies now. He invites you now to His table to receive the gifts of His holy and precious Body and Blood given to you for the forgiveness of your sins. Come and receive. Amen.[1]

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

[1] Reworked from 2020.

Reconsidering Repentance – Sermon on Luke 15:1-32 for the Third Sunday after Trinity

Luke 15:1-32

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The night Jesus was born, shepherds were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks. A multitude of the heavenly host arrived praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” Heaven was filled with rejoicing the night of Jesus’ birth because your Savior had come to rescue you from sin, death, and the devil. Now, in this Gospel lesson, Jesus says, “There will be more joy in heaven over one winner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7).

Well, there aren’t ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance; there has only ever been One righteous person who needed no repentance, Jesus Christ. This is probably a little ridiculous and silly, but should we imagine the joy of those angels the night of Jesus’ birth is multiplied by 99 plus a bit more when one sinner repents? Well, joy isn’t measured in units, so forget about attempting the math problem. But we can know from Jesus’ own lips that heaven rejoices more at the repentance and salvation of one sinner than it rejoiced over Christ’s birth.

Because Jesus brings the topic up in this text, the question for us today is: What is repentance? The word translated ‘repent’ or ‘repentance’ simply means “a change of mind,” but throughout the New Testament, you will find that repentance refers to a complete spiritual change. In fact, many of the times you come across the word ‘repent’ in Scripture it carries the whole idea of conversion.[1] The Bible does not teach that repentance is one step in some twelve-step salvation program. Salvation is instantaneous; just like in creation, God speaks, and it is. And salvation is always an act of God’s grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). The Bible does teach that repentance is necessary for salvation, but if we see repentance as something we do, as our little contribution, then salvation is no longer a free gift. It would be dependent on you. 

So, let’s reconsider repentance, what it is and what it looks like from this parable Jesus teaches.

The Pharisees and scribes are complaining that Jesus receives sinners. Luke tells us that Jesus’ response to their grumbling is telling them “this parable” – singular. Luke could have said, “so He told them these three parables,” but he doesn’t. “This parable.” One parable. Three sections, parts, or chapters – it’s fine to think of it that way – but it’s one parable. And I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: we typically know these three sections or chapters of this one parable as the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. But it would be better if we referred to them as the seeking shepherd, the seeking woman, and the seeking father because that would help us keep the emphasis on the right syllable when it comes to seeing what Jesus teaches about repentance.

Now, in the first two sections of this parable, it’s a little hard to see where repentance comes into the stories. A sheep gets lost, the sheep gets found, and the shepherd throws a party. A coin gets lost, the coin gets found, and the woman throws a party. Just looking at the stories, we would probably conclude that Jesus isn’t teaching about repentance. He’s just talking about salvation. But Jesus concludes both of those sections by talking about heaven’s joy over repentance, so repentance has to be in there somewhere. According to those two parts of the parable, repentance is nothing more than the lost being found and restored by the owner. Then, the owner celebrates because of the joy of restoration.

Now, you might be saying, “Pastor there’s a lot more to repentance than the lost being found and restored. To repent, you have to feel bad about what you’ve done. You have to recognize the hurt and pain you have caused. You need to be scared because of the punishment that’s coming. You need to want to do better. That’s repentance.” To which I have to say, “Well, not according to this parable.” Guilt, shame, fear of punishment, and resolve to do better are all right responses when it comes to our sin, and all of those things may accompany repentance from time to time. But they aren’t necessary for repentance to be true or genuine.

A lost sheep might be scared. I don’t know enough about sheep to know if they feel remorse, but a lost sheep might wish it had never wandered away from the flock. A lost sheep might try to find its way back to the herd. But in the first section of this parable, the repentance of that sheep is somewhere in the shepherd’s finding and carrying this sheep back to the pen. In the second section of the parable, the coin doesn’t have any feelings or sorrow. A lost coin just sits in the crack gathering dust. And the repentance of that coin is nothing more than the woman picking it up and putting it back in her purse. So, these first two sections picture repentance as something God does to the lost.

Just so you know I’m not making this up: In Acts 10-11, we are told the story about how Peter went to preach at Cornelius’ house. Cornelius was a Gentile, so a lot more could be said about the whole story, but I’m going to keep it short. Peter arrives there and preaches about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Peter’s Pentecost sermon is very similar in it’s content, but unlike that Pentecost sermon, Peter doesn’t hammer everyone with heavy Law. He just says that Jesus died and rose again, and he announces that everyone who believes in Jesus receives the forgiveness of sins. The people who hear that sermon are filled with the Holy Spirit and are Baptized. All of that takes place in Acts 10. When you get into Acts 11, Peter is in Jerusalem and is being accused of hanging out with the wrong crowd (similar to Jesus here in Lk. 15). Peter simply relays the story of what happened. And the response is incredibly interesting. The Jerusalem church leaders respond, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Act. 11:18). Dear saints, repentance is a gift given by God.

Now, when we get to the third section of the parable, things are a little different. In the third chapter of the parable, it sure sounds like the younger son is repentant. But where does his repentance take place? Now, we have to set this up a little bit.

