Life in the Vineyard – Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16 for Septuagesima Sunday

Matthew 20:1–16

¹ “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. ¹¹ And 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.

The Bible refers to Christians as many things. Christians are God’s sons (Ro. 8:14; Gal. 3:26), daughters (2 Cor. 6:18), children (Mt. 6:9; Ro. 8:16; 1 Jn. 3:1), and heirs (Ro. 8:17; Gal. 4:7). All Christians are called the bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-27) and the body of Christ (Ro. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:27). The Bible will refer to you Christians as sheep with Jesus as your Shepherd (Jn. 10:1ff). There are all sorts of other things I could mention, but in this parable, Jesus calls you workers or laborers in God’s vineyard, and that is what we are going to focus on.

In the parable, the vineyard is the kingdom of God or the Church, the master is Jesus, and, Christian, you are in this parable as a worker who was brought into the vineyard by Jesus. Some of you were brought in early and some later, but you were all brought in by the invitation of Christ. You were brought in to the kingdom of God for a purpose.

Christ has called you into His kingdom not just to lounge around and dangle your toes in the pool while you get a tan. No, He has work for you to do. Husbands and fathers; wives and mothers; children; students; employees with a boss or business owners with staff; citizens of cities, states, and countries – all of these are tasks put in front of you as you work for God in His kingdom. There are times when the work Jesus puts in front of you is hard, difficult, and requires more strength than you can muster on your own. There are times when that work is easier. But it doesn’t matter how challenging or easy the work is, it is work in God’s kingdom.

And this parable harkens back to our origins, back to what God created us to be. Remember how it was at the beginning of creation and before the Fall? God creates everything, plants a garden, and puts Adam and Eve there so they could work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15). Those of you who have been attending our adult class Sunday mornings will, hopefully, remember this. Those two responsibilities – to work and to keep the Garden of Eden – are the same duties that God gives to the priests who served in the Tabernacle and Temple (Num. 3:7-8, 8:26, 18:5-6); the Hebrew words are the same. God didn’t just create Adam and Eve to be gardeners, they were guardians of sacred space. So, this parable refers to how God calls you to be guardians of the sacred space of His kingdom.

This vineyard, the kingdom of God, is a blessed place. Yes, there’s work to do. You have tasks and responsibilities to faithfully carry out, and at times you will struggle and even fail in those responsibilities as laborers in the vineyard. But remember, Scripture doesn’t only call you a laborer; again, you are also a child of God. As a laborer in God’s vineyard and as a child of God, you are part of the family business. Now, please know that I’m going to push past the boundaries of the parable a bit here (i.e. this goes a bit past the scope of the parable), but it is still in line with what the Scriptures teach.

In a family business, the children get all sorts of perks, freedom, and leeway that regular employees, who aren’t part of the family, don’t get. Now, I don’t know enough about vineyards to know if they regularly use tractors, but sick with me on this for a minute. Imagine a normal vineyard with a worker who crashes the tractor because he’s being careless or reckless. That guy is probably going to get fired. But if one of the vineyard owner’s own children makes the same mistake, sure he might get a lecture or not be allowed to drive the new tractor that replaces the one he broke, but he’s still going to be in the business because he’s family.

Now, what might that look like for you as a laborer in God’s vineyard? Again, as a Christian, you are working in God’s vineyard no matter what you are doing. You adults – in your job, whatever it is; in your home with your spouse and children; or in your town, state, and country – every responsibility is vineyard work that God gives you to do. You kids – at home, you empty the dishwasher, make your bed, brush your teeth; in your school, whatever subject you are studying or even being a friend to others at recess – all of that is vineyard work.

There are times you are going to mess up in that vineyard work. You’re going to burn the supper. You’re going to bomb the spelling, math, or science test. But you’re family, so there is forgiveness and mercy extended. You’re still going to be in the vineyard. Sure, you’ll have lessons to learn (and, sometimes, those lessons won’t be pleasant). You might be relegated to different tasks that better fit your abilities (see 1 Cor. 12:21-26). But you’re still in the vineyard because you’re family. Ultimately, the only failure is not learning from your mistakes and doing better the next time.

According to the parable, the thing that gets you thrown out of the vineyard is being angry with the master because of his generosity and goodness toward others (Mt. 20:13-15). But now, I have to add this just briefly: None of that is an excuse to be lazy or reckless with your labor in the vineyard. Remember, the better you work in the vineyard, the more you will benefit. So, take your work in the vineyard of God’s kingdom seriously, but also know that your place in the vineyard is safe and secure.

Ok, back inside the boundaries of the parable and to the elephant in the room – the wages.

In the parable, the only place outside of the vineyard is the marketplace. Markets are where goods and money are exchanged. This thing costs so much, and if you don’t have enough, tough cookies. The marketplace operates only in justice. Now don’t get me wrong, justice is a good thing. We need justice, but because we are sinners, justice is a terrifying thing. God be praised that we have a God who is merciful andjust (Ro. 3:26; 1 Jn. 1:9). The marketplace is where the master of the vineyard finds his laborers and calls them out of it. Notice how the master says to the eleventh-hour workers, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They don’t respond, “Well, we like it here.” No. The marketplace is a terrible place to be as it is presented in this parable. When the master says, “You go into the vineyard too,” they don’t respond, “Aw man, now we have to work.” They willingly and joyfully go into the vineyard.

Again, notice how the judgment in this parable is being tossed out of the vineyard because the grumblers didn’t like the master’s pay scale based on mercy and generosity. Dear saints, we want to remain in the vineyard where we are benefactors of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Because of what Jesus has done, we are in the vineyard where we get better than our sins deserve.

The parable is not just a description of the last day and final judgment. The parable is also about the life of faith. Some of you have said something like this to me, “Pastor, I don’t really like this parable. I’ve been a Christian my whole life and worked in God’s kingdom. And Jesus is saying that all I’ve done as a worker in His kingdom doesn’t really matter because anyone who converts on their deathbed or in a foxhole gets treated the same way I will. I know this is a wrong attitude, but I still don’t like what the parable teaches.”

I’ve done my best to address that in the past, but after studying this week, I’ve got an answer that is better than what I remember sharing in the past. If you look back to the end of Mt. 19, the context of when Jesus tells this parable is also recorded in Lk. 18:18-30. Luke doesn’t record this parable, but Jesus tells this parable in the context of Peter’s little brag and question, “Jesus, we disciples have left our homes and everything and followed you. What are we going to get?” (see Mt. 19:27 & Lk. 18:28). And in Lk. 18:29-30, Jesus promises, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Did you catch that? Jesus promises eternal blessings and rewards to you in the life to come, but you also get blessings and rewards in this life for your labor in His kingdom. That’s what Jesus says. And He wouldn’t say it if it weren’t meant to be enticing to you to do the work that He has for you in His kingdom. Plus, consider this: you know what those eleventh-hour workers, who got paid the same denarius as those who worked the whole day, you know they did the next day? They got up and worked a full day in the vineyard. They got more strength, more endurance, more experience, and did what they could for the benefit of the vineyard.

Finally, and I’ll leave you with this: Remember your Christian life is work and labor in the vineyard. Jesus doesn’t tell the parable about the owner of a factory that produces sweatpants or sneakers or frozen French fries. No. It’s about a vineyard. Vineyards exist to produce wine which God gives to make glad the heart of man (Ps. 104:15). The work you do in Christ’s kingdom brings joy, rest, and feasting to you and to those around you. May we all be diligent and faithful and joyful as we live out our faith in the life of the vineyard. Amen.

