John 16:5-11 - The Holy Spirit: Defender of Truth - June 4, 2017

Every day we hear news reports about people who have been arrested and charged and are then brought to trial to answer for their crimes. Occasionally you will hear about someone who is so convinced of their innocence and intelligence that they don’t request representation by an attorney – instead they will represent themselves. In legal circles, a proverbial story provides a cautionary tale about one person who tried to do just that. This person arrived at the courtroom and informed the judge that he would be representing himself. To this the judge replied: “May I warn you, sir, that the man who defends himself has a fool for a lawyer.” This proverb has always been true, maybe today – with the complexities of our legal system and the countless ways in which the truth can be bent or distorted or ignored – more than ever. When it comes to the law, you really need an objective, unemotional expert on your side to properly defend you.

In a way, Christians are on trial their entire lives. They are tried and accused and tempted and abused by the unholy trinity of the world, the flesh and the devil. All of their lies and all of their abuse are intended to do one thing: destroy our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus knew that left alone, we would not be able to defend ourselves, we would be lost and condemned just as certainly as that man who presumed to represent himself in court. That’s why when Jesus left, he didn’t leave us alone – he sent the Holy Spirit. There is a lot of confusion today about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We hear various churches teaching and preaching about speaking in tongues, gifts of healing, or warm, fuzzy feelings in one’s heart. But this morning our Lord and Savior himself tells us about the person and work of the Holy Spirit – and he shows us that the third person of the Trinity does something far more important than cure arthritis or make your heart flutter – the Holy Spirit works through the Word to defend the truth about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Jesus spoke these words in the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday as he was preparing to be betrayed, arrested, tortured, and crucified. This was at least the fourth time Jesus told his disciples what was about to happen (Luke 9:22; 9:44; 18:32-33) but they still didn’t get it. They were so overwhelmed with the thought that Jesus was leaving them that they never thought to ask where are you going? That’s an important question to ask, isn’t it? Unless they understood why Jesus was leaving them and where he was going they would despair that their friend, teacher and Lord was leaving them alone. The disciples were too distraught to even ask the question. But Jesus wasn’t. And he knew they needed to know the truth more than they needed to wallow in self-pity. Because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. Jesus was leaving his disciples, but he wasn’t leaving them alone. He would send them the Holy Spirit to take his place as their Advocate, their Representative, their Counselor. How? When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness and judgment. In one sentence Jesus clears up a lot of confusion about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Does he come only to a select few members of the clergy? No. The prophet Joel made that clear. (Joel 2:28-29) Does he come in visions and dreams to tell us the future and heal our bodies and minds? No. He comes to convict. He comes to testify. He comes to defend the truth.

He will convict the world about sin…because they do not believe in me. As Lutherans, we have been trained to look to the 10 Commandments as the mirror which shows us our sins. (Romans 3:20) Why didn’t Jesus go that route? Why didn’t he say “because they do not obey the 10 Commandments”? Two reasons. The first should be fairly obvious. Is the difference between Christians and everyone else that Christians obey the Law and everyone else doesn’t? Really? No. The difference is not obedience vs disobedience; it’s faith vs. unbelief. The second reason is that humans are very skilled at distorting God’s Law. We can suppress the law God printed on our hearts through persistent disobedience, we can attempt to modify God’s law by redefining it according to today’s standards, we can try to justify our sin by blaming it on other people or genetics or mental illness; but the Holy Spirit shows us Jesus so that we see the truth about sin. Whenever we are tempted to think that God isn’t serious about his commands to have no other gods, to keep his name holy and to remember the Sabbath; we need to remember that Roman soldiers dragged a whip across Jesus’ back to punish him for our sins. Whenever we use these hands to greedily grab all we can for ourselves we need to see Jesus’ nail-pierced hands stretched out on the cross as poured out his blood for us. His agonized cry my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) should ring in our ears whenever we justify our favorite sin with “it’s not hurting anyone” or “no one will find out” – because, the Holy Spirit reminds us that God did find out and he hurt Jesus for it. The world – we – can perform all sorts of moral gymnastics to escape the conviction of God’s law, but when we see Jesus we see that none of it worked. The Holy Spirit works to convict the world with the truth about sin: God is so serious about sin that he crucified his own Son to pay for it. Everyone has disobeyed God’s law; but it is faith in Christ’s cross that separates Christians today and will divide heaven and hell in eternity – as Jesus himself declares: whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16) The truth about sin is that you either believe Jesus paid for it on the cross or you will spend eternity in hell paying for them.

He will convict the world about righteousness. Whenever the world tries to minimize the severity of sin it simultaneously replaces God’s standard for righteousness with its own standard. Instead of simply telling you how the world does this today, I’m going to show you. (State Farm Commercial[1]) The world tries to deny the fact that we are all accountable to God, but it hasn’t completely succeeded – and this is the result. (I’m NOT saying these things are evil…Do not walk out of here saying that pastor hates strays, vets and dropouts.) The problem is not that these things aren’t good. It’s that they aren’t good enough. You could spend every minute of your life doing these things and it still wouldn’t get you into heaven. The Holy Spirit defends the truth that we are to be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48) and the result: that no one will be declared righteous in [God’s] sight by observing the law. (Romans 3:20)

Here’s the good news: I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me. Since we confess this truth every week in the Creed it may no longer have much impact on us to hear that Jesus returned to his Father’s side in heaven. But it should. Remember what God is like. Psalm 5 tells us: you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. (Psalm 5:4-5) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension prove that he accomplished what no State Farm commercial could ever guilt us into doing: he satisfied God’s justice. As much as people think that it’s the Law that makes Christianity offensive, this Gospel is really what offends people. We want to believe that we can please God if we just try hard enough. And that’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit – to convince us from Scripture that the only righteousness that satisfies God and that will be allowed into his presence in heaven is Jesus’ righteousness. How does Jesus’ perfect record become ours? Paul tells us: a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17) The reason the Holy Spirit tells us that saving dogs and vets and dropouts is not going to save us – is not because he hates dogs and vets and dropouts – but so that we stop trusting our own goodness to save us (because it never will) and instead cling to Jesus and receive his righteousness as his free gift through faith. That’s the truth about righteousness.

He will convict the world…about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Earlier in John Jesus called Satan the prince of this world (John 12:31) meaning that most of this world’s institutions, ideals and philosophies are under his influence. He rebelled against God and he leads the world to do the same. He tempts us to live our way, according to our wants, feelings and desires – instead of according to God’s holy will. And he defends it by lying about judgment. He has convinced many – sadly even many who call themselves Christian – that in the end everyone goes to heaven, or at least, that hell (if it’s real) is reserved only for the Jeffrey Dahmer’s and Adolf Hitler’s of the world. But the Holy Spirit testifies that this is a damnable lie – and the evidence is that Satan has already been judged. He has lost the war. His eternal fate in hell is sealed. What God vowed to Satan in the Garden of Eden: he will crush your head and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15) was accomplished by Christ on the cross. So that we can sing with Luther: this world’s prince may still, scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done! One little word can fell him. (CW 200:3) Satan has been defeated and damned to hell for all eternity and all who believe his lies will suffer the same fate. That’s a terrifying thought. But you don’t have to be afraid because Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to guard and keep you from Satan’s lies with the Gospel truth that because Jesus was condemned in your place there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) That’s the truth about judgment.

The Day of Pentecost may not be as big a celebration as Christmas and Easter, but the truth of Pentecost is just as important as our Savior’s birth and resurrection because Pentecost proves that we are not alone to defend ourselves in this world. If we were, we too would have “a fool for a lawyer.” But after Jesus completed our salvation he returned to his Father so he could send us the Holy Spirit – the Defender of Truth. He defends the truth about sin – that God is so serious about it that he crucified his own Son; about righteousness – that only Jesus has satisfied God’s demands and his righteousness is yours through faith; and about judgment – that the devil can lie and distort the truth; but the truth is that he has been judged and holds no power over those who have been covered in the blood of Christ. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and his work of defending the saving truth of Christ. Amen.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm-ZMB3kzaw

2 Corinthians 4:13-18 - Weigh Life on God's Scales - May 28, 2017

Since 1971, America has set aside the last Monday in May as a federal holiday to recognize and honor those who have given their lives in service to their nation. From Arlington National Cemetery to local graveyards throughout the country, the number of those who have paid the ultimate price to protect our lives and freedoms is staggering. (Estimates place the total at over 1.1 million.[1]) Which begs the question; why do people volunteer to serve in the armed forces, when they know full well that there is a very good chance that they might come home in a flag-draped casket? It’s naïve to think that every volunteer enters the military because of fierce patriotism and love of country – although there are many who do. In years past, many didn’t have a choice – they were drafted. There are others who join to take advantage of the GI Bill to pay for school, some volunteer because they desire the structure and discipline and purpose the military offers, and still others enlist simply because they don’t know what else to do. Whatever the motivation, every enlistee must weigh the long-term benefits against the short-term risks: college aid, structure, discipline, a regular paycheck against leaving behind family and friends and the real possibility of physical or psychological trauma or death. This morning Paul leads us to place more than just a career path in the scales to be weighed, he urges us to weigh our entire lives in God’s scales.

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is largely a defense of his ministry over and against some false ‘super-apostles.’ Apparently one of the accusations these false apostles leveled against Paul and his coworkers was that they couldn’t possibly be genuine servants of God because to all appearances, God had abandoned them. And to all appearances, they were right. Paul and his companions faced hardship everywhere they went. Later in the letter Paul lists the afflictions he faced; he had been stoned and imprisoned, shipwrecked three times, he experienced hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness and danger and death. (2 Corinthians 11:23-33) To all the world it seemed as if God was against, not with Paul. The Christians in Corinth were being tempted to turn away from the Gospel Paul had preached – a Gospel of cross and crown; to a false gospel that promised health and wealth and success right here and now.