The third section of the parable has three main characters – a father and his two sons. The younger son tells his father to drop dead. That’s how you get an inheritance. Basically, the younger son tells his dad, “I want my share of your stuff, but I want it without you.” And the father gives it to him. Now, this would have meant public shame for the father because it would have involved selling off at least 1/3 of his estate to give the money to his little brat of a son. The son takes the cash and blows it all. He becomes so desperate in his effort to stay alive that he hires himself out to a pig farmer and is jealous of the slop the pigs are eating. 

Now, just a quick aside here. This also gives us a picture of what our sin does. Our sin isn’t just us getting lost. Sin is worse than a sheep aimlessly wandering away from the flock or a coin getting dropped. No, our sin makes us lower than and jealous of pigs.

Sitting there in the pigpen, the son starts crafting a speech. And that speech sounds like repentance, but it isn’t. Instead, the younger son realizes his father’s employees have plenty of food, and he’s dying of starvation. He plans to go to his father and say, and listen carefully, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” So far, completely true and right. “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” No duh. “Treat me as one of your hired servants.” Now, all of this, again, sounds like repentance. He recognizes the stupidity of his actions and the ramifications of his rebellion. But it’s that last part that shows the brat’s real intention. He wants his dad to give him a job so he can have some food. The interesting thing that I had never noticed is the wording Jesus uses in this part of the parable.

Jesus doesn’t use the normal word for a servant which is doulos. A servant, a doulos, would live on the estate of the master and would even eat meals with the master’s family. But the younger son uses a different word here, misthios. A misthios is someone who would commute to work at the estate. A misthios would have no relationship with the master except when it was time to get paid for work done. His speech just shows how lost and unrepentant he still is. He still wants the benefits his dad can offer, but he doesn’t want anything to do with his dad. In his despair, he’s basically saying, “Dad, I screwed up big time. Can you just help me to stay alive? I won’t bother you and you won’t have to bother with me.” That’s his prepared speech.

He starts his walk home. But as he rounds the corner, his father comes running to him, embraces him, and kisses him. The son begins his speech, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father, the father doesn’t care. He restores him to his rightful place as a son. “Bring the best robe and a ring and shoes; put them all on him. Kill the fattened calf and let’s throw a party. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” It is in that love and finding and restoration of the father that the son is granted repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” The son had a worldly grief that would have left him in the death of a lost relationship with his father. But the father here lets the godly grief of his lost son, that true and right realization of what he had done, produce a repentance that leads to salvation and complete restoration. The son doesn’t get to finish his speech. He doesn’t get to be misthios, a hireling. He gets to be a son again – nothing more, nothing less.

Now, I know this sermon is getting long, but I have one more thing, so please bear with me. I made a big deal about this chapter being one parable with three sections. Well, the third section has two parts. There is still the issue of the older son. The older son, who never left, was out working in the field. He comes home, hears the partying, learns what is going on, and is livid. He refuses to join the party. And even though this older son never left his father, he is just as lost as the younger son was back in the pig stye.

And here is why I bring this up. We wrongly think that God is happy when we are doing everything we are supposed to. We think God is happy with us when we are consistent, strong, and can show all the things we’ve accomplished. But that isn’t the case. Your heavenly Father is only happy when His children are forgiven and together with him at the feast. That is why the father leaves his own party and pleads with this older son to come back into the fold.

Dear saints, stop dwelling on your unfaithfulness and sin. Yes, you’ve been the rebellious younger son. But your heavenly Father has sought you out and heaven rejoices at your repentance and salvation. Stop dwelling on your obedience and work for God; don’t be the entitled older brother. Yes, go serve, love, and do your good works diligently, but don’t think that God is going to throw a party for your commandment-keeping.

Heaven rejoices with God when He brings you back into His grace and mercy where nothing is earned or deserved. Instead, it is all freely given for the sake of Jesus, your Savior. Amen.

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

[1] Clear examples would include Mt. 4:17; Lk. 5:32; 13:3; 16:30; 24:47; Act. 11:18; 2 Cor. 7:10.

Today in Paradise – Sermon on Luke 23:39-43 for Good Friday

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The disciples, James and John, had asked Jesus if they could sit at His right and left when Jesus entered His glory, but Jesus told them that they didn’t know what they were asking. Besides that, Jesus said that it wasn’t His to grant, and the heavenly Father had already determined who would have those seats of honor (Mk. 10:35-40). In a few minutes, we will hear who gets those positions – two criminals one on Jesus’ right and another on His left (Mk. 15:27; Lk. 23:33).

At first, both of these condemned men mock Jesus as they hang there with Christ on their own crosses (Mk. 15:32). But something happens as the thief on the right watches Jesus suffer. This thief hears Jesus’ words as He hangs on the cross. Maybe, it was when he heard Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). And faith sprouts in that criminal’s heart. He is converted and is a Christian.

