The Word, the Light, & the Darkness – Sermon on John 1:1-5 for Midweek Advent 1

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Texts like this are one of many reasons why I’ll never attempt to create a chronological Bible reading plan. I’m familiar with several of those plans, but none of the ones I’ve seen have these verses from the opening of John’s Gospel anywhere near Genesis 1. And they should be. Parts of these verses are chronologically before the beginning. But I don’t know how exactly how a person could decide where to put them. You have Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” and Jn. 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Which of those should come first? How do you order those? Would you put them parallel to each other? I don’t know. There are valid arguments to go either way.

Then, what do you do with v. 3-5? I suppose you could put v. 3-4 after the, “and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31). But then, what do you do with v. 5, “The light shines in the darkness”? You might consider putting that back on the first day of creation when God creates light and separates light from dark. But ‘the Light’ there doesn’t refer to light as we know it. There, ‘Light’ refers to Jesus Himself, and He existed even before God said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). On top of that, “The light shines in the darkness,” is present tense and is always true. Jesus constantly, continually, always shines into and pierces the darkness, and He will never be overcome. So, maybe you’d need to put v. 5 running down the margin of every single page from Genesis to Revelation.

John 1:5 is so comforting. It’s a verse that I would recommend that you tuck in your back pocket so you can contemplate and meditate on it whenever you get the sense that the darkness of this world is gaining the upper hand. It isn’t. Not now. Not ever. The darkness will never win. It can’t. Use Jn. 1:5 to constantly remind yourself, “Jesus is my Life and Light. No darkness will ever overcome Him, so no darkness will overcome me. The darkness simply isn’t strong enough.” Isn’t that a wonderful, comforting thought?

The reason no darkness can overcome Jesus is that He is eternal. There was never a time when He was not. In fact, time itself exists through and because of Him. He created time and everything else that has been made. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was not His beginning. He always is. Notice it’s not, “He always was” but is (Jn. 8:58; Ex. 3:14).

Look again at our Old Testament reading (Pr. 8:22-31). Jesus, the Word and Wisdom God, is there before the beginning of the earth (Pr. 8:22-23). He was there before the depths were carved. He was there before the mountains were stretched into the sky. He was there before the stars were placed into their orbits and before the foundations of the earth were laid (Pr. 8:24-29). Jesus was right there beside God the Father like a master craftsman (Pr. 8:30). Jesus Himself was the Word that God that the Father spoke and which gave shape and order and beauty to all of creation. And notice the joyful exchange between God the Father and God the Son at the end of that text. God the Son says, “I was daily [the Father’s] delight,” and, “[I was] always rejoicing before [the Father]” (Pr. 8:30).

Jesus delighted in all of God’s creation. But He especially found delight in the crown of God’s creation – the children of man (Pr. 8:31). Just stop and think of that. Do you ever think of yourself as Jesus’ delight and source of joy? You should! Imagine Jesus watching over God the Father’s shoulder as Adam is being formed from the dust of the ground. He stares in amazed joy as God shapes him and uses Adam’s rib to make Eve. And even now, Jesus delights as God knits together every subsequent human who has ever been born – including you (Ps. 139:13-15).

Jesus, the eternal Son of God and God’s life-giving Word, delights in you to the extent that He can’t stand the thought of you being severed from Him. Whenever we sin, we start walking away from God’s Light and into darkness. That is why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). (We’ll cover that verse in a couple weeks. And I hope I’m not preaching myself into a corner here.) God became flesh for you.

Jesus’ delight in you is so great that even though He was God, He became one of you. He took on your flesh. Now, because of the incarnation, part of God’s nature is that He has a human body. Even though Jesus is true God, He doesn’t refuse to endure the same things that you experience as a human. Jesus got hungry and thirsty. He became tired and weary. Jesus prayed to His Father when He was in danger.

As God, Jesus is always feeding everyone everywhere in the world. But as a human Infant, Jesus nursed from Mary’s breast and was fed from Joseph’s hand. As God, Jesus never needs to sleep. But as a Man, He sleeps on a pillow in the stern of a boat during a storm (Mk. 4:38). As God, Jesus is the commanding General of all the angel armies. But as a Man, Jesus was strengthened by an angel (Lk. 22:43-44). As God, Jesus put into place the entire starry height of planets, stars, and galaxies. But as a Man, Jesus’ Body is nailed to a block of wood in the shape of a cross. As God, Jesus gives life to all. But as a Man, Jesus’ side was pierced by a spear. Jesus is the One who raises the dead, but He was laid in a tomb for you.

Dear saints, the eternal Word of God – begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God – came down from heaven and was made Man. He did all of this for you. He did this to give you Life and Light. He did this because you are His delight. He will not let the darkness overcome you. And He will bring you to Himself in His eternal city where there will be no more night or darkness. He is and will always be your Light, and through faith you will reign with Him forever and ever (Rev. 21:22-22:5). Amen.

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

Beautiful Time – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, 22 for Midweek Lent 3

Mar27

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are Psalm 31:14-15; 145:17-19; 16:7-8; Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, 22; 1 Timothy 6:6-11; and Mark 12:41-44.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week, we heard how God gives us Christians joy in this life in two simple things. He gives us joy in our leisure or in our eating and drinking; and He gives us joy in our work – not from our work but in our work (Ecc. 2:24). Scripture is clear, you won’t to find enjoyment in the fruit of your work by getting money that buys you things. That won’t work. Instead, you are to find enjoyment in the work God gives you to do. Your work and the effort you expend on all your God-given tasks is a gift from God’s hand. There is goodness and joy in you doing that work. If you didn’t hear that sermon from last week, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to it.

Tonight, as we consider this portion of Ecc. 3, I’d like to pick up our thinking with some words that you heard last week, but you need to hear them again because they set up these verses which, probably, are more familiar to you – even if it’s only because of the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds.

Ecclesiastes 2 closed with these words, “[T]o the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God” (Ecc. 2:26). This is an amazing thing for God to say, and you have to have this clear in your mind. You, Christian, are one who pleases God. You please God because Christ has forgiven you and made you His child and because the Holy Spirit has made you holy. But to the sinner (and, yes, we are all sinners in a general sense, but ‘the sinner’ here refers to who is one who does not have faith in Christ’s forgiveness) to the sinner God has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give what’s been gathered and collected to one who pleases God.

In short, people who aren’t Christians only gather and collect, but they don’t get to keep anything. People who aren’t Christians are always working to try and get some future joy that they will never achieve or attain because they try to find joy apart from God. So, they can’t enjoy either their work or their leisure.

There are really wealthy unbelievers who have a lot more than any of us here have. Dear saints, you are far better off than the richest people you can think of if they aren’t a Christian. Just because they have all that stuff doesn’t mean they are able to enjoy it. They might have a house with way more rooms than your house has, but they – just like you – can only be in one room at a time.

That’s where Ecc. 3 comes in. The simple fact is that we creatures of God are only given one moment at a time. Time comes to us moment by moment. Just as you can’t cling to those moments and make them stay, you also cannot reach out and grab future moments to make them come sooner. They only come in God’s timing.

Solomon summarizes this in v. 11 saying, “[God] has made everything beautiful (or ‘pleasant, right, fitting’) in its time.” Each moment is beautiful in the time that God gives it. And notice, that also means when something is outside of that time, it’s no longer beautiful, pleasant, enjoyable.

