Tag Archives: Unseen

The Ladder Remains – Sermon on Genesis 28:10-17 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Genesis 28:10-17

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

There are more stars above this building than anyone could count. But if you were to go outside right now, you wouldn’t see them because the sun and clouds hide them. Even at night, you can’t see all of them because of the ‘light pollution’ from the city lights. Those distant bits of God’s creation don’t go anywhere just because the clouds cover them, or because the sun drowns them out, or because the city lights hide them. The stars don’t actually go anywhere. Nobody goes out at noon and says, “Well, I guess the stars are gone.” You know better.

Sadly, we don’t always know better when it comes to God’s presence and help. When a new suffering enters your life and your prayers seem to get no higher than the ceiling, it’s easy to conclude that God either stopped paying attention or abandoned you and those you love. That’s where Jacob was the night he laid his head down on that rock. To better understand his mindset, you have to know how Jacob got here. Many of you know the story, but just to recap it:

Abraham had received the promise that the Messiah and Savior would be born from his descendants. Abraham passed that blessing on to his son, Isaac. Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, had twin sons. Esau was the older of the two and was Isaac’s favorite (Gen. 25:27) because he was a hunter and gatherer—a man’s man. Jacob was the younger twin and his mother’s favorite (Gen. 25:28). Because Esau was the older brother, he was the one who, generally speaking, should have gotten the inheritance and blessing.

One day, Jacob was home cooking a pot of stew. Esau had just come in from the field and was exhausted. Esau asked Jacob for a cup of the stew, but Jacob wanted to make sure that he would get something in return. He asked Esau for his birthright in exchange for that bit of soup. Esau agreed and despised his birthright (Gen. 25:29-34).

Later, when Isaac was blind and thought he was about to die, he told Esau to prepare a meal so Isaac could bless him. Rebekah heard about it and told Jacob to impersonate Esau to get the blessing from Isaac. Rebekah and Jacob decided to lie and trick blind Isaac into blessing Jacob before Esau could finish preparing the meal (see Gen. 27). When Esau finally got back, he learned that Isaac had already passed the blessing on to Jacob. So, Esau decided to kill Jacob once their father died. Rebekah heard about the murder plot and sent Jacob to her family, who lived about 450 miles northeast, and told him to find a wife there. The spot where he lies in our text is about 50 miles into that journey.

Just to add a bit more color to all of this: This text doesn’t explicitly say how old Jacob is. But from the rest of Genesis and events dated to Jacob’s life, we can calculate that Jacob is 77 years old. This is his first time being away from his parents. (Keep that in mind, you high schoolers. You don’t need to be in a hurry to leave your parents’ house at 18.) Jacob had all this swirling in his mind. “I need to stay alive and find a wife so the blessing can pass on from me.”

Jacob would have thought that the whole situation was backwards. Here he is in exile, fleeing out of the land connected to the blessing. He has a rock for a pillow while Esau is back home with his family and in his own bed. Jacob had to be wondering if the words of blessing really going to be his. Would God honor the promise that had been passed to him? Had God left him?

That night, Jacob is not a holy man on a pilgrimage. He’s a lonely man with a guilty conscience, a brother who wants him dead, and nothing to show for himself except words that he’s not sure God meant.

In the midst of all of that, God lets Jacob see what had been there all along. Notice how Moses writes this so the image pops into our head. Behold, there was a ladder set up on earth and reaching heaven. Behold, the angels of God are ascending and descending on that ladder. Behold, Yahweh was there. The text printed in the bulletin makes it sound like Yahweh is standing above the ladder. And that’s a legitimate translation. But the Hebrew can also be translated that Yahweh stood beside Jacob. Either way, God is not far off. But today, take it this way: Yahweh is standing right beside Jacob as he sees this vision and hears this promise.

“I am Yahweh, the God of your fathers. I will give this land to you and to your offspring. The Savior will be one of your descendants, and in Him all the families of the earth will be blessed. I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. You’re leaving this land now, but I will bring you back. I will not leave you until I have done everything I have promised you” (Gen. 28:13-15). God is promising that Jacob’s lying and cheating and circumstances have not changed or negated the promises God had given him.