Now, instead of mocking Jesus, he prays to Jesus. And his prayer sounds absurd, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Here Jesus is beaten, bloodied, stricken, stripped, hanging, and dying on a cross. He is about as far from obtaining a kingdom as you could possibly be. But through faith this thief knows that Jesus isn’t done. He knows that the cross won’t be the end of Jesus. Somehow, and this can only be by the working of the Holy Spirit, this man believes that death won’t be the end of Jesus. He is a king who is coming into His kingdom. And even in that moment this thief believes that Jesus is a Savior who can save him from the condemnation that is the due reward for his deeds (Lk. 23:41).

Jesus looks at him and says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

And when Jesus dies, His body is run through with a spear, taken down from the cross, and laid in the grave. But Jesus’ soul goes to be with the Father in heaven, and the thief goes with Him. Jesus and this thief meet up that very day in Paradise. Scripture says that to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). 

The separation of body and soul that Jesus and this criminal experience when they die is the same separation that you and I will face unless Jesus returns first. Our body will go to the grave, and our soul will go to be with the Lord. But when Jesus returns, He will put you back together. Your body will be raised from the grave. Your soul will be rejoined to your body, and you will live forever. This is our hope and comfort.

But there is something more comforting to learn from the thief on the cross, and it is this: You are saved, not by your works, but by God’s grace. You are justified, not by your deeds, but by God’s promise. You are delivered, not by your efforts, but by God’s mercy. And this is only possible because Jesus takes all your sin and suffers in your place on the cross.

That thief’s story preaches this to you today. He lived a life that earned him capital punishment. But the Holy Spirit got a hold of him. He believed and was converted. And he’s right into heaven. 

The thief isn’t saved because of his works, deeds, or efforts! Even if he wanted to do a good work, he wouldn’t have been able because his hands and feet are nailed to a cross. All he had to face the judgment of God was the promise of Jesus, and that was enough for him. And it is enough for you.

When you stand before God’s holiness and perfection to be judged, there is nothing you can offer – no excuse, no self-justification, no good work. Nothing. 

You have nothing except the promise of Jesus. And, again, that is enough. Jesus says to this condemned criminal, “Truly, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” And Christ says the same to you, dear saint. “Truly, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Amen.

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

The Umbrella – Sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 for the First Sunday in Lent

Matthew 4:1-11

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

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

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

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ 

and 

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

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Generally, there are two ways to approach preaching a sermon on Jesus’ temptation. The first is to point out the tactics that Jesus used to resist temptation and encourage the hearers to employ those same tactics because we are to fight and resist temptations (Jam. 1:14, 4:7). Those sermons can make you much more prepared than Eve was in our Old Testament lesson (Gen. 3:1-21) when the devil came asking, “Did God really say?” Preaching Jesus’ temptation that way is helpful, beneficial, and Scriptural, and I’ve taken that approach several times in the past. 

That being said, those sermons are mostly oriented toward the Law and have the potential to be dangerous. They can leave you only hearing, “Jesus is your example. Here, use the same strategies and maneuvers that Jesus used. And if you follow this plan when you face temptation, you can resist sin like Jesus.”

But when – not ‘if’ but ‘when’ – you fail and fall into sin, it can be extremely discouraging. If you only hear sermons about how Jesus is your example, it can leave you thinking that the Bible is simply a self-help book. And when your life doesn’t get better, you can start to think that the Bible isn’t really all that helpful. The devil can take sermons like that and place all your sins and failures and in front of you to tempt you into abandoning the Word of God completely. So, I’m not taking that approach today. Maybe I will the next time, but not today.

Today, I’m taking the second common approach of preaching on Jesus’ temptation which is to see that Jesus is resisting temptation for you. He is doing for you what you cannot and could not do. As Christ resists and fights against the devil, He is trusting in God where you have not. And because Jesus has done all of this for you, God credits Jesus’ victory over sin and temptation to your account through faith.

To get a better understanding of this we need to see that these are real temptations for Jesus. Honestly, these temptations don’t sound all that difficult to us. Turning rocks into food, jumping off a building without a bungee cord or parachute, and bowing down at Satan’s feet are not the temptations you and I face. But the reason each of these temptations is difficult for Jesus is that in each of them the devil is tempting Jesus to abandon His mission to be your Savior. To get at this, we’ll need an analogy:

Imagine that the Ten Commandments are a giant umbrella, and God by creating you has put you under that umbrella of His Law. You and I and all humanity live under the Law, and we don’t have a choice of getting out from under it. That is not an option. The Law is always there directing, instructing, and accusing us because we are sinners.

Now, God isn’t under that umbrella of the Law. God is outside and above the Law. Whether you like it or not, God isn’t subject to the Commandments. He can’t be. Consider the 4th Commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” How is God going to keep that Command? He doesn’t have a father or mother or any authorities above Him to honor. Or consider the 7th Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” and the 9th and 10thCommandments about coveting. God created all things, so He already owns all things. He can’t steal or covet anything because everything is His already. So, we live under the umbrella of the Law, and God doesn’t.

But when God saw your pitiful condition under the Law and how it always accuses you, He desired to save you, the only way to do that was for Him to come next to you under the umbrella. Jesus came in the flesh to live under the Commandments next to you. This is the picture we are given in Gal. 4:4-5a, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, burn of a woman, born under the Law to redeem [you] who were under the Law.” You see this?

