Dead to Sin, Alive to God – Sermon on Romans 6:1-11 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Romans 6:1-11

¹ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This epistle text is dropping us near the middle of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Because that is the case, I want to quickly summarize what Romans says up until this point: In Ro. 1-2, Paul lays out everyone’s state under God’s Law. We’re all in trouble. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23). And there is nothing you or I can do about it. Your works and my works cannot save. The Ten Commandments shut our mouths before the right and just judgment of God. Then, at the end of Ro. 3, we are given hope. In Ro. 3:21-24, Paul says that the righteousness God requires has been manifested apart from the Law through faith in Christ.

When he gets to Ro. 4, Paul uses the example of Abraham who was declared to be righteous not because he was such a good person but because he believed God’s promise to him (Ro. 4:3 see also Gen. 15:6). In Gen. 15, God promised old, childless Abraham that He would bless him with a son. God brought Abraham outside, told him to try to count the stars, and promised that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. God made a direct promise to Abraham there under that night sky, and Gen. 15:6 says, “[Abraham] believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

And notice how God connected His promise to Abraham to something physical, the stars. Think about how the nights were for old Abraham after that. Imagine him going out on a clear, cloudless night and seeing all the stars. How many nights, do you suppose, Abraham would remember God’s promise and start trying to count the stars? How long would he count before he would give up, realizing it wasn’t possible? And then Abraham would get tired, yawn, smile to himself, go to his bed, and fall asleep thinking, “Well, God made a promise to me. It’s hard to imagine and believe, but God promised.”

Back to Romans. When we get to Ro. 5, Paul changes gears and compares Jesus to Adam by saying that Jesus is the second Adam and new head of humanity. The first Adam brought sin and death to all humanity, but Christ, the second Adam, brings forgiveness, justification, salvation, and life. Paul writes in Ro. 5:18-19, and listen carefully to these verses, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one Man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”

Through Jesus’ righteousness and obedience, you, believer, are made righteous. Eternal life has been secured for you – not by your works, efforts, and achievements but solely by the work of Christ, which is yours through faith. God be praised!

All that brings us to our text. In this first part of Ro. 6, Paul deals with a question even before it is allowed to enter a forgiven sinner’s mind. When we hear the Gospel, that we are forgiven and reconciled to God for Christ’s sake, the old Adam in us wants to go wild. “If God loves to forgive, let’s give Him lots to forgive!” Paul says, “Not a chance; may the possibility of that thought never come to be! How can you live in sin when you are dead to it?”

“Don’t you know that all of us who have been Baptized into Christ Jesus were Baptized into His death?” (Ro. 6:3). Just like He did for Abraham, God has made a promise to you that is connected to something physical, the water of your Baptism. You who are Baptized have been picked up from where and when you are and joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection. In your Baptism, God joined you to Jesus’ death so that you have a Jesus-kind of death. In other words, a death that doesn’t last very long, and a death concludes with resurrection. That means that sin and death no longer have a say in your life. You are dead to them. You are alive to God in Christ Jesus. The day you were Baptized was both your death day and the day you were begotten from above (Jn. 3:3-5).

But Paul goes on to say that this truth is something you have to take on faith. “You must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Ro. 6:11). This is why we don’t believe that everyone who is Baptized will be saved. Yes, Baptism is where and how God saves you (1 Pet. 3:21) and delivers what Jesus has done for you by His death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). But you can walk away from the promises God gives you in Baptism.

“Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Believer, you have two identities at once – one in Adam and another in Christ. You must reckon yourself as dead and alive at the same time. By your birth into this world, you are a sinner. By your new birth from above (Jn. 3:3-5), you are a child of God.

This means something for you each day of your life. It means that sin is no longer your master because sin has been dethroned by Jesus. He’s your Lord now, not sin. So, don’t put sin back on the throne. Fight against it. Don’t use your body as an instrument of unrighteousness. Sin and death will have no dominion over you because they have no dominion over Jesus, which is what Paul says in the next few verses after our text (Ro. 6:12-14).

Dear saints, you are, right now, dead to sin and alive to God. That fact might seem strange because you know that you still sin. The old Adam still clings closely to you. At times, you feel that old Adam and know the guilt and shame of your sin. You recognize that you are not what God intended you to be. The wages of sin is death (which is what you earn by yourself) but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro. 6:23). That’s why considering and reckoning yourself dead to sin and alive to God is so important. You are simultaneously righteous and sinner.

So, when you are inclined to sin and cave into temptation, you have all the proof you need that the old Adam is still hanging around and you need repentance. So, repent. Repenting is saying and believing what God says about sin. Confessing that you do not deserve anything good from God, but don’t stop there. Keep going! Confessing your sin also means saying what God says, that those sins have been died for and are forgiven because of Christ.

And when you are upset, discouraged, and appalled that you have sinned, when you resist and fight back against your wicked thoughts, words, and deeds, you can know for certain that you are alive to God.

Through your Baptism you are truly forgiven, regenerated, and made holy. That is how God looks at you, Christian. But we also recognize from both Scripture and our experience that this new life has only begun. It is not yet complete. But know that the God who began a good work in you, He will be faithful to bring it to completion (Php. 1:6).

What occurred in your Baptism – the drowning and rising, the death and resurrection – isn’t something that is merely in the past, but neither is it something will only come later in the future. Your Baptism is your present life, believer. Daily you repent of your sins, daily you believe in Christ crucified for your forgiveness, and daily you walk in newness of life until that great day when your Old Adam finally perishes, and you are perfectly and eternally renewed.

In other words, because your Baptism has joined you to Christ’s death and resurrection, live that out. Sin now has no dominion over you. You are dead to sin and alive to God. Amen.

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

A Strange Congregation – Sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14 for the Second Sunday of Easter

Apr11

Listen here.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

¹ The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ² And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Ezekiel had an odd call to preach to a strange congregation. God brought Ezekiel out by the Spirit into the middle of a valley. It was full of bones, lots of bones. And these bones were dry – very dry. This congregation, maybe we could call it Dry Bones Lutheran, they weren’t loving their neighbor. They weren’t shining the love of Christ to the world. They weren’t improving day by day. They were just lying there, dead and dry.

Then God asks Ezekiel the question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” What kind of question is that? When God asks something like that, what answer can you give? Ezekiel goes the safe route, “O Lord God, You know.” That’s as secure of a reply as you can give.

Well, God gives Ezekiel a call to preach to this strange congregation. “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’” It’s an odd call. How many times did Jesus say after His sermons, “He who has ears, let him hear”? But here, God calls Ezekiel to preach to a congregation of bare bones that don’t even have ears.

“O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

The sermon is preached. And God’s little sermon appears to be working. There is a rattling. The toe bone connected to foot bone to ankle bone to shin bone to knee bone to leg bone to hip bone to back bone to rib bone to shoulder bone to neck bone to head bone. Now hear the Word of the Lord!

But wait a second. Bones are connected, sinews hold together, muscles have grown, and skin covers. But there is still no breath, no spirit, no life. Wasn’t the sermon supposed to be done? Well, not yet. God has more for Ezekiel to preach. “Prophesy to the breath.”

Now, pause here for just a second. In Hebrew, the word for ‘wind’ and ‘breath’ and ‘spirit’ is all the same word. Ten times in this text, that word comes up. Seven times, it is translated as ‘breath.’ In v. 9, it’s translated as ‘wind.’ But back in v. 1 and again in v. 14, it is translated as ‘Spirit’ referring to the Holy Spirit. But, again, it’s all the same word. And I think, I could be wrong, but I think there is a sense here that God is calling Ezekiel to preach a sermon to the Holy Spirit. “Prophesy, son of man, and say to the Spirit, ‘Come from the four winds and breathe on these slain that they may live.’” In other words, it could be something like, “Holy Spirit, come from the four winds and spirit (as a verb) on these slain, that they may live.”

Ezekiel preaches, and after this second sermon is preached, what do you know? God’s Word works. The Spirit comes into these lifeless bodies that just a couple moments before had been bones, dry bones. Now, they live, and they are an exceedingly great army.