In that little poem that opens Ecc. 3, Solomon gives sixteen pairs of opposites: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; and so forth. Those pairs encompass everything in life, but to make sure that point gets across, the Holy Spirit inspired Solomon to preface all those pairs with, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter (or ‘activity’) under heaven.” So, you could add anything to this list.

There’s a time to drive a car, and a time to be chauffeured everywhere. There’s a time to be active and play sports, and a time to sit and watch sports. There’s a time to make a grocery list, a time to go fill up your shopping cart, a time to prepare food, a time to enjoy the food, and a time to clean everything up. Everything you do has a time to do it, and the time to do it is when that thing is before you to do.

Again, this sounds so simple, but think of how many people do not realize this and hijack and sabotage their joy by trying to live in moments that aren’t given to them. God gives a season to be a child and play with dolls or Lego’s and be joyful as a child. But children want to be older, get their driver’s license, and be independent. The young want to be older instead of enjoying the joy of childhood. You’ve heard the saying, “Youth is wasted on the young”? There is some truth to that. But what might be even sadder is when adults try to clutch and hang on to their youth and long-gone ‘glory’ days. We all easily fall into the trap of not having joy in the season of life that God has given.

Parents long for the days when their children can cut their own food and clean themselves and do some chores. Then, when the kids become teenagers and let their parents know how much they hate doing the chores, a parent longs for the former days of diapers, baths, and mushed peas.

Again, the problem is, when you try to find your joy in the future or in the past, you rob yourself of the beauty and joy of the present moment. But God makes everything beautiful (or ‘fitting’) in its time and in the season in which God gives it.

Imagine you’re on a camping trip in late August. The sun has set; you’re zipping up your tent and climbing into your sleeping bag. Suddenly, a massive fireworks show starts. You’d probably be fairly perturbed. It’s not the time for fireworks. But if you’re camping on the 4th of July, you’d disappointed if there wasn’t fireworks. You see? The fireworks aren’t the problem in August, it’s the timing. Or try this, if one of you right now started pitching a tent here in the sanctuary and rolling out a sleeping bag, we’d all look at you like you’re a crazy person because you would be. Same thing – it isn’t the tent that’s the problem, it’s the timing. Firework shows, tents, and sleeping bags are all fine and good and right and enjoyable – in their proper time. Which leads me to this…

Right now, dear saints, God has given us the moments that are mentioned in Ecc. 3:4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. And we’re going to be bouncing back and forth in those. With Jesus (Jn. 11:35), we weep because of the passing of our sister, Ros. We miss her. Rightly so. And as we weep, we share memories and laugh and mourn and weep again. And in the midst of that, we can dance because we know that she is with Jesus and we will see her again.

All of that leads me to the other part of v. 11. Hear it again, “[God] has put eternity into man’s heart.” This phrase is difficult to understand, but try this: We humans have a capacity that other creatures don’t have. 1) We can remember the past, and 2) we can anticipate the future. But those abilities can be dangerous if we use them for the wrong reasons. God allows us to remember the past so we can give thanks to Him for it. And God allows us to anticipate the future so we can have hope for what lies ahead.

Even though you can’t hold on to a moment. It’s here one second and gone the next. But God has given you memory. What the Holy Spirit wants you to do with that gift of memory is to use it to thank God for what He has done and given. Even though you can’t reach into the future and force those moments to come sooner, God has given you the capacity to anticipate the future. And the Holy Spirit wants you to use that gift so you can have hope, which is a good thing.

In other words, you can remember the past and be thankful. You can anticipate the future so you can have hope. But Ecclesiastes is clear. You can’t have joy either in the past or in the future. Joy is only given in each present moment, and God makes those moments beautiful in their times.

So, dear saints, receive the beauty and joy in every moment God gives you. When you have past joys, thank God for that gift, but don’t try to go back because you can’t, and you’ll miss the beautiful moment now. Don’t try to pull the future into the present. Don’t do that first, because you can’t. But also, don’t do it because that moment hasn’t ripened yet. Leave the future in God’s good and generous hands so He can deliver those gifts to you in the right, beautiful time.

Finally, dear saints, let the beauty and the joy that God gives in each moment give you a hunger and a hope for the eternal joy that God has promised to give you. What a joy that will be. Amen.

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

Life’s Sacred Rhythm – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 for Midweek Lent 2

Mar20

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are Psalm 127:1-2, 104:24-25, 29-30; Ecclesiastes 2:18-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; and Matthew 11:25-30.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

How you talk matters. The words you use shape how you and others think. You can call a house “small” or “cozy. Someone who has lived several more decades than you might be “over the hill” or have “a lot of life experience.”

Think about the words you use for eating. You eat many different things of many different qualities for many different reasons, and the language you use reflects that. You might “have a snack” of carrots and hummus. You might “treat yourself” to a candy bar or a bowl of ice cream. You might “pig out” and eat an entire bag of chips. All of that language refers to eating. But the purpose or result of eating is always the same. Eating gives your body calories and fuel to function.

At Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when grandma makes her pot roast for your extended family, it’s “a feast.” Everything tastes wonderful, there’s more than enough for everyone, and it is great to be at a table with people you love. Now, is the food you eat at that feast going to give your body the energy and fuel that it needs to function? Yes, of course. Again that’s the purpose of eating. But when you thank grandma for all of her work preparing that meal, are you going to use words and phrases only reflect that? “Grandmother, you have given my body the calories I need to live”? Of course not! You’ll say, “Grandma, what a tremendous, tasty feast!”

Tonight’s verses from Ecclesiastes focus on our work. How we talk about work matters. You might talk about your “job” or your “work.” Both of those terms can be fairly neutral. But you might also use the word “job’ in a negative sense. “This is my job, but I don’t want it to be my career” because that shows a lot more commitment. You might refer to your work as “the daily grind” or “my 9-5.” Those types of phrases make your work sound like toil.

One of the Hebrew words for ‘work’ (there are several of them) comes up ten times in the text. And, to it’s credit, our translation is quite consistent in how that word is translated – 9 of the 10 times that word occurs, it’s translated as ‘toil’ and one time (in v. 20) it translates it as ‘labor.’ But do the words ‘toil’ and ‘labor’ have a good or a bad connotation in your mind? Probably bad. The word ‘toil’ probably puts an image of a witch stirring pot of glowing green stuff over a fire, “Double, double, toil and trouble.” And ‘labor’ might make you think about being sentenced to decades of difficult life in Siberia. But the Hebrew word simply refers to putting effort into something. Exerting effort isn’t a bad thing. All sorts of things we enjoy require effort.

Maybe some of you went outside close to 2:00 AM this past Friday to see the ‘blood moon’ eclipse. That required effort, both to get out of bed at that time (or to stay up that late) and then to push through the next day. Baking, gardening, knitting, reading a good book, playing an instrument, camping, jogging, cheering your favorite sports team – all of those things require degrees of effort. Everything you do requires effort – even sleep.

With that simpler meaning of the word that gets translated as ‘toil,’ I want you to follow along as I slightly rephrase v. 21, “Sometimes, a person puts in effort that requires wisdom and knowledge and skill, [but] must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not put in any effort for it. This is breath [vanity] and a great evil.”

Sticking with food analogies: imagine that you’ve spent hours of effort making a brisket, prime rib, or turkey. It’s cooked and is just resting on the kitchen counter before you serve it so you don’t lose all the juices. But you leave the kitchen for a minute only to come back and find that Fido has devoured the whole thing. This is, indeed, a great evil. All your effort and toil has become like a breath that’s instantly vanished.