So, when Satan initially comes to tempt Jesus here, he doesn’t tempt our Lord the same way he tempts us. The devil tempts us to break specific commandments – to disrespect those who have authority over us and break the 4th Commandment, to hate and harm our neighbor and break the 5th, to lust and break the 6th, to lie and break the 8th, and so on. But none of the temptations that the devil throws at Jesus here would lead Jesus to break one of the Commandments. Satan is doing something different here.

In each of these temptations, the devil is tempting Jesus to come out from under the umbrella of the Law. Basically, each of these temptations is Satan, that worm, saying to Jesus, “You created the umbrella! You don’t belong under the Commandments. Leave the people under there, they deserve it. They’ve earned all the punishment they get under there.”

Now with that picture in our minds, let’s consider each of the temptations. If you had gone forty days without eating, the devil would tempt you by simply putting some food in front of you. But when the devil tempts Jesus here, he doesn’t put food in front of our Lord; instead, he points to a pile of rocks. That wouldn’t be tempting for you or me, but this temptation is uniquely tailored for Christ. Jesus has the power, ability, and authority to change those stones into bread. He is God after all, so those stones are His creation. If He wanted to turn them into bread, He had every right to do so. But Jesus doesn’t. He responds by quoting Dt. 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

What that passage means is that we humans must trust that God will provide our food at the proper time (Ps. 145:15). So, this temptation to turn rocks into bread is the devil saying to Jesus, “You don’t have to wait for God to give You bread. Only the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve have to wait for God to feed them.” And the devil was right. Jesus didn’t have to wait. Because Jesus is God, if He had turned those stones into bread, God would have been providing. But because Jesus is your substitute and has willingly come next to you under the umbrella, He does wait. He waits for His heavenly Father to provide food. He chooses to be patient because you and I have to be patient and wait for food to come from our heavenly Father. So, by resisting this temptation, Jesus stays with you under the umbrella.

In the second temptation, Jesus is taken to the top of the Temple and is told to jump off. This temptation sounds really strange to us because I doubt you have ever been tempted to jump off the roof of the Alerus or the Ralph. How is this tempting? It wouldn’t be for you or me, but it is for Jesus. If Jesus had jumped off the pinnacle of the Temple, which was a very public place, people would see the angels catch Him, and they would know that He was God. Jesus could get all the glory, worship, and praise that is His due as God.

But Jesus’ glory doesn’t mainly come from doing amazing things. His main glory is staying with you under the umbrella and going to the cross to be your Savior. Just before He was arrested, Jesus began His high priestly prayer, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son” (Jn. 17:1). Again, the devil’s temptation here is to get Jesus to come out of the umbrella and get the glory that Jesus rightly deserves. But Jesus won’t do it. He remains with you under the umbrella because it is much more glorious to be the Savior of mankind than to be a miracle-worker.

Finally, in the third temptation, the devil takes Jesus to a high mountain, shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and says, “I’ll give You all this if You bow down and worship me.” Remember, Jesus had come to win all the kingdoms of the world for Himself. At the very end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Mt. 28:18). In this temptation, the devil is saying, “I can give You the kingdoms of the world right now.”

But Jesus won’t do it. Again, He stays under the umbrella. Yes, Jesus has come to reclaim the kingdoms of the world, but only after He has redeemed you by shedding His blood and dying and rising again for you.

Dear saints, Jesus has resisted temptation for you. And we know Jesus faced more temptations than these three. When Luke records Jesus’ temptation, he ends it by saying, “The devil departed from Jesus until an opportune time” (Lk. 4:13). Jesus can sympathize with your weakness because He has been tempted in every way that you are but without sin (Heb. 4:15).

One more thing about Christ’s temptation today. Notice, that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil (v. 1). You can take comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit will never ever lead you into temptation because Scripture promises (Jam. 1:13). But beyond that, you can know that by facing these temptations for you, Jesus is totally and completely determined and committed to be your Savior. He did not and will not ever come out of the umbrella with you. His desire is to give you His mercy. He has brought that mercy, grace, and forgiveness to you who live under the umbrella.

So today, right now, and always You can draw near to His throne of grace with complete confidence. Because at His throne of grace you will always find His mercy and grace to help in every time of need (Heb. 4:16). Amen.

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

Kingdom Work – Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16 for Septuagesima Sunday

Matthew 20:1-16

1 [Jesus says,] “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This parable is about the kingdom of heaven and not about the kingdom of this world. An economy where workers are given equal wages without considering how much they have contributed does not work a world filled with sinners. If any CEO operated a company this way, they would have a lot of employees but no workers, and that business would go under in short order because the funds would be gone in to time. Anyone who suggests that the Scriptures are in favor of a Marxist, Socialist economy has proven that he doesn’t know the Bible very well. Several places in Proverbs say that the sluggard will not eat. And just so you know that isn’t ‘just an Old Testament thing,’ Paul says in 2 Thess. 3:10–12, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”

With that in mind, we can turn to the parable.

