The Scripture readings for tonight were Jonah 3:1-10; 1 John 1:5-10; and Matthew 6:16-21.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I was definitely old enough to know better. It was a cold, wet, Spring day. A friend from church, my sister, and myself were probably driving our parents crazy, so our parents dropped us off at the Williston Recreational Center to burn off some energy. The Rec. Center had two basketball courts, a few racquetball courts, and a hockey arena that still had the boards up but no ice. When we paid the fee and signed our names in, the employee told us that the empty hockey rink was off limits to the public that particular day, so we went to the basketball courts to play horse and lightning. But it didn’t take long before we got bored and decided we needed a little more excitement. So, of course, we went to the forbidden hockey arena.

I don’t remember exactly how we got past the front desk unnoticed, but we did. And we proceeded to have a grand time playing inside the boards. But not for long. I remember seeing the employee approaching the glass windows and door that separated the hockey arena from the lobby, and he didn’t look happy. I warned my friend and sister that we had been caught and were about to get in trouble. But my sister had a plan. She insisted that if we closed our eyes, the employee couldn’t see us. She said that it worked once for her friend. Now, I’m three years older than she is, so, again, I should have known better. But I did it. I closed my eyes as tight as I could and assumed the fetal position against the boards. I can only imagine how foolish we looked to that employee. Even as he hollered at us for being in there, I didn’t open my eyes until he tapped my shoulder.

Dear people of God, “If we say we have no sin,” (Notice that this is present tense. No matter how long you’ve been a Christian, not matter how much you’ve improved, no matter how much good you do, you still have sin.) “if we say we have no sin we deceive only ourselves,” and we look like a foolish child cowering with our eyes closed. We cannot flee from or escape the watchful eye of the God who created us. He knows your actions. He knows the words that come out of your mouth. He knows the thoughts of your mind. And He knows the hypocrisy of your heart. If we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us.

Repent because there is another way. Repent because that is the only way!

Scripture is clear that our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. This is one of if not the most common descriptions of God. In fact, this is how God Himself defines who He is (Ex. 34:6). Repentance of Ninevah by John Martin c 1840 When Jonah preached to the sinners of Nineveh in our Old Testament lesson (Jon. 3:1-10), they repented from their evil, violent ways. And for them, it was as crazy an idea as closing their eyes to enable invisibility mode. The king says in his proclamation, “Who knows? God may turn aside from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” In other words, “Let’s try repenting. It might work.” Dear saints, we do not have to wonder how God will respond to humble, contrite sinners. Our Epistle Lesson (1 Jn. 1:5-10) says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Make sure you catch all of the words there in v. 9. The text doesn’t just say “If you confess your sins, God will forgive and cleanse.” No. The text says that God is faithful and just to forgive. We would expect to hear different words there – words like merciful, gracious, kind, generous, or even lenient. But that is not what Scripture says. God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Dear saints, God’s forgiveness delivered to you is right and just. That’s saying it in a positive way. And it is true in a negative way (or the opposite way): God would be unjust to withhold forgiveness from you who confess your sins. Your sin, your shame, your unrighteousness, your guilt was all laid upon Jesus on the cross. He has taken all of it and endured the punishment that you deserve. For God to give you any of His anger or displeasure because of your sin would not be right or just. He would be removed from the bench, disbarred, and thrown into prison if He didn’t forgive you.

Dear Christian, be comforted. God faithfully and justly and willingly and delightfully forgives you all your sins because of what Jesus has done for you. Amen.

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

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

Feb2

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Matthew 17:1-9

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Genuine – Sermon on Romans 12:6-16 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

Jan19

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Romans 12:6-16

⁶ Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12_2 - Christian Calling

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

How do you know if someone is really a Christian? I mean reeeeally a Christian. Well, according to the ESV’s heading on this text (which the translation we are using), this is it. The ESV adds its own title to v. 9 and following “Marks of the True Christian.”

In fact, do this: Take out one of the pew Bibles and turn to Romans 12. The ESV has this text falling under two headings. The first comes before v. 3 and is “Gifts of Grace” which is used for v. 3-8. I think that is an accurate heading for those verses. But then you get to v. 9 and all the way to the end of the chapter, all of that falls under the heading “Marks of the True Christian.” Those headings are not part of the Scriptures. The translators and editors of the various translations added them. Sometimes, they are fine introductions to what is going to come. But I would encourage you to ignore them more often than not because they influence the way you read the text.

From the heading there before v. 9 and the way the ESV reads here, I counted twenty-two commands/imperatives that follow in the translation. Twenty-two things that Christians are commanded to do if they, at least according to that heading, are true Christians. With that understanding, it would be easy for a sermon on this text to turn into a stern lecture on what you should be doing; how you are not doing it; and how you would be blessed if you actually got around to doing it. But here’s the problem.

First, there is no Gospel in the translation of those verses. And, second, if true Christians have genuine love; abhor evil; hold fast to the good; love with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor; are never slothful in zeal; fervent in spirit; serve the Lord; rejoice in hope, etc. If these are the marks of the true Christian and you take an honest assessment of yourself, how are you doing so far?

Speaking for myself, I would have to conclude that I’m not a true Christian because I’m missing a lot of those marks most of the time. And, when I don’t have those marks but still confess that I am a Christian, I need to find some comfort for myself. So, the easiest thing for me to do is to start comparing myself to others. I look at myself, and then I look at you and you and you. Then, I figure, “Well, at least I’m better than that person at obeying these ‘Christian’ laws.”