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

Transferred – Sermon on Matthew 9:18-26 for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

Nov19

Matthew 9:18–26

¹⁸ While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. ²³ And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went through all that district.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This world is filled with sin and uncleanness. But Jesus, the Lamb of God, has come and taken the sins of the world into Himself (Jn. 1:29). Christ has shed His holy and precious blood to wash away all the uncleanness of this sin-stained world, and He has done that to transfer you from the domain of darkness to His eternal kingdom (Col. 1:13).

To understand this Gospel text, it is important to have a basic understanding of the Old Testament’s teachings on the concept of uncleanness. Through Moses, God declared that if you engaged in certain behaviors, if your body was sick, or if you were going through different natural processes, you were unclean and couldn’t be around other people or the things of God because that uncleanness is like a virus that spreads from one person to another.

Both degree of uncleanness and the length uncleanness depended on certain factors. For instance (because these things are related to this Gospel text), a dead body was unclean, and if someone touched a dead body, that person would be unclean for seven days (Num. 19:11). When a woman was in her “womanly cycle,” she was unclean for seven days, and if someone touched her while she was in that uncleanness, that person would be unclean for one day (Lev. 15:19).

So, when this father asks Jesus to help him by laying His hand on his dead daughter, he is asking Jesus to become unclean for seven days according to God’s law given through Moses. And even though this woman needs Jesus’ help because she has been bleeding non-stop for twelve years, she is too timid to ask Jesus to become unclean by touching her. But she knows who Jesus is. So, she thinks it’s worth a shot to try to sneak a healing from Jesus by touching just the fringe of His garment in order to secretly get relief. Her plan works, but it doesn’t stay secret.

Now, the difference between the father’s boldness and the woman’s timidity is something to meditate on. The next time I preach this text, we might consider how the ruler – his name is Jairus (Mk. 8:22) – Jairus is desperate enough to boldly ask Jesus to become unclean while this woman isn’t confident enough to ask. And yet both Jairus and this woman get help and relief from Jesus – the results end up being identical. Well, that will have to be its own sermon.

Anyway, back to this idea of uncleanness transferring to and defiling things that are clean. Ponder these questions: does Jesus become unclean when He shows mercy to this man by grabbing the dead hand of the daughter? And does Jesus catch uncleanness from that woman when she touches Him? Well, the answer to these questions is both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

First, the ‘yes.’ Strictly speaking, the Law of Moses says Jesus becomes unclean. He has contact with both a corpse and an unclean woman. In both instances, the uncleanness of the dead girl and the woman are both eliminated because Jesus takes them into Himself. Jesus absorbs the illness of the woman, and He takes death out of the girl and into Himself. On Good Friday, Jesus suffered all of God’s punishment, judgment, and wrath against sin and uncleanness. But Jesus starts loading Himself up with that sin and uncleanness long before He goes to the cross.

It was shortly after Jesus’ Baptism that John the Baptizer says that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Also, just a few verses before our text, Jesus heals a bunch of people of their sickness and demonic possession, and Matthew tells us that Jesus did this to fulfill Isaiah 53:4, “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases” (Mt. 8:17). In His miracles and ministry, Jesus takes the illness, disease, and uncleanness of those He encounters. So, yes. Strictly speaking, according to the ritual laws of God about cleanness and uncleanness, Jesus becomes unclean.

But also, no, Jesus doesn’t become unclean because He can’t become unclean. Jesus is God in the flesh and the source of all cleanness, health, and life who has come to drive all sin and uncleanness out of this world. Jesus can’t be defiled. Just like how you don’t wash a bar of soap by the sink or in the shower after you use it so that bar will be clean for the next person. You don’t do that because it is the very thing that cleanses. Infinitely more, Jesus’ purity can’t be corrupted because He is purity embodied. Light cannot be overpowered by darkness. Darkness always loses its battle with light (Jn. 1:5, 12:46).

In a very real way, Jesus isn’t able to touch a dead body because whatever lifeless corpse He touches is restored to life the moment His clean, pure fingers touch it. Christ is Life embodied (Jn. 14:6), and He transfers from death to life. In a real way, Jesus can’t touch an unclean person because at the moment of contact, the things that are categorized as unclean are transferred to clean. Christ came into this world to take away the sin and sorrow that fills this world.

So, dear saints, know that when you feel your uncleanness; when you know the vile, evil things you have done; when you recognize the sins that have utterly defiled you in body and soul; know that Christ has come for you (Mt. 9:13). When you are filled with guilt and shame and begin to doubt that God could actually love and forgive you, remember that Christ came to save you who sit in the filthy, mucky darkness (Is. 9:2) and to bring His light to banish the darkness and obscenity around you and in you.

On the cross, Jesus stretched out His hands, which could not be defiled by sin, and those nail-pierced hands ripped all your sin and corruption from you. Because Jesus never became unclean when He did this for you, He promises that no matter how filthy you have made yourself, you can come to Him and plead for His touch which gives you the mercy you need.

In this Gospel text, you see two examples of the “Great Exchange.” Jesus absorbs this woman’s uncleanness, and in its place, she receives Christ’s healing love. Jesus gives His life to this girl and takes her death upon Himself. And while seeing these things is helpful and encouraging, Jesus has more for you today. Today, you also receive the transfer.

You confessed earlier that you are, by your fallen, human nature, sinful and unclean, and that is completely true. Scripture teaches that because all of us are descended from Adam. But Jesus, the new Adam (1 Co. 15:45) is here. He comes to you today with His Body and Blood which He gave and shed for you. The resurrected Jesus who has defeated sin, death, and the devil comes to touch you and drive away all your uncleanness and death with His purity and life. He comes to you who still live in the domain of darkness to transfer you into His eternal kingdom (Col. 1:13). Amen.

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

Funeral Etiquette – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep24

Luke 7:11–17

¹¹ Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I want to start by giving you a simple exercise to do when you read Scripture that can be very helpful. First, you identify the different characters and then, you pay attention to what those characters do and say.

In this text, the characters, in order of appearance, are Jesus, His disciples, a great crowd following Jesus, a dead man, the man’s mother who is a widow, a considerable crowd following her, and people carrying the dead man’s casket, i.e. the pallbearers. The first step of the exercise is done. Great work! Now, notice what the different characters do and say.

So, first, Jesus: He has compassion. He speaks to the widowed mother. He touches the bier (or coffin). He speaks to the dead man. And finally, Jesus gives the man to his mother.

Next, the disciples: They are silent and don’t do a thing. By the way, that’s not an indictment here. We’re just observing.

The crowd that follows Jesus: They are silent like the disciples until the end when they are rightly fearful because they glorify God by saying, “God has visited His people.” And then, they bear witness because the report about this event spreads.

The dead man: He’s silent when he is introduced, for obvious reasons. But he sits up and begins to speak – even though we aren’t told what he says.

The mother: She’s silent except her weeping which we only know about because Jesus tells her, “Do not weep.” The only other thing she does in the text is also implied. She receives her son when Jesus gives him to her.

The crowd following the mother: They are the same as the crowd that follows Jesus. They are rightfully fearful, glorify God, and tell the event to others.

Finally, the pallbearers: They carry the coffin. They stand still. And they are silent – unless they also fear God and spread the report.

Doing that exercise helps us see that even in a short text like this, there’s a lot going on, but it also helps us see that the text focuses on and is centered around Jesus. Our Lord does almost all the talking. Every other character shares one line of recorded speech, and their words give glory to Him – “God has visited His people!”