This parable is about the kingdom of heaven which works the opposite of the kingdoms of men. In the kingdom of heaven, you don’t earn a wage, and you don’t pay for goods or services. Instead, everything in the kingdom of heaven is given away for free because Christ has done all the work and paid for it all by His death and resurrection. God can do this because He isn’t out to make a living by running a profitable business. Instead, God is only interested in giving you His kingdom for free. That’s the main point of the parable, and Jesus stresses that point with two important details.

First, notice when the vineyard owner goes out early in the morning, he bargains with the full-day workers. They agree to work for the day, and in exchange, they will receive a denarius (which, just to be clear, was the normal wage for a day’s work). That was the settled agreement. None of the other workers got a contract like that. They only get a promise. The vineyard owner promises those who were hired at the third hour, “Whatever is right I will give you” (v. 4). And the word there that gets translated ‘right’ is the Greek word for ‘just’ and ‘justice.’

At the sixth and ninth hour, the vineyard owner said the same thing to the workers. But then, notice how the schlubs who are standing idly in the marketplace at the eleventh hour (which would be about 5:00 PM our time and one hour before payday), they don’t even get a promise. The vineyard owner simply tells them, “You go into the vineyard too.” When the wages are given out, everyone gets the same – one denarius. It didn’t matter if the workers had bargained for the denarius or if they simply trusted the promise of the vineyard owner to give what was right and just or if they just went into the vineyard because the owner told them to. Everyone gets the same – one denarius.

And it is good to recognize that the denarius was a gift no matter how long each person worked. None of the workers, not a single one, took the initiative to go and work in the vineyard. No one went knocking at the owner’s door to ask for a job, and none of them volunteered to work for him when he came into the marketplace. Each of them was called at the precise time the owner called them. He went and retrieved them to come into his vineyard. 

This is God’s economy in the kingdom of heaven. And this is the way it must be if it is by grace. Nothing is earned; nothing deserved. That’s the first detail to notice. The denarius was a gift from the hand of the vineyard owner for everyone – those who worked twelve hours, who worked nine hours, or six, or three, or one.

The second detail that shows that God’s intention is to give away the kingdom for free cones at the end. Notice that those who were upset with everyone getting a denarius are sent away from the vineyard which implies that those who were grateful for what they received get to stay.

If you don’t like the fact that in the kingdom of heaven everyone gets the same, then these harsh words of judgment are for you, “Take what belongs to you and go.” In other words, you are free to leave God’s vineyard with your wages and nothing more. Just remember what your wages are. Ro. 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”  If you want to, you can look at your denarius and complain to God that others, who you think haven’t worked as hard as you, have gotten the same as you. But you do so at your own peril and will be sent away from the vineyard.

The most beautiful thing in the parable is not the fact that some get overpaid, and the owner pretends like they worked the whole day and asks them to come back to the next morning. Instead, they have a new home with the gracious vineyard owner. Grace is a one-way street. Everything you have is a gift from God which has been paid for by the blood of Christ. Eternal life is given solely because of what Christ has done by dying and rising again for you. Those who don’t like it and are angry with the vineyard owner are sent away. In this way, the first become the last. 

But there is one more thing about the parable that I want to highlight. It is a minor but important point. Jesus depicts the kingdom of God as working in His vineyard. Dear saints, God has kingdom work for you to do; you are a laborer in His vineyard. I know a lot of devout Christians who are constantly trying to figure out, “What is God’s will for my life?” They have a good heart and want to serve God in meaningful ways. This is a good thing, but you don’t have to agonize yourself trying to discern what God wants you to be doing in His kingdom because Jesus has already told you where He wants you working in His vineyard.

Jesus says that the second great command is, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:39). So, if you want to figure out how to serve God in any given moment, all you have to do is ask yourself, “Who is my neighbor, and what do I owe that neighbor?” If you find yourself at your job, the kingdom work that God has given you to do is to be a good employee, coworker, and provider for your household. When you are out running errands, be a good driver, help the short person reach the item on the top shelf (or, if you’re short, help me reach the stuff on the bottom shelf). Be kind and polite to the people around you. Plow your neighbor’s sidewalk or driveway. Be a good parent. Feed your kids, help them with their homework, and teach them about life. If you’re retired, spend more time praying and interceding for the needs of others. All of this is fruitful kingdom work.

Kids, do what your parents ask you to do at home. When you’re at school, be a good student and classmate and recognize that you are preparing yourself to become a productive member of society. Parents, instill that fact into your children. When they complain about their homework (the multiplication tables, the sentence diagraming, and memorizing facts about ancient Egypt or photosynthesis) when they complain that it is pointless and boring, remind them that they are doing that work not just for their teacher or for a grade, they are doing it for God. Col. 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

In all of those situations, you aren’t just serving your neighbor, you are serving God and doing kingdom work. It doesn’t matter how small or seemingly insignificant the task is, it is the vocation that God has called you to do.

Here’s the thing: God certainly doesn’t need you to work in His kingdom. He could do it all better Himself. He has the power, strength, and ability to do it all without you. But He has called you into His vineyard and join Him in all of these things.

