Tag Archives: Sin

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

Romans 6:19-23

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[1] Reworked from 2020.

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

Luke 15:1-32

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Triune Forgiveness – Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-7 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Isaiah 6:1-7

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; 
the whole earth is full of his glory!” 

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “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; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, I have five observations to consider from this text.

1. What Isaiah sees is remarkable but not unique. Isaiah had this vision of God when he was in the Temple. But it’s important to note that Isaiah was not the high priest, so this vision didn’t take place while Isaiah was in the Most Holy Place. Isaiah wasn’t even a priest, so this vision couldn’t have been when Isaiah was in the Holy Place either. Isaiah was a prophet called by God, but he was normal guy. In other words, Isaiah would have been in the courtyard of the Temple with all the other regular worshippers. You can basically think of this vision as what Isaiah sees when he goes to Church. He’s normal guy in a normal place at a normal time, but what he sees is extraordinary. 

Dear saints, there are things going on around us right now that we cannot see or hear. But just because our senses don’t pick them up doesn’t mean they are any less real than the things we can perceive with our senses. The Bible teaches that there are angels all around us all the time protecting us and ministering to us. Jesus Himself teaches us that He is present with us and seated on His throne with all authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18, 20; 18:20). And that is always true whether you are at church or not. 

But when you are in church, the same things Isaiah saw in this vision are here and present with you. Hebrews 12:22-24 says, “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.” In other words, here in this sanctuary you are in God’s domain. The angels and archangels, the seraphim and cherubim are all here. Surrounding you are all God’s people, Christians from every time and age, present here worshipping, glorifying, and praising God with you. You can’t see them, but that doesn’t make their presence any less real.

What Isaiah sees here is always true when God’s people gather together. In other words, it isn’t as though God was normally far, far away, but then, one time, He came close enough for Isaiah to see Him. No Isaiah simply is allowed to see the reality of God’s presence which was and is normally invisible. Dear saints, when you come into this place, see with your ears. The triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – along with all the angels and all the saints of all time are present right here with us.

2. Notice this reality that Isaiah sees. Isaiah sees the Lord sitting upon a throne. And Scripture leaves us no doubt. Isaiah sees Jesus. The Gospel of John spells it out. Isaiah sees Jesus, the eternal Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity (Jn. 12:36-41). Above Jesus, Isaiah sees the seraphim. These are one of the types of angels that Scripture tells us about. Their name means ‘burning ones.’ These angels have six wings. Two of the wings are used to cover the seraph’s face; two cover the seraph’s feet; and two are used to fly. Now, the interesting thing is that these seraphim are already holy. The don’t have any sin, but even they need to cover their creatureliness before the awesome holiness of God.

That brings us to their song. The seraphs sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of armies; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Their song is repetitive, three holy’s. It is true that the Hebrew language will use repetition for emphasis. God is holy, holy, holy. But those three holies could also be translated as, “Holy One, Holy One, Holy One.” Three holy Ones – again, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The angels are praising one God, but three distinct holy Ones. Now, Isaiah can only see the Son, but he hears the praise of each Person of the Trinity. And we know that all three persons of the Trinity are there because just after our text, the triune God asks, “Whom shall I [sg.] send, and who will go for Us [pl.]?”

3. Look at Isaiah’s response. Standing in the presence of the holy Trinity, Isaiah is terrified. Isaiah says, “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.” We need to dissect this a little bit. Notice that Isaiah starts with a conclusion before moving to his confession. Isaiah’s conclusion is, “Woe is me! For I am lost.” That’s his understanding of the situation and what he thinks is going to happen to him. But his conclusion is wrong. It’s wrong not only because that isn’t what happens, but it’s also wrong because it is a denial of who God is.

When Isaiah says, “I am lost,” thinks he is about to be cut off and damned. He figures God has finally come to judge him and condemn him to hell. This is wrong and, frankly, disappointing. Remember Isaiah was in the Temple. The Scriptures clearly teach that the whole purpose of the Temple, the reason it was there, was so God could dwell among His people and forgive their sins (2 Chr. 6:21, 27). God had defined Himself as the God who is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness… forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Ex. 34:6-7).

Imagine coming to church. You hear the absolution. In the sermon, you are pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away your sin. You receive the Body and Blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, you have a vision like Isaiah’s and your response is, “Well, I’m going to hell.” That’s ludicrous, but that’s Isaiah’s conclusion here! Dear saints, the whole point of everything we do here at church is to remove any doubt and increase your faith that God has forgiven all of your sins – every last one of them – for the sake of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As disappointing as Isaiah’s conclusion is, we would probably do the same. Repent. God isn’t lying to you when He delivers His grace and mercy to you here in this place. You are forgiven, made holy, continually given the perfect righteousness of Christ. Amen?

Now, Isaiah’s confession and recognition is right. He is a sinner. He does have unclean lips, and the people around him have unclean lips. This means he deserves God’s wrath and judgment, but His conclusion is still false.

4. Isaiah’s guilt has a location. Sin isn’t just floating around as some nebulous, philosophical idea. No. Isaiah recognizes his sinful lips. But didn’t Isaiah have sinful feet? What about corrupt eyes? A lustful groin? An idolatrous heart? So, why does Isaiah focus on his lips?

The best guess is that the devil somehow knew God was about to call Isaiah to be a prophet. To be a prophet requires the use of your lips and mouth to speak the Word of God. So, Satan probably made extra effort that day to point Isaiah to how he sinfully used his lips to make Isaiah feel guilt and shame with the very instrument God would use Isaiah to minister.

The devil does this all the time. He will point out the sin and iniquity of the very gifts God wants us to use in fulfilling our callings and vocations in service to Him and our neighbor. This is true for all Christians, but today I want to address you fathers since I won’t be here next week.

Fathers, first of all, happy Fathers’ Day a week early. You fathers, the devil will do this to you. Satan will try to point you to your failures as a husband and father. And it will be easy for him to do this because you do fail. Sometimes, you are too harsh; other times you have been too lax in disciplining your children. You don’t show the kindness and love you should, and you have not been the father God intends you to be. But those sins do not disqualify you from being a father to your children. One of the most important things fathers can teach their children is confessing when you sin and asking for forgiveness. Again, your failures do notdisqualify you from being a father. Fathers, if you are still alive and still have children, God calls you to be a father. And God will equip and enable you to be exactly the father that your children need. Which brings us to the fifth and final observation.

5. The glory of the triune God is His forgiveness and mercy. Because there is one God and three Persons – because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – God is both just and merciful, both just and loving. If God were only one, this couldn’t be the case. But because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God the Son can satisfy God’s just demands, and He has. Jesus has done for you what you could not do for God. Jesus renders His perfect obedience to the Father, and the Holy Spirit delivers to you the peace of forgiveness in Christ as He works on you through the Scriptures. Just don’t think that the Father is the only member of the Trinity who is just, that the Son is the only member who is loving and merciful, and that the Holy Spirit is the only member who works out your salvation. That isn’t the case either.

Dear saints, what God did for Isaiah, He does for you as well. It wasn’t the coal that removed Isaiah’s sin. It was God’s promise. Yes, God attached that promise to the coal which made it the instrument that delivered that promise to Isaiah. But God’s promise is attached to more things than that one coal that burned up millennia ago. God has attached His promise of mercy and forgiveness to the water of your Baptism. When those waters touched your body, your guilt was taken away, and your sin atoned for. When you heard the absolution earlier, those words entered your ear, and your guilt was taken away, and your sin atoned for. When you eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is here today to bring you His mercy and grace freely given because of Christ. You are clean, and God sends you from here back out into the world with a free, spotless conscience (Heb. 10:19-25). Amen.

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

Forgiven & Blessed – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-31

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The evening of the Resurrection, Jesus seeks out the disciples just like He sought Adam and Eve when they hid themselves behind some fig leaves in the Garden. Fear had reduced those ten disciples to a bunch of dead bones (Ezk. 37:1-14). It was only ten of them because Judas had betrayed Jesus, and Thomas wasn’t there. Where was Thomas? The text doesn’t specifically say, but we do have some clues from Scripture. So, put on your Sherlock Holmes hats, and let’s do some deductive reasoning together.

Early that morning, Peter and John saw the empty tomb and the neatly folded burial cloths (Jn. 20:1-10). And throughout the day, Jesus had been appearing to all sorts of people. First, to Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:11-18), and shortly after that, to the other women who had gone to the tomb (Mt. 28:9-10). At some point, Jesus appears to Peter privately (Lk. 24:34) and to two other disciples, who were not part of the twelve, on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35). So, Jesus is popping up all over the place, but the disciples have locked and imprisoned themselves in that upper room afraid for their lives.

They knew that the Pharisees had Pilate set a guard at the tomb to keep the disciples from trying to fake a resurrection (Mt. 27:62-66). These ten disciples are afraid that a bunch of soldiers are out looking for them to kill them just like they had killed Jesus. So, again, why isn’t Thomas there? The Gospel of John seems to suggest that Thomas wasn’t afraid. Thomas has been given the unfortunate nickname ‘doubting Thomas,’ but he may have been bolder and more fearless than the other disciples. Back in John 11, which was probably just a few weeks before the crucifixion, Thomas was ready to die with Christ. In John 11, Jesus suggests that they all go to Judea where He will raise Lazarus. Eleven of the disciples aren’t too keen on the idea because Jesus was almost stoned there twice (Jn. 8:59, 10:31), but Thomas speaks up, “Let’s go with Him that we may die with Him” (Jn. 11:16).

So, back to the day of Jesus’ resurrection: Peter and John tell the other disciples that they had found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene reports that she has seen and talked with Jesus (Jn. 20:18). The other women tell the disciples that they have seen and talked with angels and with Jesus (Lk. 24:10-11). The two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus and Peter all say that they have seen Jesus (Lk. 24:33-35). All these reports of Jesus’ resurrection are coming in, which might have made Thomas curious. Now, Scripture doesn’t say explicitly, but it isn’t a stretch to imagine that Thomas isn’t behind those locked doors because he is out trying to find Jesus. If he gets caught by the soldiers and killed, so what? He is ready to die with Jesus.

But while Thomas is away, Jesus appears to the ten, speaks peace to them, shows them His wounds, breathes the Holy Spirit on them, and sends them out to with the authority to forgive sins. Then, Jesus leaves. At some point, Thomas comes back and the ten say, “Jesus was here, and you just missed Him.” Thomas is frustrated, and he doesn’t respond well at all. He defiantly says, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

It ends up, all eleven disciples had locked themselves up, just in different ways. Ten had locked themselves in the prison of the fear of death, but Thomas has locked himself in the prison of unbelief because he hasn’t seen what the others have seen. Well, those prison bars and doors aren’t a problem for Jesus. Christ appears through the locked doors of fear to forgive the sin of the ten. And Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive sins saying, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Then, one week later, Jesus will appear to Thomas and unlock the doors of unbelief. But let’s consider for just a minute how Jesus gives the ten the authority to forgive sins.

Think back to when Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered through the roof (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26). Instead of healing the guy right away, Jesus says to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled at this saying that only God could forgive sins. So, Jesus heals the paralytic proving that He has the authority to forgive sin. Now, on Easter evening, Jesus passes that authority on to the disciples and, ultimately, all Christians.

Sin has put all humanity behind bars in the prison of death. But Jesus has come to give release to everyone who is in captivity to sin (Lk. 4:18; Is. 61:1). Because God has called me to be the pastor here, I am called to give that same release of sin. It is why, after we have confessed our sins and receive the absolution, I say, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His command and authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins.” Because Jesus has the authority to forgive and passed this authority to all Christians, it is as though Jesus is doing it Himself. Think of it this way.

Imagine you are guilty of a crime and in jail. As you sit there in prison, a judge across town rules that you are innocent. That ruling doesn’t do you any good until that judge sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. Then, the guard comes with the keys, unlocks your cell, and releases you back into society. Now, in that scenario, who set you free, the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both.

If the judge declares you innocent but the guard doesn’t go to your cell and open the door, you are still behind bars. On the other hand, if the guard lets you out without any order or declaration from the judge, you are free, but you will live the rest of your life waiting to be arrested because you haven’t been justly declared innocent.

Now, non-Christians live as though the guard has let them out, but the judge hasn’t issued the ruling that they are set free. They are like Thomas on the evening of the resurrection. Jesus has taken the punishment they deserve and forgiven them of all their sins, but that freedom doesn’t do them any good because they don’t believe that they are really, truly free.

Christian, that is where you come in. You can announce this forgiveness to others. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, you can tell them of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tell them that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and His resurrection shows that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done.”

There is another side to this. Some Christians are like the ten disciples. They live as though the judge has issued the ruling, but they stay in their cell as though the guard hasn’t let them out. So, they remain in prison fearing that that freedom will get them in trouble. Dear saints, when you hear the absolution, it is nothing more than the guard letting you out of the prison of sin and death by Jesus’ ruling that you are forgiven. You really are free, and your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12).

That is the Gospel message. That is the authority Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce. That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that, because He died and rose again, sins are forgiven. They are gone.

I want to close with Jesus’ response to Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus replies, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus is speaking about you there. The risen Jesus had you in mind when He spoke those words. You have not seen Your resurrected Savior in the flesh. You don’t see the marks in Jesus’ hands and side. Instead, you see crosses that remind you of the death that Christ died for you. You see the Font where Jesus delivers to you His mercy and forgiveness and washes away your sins. You see an altar on which nothing has ever been sacrificed but which Jesus uses as His table to feed you bread and wine which Jesus says is His risen Body and Blood.

You do not see, but you hear the same proclamation of Jesus, “Peace to you.” That peace is yours because Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity is crucified, died, and was buried. He is risen again to give you His peace and the forgiveness of all your sins now and for all eternity. Dear saints, you are forgiven and blessed by your crucified and risen Lord and Savior.

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

Amen.

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 4:1-11

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

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

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

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ 

and 

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

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

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John 1:19-29

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

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

as the prophet Isaiah said.” 

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

“Who are you, John?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 21:1-9

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

5   “Say to the daughter of Zion, 

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

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

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

Hosanna in the highest!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John 8:31-36

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fear, Love, & Trust – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:34-46

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “The Lord said to my Lord, 

       ‘Sit at my right hand, 
until I put your enemies under your feet’?

45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, here they go again. Those tricksy Pharisees. Trying to catch Jesus, trying to get our Lord to say something that would get Him in trouble. Last week, it was at a banquet watching to see what Jesus would do with a sick man (Lk. 14:1-11). This week, it’s with a test question. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

To be honest, there isn’t really anything wrong with the lawyer’s question as it is. (More on that in a bit.) But the motive behind the question was sinful. The Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus pitting one part of God’s Word against another. It’s impossible to know exactly what they had planned to do with Jesus’ response. Maybe, they figured Jesus would say that the 1st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” was the greatest. Then, they could falsely accuse Him of teaching that profaning God’s name, dishonoring parents, murder, stealing, or lying wasn’t a big deal. Whatever their plans and thoughts were, they were trying to make Jesus look like a fool with this question about the Law.

They miscalculated. Badly.

They didn’t realize with Whom they were speaking. Jesus is the Author of the Ten Commandments. He carved them into stone tablets and declared them to Moses and all the people of Israel (Jn. 1:18). Trying to trick Jesus with a question about the Ten Commandments is like trying to trick Herman Melville with a question about Moby Dick, Mark Twain with a question about Huck Finn, C.S. Lewis with a question about Aslan, George Lucas with a question about Luke Skywalker, or Dr. Seuss with a question about the Cat in the Hat. (Hopefully, one of those combinations works for you.)

Jesus, the Author of the Law, will not let one part of His perfect will – which is expressed in the Commandments – be pitted against the rest. The Commandments are not in competition with each other. To love God with the whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind is the first and great commandment. And notice how Jesus continues. He says there is another commandment, a second commandment, that is like the first and great commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, it is interesting in Mark’s account of this same encounter with the Pharisees Jesus says there’s no other commandment – singular – greater than these – plural (Mk. 8:31). In other words, perfect love of God and perfect love of your neighbor go together. The two are inseparably tied together and are really one commandment. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love for God is demonstrated by love for the neighbor. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” In other words, when you love your neighbor, you are loving God who has commanded you to love your neighbor.