The words before us are Paul’s defense of his Gospel ministry. He says: It is written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken.” With the same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak. Why would anyone follow and preach Christ when it often leads to hardship and suffering? Paul quotes the Psalm we sang earlier, Psalm 116. Paul didn’t preach Christ because it made life easy and enjoyable; he preached Christ because he believed the Gospel’s promises. That’s the first point we always need to remember as we face suffering for Jesus’ sake – God’s love and mercy are not found by sight – in our outward circumstances – but by faith in his promises. Paul was a living testimony to this; so are we. If someone walked into church this morning and looked around, what will they see? Fantastically wealthy, healthy, successful and happy people? Or people who are pressed on every hand by the anxieties of life, who suffer through poor health, financial struggles, family conflict and emotional trials? They may question what we’re doing here since following Christ doesn’t seem to offer many earthly, tangible benefits. And what would our answer be? You’re right! You have nailed the Christian faith on the head! The primary promise of the Gospel is not to give us earthly benefits now (although we can all testify that God has blessed us far beyond anything we deserve) but the certainty of forgiveness and peace with God now and life with him forever.    

We can be sure of this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. On the last Sunday in Easter, it’s fitting that Paul one more time centers our hope and faith in Jesus’ resurrection. Paul’s confidence and our confidence is not in what we see in our lives, but what Jesus did in his life. He was born in Bethlehem as our divine and human substitute. He grew in wisdom and stature before God and men. He obeyed God’s will perfectly in our place. He suffered rejection, temptation, hunger and loneliness – but he never doubted God’s love. And at the end of it he shouldered our sins; sins of doubt and complaining and discontent with what God gives us and how he leads us – and he carried it to the cross where he endured the cursed death and punishment of hell we deserved. What did it all mean? What impact does Jesus’ death have on us? On Memorial Day weekend, we find the answers to those questions in a tomb. Only unlike every other tomb on earth, this one is empty. The empty tomb proves that Jesus has earned the righteousness we lack before God, and gives it to us through faith. The empty tomb proclaims real peace that no human army has ever achieved: the end of the war between God and man. The empty tomb proves that because Jesus’ precious blood is covering our sin on the scales of God’s justice, we don’t have to fear anything because no hardship, no sickness, no financial distress – not even sin and death – can separate us from God’s love. The empty tomb gives us courage to face whatever life throws at us because we know that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead will kick open our tombs and raise us to life, too!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Christians are sometimes characterized as being so doped up on religion that they are detached from reality. But Paul didn’t deny or ignore the ugly realities of life. He owned the fact that he experienced more pain than pleasure, received more hostility than praise, in following Christ he was content to shoulder the cross before receiving the crown. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12) Any form of Christianity that preaches glory and success here and now is not really Christianity. Any Christianity that does not confess with Paul that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22) is actually a religion of Satan.

We don’t have to look very far to find confirmation that Christians are wasting away, either, we only have to look in the mirror. We may not face starvation and nakedness like Paul did, but setting aside our first and best every week for God’s kingdom while balancing the mortgage payment, education expenses, food, childcare, retirement – all while fighting against the sins of worry and greed – is a lifelong battle. God has not called us to risk our lives traveling the world to preach Christ, but he has called us; he has called us to be children and parents, spouses and employees, friends and neighbors, church members and citizens; and every one of those callings demands sacrifice in one way or another, it demands that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. We may not be whipped or stoned for our faith, but we do live in a society that mocks our faith, with coworkers and friends who distort our faith, family members who have drifted from faith, and Satan plants doubts in our own hearts about our faith. God has not given us a definite thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7) to keep us humble, but when, like Hannah, our bodies don’t work as God intended, when we have to carry around a bottle of oxygen, when bikes and fishing poles are replaced by canes and walkers, when we visit the pharmacy as regularly as the grocery store, when we need glasses and contacts just to be able to see, hearing aids so we can hear, crowns and dentures to be able to eat we are humbled because we see that we are wasting away. Satan loves to pile those hardships on the scale and point to the aches and pains and stresses and sorrows and lead us to think: “God doesn’t care about you, he’s abandoned you; just give up, it’s not worth it.” But when those temptations come – and they will come – don’t deny the reality of hardship, embrace it like Paul did. Embrace it by throwing away the scale that our world uses to measure life – the scale that measures everything by what we can see, by how much we have or how much we have lost – and measure your life on the only truly accurate set of scales – God’s set.

Yes, outwardly you are wasting away – but inwardly [you] are being renewed day by day. How? That butterfly on the banner didn’t begin life looking light and beautiful. It started out as an ugly, hairy caterpillar that one day crawled into a cocoon and to all appearances died. Paul says the same is true of believers. When the signs of age begin to appear in our bodies and minds, it becomes clear that the threat of the Law is real, that the soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel 18:20) Because we sin, we will die; the only question is when. These bodies belong to a world that is infected with the terminal disease of sin. Our only hope is in God’s promise to renew us through the resurrection. In a very real way, this lifetime is preparation for eternal life. And that truth gives us the right perspective. It keeps us from falling for the world’s lie that we can achieve immorality for ourselves in the sense that given enough time, money, and ingenuity we can conquer any disease and even death. If we fall for that lie, we will find our lives and our faith tied to this body and this world. But when this body breaks down, we are forced to run back to God, to trust his promises, to commit ourselves to his care. That’s how, even as our bodies waste away, our real life, our faith is renewed and restored day by day.

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (Not that trouble earns us eternal glory, but that God uses trouble like a knife to cut one cord after another that holds us to this earth and its glory.) Just as those who join the military have determined that the benefits outweigh the risks, so Paul says that on God’s scales, the scales that weigh life not in terms of momentary pain and pleasure but in terms of eternity, the troubles we experience now cannot even compare to the glory that awaits us. What are 70 or 80 or 90 years of pain and disappointment in this world compared with thousands upon thousands of years in heaven where [God himself] will wipe every tear from [your] eyes [and] there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things [will have] passed away? (Revelation 21:4)

And so, with Paul we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. It really is all about Easter. It’s all about believing that Jesus died but God raised him to life. It’s about focusing not on the hardship we see, but on the tomb where we don’t see Jesus’ living body and our tomb which God will empty one day. When you look at life from that eternal perspective, you can see how God uses trouble now to prepare you for eternal glory.

So as you weigh the purpose and meaning and direction of your life – make sure you’re using the right set of scales. The hardships may seem to outweigh the pleasant times in life – don’t deny it, embrace it; because that puts you on the same path that countless believers – including Paul and Christ himself – walked before you. Weigh life on God’s scales and you will see that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So our prayer is not only “Lord, take away my troubles,” but “Lord, take me away from this troubled world.” And come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.  

[1] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/many-americans-died-u-s-wars/

Acts 17:1-12 - The Good News Always Gets A Reaction - May 14, 2017

Have you noticed that much of what is reported as news these days isn’t really news at all? Instead of reporting the news, much of the focus is on the reaction to the news. Driving to church this morning, the reporter announced “Kim Jong-Un fires another missile – listen to the world’s reaction.” When celebrities make outrageous comments the headline reads: “Social media explodes over outrageous comment.” It’s Mother’s Day, and many of the ads you’ve seen in the past week promise that if you give their product to mom, you’ll get the reaction you’re looking for; funny, I thought Mother’s Day was about showing mom how much we appreciate her. As Christians, we are in the news business too. As Paul reports the good news in Thessalonica and Berea he shows us that the good news always gets a reaction; some will get angry and reject it, others will believe it; and we can prepare for both by keeping our minds open to Scripture.

We’re going to approach this lesson a little bit differently than the news media, though. Instead of focusing on the reaction, we’re going to first concentrate on the news itself. Paul had developed a strategy for preaching the Gospel in each new city he visited. Even though he was called by God to be the missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), he didn’t ignore his fellow Jews – he always visited their synagogue to proclaim the Gospel to them first. So when he came to Thessalonica, that’s what he did. Three straight Saturdays he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. When Paul visited a synagogue, he knew he was working with people who knew the Old Testament, and so he worked with their knowledge explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. He laid the prophesies of Scripture and the facts of Jesus’ life side by side to make the point: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” (The Savior God had promised.) Whenever you think that sharing the good news is a complex task reserved for highly educated Christians, remember this account. While Luke only gives us a short summary of Paul’s sermon, the message he proclaimed was so simple that any Sunday school student could stand up here and preach it. The Savior God promised from the beginning of time came and suffered and died and rose again. Why? To pay for our sins against God and to rescue us from eternal death in hell. That’s the Gospel. That’s the Good News. It doesn’t take a master’s degree to understand it.

So why are we so hesitant to share it, then? Could it be that instead of focusing our attention on the news, we become distracted by the way people might react to it? Instead of thinking “The news of Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection is so important that everyone needs to hear it” we think “I’m kind of scared how they will react if I tell them why they need a Savior (Law) and that Jesus is the Savior they need (Gospel).” Has anxiety ever prevented you from telling the truth to a friend or coworker or family member? Here’s how it goes, at least in my experience: “I don’t dare tell anyone that God created the universe in six days or that the Bible is God’s Word and every letter of it is true or that Jesus was born of a virgin or that Jesus is truly God and man – they will call me a brainwashed lemming who believes things that no rational person would believe.” “If I warn them that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead and anyone who doesn’t believe in him will die forever in hell – they will accuse me of being judgmental.” “I can’t invite them to church, because if it’s a communion Sunday they won’t be allowed to join – they will call us intolerant.” “I can’t let it be known that the 10 Commandments are God’s will for all people of all time – don’t you know how unpopular God’s commands are among people – especially young people – today?” What are we forgetting when we let fear or anxiety over someone’s reaction silence our testimony? We’re forgetting that it’s the truth, right? We’re forgetting that God did create the universe in six normal days (Ge 1), that every sentence of the Bible is God’s Word (2 Ti 3:16), that Jesus was born of a virgin (Mt 1:18) and is true God and true man (Co 2:9) who will return to judge the living and the dead (Mt 25); we’re forgetting that closed communion is Christ’s command (1 Co 11) not the church’s invention and that the 10 Commandments really are God’s unchanging will for mankind (Mt 19:18) – these doctrines are true and have always been true regardless of how anyone reacts to them. Jesus himself say heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35) To put it another way, when someone asks you for directions, you don’t hesitate to give them the right directions because you’re afraid they might not like it, do you? You know it’s right and they can listen to you or not, that’s up to them. The same is true of the Good News of Christ. It is objectively true whether people like it or not, believe it or not. The good news is true – don’t ever forget that.  