I’d like to close with an illustration. Imagine a dad tells his young son, “Let’s go chop some wood.” The boy jumps at the invitation because he doesn’t even see it as work. He wants to be like his dad. He wants to be strong, swing that axe, and be productive. He would rather do that than anything else. So, the boy goes out and, of course, he stinks at it. The dad is doing all the real work. At some point, the boy gets tired, bored, discouraged, or distracted. But the dad calls the boy back to the task at hand, “No, we’re chopping wood here.” At the end of it all, the dad has produced a giant pile of wood, and the boy has only chopped a handful of little logs. The dad could have probably produced a way more logs by himself than the two of them did together because the dad had to teach his son how to swing the axe and keep calling his son back to work. But here’s the thing: the wood that the boy has chopped is used. It contributes to the needs of the family. And as long as that pile of wood that the dad and boy produced lasts, the dad is going to brag to his family and guests, “Isn’t that fire nice? Timmy helped me chop that wood. Thanks for all your work, Timmy.”

Dear saints, your Heavenly Father has called you to work with Him doing kingdom work. Going back to Col. 3:23-34, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” and listen carefully now, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

The day is coming, and it is coming soon, when Jesus will return. And on that day, He will give you faithful Christians the inheritance of the vineyard. In the meantime, God will use every last bit of what you do to expand and grow His kingdom because everything you do and say is made holy and sanctified by what Christ has done for you (Ps. 18:32). Amen.

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

The Lamb – Sermon on John 1:19-29 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

John 1:19-29

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, 

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ 

as the prophet Isaiah said.” 

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Nativity sets always include Joseph, Mary, and, of course, baby Jesus in the manger. Most will have figures that depict the shepherds and wise men (even though the wise men almost certainly did not arrive the night of Jesus’ birth). A lot of nativity sets will also incorporate animals. There might be a donkey because of the idea that Mary rode on a donkey. It very well might be that she did ride on a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but that is not recorded for us in Scripture. Nativity sets might include camels that the wise men supposedly rode, but again, even if they were there that night, Scripture doesn’t tell us if they rode on camels. But if there is one animal in a nativity set, it is probably a lamb. Of all the animals that should be part of our imagery of Christ’s birth, a lamb is at the top of the list.

Now, Jesus’ birth took place in Bethlehem which is located about five miles south of the Temple where God commanded that sacrifices be made. And the requirements for the sacrificial system at the Temple would have been immense. Each day, two lambs would be sacrificed – one in the morning and one in the evening. On top of that there were the sin offerings, peace offerings, and freewill offerings that individuals and families would bring at various times all would have required animals for sacrifice. And even beyond that, there were the animals needed for the extra sacrifices on festival days. So, all around Jerusalem, there would have been a large industry of raising animals that would be sacrificed at the Temple.

It is not a stretch to think that at least some if not most of the lambs the shepherds were tending the night of Jesus’ birth were destined to be sacrificed. It’s even possible that some of the animals who fed from the manger where Jesus was laid would also end up on the altar at the Temple. But there, in the center of it all, is Jesus – God in the flesh, the One who was born to be the one-time, forever sacrifice for your sins.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

In this Gospel reading, the priests and Levites were sent to ask John the Baptizer, “Who are you?” John had been attracting massive crowds who were going out to hear his preaching and to be baptized. So, the big shot Pharisees back in Jerusalem wanted to know why John was doing what he was doing out there in the wilderness beyond the Jordan.

“Who are you, John?”

John confessed, “I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. I am not the Prophet. I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” Everything John does and says in this text points people away from himself and to Jesus, to the Savior, to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Dear saints, as we approach the birth of our Lord, there are all sorts of things that would grab our attention. Parties, pageants, and programs. Decorating, shopping, and wrapping. Cleaning, baking, and cooking. In the midst of the hustle and busyness of this season, don’t let your attention be grabbed only by the peripherals. Don’t be like the Pharisees, priests, and Levites who are only interested the stuff that is flashy and popular. One thing and one thing only is important this Christmas season: May you behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

He comes to you to take away your sin, to restore you into a right relationship with God, and to give you eternal life. Jesus comes to take away the sin of the world. That means your sin – every last bit of it – is taken away by Jesus.

This Christmas, may you be surrounded by God’s blessings – family, friends, food, gifts, and celebration. But in the midst of all of that, remember that you are secure for all eternity because of what Christ has done. He is your Savior, your Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Amen.

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

A King for the Stubborn – Sermon on Matthew 21:1-9 for the First Sunday of Advent

Matthew 21:1-9

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 

5   “Say to the daughter of Zion, 

     ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, 
humble, and mounted on a donkey, 
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” 

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, 

     “Hosanna to the Son of David! 
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Hosanna in the highest!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine that you are on the gameshow Family Feud. I’ll pretend to be the host, Steve Harvey. “We asked 100 people: What word would you use to describe a donkey?” Yeah, I bet “stubborn” would be worth 97 points. This past week, I did a lot of reading on donkeys and found an article titled, “Fourteen Reasons a Donkey Is an Ideal Hiking Companion.”[1] A few of my favorite sarcastic reasons: They don’t engage in chit-chat but are very good listeners. Big ears. They kick really hard and are, basically, the Chuck Norris of the equine family. They aren’t interested in social media, so you won’t freeze at the summit while you wait for them to try and get the perfect shot to post in Instagram.