You have maybe heard the joke about when Sven and Ole were out walking in the forest and see a bear. Ole bends down and starts tightening his shoelaces, and Sven says, “Ole, you don’t think you can outrun a bear, do you?” And Ole responds, “I don’t have to run faster than the bear, Sven. Angry Bear I just have to run faster than you.” Well, guess what. When the bear of God’s Law is finished eating the guy who is slower to obey than you, it picks up your scent and resumes its pursuit of you because its appetite is never satisfied by eating up sinners.

Lord, have mercy. If our response to our failures and shortcomings is to compare ourselves to others, we are not doing what this text wants to inspire in us. We are not showing brotherly affection. We are not associating with the lowly. Instead, we are being haughty and wise in our own sight. Lord, have mercy. Comparing ourselves to others is not what the Holy Spirit intended when He inspired these words of Scripture. Only Jesus can satisfy the Law’s appetite. And, God be praised, by His death and resurrection He has done exactly that.

In reality, there are only four commands in this text. Three of them are in v. 14: Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. And one at the very end in v. 16: Never be wise in your own sight.

In reality, to be a Christian is not to keep twenty-some commands. Instead, Paul here is holding up a picture of what genuine love looks like (similar to how he does in 1 Cor. 13). Listen to this translation of v. 9-12. “Love is genuine/without hypocrisy, abhorring the evil and clinging to the good. [Genuine love] is showing brotherly affection for one another, in honor leading the way for one another, in zeal not [being] lazy, in the Spirit fervent, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, enduring persecution, holding fast to prayer.”

These verses are, in fact, perfectly describing Christ. Remember, that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16), and that means that Jesus is love embodied. And, yes, as Christians – which means ‘little Christs’ – we should be like Christ. But because we are sinners, we fail to live up to God’s Law. God’s Law always accuses us.

There’s a better way to understand these verses, and to get at that understanding, I’m going to connect this text to our theme for the year – “Sacred.” In Lev. 19:2, God speaks to His people, Israel, and says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And Peter repeats those words for us Christians in 1 Pet. 1:16. In English, this sounds like a command because of the word ‘shall.’ But in both Hebrew and Greek it isn’t a command/imperative. A better translation for both is, “You will be holy.”

When the original people (both Old and New Testament) heard that, they would hear three things at the same time. First, it is an unfinished action – something like, “You will become holy.” Second, and closely related, it can be a future promise, “You will be holy.” And third, it is a soft command/imperative, “You are called to be holy.”

Yes, God wants our behavior to be consistent with His holiness. God is your heavenly Father, and He wants you to be chips off the old block. But it is also a process that God has begun in your Baptism, and He will be faithful to bring it to completion (Php. 1:6). God will continue to make and shape you after the image of Christ.

Dear saints, the genuine love that is pictured here is what God has called you to be. When you don’t measure up to your sacred calling as Christians, when you don’t have the marks of a true Christian, run in faith to Christ. Romans 8:3-4 says, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the Romans 8_1-4 - Walk according to the Spirit Law weakened by the flesh likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

In the arms of Jesus’ love and mercy, you will find forgiveness for your failure and love despite your lack. Receive what God gives to you. He gives you Jesus. Because He has died and risen again, Jesus delivers the very mercy and forgiveness that you need.

“Are you really a Christian?” Well, do you trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? That is the mark you need. Yes, you fail in your calling. But faith in Christ, and faith alone by grace alone, makes you a genuine child of God. Amen.

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

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

Jan12

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Matthew 3:13-17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Attentive Ears – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

Nov17

Listen here.

Matthew 18:21-35

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. H-76 Trinity 22 (Mt 18.21-35) ²⁸But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, our Lord Jesus wants us to consider forgiveness – both the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we extend. Slow down and consider the first four verses of the parable (v. 23-26).

A king wishes to settle accounts with his servants. In other words, the king wants his books to be clean, so all the servants who owe him money are brought in. Picture them standing in a line to appear before the king one-by-one. In this line is a particular servant. Let’s give him a name, shall we? We’ll call him Owen (pun intended). Owen knows why he is there. He patiently awaits his turn and slowly moves forward as the other servants have their audience with the king. Finally, it’s Owen’s turn. The bookkeeper asks for his name, turns a few pages, and announces, “Your highness, this is Owen who owes you ten thousand talents.”

Now this is an absurd amount of debt. One talent is equivalent to twenty-years’ pay. Owen owes two-hundred-thousand years’ wages. “Your highness, this is Owen who owes you ten thousand talents.” All eyes turn to him, but Owen doesn’t fall to his knees to beg or plead yet. The picture Jesus gives in the parable is that Owen simply says, “Yeah, I don’t have it.” The parable simply states, “he could not pay.” No kidding! He couldn’t pay? Of course he couldn’t pay!

So, the king orders that Owen be sold. He will no longer be the king’s problem. Sell off Owen, his wife, his children, and everything that Owen has will belong to the king. Then, and only then, does Owen fall to his knees and beg.

Why wasn’t Owen begging from the moment he was brought into the room? Did he think that the king didn’t mind about all that debt? Was Owen unaware of how much he owed the king? If this parable were about money, there is no question that Owen would have at least had an idea about the enormity of his debt. But remember, dear saints, this parable is about forgiveness. In the end, this debt of Owen isn’t about money; it is about sin.

Stop and consider this. When we remember the fact that the debt in this parable is sin, we can see how this kind of debt is possible, and we start to get a bit of a handle on our own sinful condition and indebtedness before God. So, buckle up and consider this for a moment:

Children are a gift from God, but we daily take them for granted, ignore them, and snap at them out of irritation. God does not want it to be that way.

Ponder how you spend your time at work. When you aren’t concentrated on your tasks, you aren’t just robbing your boss or the company. Your coworkers know that you are a Christian, and they see how you dishonor God’s name by loafing.

Think about the number of times you have come into this sanctuary and dropped a $20 bill into the offering plate. God knows your income. He knows your priorities and how you have spent what He has given you on vehicles, clothes, cell phones, and travel to kids’ sporting tournaments.

Kids, listen up. Think about how you act at school. Do you give your best effort on your assignments? Do you say hurtful things to your classmates? Do you not help and befriend the kids who are being bullied? Do you try to get attention by using language or jokes that you wouldn’t dare use in front of your parents? Think about how rudely and disrespectfully you talk to your parents or your attitude toward them when they ask you to do something. Think about how you don’t recognize or acknowledge how much they have done and sacrificed for you.

Everyone, think about the times you have told your friends about the mistakes of others. Or, maybe you have been hurt by someone, and you think it will make you feel better to tell other people about it. You see something on Facebook or Twitter, and your response there will do nothing more than stir up strife. But you do it anyway.

Remember the times you were on vacation and you thought it wouldn’t hurt to skip church that Sunday morning. It did hurt. It hurt God. He wanted you to hear again how He loves you and sent Jesus to pay the price for your soul. When you aren’t in church, you lose something, your children lose something, and God loses something.

Jesus takes and becomes sin Think about the other night. You were watching that show. Men, that woman wasn’t your wife; she was sitting next to you. But God knew your lusts. Women, that handsome, considerate, compassionate character wasn’t your husband. You know what? That’s lust too.

Or think about the time you had sex outside of marriage. Nothing came of it – no pregnancy, no infections or diseases – you weren’t “caught.” But you did get caught. God knew about it. And it hurt the other person.

Think about all the times God has given you a golden opportunity to invite someone to church and receive the forgiveness of sins in the Absolution and Lord’s Supper. They are hurting and lonely because of their sins, and we have the fellowship and community here to heal them. But you were too embarrassed to bring them with you.

Think about that little comment that embarrassed your spouse or your friend. Or think about that time you got something new for your house, but you didn’t thank God for it. Think of how you lost your temper watching the game or the news. Your kids saw that, but even if they didn’t, God did.

Think too, about how each of these sins harms your neighbor. Your neighbor, hurt by that sin, goes and harms someone else. While you aren’t directly responsible for their actions, you end up being an accomplice to their sin.

We could go on and on all day like this. And, maybe, you think this is all nit-picking. The point of all this is to recognize that it isn’t just those particular sins that bother your conscience that rack up a debt of sin. All these little things count toward your debt. It all accumulates. Your sin grows and multiplies and expands. Yet, we go on day after day blissfully unaware of the debt we have racked up.

Remember David? After his sin with Bathsheba – Uriah is dead, his child doesn’t survive, his kingdom is torn to pieces, and there is all sorts of carnage left in the wake of that sin – David rightly confesses to God in Ps. 51:4, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight.” Repent. Repent, and see the mercy of God.

Back to the parable. Maybe Owen was so casual about his audit because he figured the king didn’t mind the debt. Or that there aren’t jailors or punishment or a day of reckoning or that his family isn’t harmed by his debt. He only begs after the sentence is read. Owen’s debt has cost him and those closest to him. Only when he sees that does Owen plead with the king.

But, to see the greatness of God’s mercy, notice what Owen begs for. He doesn’t beg for mercy. He begs for time. “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” But the king, God, out of pity doesn’t give Owen what he asks for. No, the king is more merciful than that. He releases Owen and forgives him the debt.

The first verses of Scripture in our service today from Ps. 130[:3-4, 1-2, 7-8] are so beautiful. Hear them again, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. O Lord, hear my voice! Isaiah 53_6 - Sin Bearer Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! [W]ith the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”

Dear saints, God’s ears are more attentive in mercy to forgive your sins than your tongue is willing to confess. Because of Christ and what He has done for you on the cross, God erases your entire debt, completely and absolutely. Today, come to this altar and receive Christ’s forgiveness in this Sacrament. Then, go from here as God’s children ready to forgive the inexcusable in others because He has forgiven the inexcusable in you. Amen.

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

Easter in October – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct6

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Luke 7:11-17

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

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Resurrection of the Widow's Son at Nain If Menards can have Christmas decorations out already and if the Hallmark Channel can do nonstop Christmas movies in July, then the Church can certainly have Easter in October. In fact, we have to celebrate Easter because this text screams Easter – loud and clear. But always before Easter, there is Good Friday. Before resurrection, there must be death. Good Friday sadness is a prerequisite to Easter joy. We have to see that first.

Yes, Easter joy is the climax of this text, but Good Friday sadness gets more words. Yes, the young son of this woman is raised, but Luke spends much more time telling us about the sad estate of his mother. She was a widow, but now she is really alone. This son of hers that has died is her only-begotten (μονογενής same word used in Jn. 3:16) son. A great crowd follows her sharing in her grief. Jesus sees her and speaks to her first. This woman is drowning in Good Friday grief. But Jesus He won’t allow it.