And this good news will always get a reaction, be prepared for that. When Paul told the Jews in Thessalonica that Jesus had to suffer they got jealous and angry. Why? Well, Paul undoubtedly told them why Jesus had to suffer. He had to suffer because their sins were bad. Really bad. Bad enough to earn God’s judgment and punishment in hell. Jesus had to suffer and die to satisfy God’s justice. That offended them just like it offends anyone who thinks that people are generally good and can earn God’s love and favor. The Jews got angry and rejected Jesus as the Christ, not because Paul’s testimony didn’t agree with the rest of Scripture, but because they didn’t want to believe they needed this kind of a Savior – a Savior who would live in humility, suffer and die for their sins. That’s what Peter meant when he wrote: now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe…[Christ is] a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

The good news gets the same reaction today. It offends people. It wounds their carefully cultivated self-confidence and self-image to be told that they are not good enough to get to heaven on their own, so God had to send a Savior to suffer and die in their place. But that’s not the only thing that makes people mad. It’s also the other thing Paul proved from the Scriptures: that the Christ had to…rise from the dead. Doesn’t it seem like people are as gullible today as ever? Santa Claus – sure; Easter bunny – why not; you won $20,000 and all you need to do is hand over your SS# and bank information – awesome; the carbon dioxide we breathe out is destroying and warming our planet – only high school dropouts don’t believe that. But believe that Jesus bodily rose from the dead? That’s ridiculous, that’s foolishness. They will deny this even though the evidence is overwhelming: 1) it was predicted thousands of years beforehand (Ge 3:15; Psalm 16); 2) Jesus proved his power over death during his life (Mt 9; Jn 11); 3) he appeared to hundreds of people after his resurrection (1 Co 15); 4) Jesus’ enemies had to bribe the guards to cover up the resurrection (Mt 28) – even with all that historic and scientific evidence people still get mad at Jesus’ resurrection because they believe it insults their intelligence.

And, just like in Paul’s day, they often aren’t very civilized about their rejection either. In Thessalonica they formed a mob, started a riot, and when they couldn’t find Paul and Silas they seized Jason and a few other Christians and hauled them before the city officials and accused them of troubling the world and committing treason against Caesar. That’s what people who don’t like this good news always do. They’ll exaggerate. They’ll lie. They’ll twist what we teach. They did it in Thessalonica and they still do it today. They’ll say that Christians hate women and worship a paper God and want to take society back to the Stone Age. Don’t be surprised by it. Paul warned the Corinthians: we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. (1 Corinthians 1:23) Don’t expect everyone to embrace the good news of Christ crucified. In fact, expect that many people will reject it and hate you for it, because the Good News has always gotten that kind of reaction.

But you can also expect that some will receive this news and joyfully believe it. That’s the reaction Paul’s message received in the next town he visited. As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. (Note that Paul didn’t change his strategy even after his experience with the Jews in Thessalonica.) Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. In one city the good news prompts people to react angrily and violently, in another it is received with great eagerness and believed by Jews and Gentiles, men and women. But really, that shouldn’t surprise us either, should it? Paul told the Christians in Rome: I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Romans 1:16) The good news is believed by some, not because of who preaches it or how we share it, but because it is the very power of God.

There’s something else noteworthy about the Bereans. You know how the world loves to call Christians close-minded, intolerant, and judgmental? The word translated noble character can also be translated open-minded. The Bereans who gladly received and believed the good news are called open-minded by no less that God the Holy Spirit. They were open minded because they had open Bibles. They weren’t gullible. They weren’t brainwashed. They weren’t brain dead Neanderthals. They didn’t believe Paul’s message just because he told them it was true. They tested everything Paul told them against the one thing they knew to be absolutely true: the inspired Scriptures. This is one of the hallmarks of truth: it bears up under the most intense scrutiny. God doesn’t expect anyone to blindly accept his good news; in fact, by giving us the Bible he is basically daring us to examine it and test it for errors. (Spoiler alert: you won’t find any!)

I wonder if another reason we are not always eager to report the good news of Christ crucified is because we aren’t always like the Bereans. We don’t examine the Scriptures to see if what we hear and think we believe matches what God says in Scripture. We haven’t discovered what God says for ourselves and so the faith remains something that pastor preaches and our church teaches but that we aren’t really sure about. The truth is that we will always be shy and hesitant to share the Good News if we have little more than a superficial knowledge of the Bible. Be like the Bereans. Test what I say against God’s Word. I won’t be offended. In fact, there is no greater compliment that you can pay a Lutheran pastor than to test everything he says against Scripture. Not only will your faith be reinforced, but you will grow in courage and confidence to be like Paul – witnessing to others the truth that Jesus is the Christ, regardless of their reaction to it. You will have that confidence because when your mind is open to Scripture, God’s unchanging truth becomes your saving truth.

Much of what is reported as news these days isn’t really news but people’s reaction to the news. That’s understandable because the media depends on ratings and reactions to survive. The Christian church is not dependent on ratings and reactions. The Christian church is built on the rock-solid promises of God and is in the business of proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who suffered and died to save us from our sins. We know that it will get a variety of reactions – that some won’t tolerate it and will get angry; but we also know that some will gladly receive it and believe it. Either way, our confidence doesn’t come from the reaction but from the fact that it’s God’s truth – the only truth that leads heaven. May God open our hearts and minds and the hearts and minds of many more to eagerly receive and believe the good news of Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Amen.

John 10:1-10 - The Good Shepherd Leads Us - May 7, 2017

The words before us are some of the most familiar in the whole Bible. This chapter of John has inspired many well-known hymns and works of art – like the one over there. For many Christians, their first impression of Jesus is as their Good Shepherd, as their parents and grandparents sing them to sleep with “I Am Jesus Little Lamb.” We know Jesus as our Good Shepherd. But here’s something you might not know: Jesus’ description of himself as the only good shepherd was born from controversy.

Jesus had given a poor back his sight. This man’s friends and neighbors were shocked and stunned by this unheard of miracle. So they brought him to the religious authorities, the Pharisees. The Pharisees conducted an investigation. When they interrogated this man and he refused to retract the truth that Jesus of Nazareth had given him his sight, the Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue; they excommunicated him. Jesus bluntly and directly called the Pharisees blind guides; robbers and thieves who were destroying God’s flock.

Why was Jesus so judgmental, so intolerant of the Pharisees? Quite simply, because they were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of God’s people; they were called to keep them safe by pointing out the dangers of sin and unbelief and feed them on fertile pastures of God’s promises. But the Pharisees had betrayed both God and his people. They had become spiritual thieves and robbers who were leading Israel away from God by adding their own ideas to God’s Word. The Pharisees taught that salvation was achieved by obeying a set of rules and regulations that they had invented above and apart from God’s Law. They were not faithful shepherds. They were leading Israel into spiritual destruction. In response to the Pharisees’ malpractice, Jesus uses the opportunity to make a bigger point: not everyone who claims to come in God’s name is a faithful shepherd of the flock.

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. Even if you’re not in the sheep business, you can understand this imagery. Every evening the shepherd would lead his flock to the sheep pen where they would be safe from wild animals and thieves throughout the night. Quite often, several shepherds would keep their flocks in a single enclosure, to reduce the number of night watchmen needed. In the morning, as each shepherd arrived, he would call to his flock and they would follow him out to be fed and watered. But the legitimate shepherds weren’t the only ones interested in the sheep. Some would sneak into the pen to steal the sheep. They were robbers and thieves. They weren’t interested in the well-being of the sheep, they sought only to take and steal what they could from the flock. That’s what the Pharisees had done to the blind man and were doing to God’s people: they were sneaking into the fold – claiming authority over God’s people – by means other than the Gospel and were robbing the sheep of their salvation.

We might think that the Pharisees are ancient history, but godless sheep stealers are still everywhere. We know the world is filled with voices preaching something very different from God’s Law and Gospel. We hear them on the radio, TV; we read their heresy in the newspaper and online; their voice comes from Washington D.C. and Hollywood, and they feed our children lies about everything from creation to sexual identity in school. As dangerous as those humanistic, immoral voices are a far greater threat comes from those who claim to speak for God and yet proclaim an anti-Christian message. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons may come to your door carrying their Bibles and able to quote a whole slew of Bible passages for you, but if you listen closely you hear that they aren’t interested in pointing out sin and leading you to Christ for forgiveness – but that they want you to accept and believe their own message and method to get to eternal life – a message that depends on how earnest, zealous, honest and obedient you are.