Are there times when your work and effort is wasted and done in vain? Sure, of course. But that isn’t always the case. It doesn’t mean that all your work and all your effort is vain, meaningless, and evil toil. Not at all! Look again at v. 24-25. These are the verses we’ll focus on for the rest of the sermon because, in them, Solomon gives us one of the ingredients for a life that is filled with God-given joy. “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the effort he expends. I saw that this [joy] is from the hand of God, for apart from God, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

This is so beautiful and comforting. Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Solomon wisely tells us how to find joy in life. Joy comes from eating and drinking and finding enjoyment in your effort. This is God’s design. It is the holy, sacred rhythm of your life. God gives you moments when you need to work, sweat, and strive with all your strength. Then, God gives moments when you live quietly. The point Solomon is making here is there is joy in both (1 Thes. 4:11).

Notice especially that Solomon says that joy comes in your effort. This is so simple, but it’s the opposite of how we often think. We think that we work and work and work to get a paycheck. Then, we take that paycheck and use it to buy things that we think we will enjoy. In that perspective, we enjoy the things that come from the work we did, but not the work itself. What that does is it makes our work a sort of punishment, a penance or purgatory, that we have to endure to eventually, maybe, get enjoyment. Our typical mindset that we work to get something from our work that we hope will bring us happiness. But it doesn’t bring happiness.

Through all of ch. 2 prior to this text, Solomon talked about all the wealth and stuff he accumulated in an attempt to find joy. He had more than we can even imagine, but Solomon says that those things didn’t bring him joy or satisfaction. Solomon even tried saving for the future, but it didn’t bring joy because you can’t enjoy the future. The future isn’t here. You can only enjoy today, this present moment.

Solomon’s correction for us, and the wisdom he gives us is that we are not to work so we can get joy from our effort; instead, find enjoyment in our effort. That’s a big difference. God gives us work to do, and He wants us to find enjoyment in the work – not from it, but in it. A more literal translation from the Hebrew of v. 24 goes like this, “eat and drink and see in your soul the good in your effort.” In other words, open your eyes and see the good in all the things where you spend your effort and work because that work is given to you by God’s own hand.

I remember being in school and thinking about all sorts of subjects, “What’s the point of all this? When will I ever use this information?” Do you see how that orients things? It assumes there can only be a benefit in the future, which, again, isn’t ours to control.

Christian, is it true that God is in control and directs all things? Yes, “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Act. 17:28). And is God good? Yes. So, if God has put you in a classroom where the teacher wants you to be able to locate Djibouti on a map, calculate the volume of a sphere, diagram a sentence, or identify the parts of a flower – your loving, heavenly Father has given you that task from His good hand. The effort you spend on that task is good. Your opinion of the importance of any task is irrelevant. God is the One who put that task in front of you. And because He is good, that task and the effort you spend on it is good. This is true for all your efforts. It includes your job, the ways you serve your parents and family, the ways you volunteer, your prayers, etc. Seeing your tasks, whatever they are, is a gift from God’s hand, and recognizing that will give you joy.

And God doesn’t only give you work and tasks. He also blesses you with the leisure of eating and drinking. This is how God has ordered and established the rhythm of creation. The God-given rhythm of your life is work and eat and drink, you can think of this as having time to enjoy the gifts God gives you. Have a little leisure and enjoy God’s gifts. Get a bit of sleep. And wake up again and go, enjoy your work. Again, this might sound simple or even naive, but this is what the Bible gives us to find joy in. This is all a gift of God.

Finally, dear saints, notice who receives this wisdom and knowledge and joy. Your told who in v. 26. This joy is given to the one who pleases God.

And you are pleasing to God because Christ has removed all of your guilt. In Jesus, God absolves your sins by His death and resurrection. Jesus is your Savior so you can have joy in your work and in your leisure. This is the kind of rest Jesus talked about in our Gospel reading. Christ places His easy yoke and light burden upon you. In Him, and in Him alone, you find rest and joy for your soul (Mt. 11:28-30). Amen.

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

What You Can & Can’t Fix – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 for Midweek Lent 1

Mar13

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are Psalm 37:1-9; Ecclesiastes 1:1-18; Romans 12:1-3; and Luke 12:22-32.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In a world that is broken by and full of sin, everyone wants to have joy, meaning, and fulfillment. Now, you can find all sorts of books, podcasts, and 90 second reels on social media that will offer advice on how to find all of that. Some of them are good, some are fine, and some will lead you in the wrong direction – a completely wrong direction.

The Bible is full of God-inspired wisdom so you can have joy, meaning, and fulfillment, and the book of Ecclesiastes is especially loaded with all of that. But the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is given in a somewhat twisted way. And I say ‘twisted’ because, when you read Ecclesiastes (which I highly recommend that you do), you’ll likely see the book as pessimistic, a book filled with gloom, despair, and meaninglessness. Part of the reason Ecclesiastes is so pessimistic is that the majority of the book tells you all the ways you won’t find joy.

Let me try this as an analogy: Have you ever come across a link that claims to have the secret for the juiciest hamburger ever? When you tap on it, you quickly realize that the recipe is buried way down at the bottom and is almost the last thing you’ll find. You have to flick your thumb half a dozen times and tap the little ‘x’ on several ads do you get to the end of the page to finally find the ingredients you need and the steps to follow. Those online recipes are frustrating because they’re filled with all sorts of nostalgic stories and anecdotes that have nothing to do with cooking whatever you actually want to make. Online recipes make me yearn for the good ol’ days of 3×5 index cards with grandma’s nearly illegible, faded handwriting in pencil.

In a lot of ways, Ecclesiastes is similar to those online recipes. The book is Solomon’s recipe for joy, but he also tells you about all the futile ways he tried to find joy but never achieved or attained it. You can think of Ecclesiastes as an online hamburger recipe that begins by going on and on about all sorts of ways to not make a hamburger. If Ecclesiastes were a hamburger recipe, it would be paragraph after paragraph of Solomon saying, “Don’t mix rocks or dirt or pavement into your meat.” Eventually, Solomon gives you a couple ingredients for a life of joy. And then, he goes on with long sections about not storing the meat on the counter at room temperature for days and days, then give you a couple more ingredients.

But don’t get impatient and skip over those long portions that tell you the ways you won’t find joy. Even in all the negative sections, you’ll find important, Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom. So, don’t skip, unless of course, you want to waste your time, waste your effort, and have no joy. Tonight, we’re going to spend some time in Ecc. 1, which is one of those sections.

One more important thing before we dive in: I’ve already mentioned this, but Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon and likely near the end of his life. The reason that is important is this: other than Jesus Himself, Solomon was the wisest person to ever walk this creation. He had a God-given wisdom (1 Kgs. 3:5-14) that even Jesus recognized and praised (Lk. 11:31). And since Solomon was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit to write Ecclesiastes, the wisdom he gives us here, and in other portions of Scripture, should be even more precious.

Ok, to the text. Solomon begins by lamenting, “Vanity of vanities; vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Immediately, you can tell that this is one of those negative sections.

That Hebrew word that gets translated as ‘vanity’ is used 72 times in the entire Old Testament, and 37 of those uses are in Ecclesiastes. Because it’s used so often, it’s important to get a good handle on what the word means because when we normally hear the word ‘vanity’ we think of a piece of furniture where a woman puts on make-up, or it’s used in a song that you probably think is about you.

