Encouragement – Sermon on Romans 15:4-13 for the Second Sunday of Advent

⁴ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵ May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

⁸ For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹ and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”

¹⁰ And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹ And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

¹² And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If your mailbox is anything like ours, you’ve noticed it being fuller than normal over the last couple weeks. It happens each year – usually beginning sometime around Thanksgiving. You start getting advertisements for Black Friday sales. Different organizations and charities send requests for end of the year gifts. If you live in Polk County, you receive your estimate for next year’s property tax. Packages arrive with gifts that will be wrapped and placed under the tree. Family and friends start sending out their Christmas cards and newsletters. Some of this extra mail makes you excited; some of it makes you mad or, even, overwhelmed. You’re more likely to be excited to open a package or read a Christmas card than you are to open your property tax assessment. And you might be frustrated with how quickly some of that mail fills up your garbage can.

In these verses, Paul is talking about God’s mail to you. He’s referring to the Bible. And all of it has a purpose. He says, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This verse (Ro. 15:4) is an extremely important verse for preachers. It and 2 Tim. 3:16-17 are where Scripture itself tells us what the purpose of Scripture is. Scripture teaches that there are five different ‘uses’ or ‘purposes’ of God’s Word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 gives the first four when it says, “All Scripture is breathed out,” or ‘inspired,’ “by God and is profitable for 1) teaching, 2) reproof, 3) correction, and 4) training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The fifth use/purpose of Scripture is here in Ro. 15:4 – encouragement. When preachers are taught this five-fold use/purpose of Scripture, the two that float to the top as the most important uses of Scripture, the ones that should probably always be in a sermon, are teaching and encouragement. The other three – reproof, correction, and training in righteousness – yes, they are important, but they don’t need to be part of every sermon. The text that’s being preached is what should guide the preacher as to which of the five ‘uses’ make it into the sermon because each text has a different focus. But teaching and encouragement are something that should happen in every sermon – at least, to some degree.

Dear saints, according to Scripture itself, God is encouraging us whenever we read the Scriptures. The Bible wasn’t written for the benefit of the authors so they could write a best-seller and earn a living. Neither are the Scriptures merely personal notes or stories or genealogical records. No. The Scriptures were inspired, written, recorded, and preserved by God to teach you and to give you hope, comfort, and encouragement.

The Holy Spirit inspired each author to write what they wrote to give you encouragement. God Himself is the author of all Scripture. So, He inspired Moses to write Genesis-Deuteronomy for you. He had David write the Psalms for you. The Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah and Jeremiah and Malachi to write so that you – along with all the saints who have come before you and will come after you – could learn and be encouraged. The Scriptures are God’s Word. The contain God’s promises that He gave to our brothers and sisters in Christ who came before us. But they are written and recorded for your sake. In other words, we all benefit from them. Every line of Scripture is written for your benefit.

Sadly, many think that the Bible is nothing more than an old book with dead authors and dead audiences. That wrong idea leads them to conclude that the contents and the subjects that Scripture addresses are dead as well. But they aren’t. The Bible is not a bunch of words for a former time that are intended for former people. As Christ’s children, you know better.

The Bible is God’s Word for you and to you. The Scriptures are written for your learning and mine. The applications that can be made from the Scriptures are for us – even when the things that occur in them happened to somebody else. The Scriptures are for your learning, reproof, correction, training in righteousness, and for your encouragement.

The word that Paul uses here for ‘encouragement’ is the same word that Jesus uses to refer to the Holy Spirit in Jn. 14-16. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Advocate of God’s people. The Holy Spirit uses that Word to point you to Jesus (Jn. 15:26), who is also your Comforter and Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1). And the Spirit uses that Word to bring you to faith in what is firm, certain, strong, and unchanging. Christian, you don’t have to speculate about God or wonder what He thinks about you. The Scriptures tell you exactly what God thinks and what He promises to give to you and to do for you. That is the source of your encouragement.

Comfort and encouragement is always for those who are troubled. There are all sorts of things in this world that might cause you to be troubled, but the Scriptures seem to divide the trouble you face into two main categories 1) a troubled conscience and 2) a troubled heart. And it’s helpful to keep a distinction between those two.

When we think about the encouragement that the Bible gives, we might think mostly about the comfort that has to do with our sin, which is probably good. Scripture is where God tells us all the things that we must do, all the things we must notdo. And as we hear that, we recognize that we are sinners because our conscience is troubled by our sin. Then, of course, God’s Word comes and tells us that for the sake of Jesus Christ, God removes our sin as far from us as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12) because Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Jesus died for those sins, bearing them to His now-empty tomb. All of us need the encouragement that our sins are forgiven so we would be comforted in our conscience.

But Scripture also wants to encourage your troubled heart, which is different from a troubled conscience. In Jn. 14:1, Jesus tells the disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” There, Jesus isn’t addressing the disciples’ sin. Instead, He’s comforting and encouraging them because of what’s about to happen. He’s about to go to the cross and be parted from them. He’ll be in the tomb for three days. That fact is going to give the disciples troubled hearts.

So, the distinction between a troubled conscience and a troubled heart is the root cause. A troubled conscience is caused by sin. But a troubled heart is caused when you see the things going on in this dark, fallen, sinful world and recognize that things are not as they should be. They are not as God created and intended them to be.

This is why all of Scripture – every book, chapter, paragraph, verse, and word – all of it is for your encouragement. Sure, you might gravitate to certain comforting and reassuring passages. That is natural. It’s fine and, even, good. But all of it is for your encouragement. Even the Law portions of Scripture, the parts that tell you what you must do and must not do, even those are encouraging.

Think back to the idea of the different kinds of mail you receive this time of the year. You’d probably rather read the Christmas cards than open your property tax assessment for the upcoming year. Just like you’d probably prefer to read Ps. 23 about God being your Shepherd than, say, Lev. 14 about the laws for a person with leprosy. But both are for your encouragement.

Even God’s Law and Commands are comforting because you are clearly told what is required of you. God doesn’t hide anything from you. There will be no surprises on the Last Day when it comes to what God demands. He’s not shifty. He is open and clear. So, whenever you read Scripture, look for the encouragement. Sure, there are portions of Scripture that you might – at least not initially – think of as comforting, but that’s not a problem with the Scriptures. That’s a problem with our perspective of the Scriptures. In His holy Word, God has laid everything out on the table. Everything He wants you to know, He has told you in His Word. He hasn’t held anything back.

One of the most encouraging things in the Scriptures that should always be on your mind is that Jesus is coming back to rescue you. Our Gospel reading today (Lk. 21:25-36) makes that clear. Sure, some of the language in that reading is troubling. Jesus mentions all sorts of things that can cause a troubled heart – signs in the sun, moon, and stars; distress of nations; the roaring of the sea and waves; and the powers of the heavens being shaken. People will be fainting with fear and foreboding for all the things that are coming on in the world. And we see a lot of that going on today. We see the wars and hear rumors of wars. We see violence and division. We see evil people doing evil things. We hear reports and speculations of all sorts of bad things that might happen in the future. And all of this can cause our hearts to be troubled. But be encouraged. Jesus has plainly told you that these things will happen. So, He’s not surprised when they do. And because He’s not surprised, be encouraged because Christ is still on the throne, and He knows how to deal with all those things.