But perhaps more of a danger today are the men (and sometimes women) who claim to speak in God’s name throughout America – apart from any denomination. They can be found in the big box churches you see popping up all over the place. They are often good-looking and always well-spoken, they use lots of Christian-sounding words and they draw hundreds and thousands of spectators. But when you listen carefully, you will not hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. You might hear promises of earthly wealth and peace and prosperity – but Jesus has never guaranteed those things. They tease people with the promise of a close, personal relationship with Jesus – but they deny the very means through which Jesus has promised to come to us: the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. Like flies drawn to light, people fly to their churches, attracted by their image of wealth and success – but the untold story is that they become rich by fleecing the flock. These leaders are not faithful shepherds, they are robbers and thieves. Why do so many fill pews and write checks to these frauds? Why do they follow the voice of strangers, frauds and false shepherds? The only conclusion can be that they really don’t know the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Which begs the question: do we know the voice of our Good Shepherd? Would you recognize a stranger’s voice, a false teacher? Would you know if someone, if I or any other preacher, was not leading you to Christ but stealing you away from him? You might be tired of hearing the regular encouragement to be faithful in worship and bring their children to Sunday school and attend Bible class and have family devotions at home and study the Bible on their own time. Satan makes it seem like spending time in God’s Word is some terrible burden that no one should have to bear. But just like it takes years of listening for sheep to recognize their shepherd’s voice, it takes years – a lifetime – of study for believers to learn the voice of Jesus so well that they will not be misled by the voices of the thieves and robbers; the frauds and fakes – who are out not only to steal your time and money, but the salvation of your soul.

Nothing can replace the time you personally spend with Jesus in his Word. But here are three basic things you should listen for in any sermon that claims to be Christian. First, what’s the subject matter? If the main focus is on your life or the life of the speaker, alarm bells should go off. The only proper focus for a Christian sermon is the inspired, inerrant Word of God with its central message of Christ crucified. Second, what is the problem that the shepherd is seeking to cure? Does the problem go no deeper than your health or wealth or emotions or marriage or social life or coworkers or politics? Or, is the main problem deeper than that; is the main problem in you, the sin that lives in your own heart and separates you from God. (Closely related to that, does the speaker proclaim God’s Law and threat of punishment in all its sternness, or do they modify the Law to better fit our secular, immoral culture?) Third, what’s the solution to the problem? Do you have to do something? Do you need to pray more, give more, work more, try harder or climb some ladder to get right with God? God loves you too much to leave your salvation in your hands. The real message of Christianity is that the real, deep, eternal problem is human sin – not only the sins we do but the sinfulness we were born with; the solution can only be found in the cross of Christ; and this message can only be found in the pages of Scripture. If that’s not the message you’re hearing, run. Run away and don’t look back. Run because your Good Shepherd tells you to run – that’s how he keeps you safe from robbers and thieves.

The crowd – and especially the Pharisees – didn’t understand this metaphor, so Jesus used another, even simpler picture. I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. If you’ve ever wondered why the world hates Christians, this is why. The unbelieving world wants the freedom to create its own religion, its own god, its own morality, its own way to heaven. But Jesus says that the only way to heaven is through faith in him. Christians are called intolerant and bigoted and hateful and judgmental and, in some places, are blown up and beheaded for standing firm on this truth. But no one will go to heaven who denies Jesus as the only Savior from sin. The entire NT makes it clear that this is the central doctrine of the Bible and the linchpin of salvation. When a jailer asked Paul what he had to do to be saved, Paul answered believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31) In his Pentecost sermon Peter proclaimed salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Jesus himself said whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18) Can this really be true? Can we really believe that there is only one path to heaven and it passes through a Jew from Nazareth named Jesus? Are we willing to face the hostility of the world and the wrath of hell, are we willing to put our present and future, our time and talents, our very lives and our eternity in the hands of Jesus as our Good Shepherd?  

The answer to that question doesn’t lie in your heart, it lies in what this shepherd has already done for you. This shepherd didn’t sit in his mansion and tell you how to earn God’s favor, he came down to this troubled planet to do the dirty, bloody work of earning God’s favor for you. This shepherd volunteered to take the blame for your lies, your hatred, your impatience and greed; your sins of thought, word and deed. This shepherd allowed himself to be betrayed, arrested, condemned, beaten and whipped for you. This shepherd took your place on a cursed cross and suffered your punishment in hell. This shepherd rose again to life for you. This shepherd offers the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation to all people, free of charge, no strings attached. What other shepherd, leader, preacher, or teacher can say that? Jesus is the only shepherd you can trust because he’s the only way to eternal life – and the only way to a full life right now.

Jesus closes: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Sheep don’t need much to keep them happy; give them some green grass, a cool stream, a safe shelter and a faithful shepherd, and they are content. For a sheep, that’s a full life. What’s your idea of a full life? Are you content with the essentials – food, water, clothing, shelter, the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life? Is that enough for you? We don’t seem to be as easily pleased as sheep, do we? We want more. A better job. A bigger house. A nicer car. Better health. A more luxurious retirement. A different, more attractive spouse. More money, more influence, more, more, more. Satan tempts us to equate having a full life with having a life full of earthly things.

Here’s the truth about a full life: in his abundant grace, our Good Shepherd has given us more than just the bare essentials, but even if he didn’t, and even if he takes some of those things away from us, we would still have a full life. How? Because having a full life doesn’t depend on our level of comfort, health, wealth or any other thing that this world can offer. The full life Jesus promises you is one filled with the things of God: the promise of his abiding presence every day, peace with God through his blood, his protection from enemies both physical and spiritual, his unwavering love, his abundant mercy and forgiveness, the absolute certainty of salvation. Those are the things your shepherd died to win for you. Those things are yours whether you are rich or poor, healthy or sick. Those are things no one can steal from you. Those are the things a full, content, joyful life is made of.

Today your Good Shepherd calls to you. Listen to his voice and he will keep you safe from thieves and robbers and lead you to a life full of blessing now and forever in heaven. Amen.  

Luke 24:13-35 - Great Expectations - April 30, 2017

Set in 19th century England, Charles Dicken’s novel Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, an orphan adopted by a blacksmith’s family, who has good luck and great expectations, and then loses both his luck and his expectations – and in the process finds true happiness. Without rehashing a book you may have read decades ago, in the character Pip, Dickens portrayed the situation many citizens in 19th century England faced: the nation was becoming a wealthy world power, the industrial age was making factories more productive, inventions were making life safer and easier – and yet, in spite of all the progress, the average citizen still did not realize the wonderful life the turn of the century had promised. I suppose such a story could be told about any nation in any age. Does the theme of great – and often unfulfilled – expectations ever characterize our lives as Christians? Here we are, a mere 14 days from celebrating the ultimate turning point of human history: our Savior’s resurrection victory over sin, death, and the devil. But it doesn’t even take 2 weeks for reality sap our joy, does it? Easter’s victory and joy already seem like a distant memory. Why? Easter has given us great expectations; so why do we so often feel gloomy and hopeless? On the road to Emmaus, our Savior teaches us a few things about Great Expectations; namely that human expectations lead to sadness, but that Scripture’s promises ignite our faith and renew our joy.

Luke 24 takes us back to Easter Sunday afternoon. For the disciples, it had been a chaotic and whirlwind week. On Sunday, Jesus had entered Jerusalem to great fanfare, Monday through Wednesday he taught in Bethany and Jerusalem, on Thursday he celebrated the Passover and then instituted a new meal as a sign of a new covenant, and then, in the span of mere hours was betrayed, arrested, convicted, crucified and buried; he was there and then suddenly, he was gone. Then Easter morning came and only seemed to complicate matters. The women who had gone to finish the burial of Jesus’ body reported that the tomb was empty and that an angel appeared, claiming he was alive. But when Peter raced to the tomb he didn’t find anything but some empty grave clothes. (Luke 24:1-12) Confused and sad, two of the disciples had given up hope and decided to return to Emmaus.

What would you say is the most important detail of this story? Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. We tend to pass over this detail because we are captivated by the words that follow: they were kept from recognizing him. How? There are many theories, but two things stand out to us: 1) Jesus now had a glorified, heavenly body so different from the humble human flesh he had before his resurrection that the disciples could see him, but could not recognize him; (Mark 16:12) 2) imagine you are driving home from the cemetery after a burial, who’s the last person you expect to see driving the car next to you? They believed Jesus was dead and gone; so they couldn’t see him right in front of them. In any case, Jesus was with them, but they didn’t recognize him (which, incidentally, is a gospel truth we all need to learn over and over).

Why did Jesus do that to them? He could certainly see how sad and confused they were. It seems cruel and cold-hearted to let them languish in their hopelessness. Why didn’t Jesus just reveal himself and remove their sadness and confusion immediately? Why do we ask those questions? Isn’t it bordering on heresy to suggest that Jesus could do anything less than loving? We ask these questions because we see ourselves in this story. We have all found ourselves in situations where we have more questions than answers, more confusion than clarity, more sadness than joy. In really tough times, we can feel a lot like those disciples: hopelessly walking and talking in circles. We feel for these disciples because we often feel like them. We feel bad for them because we often feel bad for ourselves. We wonder why Jesus didn’t relieve their pain and answer their questions sooner because we wonder why he doesn’t give us relief and answers sooner. As understandable as all that is, they overlook the most important fact, don’t they? Jesus was there! Jesus is always there, he’s always here; he promised! (Matthew 28:20) Then why didn’t he show himself, why didn’t he give them what they wanted? We ask the same question, don’t we? Why doesn’t Jesus just answer my prayers, why doesn’t he give me what I want and expect?