Jesus isn’t very good at funerals. He always ruins them. Remember when Jairus’ little girl died (Mt. 9:18-26; Mk. 5:22-43; Lk. 8:41-56), Jesus sees all the mourners weeping and wailing and tells them, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping,” and everyone laughs at Him. But then Jesus goes into the house, takes the girl by the hand, and says, “Little girl, get up” (Mk. 541:). And she does. Or, remember when Lazarus died. Jesus came when Lazarus’ corpse would have been ripe and stinky. Then, Christ tells them to roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb and says, “Lazarus, come out” (Jn. 11:43). And out He comes. Finally, remember Jesus’ own funeral. Our Lord didn’t behave properly then either. Jesus leaves before His funeral is finished. He didn’t stick around in the grave long enough to have a proper burial.

Well, here in this text, Jesus ruins another funeral. Jesus is leading a great crowd. And as they reach the city of Nain, they meet another crowd who were going out of the city to bury the boy. These two throngs of people meet at the gate. Imagine this. One crowd is leaving the city and following death, and another crowd is entering the city lead by the Life of the world (Jn. 11:25, 14:6). And these two crowds get mixed up together in this bottle neck.

Proper etiquette and manners would dictate that Jesus and His crowd would step aside and allow the funeral procession to pass by. But, remember, Jesus is no good at funerals. Instead, Jesus marches right up to the front of the funeral procession. He does this, Luke tells us, because when He saw the mother He had compassion on her. Literally, Jesus’ guts were being wrenched and all twisted up inside.

He walks up to the woman and says, “Do not weep.” This sounds absolutely callous. Weeping is the right thing for this woman to be doing – her son has died. When you are saddened by the death of someone and find yourself weeping, you are doing what is right. Your actions line up with how God feels about death. Jesus, who never sinned, Himself cried when He was at the tomb of Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). Now, the text doesn’t tell us this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus had tears in His eyes as He approached the widow. Remember His guts are wrenched. But He tells her to stop crying because He is about to intervene. Jesus could have reversed the order. He could have raised the young man first, then told the mother to stop crying. But He doesn’t. He tells her to stop crying because it isn’t going to be necessary in a moment. This command to stop crying is a call for her to trust in Him.

H-70 Trinity 16 (Lu 7.11-17) Then, Jesus walks past the pallbearers, straight up to the bier, touches it, and says, “Young man, I say to you, arise,” as though He was waking up a sleepy teenager late on a Saturday morning. The boy gets up and begins to speak. I wonder what he said.

Jesus gives the boy back to his mother and everyone glorifies God saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” And, “God has visited His people!” They were right. God had visited His people. God had taken on flesh to deliver His people from death and sin, the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:54-56).

Dear saints, today is October 6^th, but today we celebrate Easter; we celebrate the resurrection. Yes, we await the resurrection on the final day when Christ returns and raises up the dead and grants eternal life to all who believe in Him. But the resurrection has already begun. Jesus, your Savior died, but He lives. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:20). Whenever Jesus contends with death, death looses.

And that is what you need because this morning, you were part of a funeral procession. Because you are a sinner, the stink of death hangs around you. Young and old – man, woman, and child – we all dragged some dead thing here with us today.

Is it your relationship with your spouse that is slowly dying? Is it the skeleton of disobedience to parents? What dead thing have you brought with you?

Is it the rotting remains of your finances that cause you to worry and doubt, or simply discontentment with what God has given you? Is it the cadaver of lust that flames within you? Is it the carcass of pride that is so inwardly focused that you do not notice the needs of others? What dead thing have you brought here with you?

Maybe it isn’t even your fault. Maybe it is just the fear of what might happen in the future. Maybe it is anger for how you have been wronged in the past. Maybe your dead thing is your own sick, crumbling body. What dead thing have you brought here with you?

Body of Christ Communion Jesus marches toward your funeral procession, and He does not stop or yield. Jesus does not give way or defer to death. Instead, Jesus defeats death with His death and resurrection, each and every time He meets it. Jesus meets you here today as you plod along in your personal funeral procession and gives you life. Jesus meets you at this altar to give you His living Body and His life-giving Blood.

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.

On the Road Again – Sermon on Luke 17:11-19 for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep22

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Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to H-68 Trinity 14 (Lu 17.11-19) them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text is so full of movement, it’s like a carousel. Jesus is traveling on His way to Jerusalem between Samaria and Galilee. Jesus tells the ten lepers to hit the road and travel to the priests and the Temple. The Samaritan leper turns back interrupting his trip to the priest to make his way back to Jesus. And Jesus tells the thankful Samaritan to go his way in health and salvation (more on that later). This is a moving text in more than one way.

Now, the first verse of our text is what the commentators will call a “travel notice.” We tend to skip over these travel notices when we read because we aren’t that familiar with the geography of Israel in Jesus’ day, but they are important. However, describing where places are on a map doesn’t work well in a sermon. The important thing is this: Back at the end of Luke 9, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection (9:44-45) then Luke gives us an important turning point in his Gospel. Luke says, “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, [Jesus] set His face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51). In other words, this miracle takes place while Jesus is on His way to the cross.