The word simply means ‘breath’ or ‘vapor.’ It refers to something that is fleeting. Think of a cold morning (probably this morning) where you step outside, exhale, and see your breath. It’s there but only for a moment. Then, it’s gone. Just because that breath is gone doesn’t mean that it’s not real or doesn’t exist. It certainly is real, but it’s insubstantial. Solomon will also use a phrase that’s related to this word; he’ll talk about ‘chasing after the wind.’ Many things in this life are, as wise Solomon recognizes are a ‘breath,’ a ‘vapor,’ and a ‘chasing after the wind.’

In other words, most of life is filled with things that you can’t control. You can’t grab or hold on to it. Generally, you can’t put parts of your life in your pocket and deal with them when you decide. It’s here one moment and gone the next. Simply recognizing that most of life is like a breeze that you can’t control helps you orient your life in a wise, godly way.

Look again at Ecc. 1:12-17 because, there, Solomon makes a wise application in light of everything in life being fleeting. That wisdom is simply this: You can’t fix things in this world that God hasn’t given you to fix.

In those verses, Solomon says three things. 1) Solomon was the king, and probably the most powerful king in the entire world. 2) He gave his attention to wisdom and knowledge. In other words, he wasn’t a politician who was trying to govern for his own benefit. And 3) he couldn’t fix things. There were problems that Solomon wanted to fix and tried to fix. But he was unsuccessful. He comes to the conclusion, “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted” (Ecc. 1:15). This world is crooked and bent. This world is lacking so many things that you can’t even calculate everything that is missing. We live in a sinful, broken world, and not even Solomon could fix it.

Imagine we had an election and unanimously chose the perfect person to be the president. Everyone loved this new president and decided to give him ten consecutive terms. He has plenty of time to fix all the problems of our country. Here, Solomon is saying, “That’s me! I had all the resources, all the authority, all the wisdom, and forty years of ruling over my kingdom. But I couldn’t fix our problems.”

I know that sounds depressing and fatalistic, but it isn’t. Well, it shouldn’t be. Instead, this is a God-inspired key to finding and having joy in a broken world. You can’t fix the world or our culture. You can’t do that because you can’t fix sin. Whether it’s our culture’s morality and violence, whether it’s our nation’s broken view of marriage and life, whether it’s the economy, racism, etc. You can’t fix it. You can’t solve it.

Before I go on, I need to be clear. Yes, you are assigned all sorts of important vocations, and God uses you and your work to do important things. There are things that God has put under your care. But those things are minuscule to all the things in this world. So, be faithful in all the callings God gives you. Be a good spouse, parent, grandparent, child, friend, employee, coworker, etc. Do all the things, all the tasks, all the duties you have in those areas. But, at the same time remember that there are things you can’t fix because you aren’t God. You were created in God’s image and created to have dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28-30), but you and I gave up that dominion by way of our sin. So, God has relieved us of that dominion. And this is good news.

Fixing what is broken is not what God has called you to do. God has not called you to the office of being the world-fixer or the sin-minimizer. Instead, God has given to His own, dear Son the office of being the Savior of the world. And as the Savior, Jesus has and will fix the world’s problems, by His death and resurrection. But you cannot.

In tonight’s Gospel reading (Lk. 12:22-32) Jesus says the same thing as Solomon does here, but in a different way. What Solomon says in a ‘negative’ way, Jesus says in a ‘positive’ way. What I mean by ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ is this. If I’ve just pulled out a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven and I want my kids to enjoy them, I could tell them to have a cookie in a positive way, “Cookies are done! They’re warm and fresh. Come enjoy them.” Or I could tell them to have a cookie in a negative way, “Don’t let your cookie get cold.”

Solomon, in a ‘negative’ way, says, “You can’t fix things.” Jesus in a ‘positive’ says the same thing, and I’ll paraphrase: “Your heavenly Father already knows what you need. So, seek His kingdom, and everything you need in this fleeting, breezy life will be given to you. And know that it is your heavenly Father’s good pleasure, He is absolutely delighted, to give you the kingdom.” Amen.

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

Overcome By; Overcome With – Sermon on Romans 12:16-21 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Jan26

Romans 12:16–21

¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul assumes and presupposes that you are going to encounter evil. In v. 17 he writes, “Repay no one evil for evil.” You aren’t told, “If something evil happens to you, don’t turn around and do something evil in return.” The assumption of evil is even clearer in v. 21, “Do not be overcome (or ‘defeated’ or ‘conquered’) by evil, but overcome (‘defeat’ or ‘conquer’) evil with good.” Again, evil things are going to happen both to and around you. And those evil things are either going to overcome you, or you will overcome those evil things by doing good – which is the most Christlike thing you can do.

Imagine a cattle rancher taking care of his cows – feeding them, branding and tagging them, vaccinating them, checking if they’re healthy, whatever – what is he going to step in while he’s walking through that cattle pen? Without a doubt, he’s going to step in manure, cow pies, poop. It’s going to get all over his boots, maybe even on his pants and coat. It’s going to happen.

Now as he’s doing his work, suppose you’re watching him from the fence. Are you going to ask him, “How do you feel about stepping in that manure?” No! If you did, the rancher would probably say something along the lines of, “It just comes with the territory.” If you asked him, “How many piles do you step in each week?” he’d probably laugh because he doesn’t think about it in the moment or dwell on it afterward. He’s just used to it. He has enough experience with cows to know that he can’t teach them to do their business in a specific corner of the yard. It’s going to be scattered all over, and he’s going to periodically step in it.

And the rancher isn’t going to bother trying to get retribution on the cows. He isn’t going to spread his own feces around so the cows step in it. “See how they like it.” No! For one thing, the cows aren’t going to care, and it’d be too much work – very unpleasant work. The only thing a cattle rancher can do when he steps in manure is simply wipe it off before he gets in his truck or goes into his house or when his boots get heavy and caked with it. When he steps in it, he doesn’t dwell on it later. Instead, he just keeps walking.

Dear saints, you already know this, but sometimes it’s just helpful to plainly say it. This world is a cattle yard. This world is full of all sorts of stinky, smelly, steaming piles of evil. Generally, you don’t intentionallystomp around in it. Most of the time, you do your best to avoid it, but at some point, you’re going to get end up coming into contact with the manure of evil. It isn’t pleasant. You don’t like it, and you are right to not like it. But you also need to recognize and acknowledge that, when you end up caked in the manure of evil, it isn’t as though something strange is happening to you (1 Pet. 4:12). Everybody faces evil things. Everybody steps in the cow pies of evil. Everybody has bad days, weeks, months, years, and decades. Everybody. It’s part of life. It doesn’t matter how careful or careless you are. In a fallen and sinful world, you’re going to encounter evil.

This simple truth from Scripture is actually a great comfort. It helps us orient ourselves the right way. We’re going to step in the cow pies of evil. In a broken, fallen world, evil is going to happen to us. When we are confronted with evil, the best thing we can do is the unpleasant work of wiping it off and move on. Responding to evil by doing evil isn’t going to help. Neither is dwelling on it. Yes, learn from the evil things that have happened. Maybe, you don’t put yourself or others in a similar situation. But you have to do your best to scrape it off and move on.