The truth is, we should thank Jesus for not living up to our expectations. Have you ever done that? You should. You should thank him every day for refusing to live up to all human expectations because if he hadn’t heaven would still be locked to us. Thank Jesus that he did not do what we want, but what his Father wanted. Humans expect God to stay in heaven where he belongs – but God’s Son was born in Bethlehem. Humans expect God to show favor to the good and rich and powerful – Jesus spent his time healing and preaching the gospel to the outcasts of society, to poor, weak, helpless sinners. Humans expect that God will accept them just the way they are – but when God’s Son appeared humanity hated him so much for who he was that they not only laughed at him and rejected him but nailed him to a tree and killed him. Humans expect to get what we deserve – God poured out on Jesus the wrath that we deserve so that we could receive the inheritance we don’t deserve. Humans expect dead people to stay dead – God raised Jesus so that we could be certain of our salvation. Those disciples on the road to Emmaus had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. They didn’t realize it yet, but he did! He bought us back from sin, death, and the devil by suffering, dying and rising again. Who would have planned or expected that? No one but God. So, thank Jesus for not living up to our fallen, foolish, selfish expectations – because if we are looking for a Savior who lives up to our expectations, then not only will we mope through this life, but we will have no hope for the next.

The first lesson we learn on that road to Emmaus is that human expectations lead to sadness now and eternally – so Jesus doesn’t live up to human expectations. The second is that the promises of Scripture are better than anything we would expect – so that’s where we should look for Jesus. Again, don’t forget the most important detail of this journey to Emmaus: Jesus was with these disciples. He walked beside them. He talked with them. And, when he had heard their hopeless story, he rebuked them and corrected them. How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Jesus put his finger on the real problem, didn’t he? The problem was not with Jesus, the problem was with the disciples; they had the wrong expectations. We shouldn’t think that these disciples expected what many of their fellow Jews did: a revolutionary Messiah who would overthrow the Roman Empire. No, even though their faith was weak and incomplete, it was there. And from what they report about the events of the previous week we gather that their disappointment didn’t stem from the fact that he died, but the fact that he hadn’t yet showed himself to them alive – they had hoped for Jesus to establish a kingdom on earth. And yet, while Jesus would reveal himself to them in the end by breaking bread with them, that expectation was misplaced and foolish. Why? Because faith doesn’t need to see and touch, faith needs only to hold on to God’s promises. (see Luke 16:31) The disciples weren’t lacking visible proof of Jesus’ resurrection; they were lacking faith. That’s they lesson they learned in the end, wasn’t it? Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? Jesus rekindled their faith and joy, not by revealing himself to them – he disappeared again in moments – but by pointing them back to Scripture.

Have you felt sad or downcast or disappointed in the 14 days since Easter? Why? Is it because it turns out Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? No, he did; more than 500 people saw him alive. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) Is it because you have committed a sin that can’t be forgiven? No, John assures us that the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) Is it because your life has taken a turn you didn’t expect? Maybe. Is it because you have grown frustrated with the people around you or life in general? Possibly. Is it because Jesus is not the Risen Savior you expected him to be? Getting warmer. Or is it because like those disciples you are slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken – or even worse, you don’t know your Bible well enough to know what the prophets have said? Bingo. If you don’t know your Bible and believe what it says you will always be disappointed because you don’t know what Jesus has promised. So if you’re tired of wandering through life like those disciples, then turn to the one place Jesus promises to be found – and you will find that what he promises is better than anything you could have expected.

That’s a pretty big claim; let’s put it to the test. I’m struggling with chronic pain or a sickness that just won’t go away, I’ve prayed about it and was expecting Jesus to have cured me by now. No wonder you’re sad. Jesus has promised no such thing. This is what he did say to the Apostle Paul when he pleaded with the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh: my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) If a physical ailment has forced you to rely on God for strength – that’s a good thing! I looked around the church on Easter and saw how full it was and I was expecting that God would keep bringing those people back and keep our church growing. No wonder you’re disappointed (I am too!). You’ve forgotten that even as Jesus commands us to preach the Gospel to all people, he reveals that the seed will fall on all sorts of different kinds of soil, that most people who hear the Word will let the devil or the world or worry or unbelief crowd it out. (Matthew 13:1-23) I have sinned but I repented and so I was expecting that I wouldn’t face any consequences. No wonder you’re confused. Forgiveness doesn’t prevent earthly consequences, but even then the book of Hebrews offers this assurance: do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. (Hebrews 12:5-6) Discipline is not a sign that God has abandoned you, but that he loves you! Life is short and hard, and at the end of it, you die – I expected more as a disciple of Christ. No one is denying that life is hard. That’s why Christian hope is not built on what we see but on what is unseen, safe with our Savior in heaven. Paul wrote: Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) Those are just a few examples, but I hope you get the point. Hoping that Jesus will live up to your fallen, limited expectations will only leave you sad and disappointed. But when you open your Bible and read it and trust it, your will find that God’s promises are better than you ever would have expected; so that you can say: was not my heart burning within me while he talked with me and opened the Scriptures to me?

Charles Dickens was on to something. People of all times and places have great expectations, but reality regularly dashes those expectations. Those two disciples on the road to Emmaus had great expectations for Jesus. They were sad because Jesus wasn’t what they expected him to be. But when Jesus opened the Scriptures to them he taught them that their Risen Savior was even better than they expected. He is our redeemer; and our redeemer lives! Turn away from your own expectations – expectations that regularly leave you sad and hopeless. Turn instead to the promises of Scripture – where Jesus walks with you and talks with you, rekindling your hope and joy; that great expectation will never disappoint, because Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. Amen.

Acts 10:36-43 - He's Risen So You May Know - April 23, 2017

As evening fell on Easter Sunday, Peter had a lot on his mind. As his eyes grew heavy he remembered how he slept instead of watching and praying during his Lord’s struggle in Gethsemane. (Mark 14:32-42) The sword at his side reminded him of his foolish, rash actions as the mob, led by Judas, arrived to arrest Jesus. (Mark 14:43-52) He couldn’t help but kick himself for allowing a servant girl’s question to lead him to deny his Lord – a dark betrayal he would remember every time a rooster crowed. (Mark 14:66-72) The scene on Golgotha – the gambling soldiers, the wailing women, the angry mob, and in the midst of it all, the quiet determination of Jesus to die – was permanently impressed on his memory; but the shame of watching it all from a distance still left a bitter, guilty taste in his mouth. (Mark 15:21-41) And then there was the tomb. Earlier that morning Peter had raced with John to the tomb expecting to find…what? We don’t know what they expected to find – but all they found were the scraps of linen that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body. (John 20:1-9) And now in this locked room Peter felt fear; the fear of doubt, the fear of loss, the fear of the Jews – most of all fear of God’s judgment because of his weakness, his betrayal, his lack of faith. On Easter evening, Peter had a lot on his mind – but peace was not one of them.

But now it’s several years later and Peter is a changed man. No longer sad and guilty and fearful – now Peter has peace. Now Peter is in Caesarea, doing something he never imagined – walking into the house of a Gentile soldier named Cornelius to preach a sermon that all people need to hear. He proclaims that because Jesus rose from the dead you may know peace with God, the lasting significance of Jesus’ work, and the mission of the church.

From a human perspective, Cornelius had every reason to be at peace. He had a good job – as a centurion in the Roman army he had power and prestige, authority and a regular salary and a government pension. He lived in a Roman outpost on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. He had his spiritual bases covered – or at least he thought he did. Luke tells us earlier in Acts 10 that [Cornelius] and his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (Acts 10:2) And yet, Cornelius didn’t have peace, because all of his earthly success, his best efforts, his generosity to the poor, even his prayers couldn’t quiet the voice in his head that condemned him as a sinner and warned him of God’s impending judgment. So God sent Peter to Cornelius with the only message that could quiet that voice by removing his sin and guilt forever.

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. God puts an innate, natural knowledge of himself into every human heart from conception – so it comes as no surprise that people of every language and nation believe in and worship a god or gods. But what is shocking is how drastically different the gods people make for themselves are from the one, true God revealed in history and Scripture. The Greeks and Romans fabricated dozens of gods whose lives were like soap operas – not so different from the celebrities people worship today: rich and powerful, but very flawed; very human. During Luther’s day most people thought of god as a harsh judge whose anger needed to be appeased by good works and offerings and prayers. Today, many think of god as a divine therapist whose only job is to help them deal with the uncomfortable realities of life. And there have always been those who have no more use for god than someone to point the finger at when things go wrong – and to be forgotten and ignored when things go right.

Thankfully the Holy Spirit used men like Peter to tell us what God is really like and what is really on his mind. And do you know what’s on God’s mind – has been on his mind since Adam and Eve brought sin into the world? Peace. Peace, the end of hostility and enmity, between himself and humanity. The message God has been trying for thousands of years to get through to humanity is that he has ended the war we started; he created peace in the midst of our treachery and rebellion. He is not mad at you, he doesn’t want you to try to buy his love – he wants you to trust that he loved you first, he wants to have you in his family, he has reserved a place for you in his home in heaven. Far from the vindictive, irrelevant, bully that many people think of when they make their own god out of thin air, the true God, the God of Israel, the God revealed in Scripture is a God of peace – and he wants you to know that peace.

But how can we be sure? Everything we experience tells us just the opposite. We sin with terrible frequency. Our consciences testify against us. The law – not to mention our coworkers, spouses and children – regularly point out how imperfect we are. We know, without anyone telling us that we have not done enough good and done far too much evil to be right with God. Cornelius knew that too. That’s why Peter pointed him in a different direction. He told him the really good news that peace with God didn’t depend on him, but on someone else. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Do you want proof that you have peace with God? Then don’t look in the mirror, look at Jesus, look at his life, his cross, his empty tomb. Jesus’ life, from his baptism in the Jordan to his miracles to his preaching, proves that he is the one sent by God. When you see the cross you see how seriously God takes disobedience to his commands. There you see the kind of punishment all of your sins – from the biggest to the smallest – deserve. Look at the tomb and see that God means it when he declares that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 3:23) But then look at your hands and feet and remember that it wasn’t you the Roman soldiers nailed to that tree. Look at the cross and see how much God wants peace with you – so much that he sacrificed his own Son to create it. Look there and know that because God poured out every ounce of his anger on Jesus, his mercy and forgiveness are freely given to you. Look at the tomb and see evidence that because Jesus is gone, your sins are gone – removed from God’s record books forever. You may still have all sorts of doubts and fears and anxieties in life (certainly Peter and Cornelius still did) – but when you know and believe that everything Jesus did, he did for you, you will have peace even when doubts arise and even when life doesn’t go the way you planned. That’s why Jesus taught and healed and suffered and died – and because he has risen, you can know that with certainty. That’s the lasting significance of his work.

And, finally, Christ is risen so that you may know the mission of his church. One of the reasons people, especially young people, lose interest and leave the church is because they misunderstand or forget the purpose of the church. Sadly, in large part this is the church’s fault. People think that the church simply exists to enforce earthly morality – because the church has often made the enforcement of earthly morality its highest priority. People treat the church like nothing more than another social organization – because too often the church has emphasized fellowship over discipleship. Too many churches ask “what do people need?” and then spend every resource filling that need. So you can find churches that offer Christian yoga because people need to lose weight; churches that hold financial seminars because people need help with money management; churches that hold concerts instead of worship services on Sundays because people think they need an emotional escape from life. Now, none of those things are necessarily evil by themselves. But if you’ve ever come to church hoping to find financial peace or physical health or emotional relief – you’ve probably left disappointed, not only because the church isn’t very good at those things, but because that’s not the mission God gave to his church.

For a long time Peter didn’t get that either – he too thought Jesus’ kingdom should be an earthly one that fixes earthly problems – but now he gets it: He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. This is God’s message for his church. Is it good news or bad news? Both, right? The bad news: Judgment Day is coming and Jesus, the one you put to death by your sins will be the judge. The good news: the one you put to death died to pay for your sins so that you may be found “not-guilty” in his courtroom. Preaching and teaching law and gospel, the church’s mission is as simple as that. And, if you don’t want to take Peter’s word for it, then listen to Jesus. He strips down his mission for his church to its bare essentials: he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:22) Jesus did not commission his church to make this world a better place or solve every problem or satisfy the needs of every person on earth. Christ has commissioned his church to distribute the one thing that every single person, young and old, wealthy and poor, absolutely needs: the forgiveness of sins. Whether this takes place here at the baptismal font, from the pulpit, the altar, in a Bible study; or out there when a parent lovingly disciplines their child or Christian spouses forgive each other or a family gathers for a devotion at the bed of a loved one – the church’s business is sin: forgiving those who repent and refusing forgiveness to those who refuse to repent. That is what Christ commanded his church to do. That’s what all people need. That is the church’s mission. Whenever the church loses its focus on this mission, there will be unrest, disagreement, and the absence of any real peace.

But God sent Jesus to earth so that we may have real peace. He brought peace to a rebellious world by satisfying God’s demand for perfect obedience. He brought peace to sinful people by paying the price for sin with his blood on the cross. He proved that peace is ours by walking out of the tomb alive. And, he brings peace by making the church’s mission clear: to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in his name. We may not know everything and we certainly cannot do everything for everyone, but we know peace with God through Jesus' work and we have our mission – because Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Amen.

Psalm 118:14-24 - This Is the Day the Lord Has Made - April 16, 2017

When it comes to holidays, most of the dates are immovably etched on calendars and engrained in our minds. Memorial Day is always observed on the last Monday in May; Labor Day the first Monday in September; on October 31st Protestant Christians commemorate the Reformation while the unbelieving world celebrates Halloween, Christmas always falls on December 25th and Valentine’s Day on February 14th. But what about Easter? When do we celebrate Easter? The date for Easter changes each year. How? Why? Does God send angels to every church to tell them when they ought to celebrate Easter? No. Nothing so dramatic. The date for Easter is actually established by the moon. Since our Lord was crucified the day before Passover and he rose again the day after, we fix Easter to correspond with the date God set for the Passover celebration – that is, the Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Of course, we do this in Christian freedom, the Bible does not command us when to celebrate the Resurrection. In the end, while human calculations may have fixed April 16th as Easter this year, our Psalm makes it clear that this is the Day the Lord Has Made. For on this day the Lord has made Christ our salvation, our strength, and our song.

Psalm 118 places us right in the middle of a great victory celebration. God gave his OT people many great victories throughout history: God used the waters of the Red Sea to wash Pharaoh and his army into oblivion, he used the fortress walls of Jericho against its own people, he used a shepherd boy to defeat a Philistine giant. But this victory is greater than any of those. This victory is Christ’s victory over the previously undefeated enemies of sin, death, and the devil! You may have noticed that our Psalm doesn’t come right out and say that. It doesn’t echo the angel’s Easter message: He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:6) There is no tomb, no angels, no women. But our Psalm tells the Easter story just the same: the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

If you’ve ever built with stone, maybe a walkway or a chimney, you know that you need just the right one – right size and color – and if the one in your hand isn’t just right, you throw it away. Throughout his life, that’s exactly what many people did with Jesus. Jesus came to his own people, the Jews, but they rejected him because he did not fit their ideas of what the Messiah, the Savior, ought to be and do. The Gentiles rejected him because his plan to save mankind by suffering and dying did not sound glorious to their ears and was unacceptable to their reason. They all treated Jesus like a stone that didn’t fit the blueprint and so they rejected him, mocked him, beat him, whipped him, and finally nailed him to a tree to die. And for three days it seemed like Jesus’ enemies were right. If he stayed dead, he was just an imposter, a fool, a fake. But on the third day God went out to the grave where his Son was buried and made him the capstone, the cornerstone – the most important stone to be laid in human history.

God did that by raising his Son from the dead. The Apostle Peter explains: the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone means that salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11-12) By raising him from the dead, God declared Jesus to be the one and only Savior – because only he did what needed to be done to save sinners. God demands perfect obedience from his creatures – from us – and anything less must be punished with death in hell. The Law tells us that we have not obeyed God perfectly and that we deserve to suffer forever for it.

But God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Christ took our humanity and he took our place under God’s law. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he never sinned. And then, although he had lived the only life that didn’t deserve punishment, he took our sins on his shoulders and paid for them by suffering the scorn of men, the wrath of God, the depths of hell and the horror of a miserable death on a cross. By his flawless life and his sacrificial death, Jesus did everything necessary to save sinners like us. There was only one question left after his lifeless body was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb: would God accept his payment, was it sufficient to satisfy his righteous anger? Easter gives us the answer. The builders – both Jew and Gentile – had rejected Christ, but God accepted him – and declared him to be the capstone, the Lord of Life and the Savior of sinners.

And today – God pleads with us to build our faith and our lives on this precious cornerstone. He shows us our need for this Savior by holding the mirror of his Law up to our far-from-perfect lives. He tells that he demands nothing less than perfect love and obedience from us. And he reveals to us the Law’s diagnosis – a diagnosis that holds true for every person ever born: there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) So he pleads with us to build on Christ. Salvation can be found in no one else – but salvation for all can be found in Christ.

Does God really need to plead with us to do this? People love free stuff. Who would reject this Savior and his offer of free, no-strings-attached salvation? You’d be surprised – or maybe you wouldn’t. Some people reject Christ because they don’t think they need a Savior, they don’t think their lives are all that bad (they are living in a fantasy world). Others reject him because they don’t think that a dead Jew can provide the key to salvation, so they try to get to heaven their own way; by following their own made-up rules. There are others who think of Jesus as a glorified life-coach whose only role is to teach them how to be better spouses, better parents, better people – or they think of him as a genie who can fill their bank accounts and heal their bodies and make them happy – but they deny his resurrection and reject him as Savior. There are millions of people who are so wrapped up in the trivial things of this world that they have no time for a Savior from sin – and there are the people who don’t mind Jesus but stick up their noses at organized religion and still others who think they have earned God’s (or at least mom’s) favor if they darken the doorstep of church once or twice a year. (They may think they are right with God, but Judgment Day will provide a terrible wakeup call for them.) Because so many people still reject the only real Jesus God pleads with you today. Stop building on the flimsy foundation of your own goodness; stop thinking of Jesus as nothing more than a dead Jew or a life coach or a wish granting genie – he’s so much more than that. Because this is the day the Lord has made Christ our salvation. He has taken the stone that so many reject and made him the capstone – the only Savior. Build on him for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Christ is our salvation – and he is our strength. Listen again to our Psalm: shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” If you’ve ever seen a boxing or wrestling match, you know that after the last whistle has blown, the referee lifts the hand of one of the competitors to show that he is the winner. In that garden with the empty tomb, God raised Jesus’ hand in victory. He went toe to toe with sin and death and Satan and he won. He destroyed sin by paying its dreadful price with his blood. He descended into hell to put a collar on Satan and led him in a victory parade as his beaten enemy. He ripped the guts out of death by stepping out of the grave alive.

But this victory doesn’t only belong to Jesus. The very human author of our psalm writes: I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Christ is our strength – because his victory is our victory. Paul’s words echo this certain victory over death: Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-56) Christ didn’t just defeat death for his own sake; he robbed death of its power over the world. He has paid for every sin and obeyed the Law for everyone. So that, just as Jesus died but did not stay dead, whoever believes in him may die but will not stay dead. In him, death is not final – it is the gateway to eternal life. This is the day the Lord has made Christ our strength to face death…and, until then, Christ is our strength to face life.