That exercise helps us see the main theme of the text: Jesus leads the living and defeats the march of death. Jesus, the Lord of Life, is leading this crowd of people, and when He meets a funeral procession, our Lord doesn’t defer. He doesn’t just stand back out of respect for the widow and these mourners. He brings life out of death like it’s no big deal. He raises this man by doing little more than you would do to wake up a sleeping child.

Today, I want to go one step further and offer you some suggestions on how you should act and behave as a Christian at a funeral. No one likes to go to funerals. Funerals can – and probably should – make us at least a bit uncomfortable. Every funeral is a reminder of the wages of sin (Ro. 6:23) that each of us will be paid unless Christ returns first. But there are a few things in this text that shed some light on how we, as Christians can offer comfort, light, and life even and especially at a funeral because we have passed from death to life (Jn. 5:24).

The focus of the whole text is on Jesus, but also notice where Jesus’ focus is. He’s not very focused on the dead man. He’s focused on the mother. He sees this widow who has already lost her husband, and now she has lost her only-begotten son. Yes, the word there is the same as describes Jesus in John 3:16. Jesus sees this scene and has compassion on her and goes to her first. It is only after Jesus talks to her that He does anything for the dead son.

So, here’s your first funeral etiquette lesson. When you attend a funeral, focus your time and attention on the surviving family and friends. Sure, go ahead and pay your respects at the coffin and share your memories and stories. Doing that can be comforting for the bereaved. But in doing all of that, be more focused on offering comfort to the family than focusing on the person who has died. You can’t give any comfort to the dead. When you are at a funeral, the mourners are the ones that God is calling you to serve. So, serve them with compassion.

That brings us to the second etiquette lesson which is how to comfort, serve, and have compassion on them. Notice what Jesus says to the mother, “Do not weep.” Now, this might sound harsh from Jesus. It isn’t. Remember, we are told specifically that Jesus has compassion on her (v. 13). While our translation uses the word ‘weep’ there, the Greek word for what the widow is doing (κλαίω) is actually stronger than that. The word there means wail, like a hopeless, uncontrollable sobbing.

I want to be clear here. Jesus does weep in Jn. 11:35, when He is at the grave of His friend, Lazarus, but it’s a different word there (δακρύω), and it is clear that Jesus weeps, not because of Lazarus’ death. Our Lord knew that He was soon going to call Lazarus out of death and the grave (Jn. 11:11-15). Jesus doesn’t weep because Lazarus died; instead, He weeps because He sees the great sorrow that death brings to mankind.

Here, Jesus isn’t forbidding that widow from being sad and grieving. What He’s doing is calling her to faith. He wants her to pay attention and see what He’s about to do. He wants her to see that He is the One brings life out of death so she can believe in Him because Jesus Himself is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25).

So, my suggestion of how to show love and compassion isn’t to tell people, “Stop crying,” at a funeral. That isn’t going to go over well. Instead, use your words to point people to Jesus. And the best way to do that is to use Jesus’ own words that He uses to comfort people in the face of death. Again, just before He goes to Lazarus’ grave, Jesus tells Martha, Lazarus’ sister, “Your brother will rise again.” Well, change the word for the relationship as needed. “Your mother, your husband/wife, your child, your friend will rise again.” Of course, say this when the deceased is a Christian. But also know that that is true for people who have died as unbelievers. Doing that points the grieving to Jesus who has defeated death because He is the Resurrection and the Life.

That brings us to the final funeral etiquette lesson for today, and this one is maybe the most important. It’s important when you feel the pain of the death of a loved one and it’s important when you are called to comfort others who feel that pain. Grief can be a good work offered to God and neighbor.

The best way to get this across is to consider our love for our neighbor as taking different shapes, and those shapes are defined by the needs of your neighbor and your relationship to that neighbor. Consider the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:30-37) as an example. The good Samaritan’s love for the robbed, stripped, beaten, half-dead guy was shaped by the needs of that poor soul lying in the ditch. The Samaritan applied first aid by pouring on oil and wine. He lifted the guy up onto his donkey. He set him up at the inn, prepaid for the guy’s needs, and offered to come back to pay any outstanding debts the guy incurs. The good Samaritan didn’t need to do that for every person he saw along the road that day. If he had poured on oil and wine to every person passing by and hoisted them on his donkey, he would have been arrested. His love for other travelers was simply being friendly, giving them a kind, “Hello,” or an up-nod. His love for others was shaped by their needs and his relationship to them.

In the same way, your love for your parents when you were a child (or if you are still a child) is shaped in such a way that you let them take you to the doctor and behave well. When your parents get to a certain age, your love for them might be shaped by you taking them to the doctor. Again, our love for others is shaped by our relationship to them and their needs.

So, how is your love shaped when your family and friends have died and are gone? Can you still show love to them? Yes, absolutely. Your love for those who are close to you and have died is to grieve their absence. In 1 Thess. 4:13, Paul tells the congregation there that he doesn’t want them to grieve death the same way as those who have no hope. It’s very clear there that grieving is not the problem. It’s grieving without hope that is a problem, which is, in fact, sinful. So, yes grieve knowing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

Dear saints, Jesus, your Savior, has come to give life and give it to the full (Jn. 10:10). Jesus knows how to get out of death and the grave. He is your Good Shepherd who leads you through the valley of the shadow of death even now. And He is the one who will lead you out of death on the Last Day when He returns. Your God who has, does, and will conquer death has visited you. To Him belongs all glory, now and forever. Amen.

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

Origins – Sermon on Genesis 2:7-17 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Jul23

Genesis 2:7-17

⁷ [T]hen the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It should come as no surprise, but this text is fundamental and foundational to understanding who we are as God’s creatures. But to really get to the roots of who we are, we first have to understand who God is as our Creator, and this text gives us one piece of that understanding. The other piece came just before our text.

The Bible gives us two very different accounts of creation. In Genesis 1:1-2:3, God creates the sun, moon, stars, land, sky, plants, fish, birds, mankind, and all things by simply speaking. Whatever He commands comes into being. The whole account is filled with the repeated words, “And God said…. And it was so.” Then, God rests. Throughout those six days of creating and the seventh day of rest, He is simply called “God” (Heb.‘Elohim’). In that first account account of creation, we see a God who is transcendent – He is not subject to the limitations we are used to.

But then in our text here, the second account of creation, we see something remarkably different. The difference can be seen just a few verses before our text began in how Moses refers to God. No longer is He simply ‘God’ – He is the Lord God. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh God. In other words, this transcendent, powerful God has a name, and He is close and personal – especially with the head of His creation, Adam.

Yahweh puts His hands into the earth, molds the clay to form the man, and breathes life into Adam’s nostrils (Gen. 2:7). Then that immanent, personal God plants a garden for Adam (Gen. 2:8-9). After our text, Yahweh remains close to Adam by causing him to sleep and performing a surgery on him in order to create the woman. And Yahweh brings the woman to Adam as his suitable helper and joins them together in marriage so they would become one flesh by having children (Mt. 19:6; Mk. 10:9).

From these two accounts of creation, we have an important insight into God. He is mighty, powerful, and uninhibited. But He is also intimately close and involved with mankind.

Finally, after God finishes creation, He rests on the seventh day. Now, God doesn’t rest on the seventh day because He is tired. He created by merely speaking, and God speaks a lot more through the rest of Scripture but doesn’t grow tired or need a nap (Ps. 121:3-4). Instead, those two creation accounts help us understand something about that day of rest. God rests because He has set up all of creation to be His Temple where He will rest in the order and peace that He has established.

When I was younger, I imagined God created everything while He sat far away in heaven, speaking things into existence, but staying aloof somewhere way up there in heaven. But that scenario isn’t compatible with the rest of Scripture.

God’s desire is to dwell with people, the crown of His creation. The final picture Scripture gives of the eternal bliss of believers is God making His dwelling with you (Rev. 21:3). This desire of God to dwell among His creation becomes especially clear after the Fall. When God delivers His people from slavery in Egypt, He instructs them to build the Tabernacle so He can dwell in their midst (Ex. 25:8). In that Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, God says that He will walk among them (Lev. 26:12; 2 Sam. 7:6-7) just as we see He does in Gen. 3:8. To do that, God’s instructions on how to build the Temple in Jerusalem include many of the same materials, like gold and onyx stones, and the same ‘floorplans’ we read about here in the Garden of Eden.^[1]

Now, that brings us to the nature of mankind. God puts Adam in the midst of that newly created Temple of Eden and gives Adam two responsibilities. Our translation says that Adam is there “to work it and keep it.” The two Hebrew words there can refer to a lot of activities, but when Scripture uses these two terms together, they most often refer to the duties and responsibilities of the priests in the sanctuary of the Tabernacle and Temple (Num. 3:7-8, 8:26, 18:5-6). In other words, this text is telling us that mankind was created to be the priest and guardian of sacred space. We were not created just to be gardeners.

On top of being priests, God set up mankind to be kings and queens over creation. God said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28). So, from our very origin, we were created to be priests and the royal rulers over creation with God reigning in our midst.

Of course, sadly, we did not remain in that original state. Adam and his wife failed in their priestly duties. They did not guard the Temple of Eden as they should have. Instead, they let the foul serpent defile it, and they lost their priestly roles. Instead, God sent a cherubim to take over the responsibility of guarding the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24 [see also Ezk. 28:14-16]). They also gave up their royal status over creation. Instead of having dominion over everything that creeps on the earth, they listened to what should have been under their rule; they listened to the serpent’s lies. By eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they rejected God and His ordering of the world.

But, dear saints, God has provided a way back to the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:2, 14), a way back to being what we were created to be, a way back to our origin. Jesus, the new Adam (1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45, 47), has come and crushed the serpent’s head. By His death and resurrection, Jesus has now redeemed you and made you what you were created to be. Through faith in Christ, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His Own possession (1 Pet. 2:9). This very Jesus dwells among you even now (Mt. 18:20). And, as Christ’s people, you are called to be His priests and kings and queens, guarding the sacred spaces of this congregation and your family.

So repent. Repent of the times you have chosen to neglect and abdicate your position as God’s priests and royalty. Repent of the times you have listened to the serpent’s lies and not expelled him from the good gardens where God has placed you and given you priestly and royal authority. Repent because the only fruit you have gotten from those sins is death (Ro. 6:21).

And know, as our Epistle reading (Ro. 6:19-23) promises, that you have been set free from sin and are now the servants of God who gives you fruit that leads to sanctification and life (Ro. 6:22). And know that Christ has equipped you with everything you need to be His priests and royalty. You have the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) to defend against the attacks of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. And you have God’s promise that He will never leave you or forsake you. In a world that is still soiled and stained with sin, Christ has brought you back into His kingdom, and He will lead you to eternal paradise with Him. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

^[1] Gold and onyx (Gen. 2:11-12) are used to decorate the sanctuaries and priestly garments (Ex. 25:7, 11, 17, 31). The Tabernacle/Temple lampstand probably symbolizes the tree of life (Gen. 2:9; Ex. 25:31-35). Even the river flowing from Eden (Gen. 2:10) resembles Ezekiel’s Temple vision (Ezk. 47:1-12).

See No Death, Taste No Death – Sermon on John 8:42-59 for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

Mar26

John 8:42–59

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today we hear Jesus give one of the clearest, most comforting promises He ever spoke. “Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word, he will never see death.” As comforting as this already is, it is even more comforting when we consider the context of when Jesus says this. Jesus is having an argument with some of the Jews in the Temple (Jn. 8:20, 24), and this argument is heated.

Earlier, in part of the argument that isn’t in our text, Jesus told them, “You will die in your sin.” He calls them slaves to sin (Jn. 8:31-34). In this reading, you heard Jesus call these hostile people children of the devil (Jn. 8:44) who do not listen to the voice of God (Jn. 8:47).

Now, these are not tactics you will hear in an evangelism class, but it is all true. Of course, Jesus is telling them the truth. Everything He says is absolutely true, clear, and direct. Jesus isn’t beating around the bush or sugarcoating anything. He isn’t worried about tiptoeing around touchy topics in order to maintain His relationship with them just in case they eventually come around to see things His way. Christ tells them what they need to hear even though it is offensive.

Dear saints, there are times when you simply tell someone the truth, and they will get mad. But the truth remains the truth no matter how people respond to it. Yes, speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), but remember that the truth is always loving. And know that there are times people will get angry when they hear the truth. And it isn’t a matter of you needing to speak the truth in a better way or be more loving. You are not smarter, gentler, or more loving than Jesus. Even though He speaks the hard truth to them, Jesus loves these people. About six months after this argument, Jesus will go the cross and be their substitute under God’s wrath, but here they get angry with Him. And if people got angry with Jesus for telling the truth, then, Christian, there are times when people will be angry with you for telling the truth. Sometimes, showing love will get people angry with you.

That’s all important to know, but we are trying to see how great a promise Jesus makes to these people who are arguing with Him when He tells them that if they keep His Word they will never see or taste death. He starts with the hard but loving truth, but listen to how they respond. They throw two accusations at Jesus, “Are we not right is saying that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Now, calling Jesus a Samaritan was, at least, a racial slur. Today, people’s lives get ruined if they use this type of language. But this might have been more than just a racial slur.

Remember, Jesus had just called them children of the devil (Jn. 8:42), and when they call Jesus a Samaritan, it appears that they are responding to Jesus calling them Satan’s spawn. They are saying that Jesus’ mom was adulterous and promiscuous. They are calling Jesus is an illegitimate child.

They also accuse Jesus of having a demon. Here is God in the flesh warning people and calling them to repentance and faith, and they accuse Him of trying to pull them down into hell. If I were in Jesus’ sandals and had to listen to people saying awful things like this, the best I could hope to do is walk away from them. But Jesus doesn’t walk away. Instead, this is the context where He gives them the promise, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word, He will never see death.” He is calling them to faith and life. Despite their horrific statements, Jesus still loves them and wants to rescue them from death. That Jesus would give this promise to these people – in fact, that He is even speaking to them at all – is tremendous, remarkable mercy. Jesus had come to rescue them.

But, again, they respond to this promise, “Now we know you have a demon!” They are hearing are the very words of God, but they think it is the voice of Satan. Jesus had come to His own, but they did not receive Him (Jn. 1:11); they loved the darkness rather than the light (Jn. 3:19).

So, what does Jesus mean when He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word, He will never see death”? First, what does it mean to keep His Word?

To keep Jesus’ Word is to believe what He says. Keeping Jesus’ Word does mean to do the things He commands, but it also means that when you fail to obey what He says, you also keep Jesus’ promises. It means believing that because of what God has done for you in Christ, you are forgiven (Jn. 6:28-29). Keeping Jesus’ Word means to believe what He says when He calls you a sinner, and keeping Jesus’ Word means believing what He says when He declares that you are forgiven.

Anyone who keeps Jesus’ Word will never see death. And what does that mean? Well, most of you have heard me preach at a funeral, so this is something you have heard before. But even if we heard this a thousand times, we still need to be reminded of it – even if it isn’t at a funeral.

To the one who keeps Jesus’ Word, to anyone who believes the Gospel, in other words you, Christian, you will never see death. You won’t die. And this isn’t the only time Jesus says something like this. In John 10:28, Jesus says that His sheep will never perish. In John 11:26, Jesus plainly says, “Everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.”

It is true that one day you will breathe your last and your heart will stop beating – unless Jesus comes first. Christ might return before that happens (1 Thess. 4:15). Let’s imagine that Jesus does come back before you die, you are simply given your new body and are eternally with the Lord. If you went and found your loved ones who did die and asked them, “What was that like? What happened when you died?”

Their response would be, “I don’t know. I didn’t die. Jesus was simply with me the entire time.”

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps. 23:4) – all the way through. Jesus has died for you. Christ has taken away your sin, your guilt, your shame, and even your death.

That is why Scripture will regularly use different terms when a believer dies. Abraham didn’t die, he was “gathered to his people (Gen. 25:8). Simeon, after he sees forty-day-old Jesus in the Temple says that now he can depart in peace (Lk. 2:29). The Bible talks about death being sleep (Mt. 9:24; Jn. 11:11, 13-14; 1 Thess. 4:13) from which Jesus will simply wake us. Paul talks about death as “departing and being with Christ” (Php. 1:23), being “delivered from evil” (2 Tim. 4:18), and even death being gain (Php. 1:21).

Dear saints, Jesus is the God of the living (Lk. 20:38) and He promises that, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate [you] from the love of God in Christ Jesus [your] Lord” (Ro. 8:38-39). Dear saints, keep Jesus’ Word, believe, and you will never see and never taste death. Amen.

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

The Line – Sermon on Matthew 6:24-34 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep25

Matthew 6:24-34

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The things Jesus tells us to not be worried about in this text are, typically, not the things that we are actually worried about. The last time you didn’t have a meal was probably because you chose not to eat, either you are on a diet, you chose to do something other than eat, or you didn’t like the food you had on hand. You probably aren’t worried about clothing either. Your dressers and closets are likely full of clothes. Even if they are last year’s styles, they would still do what clothes are meant to do. Yes, clothes wear out, but in a pinch you could stitch together something to keep you warm and covered. You have food and clothing. And here Jesus promises that He will give you everything you need for this life as long as He wants to keep you in this life. And Jesus wants you to trust that He will do this.

That is why Jesus harps on all of us for our worry over and over in this text. Even though we don’t typically worry about food, drink, and clothing, we certainly do worry about other things. The economy. Gas prices. Inflation. Cancer. Heart disease. The upheaval and unrest in our country and throughout the world. Those things and things like it are the things we worry about, and we try to excuse our worry about those things. But today, Jesus says, “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles,” in other words, the pagans and unbelievers, “the Gentiles seek after all these things.” According to Jesus here, one of the marks of the unbeliever is worry. Yet, you and I still worry. This text gives us all ample reasons to repent.

Notice how Jesus draws a line in the last verse. After telling us not to worry about food, drink, or clothing or anything else we need for this life, Jesus adds, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Last week, we considered how thankfulness looks back to the good gifts of God in the past. Well, worry does the opposite. Worry looks at the unknown, bad things in the future and has a wrong belief that we have to face that future alone. Tomorrow is clouded in the unknown, but tomorrow is also clothed with the promises of God to be with us, to never leave or forsake us, to provide all that we need, and to protect us with His power and might. God will care for us. Now, that doesn’t mean that we get to be lazy or idle. But too often we sinfully think that worry is the work we need to do to face the troubles of tomorrow.

That is why Jesus draws this line for us. The things that God sets before us today are the things that should have our attention. We are to do everything God gives us to do to confront and combat those evils and troubles that we face each day. Jesus wants us to go about our business and exert our efforts while God promises to give us the strength we need for every moment of today. But when Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” He draws a line at the end of today. Anything past that line, we are to leave in His gracious hands.

With all of Jesus’ talk about not worrying, we can fall off the other side of the horse and become sinfully passive and idle. We might be tempted to think we don’t ever have to work or do anything to combat the evils we face and think God will just take care of everything as we can just back and do nothing. Well, that isn’t right either. For example, it is a sin to pray for a hole when God has given you a shovel. God uses you as His hands and feet to combat the evils of the day, and He promises to give you the strength you need as you face those evils. And since each day has enough evil of its own, don’t let tomorrow’s evil distract you with worry from what God has given you to face today. Jesus promises that He will give you everything you need to meet the evil, ugly troubles of today. And, if He gives you another day tomorrow, He will do it again.

Our Old Testament lesson (1 Kgs. 17:8-16) is a great example of God giving what is needed to face the troubles of today. In Elijah’s days, things were bad. God’s own people had given up the faith and were worshipping Baal, the false god of fertility. So many had abandoned the faith that Elijah worries that he was the only believer left (1 Kgs. 19:10). God had sent a drought to punish Israel, but God told Elijah to live by the brook Cherith promising, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there” (1 Kgs. 17:4). We don’t know exactly how long Elijah lived by that stream with the crows waiting on him, but as the drought went on, the brook dried out, and that is where our text picks up. God tells Elijah to go the city of Zarephath because, “I have commanded a widow there to feed you” (1 Kgs. 17:9).

For however long he lived at Cherith, Elijah had become accustomed to the ravens flying to him and providing his food because God had commanded them to feed him. Now, Elijah gets to Zarephath, but this widow isn’t like the crows who just delivered his food to him. She doesn’t come up to him and say, “There you are. Diner is at my place. God commanded me to feed you.” Not even close! Elijah watches this widow picking up a couple of sticks, asks her for a drink of water, and as the woman heads off to get it Elijah adds a bite of bread to his order. The widow doesn’t say, “No way! I can’t give you anything.” Instead, her response is, basically, “I’ve only got enough ingredients for my son and I to have a bite. I’m grabbing these sticks so we can bake it, eat, and die.” But Elijah gives her a promise from God that the flour and oil will not run out until God would send rain and provide relief from the drought (1 Kgs. 17:14, 16). For the entire three and a half years of the drought, God gave Elijah what he needed to face the evil of each of those days. Dear saints, God will provide all you need for this life until He calls you out of this veil of tears. So don’t worry.

Some of you have watched the pain that a family endures while their child is being treated for cancer. Some of you have gone through this, but for those of you who haven’t, you might think, “I could never handle that the way they handled that. I don’t have the strength.” You were right. You don’t have the strength to handle that because God hasn’t called you to face that – at least not yet. But here’s the thing. When Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus is saying that He doesn’t want you to worry about that diagnosis coming tomorrow because it distracts you from meeting the troubles that God has called you to face today. If the day comes when God calls you to meet that evil (or any other evil), Jesus promises to give you the strength to meet that evil each and every day it is yours to endure.

You see, when you get to the end of the day and are completely worn out, remember, God designed your tank to be empty at the end of the day. So, go to sleep in peace (Ps. 4:8). And when you wake up again, be ready to face the trouble that comes your way that day because God will give you His strength to meet it then.

Dear saints, work and strive and face the evil, troubling that are before you. But draw a line at the end of the day, and don’t worry about anything past that line since you can’t do anything about it anyway. God promises that He will give you the strength to meet the evil things that come your way each and every day of your life, and He is faithful.

Above all, remember what Christ has done by taking on our flesh. Jesus Himself got hungry and thirsty and tired and hot and cold, so He knows the struggles you face. Christ endured it all without a shred of worry because He trusted that God the Father would provide the strength He needed to endure it. Even as He went to the cross, carrying all your sin of doubt and anxiety, Christ entrusted Himself to God (1 Pet. 2:23), and there on the cross Jesus provided what you needed most – His forgiving blood shed for you. On the cross, Christ overcame and defeated all the evils of every day that you face and has now opened the kingdom of heaven to you.

This means that you can face the evils of each day of your life knowing that God will give you the strength to meet those evils, and you don’t need to help Him with your worry. Without fail, Christ will give you everything you need until the day He calls you into His gracious presence. Amen.

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

Tree of Life to the Cross – Sermon on Genesis 2:15-17, 3:22-24; 1 Peter 2:21-25; and John 3:14-15

Mar31

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:22-24; 1 Peter 2:21-15; John 3:14-15

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I love looking at maps. At the risk of you thinking I’m a complete geek (which I probably am), I sometimes relax by opening the Google Earth app on my iPad and search for little islands near Antarctica, the north pole, and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’ll zoom in as close as possible and tilt the view to see what the terrain of those islands looks like. Then, I’ll zoom out and see how close those islands are to other locations that I am familiar with.

Let’s do something similar tonight. Don’t actually pull out your devices, just do this in your mind. How would you find the place where Jesus was crucified? If you wanted to find it on Google Earth, you would probably zoom out and scroll over to the Mediterranean Sea. Then, you would zoom in again to find Jerusalem, and there you have it. Geographically, slightly outside of Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified on the hill of Golgotha. But most of the time, when you think about the location of Jesus’ death, you probably don’t imagine a map. Instead, you likely think about the instrument of His death – the cross. The cross is where Jesus paid the price for your sin. The exact latitude and longitude of where Jesus’ cross was planted isn’t certain; Scripture doesn’t give all those details and didn’t need to. But, believer, you can know for certain that the cross of Jesus is where God saved you.

Now, there was a point to all that. In our Epistle lesson tonight (1 Pet. 2:21-25), Peter zooms in as close as possible to the place where you were reconciled to God. In v. 24, Peter says, “[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” Notice, Peter doesn’t say that Jesus bore your sins in His body on the cross, but on the tree. It’s no accident Peter uses that word. Just briefly, the Greek word Peter uses that gets translated as ‘tree’ can mean either ‘wood’ or ‘tree.’ The same thing is true in Hebrew; Hebrew has one word for ‘wood’ and ‘tree.’

Now, with that in mind, let’s go back to the beginning. God placed man and woman in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it. In the middle of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9), God put two trees, two living woods – the Tree (or ‘wood’) of Life and the Tree (or ‘wood’) of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The fruit of the Tree of Life was, of course, life. That is why God wouldn’t even finish the thought of Adam and Eve eating its fruit after they fell. They would live forever in sin and death. And the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was forbidden because it brought forth death. But there, at the trunk of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve listened to and believed the lies of the devil. That disobedience has cast us into exile and away from life itself. Before humanity could have access to the Tree of Life again, sin had to be dealt with.

Because of our sin, you and I are not able to be part of the solution to sin and death. In our sin, we are left stumbling helplessly through this world. Restoring ourselves to God is impossible and beyond our reach, but not beyond the reach of God. Even though we were overcome by the fruit of a tree, God has come and restored us by the fruit of another tree – the wood of the cross that was planted outside Jerusalem on Golgotha.

Jesus, the Son of Man was lifted up on a tree just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness (Jn. 3:14-15). The tree of the cross – a piece of wood that was used as an instrument of torture, suffering, and death – is the Tree of Life upon which Jesus is lifted up. There, Christ bears your sins – all of them. Just as all mankind brought the curse of sin and death upon himself by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, Jesus takes all the curse of sin and death upon Himself by becoming a curse for us. The Scriptures say, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Dt. 21:23, Gal. 3:13). Now, through Jesus’ wounds you are healed because He has taken the curse that belonged to you upon Himself. And now, whoever believes in Him has eternal life.

Jesus has led you out of your exile away from the Garden, away from the Tree of Life to the new Tree of Life.. Through faith in Jesus, the promised Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15), you follow your Savior to the tree of life, which is the tree of the cross, whose fruit gives you life.

You heard God say in Genesis 3:22, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” Listen carefully here, “Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” God wouldn’t even finish the thought of you being cursed by living forever in sin. But now Jesus has come and become a curse for you by dying on the tree of the cross. The way to the Tree of Life is open again to you. In John 6:51 (and listen to how closely this parallels Gen. 3:22), Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Now that you are redeemed by Jesus, He desires that you eat and live forever with Him. Jesus has come to bring you home, out of exile, and give you eternal life free from sin, pain, guilt, shame, and death. A new life of joy, peace, and perfection that is forever.

Dear saints, by Jesus’ wounds on the new Tree of Life, which is His cross, you have been healed. You are no longer straying like sheep but have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul. Amen.

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

Slavery to the Promised Land – Sermon on Exodus 14:13-31 and Mark 1:9-13

Mar24

Exodus 14:13-31; Mark 1:9-13

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Scripture repeatedly connects water with death and life. At creation, there was chaos and darkness as the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. But then God spoke, and life was brought forth (Gen. 1:2). In the Flood, God sent judgment and death upon sinful mankind by raining water on the earth for 40 days and nights, but those same waters were life-giving as they lifted Noah and his family safely in the ark above God’s judgment (1 Pet. 3:21). When Moses was born, the Hebrew baby boys were to be drowned in the waters of the Nile, but Moses was placed in a basket – his own personal ark – and saved by those waters to be found by Pharaoh’s daughter (Ex. 1:22-2:10).

After wandering in the desert for forty years, God’s people passed out of the deathly, barren wilderness and into the Promised Land by passing through the waters of the Jordan River (Jos. 3). Naaman came to the prophet, Elijah, as a man with deadly leprosy, but he washed himself in the waters of the Jordan River and came out with the skin of a newborn (2 Kg. 5:1-14). Jonah was swallowed by the great fish and brought down to the depths of the sea, but was vomited up again on dry land with new life (Jon. 1:17:2-10, Mt. 12:40).

Last but not least, in tonight’s Old Testament lesson (Ex. 14:13-31), God’s people are departing Egypt and leaving the land of slavery, leaving the brutal taskmasters, whips, despair, hopelessness, and death behind. Initially, Israel had gone to Egypt to stay alive and find a place of refuge and rescue from a severe famine (Gen. 45:4-15). In those days, Egypt was a land that offered a good home while the world was filled with desperation (Ex. 1:1-7). But things had taken a bad turn. A new pharaoh came to power and saw God’s people as a source of cheap labor. The Hebrews ended up groaning under his cruelty. The land that had provided for them became the place of pain and sorrow. The country that had been a place of life became a place of death.

God heard the cries of His people and sent Moses to deliver them out of slavery and death. It wasn’t an easy departure. It took ten terrible plagues to convince Pharaoh to let them leave and go to the land that God had promised to give to Abraham and his offspring. But the Hebrews only got as far as the Red Sea when Pharaoh had another change of heart. Now, God’s people were stuck between a big body of water on one side and Pharaoh and his army on the other.