I know many of you have encountered evil, horrific things. You’ve been neck deep in the manure of evil. You are right to weep about it, and as our text last week called for, I weep with you (Ro. 12:15). It stinks and is utterly rotten. But there also is a point at which you need to move on. You live and walk in the cattle pen of a sinful, evil, broken world.

Sin and evil throws creation out of order. No matter how small a sin is, it throws the whole, entire universe off-kilter. Remember, it only took one sin in the Garden of Eden to bring pain, strife, and death to all of creation. All sin, whether it’s your own sin or sins committed against you, sin brings chaos and disorder to creation. Still, you can’t fight sin and evil with more sin and evil of our own, just like you can’t save someone from drowning by giving them a cup of water. You have to get them out of the water they’re drowning in.

When we see sin and injustice, we naturally want to fix it. Since we are made in the image of God, we want to bring order and justice back into the world. That is what vengeance is. Now, vengeance isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’ve gotten so used to the word ‘vengeance’ being used in a negative way that we think vengeance is always evil. That’s not the case. Yes, vengeance can be evil when you think it’s exclusively your job to dole it out. But remember God Himself says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” Paul there is quoting Dt. 32:35. The same verse gets quoted again in Heb. 10:30. Throughout the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, we hear that God promises execute vengeance on the wicked. All of Ps. 94, and many other places in the Psalms this is repeated. God is just. He will punish all sin and make creation right again. That is His job and His promise.

So, know these two things and get them drilled into your head: First, you will encounter sin and evil. And second, know that fixing sin is God’s dominion. He will do it. It’s not up to you. You aren’t God.

Yes, there are times when you are God’s instrument to execute vengeance. Parents, you are to discipline your kids (Pro. 13:24; 23:13-14; 29:15; Heb. 12:9-10). That calling has been given to you by God. And, to maintain order in society, God has given us rulers who have the God-given task of punishing sin with vengeance. Paul goes into that next in Ro. 13. Those earthly authorities are put there by God to be a terror to bad conduct (Ro. 13:3-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). But, generally speaking, we are to leave room for God to bring vengeance against sin.

Again, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is what Christ has done for you. Jesus did not let Himself be overcome by evil. It sure looked like it as He died on the cross. It appeared that evil had defeated Christ. But it didn’t. Not even close. Jesus overcame our evil with good. Good Friday indeed – the goodest [sic.] of good, when all the evil of this world was overcome, conquered, defeated, and crushed by the goodness of Christ.

Dear saints, this text is calling us to do the hardest thing in this broken world – to overcome evil with good. In other words, this text is calling us to be like Christ. The only way to do that is to let the goodness of Christ overcome both you and the evil within you. And when evil things happen to you, remember that evil person is another one for whom Christ died. Let the love and mercy of Christ fill you and spill out to others as well. Amen.

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

Discern – Sermon on Romans 12:1-5 for the First Sunday after Epiphany

Jan12

Romans 12:1–5

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

You will be changed. Please note how that was worded. It isn’t, “You will change,” even though that’s true. It wasn’t, “You must change,” as though this is all up to you. According to this text, you will be (passively) changed. Here, you are given a passive command, which we can’t really translate well into English. What we have there in v. 2 could be translated, “Do not become conformed to this world, rather become transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

In other words, there are things that are going to mold, shape, and change you. But there are some things that should not do that, and there are some things that should.

First, don’t allow the world to change you. The word there is, actually, ‘age.’ “Do not become conformed to this age.” This age isn’t only this world; it’s also the demons, forces of evil, and the culture that pull on you. Our age seeks to conform you to itself. We’ll talk about things like peer pressure and, maybe, even societal pressure. We are to resist those. But we are also to resist the demonic pressure and self-imposed pressure to fit in with this evil age. All those things of this age try to press, pull, form, and mold you like you’re Silly Putty.

Hopefully, enough of you have played with Silly Putty for this analogy to work. You can easily make Silly Putty do all sorts of things. My siblings, cousins, and I would play with Silly Putty at my grandparents’ home in Faith, SD. We’d take it out of the red egg container and roll it into a bouncy-ball and play catch. When we got tired of that, we’d smoosh the puddy into a flat oval, press it onto the newspaper ink, peel it off, and stretch out the letters and pictures left on the putty. You can make Charlie Brown’s head look even more ridiculous with a blob of Silly Putty. When we got tired of manipulating a particular smudge of ink, all we had to do was simply push, roll, and re-flatten the putty, and it was ready to do another one. The ink from each image never actually left the putty; instead, it just got absorbed into it.

A lot of Christians have allowed this age to work on them like putty. And there are all sorts of reasons they allow it. Maybe they don’t want to be laughed at, so they’ll go along with the theory of evolution and try to make it fit with the account of creation. It doesn’t. It can’t, but they try anyway. Maybe they don’t want to be considered a fundamentalist, so they will compromise on all sorts of things like marriage, sexuality, abortion, and whatever. Here, Paul says, “Don’t. Don’t do that!”

When you allow this age to press and pull and stretch you in different ways, you are in a dangerous place. Just like I’d get bored bouncing a Silly Putty ball around, this age will try to conform you into all sorts of things for all sorts of uses. And just like the ink never really leaves a blob of putty, some of the ways this age will play around with you will stick with you your entire life. Christian, don’t let this age play around with you as though you’re a blob of Silly Putty.

I just need to add here: This world does change you in ways that are fine. There are plenty of lessons to learn from people and organizations that aren’t necessarily Christian, but be careful with them. Have your filter up. Keep in mind what Php. 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

All that being said, you are to allow change to come from other places. “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” What does that mean? We might wish that Paul had said, “Be transformed by keeping the Ten Commandments,” or, “Be transformed by praying at such-and-such a time.” That would be a lot easier to understand and do. But that’s not what Scripture says here. You aren’t given a set of instructions to do or accomplish. Instead, you’re given the result of this transforming. This transforming results in the renewal of your mind, and it results in an ability to discern the will of God. God wants you, as time goes by, to get better and better at testing and figuring out His will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect/complete.

Sometimes, we’ll talk about the Ten Commandments as God’s will, what He desires us to do. And that is true. God’s will is that you have no other gods, use His name rightly, keep the Sabbath, honor your parents, not kill, not commit adultery or steal or lie or covet. That’s God’s will – plain as day. But none of that takes discernment to figure out. God has clearly said it. “Thou shalt not murder.” When you get angry at someone and want to harm them, you don’t have to discern if you should or not. Don’t do it!

When Scripture says here that you should allow yourself to be transformed so that you can discern God’s will, it’s saying that there are times when God’s will is for you to do something or not do something, but He hasn’t clearly, explicitly said what His will is. Instead, you’re going to have to discern what you should do. Yes, the Commandments are there to help and guide you, but the Commandments don’t address every decision you have to make day by day.

For example. Let’s say your kids are behaving poorly. What should you do? There isn’t a Commandment that definitively addresses that. So, should you discipline them and make sure they feel your wrath? Do you go by Pro. 13:14, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him”? Maybe. That might be the most godly, loving thing you can do. Or, should you be patient with your kids? Should you follow Col. 3:21, “Do not exasperate your children, lest they become discouraged”? Should you pause, take a step back, patiently talk with them, try to understand what’s going on? Again, maybe. That might the godly, right thing to do.