Did you notice that even though our psalm speaks of victory over death, it doesn’t ignore the harsh realities of life? The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Even though God has promised us certain victory over death, he does allow pain, hardship and suffering to come into our lives now. Which begs the question: where do you look for strength when you face trials and troubles in daily life? When sickness or loneliness plague you, when your body breaks down or your family breaks up, when you lose your job or think you are losing your mind – where do you turn for help? Your wealth, your career, your family, your friends, your government, your own physical strength or intellect or determination? Many place their trust in those things. But then money runs out; the pink slip comes; the best your family and friends can say is “I wish there was something I could do”; the government – let’s not even go there; the day will come when you will face a problem that your strength, intellect and determination cannot solve. Stop looking to those things for strength – because sooner or later they will all fail. Instead, look to Jesus – the one who during his lifetime healed sick bodies and sick minds, who provided food for thousands and calmed the fiercest storms, who went face to face with sin, death, and the devil, and won – he is the only one who will never fail. He’s the only one who can (and has) promised do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) Today, because he rose from the dead, you can look to Christ for the strength to face death – and, until then, to face life.

And because of that today Christ is our song. The day was so victorious that the author couldn’t keep it to himself: open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. You know when you have a song or radio jingle stuck in your head? A tune you hum or sing without even realizing it? Or maybe you have a particular song you turn on when you’re feeling down or really happy. That’s what Christ is like for believers. He’s in our heads, our hearts, and on our lips. Today, on Easter, our voices are raised in praise – we know that our Redeemer lives and we aren’t afraid to let the world to hear about it. But just like a tune will fade from your mind after time – this saving faith in Christ will fade from your heart if you don’t hear it regularly. That’s why God gave us the Church; yes, believe it or not, the much maligned institution many despise as “organized religion” is actually God’s creation and his gift to us! Every Sunday Christ comes here to serve us with his Word and Sacrament. He comes here to forgive our sins and calm our fears and guide us through a dark, troubled world. He leads us – young and old – beside quiet waters and restores our souls, he guides us in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23) – so that when we leave here, to walk through the valley of shadow of death, though we may be harassed and abused by the devil and the world the song of his forgiveness and love will guide and strengthen and sustain us. This is the day the Lord has made Christ your strength and salvation. Tomorrow and every day, make Christ the theme-song of your life.

This year, Easter falls on April 16th, and while we admit that human calculations determined the date for this celebration, we know that this is really the day the Lord has made: he has made Christ our salvation – by raising from the dead the stone the builders rejected; he has made Christ our strength – so that with his power and promise we can face the challenges of life and death without fear; he has made Christ our song – the theme of our lips and our lives. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

Psalm 111 - Let's Not Forget - April 13, 2017

“Lest we forget” are words engraved on memorial stones around the world. Most often they are found on military memorials which recall battles and wars and those who fought in them. This reminder is necessary because the passage of time makes it easy to forget the people who gave their lives, the lessons we should learn, and the fact that war in any form causes tremendous suffering and loss. The words are even more meaningful when you know their original context. In 1897 Rudyard Kipling composed a poem for the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee called Recessional. His poem expressed pride in the accomplishments and prominence of the British Empire, but it also expressed the fear that the Empire might go the way of all previous empires. As a student of history, Kipling recognized a recurring theme: when nations rise to power they tend to become proud and forget God. With this background, here is the second verse of Kipling’s poem: “The tumult and the shouting dies; the Captains and the Kings depart, still stands thine ancient sacrifice, a humble and a contrite heart. Lord, God of hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget – lest we forget!” [1] “Lest we forget!” Kipling points out that while it is tragic to forget the lessons we should learn from the people who have gone before us, it is a far greater tragedy to forget the lessons and promises of our God. “Lest we forget” or “Let’s not forget” serves as a fitting theme for Psalm 111 because in it, the Holy Spirit speaks to us about remembering: how God remembered his covenant and how God wants us to remember his covenant.

While Psalm 111 is not the most familiar psalm among us, Martin Luther was familiar with it, and he gives his thoughts on the context of this psalm: We know that God instituted the festival of Passover among the people of Israel as an occasion for them annually to praise His wonderful acts and to thank Him for their deliverance when He led them out of Egypt…therefore it seems to me that this psalm was composed for the Passover festival. (LW 13:354) As we look at the Psalm, it seems that Luther is correct. The first words in Hebrew are: הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ Translated: Praise the Lord! And then the psalm writer goes on to list reasons to praise the LORD, reasons that call to mind one specific event: the Exodus from Egypt.

In the OT, the Exodus was the standard by which all of God’s other works were measured by his people. For good reason. In delivering his people from the hand of the mightiest nation on earth, the LORD proved himself to be the living God and exposed the pharaohs, armies and idols of Egypt as nothing. In reading this psalm, we can’t help but think of the plagues that God brought on Egypt and angel of death that brought misery and destruction to Egypt; salvation and freedom for Israel; how God parted the waters of the Red Sea and provided manna from heaven as the Israelites traveled through the wilderness; how he led them into the Land he had promised them, giving them possession of Canaan, even though it belonged to other nations. In doing these things, God proved himself to be a covenant-keeper. He had promised Abraham – when he was already old and yet childless – five centuries earlier: I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you…To your offspring I will give this land. (Genesis 12:2, 7) And in leading hundreds of thousands of Abraham’s descendants out of Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land, God proved that he had not forgotten his covenant.

But God’s covenant with Abraham involved more than just leading the Jews out of slavery; it pointed to a far greater exodus, a greater redemption. God had also told Abraham: All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3) God had promised Abraham that one of his descendants would redeem people from every nation – not from slavery in Egypt, but from slavery to sin and Satan and the doom of death and hell, and bring them to the true Promised Land of heaven. God remembered that promise. When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) Tonight, we see that promised Savior gathered with his disciples in an upper room to celebrate the Passover one last time; before that OT sacrament would be replaced by the NT sacrament of Holy Communion. This night is the hinge of human history because on this night Jesus proves himself to be both the true Passover Lamb, and the Lamb of God sent to carry the sins of the world to the altar of the cross and take them away forever.

And so, just as the Passover Lamb reminded the Israelites that God had not forgotten his covenant with Abraham, this meal reminds us that God has not forgotten his covenant with us. What is that covenant? The Lord spelled it out through the prophet Jeremiah: “the time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant…I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 34) Here, at this table, God demonstrates that he has remembered his covenant by inviting all who who are weary and burdened with sin and guilt to come and receive tangible proof of forgiveness in the body and blood of his Son. As our Psalm says: He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. God did not forget his covenant to Abraham and he has not forgotten his covenant with you. He has remembered it. And he gives us proof in this meal. Do this regularly, so you don’t forget how the Lord remembered his covenant – his promise to take action to remove and forgive every one of your sins.

But “lest we forget” applies to more than the one who made the covenant; it also applies to us, the recipients of that covenant. Psalm 111 puts it this way: He has caused his wonders to be remembered. When I was at the Seminary in Mequon (a center of Judaism), around Easter (Passover) the grocery stores would carry unleavened bread, roasted lamb – even butter molded in the form of a lamb – to make a proper celebration of the Passover meal easily accessible for observant Jews. It wasn’t that easy for their forefathers. In the seven days leading up to Passover they had to clean all the yeast out of their homes and eat only unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15); they were to find a specific lamb – a year-old male without defect (Exodus 12:5); they had to care for this lamb, make it part of their family for four days (Exodus 12:6); and then they were to slaughter this lamb, paint its blood on their doorposts, roast it over a fire, eat it (Exodus 12:7-8) – all while hearing again the story of the Exodus. Why did God command his people to go through all that for 1500 years? It was more than a memory trick, and just going through the motions wouldn’t benefit the Israelites at all – these rituals were intended to create and strengthen faith in God’s promises. Our psalm says great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

In the same way, our remembering of God’s covenant is more than just a memory exercise and simply going through the motions will not save us but actually harms us. In order to receive this sacrament to our benefit, we must believe the promises God attaches to it. Our Lutheran forefathers wrote in the Augsburg Confession: Christ commands us, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Therefore, the Mass [the Communion service] was instituted so that those who use the Sacrament should remember, in faith, the benefits they receive through Christ and how their anxious consciences are cheered and comforted. To remember Christ is to remember his benefits. It means to realize that they are truly offered to us. It is not enough only to remember history. (The Jewish people and the ungodly also remember this.)” (AC XXIV 31-33)

To remember God’s covenant first means believing that all he has done, he has done for us. While we no longer call it the Mass, the words and songs surrounding the Sacrament serve us by reminding us of the great things God does for us here. The words of institution remind us of the what and the why. What do we receive here? The very body and blood of Christ – in, with, and under the bread and the wine. (Matthew 26:26-28) Why do we do this? Because Christ our Savior, on the night he was betrayed said: do this. (Luke 22:19) Then, unlike being dismissed from any other table, when you leave here, you are reminded that you leave your sins behind. (Matthew 26:28) Because all of the wonderful things God wants to give us in this meal can only be received through faith, Paul commands us to prepare for it: a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:28-29) Never forget, when you are getting ready to come forward to receive the Lord’s Supper this is no ordinary meal; Christ is truly present here for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. Believe it and receive it.

And when you leave this meal, never forget that just as God didn’t just remember you – and then go on twiddling his thumbs in heaven, but instead he took action to save you – so God feeds your faith in this meal so that you may leave and be active in living for him. James reminds us: do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-24) God feeds our faith here so that we can produce fruits of faith out there.

Maundy Thursday calls us to be very specific about the type of fruit God produces through this heavenly food. Jesus once told a story about a man who didn’t remember – he called him the unmerciful servant. (Matthew 18:21-35) This man had received unconditional forgiveness of his debt – 10,000 talents worth. But he forgot. Or at least, if he did remember, it didn’t show in his life. He refused to forgive a man who owed him a far lesser debt. Jesus finished his lesson this way: shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart. (Matthew 18:33-35) As you leave here tonight, never forget: you are forgiven – fully and freely, even though you don’t deserve it; so that you can be forgiving – fully and freely, even and especially to those who don’t deserve it. That’s how we remember God’s covenant long after we leave here.  