But some of the more serious reasons are: They will carry your stuff for you. They have great endurance. They are focused and surefooted in all types of terrain. Donkeys have great memories and can remember areas they have been up to 25 years previously. They are a good judge as to whether or not a path or situation is potentially dangerous, and it’s nearly impossible to persuade a donkey to take a path that it considers sus (sic.). (For you old, out-of-tough folks, that means ‘suspicious.’) And that last reason is why most people consider them to be stubborn. If a donkey senses danger, it won’t budge.

Remember Balaam’s donkey? Balaam was riding his donkey to go curse the people of Israel on behalf of the king of Moab (1 Kgs. 22). God was angry at Balaam for going and sent the angel of the Lord to stand on the road with a drawn sword. The donkey saw the danger, but Balaam didn’t. The donkey went off the road and into a field, so Balaam struck his donkey. Then, the angel stood in a narrow path with a wall on both sides. The donkey moved to the side, right against the wall, which smushed Balaam’s foot, so he struck her again. Then, the angel went to another narrow place. This time donkey lay down, and Balaam struck her again.

So, God opened the donkey’s mouth to speak to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Balaam complains to his donkey that she has made him look like… well, another word for ‘donkey.’ And the donkey responded, “You have ridden me your whole life. Do I normally treat you this way?” Balaam answered, “No.” Finally, God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn, and Balaam fell on his face.

Balaam’s donkey was being stubborn and refusing to walk near the angel of the Lord because it was good for the donkey, but it was also good for her rider. The stubbornness of donkeys is one of their best qualities. It protects them and their companions.

It’s interesting that the donkey Jesus rode in our text didn’t sense the danger ahead for its Rider and dig in its heels. Maybe, that donkey didn’t realize that sinful man is even more stubborn than a donkey.

Donkeys are supposed to be stubborn, but we aren’t. Quite honestly, when it comes to being stubborn, we sinners are far more guilty than donkeys. The Old Testament prophets – especially Jeremiah – talk about how we stubbornly refuse to listen to God. Our old nature is a wild, unmanageable donkey (Jer. 2:23-24). We have stubborn hearts that turn us aside from God’s way (Jer. 5:23). Too often, we allow our stubborn, sinful hearts to lead us in gratifying our fleshly desires. We are not loving toward God or our neighbor. Instead, we dig our heels into the ground and demand our own way. And when we do run, it is generally toward sin and away from God. Repent.

There’s no way to know if the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem knew about the danger that lay ahead for its Rider, but Christ certainly knew. And that is why He rode forward. Christ came to be the King for stubborn sinners. He knew the suffering He would endure for you, and your stubborn heart is no match for your King’s loving and merciful heart. Today, you hear how He comes to save you, humble and mounted on a donkey.

And for us stubborn sinners, that is good news. He doesn’t come as a conquering king on a war horse or elephant. He comes humble and mounted on a beast of burden. Jesus comes to carry your burden of sin on His shoulders to the cross where He will be even more humble and lowly and die for your sins.

And now, Christ does for you just what He did for that donkey He rode into Jerusalem. In the Absolution, Jesus has sent His disciple with authority to come and untie you from your sin (Jn. 20:22-23). He has loosed you from your stubbornness in sin and freed you to go with Him bearing your cross as His willing disciple.

As we begin the season of Advent (which means ‘coming’), we want to remember all the comings of Christ, our King and Savior. He came in Bethlehem: born of a woman, born under the Law to redeem you who were under the Law (Gal. 4:4). On the Last Day, He will dome again in glory with all the angels to judge the living and the dead.

But we don’t want to forget that Christ still repeatedly comes now in humility in His Word and Sacraments. He comes to give you what you could never earn or deserve – a place in His eternal kingdom. He washes away your stubborn stains of sin and makes you clean, righteous, and holy. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

[1] https://www.thehikinglife.com/2020/02/14-reasons-why-a-donkey-is-the-ideal-hiking-companion/

Just as He Transforms You – Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:1-14

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If this text was your only indication of God‘s character, what would be your opinion of Him? Because this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, we know that God is the king, but we see that this king gets very angry. He sends out his troops and destroys the murderers. He burns their city and then mocks the very same people he invited to his feast calling them ‘unworthy.’ But what might be the craziest thing about this king is his super strict dress code. He doesn’t just kick the underdressed man out. He has him bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now, maybe you get a little uncomfortable with a text like this. You might find yourself wishing that Jesus would stick to good parables – happy, nice parables like the Prodigal Son or the ones about seeds and birds. Or, maybe, you wish that God always talked like He did in our Old Testament lesson (Is. 55:1-9) where He lovingly invites, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.” We like that kind of God. But the God Jesus presents here – maybe not as much. I mean, seriously, who wants a God who gets all bent out of shape over a guy who doesn’t have the right clothes? Why does God have to be such a hardnose?