How do you know which to pick – discipline or patience? The Bible says both are good. How do you navigate it? God has a will for that situation, but He hasn’t explicitly spelled it out in the Bible. God hasn’t said, “When thy child flips out after you deny their request for candy at Hugo’s in East Grand at 12:34 PM on Jan. 12^th, 2025, here’s how you handle it. But if it’s at Ace Hardware, here’s how you handle it.” God has ways He wants you to live, but it might be difficult to know how to handle each particular situation that comes up moment by moment, day by day.

Should you give money to that person on the corner by Sam’s Club? Should you watch that show or movie? Here’s a good one: Should you engage with that comment on social media? Ha! Proverbs 26:4 says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” But in the very next verse, the Bible says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” You’ve got two verses back-to-back saying, “Don’t do it,” and, “Do it.” So, how do you know what to do?

I can’t tell you. No one can. In His wisdom, God has made these decisions challenging for us and require us to grapple and test and discern what we are to do. In other words, God wants us to do the difficult work of gaining and growing in wisdom. This is what it is to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. This renewal of your mind happens as you read the Bible. The Holy Spirit takes God’s Word and works on you, renewing and transforming you into what He wants you to be.

2 Tim. 3:16-17 says that all Scripture is inspired by God and is there to train you in righteousness that you may be complete, equipped for every good work. In other words, the Bible trains you and renews your thinking and mind. It transforms you. More and more, as time goes on, you are to be filled with God’s Word and bring it to bear in the decisions that are constantly coming at you each day.

This doesn’t mean you have to listen for a voice from heaven and have God directly speak to you. No. Don’t expect God to spell it out like that because that doesn’t take any work. Again, in His wisdom, God has made this more difficult, but that struggle is good for you and for me.

God wants this to be the rhythm of your life. Go about your life, make those decisions, and read the Scriptures. Evaluate how you made those decisions. Maybe, you’ll realize that you did poorly and didn’t do God’s will. Then, repent. Receive God’s forgiveness for that sin. Learn from your mistake. Do better the next time.

Maybe, you’ll realize you did well and that experience will make you better equipped to handle an even tougher decision in the future.

Then, armed with that experience and filled with wisdom from God’s Word, go, live a bit more. Make more decisions, and return again to the Scriptures. Live. Read the Bible. Live. Read. Constantly weave your life and God’s Word together. That work leads to godly discernment. It transforms and renews your mind.

Know that this transforming doesn’t happen very well if the only time you hear the Scriptures is when you’re here at church. Discerning God’s will is a life-long process. It takes work. But don’t forget that this is good work, and it is how God wants to be about His business of continually transforming you. And He isn’t treating you like a blob of Silly Putty. He’s sculpting you, or, even better, He’s metamorphosizing (that’s the word here translated ‘transform’) you into a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God (Ro. 12:1).

Finally, I want to make sure we anchor all of this to the context – both of this passage and the whole book of Romans. Remember this is an appeal, an appeal that is based on the mercies of God. In other words, only Christians who have been freely and completely forgiven of their sins because of what Christ has done – only they can be transformed in this way.

Even with all the discernment you gain from God’s Word, even with a mind that is filled with biblical wisdom, there will be times where you fail to do God’s good, acceptable, perfect will. That’s when you flee again to His mercies, which are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). And remember what Scripture said just a few chapters earlier in Ro. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. No condemnation.

Yes, grow and be changed by God’s Word. Don’t be conformed to this age. Instead, grow in wisdom, be metamorphosized, and discern. And always know and trust that Christ’s mercy covers you, now and forever. Amen.

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

Redeeming the Time – Sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Oct13

Ephesians 5:15–21

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Correction – Sermon on Proverbs 9:1-10 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Jun9

Proverbs 9:1–10

¹ Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
² She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵ “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”
⁷ Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
⁸ Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What comes to mind when you think of a wise person? Maybe you picture an individual. Some of you see a gray-haired man with a long beard and weathered robe sitting on top of a mountain. Maybe, you think of your grandpa, dad, or a former pastor – not your current one! Maybe, when you think of a wise person, you think of characteristics and qualities. Someone who doesn’t immediately react. Someone who ponders and mulls over possibilities before responding to different questions and situations that arise.

We might think a wise person is someone very put together and successful. Someone who is well off financially and made the right career choices and investments. We build up this wise person into someone who never makes mistakes. Here’s where we need our first correction because a person who never makes mistakes is not a wise person – that’s a perfect person. Wisdom does not mean a person is always right – not even close. Instead, a wise person is someone who is good at being wrong. And what I mean by that is that a wise person is someone who listens to correction. A wise person is someone who knows they don’t know everything and is willing to be learn from their mistakes and from the experience of others.

Our text says, “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you” (Pro. 9:7-8a). When we hear those lines, we might think that is advice to keep us from wasting our time and correcting someone who won’t take correction. In other words, we interpret that as a way to disdain others. “I pointed out his mistakes and how he was wrong, but he didn’t like it and lashed out at me. He must be a wicked scoffer because he didn’t listen to the wisdom I tried to give him.”

There is truth to that interpretation, but I don’t think that is how we should understand those verses. Instead, the Holy Spirit would correct us and have us understand those verses a diagnostic tool on ourselves when we are corrected. In other words, when someone corrects or reproves you, how do you respond? Do you lash out at that person? Do you offer up all sorts of excuses to defend your actions? Do you hate it when people correct you? If you do, you are the wicked scoffer.

Here’s why we should take it that way. Look again at what comes right after those verses, “Reprove,” same word used above, “Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning” (Pro. 9:8b-9) A person who is truly wise welcomes correction when he is wrong. A wise person knows he doesn’t know everything and is willing to keep learning more and more. A wise person is even willing to be rebuked, “You messed up here.”

Now, receiving that kind of reproof and rebuke isn’t fun. No one likes being corrected. We all resist admitting that we made a mistake, sinned, or failed. But after the sting of being corrected wears off, we should step back, reflect, repent, and learn from those mistakes and sins so we can do better in the future. When we do that, we can be actually grateful for the person who rebuked us because that person has had a hand in making us better, smarter, and wiser.

That is the path of wisdom: Humbly receiving correction and rebuke. Pondering advice and reproof. And implementing changes to improve and progress toward being a better, more complete person.

Now, all of this is surface level stuff and is true for everything. It’s true for how to be a boss and manage employees; how to treat a patient; how to keep track of your finances; how to dribble a basketball; and how to sweep a floor, wash the dishes, and mow a lawn. Even the most experienced person can be corrected and improve at those tasks. Recognizing that other people have good advice and insight to make us better at those things is to be wise. The thing about that is that you could hear a lecture about this kind of thing from a TED talk, a self-improvement lecture, or a motivational speech. But this is a sermon, so let’s take this further.

First and most obviously, we need to take correction, instruction, and reproof from the Scriptures. What the Bible calls a sin is sin. When you do what God has forbidden or failed to do what God demands, recognize that as the sin that it is. When you are reading the Scriptures and realize that you need to repent, well, repent.

Remember how Adam, after he had eaten the forbidden fruit, had his eyes opened to realize his nakedness and shame. Then, Adam heard the sound of God walking in the Garden and tried to hide from God (Gen. 3:8). But God wasn’t coming to destroy Adam; He was coming to give Adam chance after chance to repent. I’ve taught this so often that you might be tired of hearing it, but we all need to hear this repeatedly.

When God calls out to Adam, “Where are you?” He is giving Adam an opportunity to repent. When God asks, “Who told you were naked? Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat?” God is giving Adam a second and third opportunity to repent. Adam does finally admit his sin, but when he does, he blames God, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me the fruit and I ate” (Gen. 3:9-12). Even though Adam barely admits his sin and even accuses God for his transgression, God still responds in mercy promising to send the Seed of the Woman who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).

Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean you should be like Adam. Instead, learn from his example and do better than he did. When the God says, “You are a sinner,” say, “Yes. I’m a sinner. I need Your forgiveness.” And know that God is a better forgiver than you are a sinner.

Secondly, learn from the example of the people in Scripture when they sin and are reproved. In 1 Cor. 10:1-12, Paul talks about all the things God had done for His people when He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, baptizing them as they passed through the Red Sea, and nourishing their bodies with food and water. But they still sinned. They made the golden calf, they repeatedly grumbled, and rebelled. They were judged, bitten by poisonous serpents, and destroyed by their enemies. Paul’s conclusion to all of that is, “These things happened to them as an example, but they were written for our instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11; Ro. 15:4).

Wisdom includes learning from their experiences. So, know your Bible. Learn from Abraham’s folly in trying to make God’s promises come early (Gen. 16). Be instructed by sinners like David and Peter who repented of their great sin and failures and were restored. One of the reasons Scripture records the failures of the heroes of the faith is so we would not fail, fall, and sin in the ways they did. Another reason is so we can see how God extends His abounding mercy to them, even in the midst of their failures.

Where do we get this wisdom? Our text tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Here is where we need another correction. Fear comes up a lot in Scripture, but is fear a good thing or a bad thing? In many places in Scripture, fear is the thing from which Christ came to rescue us. “Fear not,” is the most common command in the Bible. You heard it in last week’s Epistle reading, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 Jn. 4:18). Yet at the same time, Scripture says about God, “With You there is forgiveness that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4). The Bible calls us to fear, and strangely we are to fear God. This can leave us confused. On one hand, we are told Jesus frees us from fear. And on the other hand, we are told to fear God. Why would God want us to fear Him?

There are two types of fear in Scripture. One is a sinful fear that runs away from God like Adam did. James talks about that kind of fear when he says that the demons believe in God and shudder (Jam. 2:19). But the right fear of God is completely different. This right fear of God is not being afraid of God. The right fear of God is spoken of in Isaiah 8:12-14 which says, “Do not call conspiracy what this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will become a sanctuary.”

A right understanding of the fear and love of God that Scripture talks about recognizes the two are not opposites. It’s not like the fear of the Lord is cold water that extinguishes your love for Him. No. When you fear the One who gives you His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, you are corrected and realize that there is nothing left to be afraid of. He is in control of all the other things that might cause you fear. When you rightly fear the Lord of hosts, then you will not fear what others fear because He can and will deliver you from whatever other dreadful things might come your way. Again, with your God there is forgiveness, that He may be feared (Ps. 130:4).

Finally, dear saints, God, who is Wisdom itself, calls you to come to His feast. We might think such a banquet is only for the wise and that we have to attain wisdom on our own before attending this feast. But if that is what you think, you need one more correction. God, who is Wisdom itself, calls and invites you who are simple and lack sense. God calls all of us simpletons, “Come, eat of My bread and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Amen.

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

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

May26

Romans 11:33–36

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments
and how inscrutable his ways!
³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
³⁵ “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

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

Who has seen the ocean? Probably everyone has seen the ocean. If you haven’t, I can show you a picture or video after the service and, technically, you will have seen the ocean. But a picture or video doesn’t do the ocean justice. It isn’t the same as seeing it in person with your own eyes. So, how many of you have been to the ocean and have seen it, smelled it, and felt it?

Now, which ocean(s) – the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic? Maybe you have seen each of them, but how much of them have you seen? Did you see a bit of it from a beach? Have you been on a boat where no land is in sight? “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Even then, you only saw just shy of three miles of ocean before the curve of the earth pulled the rest of it away from your sight. And your field of vision only allowed you to see so much without turning your head or spinning around in circles, which, if you are prone to seasickness, is not something I would recommend. And even if you’ve been so far out to sea that no land was in sight, you can only say that you’ve skimmed the surface of the ocean – literally.

Have you seen what’s in the ocean and on its floor? Have you been able to snorkel or scuba dive to see what’s down there? How deep have you gone? Twenty, fifty, one-hundred feet? I have one friend who has dived to somewhere near that depth. As far as I know, I don’t know anyone who has been 1,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. The average depth of the ocean is about 2.3 miles deep. Some people have gone that deep. But think about the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, which is nearly 7 miles below sea level. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only three have ever been down there.

Many people have gone up into space, orbited the planet hundreds of times, and have seen the majority of the oceans’ surface. But they haven’t been through all the oceans at all the depths to see what lies underneath the surface. So, I ask again, have you seen the ocean? Ultimately, no one can claim to have seen the oceans in their entirety. The best anyone can accurately say is, “I’ve seen a tiny fraction of the ocean.” The oceans are too big, too wide, too deep for anyone to see very much of it. But still, we wouldn’t call someone a liar if they said that they have seen the ocean. To see part of it is to truthfully say that you’ve seen it.

All of that is to set this up: These verses come at the tail end of Paul’s main theological treatise in Romans. In the first eight chapters, Romans is a thorough skimming of the surface of theology. It has dealt with the fact that no one is righteous in the way that God demands. Because of that everyone deserves death and condemnation. But God, in His mercy, has delivered the very righteousness He demands to those who have faith in Christ. By believing that God has come in the flesh of Jesus; believing that Christ suffered, bled, and died; and believing that He rose again for you, you are righteous – as righteous as Jesus is righteous.

Then, Paul dives deeper into the depths of the theological ocean. He writes about how God delivers that faith through His gracious choosing of you. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul talks about the doctrines of election and predestination. Believer, you are saved exclusively because of what God has done. Jesus has done the work to deliver, rescue, and save you from your sin. The Holy Spirit has called you through God’s Word, given you faith to believe, and will sustain your faith as He works through the Scriptures (Ro. 10:17). Your salvation is entirely based on God’s mercy (Ro. 8:29-33) and the fact that He chose you to be in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5). The culmination of Paul’s short dive into the doctrine of predestination comes in the verse just before this text where his conclusion is, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all” (Ro. 11:32).

Now, the doctrine of predestination is a huge topic, and I’m not going to go into it today. I have preached on it the past. And if you ever have questions about it, please feel free to talk with me. (I enjoy having any theological conversations.) The only reason I mention predestination here is to set up the context of the praise that we heard in this reading. God’s mercy in delivering salvation to us unworthy sinners leads to this doxology, this song of praise that is our reading: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”

Whenever we study theology, no matter what branch of theology is being studied, we come to a point where we realize the simple truth that God is bigger than us. God has revealed much to us in His Word, but He hasn’t revealed everything. His riches, wisdom, and knowledge go to a depth that we cannot reach. His ways are inscrutable and inconceivable. It isn’t just that they are hard to understand they are far, far beyond our comprehension. Just like how you’ve only seen a small sliver of the ocean, but you haven’t seen the whole thing. The more I study theology and the Bible, the more I realize there is to learn. It’s a regular occurrence for me to be reading a passage and suddenly realize, “I’ve never noticed that before.” Christian, there’s always more to be learned and meditated on when it comes to theology and the Bible. More and more and more and more. And it is always a joy and delight to discover more.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday which ends the festival half of the Church year which began in Advent. The Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost seasons focus on God’s work for us by coming, declaring, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and sending the Holy Spirit. Now, on Trinity Sunday, we recognize that the work of our salvation is exclusively brought about by the plan and efforts of the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, Trinity Sunday is a fitting time to pause, step back, and simply praise God for all He has done, accomplished, and delivered to us. Even though we’ve spent the past six months considering what God has done to save us, we’ve just barely scratched the surface. Even when we do it again and again, there is still more.