 Jacob wakes up and says, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16). He doesn’t say, “God has arrived,” or, “I finally got heaven to notice.” It’s, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.” Heaven had been touching earth the entire time. Jacob just couldn’t see it.

And Jacob isn’t talking about God’s ‘general’ presence here. Jacob knew that God is present everywhere. What he didn’t know was that God was present with him in a particular way—a gracious way. God was there to bless Jacob as he lay among those rocks. Even when the dream ended, Jacob knew God’s presence remained. The light of day did not change the promise God gave in the night. Jacob awoke and named the place Bethel (which means ‘house of God’ [Gen. 28:19]). That place was holy and awesome, not because he slept there, but because it was the gate of heaven, where Yahweh was present with His promise.

That ladder wasn’t something that was just for Jacob that one night. This gracious presence of Yahweh is also for you. In John 1, Jesus calls His first disciples. Specifically, Christ calls Nathanael and promises him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (Jn. 1:51).

Dear saints, that ladder is Christ, your Savior. He is the connection between heaven and earth. Christ is the gracious presence of God with man. This is why the company of angels sings on the night of His birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Lk. 2:14).

The traffic of heaven and the gracious presence of God reaches the lowest place. Here, it comes to a lonely man with his head on a rock, but it goes even lower. It moves toward a lowly manger, to a cross, and to you, even if you feel ignored by God.

In the same way that clouds, sunlight, and light pollution can hide the stars, your suffering, sin, and doubt might obscure the gracious presence of God. But know that the ladder doesn’t wobble and God’s promises don’t disappear. Christ, your Savior, stands there beside you. He comes to you whenever you hear His Word. And He promises, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me…. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18, 20).

This very sanctuary is for you what Bethel was for Jacob. There at the Font, God connects His Word to water and claims sinners for Himself. There from the altar, God announces His absolution to us, paralyzed sinners. From this table, Christ serves His Body and Blood to us and forgives our sins. And always, Christ promises that He is present here as we gather together (Mt. 18:20).

And the ladder remains in places that look like anything but the gate of heaven. In the hospital room, in the dining room with the empty chair, at the gravesides of our loved ones, God’s gracious presence remains, even if our eyes cannot see it. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. So set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col. 3:2-3).

Christ, the Ladder between heaven and earth, remains. He will not leave you until He has done what He has promised you (Gen. 28:15). He remains through the resurrection of the dead and into the life of the world to come. Amen.

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

Visible & Invisible – Sermon on Matthew 18:1-11 for St. Michael & All Angels (Observed)

Matthew 18:1-11

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In April 1961, the Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first man to go into outer space and orbit the earth. Sometime later, the leader of the atheist Soviet Union was on an anti-religion campaign. The leader said that they had been to space and hadn’t seen God. The conclusion he wanted people to draw was that this must be proof that God doesn’t exist. C. S. Lewis heard about this and wrote a short essay called “The Seeing Eye.” In that essay, Lewis shreds that argument. He says that looking for God in outer space is like reading every play Shakespeare wrote in the hope of finding Shakespeare as one of the characters.

Shakespeare is in every play he wrote, but he isn’t a character on the stage like Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Romeo, or Juliet. God created the universe, so creation is the set. You could travel millions of light years and still be no closer to God than you already are sitting in this sanctuary. God is not an item to be found inside the universe He authored. We know Him because He has entered His own creation. The second Person of the Trinity became flesh and shed His blood to save it. Lewis named his essay “The Seeing Eye” because we need to be given one.

In our Old Testament reading (2 Kgs. 6:8-17), Elisha’s servant needed a seeing eye to keep him from despairing. All his eye could see was the human army surrounding him and Elisha. What he couldn’t see was that the mountain was already full of allies—the Lord’s horses and chariots of fire. When God gave the servant a seeing eye, nothing new arrived. The only thing that changed was that the servant could see the whole stage.

The Soviet leader looked at outer space and said God was not there. Elisha’s servant looked at the enemy and said they were finished. Both trusted eyes that cannot see the whole set. We just confessed what an opened eye sees: God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. The Nicene Creed names two realms in one creation—visible and invisible. The authors of the creed didn’t make this up. They got that from Colossians 1:16, which puts it this way: “By Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” God gives us that seeing eye through His Word. Some things are real even though our physical eyes don’t see them. The invisible is not a different universe. There are not two creations. There is one. The Lord’s host that surrounded Elisha and his servant was notsomewhere else. It was on that mountain near Dothan.