Some people today will say that since Jesus distills the Commandments down to, “Love God, and love your neighbor,” that we don’t need the Commandments or any other teaching about God’s Law. Basically, they will say, “We just have to love each other.” Be careful with that. The reality is that we need the Commandments, we need the Law, to teach us what love looks like.

If you want to love God, love your neighbor, and here is what that looks like: Loving God is obeying His command to honor your father and mother by serving, obeying, and respecting them. Loving God is obeying His command to not murder your neighbor or cause him any suffering. Loving God is obeying His command to not commit adultery – which means, husbands, live a chaste life for your wife, and wives, live a chaste life for your husband. Love is not stealing, rather helping your neighbor improve and protect his property. Love is not bearing false witness and putting the most charitable construction on all that your neighbor does.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you think what you are doing is motivated by love; if your thoughts, words, or actions fall outside of these Commands, it is not love. In fact, we could go a step farther and say that, whenever your actions fall outside of the Ten Commandments, they are selfish and sinful actions motivated by hatred toward both God and neighbor.

Dear saints, all of this is to say, we all have a lot of reasons to repent. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. We let our fear of things other than God dictate how we act. We let our love of things that are not God distract us from the God who loves us. We let our trust in things other than God draw us away from God. Again, dear saints, repent. The Law always accuses us and shows how we fail in our obligation to love God and neighbor.

Now, I said earlier that there isn’t anything wrong with the lawyer’s question about what is the greatest Command. But that question, by itself is incomplete because the Law leaves us hanging out to dry under God’s wrath and punishment. At best, the Law can only curb and deter people from sin, but that’s as far as it can go. The Law is good because it tells us what we must do, but the Law is limited because it can only reveal what we have failed to do. The Law is never helpful in saving us unless we also know the One who hung upon the cross for all our sins of failing to love God and neighbor.

That is why Jesus asks His question about the Christ. Just like in last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus turns the tables and asks the Pharisees a question, “The Messiah, whose son is he?” And the Pharisees were right when they answered, “David’s son.” God had promised that a son of David would sit on David’s throne forever (1 Sam. 7). But David also wrote in Psalm 110:1, which is the verse that Jesus quotes, that this Son of David is also David’s Lord. So, Jesus’ question is, “How can the Messiah, David’s son, also be David’s Lord?”because a father would never call his descendent, “Lord.”

Here, Jesus is teaching the Pharisees and you that the Messiah is both God and man. Here’s why that is so important:

Because the Messiah is God, He has kept the Law perfectly. And because He is man, that keeping of the Law is for you. Jesus perfectly loved God and your neighbor in your place. And through faith, that perfect keeping of the Law is credited to you (2 Cor. 5:21).

The easiest example of this is the 4th Commandment. The Law says, “Honor thy father and mother. Love God by loving your parents as yourself.” And you are left saying, “God, I haven’t done that. I need Your help.” If the Jesus had not come to earth as a Man, God would have to say, “Well, I’m God. I don’t have a father or mother, so I can’t help you. You have to do that yourself.” But God did become a Man. Jesus had a mom and a dad. He did love and honor them perfectly. So, He can and does help you by reckoning His obedience and keeping the Commandment to your account. And this applies to each and every one of the Commandments.

Jesus, the eternal, righteous Son of God, became a Man, perfectly loved God and neighbor, died, and rose again. Through this, He has brought the Law to perfection. This might be too simplistic of an explanation, but it might help shape our thinking.

In His answer to the lawyer’s question, Jesus shows us that the Law has a divine aspect and a physical aspect – love God (divine) and love neighbor (physical). God be praised, that He has given you a Savior who is also divine and physical – God and Man. So, now, when you hear the Law and what it requires of you, you realize that you are lost and deserve God’s wrath and judgment in both body and soul. So, you cry out, “God I’m lost. I deserve punishment and death, could You take that punishment and die for me?” And because the Son of God has taken up your flesh, Jesus says, “Sure. I already have.”

Dear saints, Jesus has perfectly loved God and neighbor for you. All of His perfection and righteousness – His perfect fear, love, and trust in God – is given to you through faith. And to strengthen that faith, your Savior is here now to give you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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