The interesting thing is that Jesus isn’t taking the direct route. Instead, Luke mentions is that Jesus is traveling between the regions of Samaria and Galilee which mainly east-west instead of from Galilee in the north directly south toward Jerusalem. Instead, He is taking His time to preach, heal, and minister to the needs of as many people as possible with His mercy and grace.

As Jesus enters a village, He is met by ten lepers. Now, leprosy still exists today, though it is commonly called ‘Hansen’s disease.’ There are actually cases of it in the US today, but it is treatable by modern medicine and not easily transferred anymore. But in Jesus day, leprosy was a terrible problem. The disease makes your skin rot away while you are still alive. Leprosy would make the nerve endings of the effected areas grow numb. A leper could have oozing blisters all over their feet, cut their arm, or burn their hand and they wouldn’t even now it. This is why, so often throughout the history of the church, sin is described as leprosy. Our sin makes us so sick, we don’t even realize how wounded we are.

Now, in Jesus’ day, leprosy was highly contagious. So, lepers had to live apart from everyone else. If you had leprosy and somebody got near you, you would have to yell out, “Unclean! Unclean!” so they wouldn’t get near you. Because of this, lepers would form their own communities to help take care of each other, and that is what we see in this text. These ten lepers have formed a little community and, because of their common disease, it was a very inclusive community. Most of these lepers are Jews, but at least one of them is a Samaritan. Normally, the Jews and Samaritans didn’t deal with each other at all (Jn. 4:9). For a Jew to eat with a Samaritan made the Jew unclean. But these ten lepers formed a little community of the desperate.

They cry out to Jesus, but instead of yelling, “Unclean! Unclean!” they cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” They pray the Kyrie just like do each week. But Jesus’ response to their cry for mercy isn’t to wave His hand over their bodies and speak them clean. He doesn’t make mud with His spit and put it on their diseased skin to heal them. Jesus simply tells them to go show themselves to the priest.

Now, as lepers, this is something they would have done when they first contracted their leprosy. Through Moses (Lev. 13:2ff), God commanded that people who had a problem with their skin to go to the priest. The priest would examine the effected area, and, if it was indeed leprosy, the priest would declare them to be unclean. Then, if the area would clear up, the person was to go back for a second appointment with the priest and be declared clean (Lev. 14:1-32) so they could go back and live with their family and return to work. But here, Jesus simply tells them to go show themselves to the priest.

Think of that for a minute. Before anything has changed, while their skin is still rotting, Jesus tells them to go to the priest. Now, they wouldn’t be let into the streets of Jerusalem let alone be allowed into the Temple. But in this command of Jesus, there is an implicit promise. And by leaving Jesus, they act in faith.

There is a little lesson here for us about prayer. Probably most of our lives as Christians, we are waiting for an answer to a prayer. How often do we pray for something and are left to wait? But, Christian, take heart, God will answer. As these lepers journey to the Temple, they are cleansed.

Now, presumably, the nine lepers do continue to Jerusalem. They make their way through the streets to the Temple. They find the priest and are declared to be cleansed of their disease and allowed back into their families and community once gain. But only one of them actually obeys Jesus.

ten-lepers This Samaritan who returns to the true Temple and true High Priest. He returns to Jesus to give thanks. Did you catch what Jesus said there, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” In other words, the nine went onto the Temple and God’s house, but God wasn’t there. He was walking in the flesh between Samaria and Galilee where the Samaritan falls at His human feet giving Him thanks. Some people will read the Gospels and say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Well, sorry, they are wrong. He does right here.

And this Samaritan receives from God, from Jesus, not just a declaration of cleanliness from his flesh-eating disease, but from his leprosy of sin. Jesus’ final recorded words to this man are, “Rise and go your way, your faith has saved (σῴζω) you,” (not just ‘made you well’), “your faith has saved you.”

The Samaritan is more than just a cleansed man, he is now our Christian brother. In fact, he shows the fruits of the Spirit that we heard about in our Epistle lesson (Gal. 5:16-24). He has love for God, joy in his healing, and peace that only comes through faith in Christ. He exhibited patience as he walked away from Jesus with the promise of healing. We can imagine his kindness toward the other nine who might have thought he was silly to go back to Jesus instead of going to the Temple in Jerusalem. His goodness is visible. Jesus encourages his faith. His has gentleness and self-control can be seen in his thankfulness to God; let me quickly explain that.

The word that gets translated ‘gentleness’ is a noun and has the idea of being humble or meek. Jesus uses the same word as an adjective in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). The Samaritan humbles himself in meekness before Jesus falling at His feet. And instead of running off to his restored life, the man exercises self-control to turn back and first give thanks to God, to Jesus.

As we, like this Samaritan, rise from here and go on our way, let us turn back to give thanks to Jesus. Thankfulness requires a turning back. If we are thinking of what is going to happen next, we can’t give thanks. If we are always thinking about the future, we cannot give thanks because there is nothing there to give thanks for – at least not yet. We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Jesus could return before we get to our cars to leave. As long as we’re thinking about tomorrow, we can’t give thanks. Blessings from the Cross

Instead, turn back. Turn back to what Jesus has done for you. Most importantly, He has died and risen for you. Because of His blood shed for you, He has declared you free and forgiven of all your sins here and now. Dear saints, rise and go your way. Get on the road again in thankfulness for what Christ has done, your faith has saved you. Amen.