Your crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ, has ascended into heaven and now rules and reigns over all things for your benefit, believer. And He is coming back to rescue and deliver you from every trouble and every evil. That is your hope, that is your comfort, that is your encouragement each and every time your heart is troubled. Open the Scriptures and be reminded that Christ is coming to deliver and rescue you.

When your heart is troubled because of all the evil that surrounds you, remember that Jesus promises that evil is the sign that His return is drawing closer. He says, “When these [troubling] things begin to take place, straighten up, raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk. 21:28). Not only is it drawing near, but it is here as our Savior comes and invites us to His table. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Return – Sermon on Isaiah 55:6-13 for Sexagesima Sunday

Feb23

Isaiah 55:6-13

⁶ “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹² “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

A lot of decisions you make in life are based on the recommendation(s) of others. But you rank and evaluate those recommendations based on several factors. For example, if you need to replace the windows on your house, you’ll probably ask someone who just remodeled, “What kind of windows did you get? What brand? Who installed them? Were they punctual?” Depending on their experience, you might get the same brand and kind of windows but have another contractor install them. Or, if you find out that person has only had those windows for a few months, you might try to find someone who got new windows in the past two years because they know how those windows work in the hot and cold. Just one positive or negative recommendation might be all you need to make your decision.

But even when you can’t ask someone you know personally, you might look for recommendations. You shop online, and you’ll read through the reviews of complete strangers. If you see a couple hundred variations of, “Five stars! Works exactly as described. Would definitely buy again.” You’re more likely to buy that product rather than another one that only has a dozen reviews.

Sometimes, you don’t seek recommendations, but they’re offered to you anyway. You meet a friend for coffee, and she tells you that you “have to” try this drink or see this movie or meet Sally because she’s just so great. You might really like that friend. But, depending on how much you trust her taste in those things, you might follow her recommendations or not.

Here, Isaiah is giving you an unsolicited recommendation. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” And it’s a recommendation you can trust because it’s backed by Isaiah’s own personal experience. Of all the prophets the Holy Spirit could have inspired to give this recommendation, of course it comes from Isaiah.

When Isaiah was called to be a prophet (Is. 6:1-7), God was very findable and extremely near. Isaiah was in the Temple, the place where God had promised to dwell among His people. But by God’s design, the Temple had all sorts of separation. There was smoke and walls and curtains to maintain a safe distance between the holy God and sinners.

As Isaiah was in the Temple that day, all of the protection of the smoke of the incense, the walls, and the curtain was stripped away. Isaiah doesn’t just see the ark of the covenant, which represented the throne of God; instead, he sees the actual throne where God sits. Isaiah sees the angels flying and hears them singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of armies.” Again, God was very findable and near. But in that moment, Isaiah would not have recommended that you seek God or call upon Him. Instead, Isaiah wished he wasn’t there. He called down a curse upon himself: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5).

Now, think about that for a minute. When Isaiah woke up that morning, he had unclean lips. He had those unclean lips as he walked to the Temple. Isaiah lived among people of unclean lips long before he saw God on the throne. So, what was it that made Isaiah despair? What caused his conscience to go into overdrive? It was God’s nearness. It was the fact that the holy God had found him, and that terrified Isaiah.

I heard a distinction from another pastor, and I think it’s helpful: There is a difference between a troubled conscience and a terrified conscience. A troubled conscience is aware of sin. A troubled conscience will say things like, “I’ve made some mistakes, but nobody’s perfect. At least I’m better than that guy.” When you have a troubled conscience, you know that there’s something wrong with you and something wrong with the world.

A terrified conscience recognizes more. A terrified conscience recognizes that God is mad because I’ve sinned and that He has promised to punish sin. Think back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had a troubled conscience when they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame. But then, when God showed up, they had a terrified conscience and tried to hide behind some bushes or trees.

Neither a troubled conscience nor a terrified conscience is going to seek God when He can be found or call upon Him when He is near. If your conscience is merely troubled, you won’t think that you need Him. You’ll wrongly think, “I’ll just make up for my mistakes.” And if your conscience is terrified, you’re going be as silent as possible when God gets close because you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.

Before I go on, I need to make something crystal clear: God doesn’t want you to remain in the state of having either a troubled or terrified conscience. God wants to forgive you and give you a pure, clean conscience (Heb. 10:21-22). But because you and I are sinners, we are going to have a conscience that is either troubled or terrified. And frankly, it’s much, much better to have a terrified conscience. If your conscience is merely troubled, or if you think you will fix your conscience by trying to do better, I have no good news for you. None whatsoever. All I can say to you is that you will always be troubled until you stand before God’s judgment throne. Then you will be terrified, but it will be too late. God will condemn you, and you will spend an eternity in hell and terror. Repent now. Return to God now, now while He is near and may be found.

But if the Holy Spirit has worked a terrified conscience in you, then I do have good news. To you who know you can’t fix your own guilt and shame, to you who know that you cannot hide from the Holy, Almighty, and Just God – know that God is near to you now. And this is a good thing.

When Isaiah’s conscience was terrified to the point that he thought he was finished, God sent one of those angels to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal. That act took away Isaiah’s guilt and atoned for his sin (Is. 6:7). That compassion and abundant pardon from God brought Isaiah even closer to God. But now he had a new, cleansed, and purified conscience.

Because of that merciful, gracious, forgiving, atoning act of God, Isaiah makes this recommendation from his own experience. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”

When v. 7 of this text says, “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,” that wickedness and unrighteousness includes all the sinful things you do with our lips, hands, feet, and mind. Sure. But take particular notice of the last half of v. 7, “let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him.” In other words, the wickedness and unrighteousness you are to forsake is failing to seek the Lord while He may be found and your unwillingness to call upon Him when He is near.

Instead, dear saints, return. Return to your God because He will abundantly pardon. Catch that – abundantly pardon. Your God pardons because His thoughts and ways are not like your thoughts and ways; God’s are infinitely higher. That doesn’t only mean God’s IQ is way up here and ours is way down here. While that’s true, that isn’t the context of Is. 55:8-9. Instead, God’s ways are the high, heavenly ways of compassion and abundant pardon, while our ways, frankly, aren’t. That’s even more reason for you to listen to Isaiah recommendation and return to God.

When God’s Word of abundant pardon goes out, that Word does not return empty. It accomplishes exactly what God sends it to do. In other words, when God says, “I forgive you,” what God actually means is, “I forgive you.” That very word of your high, compassionate, pardoning God removes your sin from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Because of that you will go forth in joy and be lead in God’s peace. The mountains and hills and trees and all creation will rejoice with you.

Dear saints, return to God. Return to Him for His mercy, for His grace, and for His abundant pardon. He is near. Seek Him now. Return to Him now. Amen.

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

The Righteous Live by Faith – Sermon on Habakkuk 2:1-4 for Reformation Sunday

Oct27

Habakkuk 2:1–4

¹ I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

² And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
³ For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
⁴ “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Keep Keeping – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday of Lent

Mar3

Luke 11:14–28

¹⁴ Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶ while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ²² but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

²⁷ As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” That is why the demons try to make our Lord mute after He opened the lips of this mute man.

Demons are persistent. They don’t just give up and throw in the towel. Jesus casts out a demon that stopped a man’s lips from declaring God’s praise. But as soon as Jesus loosened that man’s tongue, the demons regrouped because people started wondering if Jesus was the promised Messiah and Son of David (Mt. 12:23), the One whose kingdom and throne would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Is. 11:1-10). The demons don’t want people believing that, so they quickly marshaled together. They influenced some of the unbelievers who surrounded Jesus to accuse Jesus of casting out demons only by the power of the prince of demons.

This gives us some insight into the tactics and strategy that demons still use today. Notice, they do notattack the reality of the miracle. They do not try to minimize what happened and say that Jesus is tricking everyone. “Well, Jesus planted that mute guy. They were working together. That guy could actually speak, and Jesus just used him to make it look like He had power over demons.” That’s not what they do. Instead, Satan and the demons flip things upside down by calling evil good and good evil (Is. 5:20). Here they take a good thing, casting out a demon, and call it “evil.”

We see this same demonic relabeling of evil and good all around us today. Today, people will say that if a woman can’t murder her baby in the womb, then that woman, somehow, isn’t equal to a man. That’s demonic. Today, people will say that the rioting and stealing that goes on at various times and places in our country is a good thing because those people are oppressed. That’s demonic too. People will say that having pornographic literature in school libraries for young children is necessary so other children with mental disorders don’t kill themselves. Again, totally, completely demonic. I’m not saying that people who are arguing for those things are demons, but they are being influenced by and are tools of the demons.

The cosmic powers over this present darkness (Eph. 6:12) continue to use these tactics to silence you, Christian. The spiritual forces of evil want to mute you and your tongue so they can be at peace and go about their malicious activities. That’s what they did with the crowds here in this text, and they continue to do that in our culture today.

Again, the accusation that Jesus only has power over demons is because He is in league with the devil is completely irrational, and Jesus highlights that absurdity. But the thing to notice here is that the demons’ goal with this accusation is still the same. They want to silence, they want to mute, they want to make Jesus shut His mouth and stop talking. Jesus has set this man’s lips free, so they can’t silence the man anymore. They acquire a new target and try to silence Jesus. But they couldn’t silence Him either. So, now, they try to silence you, Christian.

Today, demons still want to silence you – especially when it comes to making distinctions between what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, what is righteous and what is sinful.

Dear saints, God’s Word has always made distinctions. In creation, God’s Word made distinctions when He separated light from darkness (Gen. 1:4), when He separated the land from the sea (Gen. 1:9-10), when He made different plants and animals each according to its kind (Gen. 1:11, 21, 24-25), and when He set mankind over it all (Gen. 1:26-27). But remember that in those separations and distinctions that God was putting creation into order. Satan and the demons work to bring disorder and chaos to the places where God has created order. There is no peace when God’s Word is silenced. That is why God was at work through Jesus, the Word who became flesh, to put things back into order and in their proper place.

This fallen world resists the order that God’s Word brings because it is influenced by demons. One of the goals of the evil one is to silence, but God is the God who speaks. Because God speaks, His people also speak. God wants you to speak and confess boldly. And what should you speak and confess?

First, God wants us to speak to Him that we are poor sinners who are by nature, sinful and unclean in thought, word, and deed. God wants us to confess that we need saving. He wants us to confess that Jesus came to bring the redemption we needed through His death and resurrection. As we speak and confess that, God listens and forgives.

Then, God sends us out as those who confess His saving name to others. God wants others to know what you know, to believe what you believe, and to receive what you have received so more lives would be set right and put back into order again. God calls you to speak.

So, how will you respond when the forces of evil throw their accusations at you? Will you remain faithful? Will you be willing, like Elijah was, to be called the troubler of his nation (1 Kgs. 18:17)? Will you confess Jesus before others as Jesus confesses you before His Father in heaven (Mt. 10:32)? I pray that is the case for all of us because there is no peace apart from the peace that God’s Word brings.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Both of those are present tense. It could be translated, “Blessed are those who are continually hearing the Word of God and are continually keeping it.” Blessed are you who hold on to the Word of God and treasure it above all other things in this life. God’s Word not only puts everything into order, it gives life here and now (Jn. 5:24; 1 Tim. 6:12), and it also gives life in the world to come.

Dear saints, hear God’s Word and keep it. Hold on to it. Continually hear and keep keeping it. Because Jesus promises that when you stand trial before anyone – even authorities, kings, and rulers in this world – you do not need to be anxious of what you are to say because the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you are to say (Lk. 12:11-12).

So, remember that this doesn’t depend on you. It depends on God and His Word. Jesus has set you apart and made you a member of His kingdom. He has made you holy and placed you in His holy family. And He invites you now to find nourishment for your journey through this world because the tasks are beyond your own strength to handle (1 Kgs. 19:7). So, God feeds you now with supernatural food. He gives you His own Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. Here, you have what you need to keep keeping God’s Word. And here you receive all the blessings that come with it. Amen.

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

The Word of Yahweh – Sermon on Jeremiah 1:4-19 and Revelation 19:6-16 for Midweek Advent 3

Dec21

Jeremiah 1:4-19 & Revelation 19:6-16

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Through this Advent sermon series, we have seen Jesus, the eternal Son of God, in the Old Testament before He became Yahweh incarnate. The first week, we saw how Jesus appeared to Moses in the burning bush as the Angel/Messenger of Yahweh calling Moses to deliver His people out of slavery in Egypt. Last week, we heard how Yahweh defines His name, “I am,” to Moses through the book of Exodus. Tonight, we are fast-forwarding just over 800 years (806 to be exact) to the call of Jeremiah where we see how Jesus, the Word of Yahweh, is active in and through His people.

In that Old Testament reading tonight (Jer. 1:4-19), Jeremiah recounts God calling him to be a prophet. Jeremiah tells us, “The Word of Yahweh came to me” (Jer. 1:4). Now, right off the bat, we don’t want to get the wrong impression about this encounter. When Jeremiah says, “the Word of Yahweh came to me,” it isn’t just some voice in Jeremiah’s head or even something Jeremiah merely hears with his ears. No. Look at v. 9. The Word of Yahweh that comes to Jeremiah has a hand that reaches out and touches Jeremiah’s mouth.

Lord willing (Jam. 4:15), we will gather again this Sunday night and hear from Jn. 1:14 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. In other words, the God who created all things took upon Himself a body. Now, because of Christmas, being human is part of God’s identity. But here, long before Jesus was born, this Word of Yahweh comes to Jeremiah, stretches out His hand, and touches Jeremiah’s mouth because had a plan for Jeremiah. A plan which had been in place for a long, long time.

The Word of Yahweh didn’t wait for the right person to come along, get all the right education, and amass five years of experience before calling him. Nope! Even before Jeremiah was born or formed in the womb, Yahweh had appointed Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations (Jer. 1:5). But Jeremiah isn’t too keen on the idea because he’s only a youth (probably under 20 years old), so Yahweh gives Jeremiah this wonderful calling and promise, “Wherever I send you, go. Whatever I command you, speak. You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll be with you.” And that with divine hand, the Word of Yahweh reaches out and places His words in Jeremiah’s mouth. And those words set Jeremiah over nations and kingdoms to pluck up, break down, destroy, and overthrow. And those words also enable Jeremiah to build and plant. In other words, God is going to use Jeremiah to speak His words of Law and Gospel.

Jeremiah served in the twilight of his nation, Judah. Jeremiah’s culture, like our culture today, had drifted far from God’s Commandments. That is why four stated purposes of his preaching are related to judgment – to pluck up, to tear down, to destroy, and to overthrow.

But Jeremiah will also build and plant by preaching beautiful Gospel. He would preach about healing and restoration (Jer. 3:22, 30:17). Jeremiah would preach that even though the people would go into exile, a remnant would return (Jer. 23:3, 50:20). He announced that Yahweh would raise up for David the righteous Branch and make His people righteous (Jer. 23:5-6). Through Jeremiah, God foretold the New Covenant Jesus would institute in Holy Communion where Yahweh would forgive iniquity and remember sin no more (Jer. 31:31-34).

In our text, the Word of Yahweh comes to Jeremiah two more times with these visions of an almond branch and boiling pot. For the sake of brevity, I’m not going to go into too much detail about the significance of why God shows those two particular things to Jeremiah. But we should notice the comfort those visions bring. In the vision of the almond branch, the Word of Yahweh promises that He is watching over His Word to perform it. Through the Word of Yahweh, God announces what is going to do (Am. 3:7), and He follows through. God says what He does, and He does what He says.

And with the vision of the boiling pot, the Word of Yahweh declares that His judgment is about to boil over against the sin of His people. That’s why Jeremiah is to dress himself for work and not hold back the preaching of the Law (Jer. 1:16-17). Even though Jeremiah’s audience isn’t going to like what God says through him, the Word of Yahweh promises that He will make Jeremiah a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls (Jer. 1:18). And even though everyone fights against Jeremiah, God promises to be with him to deliver him (Jer. 1:19). And if God promises to do that for Jeremiah, He can also do it for and to you.

But, we need to change gears here because you and I are not Jeremiah. And yet Jesus, the Word of Yahweh, has called us to proclaim His Word to the people He puts in our lives. The world needs to hear what God has to say. In Mt. 10:27, Christ says, “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” That, at times is a daunting call. But dear saints, we cannot shrink back from saying what God has clearly said in His Word. The world has turned upside down because we who bear Christ’s name have been either afraid or ashamed to simply say what the Bible says. Repent.

In Mk. 8:38, Jesus warns, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father.” The opinions of evil, sinful men do not change the truth of what God says. Don’t ever be ashamed or afraid of confessing what God has said in His Word. You, like Jeremiah, can speak the Word of Yahweh before kings and not be put to shame (Ps. 119:46). God is with you and will strengthen you like forged metal upon which the forces of this world will break. Jesus promises that when you are dragged before the authorities of this world to bear witness, you don’t need to be anxious or worried about what to say because the Holy Spirit will give you the very words that need to be spoken, and God will speak through you (Mt. 10:18-20). So speak.

I want to close these Advent sermons with the picture we were given in our Epistle reading (Rev. 19:6-16). There, John sees Jesus, the Word of Yahweh, riding on a white horse. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and He wears many crowns on His head. The armies of heaven follow Him, and from His mouth comes a sharp sword which will strike down the nations that He will rule over with a rod of iron.

That picture is how your Savior is today. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18). Throughout human history, earthly rulers have and will continue to be in rebellion against Christ, and their treachery has brought harm to creation. But, ultimately, those authorities have no power. Jesus, the Word of Yahweh, has more power than all the forces of the world and all their machines of war combined. This Jesus has come once, and He is coming again.

But there is more to that picture. The first half of that reading shows you – the Church and Bride of Christ. You, believer, are part of that great multitude singing the praises of Christ. Because Jesus came in your flesh, suffered, bled, died, and rose again for you, God has granted you to be clothed in fine, bright, and pure clothes. You stand, clothed in the good works and righteous deeds that God has prepared beforehand for you to walk in (Eph 2:10).

Christ – the Lamb and Bridegroom, the Word of Yahweh – has come. This fact brings terror to the faithless, but that isn’t you. You are His beloved. And He is coming to bring you to to Himself and to eternal life, joy, and peace. Hallelujah! Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost

May28

John 14:23–31

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

²⁷ “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹ but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Different holidays are celebrated in different ways. We just celebrated Mothers’ Day a few weeks ago. Flowers, chocolates, and gifts were given. Phone calls were made. And, probably, a few household chores like washing the dishes, vacuuming, and cooking were delegated to the non-mothers out there. All those are good ways to celebrate moms which is the purpose of Mothers’ Day. I doubt many people set off fireworks while singing “Joy to the World” for Mothers’ Day. Who knows? Maybe there are a few pyromaniac moms whose favorite song is “Joy to the World.” But, in my experience, moms typically police fireworks and the last thing on their minds between explosions are the words to the third verse of “Joy to the World.”

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it is good to remember those who have given their lives for our country by attending Memorial Day services, placing flowers on graves, and giving thanks for the sacrifice many have made so we can enjoy the freedoms God has given us in this country (Jn. 15:13). Even the barbecues and gatherings with friends are a fitting way to spend Memorial Day. Enjoy all those things as you give thanks to God for those who gave their lives for our country. But Memorial Day is tomorrow. Today is the Day of Pentecost. What is a fitting way to celebrate and remember Pentecost?

Honestly, it’s precisely what you are doing now. Here you are – God’s people in God’s house – gathered to hear the Gospel and the mighty works of God in your native tongue. You are following precisely in the footsteps of the apostles and first Christians by doing exactly what they were doing when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the whole world.

In our reading from Acts (Act. 2:1-21, 36), we find the first Christians all gathered together in one place on a Sunday. Just like you have gathered together with your brothers and sisters in Christ on a Sunday. As those first 120 Christians (Act. 1:15) were gathered, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Right now, the Holy Spirit is coming upon you as you hear God’s Word, are reminded of all the things Jesus has said (Jn. 14:26), and are pointed to Jesus, your Savior (Jn. 15:26). Those first Christians, who received the Holy Spirit, went out and proclaimed the Gospel in the languages of the people who were in Jerusalem. Today, you will be sent out of this place to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).

You’ve heard me say that every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection even though the dazzling angel isn’t sitting on the stone, and every Sunday is a celebration of Christmas even though Jesus is no longer laid in the manger while the angels sing to shepherds. Every Sunday is a celebration of Easter and Christmas, but we should probably add: every Sunday is a celebration of Pentecost. Even though we don’t have the sound of a mighty, rushing wind and the tongues of fire, all the essentials of Pentecost are present here each and every Sunday. In other words, the Holy Spirit is here pointing us to Jesus and equipping us for a life of faith because our service is filled with God’s Word.

Dear saints, the Holy Spirit is given and poured out upon you in the normal, familiar things of our service. Sure, it’s great when we have those ‘mountaintop’ experiences where we feel very close to God. We thank and praise Him for those moments, but not every day is meant to be lived in a spiritual high. Your Spirit-filled lives are spent in the normal, mundane trenches of work and home. You come here to be fed by God’s Word and strengthened in your faith in Jesus. In that, the Holy Spirit equips you for another week of faithfully carrying out your God-given callings and vocations which is where serve your neighbor.

To prove that the Holy Spirit is at work in all these things, just consider what Jesus tells us in this Gospel reading (Jn. 14:23-31). Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and bring to remembrance all that He has said (Jn. 14:26). Now, Jesus first said this to the apostles who were later inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible. That verse, John 14:26, is how we can know without any doubt whatsoever that when we read and hear the words of Jesus recorded for us in the Scriptures, we are reading and hearing the very words of God (see also Jn. 16:13-14). As the Holy Spirit declares to you everything that Jesus has said, He makes you holy so that you are a comfortable dwelling place for God. You, dear saints, are God’s home.

In the first verse of our Gospel reading here (Jn. 14:23) Jesus says, “if anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” You know that you are commanded to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt. 22:37-38). Your problem is that this love is often difficult perceive. Is your love for God some emotion or feeling inside of you? Does it feel like you love God right now? How do you know if you love Him enough? What instrument should you use to measure your love for God? Well, Jesus tells you exactly how to measure your love for Him. Christ says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep (or “guard”) My Word.”

You might not feel tremendous love for God, you might feel as though God is far away and distant, but you will still come to church to hear His Word. You will spend time meditating on His Word and contemplating what He has said. When you hear God’s Word faithfully preached, when you read and study your Bible, you are keeping and guarding Jesus’ Word. It doesn’t mean you do it perfectly. Our hearts are still full of sin. But you are here today, so you are keeping Jesus’ Word. The very fact you are present here, according to Jesus, is evidence that you love Jesus because you are keeping His Word.

Jesus says that when you keep His Word, the Father loves you. Then – this is so remarkable – the Father and Jesus will come and make their home with you. That is a good translation. We will often make a distinction between a ‘house’ and a ‘home.’ Greek does as well. A house is a building where people live. There are many houses in Grand Cities community, but only one is your home where you feel perfectly comfortable.

Dear saints, God makes His home in you. You aren’t just a house for God. You are His home.

When I was in Bible College, our choir would go on tour, and we would sometimes stay at other people’s houses. One night in California, I stayed in the house of a couple who were both eye doctors, and it was probably the nicest house I’ve ever stayed in. Everything was clean, fancy, and expensive. When I arrived there, the hosts said, “Make yourself at home.” I didn’t feel at home. I felt out of place because I was a poor college student. Another time, I stayed at a house of a rancher. When I arrived there, that couple also said, “Make yourself at home.” Part of me still wonders if my hosts said that to excuse the mess that their house was. Dirty furniture; a wet, musty towel in the corner of the bedroom; grimy dishes in the kitchen. Even though my dorm room was at least as messy as that house, I didn’t feel at home there either. There are all sorts of reasons we don’t feel ‘at home’ in other people’s houses. That is why it is so remarkable that Jesus says the almighty, all-powerful, holy God makes His home in you.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit ignites in you a love for Him as you keep and guard Christ’s Word. And it is through that very same Word that the Holy Spirit makes you holy – He sanctifies you. Through faith, you are so holy and sanctified that the God who is holy, holy, holy (Is. 6:3) takes up residence within you, and He feels right at home.

It doesn’t matter if you think your life and heart are too messy for the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is perfectly comfortable dwelling in you because He has washed you, cleansed you, forgiven you, and filled you with the righteousness of Jesus, your Savior. Happy Pentecost. Amen.

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

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

Dec8

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.

One – Sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct9

Ephesians 4:1-6

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is your impression of or reaction to the following words: unity; inclusion; oneness; togetherness?

They are all good words and concepts, but those words probably throw up some red flags for you. Who doesn’t want unity? Wouldn’t it be great if our country was really the United States of America? No one wants to be excluded and left on the outside. It’s true that the team that plays together wins together. But would you say that we live in a time of unity? Probably not. We’ve gotten used to hearing that we are more divided now than at almost any other point in our nation’s brief history. Some even speculate that we may be on the verge of another civil war. Who knows?

But the more divided, fractured, and fragmented we become, the higher the desire there is for unity. The biggest obstacle to unity in this world, though, just might be the desire and calls for unity. For there to be unity, there needs to be something people are united on. And because the world is full of sinners who all want our own way, we are going to have a difficult time finding a point of unity. The selfishness, pride, and greed around and within us – yes, even in us Christians who still wrestle with our old Adam – will continue to cause division.

Well, this text doesn’t give us any suggestions for bringing unity to our culture or nation. There is nothing here to help us mend the political, economic, racial, and other divisions that we face in our society and culture today. Sorry. There are other passages of Scripture deal with that. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” And Philippians 2:4 probably gives us the best advice in achieving peace in our culture when it says to not look only to your own interest but to the interest of others.

Our text today, when it talks about unity and being one, refers to the unity that exists between Christians, and this unity between Christians is twofold.

First, there is a unity that all Christians simply have. We could call this a ‘vertical unity,’ and this unity consists of how sinners are made one with God. All Christians are sinners who by nature were children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Christians of all time and in all places are united by the one faith in Jesus who is our Savior, the only Savior. Because Jesus is the only Savior, we are united in Christ who is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only access we have to God the Father (Jn. 14:6). When the Holy Spirit works faith in us, this unity simply exists.

All Christians believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Through Him, every Christian of every tribe, language, race, and even denomination is united on the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16). Through that Holy Spirit-wrought faith, every Christian is joined to the one holy Christian Church confessing the one hope of forgiveness and eternal life. That means that every Christian is part of the one body with Christ as the head (Eph. 4:15). This unity exists, but we also recognize that this unity is invisible.

This brings us to the second unity, and that is the unity that all Christians are to strive for. We can call this a ‘horizontal unity’ of how we as Christians are united with one another. This unity is of conviction and true confession. We rejoice in the unity we have here in our congregation, and we have been rejoicing in the unity we have with our sister congregation on the other side of the river as we gather together on Wednesdays. But we also rejoice in the unity we have with Christians of other denominations: Lutheran Brethren, AALC, Missouri Synod, ELS, ELCA, Evangelical Free, Covenant, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Catholic, and I could go on and on.

Now, even as I mention all those different church bodies, you are probably thinking, “Pastor, aren’t all the different denominations a sign that we Christians are not united?” To a degree, yes. But there is also something counterintuitive about all the different denominations is actually a sign of our unity.

Now, please bear with me as I flesh this out. Go back to the first unity, our vertical unity. All Christians have one Lord, one faith, one Baptism. But one of the things that divides the various Christian denominations and disrupts that horizontal unity is what the different church bodies believe and teach about Baptism. Here at Christ the King, we teach that Baptism is God’s work where He forgives sins (Act. 2:38), joins us to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11), gives us the new birth (Jn. 3:5), and saves us (1 Pet. 3:21). Many Christians (and please note that I am calling them ‘Christians’) who attend other churches do not believe that is what the Bible teaches about Baptism. They will say that Baptism is something a believer does for God as an outward expression of an inward change.

The Bible does not teach both of those things. Those two doctrines cannot both be true. One is right, and the other is wrong. And it would be wrong and even sinful for either us or other Christians who believe differently to say, “Well, it doesn’t really matter what we believe about Baptism.” It does matter. What we believe about Baptism matters because Scriptures teach us about Baptism. And Jesus tells Christians to keep and observe all that He has said to us in and through the Scriptures (Mt. 28:20). Just a few verses after our text, Paul tells us to “not be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). God wants us to be rooted and grounded so that we rightly handle His Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Christians want to stay true to what the Scriptures teach. The only way we can stay true to what the Scriptures teach is to continue to grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures. That is why it is important for you, Christian, to keep learning and diving into the Scriptures that are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16). So, dear saints, be in the Scriptures. Read and meditate on them daily. Come to Bible study and Sunday School to continue being equipped by and through God’s Word. The best way to maintain and strengthen the horizontal unity between Christians is to be grounded in the Bible.

This brings us back around to the differences between Christian church bodies: The silver lining in the doctrinal differences that exist between the various denominations is that we are all trying to be true to what the Bible teaches. In other words, we are taking what Jesus teaches in the Bible seriously. We take it seriously enough that we recognize when those differences exist and when we are not united in doctrine. We don’t rejoice in that horizontal disunity, but we love each other enough to be honest about it because what the Bible teaches is important. That is why we – with humility, gentleness, and patience – point those who believe differently than we do to what Jesus has said. We don’t pridefully lambast them saying, “You aren’t a Christian if you don’t believe just like I do.” No!

Instead, we do what our text calls us to do. We work to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We can’t maintain or keep the unity of the Spirit unless that unity already exists, and it does. The unity of the one holy Christian Church is a gift given by God Himself through faith in Christ.

The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, the oneness that God has given all Christians, is a precious thing. We hold on to this unity as we hold onto Christ and His Word in humility. Jesus was glorified after He humbled Himself by being obedient to His death on the cross (Php. 2:8). That act of humiliation was rewarded by God the Father. And because of Christ’s obedience, the entire Christian Church is washed clean of sin. Christ’s humiliation is the glory of every Christian. So, let us imitate His humility by bearing with our brothers and sisters in Christ in love and forgiving as we have been forgiven. And we rejoice in God’s promise that we are now, right now, united in Him and are one with all our fellow Christians in a unity that is real whether or not we see of feel it.

And we patiently await the day when Christ will return and bring His one holy Christian and apostolic Church to live forever with Him as one. Amen.

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

Conquered – Sermon on Luke 10:17-20 & Revelation 12:7-12 for the observation of the feast of St. Michael & All Angels

Oct2

Luke 10:17-20

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸ And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, we consider the work of God through His holy angels. Some people have thoughts about angels that are more superstitious than biblical. And I have to admit that because there is so much false teaching and beliefs about angels that I tend to not preach or teach about them very much. So, let’s dive right in and consider what the Scriptures do teach about the angels. Please know that as I do this, I’ll be throwing out a lot of references; however, I won’t be giving you every reference that supports what I’m preaching. If you are interested in studying the Scriptures further about this, please ask me after the service, and I can print this sermon which has all the references.

Both the Hebrew (מַלְאָךְ) and Greek (ἄγγελος) words for “angel” mean “messenger.” Angels are spiritual beings with no physical bodies who were created during the first six days of creation. We know this because before the six days of creation there was only God (Jn. 1:1-3), and after the sixth day, God rested from all His work of creating. We can narrow the creation of angels down to one the first three days because in Job 38:4-7, God asks Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? … Who determined its measurements? … On what were its bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone?” There, God seems to be talking about the third day of creation when He created the land and sea. God says that as He created the land and sea, “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” The singing of the morning stars and shouting of the sons of God were the angels because that is the same title they are given in Job 1:6.

We know that God created a huge number of angels. Heb. 12:22 says they are innumerable. The angels were all created good and holy by God (Gen. 1:31). Because they are holy, this day is called the feast of “St. Michael” and all angels. We don’t typically call angels saints, but remember that ‘saint’ simply means ‘holy one.’ The angels were created holy, and they retained their holiness. But here’s the thing: You are holy in a different and greater way. You, Christian, are holy because you have received Jesus’ holiness (is. 53:11; Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:22). Angels are holy, but not all angels remained holy. At some point before the devil tempted Adam and Eve, Satan led a significant percentage of the angels in rebellion against God and they fell. Those fallen angels, we now call demons. More on that later, but from here on, know that if I use the term ‘demons’ I am simply referring to fallen angels.

Scripture teaches that angels were present at the giving of the Ten Commandments (Dt. 33:2; Gal. 3:19). They were sent to proclaim the conception (Lk. 1:26), birth (Lk. 2:11), and resurrection of Christ (Lk. 24:5-7). In fact, angels remain at the empty tomb even after Jesus left.

There are different orders and classes of angels – Cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ps. 80:1), Seraphim (Is. 6:2), archangels (1 Th. 4:16) are some of those. There are also greater and lesser demons (Lk. 11:15, 18-19), but Scripture doesn’t give names for them.

Even though angels are spirits, they can move and manipulate material things. They are able to take Lot and his family by the hand to get them out of Sodom before God destroyed it (Gen. 19:16). An angel would touch a pool in Jerusalem, and when people saw that the water was stirred, they would jump in to be healed (Jn. 5:4, 7). So, it may very well be that when you or someone you love has a close call that God’s angels have protected you from danger. Many Christians have stories about being helped in a particular situation by someone who suddenly appeared and wasn’t seen again. It could very well be that God sent an angel to help and defend in that moment. Also, there are times when Christians have helped someone who was in trouble, and they have a sense that something was strange or different about that encounter. It may be that an angel appeared to give an opportunity to the Christian to serve in a particular way. Heb. 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Scripture teaches that angels have power, might, and strength (Ps. 103:20; 2 Th. 1:7) which is greater than ours, and they use their strength to guard and protect us from things that would overpower us (Ps. 91:11-13). Demons are also strong. Scripture says that the devil holds unbelievers securely captive in his kingdom (Lk. 11:21-22), and believers can only withstand the attacks of Satan in the power of God (Eph. 6:10-17).

The angels’ work is to sing praises to God (Is. 6:3; Lk. 2:13) and to fight on our behalf (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:14); in other words, their tools are the song and the sword. A fantastic text about angels fighting on behalf of God’s people is found in 2 Kgs. 6:8-23 where Elisha and his servant get surrounded by the army of Syria during the night. Elisha’s servant is scared silly about being surrounded by this army. But Elisha says to him, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then, God opens the eyes of Elisha’s servant so that he can see a whole host of angels with horses and chariots of fire on the mountain near them, and those angels deliver them. In that account, we see the truth of what is said in Ps. 34:7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.”

Hebrews 1:14 says that the angels are “sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” So, the angels serve you, believer, as you live out your vocations (Ps. 91:11-12), and they are present with you even as you are dying to carry your soul to heaven (Lk. 16:22). In fact, each believer has an angel (see Act. 12:15) or a whole squad of angels for protection. In Mt. 18:10, Jesus says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” and I would argue Jesus is referring to all Christians, “For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” I hope this is a humbling and encouraging thought.

The angels who guard, protect, and serve you always behold God’s face in heaven. You can’t see God’s face, but the angels who are guarding you can because they have retained their holiness since their creation. Also, this should give you an indication of how valuable you are to God. If you see someone walking around with bunch of large, armed, and intimidating bodyguards around them, what is your impression of that person? It would get your attention. You probably wonder what sort of person that is. Well, the Creator and King of the universe has given you a squad of mighty, powerful angels to protect you.

Even though angels have might and power and help us, we should not pray to angels. Every time in Scripture that someone begins to worship an angel, the angel protests and directs worship to God (esp. Rev. 22:8-9). We can certainly pray that God would send His angels to protect us, but don’t pray to them. Also, we shouldn’t listen to angels unless they are pointing us to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul says this in Gal. 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Finally, and maybe most importantly, we should realize that angels are present with us right here and now as we are gathered in worship. Hebrews 12:22-24 says that in church we have “come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering…” Jesus says that the angels in heaven are joyful over one sinner who repents (Lk. 15:7, 10). As we confessed our sins earlier, a whole host of angels whom we cannot see or hear rejoiced as they heard Christ absolve and free us from our sins. Hebrews 1:14 calls angels ‘liturgizing’ spirits (most English translations will use the term ‘ministering’ but the Greek word there is λειτουργικός). So, using the liturgy is how we join our worship with the angels’ worship in heaven.

So, there is a quick overview of the Scriptural teaching of angels. Now, to what we learned specifically in our readings today.

A little context for Gospel lesson (Lk. 10:17-20) today helps. Jesus had sent these seventy-two ahead of Him to preach and heal in every town Jesus was about to go to (see Lk. 10:1-12). As He sends them, Jesus says, “Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Jesus says that they would be housed and fed by the people who welcomed them, and Jesus told them to heal the sick and say to the people, “The reign of God has come near to you.”

Now in our text, they are returning, and we hear them joyfully report that the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name. They saw victories in their various spiritual battles. But Jesus says something even greater was going on that they couldn’t see. While those seventy-two were proclaiming the reign of Jesus, Christ says, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.” So, the seventy-two saw victories in battles they fought, but there was a greater defeat, a bigger conquering taking place. And we hear about that in our Epistle text (Rev. 12:7-12) where the archangel Michael was given the privilege of throwing Satan (‘Satan,’ by the way, means ‘accuser’) out of heaven. How was Satan cast down and conquered? The text is clear. Satan was cast out by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Rev. 12:11).

Now, there are Christians who disagree with what I am about to say here, but I think we should see Jesus’ proclamation of seeing Satan falling like lightening and this text in Rev. 12:7-12 as the same event and as confirmation that the shedding of Christ’s blood and the preaching of the Gospel was what cast Satan down from heaven. This means that Satan is no longer able to accuse you before God which is what he was constantly doing day and night (Rev. 12:10). Remember how, in the book of Job, Satan was there in heaven before God by saying that the only reason Job loved God was because God was nice to him (Job 1:8-11, 2:1-5). But now, Satan has been conquered, defeated, and expelled from heaven.

However, there is also a warning at the end of that Revelation text. Satan is no longer able to accuse you before God because he has been defeated and expelled from God’s presence, but that doesn’t mean he is done accusing. The devil can’t accuse you before God anymore, but he can and does try to accuse you in your conscience, and he is very good at that. Satan will come to you here on earth and say that your sins are too many or too great to be forgiven. The accuser now roams about like a roaring lion seeking to devour you (1 Pet. 5:8), constantly whispering in your ear, “Did God really say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’?”

Dear saints, when the devil does this, he needs to be expelled from your conscience. How can you do this? How can you conquer the devil as he attacks you now? You conquer with the same weapons that Michael and the angels used – the blood of the Lamb, and the word of your testimony (Rev. 12:11).

Dear saints, when you confess your faith that Christ has been crucified and shed His blood for you, you expel Satan from your conscience and conquer over him. When the devil whispers his accusations, confess that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29) and has conquered the devil. Tell Satan, “Christ has taken my sins. So, if you want to talk to someone about my sins, you can’t talk to me about them anymore. Jesus has taken them as His own. Christ owns them now. He has died and shed His blood for them.” And the devil will have no reply to that testimony and is conquered.

So today, dear saints, come to Jesus’ table. Come as you join with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven singing the song of Jesus’ victory. Come, receive His body given for you and His blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. And know. Know that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord (Ro. 8:38-39). Satan has been conquered. He has been conquered by the blood of your Savior. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.^[1]

^[1] This sermon was reworked from 2019.

The Problem – Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

Nov21

Matthew 25:1-13

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The five foolish virgins had one problem. They were “morons.” That’s literally the word Jesus uses – μωρός. So that’s how I’ll refer to them; if you have a problem with me calling them morons, you can take it up with Jesus. Being morons was their only problem. The fact that they had lamps but no oil is problematic, but their problem is that they are morons. Having an oil lamp but no oil is silly. Wicks without oil can only burn for a few seconds before disappearing in a choking mess of smoke.

We might think that the wise virgins not sharing their oil with the morons is a problem. It doesn’t seem very charitable. Why don’t the wise just offer to let the morons walk in the light of their lamps? Well, we don’t know enough about the customs of Jesus’ day to know why each girl needed to have her own lamp. And who knows? Maybe that arrangement would have been acceptable. But notice what the morons did. When the call rings out, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him,” they moronically wander away from the banquet hall to try and buy some “midnight oil.” What shop would be open at that hour?

While the morons are gone on their hopeless shopping trip, the bridegroom arrives. The five wise virgins go in to the marriage feast, and the door is shut. When the five morons finally return begging to be allowed in to the feast, they are met with the horrifying reply, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

Jesus tells this parable as a warning for us to be ready for His return. The moral of the parable is, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. But Jesus didn’t tell us when He would return. So, He commands us to watch and be ready. Wake up from your sleep today. Wake up now. When the feast begins, Jesus wants you there. Have oil. Don’t be left outside.

But now, we have a problem. Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is. Is it the Bible, faith, grace, the Holy Spirit, or the Sacraments? Jesus doesn’t say. But the Scriptures would indicate that it can be and is all of those. I’m open to other suggestions that you might have, but my guess is that Jesus doesn’t tell us what the oil is so that we seek after all those things because each of them – Bible, faith, grace, absolution, and the Sacraments – are kingdom of heaven things. And Christ tells us to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).

That is why you are here today. God has gathered you here around His Word and Sacrament. This is where you need to be and where you belong. In this place, you hear God’s Word, are absolved of your sins, and receive Christ’s risen Body and Blood. In this place, you are supported by your brothers and sisters in Christ, and your presence ministers to them. Here, you unite in prayer making intercessions for yourselves and others, for our nation and this world. This is how faith is given, sustained, and strengthened. The Church is the well-fortified barracks where you are fitted with the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11). And, here, you help others prepare for the battle.

But you don’t get to stay here. You will return to the battlefield of the world. It is necessary, and it is, in fact, what God has called you to do. You are called by God to go into the world and deal with lazy coworkers and incompetent supervisors and bosses. You will have to endure your children’s temper tantrums, your spouse’s failures and shortcomings, the loneliness of a widowed house, and your relatives’ problems. You will go back to school and classes with boring teachers, pointless homework, and bullies. God calls you to face all of that even while you struggle with your own sins of anger, lust, gossip, and envy.

In each of those places, each of those callings and vocations, the devil has laid all sorts of traps and snares for you; he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan attacks you in those arenas because everywhere you go, you carry God’s light to a darkened world. Christian, every relationship you have is a holy, divine calling. And because you are God’s child, everything you do has spiritual value. How you handle work, school, chores, laundry, dishes, and whatever else has both temporal and eternal consequences. That is why you come to church and get what is necessary for your salvation. But what happens here must extend to the rest of your week.

Don’t be a moron thinking that a couple hours at church each week (or two to three times each month) is enough to prepare you for what you will face out there. You need more. And parents, listen up. Your children can’t share your oil and can’t walk in the light of your lamp. Each one needs his or her own lit lamp. So, if it hasn’t been your family’s practice in the past, start today. Make the reading of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship around God’s Word together as a family your top priority each day. Fathers, God calls you to take the lead on this. Wives, if he doesn’t do it on his own, pester and nag him until he does.

Family time in the Bible doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy. Start simple. Start with the Gospel of John and read one paragraph each day. After you read, pray for your friends and family. It can be as simple as, “Bless grandma and help Phil. Amen.” Then, pray the Lord’s Prayer. That will take five minutes. You can do that. You have the time to do that. And if you don’t have enough time, rip something out of your schedule. If your job makes it impossible, quit. Find a new one – even if it means a pay cut and you have to buy a smaller, cheaper house. This is eternally serious. Your salvation and the salvation of your children depends on it. If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start again the next. Make it a habit for you and your kids to pray together on the way to school or practice or wherever. All of this will help to begin to make God’s Word part of your regular conversations as you watch and remain ready for His return.

Ok. That was the Law part of the sermon. And, I hope was a bucket of ice water to awaken you from slumber. Now, we need the Gospel. And there is one more problem to address: Now, be honest. Does this parable strike fear into you?

Honestly, if you summarize the parable, it is a story of ten silly girls who fall asleep waiting for a party. Five are able to light a lamp and get to go into the party. Five can’t, so they have to go away. And if your high school experience was like mine, if you aren’t at the party, you just end up at home sulking and feeling a bit lonely and sorry for yourself.

So, when Jesus tells us that the purpose of this parable is to get us to watch for the day of His return, why did He use this analogy of a wedding party and ten silly, sleepy girls? If being ready for His return is so important, why not tell a parable with more urgency and more horrific consequences? Why not a parable of ten fishermen – five who wear life jackets and five morons who don’t and drown when the storm comes and the boat sinks? How about ten soldiers – five who carry their sword at all times and five morons who leave their swords lying around and get slaughtered when the enemy ambushes them?

Well, that is precisely why Jesus’ parable is different. In either of the parables I just suggested, the return of Jesus is depicted as a terrible, tragic event – a storm at sea, or a sudden attack by an enemy army. But in Jesus’ parable, the thing we need to be ready for, well, it’s the greatest day ever – the day of the arrival of Jesus, the Bridegroom and Savior of all mankind. A day of feasting, joy, laughter, and blessedness for those who are ready to enter with Him. It is the very thing we are looking forward to and longing for.

Once we have worked ourselves into a tizzy about the dire urgency of Christ’s return, we need to step back, take a deep breath, and remember: Christ’s return is not something horrific that you need to be scared of. Jesus’ return means that you will be in eternal bliss, happiness, contentment, and joy. There will be no more pain, tears, or sorrow. Christ’s return is something to anticipate – more than a child anticipates the arrival of her favorite aunt and cousins. That excited expectation is what Jesus is highlighting with this parable.

Yes, this parable is a warning. Our lamps can run dry. Faith must be continually fed by God’s Word and the Sacraments. Repent. Believe. Have faith in Christ.

And yes, Jesus teaches that as the end draws near the signs of His return are alarming: wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation, earthquakes, persecution, hatred, false teaching, and love growing cold (Mt. 24:4-12). But, when you see those things, remember what that means for you. Christ says it means your redemption is drawing near (Lk. 21:28). The bridegroom is coming, and you are His bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (Eph. 5:27).

Dear saints, this world is ending. Good riddance. You have Christ. Your redemption is secure and your eternity certain. So, look forward to that day. Stay awake. Keep eagerly anticipating and looking for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. 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: Scripture

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Return – Sermon on Isaiah 55:6-13 for Sexagesima Sunday

The Righteous Live by Faith – Sermon on Habakkuk 2:1-4 for Reformation Sunday

Keep Keeping – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday of Lent

The Word of Yahweh – Sermon on Jeremiah 1:4-19 and Revelation 19:6-16 for Midweek Advent 3

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost

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

One – Sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Conquered – Sermon on Luke 10:17-20 & Revelation 12:7-12 for the observation of the feast of St. Michael & All Angels

The Problem – Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year