Even though we aren’t surrounded by the army of Syria, the same angel hosts are present with us right now in this sanctuary. If God gave us seeing eyes, we’d be stunned, amazed, and, maybe, fearful (Dan. 8:16-17; Lk. 1:11-12, 29-30, 2:9; Mt. 28:2-5; etc.) at the number of creatures the Lord has surrounding us. We take attendance here each week. But the numbers on those slips of paper are always wrong. (No offense to you who have taken attendance.) Hebrews 12 says that you have come to Mt. Zion and to “innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Heb. 12:22). In other words, every congregation is a “mega church.” We just can’t perceive it, but just because we can’t perceive it doesn’t make it any less true.

Scripture calls the angels “ministering spirits” sent out to serve Christians (Heb. 1:14). In this Gospel text, Jesus says that the little ones who believe in Him have angels who always see the face of God the Father (Mt. 18:10). The angels are with us wherever we go because God sends them to guard us in all our ways (Ps. 91:11-12). 

These angels also worship God (Is. 6:2-3; Neh. 9:6; Lk. 2:13-14; Heb. 1:6), and fight on our behalf (Rev. 12:7-12). These angels are holy, which is why the Church calls them ‘saints.’ The word ‘saint’ simply means a ‘holy being.’ You are also saints, but in a different way than the angels. Angels have a holiness that is native to their being. God created them good (Gen. 1:31). You have a holiness as well, but you have a holiness that is bestowed, imputed, and given through faith.

Here’s the amazing thing: You are not less holy than the angels. Even though you have sinned, you through faith (Php. 3:9) have the righteousness of Jesus Himself (1 Co. 1:30; 2 Co. 5:21). The angels look at you and are aware of your sins. But when the angels see your righteous and holy status in Christ, Scripture seems to imply that their mouths drop in amazement (1 Pet. 1:12).

So, yes, it’s appropriate to call the angel Michael a ‘saint,’ just as it would be appropriate to call Gabriel or any other angel a ‘saint.’ But, Christian, you have a greater holiness than the angels because you have the righteousness of Christ through faith. They don’t.

That being said, we also know that not all the angels are saints. The devil led many angels in a rebellion against God. Those fallen angels are demons, and they hate us. A compelling argument for why Satan led this rebellion is that he didn’t want to be a ministering spirit. He hated the fact that we are made in God’s image and were given dominion over creation. That jealousy may have led to his rebellion. Scripture doesn’t say that in so many words. But what it does say is clear. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). All of those are titles for the demons.

In the prophet Daniel, the Bible shows that these demons can stand behind kings and nations. Daniel is told that the “prince of the kingdom of Persia”—this refers to a demon—withstood God’s messenger for 21 days until Michael came to help him (Dan. 10:12-13). From that, I think we can infer that the demons can stand behind organizations that promote abortion, groups that try to redefine marriage, many evil and oppressive governments, and all sorts of other groups that seek to destroy and deface humanity.

The demons also start false religions. In Galatians 1:8, Paul says that even if an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the Gospel of Jesus, let him be accursed. The false religion of Islam claims to originate from a message brought by the angel Gabriel. Mormonism claims an angelic origin as well. Both claim to have angelic origins, but both claim a different salvation. Don’t listen to them.

The same thing goes for worldly spiritualism. Ouija boards, horoscopes, psychics, and the use of crystals are not toys. They are not cute hobbies that try to manage the invisible realm. They are demonic portals. I’m going to give you an example. Just know that I am going to be vague on specifics on purpose to protect the identity of the people involved.

Several years ago, I got a call from someone late at night. This person had recently had a family member die in a tragic way. This person asked, “Pastor, is there a way I can talk to my dead relative?” I said there wasn’t and cited several Scripture passages as proof (Lk. 16:19-31; Lev. 19:31; Dt. 18:10-12; Ecc. 9:5-6, 10; Job 7:9-10; Is. 8:19-20). This person said that their significant other insisted that using crystals was a way to communicate with the dead. But I stopped this person right then. I said, “If you’re hearing voices while using crystals, you’re hearing the voice of demons.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. I asked, “Have you been doing this tonight?” “Yes.” So, I asked, “What did the voice say tonight that troubled you?” After a brief pause, the person responded, “How did you know?” Well, I knew because getting a call like that at 11:00 PM isn’t normal. And I know what Scripture teaches about the demons. They are real, and they will try to lure people into horrible things. I told this person to get away from their significant other. For the next several minutes, I heard this person walk out of the house, run outside, get into a vehicle, and another person pound on the window of that vehicle while screeching in a non-human voice. The entire time, I prayed for God’s protection and that the blood of Jesus would guard this individual.

For the next several weeks, I regularly talked with this person. Sadly, my contact with this person was received less and less. Today, I couldn’t tell you how this person is doing. Pray for this person.

I share this story for two purposes: First, to warn you. The demonic forces are real and they are active. They will do all sorts of things to lure you into their trap and influence. Don’t dabble in the demonic. Second, to prepare you. Even if you aren’t drawn to dabbling in these things, you probably know someone who is. You might be the instrument God uses to draw someone else out of and away from these demonic practices. Yes, the demons are real, but, God be praised, they are already defeated. 

Scripture is clear. The Son of God took on flesh and blood “that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame at the cross (Col. 2:15). St. Michael and the angels do throw the dragon down. The brothers conquer him “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11).

The demons do not get the whole stage. Elisha’s servant could only see the Syrian army. But the mountain was not empty then, and it is not empty now.

That is why, in this Gospel reading, Jesus will not let the disciples stare at a greatness they can see. The humble state of a little one who is dependent on another is the greatness Jesus points you to. Do not despise that dependence.

Dear saints, you are the little ones that Jesus talks about in this Gospel reading. Like that little child Jesus put in the midst of the disciples, you are dependent upon another—upon Jesus. God has sent His angels to serve you. They behold the Father’s face, and His face is turned toward you.

Christ has come for you. “The Son of Man came to save the lost” (Mt. 18:11; Lk. 19:10). The Author has walked onto His own set. He became the little Child in the center of all history and grew into the man who is crucified, risen, and returning for the lost.

Today, we thank God for His work through the angels He sends to serve us. And we praise Him because through His Word, your Savior has given you the seeing eye to know about the visible and invisible realities. The mountain is not empty. Amen.

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

Far More – 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.” 22 And 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.

Imagine you were building a house. You wouldn’t start by arranging the furniture or painting interior walls because there aren’t any rooms or walls to paint. You’d begin with the foundation – a foundation that is solid and will stand firm in the midst of wind, rain, snow, and all the other things our northern climate could throw at it because the prettiest walls and nicest furniture won’t save a house from collapsing.

Our faith has a foundation that can withstand all the things that the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh can and will throw at it. John wrote to give that foundation. He clearly states that he doesn’t record all the signs Jesus did – there were far more. In fact, John says that even if he tried to write everything Jesus did, the whole world wouldn’t be able to contain the books that would be written (Jn. 21:25). But the signs John does record provide a solid foundation for eternal life (Jn. 20:30-31). John says that he chose his signs to reveal Jesus’ identity as the Christ and Son of God. But each of those signs are rightly read and understood only when we consider the ultimate sign – the eighth sign – which is Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

As I was considering what to preach from this text, I thought it would be fun to preach on the last two verses because preaching on them meant skimming through and summarizing the entire Gospel of John with all the signs that it contains. So, here we go.

The first sign John records is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (Jn. 2:1-12), which reveals that Jesus has authority over creation. Jesus uses His authority to provide not just what is good, but what is extravagant and delightful. The sign invites us to see that, In an empty world, Jesus fills our lives with His abundant joy.

The second sign John recorded was Jesus healing the royal official’s son (Jn. 4:46-54). Jesus simply speaks a word while He’s about sixteen miles away from where that boy lay dying, and the child was healed in the same moment. This sign shows Jesus’ boundless authority over both distance and death.