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

Eden in Desolation – Sermon on Mark 8:1-9 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Aug4

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Mark 8:1-9

¹In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ²“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. ³And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” ⁴And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” ⁵And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”They said, “Seven.” ⁶And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. ⁷And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. ⁸And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. ⁹And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This morning, we heard how God worked so that Adam and Eve could enjoy paradise in bliss and peace (OT Lesson Gen. 2:7-17).

First, God formed the man. God breathed into man’s nostrils to make Adam a living creature. God planted a garden in Eden. God made every tree that is splendid to look at and good for food to spring up from the ground. God surrounded that garden with vibrant rivers and lands filled with gold and precious stones. Bliss of Eden

God put Adam in the garden and gave him a job – which, yes, is a good thing. Just consider how little Adam had on his work resume at the time. God gave Adam the gift of hunger so that he would have the joy and delight of eating and tasting the fruits of his labor. And God taught Adam what to eat and what not to eat.

Now, this is a bit of an aside, but it is very important. Many people have wondered why God would put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which produced the forbidden fruit in the bliss of Eden at all. Some will say that God put it there to test Adam and Eve to see if they would be good. But if that is the case, it means that God could not make man “good” unless He gave man the choice to do evil. That would be strange for a God who truly is good and all-powerful Himself.

Scripture gives us a better understanding for the existence of the forbidden tree. Habakkuk 2:4 says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This is true now, but it was also true before the Fall.

Think of it this way: Everything Adam and Eve knew, they knew because they saw and experienced it. But the one thing they didn’t know was evil. God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden because evil did exist. So Adam and Eve would have faith, God was giving a promise to believe when He commanded Adam to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Think of it this way, when God gives that command He is saying, “Hey, Adam, there is evil and it is bad. If you find out what evil is, it won’t be good for you. Trust Me on this.”

In the end, Adam and Eve didn’t trust God. Obviously, we do not live in Eden anymore; instead, we live in desolation. Our English word ‘desolation’ contains the word ‘solo,’ and that gives a sense of what ‘desolation’ means. Adam and Eve went solo. Rather than trusting God, they went solo and trusted the devil’s lie bringing sin, death, condemnation, and desolation into the world.

We might think Adam and Eve were fools to give up the paradise God created for them. But we are apples that didn’t fall far from Adam’s tree. We too choose evil instead of faith, chaos instead of perfection, and desolation instead of bliss. We live in a place of our own making. A place we contrived from our rebellious hearts. A desert rather than a garden. Instead of life, there is death. Instead of abundance, there is lack. Instead of walking with God, we are surrounded by demons.

God warns us about the penalty of doing evil, but we go solo and crave what isn’t ours. God tells us that we must tell the truth and defend the reputation of others, but we go solo by spreading gossip and slander. Because of sin – and our sin alone – we dwell in a desolate place. Repent.

But even though we turned our back on God, He did not turn His back on us. God doesn’t despise us, He doesn’t come to punish us, and He doesn’t regret the fact that He made us. Instead, God comes to have compassion on us and graciously feed us. On the third day of this excursion, Jesus says, “I have compassion on the crowd.”That word ‘compassion’ in Greek means that His intestines are tied up. A loosey-goosy translation of Jesus’ words here would be, “My gut is wrenched for these people who don’t have anything to eat.”

Jesus Feeds the 5000 Look at what Jesus, God in the flesh does – notice the verbs. He calls the disciples. Jesus directs the crowd to sit down. He takes the bread. Christ gives thanks for the bread. He breaks the bread. He gives the bread to the disciples to set before the people. Jesus blesses the fish. He gives the fish to the disciples to set before the people. And Jesus watches them all eat until every last one of them is satisfied. Jesus continues to do this for us today.

Some of you are fully aware of the desolation you live in right now. Maybe it’s your health or a broken relationship that has left you lonely. Maybe it’s a money or job problem. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Desolation stares you in the face, and you are worried. Know that Jesus is still with you to serve you with everything you need in every moment.

Do you think that when Jesus led that crowd out into the wilderness for three days, do you think that Jesus forgot they would need food? Do you think Jesus was preaching, and suddenly the light bulb turned on in the middle of His sermon and He said, “Oh, nuts. These people are going to need to eat. Oops!”? No, absolutely not! Jesus didn’t forget that they would need food.

Instead, Jesus brought them to a place of momentary need. He led them into the wilderness where they would need a miracle to provide for them. Jesus led them there for some good. We shouldn’t speculate why Jesus did this because the text doesn’t tell us exactly why Jesus did it. But Jesus deliberately brought them there where they would need Him to fully provide for them.

So, listen to this very carefully. Whether things are going well and you don’t notice anything lacking in your life or whether things are bleak and dire, by God’s grace you have everything from God that is best for you right now. Do you believe that?

Scripture says, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). Give thanks for everything you have from God at all times – whether those times are good or bad. Here’s why, listen to this from Romans 8:31-32, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And we can know that God is for us because of what Scripture says next: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” In other words, if God gives His only-begotten Son to die on the cross while you are His enemy and a sinner, He won’t hold back anything good from you now that you are adopted into His family through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God will give us all things in the future, yes. But He also gives us all good things now. Like He did in Eden and like He did in the wilderness, Jesus even now serves us sinful, fallen people who have chosen to live in a desolate place. Communion Cross with Jesus

Jesus is here with His compassion in the midst of your desolation to bring Eden to you. He has come to be your servant by feeding you the Bread of Life from this altar. In this meal, your Savior dispenses forgiveness, life, and salvation to you. Even though we are a small crowd, Jesus has come to deliver big compassion. So, come and receive. Amen.

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

Ready – Sermon on Luke 14:15-24 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Jun30

Listen here.

Luke 14:15-23

¹⁵When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

¹⁶But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. ¹⁷And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ ¹⁸But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ ¹⁹And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ ²⁰And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ ²¹So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Invite as many as you find to the wedding feast Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ ²²And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ ²³And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Our God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33; Heb 13:20). Because God is eternal, all-powerful, and all-knowing, God is never surprised, never caught off guard. He is always prepared, always ready. This is very basic stuff, but it is good to dwell on it for a bit.

When God created the universe, He didn’t create cows until everything was ready for cows. God waited until the sixth day so cows would have grass, land, atmosphere, and light. God didn’t create fish or birds until He had created the sky and sea for them to dwell in. And God didn’t create Adam and Eve until very last so that they could be brought into a perfectly prepared world and perfectly prepared Garden. God made everything ready for them.

We can go further. When God sent the Flood in Noah’s days, God patiently waited for Noah to build the ark so that it would be ready to save his family and the animals. When God sent Jacob’s family into Egypt, God made everything ready by first sending Joseph down to Egypt so he could rise to power and provide food and a good, safe place for God’s chosen people. And God doesn’t bring His people out of Egypt until the Promised Land is already flowing with milk and honey.

When God drove the inhabitants of Canaan out so His people could dwell there, He doesn’t do it all at once. God said that He would drive the idol-worshipping pagans out little by little so the wild beasts wouldn’t become too many (Ex. 23:29-30; Dt. 7:22-23). On top of that, God also said that would first make the people afraid of the Israelites (Ex. 23:27-28). And when His people got to Jericho, that is exactly what Rahab said had happened (Josh. 2:9-11). God is never in emergency mode. He always makes everything ready.

But even above and beyond all of that, God makes sure that everything is prepared and ready when it comes to the salvation of sinners. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” God is always ready.

In this parable, Jesus tells us about God’s plan of salvation. The man giving the banquet in this parable had sent out invitations. You can think of this as a “save the date,” even though no exact date was given. The people are simply invited by the host, “I’m going to have a feast, and you are invited.” And the people respond, “Sounds great. We’ll be sure to come when you call us.” That is understood in v. 16.

This initial invitation is God’s repeated promise to send the Messiah, His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. God repeatedly invited people to come to Him through Christ, but He didn’t announce exactly when Jesus would arrive.

Heavenly Banquet Table So, the man has sent out this invitation without saying exactly when the banquet would begin. Then in v. 17, the preparations are finished – the food is cooked, the table is set, the decorations are hung, the wine is poured, everything is ready. The man sends his servant to tell all those who were invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.” But they all make excuses, and their excuses are lame and stupid.

No one buys a field without looking at it first to see if it is worth the asking price. No one buys a yoke of oxen without checking if they are old, decrepit, and sickly. And you just got married? Well, bring your wife, you simpleton! Your host won’t mind. Besides, this banquet will be a more exquisite honeymoon than you could afford or imagine.

Now, we need to pause here because a question lies before us: What things keep you from the long-prepared banquet? What do you value more than the kingdom of God? What are your excuses? It doesn’t matter what excuses you have; they are just as lame and stupid as the ones offered in the parable.

Is your schedule so full that you can’t eek out time to pray and study God’s Word for yourself or as a family? God sees that as a rejection of Him. Do you not come to church everySunday because it is your only time to sleep in or because that is when the tournament is scheduled? God sees that as a rejection of Him. Do you withhold your tithe because you don’t know how you would be able to make ends meet even though you can always justify all other kinds of frivolous spending? God sees that as a rejection of Him.

Hear what the master of the feast says, “None of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.”

Repent. Your excuses are all statements that you are perfectly happy and fine as you are and that don’t need a banquet. Confess your excuses for despising the things of God as what they really are – a rejection of the God who personally loves you.

Confess yourself to be poor and unable to pay the debt you owe to God. Confess yourself to be lame and cripple and unable to walk in the way that God’s Law demands. Confess yourself to be blind and unable to grasp the depth of your sin and the heights of God’s mercy toward you.

When beggars – the poor, lame, cripple, and blind – get invited to come to a ready feast, they come. God loves you and has made everything ready for you. God’s feast is ready, and His feast is not sometime in the future. His feast is now.

Jesus tells this parable while He is at a feast. Jesus had just told His host, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite [people who can] invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Lk. 14:12-14).

Immediately after Jesus says that, another guest responded to Jesus, “Blessed are those who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.” Then, Jesus tells this parable in response to that statement. Now, if you take that statement, “Blessed are those who will eat bread in the kingdom of God,” out of its context, that blessing, that benediction, that beatitude is one-hundred percent true. But in context, that statement is damnably ludicrous.

Whoever it was who said it was, at that exact moment, eating and drinking with Jesus, God in the flesh. The blessing he spoke of was not something in the distant future that would happen eventually. It was already present with him, and he completely missed it.

Because Jesus was there, the kingdom of God was there. The feast was ready, and that man made an excuse to not enjoy what had been made ready for him.

Last week, we heard the parable of Lazarus who desired to eat from the rich man’s table. But God blessed Lazarus in his poverty, hunger, illness, and loneliness. Lazarus’ dissatisfaction with the world made him dependent upon God and ready to receive the joys and comforts of heaven for eternity. This week, we hear a parable of people who have no desire for food. They have been invited to a banquet that is ready, but they are full of excuses.I said it before, but I’ll say it again: When beggars – the poor, lame, cripple, and blind – get invited to come to a ready feast, they come.

We started with the premise that God is always ready. Ready to have mercy, ready to save those who are lost, and ready to usher them into His feast. The only thing that will keep you out of His banquet is your stubborn unwillingness to recognize your need and His gracious invitation.

Sinner, your sin has made you unworthy to come to God’s feast. And God could have made a lot of excuses for leaving you out of His heavenly banquet, but He didn’t. It is His good pleasure to give the kingdom to those who are unworthy.

Cross and Communion Christian, God has ushered you into His paradise. You receive the benefit of the sacrifice of Christ’s death. You are promised the resurrection. And, now, in this feast you are about to receive, God nourishes you and declares you to be the object of His love and His perfect bride.

Your God says to you, His beloved, “Come for everything is now ready.” Amen.

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

Where Is Your Sting? – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 for the Resurrection of Our Lord

Apr21

Listen here.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

⁵¹Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Too often we think of death in wrong ways. We think that death is a state or a category or a condition. But v. 55 of that Epistle Lesson says that death is an enemy, a person who can be talked to and, most importantly, an enemy who can be questioned.

Imagine encountering death. When you or someone you love dies and you cross paths with death, you need to only ask death one simple question: “O death, where is your sting?”

Death might try to answer you with a pale, menacing, frightening voice, “My sting is your sin. I sting because you sin. If you didn’t have sin, I would have no sting. But I sting everyone because all have sinned. I am the wages and payment of sin (Ro. 6:23). And I will sting you because your sin is my sting.”

But you can simply respond, “I know all of that, death. I know that my sin has put me under your thumb. I know that the Bible says, ‘The wages of sin is death.’ So, what you say is true. But, death, I didn’t ask you, ‘What is your sting?’ I asked you, ‘Where is your sting?’ So, death, where is it, where is your sting?”

And death might smile and respond, “You simple Christian, have you forgotten how powerful my sting is? It is more powerful than the most poisonous snake or spider or jellyfish. My sting is the most powerful sting imaginable. My sting burns forever because the power of my sting is fueled by the Law. Yes, God’s eternal Law that abides forever, and you have broken that Law over and over.”

But you can look back at death and say, “I know my sin is no small sting. I know my sin is against the God who created me and loves me. I know the penalty of my sin is everlasting death, and I feel it in my conscience. I also know that the Law is not ever going to go away. I know that God’s Commandments are eternal. In fact, the Law was what made me scared of you. Because of the good and righteous Law, I know what you can do to me. I know that your sting is my sin, and I know that the power behind that sting is the Law. But, death, you still have not answered my question. Where is your sting?”

At this point, death is uncomfortable and a little fidgety, but he musters as much gusto as possible and says, “Well, you are face-to-face with me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am, but the sting of death is not death. The sting of death is sin. So, I ask you again, ‘Death, where is your sting?’”

Finally, death hangs his head. “I have used it, and I have lost it. But I’ll get it back again.”

Jesus Coming out of the Tomb And you can smile in his face, “Yes, death, you used your sting, didn’t you? You should have used your sting on me. The sting would have stuck on me. But you didn’t. Instead, death, you used your sting on my Savior, my God, and my Lord. You used your sting on Jesus, didn’t you? You had Jesus pinned tightly on the cross, and you stuck Him with your stinger and buried it into Him. Death, you were a fool that day. You stung God Himself. You stung Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25). But when you went to the tomb to find your stinger and get it back, Jesus wasn’t there. And guess what, death, Christ has taken my sin as He hung on the cross. And, death, you will not ever get your sting back. Never. That empty tomb means that your sting is lost forever. Death, I don’t fear you any longer.”

And having no other answer, death now turns around and walks away from you.

Dear saints, this is why we celebrate every Easter and every Sunday. Every Sunday, we celebrate what Christ has done in absorbing the sting of death so that death no longer has his sting.

And the day is coming when Christ will return. On that day, the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable. The day is coming when your perishable body will put on the imperishable and your mortal body will put on immortality.

Yes, death can and does buzz around now for a while. But death is like a bee that has used its stinger and soon dies.

Dear saints, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Yes, the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So now, Christian, you need have no fear of death. Jesus has conquered the bitter tyrant of death. And He has connected you to that victory. You do not need to fear and watch out for death hiding behind a corner to pounce on you. Instead, Christian, you continue to look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Because Christ is risen, death is overthrown. Christ is risen and life reigns. Christ is risen, and dear saint, you are safely anchored in Christ who has given you the victory, now and forever.

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.

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

Tag Archives: Sin

Faithful & Just – Sermon on 1 John 1:5-10 for Ash Wednesday

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

Genuine – Sermon on Romans 12:6-16 for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

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

Attentive Ears – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

Easter in October – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

On the Road Again – Sermon on Luke 17:11-19 for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Eden in Desolation – Sermon on Mark 8:1-9 for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Ready – Sermon on Luke 14:15-24 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Where Is Your Sting? – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 for the Resurrection of Our Lord