Well, dear saints, what if the God that Jesus presents in this parable is just as lavish, just as loving and inviting, as we heard in that Old Testament lesson? In fact, I would argue that even the ugly things that happen in this parable show God’s protection and provision, His mercy, grace, and love.

The king just wants people at his feast. So, he sends out “save the date” cards. When the time to feast comes, he sends his servants to invite those who received those notifications. Still, nobody comes. If we’re being honest, this king is a little too eager to have people at his banquet. Wouldn’t it be better if he was a bit more aloof? “Oh, you don’t want to come? That’s cool!” But the king isn’t that way. He desperately wants these people there at his feast. He wants them to celebrate with him.

So, he sends out his servants again saying, “See, everything is ready. The food is hot, the wine is poured. The music is playing. Come to the feast!” But now the people act wickedly towards the king’s servants. Yes, some only ignore the invitation, but some treat the servants shamefully even kill them. Not a good idea! To attack the king’s servants is the same as attacking the king himself. This cannot stand. The king is done sending his beloved servants to these wicked ingrates. Now, he sends his army to destroy those murderers and burn their city. All the king wanted of them was their presence so he could provide the feast of feasts for them. But they didn’t want anything to do with him.

We should be surprised that the parable isn’t over yet. The story continues. The king still wants a party. He wants guests. He wants people with him to celebrate the marriage of his son. So, he sends more servants out into the streets to invite anyone they can find – good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Just fill the banquet hall with people so we can celebrate. The servants go, and here we see how the servants love their king. The servants know what had happened to the last batch of servants the king sent out. But out of love for their king, they go despite the danger. And surprisingly, they have success! The hall is filled. People arrive at the palace. And every guest finds a place prepared specifically for them at the table even though they have come directly off the street. These guests have come just as they are, and everything is ready.

Now, a lot could be said about the king’s servants. A whole sermon could be preached from this parable about how the king cares for his servants and avenges them when they are wronged. We could consider how God protects you as you go about your work, witnessing for Him as you invite others to the feast. But you are smart people and have been paying good attention. So, I’m going to let you fill in those blanks because this parable is mainly about being worthy to be at the king’s banquet. And there’s one more glitch, one more snafu, in this parable that reveals God’s grace and mercy.

The king enters the banquet hall and spots one of the guests who is there without a wedding garment. So, the king walks over to him and says, “Friend,” or to put it in today’s vernacular, “Dude, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” No response. Nothing but utter silence. The awkward pause turns into a tragic and even terrifying moment when the king summons his servants and renders swift judgment saying, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s shocking. This underdressed man gets punished even more severely than the people who murdered the king’s servants. They were only killed and had their city burned to the ground, but this underdressed, speechless man with no excuse, he gets hell.

Why? Why does the king get so bent out of shape when a guy, who has been brought in from the street, looks like a guy who has been brought in from the street? Well, here’s the thing. The wedding garment that this man was expected to be wearing but wasn’t, that garment would have been provided for him at the door. The king would have provided all the guests with wedding garments along with all the food and wine and entertainment. The king didn’t expect his guests to provide anything to be at the feast, not even the clothes on their backs. So, this underdressed man had despised the king’s gift which meant he despised the feast, despised the other guests at the party, despised the king’s son, and even despised the king himself.

So, dear saints, what does this parable teach us about God‘s grace? Well, there is no question God calls you just as you are. God certainly doesn’t need you at His feast, but He desperately wants you there. He wants you for Himself for all eternity. That is why God sent Jesus to shed His blood and die for the sins of all people (1 Tim. 4:10). In Christ’s death, everyone has been reconciled to the Father (2 Cor. 5:19). But the sad reality is that not everyone wants the forgiveness and restoration Christ has won and purchased. The eternal wedding banquet of God is only for beggars who have absolutely nothing and need everything provided for them – even the very clothes that they wear.

For the self-righteous and self-satisfied, the Gospel is insulting. Imagine going to a wedding reception and being told by the host, “You can’t come in here like that. You look and smell disgusting. Strip off all your clothes. Leave your filthy, smelly, smutty rags in the dumpster. Get hosed off and put these fine, fancy, designer clothes on instead. They’re yours to keep. By the way, we’re so glad you are here. Welcome! Enjoy the feast!” Now, if you are infected with lice, homeless, dirty, and hungry you will appreciate that cleansing and gift and have the most marvelous time at the feast. But if you like yourself just as you are, if you are comfortable with yourself in your sin and shame, hearing that is a total, complete insult.

Dear saints, God has invited you just as you are, but your God has no intention of you remaining just as you are. God loves you more than that. He transforms and elevates you. God has given you new clothes, splendent and radiant clothes. In your baptism, God closed you with the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:27). In that robe, you are without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; instead, you are holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27). Sure, you can despise that gift and treat it as though it is nothing. But you do so at your own peril.

God wants you at his feast, and at His feast there is only one rule: You don’t pay for anything. Everything is provided for you because of what Christ has done. And here’s the best part: Your God invites you now to this banquet where everything is ready. Come. You are invited just as you are. And God accepts you just as He has transformed and clothed you in Christ. 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.