Finally, God tells Ezekiel exactly what was going on. The army is the entirety of God’s people. They were complaining that their bones are dried up and they are cut off. But God promises that He will open their graves and raise them up causing life to come into them. He will bring them into their own land. He will put His Spirit into them, they will live, and they will know that God is the Lord. He promises to do this. He is faithful, and He will do it (1 Thes. 5:24).

Now, this lesson from Ezekiel is fulfilled in our Gospel lesson (Jn. 20:19-31). That first Easter evening, the disciples are all huddled together. They aren’t in a valley, but in the upper room. Sure, they aren’t dry, dead bones, but they are as good as dead because of their fear.

We know they were already afraid of suffering the same fate that Jesus suffered because Jesus said that if they persecuted Him they would be persecuted as well (Jn. 15:20). They know that Pilate had Jesus’ tomb sealed because the religious leaders were worried that the disicples would steal Christ’s body and claim that He had risen (Mt. 27:62-66; Jn. 20:19). But even worse, they have heard that Jesus is alive. That might have been their biggest cause of fear because they had all abandoned Jesus when He was betrayed. They weren’t with Him during His trial and crucifixion. They don’t know what a resurrected Jesus means for them. Maybe He’s mad and is coming after them for their failure. You don’t want a Guy who can walk out of the grave as your enemy.

But then, Jesus enters the room even though the doors were locked. And what does He do for this little congregation dead in fear? He shows them His hands and side as He preaches, “Peace be with you.” That little band of dry, dead disciples come together to see Christ’s wounds and become glad. But at this point, they’re still like those bones, muscles, sinews, and skin that come together in Ezekiel. But they still have no life, no spirit.

So, Jesus has more to preach to them. And the second sermon starts the same as the first, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” Jesus breathes on them. Christ spirits them. He gives them the Holy Spirit, just like in Ezekiel’s second sermon. But we have to pause a moment first. When Jesus says He is sending the disciples just like God the Father had sent Him, what does He mean? What are they to do?

Because God sent Jesus to do a lot of things. God sent Jesus to earth to be both God and Man. God sent Jesus to live a perfect life of obedience. God sent Jesus to preach and teach. God sent Jesus to do miracles. And most importantly, God sent Jesus to be the once-for-all sacrifice for sins. God sent Christ to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). God sent Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin (2 Cor. 5:21). God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sin and rise again for our justification (Ro. 4:25). God sent Jesus to do all of that, but Jesus isn’t saying that He is sending the disciples to do any of those things.

That’s why Jesus gets very specific after He tells the disciples that He is sending them just as the Father had sent Him. These disciples are sent, just as Jesus had been sent, to do something very specific. Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld.”

God had sent Jesus to proclaim God’s mercy and forgiveness, and that is what Jesus is saying that He is sending the disciples to do. Jesus sends them out with the Holy Spirit to forgive sins. And this call is given, in the first place to these apostles (‘apostle’ is the term Jesus uses when He says, “I am sending you,” it’s lit.“I’m ‘apostle-ing’ you.”). And this call is extended to pastors who carry on the apostolic ministry. But this call even extends to all Christians who have been given the Holy Spirit and confess the name of Jesus.

So, what does this all mean? When we consider this Old Testament lesson and its fulfillment in our Gospel reading, what do we learn?

First off, as a pastor, that text from Ezekiel has always been comforting to me. It shows that God’s Word will always accomplish what God sends it to do. No matter how dead a congregation seems to be, God will work through His Word to bring about more than you or I could ever imagine. And just to be clear: I haven’t ever thought you are just a valley of dry bones. You were served well and faithfully by those who came before me. But even if you were nothing more than a bunch of dry bones, God’s Word working through the power of the Holy Spirit is effective to breathe life into you.

But let’s go even beyond that. Know that God has caused you to live. God has come and proclaimed the peace of Christ’s forgiveness to you. When Jesus preaches twice to the disciples, “Peace be with you,” I think the peace that we should think of is the peace of Christ’s forgiveness because that is the peace that Christ gives to all of us dry-bones sinners. Christ has given you the Holy Spirit. And Christ has also called you to be forgivers and proclaimers of that same peace in this world.

So, when people come to you and tell you about their problems, when they complain because they feel the weight of their sin, give them Christ’s peace. Proclaim that same peace to them. It doesn’t matter if they are worried about their kids, their health, their finances, their marriage, the state of the country, whatever it is, you can proclaim, “Peace be with you.” And point them to the cross. Point them to what Jesus has done to forgive them of their sins. You can do this because Jesus has called you to do so.

You see, Jesus Himself is part of the army that God has raised up. Christ became a member of those bones that seemed defeated. He went to the grave defeated. But, of course, He was raised alive, victorious over the death. And Christ has gone before you proclaiming peace to this fallen world full of sin. So, follow after Him proclaiming that same peace and forgiveness in His name.

Then watch as God raises dead, dry bones. Watch as God puts His Spirit within those who were dead in sin and know that He is the Lord. He has spoken and He will do it.

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

Amen.

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

Looking in the Wrong Place – Sermon on Mark 16:1-8 for the Resurrection of Our Lord

Apr4

Listen here.

Mark 16:1-8

¹ When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. ⁵And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is out. Risen from the grave. The One who was crucified; who was stricken, smitten, and afflicted (Is. 53:4); who had all the sins of the world laid upon Him (Is. 53:6); who suffered God’s wrath for all of those sins; He is risen. The resurrection proves that God has accepted the death of Jesus in your place. The price for your sins has been paid. You do not need to be held accountable for any of your sins when Christ returns on the Last Day. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Guess what? That means your sin, whatever sin it is, your sin is included. He bore your sins to the cross, to death, and to the grave. Now, that grave is empty.

It’s the greatest story ever because it’s true. The Resurrection is no “fake news.” It wasn’t fabricated by men who were out to get rich. The preachers of this Good News were persecuted, exiled, and even killed for preaching it. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most provable events in history. There are hundreds of books and days’ worth of podcasts that I could point you to. Just ask me after the service. I just want to make sure you know this. The historical evidence for Christ’s resurrection is out there for anyone to learn, and it is undeniable.

Most of you are here today because you do believe that Jesus rose from the dead. But if, for some reason, you are here today and deny Christ’s resurrection from the grave, it is only for one of two reasons. Either you aren’t familiar with the evidence, or you do know the evidence, but you ignore it and continue denying it because you want to continue in some sinful habit or lifestyle. And you know that because Jesus is risen, you will have make a change and begin to take Jesus very seriously. But you don’t want to do that.

If that’s the case, I beg and plead with you. The pleasures of this life will never give you the peace and joy that the forgiveness of Jesus will give you. And, deep down, you already know that those sins don’t satisfy. Christ has died for whatever sins you are holding on to and forgives you for those sins. So, repent. Consider the evidence and believe because if you won’t believe, I have to be honest with you, if you won’t believe, you will have Jesus, the Son of God who defeated death, you will have Him against you. And you are without excuse.

Ok. To the Resurrection. And I’m going to add some details from the other three Gospels. If you want the references, I can print this sermon off for you after the service. Just ask me. Early that first Easter morning the women arrive at the tomb to finish the burial and embalming customs because there wasn’t time to finish it all on Friday. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had begun the work of embalming Jesus’ body back on Friday (Jn. 19:38-42). Now, these women are back to finish their work for the dead. They didn’t know the One who died had finished off death. And when they arrive at the tomb, the Gospel of Luke tells us that they find two angels (Lk. 24:4).

According to Matthew’s Gospel, the first angel was outside of the tomb and was sitting on the stone that had sealed Jesus’ grave (Mt. 28:2). That first angel tells them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay” (Mt. 28:5-6).

So, the women go into the tomb and find the second angel which is what we have recorded here in Mark. The second angel tells them nearly the same thing. “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” I need to make a quick comment here. The grammar of that statement is so important. The angel doesn’t say that the crucifixion is just some event that happened to Jesus in the past. Instead, the angel says that Jesus is the one who is and remains the Crucified One. But, even though He was crucified, death didn’t stop Him.

So, allow me to give a loosey-goosey translation/interpretation of what the angel says there in v. 6. “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One. But crucifixion can’t keep Him down. He bounced right out of His death. See the place where they laid Him.” And the women look at the place where they had seen the crucified, dead Jesus laid. And what do they see? According to John’s Gospel, they say saw the cloths that had covered Jesus lying there neatly folded (Jn. 20:6b-7). In other words, Jesus made His bed before He left to tomb. Kids, note that. If you want to be like Jesus, make your bed and tidy up after yourself!

I want to tie all of this back to the first words of Scripture you heard this morning in our call to worship from Lk. 24:5 where the angel asks the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” One more grammar point. The angel asks, “Why do you seek the Living One (singular) among the dead ones (plural)?” In other words, the women were looking in the wrong place.

They were looking for the Crucified One in the place of dead ones. But Jesus, the Crucified One, is God. And when God dies, He doesn’t stay dead! Jesus had told them this would happen. No less than three times (Mk. 8:31; 9:30-32; 10:32-34), Jesus told His disciples that He would die and rise again. These women had come to the tomb with their spices to finish embalming a dead guy who wasn’t there anymore. They were looking in the wrong place.

I want to bring this idea, this concept to today. If the past year of virus and pandemic has taught us anything, I hope it has taught us this: Don’t look for health, hope, security, or safety in anything in this fallen world. The dangers of sin and death that surround us are more than we realize. And if you are looking for hope and life in anything but the crucified and resurrected Jesus, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Hope and life are only found in Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One. Because of what Christ has done, nothing can harm you. The resurrection is what helps us understand Psalm 91 which says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence…. You need not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow the flies by day…. [When you make the] Lord your dwelling place – the Most High your refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all of your ways…. When you call to [God], [He] will answer [you]. [He] will be with [you] in trouble; and will rescue and honor [you]. With long life [God] will satisfy [you] and show [you] [His] salvation.”

Dear people loved by God, everything in this life will fail you. Politicians, scientists, experts, and doctors are all good gifts from God, and we do thank God for them. But they cannot give you the life and peace and security that Jesus gives.

So, when you feel the guilt and weight of your sin, don’t go looking for deliverance from your works and efforts. Look to the cross where Jesus died for those sins.

And when you are afraid, unsure, or uncertain about the present or the future, look to the empty tomb and nowhere else. Christ is risen. Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death’s victory and sting is gone forever (1 Cor. 15:54-57).

Christ is risen. Your Redeemer lives. And at the last He will stand upon the earth. You will see Him for yourself. And through faith in Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, you will live forever with Him.

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

Amen.

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

What Gifts or Benefits Does Baptism Bestow? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 2

Mar4

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II. What Gifts or Benefits Does Baptism Bestow?
Baptism works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe, as the word and promise of God declare.
What is this word and promise of God?
It is the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in the last chapter of Mark: “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week we considered how Jesus instructs His disciples to make disciples of all nations/ethnicities by baptizing them and teaching them. Since Jesus has instituted Baptism as the means to make disciples, Baptism cannot be an empty, optional thing. It is vital. We also introduced the idea that God places His Name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – upon us when we are Baptized. Wherever God’s name is, there is salvation. Psalm 54:1 says, “O God, save me by Your name.”

Now, as we move to the second question about Baptism and consider what gifts and benefits Baptism bestows, we see according to Scripture that Baptism works forgiveness of sins. After Peter preached on Pentecost, his listeners were convicted by the Law and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter responded, “Repent and be Baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins” (Act. 2:38). Because Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, it delivers from death and the devil (see Col. 1:13). (The idea of forgiveness being deliverance from death and the devil will be part of the sermon this Sunday.) Baptism also gives salvation to all who believe.

According to the plain words of Scripture, Baptism saves. You heard it tonight. Palin as the nose on your face, 1 Peter 3:21 says, “Baptism now saves you.” Before we get into the specifics of that text, I want to acknowledge that there are Christians (and, please, note that I truly call them Christians) who deny that Baptism saves. I’ve heard many Christians ask me, “You do know, the Bible doesn’t teach that Baptism saves, don’t you?” I point them to 1 Peter 3:21, “Baptism now saves you.” And they don’t have an answer. I have a friend who learned Greek at a Baptist college. His class translated this verse, and the professor said, “There is no denying what this verse says, ‘Baptism saves,’ but we know that isn’t what this verse means.”

That is a dangerous approach to theology and leads down a perilous road. If Scripture says, “Baptism saves,” but it doesn’t really mean, “Baptism saves,” then what other passages don’t really mean what they say? The devil loves to take little slivers of doubt like that to destroy the faith of Christians by sowing the seeds of unbelief in all sorts of texts – both Law and Gospel. Satan will whisper, “Does the Bible mean what it says, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph. 2:8)? Does John 3:16 mean what it says? Did Jesus really mean it when He said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (Jn. 14:6)? Did God really say, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ or, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’? (Ex. 20:13-14, 16)?”

Now, this is a bit of an aside, but I love you too much to not address this: We could call Baptism an “apex doctrine.” Let me explain what that means. In biology, there are apex predators – the animals at the top of the food chain. For example, sharks are the top of the food chain in the ocean. Nothing hunts the sharks. So, when there is a shortage of plankton in a part of the ocean because there are high levels of mercury, the biologists will test the blood of sharks even though they are interested in learning about the plankton. Here’s why.

Plankton will absorb the mercury, but the mercury won’t be detectable in the plankton. As you move up the food chain, mercury levels will get higher at each level. The fish that eat plankton have a little higher level of mercury. And the fish that eat the fish that eat the plankton have even higher levels. But the sharks that eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the plankton will have the highest concentrations of mercury. So that’s where the biologists look. They look at the apex predator because they will have levels of mercury that are detectable. Ok.

Baptism is one of the doctrines at the top of the food chain when it comes to being able to detect doctrinal poison. Little levels of poison don’t necessarily kill you right away, but there is no amount of theological poison that is safe. So, to you kids who are in middle school and high school, when you go off to college, move away from home, and look for a church, don’t necessarily pick the church that is the most fun to go to. Look at what that church believes – and look especially to what that church teaches about Baptism and I’ll add the Lord’s Supper. The ‘little’ theological problems that can be hard to see get more detectable when it comes to the church’s teaching about the Sacraments.

Ok. To 1 Peter 3. That text is so rich and dense, I’m not going to cover everything. Instead, I want to give you the context and then focus on what it says concerning Baptism. I’ll start at v. 18:

Jesus suffered once for sins, the righteous One for us unrighteous ones, that He might bring us to God. Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. What this text is saying is that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter, but before He physically came out of the tomb, He went in His spirit to hell and preached to those who were in that place of torment that they experience now. We know they have torment before Christ returns because of Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus in Lk. 16:19-31, but that is not their final destination. When Christ returns, everyone will be raised from the dead. Those who do not believe in Christ will be cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). So, Christ went to that place of torment and proclaimed His victory over sin, death, and the devil. And Peter mentions specifically that Jesus preached to the souls who did not listen to Noah’s preaching while he built the ark. And Peter mentions them because of the point he is about to make about Noah, his family, the ark, and Baptism.

Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives, eight people in total, were brought safely through the water of the Flood (Gen. 7-8). In the Flood, God was judging unbelief and saving the faithful at the same time. And in the Flood, God uses the same ingredient or instrument to bring both judgment and salvation. It was the waters of the Flood that killed the sinful, unbelieving people, and it was the same water that raised Noah and his family above God’s judgment that came through the Flood. In the Flood, water was the instrument of both death and life.

The same is true of Baptism, and we’ll consider this more fully in two weeks when we look at Romans 6which teaches that Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection. But for tonight, see how Baptism delivers us from sin, death, and the devil by defeating them, and how it saves us. According to this verse (1 Pet. 3:21), Baptism saves because it isn’t just washing a little dirt from a person. Instead, Baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. And this Baptism saves because it connects us to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, some will ask the question, “Do you have to be Baptized to be saved? What about the thief on the cross. He wasn’t Baptized and Jesus said that he would be in paradise that very day.” To which we respond, that’s right. But go again to what Jesus says in Mk. 16:16, “Whoever believes and is Baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Notice that unbelief is the only condition that Jesus mentions with regard to being lost and condemned. Those who trust in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of their sins are saved. Those who don’t believe aren’t – even if they are Baptized. If you do not believe in Christ, you are still in your sins. Faith in Christ is to believe that Jesus has removed your sins.

All of this is to say that you can be saved without being Baptized. Deathbed and foxhole converts are just as saved as those who are Baptized as infants and remain believers their entire life.

The main thing about saving faith is that it believes something. To simply say, “I believe,” is an incomplete confession of faith. What is it that you believe? Christians, children of God believe what God has promised them.

Remember when God promised old, childless Abraham (then Abram)? God brought Abraham outside, told Abraham to try to count the stars, and promised that Abraham’s offspring would be as numerous as the stars. God made a direct promise to Abraham there under that night sky, and Gen. 15:6 says, “[Abraham] believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

God connected His promise to Abraham to something physical, the stars. And I love to imagine what the nights were like for old Abraham after that. I can picture him going out on a clear, cloudless night and seeing all the stars because there was no light pollution. How many nights, do you suppose, Abraham would remember God’s promise and start trying to count the stars? How long would he count before he realized it wasn’t possible? And then he would get tired, smile to himself, go to his bed, and fall asleep thinking, “Well, God made a promise to me. It’s hard to imagine and believe, but God promised.”

Dear saints, God has made promises to you as well. God didn’t bring you outside to look at the stars, but He did bring you to the font. In your Baptism, God promised that He washed away your sins (Act. 2:38). At the font, God promised that you who are Baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). God promised that those waters joined you to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-4, Col. 2:12). There God promised that He delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col. 1:13-14). These are all things God has said in the Scriptures about what He did for you in your Baptism. God is true to His Word, and faith clings to and believes those promises of God.

So, when you wash your hands or face, when you take a shower, when raindrops keep falling on your head, you too can remember God’s promises to you. Everything Christ has won for you by His life, death, and resurrection was delivered to you in your Baptism by God’s decree. And God counts that faith as your righteousness. Amen.

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

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

Sep27

Listen here.

Luke 7:11-17

¹¹ Soon afterward [Jesus] 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.

We didn’t get to do it enough (at least in person) this past Easter Season. So, since we live in the Easter Age, and since every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection…

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This whole text is a wonderful preview of what will happen later in Luke’s Gospel. Everything recorded for us in this text actually happened and is part of actual history, but this text is a beautiful preview.

Jesus approaches the little town of Nain which is in Galilee. Nain is about six miles south of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Nain, the name of the town, means ‘pleasantness’ or ‘beautiful.’ Nain is on the slopes of a mountain. For those of you who have lived here in the Red River Valley your whole life, a mountain is like a dyke, but it isn’t there to prevent floods. A mountain is where the ground naturally goes up and up really high. It’s bigger than a dyke but isn’t man-made. Nain is on the lower slopes of Mt. Moreh, the same mountain where Gideon and his 300 men defeated the army of Midian with nothing but trumpets and torches in jars (Judges 7).

As Jesus and His entourage approach the gate of this beautiful town, our Lord encounters an ugly scene. Another large crowd is exiting the gate of the city. They follow a corpse carried by pallbearers on a bier which is an open coffin. Just behind the corpse, a widow is joined by most of the citizens of the town, and the corpse on that bier is the lifeless body of her ‘only begotten’ son (the same word used of Jesus in Jn. 3:16). The crowd is following her because the death of one member in the city is mourned by everyone in the city. And this death is particularly sad.

This poor woman is now absolutely alone with no one to provide for her. Her husband had already died, and in those days, she couldn’t just go out and get a job to provide for herself. After the death of his father, this son would have become the main source of hope and income for himself and his mother. But now, the son is dead, her hope is gone, and this woman is, according to Scripture, truly a widow (1 Tim. 5:3-5).

Proper etiquette would mean that Jesus and everyone following Him would move aside, get out of the way, and let this somber march of death pass by without interruption. But Christ, the Lord of Life, doesn’t yield. He doesn’t step aside for death. And so, these two crowds get mixed up and entangled there at the gate. It must have been quite a scene.

We need to pause here a minute. We talked last week about the Three Estates – the Church, the Family, and the State. If you didn’t hear that sermon, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to it because it is a helpful lens through which we can consider the world, what is going on around us, and how we are to serve God in Church, family, and state. And it is an idea I plan on pointing you back to regularly.

The gate where these two crowds meet was on the outer wall which surrounded the town of Nain. One of the ways we can imagine the Three Estates is as a set of three walls of protection around you. In medieval times, the seats of kingdoms would have three walls to protect the center of the city where the palace, the military base, and the stock of supplies were safe from enemies. So, when an enemy attacked a city, the first two walls could be breached, but the people could still defend themselves and what was most important.

That idea of three protective walls is one of the ways theologians picture the Three Estates of Church, Family, and State, and we can see how God protects our lives by providing order and peace in society through the first wall of the Estate of the State. We can see how God gives physical life and provides a safe environment for families to grow and learn and go about their business through the second wall of the Estate of the Family. And we can see how God gives spiritual life and sustains that life through the teaching of God’s Word through the third wall of the Estate of the Church.

But the devil is always attacking these walls and estates, and Satan is most effective in his attacks when he attacks from inside each of these estates. The best way for the devil to attack the Church is through false teachers within the Church. The best way for the devil to attack the Family is by going after parents and tempting them away from their family. The best way for Satan to attack the State is through politicians and leaders who make unjust laws.

Now, I need to address something before we move on here. Kids, listen up. Going off to college and moving away from your family is a dangerous time and you can expect the devil to attack you and your faith. Normally, the State isn’t going to punish you when you break God’s Commandments, so there is already a breech, or a weakness, in the wall of the State. When you move away from your family and live on your own, that wall of protection isn’t there in the same way as when you are living with your parents. And if you are living in a new town and don’t find a Church to attend every week that correctly teaches all of God’s Word, the devil has access to your conscience and will try to lure you away from the faith. In one fell swoop, the walls of protection can crumble around you. Too many kids end up denouncing Christianity shortly after they move away from home. So kids, when the time comes for you to move away from home, I would be delighted and more than happy to help you find a good church wherever you move. Ok?

Back to this poor woman. She has quickly had the wall of her family completely decimated. Her husband and her only son have died. She is vulnerable. She is weeping – and rightly so. Death is unnatural. God never intended that we should die. When someone you love dies, weeping and crying is a right response. Even Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, weeps at the death of His friend Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). So, why does Jesus tell her, “Stop weeping”?

Christ interrupts the funeral procession and gives her this command because He is about to act. Jesus could have reversed the order. Christ could have raised her son to life then told her to stop weeping, but He doesn’t. Instead, with this command, Jesus gives her an implied promise that her son will live again. These words from Jesus give a little preview into what He is about to do. Then, only after giving that promise, Jesus touches the bier and commands the young man to get up. The life-giving Word of Christ awakens the dead young man from the slumber of death.

Dear saints, I said at the beginning that this account is completely true. But it is also a preview. Christ, who raises the dead as easily as waking them from a nap, this very same Jesus went to His death. He hung on the cross. And as His holy and precious blood flowed out of His hands, feet, and head, He spoke to His widowed mother. Christ gave His mother into the care of John the disciple to provide a new family for her and rebuild that wall of protection. Then, Jesus died and His lifeless body was carried to a tomb.

But also, just like in this text, the march of death was stopped short. Death had to give way to the Word of Jesus at the gate of Nain, and death had to give way to Jesus on the third day when Christ burst from the grip of death. Death tried to swallow up the Lord of Life, but it bit off more than it could chew. In fact, death choked and died when it tried to consume Jesus. And on Easter morning, Christ rose victorious from the grave.

And yet, dear saints, even that is just a preview of what will happen when your Lord returns. Your sorrow, your loneliness, and your death will all be brought to an end. With a simple word, Christ will call you out of your graves. He will raise you and all believers to live forever with Him in perfection and bliss. In that day, we will confess just as the people of Nain did, “God has visited His people!”

Dear saints, while we look forward to that day, let us confess the same thing now. God has visited you bringing life and salvation to a dark, dying world. May He visit us again soon. Come, Lord Jesus.

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

Amen.

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

Resurrection Mode – Sermon on Matthew 17:1-9 for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

Feb2

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Matthew 17:1-9

¹ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. ⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Chapter and verse breaks are helpful for us to find the same passage of Scripture, but they can also get in the way of important context. Our text, which begins a new chapter of Matthew, starts with the phrase “And after six days….” So, before we get to the Transfiguration, we need to see what was happening that week prior to Jesus getting shiny up on the mountain.

Matthew’ context for the Transfiguration starts back in Matthew 16[:13ff]. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The disciples report that some say that the Son of Man is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But then Jesus turns the question to them, “But who do you say that I am?” and Peter has his great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus had been proving that all along with His miracles and teaching. So, Jesus praises and blesses Peter even while He states that Peter didn’t come up with this confession on his own. Instead, God the Father had revealed this to Peter.

Then, Matthew tells us from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, be killed, and on the third day be raised (Mt. 16:21). Transfiguration & Christ Forsaken And from this point, things get a little crazy and awkward. It is almost as though Peter didn’t hear Jesus say that He would rise from the dead because Peter rebukes Jesus – the very one he just confessed is the Son of the living God. Peter says, “Far be it from You, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” It would be easy to sling mud at Peter here for telling God that what He says is going to happen won’t ever happen. But you do it all the time – more on that in a bit.

Now, when Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, it meant something for him. What exactly Peter had in mind that Jesus would do as the Messiah is a bit hard to pin down. But basically, Peter figured that Jesus, the Messiah, had come to fix problems. Exactly what those problems were we can’t say with certainty. But whatever Peter had in mind, one thing is sure, it would be difficult for Jesus the Messiah and Great Problem Solver to fix those problems if He was dead.

So, Peter rebukes Jesus, and Jesus rebukes Peter. “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mt. 16:23). And this is the sharpest rebuke Jesus ever gave an individual.

You know how it can be after you have an argument with someone. You try to avoid the other person for fear that a fight will break out at any moment. When you have to talk with them, you feel uncomfortable during every conversation. You carefully word everything in order to avoid the issue flaring up again. Imagine how Peter must have felt during those six days between this rebuke and the Transfiguration.

Now, let’s ascend the mountain. Jesus invites Peter, James, and John to come up the mountain with Him. Maybe this summons made Peter figure the whole issue was over and done with. Anyway, while they are there, Jesus is transfigured. Christ’s face shines like the sun. His clothes become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. Luke tells us that conversation centered around Jesus’ exodus (usually translated as “departure” but the word is ἔξοδος) which Jesus was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Lk. 9:30). In other words, they were discussing the very thing that Peter said should never happen just a week ago.

To summarize: Six days prior, Jesus told the disciples about His suffering, death, and resurrection. And Peter didn’t like it then, and Peter doesn’t like it now even in the presence of shiny Jesus. Instead, Peter likes being there on the mountain basking in Jesus’ unveiled glory. But even more than that, Peter doesn’t want Jesus to walk down that mountain, down to Jerusalem, down to be arrested, down to be tried, down to suffer, and down to die on a cross – which would appear to be a complete waste. So, Peter pips up and says, “Lord, it is good that we are here.” And the word that receives the most emphasis in Peter’s statement is ‘here.’ It is nice to be there on the mountain away from where Jesus says He will die, so Peter says, “Let’s stay here. I can build some tents so we can stay here!”

In a few weeks, we are going to hear the account of Jesus’ temptation. After Jesus resists the devil’s temptations in the wilderness, Luke tells us that the devil left Jesus to tempt Him at a more opportune time (Lk. 4:13). This, right here, is a more opportune time. In other words, this statement by Peter is a real temptation for Jesus to stay there with Peter, James, John, Moses, and Elijah on that mountain of glory.

But while Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and God the Father speaks the same words He spoke over Jesus at His Baptism, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” But then the Father has one more thing to say – a command to give – “Listen to Him.” That’s not just friendly advice. The previous week, Peter had been rebuked by Jesus Himself for saying that Jesus shouldn’t die, “Get behind me Satan.” Now, Peter is rebuked again by God the Father for telling Jesus to stay away from Jerusalem and death. God says, “Listen to Him!” And the disciples hear this and are terrified.

Now, which of us does not have the same kind of weakness that Peter had? How often do you think you know better than God? You sin, but instead of confessing it for the rebellion that it is, you try to self-justify your actions. You judge God for being hard-nosed because of the things He has declared are evil. You think you know better than God how to raise your children, run your bank account, drive your car, and what to look at on the internet. Every time you complain, covet, and get angry, you are bucking God’s commands and setting yourself above God. It’s all idolatry, and we are all guilty. Stay in your lane. You don’t know better than God. You don’t get to tell God how things should be. Stay in your lane, and repent.

The voice of the Father from heaven says, “Listen to Him,” and crushes Peter’s conscience along with yours and mine.

Transfiguration - Rise and Have No Fear But here is where all of this is leading: Jesus comes to Peter, James, and John cowering in their sins and touches them. And notice what He says. He doesn’t continue to rebuke Peter. Jesus doesn’t say, “See I told you so.” Instead, Jesus says, “Rise,” the same word Jesus used when He spoke about His resurrection.“Rise, and have no fear.” Of all the things our Lord could have said, He says, “Rise, and have no fear.” Jesus is resurrecting Peter from his sin.

And Jesus stays in resurrection mode. As they are coming down the mountain, Jesus says, “Don’t tell anyone about what you saw until I rise from the dead.” There, Jesus speaks about His death. But it almost seems as though this is the first time the disciples realize Jesus says that as the Messiah that He will die and rise again. Christ will rise again.

Despite your objections; despite your idolatrous thinking that you know better than God; despite your continual, obstinate, insubordination against God; Jesus knows what you need. You need His suffering, the shedding of His blood, His death, and His resurrection. You need exactly what Jesus is here to provide for you right now. Here is His body, given for you. Here is His blood, shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. Here, Jesus gives you Himself to be your Savior. Amen.

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

I Need to Be Baptized by You – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

Jan12

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Matthew 3:13-17

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

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

John the Baptizer tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized, but it wasn’t the first time that John had the inclination to not baptize. A few verses before our text (Mt. 3:5-10), Matthew tells us that all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were being baptized by John. But, when many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to John to be baptized, John sees them and says, John the Baptizer “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” The text doesn’t explicitly say it, but it appears as though John refused to baptize at least some of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But why? Why do they get a tongue-lashing and no baptism?

To get to an answer, we need to have a little background. First of all, we have to understand a little more about what baptism is because baptism isn’t something John invented on his own. The most basic meaning of the Greek word βαπτίζω (which gets translated ‘baptize’) is to wash something either by immersing it in or sprinkling it with water.[1] In the Old Testament, God had given lots of instructions to people who had become unclean to go and ceremonially wash themselves before going to the priest to be declared clean (like when a person had contact with a corpse Lev. 11:25, had a skin disease Lev. 13:6, the person who led the scapegoat into the wilderness Lev. 16:26, etc.). After becoming unclean by contact with what was unclean, that person was to wash and be declared clean, and this is the background of the baptisms going on in John’s day. They were further washings that weren’t commanded or forbidden in Scripture. Things that are neither commanded or forbidden in Scripture can be either good or bad. Scripture doesn’t command us to celebrate Christmas, but it is good and even necessary to do so. But we can make celebrating Christmas such a big deal that it becomes the only day that people come to church, which is bad.

We don’t have a lot of information about the history, but we do know that people who wanted to become part of the Jewish people would be baptized (though, these mainly appear after Christ’s ascension into heaven). But there are records outside of Scripture where baptisms did happen and were somewhat common during the time of the Old Testament and between the Testaments. However, these baptisms were all self-washings. They were a way of physically confessing your sins, turning over a new leaf, recommitting yourself to God, and making a better life for yourself. In other words, those baptisms were something people did forGod.

Now, we can’t say for sure, because Scripture doesn’t explicitly say it, but this is possibly why some of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to John to be baptized by him. Their thinking possibly went like this, “It is good to commit your life to God, and maybe people who are more sinful than I am will follow my example and commit their lives to God.” But here’s the problem with this attitude of the Pharisees and Sadducees, if that is correct, they weren’t coming in repentance to receive the forgiveness of their sins. And Scripture does say that John was baptizing unto repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mk. 1:4).[2]

John was baptizing unto repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but the Pharisees in particular didn’t see themselves as having sins to confess. Remember Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not like that rotten sinful tax collector (Lk. 18:11).

So, it is possible that these Pharisees and Sadducees who are denied baptism by John are not coming to be baptized because they have sins that need to be washed away. They are stuck in a way of thinking that they could do enough things for God that God would be pleased with how holy they were. They thought getting baptized was something more they could do to earn favor with God, so John refuses to baptize them because they aren’t repentant. The sad thing is that many Christians today have this type of view of Christian Baptism. They view Baptism as something they do for God once they have come to faith. But this is not the picture of Baptism that Jesus and the rest of the New Testament gives. Not at all!

Jesus' Baptism Now we come to our text. John is baptizing all these people. A thief comes confessing his stealing, an adulterer confesses his adultery, a liar confesses her sin, and John absolves and baptizes them. But then to the front of the line comes Jesus, and John knows Him (Lk. 1:39-45). They’re related to each other. John knows what the angel Gabriel told Mary, that this Jesus would be Son of the Most High, that He would reign over the house of God, and that His kingdom would have no end (Lk. 1:26-38). John knows the angel Gabriel told Joseph that Jesus would be the One to save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:18-25). John knows that Jesus is the sinless God in the flesh. And here He is coming to be baptized unto repentance for the forgiveness of sins? This shouldn’t be!

John recognizes that he is the sinner who needs to confess his sins and be baptized by Jesus. “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

But Jesus reassures John, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So, John consents and baptizes Jesus. The heavens are opened. The Holy Spirit descends like a dove and rests on Christ. And God the Father says from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Such a beautiful picture of each Person of the Holy Trinity there at our Lord’s Baptism.

What happens when Jesus is Baptized is both the opposite and the same thing that happens to you in your Baptism. In your Baptism, God washed away your sins (Tit. 3:5-6). But when Jesus was Baptized, the opposite happened. Picture it this way. Those sinners who had been baptized by John in the Jordan came to have their sins washed away. But when Jesus enters those sin-filled waters, He absorbs all those sins into Himself so that He can take them to the cross and die for them.

We say this because it is only after Jesus’ Baptism that John says Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John can say that because of what he saw in Jesus’ Baptism. There, Jesus had all the sins of all people of all time piled upon Him. in Isaiah 53, God says that Jesus would be numbered with the transgressors (Is. 53:12) and that God would lay on Jesus the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:4-6). That happened at Jesus’ Baptism.

You know how you feel when you are caught doing something wrong. You have a physical reaction – maybe you feel a rush of heat and guilt, and you feel the weight of it. Imagine having every sin of every person of all time piled upon you. How crushing would that be for Jesus? But having the weight and burden of the sin of the world put upon Him, Jesus hears the comforting voice of His Father, “You are My Son, with You I am well pleased. You are doing what I have sent You to do.” So, Jesus’ Baptism works the opposite direction of yours. Your Baptism washes away your sins, and Jesus’ Baptism is where Jesus is loaded up with your sins.

Matthew 3_17 - Baptism of Jesus Holy Spirit Dove But also, the same thing that happens to Jesus in his Baptism happens to you in yours. In your Baptism, you are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and are made God’s beloved child. In your Baptism, God intimately joins you to Jesus, and to His death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-6).

John’s question in our text, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” can be turned into a confession of faith. “Jesus, I need to be Baptized by You, and You have come and Baptized me.” Jesus does come to Baptize you and make you His disciple (Mt. 28:18-20). God has Baptized you through the hands of whatever pastor did the Baptism. It wasn’t the pastor doing it alone; God was Baptizing you. The pastor was simply God’s instrument to put the water upon you.

I have one final encouragement for you, and it is going to seem to come out of left field but bear with me. In Genesis 15[:1-6], God appears to old Abraham who has no children. God tells Abraham to try counting the stars and says, “So shall your offspring be.” God made a promise to Abraham and connected it to something physical that Abraham could see. And Scripture says, “Abraham believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

Now, imagine every night of Abraham’s life after this. I wonder how often he would go out at night with that promise of God echoing in his ears and start counting. Imagine him trying for a while but then having to give up counting because he’d lose track. And yet, Abraham continued to believe God’s promise.

Dear saints, God has given you something even more precious in your Baptism. God connected His promise of mercy, forgiveness, and life to something physical, to water – something that you interact with daily. Baptism 2 In your Baptism, God has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). In your Baptism, God has promised to wash away your sins (Act. 2:38-39), save you (1 Pet. 3:21), make you His child (Mt. 3:17), connect you to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-6), clothe you with Christ (Gal. 3:27), and fill you with the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5). So now, whenever wash your hands or take a shower, you can remember that God Himself has washed you clean and made you holy and sacred. Whenever you take a drink, you can remember that, in your Baptism, Jesus has given you to drink of the living water that wells up to eternal life (Jn. 4:10, 14).

You have need to be Baptized by God, and God has done this. Believe these promises of God. Trust them. Don’t leave them. And if you do walk away from the blessings and promises that God has given to you in your Baptism, remember that God hasn’t changed His mind. Those promises are there for you to return to because God is always faithful. He who began a good work in you in your Baptism will be faithful to bring it to completion in the day of Christ (Php. 1:6). Amen.

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

[1] In Mark 7:4, Mark mentions that the Pharisees had rituals for baptizing (most translations will simply say ‘washing’) they would baptize cups, pots, copper vessels, and dining couches. Unless you want to ruin it, you don’t immerse a dining couch. So, to say that Scriptures always mean immersing when they speaks about baptism is simply wrong.

[2] Scripture does make a distinction between John’s baptism and Jesus instituting Christian Baptism (especially in Mt. 3:11-12 and Act. 19:1-7). And we could spend a whole bunch of time considering the differences but let me just say this. According the Scripture, John’s baptism is a precursor to Christian Baptism. John would have repentant sinners come to him, confess their sins, and be baptized by him. And it was those very sins that Jesus would die for. So, God was granting forgiveness through John’s baptism.

Saving the Savior – Sermon on Matthew 2:13-23 for the Second Sunday of Christmas

Jan5

Listen here.

Matthew 2:13-23

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year! Today is the twelfth and last day of the Christmas season. Maybe you began celebrating Christmas when the Hallmark Channel began their “Countdown to Christmas” way back on October 26^th. And, no, I’m not going to mock their movies today. Finally, after ten years of being your pastor, I’ve learned to not do that anymore – at least not in a sermon.

Maybe you have taken down your tree and lights and have stored all the decorations in your garage and shed. Remember for Christians, every Sunday is Christmas and Easter – even if your house or this sanctuary isn’t decorated accordingly. So, before we take everything down today after the service, God would remind us of why Jesus came. And this reminder comes in a sobering way with a sad text. The reminder is this: Jesus entered this world to bring life and salvation to people who are obsessed with death.

The birth of Jesus wasn’t the soft, cleaned up picture that we so often have in our minds. Joseph and Mary didn’t lay baby Jesus in a warm, comfortable, well-kept barn. It was a normal barn – cold, dirty, and stinky. They weren’t surrounded by well-groomed animals. Instead, the Scriptures make sure we know that things were much humbler and more dangerous for the holy family. After the birth of Jesus announced by gruff shepherds, the families of Bethlehem wondered at the news (Lk. 2:18) but soon returned to their normal lives. Then at the beginning of Matthew 2, King Herod heard from the magi about the birth of the One who had been born King of the Jews. And Herod did not think this was good news at all.

A little background on King Herod. This Herod was known as Herod the Great, probably because of the many building projects he completed. Herod wasn’t an Israelite; he was an Edomite, a descendent of Esau. But Caesar had given him the title king of the Jews. Herod was utterly and completely wicked and would do whatever he thought necessary to protect his power. He had nine or ten wives, most of whom were murdered because he suspected of them plotting against him. Herod was so bad that Caesar Augustus, who was his friend, said that it was better to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son.

Five days before Herod’s death, he murdered his oldest son to keep him from gaining his throne. As Herod lay on his death bed, he called all his advisors and all the influential men of Jerusalem and Judea to gather together and had them locked in the Hippodrome which was a horse racing track. Herod ordered his armies to surround the stadium and kill everyone inside after he died so that the city cry when he died – even if they weren’t crying for him. Apparently, the order wasn’t carried out.

So, when the magi come to Jerusalem asking, “Where is he who is born King of the Jews?” you can imagine how troubled Herod was. King of the Jews is his job, his title, his office. herod and the magi The guy who didn’t even want his own children to be king after him hears that someone else has been born to be King of the Jews. Well, Herod isn’t going to let that stand. And when Herod is troubled about this, the rest of Jerusalem is also quaking as they wonder what will happen next.

So, Herod learns from the chief priests and scribes that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, he sends the magi to find the Child and let him know where the infant Jesus is. But God tells the magi to not return to Herod, and they depart to their own country. And God sends an angel to warn Joseph to take the infant Jesus to Egypt, the land of slavery and infanticide (Ex. 1:8-21), to save the life of the Savior. As the soldiers marched south from Herod’s castle toward Bethlehem to carry out their murderous orders, the holy family fled ahead of them to Egypt.

Again, the first Christmas was not a tranquil, picturesque scene. Lord, have mercy.

The slaughter of all those boys two years old and younger in Bethlehem is one of the saddest, most horrific things recorded in all of the Scriptures. And yet, it is not so different in our time and culture today.

In 2018, the number of abortions performed in the US passed 60 million since the Roe v. Wade decision. Worldwide, the numbers are much more devastating. In our country, the killing of these pre-born children isn’t to protect a title of a king. Instead, these children are killed for the sake of convenience and independence. And it is all done in the name of choice. Politicians used to defend abortion saying that it should be safe, legal, and rare, but many of them are pushing to expand access to abortion and even suggesting that babies who survive attempts at abortion can be left to die on a table. And now, the leading provider of abortion in our country encourages women to shout their abortions and celebrate them.

Dear saints, there is a modern-day holocaust going on in our country, and it should daily drive us to our knees in prayer. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of our country, a man who published his own version of the Gospels that removed all of Jesus’ miracles, all the claims of His divinity, and even the Resurrection, Jefferson said, “A single human being is of infinite worth.” Even this secular principle is right and is enough to peacefully (and notice I said peacefully) oppose abortion with every ounce of our strength. But the coming of the Son of God in the flesh has raised the sacredness of all human life to an even higher dimension (Dr. Rev. David Scaer). In Jesus is life which gives light to everyone (Jn. 1:4, 9).

Baptism In the incarnation, the eternal Son of God shares in the life of every man, woman, and child – born and unborn. We human beings are all taken out of the flesh of Adam which means that we are all part of one another. But even more importantly, by His conception, the eternal Son of God has permeated all of humanity. This is why the devil loves abortion. Satan loves abortion because every unborn child reminds him of the fact that the Son of God came in the flesh, took up residence in His mother’s womb, and defeated him. The fact that your Savior was once a pre-born child is primary the reason Christians oppose abortion.

Because we are descended from Adam, we all stand before God under the just verdict of guilty and deserving of hell (Ps. 51:5). But again, more importantly, because Jesus has taken on our flesh, we can stand in faith before God with Jesus, the second Adam, to hear a verdict of innocent, holy, and righteous because this Jesus has taken your place. On the cross, He become your sin (2 Cor. 6:21) so that He is the Lamb of God who takes away your sin (Jn. 1:29) and buries it into the emptiness of His tomb.

The young boys of Bethlehem died that night so Jesus could escape death as an infant but not escape death forever. Jesus grew up and died for them and for you upon the cross. Jesus died for them and for the evil Herod’s, Hitler’s, Stalin’s, bin Laden’s, and Soleimani’s of the world. Christ paid for the sins of every abortionist, every woman who has had an abortion, and every man who has pressured a woman to get an abortion. Your Savior died for those sins just as much as He died for yours.

Today, you have heard how your Savior was saved from death so that, at the right time Christ could die for you (Ro. 5:6). So, yes – rejoice because of Christmas while you remember why Jesus came. He came to bring salvation and life to a world obsessed with death. He came to make you – yes you, sinner – His own. Amen.

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

Living in Holy Light & Being Holy Light – Sermon for Midweek Advent 3 2019

Dec19

Listen here. (The first 30 seconds of tonight’s sermon were not recorded. The missed portion was simply a summary of the previous weeks’ messages.)

The texts for tonight’s service were Isaiah 60:1-5; 2 Corinthians 4:6-12; and John 1:1-14.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Tonight, we are continuing the theme from 1 Timothy 4:4-5, “Everything is made holy by the Word of God and prayer.” In the first of these Advent sermons, we considered how God, the Holy One, makes us holy through His Word which cleanses and sanctifies us (Jn. 15:1-5; 17:17). Last week, we saw how God initially created all things good, but nothing created was holy by itself – nothing is inherently or intrinsically holy. So, God places His holy name upon us in our Baptism which makes us holy so we can be in His presence. This not only gives us access to God’s presence, it actually makes us a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (1 Cor. 6:19). This means, Christian, that you are no longer common. Now, you are sacred.

Tonight’s sermon will give us the picture of what our sacred life looks like according to Scripture especially from the Epistle lesson (2 Cor. 4:6-12). Paul is using imagery that was very common in his day, lamps. In the verses leading up to that text, he says that the Gospel – the good news that our sins are forgiven because of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection – is a light (2 Cor. 4:1-5). Then our text picks up that image. Look at those verses while I read and comment on them:

The God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone (Where?) in our hearts. (Why?) To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. We have this treasure – the treasure of God’s glory – in jars of clay.

These jars of clay are the lamps people used in New Testament times. Back then, houses were lit up, not by flipping on a switch but by little clay lamps filled with olive oil. Those clay lamps (or jars) had a small hole for a wick that floated in the oil and fed the flame.

So, God’s holy presence is in us. We have the treasure of His glory and power, but that holiness, that sacredness, that power, and that glory is hidden. You can’t see it just like you couldn’t see the oil inside of that clay lamp. But you know that oil is there as long as the wick continues to burn. If you lit a wick that didn’t have any fuel feeding it, that wick would burn up quickly. But when that wick has fuel, it will burn for hours and hours. Imagine that you didn’t know about the oil in the lamp, you would be surprised at how long the wick can burn.

Back to v. 7, we have this treasure hidden in jars of clay (Why?) to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. To close out this picture, Paul says that the life we have in Christ is reveled and shown in our suffering. Listen to v. 8-9, “We are afflicted but not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed.” When we endure suffering, others are able to see this surpassing power of God because of how it is manifested.

Afflictions do not crush us. Instead, they cause us to run to God (Ps. 129:2). Things that are perplexing and confusing do not cause us to despair (Ps. 37:32-33). When we have trials, we don’t need to wonder if God loves us – He does! When we are persecuted, we can know that we are suffering the very same things that Christ did. Jesus said, “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you” (Jn. 15:20). When we are struck down, we turn the other cheek (Mt. 5:39) because we know that our enemies cannot destroy us – Christ has promised (Mt. 10:28). We have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-4).

You see, dear saints who have been made sacred, God’s glory and power given to you is manifested to this world in your weakness for when you are weak, then you are made strong by God’s power (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Our problem is that this is the opposite of what we normally think. In every other aspect of our lives, growing up means that we move from depending on others to becoming independent. When a child can feed herself, walk, is potty trained, able to dress herself, tie her shoes, etc., we see that she is growing up into an independent woman.

The exact opposite is true of spiritual growth. Growing up spiritually means that we become more dependent upon Christ for everything in every situation. As we mature in faith, we learn to borrow all that we need from Christ which means that we grow in holiness.

As God shines the light of the Gospel into you, that light shines out of you so that you are a light to others. Jesus puts it this way Mt. 5:14–16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

God put the light of His Gospel into you so that you would give light to the dark house of this world. Jesus commands that light within you to shine. English cannot do justice to what the Greek does there. Jesus commands the light He has placed within you to shine so that the people of this world would see your good works and give glory to your heavenly Father.

I want to conclude tonight with one more image of what living in this light looks like by considering. Proverbs 3:5-6 (and I’m going to use a translation that might be different from what you are used to[1]), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways know Him, so that He will straighten your paths.”

These verses picture traveling, but it isn’t the normal traveling from one place to another. It is traveling through life. Throughout your life, you travel on many different roads and paths that seem to have little or nothing to do with each other and it can feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. You go from one thing to another, but it feels like you have no destination.

But these verses invite to you to know the Lord in all your ways. What does that mean? It means that He is present with you in everything. Wherever you go, He is there with you. He is your invisible partner and companion. When you woke up this morning, He was there. When you traveled to work or school, as you ate lunch, while you drove here, He didn’t abandon you. He was right there beside you. You have had lots of little journeys today, and the Lord was with you the whole time.

All the paths of today and yesterday and six months ago, and all the paths of tomorrow and every day of your future are all one journey because God is with you every step of the way. In all your ways, know Him, see Him, expect Him. He is there walking with you leading you along the way. You don’t have to map out your own journey, you can simply trust Him because He is there making your path straight.

The biggest problem you have and that I have is that we think we are traveling by ourselves. We don’t even bother to look for Him because we don’t expect Him to be there. But there He is giving us His light, leading us, guiding us, directing us along our paths. This means that all our paths are sacred because of God’s presence.

All the little paths and bits and tasks of your life are not the story of your journey but the story of Jesus’ journey with you. Live your life in His holy light as you radiate that holy light. Amen.

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

[1] Translation from Rev. Dr. John Klienig.

Saints – Sermon on Revelation 7:9-17 for the Observation of All Saints’ Day

Nov3

Listen here.

Revelation 7:9-17

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”

¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me,

“These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, the Apostle John wants you to see what he saw. The text says, “Behold,” so, get this picture in your mind. You see a huge crowd, so many people that you can’t begin count them. Even though there are too many to count, you can see thousands of faces and notice that they are not all the same. They have different skin colors and facial features. They come from all the different tribes and peoples and languages. You want diversity? This is diversity.

Yet, despite their different upbringings every member of that throng is doing the same thing. They are all standing before the throne of God and the Lamb. They are all clothed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they are all crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!”

The myriads of angels are there, and they cry out with that multitude, “Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

The elder asks John, “Who are these clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” John simply responds, “Sir, you know.” It doesn’t seem as though John had no idea who the crowd was. It isn’t as though he throws up his hands and responds, “I have no idea.” Instead, it’s as though John is so overcome with wonder and amazement that he can’t put words together to answer the question. You know how you want your grandpa or one of your friends to tell a story that you were involved in because they can tell it so well? It might be something like that.

The angel, the elder, says, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” There is no question or debate that John here is seeing the saints, Christians who have died and are with God. But people will debate if John is seeing the Christians who have died during his time or if John was transported into the future and given a glimpse of all the saints after the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead.

Well, we have a clue to answer this debate in the text. (But I would like to note that, even if the interpretation of this particular phrase of v. 14 is incorrect, everything else I will preach could be shown from a variety of other Scripture passages.) The elder there says, “These are the ones who are coming,” present tense and there is a sense that this is a continual thing, “the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.” The picture is that there is a constant, steady stream of people continually being added to this great multitude. Of all the things that could be said about these saints, the elder mentions they are coming out of the great tribulation.

Imagine the comfort that this must have been for John. At this point in his life, he is likely the last living apostle of Jesus when he sees this vision. John was the bishop of the entire region of Asia. He has been exiled to the island of Patmos because there was a persecution of Christians at that time. He had at least heard of – and, more likely, had seen with his own eyes – all sorts of men, women, and children who died for their confession of faith in Christ. Like you, John saw and experienced the fact that Christians leave earth. They breathe their last and are buried. And John knows the sadness and mourning that comes along with that.

But here John gets a glimpse of the heavenly view of what happens when Christians depart this earth. He sees the same ones who leave this earth filled with sorrow, difficulty, and tears now entering heaven in victory and glory. Stop and consider this for a minute:

When Christians die and leave this world, it is grievous, sudden, and often unexpected. Even if someone has been sick for a long time and you know they are going to die, there is an abruptness to death – like running into a wall. But that is how it is for us from the perspective of earth. Here, we get the picture of the same thing from the perspective of heaven.

All Saints While death may come suddenly and abruptly here, those who die in the faith are not surprise arrivals in heaven. The company in heaven is not startled or shocked by those who show up at the doors of glory. The gates are open, and the believers who arrive there have been anticipated and are welcomed into the great multitude to be with the Lamb who shepherds them. Their arrival into glory is no shock to the residents of heaven. It is perfectly ordinary and on time.

Consider as well that this multitude has come out of the great tribulation. They have come out of corrupted cultures and depraved societies. They endured the same disappointments and failures that you do.Like you, they struggled to balance their faith with their experiences. Like you, their families were hurt and torn apart because of sin. Like you, they wept for family and friends who abandoned faith in Christ. Like you, they served and supported others in ways that went unrecognized and unthanked. Like you, they were ridiculed and mocked for their faith. Like you, they knew the sorrow of pain, sickness, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and dementia. Like you, they worried about the future. Like you, they feared as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Like you, they sinned and fell short of the glory of God. And like you, they pressed on in the midst of it all.

They pressed on and persisted in the faith while Jesus held them in His hand, just as He even now holds you. Jesus, their Shepherd, tenderly spoke to them as He speaks to you right now in His Word. Jesus gave them eternal life, and they will never perish (Jn. 10:28), just as He has given you eternal life and you will never perish.

Here is the point of all of this; here is the comfort for you: No one who believes in Jesus dies. This is a promise directly from the mouth of Jesus. Christ says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (Jn. 11:25-26).

This year, as a congregation, we have mourned the deaths of Sonia Link, Ken Malm, and Verdie Pederson. You can add the names of others as well – friends and family members who either weren’t known to our congregation or who died years ago. These brothers and sisters in Christ have safely passed through death into life because whoever believes in Jesus lives. You can find comfort and solace in the fact that whoever believes in Jesus is of eternal significance and that person’s faith is of eternal consequence.

All Saints 1 Because of this, we can have joy in the midst of sorrow. Here and now, as we are gathered together in God’s house and are invited to God’s table, we come to what is described in Hebrews 12(:22-24). This very morning in a small church on the north end of East Grand Forks, MN, we have come, “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.”

There are more here with us today than we can see or count. The saints of all time – those who are famous and known, those whom we don’t know yet, and our loved ones who preceded us in faith – they are all here with us as we gather together at the Lord’s Table.

Those who have departed this world with faith in Jesus are still united to us in Jesus because they are redeemed in the same Blood of Christ. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. And, dear saints, you who have been made holy, so have you. Amen.

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

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

Tag Archives: Life

Dead to Sin, Alive to God – Sermon on Romans 6:1-11 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

A Strange Congregation – Sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14 for the Second Sunday of Easter

Looking in the Wrong Place – Sermon on Mark 16:1-8 for the Resurrection of Our Lord

What Gifts or Benefits Does Baptism Bestow? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 2

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

Resurrection Mode – Sermon on Matthew 17:1-9 for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

I Need to Be Baptized by You – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

Saving the Savior – Sermon on Matthew 2:13-23 for the Second Sunday of Christmas

Living in Holy Light & Being Holy Light – Sermon for Midweek Advent 3 2019

Saints – Sermon on Revelation 7:9-17 for the Observation of All Saints’ Day