The third sign is when Jesus heals a crippled man who lay by a pool in Jerusalem (Jn. 5:1-14). Because Jesus does this sign on the Sabbath, it reveals that Jesus is the One who brings true rest by making the broken whole. That sign shows that in a world paralyzed by sin and pain, Jesus restores.

We heard the fourth sign a few weeks ago – the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus women and children with five loaves and two fish (Jn. 6:1-13). That sign recalled how God had fed His people in the wilderness with manna, but Jesus says He has come to do far more. The sign shows that He is the very Bread of Life from heaven (Jn. 6:35) who nourishes us for eternity.

The fifth sign immediately follows that when Jesus walks on water (Jn. 6:16-24). As the disciples battle a storm, Jesus walks to them on the sea, and when He gets into the boat, they immediately arrive at their destination. This sign also reveals Jesus’ dominion and authority over creation. But here, Jesus also invokes the divine name – Yahweh, “I am” – on Himself (Jn. 6:20). This sign shows that Jesus is the God who safely brings the troubled to their desired haven (Ps. 107:28-30).

The sixth sign is when Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth (Jn. 9). This sign confirms Jesus’ claim that He is the Light of the World (John 9:5). Jesus has come to give us more than simple sight. In a dark world, Jesus opens our eyes to the light of His truth.

The seventh sign is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-45). Lazarus had been dead four days, but Jesus simply calls him out the grave. This sign reveals that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25). This sign shows that Jesus is the Author of Life (Act. 3:15).

These seven signs show Jesus is the gracious Creator, the mighty Healer, the generous Provider, and the Lord over death. John chose these seven signs, and again, he admits that he could have written far more. Those seven signs point to the fact that Jesus was sent by God. And yet, do they really prove that Jesus is God’s Son? Other prophets who had been sent by God had done similar signs. Moses had turned water into blood (Ex. 7:14-25). Elijah and Elisha had healed and raised people from the dead (1 Kgs. 17:17-24; 2 Kgs. 4:18-37). Elisha also miraculously fed a crowd with a tiny amount of food and had some left over (2 Kgs. 4:42-44).

However, Jesus is more than a prophet. He’s the Christ and Son of God who brings life to all who believe in Him. When John wrote this Gospel, he wasn’t out to prove that Jesus was a powerful individual. John wants far more than that. He wants you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and Savior so that you would have life in His name (Jn. 20:31).

That’s why John doesn’t say what all the signs are pointing to until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those seven signs point to the most important, eighth sign – Jesus’ dying and rising. On the cross, Jesus’ glory shines brightest (Jn. 12:23-24). He takes your sin and your shame. And the empty tomb is what seals the deal. Christ died and raised Himself to life (Jn. 10:17-18) so you can know that all sickness, sin, death, and fear; all pain, sorrow, and sadness; all trouble, toil, and tribulation will be done away with forever. That’s the solid foundation.

Mary Magdalene sees the risen Jesus and worships (Jn. 20:11-18). The fearful disciples see and rejoice (Jn. 20:19-20). Unbelieving Thomas has his disbelief melt into the declaration, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28). Christ’s resurrection proves more than every other sign because it shows that Jesus is where you find far more than temporary blessings. Jesus is where God gives you grace upon grace (Jn. 1:16) and manifests God’s saving love for you (Jn. 1:18).

The signs John writes down to strengthen and encourage your faith weren’t tricks. They aren’t fables or nice stories. They’re evidence. Faith in Christ isn’t a blind leap. John’s signs are rooted in history, witnessed by real people. Their initial doubts actually bolster our faith. Most of the eyewitnesses of Jesus chose to die rather than denying Him and the things He did because Jesus proved that He is the Son of God.

Believe, and have life in Jesus’ name (Jn. 20:31). Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil. He is the sure, sturdy foundation on which you can build your entire life. Jesus is the Christ. In a crumbling world, you have a Savior who has come to restore all things and make them new (Rev. 21:5).

You can build your entire life on the foundation of Christ. The cross and resurrection are the sure cornerstone. A life built on that is no flimsy shed. It’s a fortress. Trust Jesus because, in Him and in Him alone, you have life – eternal, abundant life in His almighty name. Amen.

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

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