We can’t know God’s mind. We can’t advise Him. We can’t give or offer anything to Him. That’s why Paul closes in v. 36 with this doxology, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Consider each of those in order. “From Him,” God the Father is the source and Creator of all things. “Through Him,” God the Son has set all things in order and gives them to us. “And to Him,” the God the Holy Spirit directs all things so they find their end and meaning in this one God.

Rejoice because this One unfathomable, inscrutable, inconceivable God took it upon Himself to create, redeem, and sanctify you. So, “to Him be glory forever.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

Roadblock – Sermon on Proverbs 4:10-23 for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sep10

Proverbs 4:10–23

¹⁰ Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
¹¹ I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹² When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.

²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In 2019, the AFLC’s Annual Conference was held near Scranton, PA. To save our congregations a bit of money, four other pastors and I decided to travel together. We rented a vehicle in Minneapolis which ended up being a brand new, black GMC Yukon with tinted windows and all the bells and whistles. Our first day of travel together was from Minneapolis to a hotel in Toledo, OH which is just under 700 miles and would take about 10 hours. We had Google Maps plot our course to avoid toll roads, made our way through Wisconsin, and started to enter the Chicago metro. As we got deeper into Chicago, Google kindly told us that our current course had congested traffic and that there was an alternate route which would save us 45 minutes. That’s what you call a no brainer. Reroute.

We got off the freeway and quickly found ourselves driving through the neighborhoods of Chicago. Sure, there were stoplights and stop signs, but we kept moving. Now, one of the other pastors had grown up near Chicago, but he had been asleep in the third-row seat when we decided to reroute. I’m not exactly sure what woke him up, but he looked out the window and asked, “Where are we?” We told him that we were still in Chicago and that we had left the freeway to avoid traffic. He looked at a couple of street signs and said in the most serious voice I had ever heard him use. “We need to get out of here. Now!”

We had been redirected to the south side of Chicago, not only that, but a neighborhood notorious for stray bullets and carjackings. Apparently, Google Maps can help you avoid tolls and traffic jams, but it isn’t able to assist five, slightly overweight, mostly Scandinavian pastors avoid being robbed at gunpoint. We did make it out safely with the rented Yukon.

The point is this: it is easy to quickly and unintentionally end up on the wrong path. For us five pastors, the address of our destination didn’t even change, but we were deeply down the wrong path.

Now, there is a temptation for us to hear about the two paths described in these verses and lull ourselves into a false sense of security. We can wrongly think, “I’ve been taught the Bible which is the Word of Life. I’m not overly influenced by all that bad stuff ‘out there.’ I’ll just set the cruise control on my mostly moral life, make sure the lane departure warning system is enabled so I keep being virtuous, and everything will be just fine and dandy.”

Dear saints, beware of that attitude sneaking up on you because when it does, you are already several steps down the dark path of wickedness. The fork in the road between the path of life and the path of the wicked isn’t just ‘out there’ and clearly marked with signs. No. The exit down road of evil is always in the heart of each of us sinners and you can start down it without realizing that your destination has changed. Repent.

Go back for just a minute to that picture of the wicked being unable to rest or sleep unless they have done wrong or made someone stumble. If it weren’t so haunting, it would almost be comical. Imagine the wicked getting ready for bed. They put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, go to the bathroom, fluff their pillow, snuggle up under the covers, but toss and turn because they realize they haven’t gotten someone else to sin. It sounds so ridiculous, but, if you’re honest, you’ve probably experienced that restlessness and sleeplessness when you realize you haven’t caused someone else to stumble.

Stick with me on this. The most natural reaction we sinners have to our sin is, sadly, not to repent, not to get off the dark, evil path of the wicked. Instead, our natural reaction is to recruit other sinners by trying one of two things:

First, we try to recruit other sinners when we play the comparison game. We compare our sin to the sin of others. We search high and low for people who have fallen into sin and think that God will look more kindly on us because there are others who fell harder or further than we did. In our opinion – which, frankly, doesn’t matter – our sin isn’t as grievous as those other people’s. That comparing our sin to the sin of others brings us to a place where we celebrate the sin and downfall of others. We hope to find others stumbling.

But the second way we recruit others to sin is more dangerous and, I think, more common. We recruit other sinners when we try to defend ourselves and make excuses for our sin. When we make excuses for our sin, we are foolishly trying to rig a jury that has no jurisdiction over our case. We figure if we can get enough people to understand why we did that sinful thing, whatever it was, then they will be ‘on our side.’ We lose sleep thinking of ways to convince others that our sin was justified. We want them to make us comfortable with our unrepented sin.

Adam tried to pull this asinine trick when he ate the forbidden fruit. He tried to excuse his sin by convincing God that the reason he ate the fruit was the fault of God Himself. Adam basically says, “Listen God, the only reason I ate the fruit was that this woman, whom You gave to be with me, gave me that fruit. You’re responsible and culpable for my sin” (Gen. 3:12).

When we make excuses for our sin, what we are actually doing is we are trying to get others to fall into their own sin. We want them to lie by calling the evil, sinful thing we did ‘good’ or ‘ok’ or, at least, ‘neutral.’ But Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe,” in other words, ‘damned,’ “are those who call evil good and good evil.” When we try to excuse our sin before others, we are trying to get them to call something evil we have done ‘good.’ Again, repent.

Dear saints, constantly be on the alert for the path of the wicked knowing that you are always inclined to reroute yourself to it. See the roadblock that this passage puts in front of that wicked path. “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on” (v. 14-15). Don’t be like a foolish child and blow through that roadblock.

Dear saints, stay on the righteous path. Hold fast to the Words of Scripture. Notice how the opening verses also call this righteous path the way of wisdom. This wise, righteous path is clear of obstacles. When you walk on this path, you will not be hampered, and if you run (I’m so glad that the text leaves that as optional by saying, ‘if’) if you run on this path, you will not stumble. This path is life – it is full of life, and it grants life.

To follow this path means that when Scripture points out your sin, be wise. Confess that sin. Receive God’s mercy and forgiveness freely given to you because it has been bought and paid for by Jesus’ holy and precious blood. Confess that sin and be filled with Christ’s righteousness.

And know that this path is like the light of dawn. You who are righteous through faith in Christ, you don’t walk in the light of the full day – not yet. But you do walk in the light of the dawn which is always growing brighter and brighter so you see the righteous way more clearly as the day of your Savior’s return draws ever nearer. 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: Wisdom

The Word, the Light, & the Darkness – Sermon on John 1:1-5 for Midweek Advent 1

Beautiful Time – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, 22 for Midweek Lent 3

Life’s Sacred Rhythm – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 for Midweek Lent 2

What You Can & Can’t Fix – Sermon on Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 for Midweek Lent 1

Overcome By; Overcome With – Sermon on Romans 12:16-21 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Discern – Sermon on Romans 12:1-5 for the First Sunday after Epiphany

Redeeming the Time – Sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21 for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Correction – Sermon on Proverbs 9:1-10 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Roadblock – Sermon on Proverbs 4:10-23 for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity