Tag Archives: Midweek Advent

Calling Friends & Family to See Jesus – Sermon on John 1:43-51 for Midweek Advent 2

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

As is often the case, we have to remember where we’ve been, so we can see where we’re going.

Last Wednesday, we heard how Andrew became a disciple of Jesus. Andrew heard John the Baptizer declare Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Andrew asked where Jesus was teaching so he could learn more, and Jesus invited him, “Come and see.” As Andrew listened to Jesus teach, his eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit to see that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. So, Andrew ran and found his brother Simon Peter and brought him to Jesus.

That’s where we’ve been, now here’s where we’re going.

The day after that, Jesus finds Philip, and calls him, “Follow Me.” We don’t know how long Philip was with Jesus or what happened while they were together, but Philip comes to believe the same thing Andrew believed the day before. This Jesus dude is the fulfillment of everything Moses and the prophets (i.e. the entire Old Testament) wrote about.

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I learned to moderately despise the puns that pastors would make; they were just so bad. So, I’m going to need your advanced forgiveness for this pun I’m about to use. Philip’s name means (of all things) ‘lover of horses.’ Philip is so excited about finding the Messiah that he gallops off to find his buddy, Nathanael to tell him about Jesus. When a person hears good news, they naturally want to share it with others – especially with people who are close to them.

Dear saints, you too have found the Messiah, the Savior and Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, probably more accurately (like Philip) you have been found by Him. Jesus came and found you lost and dead in your sin. He has raised you to new life, given you the forgiveness of all your sins, and gifted you with the Holy Spirit so that you are now God’s temple (1 Cor. 6:19). Maybe the excitement and joy of that fact has worn off a bit. Well, it’s time for God to restore to you the joy of His salvation (Ps. 51:12).

Just think what your life and existence would be like without Jesus. You would have no real purpose or meaning for life. You would have no hope. You would be destined for an eternity in hell. All the pain and suffering you experience in this life would be nothing more than signs that you are living in a cold, meaningless world.

But with Jesus, everything is different. All your sins are forgiven. You are a child of your heavenly Father. You know that for all eternity, you are safe and secure in God’s eternal, almighty hands. You know that the suffering and tribulation you experience in this world is known by Jesus, but He has overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). He is causing all things to work together for your good because loves you, you love Him, and He has called you according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). That is what it is to be found by Jesus who calls you to follow Him, just like He did with Philip.

And Philip wants nothing more than to share this good news with his friend Nathanael, but Nathanael doesn’t jump on board right away. He’s more interested to stay in the shade of his fig tree than meeting someone from Nazareth. I don’t know what Nathanael’s beef with Nazareth is. Maybe his childhood rival was from there. Maybe Nathanael is skeptical about the Messiah being from Nazareth because he knew his Bible well enough to know that Nazareth had no connections to the Messiah. Bethlehem, sure (Mic. 5:2), but not Nazareth. I think we can all empathize with Nathanael to a degree. If you came to me all excited about something in/from Mandan, I’d echo Nathanael, “Can anything good come from Mandan?”

But Philip doesn’t give up. He doesn’t argue with Nathanael or try to remind him about the really good doughnut shop in downtown Nazareth. Nope. Philip simply says, “Come and see.” And Nathanael saw.

Without any pleasantries exchanged between them, Jesus knows Nathanael and who he is. As Nathanael walks up to Him, Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” In other words, Nathanael is a straight-shooter and doesn’t mince words, not when he expresses his thoughts about Nazareth or anything else. Nathanael is dumbfounded and maybe a little convicted, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That’s all it took. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanael believed.

Dear saints, that’s the power of Jesus working through His Word. Philip doesn’t have to do a whole bunch of convincing and arguing with Nathanael. Philip doesn’t even have to share his personal testimony or anything like that. Nathanael is called to be one of Jesus’ disciples simply because of Philip sharing his joy of being found by Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus does the rest (i.e. Jesus does it all).

Maybe you know people who are skeptical and even have animosity toward God. You might think that nothing will ever get through to them. Take heart. Jesus works through His Word to do things far beyond our imagination. Two sentences from Jesus changed Nathanael’s heart toward this carpenter’s Son from backwards Nazareth.

Now, I can’t say that Jesus will convert your skeptical friends or family as quickly, but Jesus will work on them through His Word. As surely as rain and snow make the ground wet, God will use His Word to accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (Is. 55:10-11).

It all comes down to sharing good news with others. You share good news all the time. You find a trusty mechanic, a good burger, a nice cup of coffee, you see a good movie, read a good book, or even find a funny meme on social media, and you find yourself telling others about and introducing them to it. Pretty much the only time we keep good news to ourselves is if/when we think sharing it with others would mean that we get less of it. 

Repent of that, and remember you don’t get any less Gospel when you share it with others. Instead, you gain new brothers and sisters in Christ. Feel free, absolutely and joyfully free, to share the best thing in the history of the world – the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind.

Luther (supposedly) once said, “Christians are simply beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.” Maybe when you invite people to come here to God’s house, they will be skeptical like Nathanael was at first. Don’t worry about it. Keep telling them. Keep inviting them. At least those beggars will have heard where the bread is. You don’t need to be eloquent. Simply invite those whom you love to, “Come and see.” Amen.

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

The Child Who Is John’s Joy – Sermon on 2 Samuel 6:12-23 and Luke 1:39-45 for Midweek Advent 3

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We expect kings to behave differently than we do. Kings don’t walk; they strut. Kings don’t just throw on some clothes; they are robed. And kings don’t eat; they dine. Kings are dignified and distinguished. That’s why David’s wife, Michal, was so disgusted by her husband’s behavior in our Old Testament reading (2 Sam. 6:12-23). He wasn’t acting very kingly.

The Ark of the Covenant had been stolen by the Philistines and had been held for about seven months (1 Sam. 6:1). When the Israelites initially recovered the Ark, things didn’t go so well. Hundreds of years before, when God had given instructions on how to build the Ark, He commanded that the Ark have golden rings on its corners so that poles overlaid with gold could be placed through those rings (Ex. 25:12-15). The priests were instructed to carry the Ark by those poles on their shoulders (Nu. 7:9). But a guy named Uzzah and those with him put the Ark on a cart. When one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, Uzzah reached out to stabilize the Ark and was killed when he touched it. This made David afraid to move the Ark any further. So, the Ark stayed at the house of Obed-edom for three months (2 Sam. 6:11) while he and his whole household were blessed. That is where our Old Testament lesson picks up.

David hears how Obed-edom was blessed and decides to finish the job of bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem. This time, the proper procedure for carrying the Ark was followed to the letter (1 Ch. 15:13-15). The “proper” behavior for a king, however, was thrown out the window. King David is part of the procession, but he doesn’t wear his royal robes. Instead, David puts on a linen ephod which was a humble garment for a priest. David doesn’t stride like a king before the Ark; instead, David leaped and danced like nobody was watching.

But David’s wife, Michal, was watching, and she wasn’t at all impressed by her husband’s behavior. Instead, she sarcastically nags him for it. But God was watching David too, and God judged David’s celebration and joy to be very befitting for His king. So, God made Michal barren for the rest of her life because she mocked David’s joy.

At the beginning of our service this past Sunday, the first words of Scripture you heard in our Call to Worship were the same words from our Epistle lesson tonight (Php. 4:4-7), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (And, in fact, you’ll hear those verses again in this coming Sunday’s epistle lesson.) The reason for so much rejoicing this week is, according to the text, that “the Lord is at hand.” Rejoice. You don’t have to climb up to heaven to the presence of God. No. He comes to you. He comes to bring His love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. And this good news should make us throw away any sense pride or dignity we might think we possess in ourselves and cause our hearts to leap for joy like David.

Our problem is that we are too much like Michal and not enough like King David. Our hearts are pulled from the joy of God’s presence. Like Adam and Eve in the garden after they ate the forbidden fruit, we avoid God’s presence. Usually, it isn’t because we are afraid of punishment but because we are too busy running after worldly things that we imagine will bring joy. But when we attain those things, we don’t find joy or even fulfillment. At best, we are amused for a while and then get bored. Even though God knows this about us, He still graciously desires to dwell with us.

That is why Christ came. He draws near to save a world that is in love with sin instead of Him. God comes to remove our hearts of stone and give us new hearts of flesh so that we can truly rejoice in His presence with us.

We can learn a lot both from King David and from the pre-born John the Baptizer in our Gospel text (Lk. 1:39-45). King David was so overcome with joy that he dropped all sense of decorum a king should have and danced and leapt for joy at the return of the Ark because the Ark of the Covenant was where God promised to dwell with His people. In other words, when David brought the Ark back to Jerusalem, God was returning to His people. And in a more important way, when Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, visited her older relative (Lk. 1:36) Elizabeth, unborn John leapt when he heard the voice of the woman carrying the world’s Savior. John leapt because something even more wonderful than the Ark had arrived at his house. Mary was, in a very real way, the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried in her womb God in human flesh.

It is absolutely true that our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ say way more about Mary than what Scripture does. But we overreact and push back against the false Roman Catholic teaching harder than we should. That isn’t good either because it ends up diminishing what Scripture says about Jesus. And if we say anything less about Jesus, our salvation is in doubt. Now, if you have any questions regarding what I’m about to say here, please let me know. I’m happy to answer them. Trust me; I’m not starting to lean toward Rome.

To have a proper understanding of Mary and her place in the story of God saving mankind, it is good to start with a Scriptural understanding of who we are and who Jesus is. So, Adam was created by God without a man or woman. Eve was created by God from a man without a woman. We are created by God from both a man and a woman. But Jesus, the God-man, is the only one who comes into human flesh solely from a woman, and that woman is Mary.

The Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, existed from all eternity. But when He took on flesh, He did so through Mary. That means every bit of Jesus’ human nature comes from Mary. She was chosen by God to carry out a unique role in the salvation of mankind. According to our Gospel text, she is the mother of Elizabeth’s Lord and your Lord as well. God chose her to be Jesus’ earthly mother.

Now, in no way does that mean that Mary was sinless herself. We have at least one example from Scripture where Mary sins (and possibly others [Mk. 3:21, 31; Jn. 2:3-4, 7:5]). The easiest example is when Mary wrongly chides twelve-year-old Jesus when He stays in Jerusalem (Lk. 2:48). Mary sins at least twice there. First, she neglected her responsibility as a parent to protect her Son, and second, she blames Jesus for her sin, which is the same thing Adam did when he blamed God for giving him a wife who gave him the forbidden fruit. Also, no, we don’t and shouldn’t worship Mary or pray to her. But, again, we shouldn’t diminish her unique part in the story of salvation. Doing so robs us of the wonder and joy of our salvation. God became man to save us.

In our Gospel text tonight, God was drawing near not just to Jerusalem, but to the whole world through the pre-born Jesus in Mary’s womb. And that is why the unborn John the Baptizer leaps in Elizabeth’s womb. God had come to earth in order to redeem sinful mankind.

This good news brought joy to John even before he was born, but it also brought joy to Jesus Himself. Hebrews 12:2 says that enduring the cross to save mankind was the joy that was set before Jesus. God had come born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem you who were under the Law, so that you might receive adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4-5).

So, when the hymn we sang earlier asks, “What Child is This?” the answer is enough to make our hearts leap just like King David and John the Baptizer. The Child is Christ the King, God in the flesh come to save us. The eternal Son of God comes brings forgiveness, eternal life, and joy to the world.

And right now, through His Word, He comes even nearer to you than He came to John in this Gospel text (Mt. 18:20). He comes and takes up residence in your heart. His love fills you and that love spills over to others. Jesus comes near and makes you a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). And the day is coming soon when Jesus will come to dwell with you again. He will come from His eternal throne one final time to bring you out of this world of sin and sorrow to His eternal joys.

So, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. The Lord is at hand.” He has come, and He is coming again. Amen.[1]The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] The idea for connecting David’s joy at the return of the Ark to the leaping of John the Baptizer was adapted from a sermon by Pr. Ralph Tausz.

The Child Who Is Zechariah’s Hope – Sermon on Luke 1:5-15 for Midweek Advent 1

Luke 1:5-25

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were an ideal couple. They were both righteous before God. In other words, they both had faith in God’s promises to send the Messiah who would crush the serpent’s head and deliver all God’s people (Gen. 3:15; Is. 9:14). They both walked blamelessly in keeping the commandments and statues of the Lord. But this dear couple had to walk the sad road of infertility. They had no child.

It is interesting how often Scripture will introduce a new era of salvation history with a barren womb. The beginning of God’s chosen people who would be the lineage of the Messiah begins with Sarah’s barren womb which would bring forth Isaac. In the age of the kings, the focus is on Hannah’s barren womb which would bring forth the prophet and king-anointer, Samuel. Now here, at the time of the Messiah, God will bring the forerunner and proclaimer of the Messiah from Elizabeth’s barren womb. And the Messiah Himself will come from the virgin womb of Mary.

As Zechariah is serving in the Temple, he is given all these wonderful promises about the child he and Elizabeth will bear, but he doubts. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” It’s ironic that Zechariah doubts like this. After all, Zechariah’s name means, “God remembers.” Apparently, Zechariah didn’t live up to his name. He didn’t remember that God remembers. Somehow, this righteous and blameless man didn’t remember how God had acted for Abraham and Sarah with the birth of Isaac and for Elkanah and Hannah with the birth of Samuel. Zechariah didn’t remember, but God did. God remembered His merciful promises to deliver mankind from sin and death. God remembered His mercy and steadfast love (Ps. 25:6-7). Whenever Scripture talks about God remembering, it isn’t simply that a bit of information had been momentarily lost in God’s mind and suddenly found. No. When God remembers, He acts.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Zechariah that day in the Temple to announce that God was going to act and bring about the long-promised salvation. God was about to send John the Baptizer, the one whom God promised would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Savior (Mal. 4:5-6). But Zechariah, God’s priest, doubted and was made silent for his unbelief.

Dear saints, too often we are like Zechariah. We have been made God’s royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9). In His mercy, God has chosen you to do priestly work – to pray, to train your children in the Scriptures, and to proclaim God’s goodness and mercy to everyone you meet. You and I have every reason to be bold and confident in everything we do because of God’s promises to us. But too often we find ourselves doubting. Doubting that God has and will deliver us. Doubting that we have been justified by grace through faith. Doubting that we have peace with God. Doubting that we have access to God’s grace. All of this doubt grieves the Holy Spirit. And our doubt mutes us from proclaiming God’s love to others.

Like Zechariah, we may forget, but God does not forget. Instead, God continues to act. He has sent Jesus, the Messiah who is our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14) and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

Jesus came and used His voice to bless, to pray, to teach, and the gather sinners. Our guiltless Christ was silent before His accusers and went to an unjust death in your place. There, from the cross, Jesus uttered the greatest blessing any priest could speak, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Now, Jesus sits at God’s right hand as your intercessor and advocate.

In Advent, we focus on Jesus’ coming. He came in humility at His birth in Bethlehem. He comes in humility now in His Word and Sacraments. And He will come again in glory on the Last Day. So, as we wait, let us remember His mercy never comes to an end but is new each and every morning. And He gives us better than we ask or think.

We ask for comfort from our wounded consciences, and He gives comfort on top of comfort (Is. 40:2). We ask Him to help is in our earthly trials, and He gives us an eternal Kingdom. We ask for help to endure pain, disease, and sickness, and He gives us the promise of full and complete healing in the resurrection on the Last Day.

Dear saints, whenever we consider the Child whose birth we will soon celebrate, let the answer to “What Child is this?” always be, “This is Christ the King whom angels sing.” And may our voices join with theirs now and for all eternity because He who has promised is faithful and He will surely do it. Amen.

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

Unto Eternity – Sermon on Psalm 23, Revelation 22:1-21, and Luke 12:35-40 for Midweek Advent 3 2020

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, what will eternity be like? Through these Advent services, we’ve considered the comfort of Christ’s coming and what it means for us now and on the Last Day. But what does it mean for us beyond that? What does Jesus’ coming mean unto eternity? Even though we don’t get a ton of details, the overwhelming picture of Scripture has one common theme, and throughout the all texts tonight (Ps. 23; Rev. 22:1-21; Lk. 12:35-40), God serving you has been that theme.

First you heard how God serves you throughout your life. In Ps. 23, God serves you as your shepherd making you lie down in green pastures, leading you beside still waters, protecting you through the valley of the shadow of death, and finally preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies anointing your head with oil, and overflowing your cup. Indeed, God’s goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Really, the translation there is too weak. ‘Follow’ is not nearly strong enough.

The Hebrew word there is almost always a military term to pursue. It gets used when Pharaoh had his army chase the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:4, 8-9, 23). It is what Israel’s army did to the Philistine army after David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:52). At the end of Ps. 23 – the picture is so beautiful – God’s goodness and God’s mercy pursue you and hunt you down all the days of your life. No matter how often you try to flee, God is coming after you with His goodness and mercy. And that care and compassion of God will continue because you will dwell in His house forever.

In our Gospel lesson, we have another picture of God serving us. And it is so interesting. Jesus opens that text by commanding us to, “Stay dressed for action.” Literally, the phrase is, “Let your loins be girded.”Now, I’m sorry to do this to you on a Wednesday night, but the grammar is too important to not do it. This is a perfect imperative. In other words, it is a command to already be in a certain state. So, Jesus is commanding you to have your loins girded – which doesn’t mean much for us today. But in Jesus’ day this would mean that men would lift up the heavy robes from around their feet and ankles so they were ready work or travel. This is important because God gave the same command to Moses on how the people were to eat the original Passover meal (Ex. 12:11). They were to eat the Passover with their belts fastened (that’s the girded loins idea), sandals on their feet, staff in hand, and eat it quickly.

Now, remember during the original Passover, they had to put the blood of the lamb around their doors to keep the angel of death from entering their household. And this was the final plague which brought God’s people out of slavery. But in this text, Jesus bringing about a beautiful reversal. He gets our minds to be thinking about the Passover with the command to gird our loins, but, dear people of God, we aren’t waiting for the angel of death to pass over. Instead, we are waiting for our Lord and master to come home from the wedding feast He has attended.

So, here’s the picture: Jesus has died, risen again, and ascended to God’s right hand in heaven where there is a joyful celebration going on. But Christ has promised that He will come back for us, and He wants us to be ready for His return. And those who have heeded Jesus’ command to be ready to work when He returns find the most amazing thing upon His return. Instead of us, Christ’s servants, serving Him, Jesus serves us. In other words, Jesus will go to work while you recline at the table and feast for eternity.

Dear saints, Jesus, the Son of Man, came on Christmas day not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for you (Mt. 20:28). And Jesus is returning not to be served but to serve you and shower you with His eternal love.

Finally, we have the most beautiful picture of this in our Epistle text (Rev. 22:1-21). Christ Himself will be your Lamb who shepherds you by the still waters of the river of life which flows from the throne of God. He will feed you in the eternal green pastures from the tree of life which bring healing for the nations. No longer will there be anything that is cursed. You will see God’s face, and His name will be on your forehead. There will be no more night. God Himself will be your light, and you will reign forever and ever.

Dear saints, throughout these Advent services, you have been reminded of the urgency to be ready for Christ’s return. Jesus could come back before this service ends, so be ready. It could be months from now, so do not grow weary, but be ready. It could be millennia before He returns, so ingrain the faith in your children and pass on the faith to ensure others will be ready as well. We need to heed Jesus’ warnings about being ready for His return.

But then we need to take a deep breath and let it out with a laugh because what we are waiting for an eternal party. Christ has already come winning your salvation. Jesus continually comes bringing you His forgiveness. And your Savior is returning bringing eternal joys. 

Ultimately, know this: Jesus isn’t returning like a picky mother-in-law inspecting the china she gave you as a wedding present to see if it’s been chipped or damaged. Instead, Jesus is returning like your favorite uncle with treats in one hand and a pile of fireworks in the other. Yes, we do need to watch and be ready for His return but mainly because it would be such a pity to miss all the fun. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

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

At the Last – Sermon on Matthew 25:31-46 for Midweek Advent 2 2020

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Your Savior, whose first coming was humble and lowly yet announced by the angels, is coming again in glory, and every eye will behold Him. His swaddling clothes will be exchanged for royal robes, and instead of lying in a manger, He will sit on His glorious throne.

Your Redeemer, whose birth was celebrated by the shepherds, is coming again for you as your Good Shepherd.

Growing up, I remember fearing the day of Christ’s return and standing before Him to be judged. I think it started as a dream, but I would often replay the scene in my head. In my mind, the final judgment consisted of Christ setting up a tent (I don’t know why it was a tent) on 8th Ave. East in Williston, North Dakota. I pictured myself waiting in line to go in that tent which opened right in front of our mailbox situated on a wagon wheel.

In my mind, I entered that tent and there was a makeshift projector screen on one of the walls. Jesus invited me in and began to replay my life on that screen, and the replay lasted just over one second. Afterward, Jesus peppered me with hundreds of questions about my conduct and actions – especially regarding my sinful behavior. Sadly, I had no answer, no excuse to offer for my sins, iniquities, and shortcomings. Sadly, the end result of this was that I was terrified of the return of my Redeemer.

God be praised, that is not how Scripture depicts Christ’s return! There will be no replay of your life, no grand inquisition, no need to offer excuses. In fact, the only thing that I can’t disprove of my imagining of the final judgment is that it won’t take place on 8th Ave. East in Williston.

Our Gospel text tonight is typically known as “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.” However, there is no indication that this is a parable. The way Jesus talks here, we can expect that this is exactly how it will happen.

Christ will return in His glory. All the angels will be with Him. He will sit on His glorious throne. All people will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Sheep to the right. Goats to the left.

Christian, you will hear the sweetest, kindest, most merciful and beautiful words your ears have ever heard. “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Then, Christ will divulge before all people your good works and honor you for what you have done. Jesus will confess that you have been merciful even as God Himself is merciful. Christ will declare that you have given as you have received.

Now, we need to be clear. None of these works are the cause of God’s love for you. In fact, God loved and chose you from before the foundation of the world before you had done any good works. In His love for you, God prepared a place for you before you were born. You do not earn salvation and a place in His kingdom by works. Entrance into the kingdom is not a wage that is paid; instead, it is an invitation to be an heir.

The works that God will honor at the final judgment are simply the proof of your faith. 

God does reward good works in this life. He uses those rewards to strengthen and encourage you to continue to put off your sinful flesh. But most of His rewards are dispensed in the life to come so that you don’t grow complacent and lazy. But know this: even when God defers and delays His rewards, God takes notice of the good works because they are good and God loves them.

Dear saints, the infant Jesus who came to save you from your sins is the same King who does not and will not count your sins against you on the Last Day.

At the last, Christ will say to you, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” What a day that will be. 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

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.

The Name That Makes Us Holy – Sermon for Midweek Advent 2 2019

Listen here.

The texts for tonight’s service were Numbers 6:22-27; Ephesians 1:3-14; and Matthew 28:16-20.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week, we considered how God, the Holy One, makes us holy through His Holy Word which cleanses and sanctifies us (Jn. 15:1-5; Jn. 17:17). Tonight, we are going to look at Scripture and see what this notion of holiness is all about. So, in order to try get an idea what is holy, we are going to look at Leviticus 10:10 to see how God views everything when it comes to holiness.

But before we can do that, we have to remember that when God finished creation, He stepped back and declared everything to be “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Everything created by God is, by God’s declaration, good as the theme verses (1 Tim. 4:4-5) for these services say. Notice that Scripture doesn’t say that God created things and called them ‘holy.’ Nothing created is inherently or intrinsically holy or unclean; instead created things were all created ‘good.’ However, now that we have brought sin into the world, there are various degrees of holiness and impurity. So, Aaron, the high priest and all the priests after him (Ezek. 44:23), were called by God to make distinctions. Look at Lev. 10:10, “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.”

Holiness SpheresGod’s holiness creates three interlocking spheres which I’ve tried to show with this figure.[1] Because God’s holy presence dwelled in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, those places became the place where the holy God dwelt with fallen mankind (2 Chron. 6:14-21). They served as a bridge between heaven and earth, and specifically the Holy of Holies was where heaven and earth overlapped. So, in this figure, on the one hand, you have God’s holy presence and on the opposite side, there is the state of impurity which is utterly incompatible with holiness. What is unclean and defiled has been corrupted by sin and the devil. But you will notice there is all sorts of space between God’s holy presence on the one side and Satan and the demons on the other side. That is where we dwell.

Here’s the picture: What is holy is clean, but it is possible for something to be clean yet not holy which means it normal or common, which most things are. And something can be common but also unclean or abnormal.

In this ordering, things that are common must be cleansed of impurity before they can come into contact with God and share in His holiness or else, they are destroyed and consumed by God’s holiness. Last week we briefly considered Isaiah’s call (Is. 6:1-7). That event is helpful in understanding this concept.

When Isaiah was in God’s holy presence, he recognized his uncleanness. Isaiah’s lips were death-dealing, disordering, cursing, and made things around him sick. But the angel came with that coal from the altar (Is. 6:6) – which is an important fact because God had said that anything that touches the altar becomes holy (Ex. 29:37). With that holy coal, the angel touched Isaiah’s lips to purify him from his sins. Made holy by God’s declaration, that coal was life-giving, ordering, blessing, and healing so that Isaiah was made clean. After this encounter with God, Isaiah continued to receive God’s holiness as He received God’s Word, and Isaiah even emanated and transferred God’s holiness to others when He preached God’s Word. Even still today you receive God’s holiness that He dispersed through Isaiah as you hear God’s Word when you read the book of Isaiah. Get the picture?

Let’s fill this out a little more. The closer something comes to God, the holier it becomes. Think of it this way: The high priest was more holy than a normal Israelite, even though God had declared His people to be holy and sanctified them (Lev. 19:2; 21:8), because only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies while the Israelite could only enter as far as the outer part of the Temple. The same thing was true for different sacrifices. Certain sacrifices and offerings, like peace offerings, were holy, but they were less holy than other sacrifices because they were offered outside of the Temple and didn’t ever come into the Temple.

The opposite is true for things or people that were unclean. Some things were desecrated and defiled – like a person who was a medium (Lev. 20:27) or someone who sacrificed a child to Molech (Lev. 20:2). These were so defiled and unclean that God required the death sentence. But other people who were defiled – like someone who touched a corpse (Lev. 11:31-32) or who had a skin disease (see Lev. 14) – were easily fixed and made clean. That person could be purified of the uncleanness and sanctified.

Now, I can hear some of you saying, “Sure, pastor. But that is all Old Testament stuff. Jesus did away with that kind of thinking.” To which I say, “Not so fast!”

In Mark 7[:1-23] Jesus, our great High Priest, continued to teach about what makes a person clean or defiled.[2] It is true that the incarnation of Jesus meant that the location of God’s holiness moved from the Temple building to Jesus’ body (Jn. 2:21-22). And now, Jesus’ death has ripped open the curtain that guarded the Holy of Holies (Lk. 25:45-46), so the focus of defilement is no longer the physical body, but the human heart.

And Hebrews (9:13-14) addresses this as well: “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit Hebrews 9_14 - Christ offered Himself without blemish to Godoffered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

In Jesus, God’s holiness entered our common realm so that He could cleanse unclean sinners and expel the demons that brought defilement. And the demons recognized Jesus as the holy one of God who had come into the flesh to undo and cast out the uncleanness they brought with them (Mk. 1:21-27). All of this means that God’s holiness isn’t limited to the Temple building anymore.

Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension has brought about such a cleansing that now you, believer, are the temple of the Holy Spirit who abides in you (1 Cor. 6:19). So, continue to receive God’s holiness.

One more analogy to help get this across: Today was a bright, sunshiny day. There were no clouds on the sky and the sun’s light wasn’t blocked; it came clearly through the sky and bounced off the snow making everything outside bright. If you braved the cold and went outside you were receiving amazing amounts of light from the sun. It isn’t possible to capture that light – bottle it up or something – and have it to use it later in these short, dark days. To keep receiving the sun’s light, you have to be where the sun is. The same is true with God’s holiness. You have to be where God has promised to deliver His holiness to continue in it.

Hebrews 10_19-23 Jesus our High PriestIn Jesus, God has come into this common world and brought His holiness to you. Because of what Christ has done, God has claimed you as His own so that you can live with Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness. He placed His holy name upon you when you were Baptized. In your Baptism, you were marked with the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:18-20). That holiness, given to you in your Baptism, is now continually delivered to you when you hear and believe God’s holy Word. As you hear the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). God continues to place His name on you as He blesses you, keeps you, makes His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you (Num. 6:22-27). Bearing His holy name, you are brought into His holy presence, and radiate His holiness to those around you.

Christian, you are no longer common. Now, you are sacred. You bear the holy name of God throughout creation as you go about your common life in the midst of common people. Made holy by that name, you bring God’s sacred space to those who need purification and sanctification through Jesus’ blood. Rejoice and proclaim that name so that God’s sacred space continues to spread. Amen.

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

[1] The idea for this figure came from this paper by Rev. Dr. John Kleinig.

[2] See also what Jesus says when He washes His disciples’ feet in John 13:8-11. And when Jesus, our High Priest, came to wash His disciples’ feet, Peter objected. Jesus responded, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” So, Peter went all in, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” And Jesus responded, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” (See also Jn. 15:3, 17:17-19.)

The Holy One Makes Us Holy – Sermon for Midweek Advent 1 2019

Listen here.

The texts for tonight’s service were Exodus 3:1-5; 1 Timothy 4:1-10; and John 15:1-5.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

For a little over two years, I have been mulling over those words we heard from 1 Timothy 4[:4-5], “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the Word of God and prayer.” These words have a profound impact on how we, as God’s holy people, go about our daily lives and interact with the world.

Every home, every marriage, every relationship, every gift, every possession, every day, every night, all our work, all our sleep, all our joys, and all our sorrows: everything is made holy and sacred by God’s Word.

Tonight, we are going to begin a year-long journey considering God’s holiness: how that holiness comes to us, and the implications of what it means to live as God’s sacred people. Now, I know that a year sounds like a long time. It probably is. But when I was at a conference in the beginning of October, one of the pastors who was presenting mentioned that people have to hear something eight times before they begin to latch on to it. (For me, it is probably more like sixteen times.)

So, these mid-week Advent services will serve as an introduction to that theme: Sacred. And through this Church year I will repeatedly draw on this idea. Hopefully, by the end of it all, I will have touched on this theme often enough that we will have a better understanding of how God’s holiness is given to us in our Baptism, maintained by His Word, sustained in us through ongoing faith, and changes the way we interact with everyone and everything around us.

Now, it’s tempting for me to throw everything at you all at once, but I’m going to try to resist that temptation and remind myself that I have a whole year. So, tonight, we will begin by briefly considering how our holy God makes us holy.

God alone is holy, and, apart from Him, nothing is ever holy. We fallen, sinful humans can only be holy if we receive God’s holiness. Just as a flashlight has no energy to shine unless it has batteries, our holiness is completely dependent to being connected with the holiness of God. Our holiness is never our achievement; it is always a gift from God. And, yes, God wants to give us this holiness.

Exodus 3_14 - Burning BushIn our Old Testament lesson tonight (Ex. 3:1-5), Moses found himself standing on holy ground when God appeared in a bush. That bush was burning because of God’s holy presence, and Moses’ curiosity was piqued when he noticed that though the bush was aflame it was not consumed; it didn’t burn up. In the same way, when God’s holiness comes to us, it burns but God does not want us to be consumed by the fire of His holiness. Instead, He wants us to be changed by it.

Consider when Isaiah found himself in God’s presence (Is. 6:1-7). Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, seated on the throne, the train of His robe filled the Temple, and the seraphim called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah knew this put him in a bad place. He cried out, “Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” God’s holiness does two things to Isaiah.

First, God’s holiness revealed and unmasked Isaiah’s sin, and it wasn’t only Isaiah’s defilement that troubled him. Isaiah knew that because he lived among other sinners, their sinfulness and defilement had rubbed off on him making him more unclean and unholy. And God’s holiness was a fire that would reduce Isaiah to ashes. But God would not have it be this way.

Isaiah 6 - Holy Holy Holy Lips CoalSo, the second thing God’s holiness does to Isaiah is rub off on him. God sent one of the seraphs to fetch a burning coal, take it to Isaiah, and touch his lips with it and give a word of promise, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

God didn’t appear in His holiness to undo Isaiah and destroy him. Instead, God brings Isaiah into fellowship with Him as He forgave and reconciled Isaiah to Himself making Isaiah holy and sacred to go and proclaim God’s Word.

Like Isaiah, we do not ever possess God’s holiness as our own. It isn’t something we can bottle up and store for later. We continually receive and borrow holiness from God, and God isn’t stingy in sharing His holiness with us. He happily and readily gives us His holiness through His Word making us sacred.

We heard this in the Gospel lesson (Jn. 15:1-5) where Jesus tells us that He is the Vine and we are the branches. There, Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of the holy lives we lead. As we abide in Him, who is the Vine, we bear sacred fruit. And God the Father prunes us so what we may bear more of that fruit. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He tells us that already we are clean (it’s the same word Jesus used which was translated ‘pruned’). And what is the instrument that prunes us and makes us clean? It is His Word.

This means that Jesus doesn’t make us holy and then leave us to continue being holy on our own. Instead, He meets us where we are, calls us through His Word, and by that Word He joins us to Himself. As we abide in Jesus’ Word, He does everything for us and gives everything to us. Jesus invites us to safely approach our holy heavenly Father in faith with Him. Apart from Him, we cannot accomplish anything spiritually. But with Jesus, we stand on holy ground before God the Father in the heavenly sanctuary. Jesus brings heaven to earth for us so that we can live heavenly lives with Him here on earth.

God’s will for us as His children is to be holy as He Himself is holy (1 Pet. 1:14-16). The good news is that God doesn’t expect us to generate our own holiness. Jesus continually doles out His holiness upon us through His Word which makes us and all we do sacred.

More on that in the weeks to come. Amen.

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