God told Moses to lift his staff over the sea, and the waters parted so God’s people could pass through on dry ground. Through the water, God’s people left slavery and death and begin their journey from their exile in Egypt back to the Promised Land. The Egyptian army pursued them through those waters, but it didn’t work. The walls of the sea collapsed on Pharaoh’s army. The Lord did, indeed, fight for His people, and they had only to be silent (Ex. 14:14). The evil tormentors of God’s people were all washed away. The waters of the Red Sea were an instrument of both life and death. The same waters that destroyed the enemies of God’s people are the waters that save them. The waters that killed also delivered.

Dear saints, the world around is is getting very bleak. Yes, we live in the land of the free, but the darkness of evil is gathering around us. Like the Hebrews when they initially entered Egypt, we’ve had remarkably blessed days, but that is changing daily before our eyes. The novelist, G. David Hopf wrote, “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” The good times that have been a blessing from God, have created weak men. We are watching inflation soar. We see the potential for horrific wars. The holocaust of abortion continues to rage around us. And our culture has become so open-minded that brains are falling out. For example, yesterday, the supreme court nominee said that she was unable to define what a woman is during her confirmation hearing. Stating simple truths are now considered “hate speech.” It may be that hard times and persecution are looming large before us. Dear Christian, be ready. Our beloved country might turn into a land of slavery. Lord, have mercy.

But even if that isn’t the case and we enjoy more good days, it doesn’t change the fact that we are all slaves of sin and death. We continually sin in thought, word, and deed. We do not love God with our whole heart or our neighbors as ourselves. We need a Savior and deliverer. We need to be rescued from the demons. And, God be praised, God has come and fought for us to deliver us from every oppression.

In our Gospel lesson tonight (Mk. 1:9-13), Jesus came to the Jordan River. Scripture tells us that in those same waters, the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going to John to be baptized as they confessed their sins (Mt. 3:5-6). Jesus also went into that water to be baptized. But Christ didn’t need to be washed clean of sin because He didn’t have any. Instead, Jesus went down into those waters, and like a sponge, He absorbed those sins into Himself. After Jesus was baptized, He was driven by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness bringing those sins back to Satan, the father of sin.

In His baptism, Jesus began to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world (2 Cor. 5:21, Jn. 1:29). In Jesus, God has condemned sin in the flesh (Ro. 8:3). By taking our sin, going to the cross, and suffering God’s wrath against your sin, Jesus prepared you for your own journey into and through the waters of Baptism. In your Baptism, your old, sinful nature was drowned (Ro. 6:3-8), and your sin, all your sin, is washed away. God promises that in your Baptism, you have everlasting life and are delivered from your exile. Dear saints, continue to believe what God has promised you. Because of what Jesus has done for you, heaven has been torn open so you can pass safely through this world of sin and into the promised land of the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

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

A Strange Thing about Love – Sermon on Romans 12:6-16 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany and Life Sunday

Jan16

Romans 12:6-6

⁶ Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

On January 22^nd 1973, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling on the case Roe vs. Wadewhich legalized on-demand abortion in all fifty states of our country. It remains a sad day for our nation. Eleven years after that ruling, President Regan made January 22^nd National Sanctity of Human Life Day. Many churches in our country have made the third Sunday of January, which is today, Life Sunday. So today, we are going to do that in the sermon by mainly focusing on v. 9 of this text.

Our translation makes it sound like v.9 has three commands, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” But actually, in the Greek, there aren’t any commands or imperatives. In fact, there isn’t even a single verb in v. 9. It is fairly common for Greek to not include a verb, especially when the verb is ‘is.’ When that happens, a verb needs to be supplied. The translators of the ESV have decided to translate participles as imperative verbs or commands, but there is a more natural way to translate the sentence and keep the sense truer to the original Greek. If we were using the Wellumson translation, v. 9 would read, “Love without hypocrisy is abhorring what is evil, holding fast to what is good.” What Paul seems to be doing here is giving a description of love similar to how he does in 1 Cor. 13. And how he describes love gives us a lot to consider.

First of all, hypocritical love is not really love. There are times when someone puts on a show of care and compassion for others, but they are doing it simply in an effort to make themselves look good. The term that often gets used for that today is “virtue signaling.” If the only reason you are being kind to someone is to make yourself look good, it is not loving. It is motivated by selfish ambition. So, Paul here tells us what unhypocritical love looks like.

The strange thing about love that this text teaches is that true, unhypocritical love is that it abhors what is evil. That’s the first description of love – it hates evil. Normally, we think love and hatred are opposites, but Scripture teaches us that genuine love must hate evil. So, I ask you, “Is there evil in this world?” Ok. Then to be a loving person, you must hate what is evil. Now, if there was a universe where there was no evil, then there would be no need for love to hate anything. But to really love means abhorring and hating evil things. That means you can’t be a wishy-washy person and be a loving person. That isn’t possible. Love isn’t always smooth and easy.

Hating and abhorring evil is the way that God has loved us. God’s love has a holy hatred of evil and sin. God be praised that His hatred of evil is perfectly coupled with His mercy. God could have hated evil and simply wiped out the whole human race at any point. But because of His mercy God hasn’t done that. And because of what Christ has done, He will not. Not ever. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God has hated evil; poured out His complete wrath and abhorrence of evil; and still forgiven you of all your sin. And that – that is true love. Love in its purest form. God’s hatred of evil is what has put a stop to evil and still delivered us from evil and sin. And, dear saints, we are called by Scripture to love as God loves (Jn. 13:34, 15:9). And if we are to love as God loves, that means we are to hate and abhor evil things.

But also, if we love as God loves, we cannot only hate the things that are evil. Love also must hold fast and cling to what is good. What that means for today as we recognize Life Sunday is this: As Christians, we hold fast to the goodness and sacredness of life that God gives. Life is a good gift from God. Life is a good gift of God in the womb and throughout the life of each individual, for the pre-born, infants, children, teenagers, adults, the elderly, and those receiving hospice care. Life is a good gift from God for those with Down Syndrome, cancer, and ALS. And Christians affirm that. We stand for life from conception to natural death because God is the author and giver of life. We hold fast to God’s good gift of life as we abhor and hate abortion, doctor-assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

Satan attacks life. Jesus Himself says that the devil was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). The devil has always hated human life because humans are created in the image of God, but Satan hates humans even more now because God has become one of us in Christ. In every fetus, the devil is reminded of the Christ Child. That is why Satan loves abortion. Through abortion, the devil attacks God’s gift of life. So, we need to say it as plainly as possible. Christians abhor abortion, and Christians love God’s good gift of life.

Now, all of this means, Christian, that you have been called by God to walk a tightrope, so to speak. You are to love the single mother, the pregnant teenager, the woman who has had an abortion, the abortionist, and the politicians and judges who enable and further the culture of death. You are to love each of them unhypocritically. And Eph. 6:12 gives us insight into this calling. Eph. 6:12 says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Our struggle is not against any people who have flesh and blood. God Himself did not hate people; instead, He sent Jesus to die for the sins of all people. By Jesus’ work on the cross, God has dealt with the evil within every person. If a person has flesh and blood, your struggle is not against them. You are to love them. And that does mean calling sin what it is. But you show every person love every chance you get. Paul will go on to say at the end of Ro. 12, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer was absolutely right when he said, “The will of God is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them.”

Again, this is what Christ has done for you. Christ is your Savior and has identified with you in every area of your life (Heb. 2:15, 17). And while you were still a sinner and enemy of God, Christ died for you (Ro. 5:8). He shed His holy and precious blood to forgive you of all your sin, and He is about to give His forgiving, life-giving blood to you once again.

So, dear saints, God would have us hate and abhor abortion. We pray for an end to it. Pray for the Supreme Court today as they prepare to make another ruling on abortion. Pray that they would recognize God’s gift of life. But even beyond that, we don’t simply pray for an end to abortion in our nation. We pray that even the thought of abortion would be abhorrent to every person in the world. We pray that every heart would be changed to honor and hold fast to God’s good gift of life. And while we pray, we rejoice in hope, contribute to the needs of the saints, show hospitality to all, and we bless. Bless those who persecute you. And we pray for God’s love to shine through us every moment. Amen.

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

Sneaky Slavery – Sermon on John 8:31-36 for Reformation Sunday

Oct31

John 8:31-36

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The crowds answered Jesus, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.” Right.

They must have completely forgotten their history. They had been slaves in Egypt until God delivered them from their slavery. Even when they arrived in the Promised Land, they were ruled by the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Midianites, and the Moabites. They were taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians. They had been under the Greeks and the Persians. And even when Jesus is talking to them here, they are under Roman authority. They had to pay taxes to Caesar and are worried that if people believe in Jesus, the Romans will come and take away their place and nation (Jn. 11:47-48). And remember, the chief priests wanted to kill Jesus, but they had to get permission from the Roman governor Pilate (Jn. 18:11). In fact, when you consider the 1,500-year history of the Jewish people, there is probably only a few hundred years where they were not in some sort of slavery to another nation or power.

But when Jesus says, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” they are offended. Even though these are words of comfort and Gospel, there is an implied bit of Law here. Since the truth will (future tense) will set you free, that means that you are in bondage.

We have to recognize Jesus’ audience. He is speaking to the Jews who believed in Him. I know our translation throws in the word ‘had’ in there – “the Jews who had believed in him.” But that implies that they believed at one time but have stopped believing in Him. That isn’t what the Greek is trying to get across. The verb makes it clear.

Jesus is talking to people who do currently believe in Him, but their faith is shallow and in danger. In fact, by the end of this chapter, the faith of these people will be gone. They are offended at Jesus’ Words of Gospel and freedom. They believed in Him, maybe because of the miracles or because He was interesting to listen to. But they don’t abide, they don’t remain, in Jesus’ Word. They are a prime example of the path in Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the Seed. The Word is sown there, but the devil and demons quickly snatched it away (Mt. 13:4, 19) because their hearts were hardened with pride.

“If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” These are gracious words, but there is also a warning here for you and for me. That warning is this: It is possible to fall away. If you do not abide and remain in Jesus’ Word, then you are certainly not Jesus’ disciples; you will not know the truth, and you will not be free. Only those who abide and remain in Jesus’ Word are true disciples and become free.

Dear saints, Jesus might as well be speaking these very same words to you here today. You also need to abide in Jesus’ Word. You also need to know the truth which sets you free. Whether you recognize it or not, you are in bondage worse than any slavery this world can throw at you. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

Sin has so infected us that we have a wrong sense of freedom. We think freedom means that we can do whatever we want whenever we want. We think freedom is a life without obligation or responsibility. That kind of existence, well, it doesn’t exist. Instead, we are captive and slaves to our sinful desires.

The Scripture readings you heard today have made this entirely clear. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (Jn. 8:34). We sin; therefore, we are slaves to sin. And you can’t just wiggle out of this saying, “Well we don’t really have a choice in the matter.” Our slavery to sin is at a higher level than that. We are slaves in our will. We deliberately chose to sin. It isn’t just weakness or mistakes. We have all ignored our conscience, and knowing exactly what we are doing, we have chosen to sin. We sin on purpose and repeatedly.

And even when we do fight against our sinful desires, which is good, we still are doing so out of slavery. Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11-32) shows that there is a slavery when we rebel and try to live apart from our heavenly Father, and there is also a slavery when we try to win the approval of our heavenly Father by life of obedience.

So, remember the younger son? He deliberately tells his father to drop dead so he can have his inheritance early. That son takes all that he has, quickly wastes it in reckless living, and has to hire himself out feeding pigs. Remember, he was longing to eat the slop he was feeding the pigs. What he thought would bring him freedom made him a slave to pigs. So, he concocts a plan to go and ask to become a servant in his dad’s house in order to get a little food in his hungry tummy. Now of course, you know the story. The father doesn’t even hear the offer of his wayward son. Instead, the father restores this little brat to be a son and throws a party.

But don’t forget about the older son. He didn’t do all the wrong things his younger brother had done. He didn’t tell his father to drop dead. He didn’t demand his inheritance be given to him so he could move away and blow it all. He didn’t end up in the pigpen. No, the older brother hadn’t done anything wrong. But that didn’t make him any less of a slave.

Instead, that older brother insists that he did all the right things. He was dutifully working in his father’s field when his despicable brother returned. And when his father came outside to compel him to come and join the party celebrating his brother’s restoration, he answered his father, “I’ve served,” notice that, “I’ve servedyou my whole life. I’ve never disobeyed your command. I’ve never wasted your money. But when this son of yours comes home, you go and kill the fattened calf for him.” And the parable ends with the father pleading with his oldest son to join the party.

We know that slavery can come from living contrary to God’s Commandments; that is entirely clear and plain as the nose on your face. But there is another slavery – a slavery that is more sneaky – and that is the slavery of the older brother and the people Jesus is speaking to in this text. That is a slavery of us trying to live in such a way that God owes us for all the good we have done. My fellow sinners, repent of that thought as well. God will never be in our debt.

In this text and in parable of the Prodigal Son, we clearly see that God doesn’t want slaves. He wants sons. Slaves don’t remain in the house forever – only sons do.

That is why Jesus has come. The only begotten Son of God came to do His Father’s will. He came to fulfill God’s Law and to be the perfect sacrifice for your sins and free you from slavery. Yes, you sin, and that reveals your slavery. But at the same time you are also a son – redeemed, purchased, and adopted by the blood of Christ. At the same time, you are a slave and a son, a sinner and a saint.

Dear saints always remember what Jesus says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”Christ has. You are free. Free from the condemnation of the Law. Free from the bondage of sin. Free from the fear of death. Free from the burden of having to earn your salvation. Free from the burden of having to complete your salvation. Free to serve God and neighbor without the nagging worry of whether you’ve done it well enough.

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has set you free by His death and resurrection. He has freely given you the gift of new life, and that comes with a happy and joyful future that will last to all eternity. If the Son sets you free – and Christ has by His death and resurrection – you will be free indeed. So, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” (Lk. 12:32). Amen.

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

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"Don't the great tales never end?"

Tag Archives: Life

Life in the Vineyard – Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16 for Septuagesima Sunday

Transferred – Sermon on Matthew 9:18-26 for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

Funeral Etiquette – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Origins – Sermon on Genesis 2:7-17 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

See No Death, Taste No Death – Sermon on John 8:42-59 for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Line – Sermon on Matthew 6:24-34 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Tree of Life to the Cross – Sermon on Genesis 2:15-17, 3:22-24; 1 Peter 2:21-25; and John 3:14-15

Slavery to the Promised Land – Sermon on Exodus 14:13-31 and Mark 1:9-13

A Strange Thing about Love – Sermon on Romans 12:6-16 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany and Life Sunday

Sneaky Slavery – Sermon on John 8:31-36 for Reformation Sunday