Luther wrote one more thing about this Psalm to encourage us to receive the Sacrament joyfully and faithfully: Here you learn that Christ did not institute his remembrance or Sacrament out of anger or displeasure. It is not to be poison for you. He will not devour you or stand over you with a club when you go to the Sacrament. He lets himself be called the gracious and merciful Lord, so that it might actually be pure grace and mercy…Now, if you are afraid to go to the Sacrament, and your conscience frightens you, as if you were unworthy, put this verse into your heart and on your lips. Then you must hear and feel how sincerely he calls and invites you. He is here and is waiting for you with hands and heart wide open, for you to take and receive grace and mercy…Whoever is inclined to put pictures on the altar ought to have the Lord’s Supper painted, with these two verses written around it in golden letters: ‘the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.’ (LW 13:373) Why do we need so many reminders? Lest we forget!

In a few minutes your Lord will invite you to come forward to receive his body and blood with the words: do this in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24) Let’s not forget how God remembered his covenant and let’s not forget how to remember God’s covenant. Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recessional_(poem)

John 12:12-19 - Jesus Redefines Success - April 9, 2017

If someone were to ask you to describe the scene in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, what would you say? Would you say that it happened exactly like the Holy Spirit said it would through the prophet Zechariah? Would you point to the message behind the humble circumstances? Many might read this account and consider it somewhat odd, a little bit quaint, maybe a touch confusing. But would anyone read this account and say “This is a victory parade. This is the culmination of thousands of years of promises. This is evidence that in spite of everything arrayed against him, Jesus Christ was a resounding success.” Was Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem a sign of success? It depends on your definition of success, right? So what standard do you use when judging success or failure in your life or the lives of people around you? Don’t say you don’t make those judgments, we all do it. We all know people we would describe as successful and others we would consider failures. Granted, most people probably fall somewhere in the middle, but there’s no question about it: in this world some do better than others.

How do we measure success? If you’re a golf fan, measuring success at this weekend’s Master’s Tournament is pretty easy: whoever has the lowest score wins. But I don’t think any of us are professional golfers, so we need broader set of standards. The first is fairly obvious. In our culture, money makes the world go round. Everyone wants it and the more, the better. Certainly wealth is one way to measure success in this world? But just having money is not enough. Some people inherit or make vast amounts of money, but live and die without accomplishing anything meaningful. So it’s also necessary to have accomplished something – and be recognized for it. Success must be recognized or it’s meaningless – thus we post our lives and accomplishments on social media for all the world to see. Success means rising above your peers, so there must be something to compare it to. If you have great potential, but don’t live up to it, you have failed. If you have alienated your family and friends in accomplishing great things, that diminishes your success. 15 minutes of fame doesn’t count, you must be consistent and leave behind a lasting legacy. And we could go on and on. In this world success is marked by wealth, achievement, recognition, respect, consistency, legacy, and adoration from family and friends – if a person managed to do all that, you’d judge them to be pretty successful, wouldn’t you? Sure. Why so much talk about success this morning?

The reason is this: it’s Palm Sunday and today John gives us a snapshot of Jesus at the very end of his public ministry. His time on this earth is coming to an end. And now he rides into Jerusalem surrounded by crowds of adoring fans waving their palm branches and shouting their praises. All Glory, Laud, and Honor are given to him. It’s wonderful. But when we apply the world’s standards to Jesus’ life, has he been successful? He’s not rich. He’s not riding in a war chariot but on a donkey. A donkey he doesn’t even own – he had to borrow it. He doesn’t live in a mansion, in fact he doesn’t have a place to call home at all. He doesn’t have a standing reservation at Jerusalem’s finest restaurants; rather, he eats whatever his disciples and the women who followed him from Galilee can find and afford. He IS relatively famous – at least for the moment. Two crowds – one from Jerusalem, and one from Bethany – turn out to greet him because they heard that he had raised Lazarus from the dead. An impressive miracle to be sure; but it falls short of his potential. He is the Son of God after all. He could have raised a whole cemetery – or, and this is probably what many of those people on his parade route were hoping for – he could have started a revolution to free Israel from the tyrannical Roman government. That would have been much more impressive, made him much more successful; but he didn’t do that.

The truth is that Jesus made a career of purposely not living up to his potential. For 33 years he had been purposely holding back. Apart from this entry into Jerusalem, he generally avoided crowds and their praise. Sure, he achieved some fame among regular people – fishermen and sinners, but his peers (the Pharisees) didn’t respect him. In fact, they hated him and wanted him dead and gone. As for family and friends; Jesus’ mother and siblings thought he was crazy for spending all his time with sinners and the sick and demon possessed. (Mark 3:21) He did have 12 close friends, but John tells us that they did not understand the significance of this moment and we know that one was planning to betray him and the others would shortly abandon him. There are the people shouting “Hosanna” (Lord, Save Us!) and “Blessed is the king of Israel!” – but many of them would soon be shouting crucify! (John 19:6) Today, the name Jesus Christ is used quite often – in the same context as a lot of other filthy language that shouldn’t be repeated – hardly a noteworthy legacy. So, was Jesus’ life a success? If we judge it according to the world’s standards, we would have to say: No. Jesus, the Jew from Nazareth, was a colossal failure.

So it’s with the greatest irony that we call Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem “triumphant” right? Not if we try to look at it from Jesus’ perspective. Here he is receiving the glory, laud, and honor of men, but this kind of popularity was never his goal. Why not? He knew that it was fickle and short-lived. He knew that the palm branches would be left there in the road to be trampled into the dust; the echoes of praise would quickly fade away. Jesus knew that the world’s standards for success are just like those palm branches and praise: here today, gone tomorrow. And that’s why he wasn’t pursuing success or glory according to those standards. Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not that Jesus was determined to fail; in fact, his goal was to be successful, he was working for acceptance and fame and glory. It’s that both his mission and the standards he strived to meet were not from this world.

The success Jesus was after wasn’t the kind that gets your face on the cover of Time magazine or can be quantified by the number of Twitter followers. He wouldn’t carry out his mission or receive glory through military might or political pandering. It wouldn’t come from the pursuit of wealth, fame, and popularity. Rather he would accomplish his mission by stooping down, by bending low, by setting aside honor, privilege, and power and becoming the lowliest of all servants performing the most dishonorable of tasks. The glory he was working for came from serving sinful mankind. It came by bearing the shame and punishment for sin that we deserved. It came by being falsely accused and mocked and despised and spit on and beaten. To achieve success in God’s eyes, Jesus had to live a perfect, flawless life and then humble himself and become obedient to death; the most miserable and disgraceful death possible: death on a cross.

As he hung suspended from a cursed tree, it appeared to the world that Jesus was the biggest failure who ever lived – that his death was just one more epic defeat. It was, however, his greatest moment of triumph. A life that ended in a criminal’s death was successful because that’s how he saved a world of sinners like us from the eternal suffering we deserved. The writer to the Hebrews confirms that Jesus achieved exactly what he set out to accomplish: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set out before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) By ignoring every single standard by which the world measures success, Jesus earned for himself (and for us) the never-ending glory of heaven. We are sincere when we call his entrance into Jerusalem “triumphant” because it shows his determination to suffer and die for our salvation. That’s how God had defined success for his Son’s life – and that is the mission Jesus was determined to complete.

Not only did Jesus flip the world’s definition of success on its head by his life, he does it in ours too. We don’t want to be like that crowd who gushed with praise one day then cried for crucifixion the next. We don’t want to be like those disciples who abandoned Him in the moment of trial. We don’t want to be like those Pharisees who resented his popularity and orchestrated his death. But that is what we do if we talk and sing about humility, service, and set our hearts and minds on heavenly things here in God’s house, only to leave and go back to chasing after success as the world defines it in our daily lives. Where does it start? More often than not with the rat race to accumulate wealth. Maybe we don’t call it striving for success; maybe we call it security for the future, or just what we need to be comfortable, or the well-deserved reward of a long, hard career. But then even wealth doesn’t satisfy anymore, and we want recognition for our accomplishments – no, not world-wide fame; we just want our spouses, children, and Facebook followers to recognize all we have done and continue to do – a little gratitude, a little praise isn’t too much to ask, is it? But just like that we have forgotten that our Palm Sunday King has set a different standard for success in our lives, too.

The lasting success Jesus wants you to have doesn’t come by accumulating wealth in this life, but in storing up treasures for the next – faith, believing family and friends; because those are the things you can take to heaven, those are the treasures that last. The lasting glory Jesus won for you doesn’t come when this world praises you for your accomplishments, but rather when after a life of humble service, God lifts you up and say: Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:23) On Palm Sunday 2000 years ago, our King rode on a donkey to the death that earned eternal success for all people. This Palm Sunday, Jesus shows us that a successful life in God’s eyes consists of quiet, humble service to God and to one another.

We started by talking about how our world measures success. Let’s finish with a challenge. Following Jesus challenges us to change our definition of success. Consider how much better God’s way is than the world’s – not to mention; far less stressful than getting caught up in the rat race of this world. If success isn’t defined by how much you have but by how much you can give away, what does that free you to do with the blessings God has given you? If success isn’t defined by how many people serve and obey you, but by how many people you can serve and help – what opportunities do you have at home or at work or right here to be very successful? If success is not defined by being recognized by other people but rather being recognized as one of God’s children – then doesn’t even the lowliest task have great meaning? If you recognize that your status before God doesn’t depend on what you do, but on what Christ has done for you – how does that lift a burden off of your shoulders and simplify the way you prioritize your life? Will following in Jesus’ footsteps be glamorous? Unlikely. Will it result in a life and legacy that the world considers praiseworthy and successful? Probably not. Will it be easy? No. It will be a fight every step of the way. It means not only dying to the world but also crucifying our own sinful natures. So how can we possibly follow a path that’s so countercultural, so uncomfortable, so hard? Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart…fix your eyes on Jesus! (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Today, forget about the way the unbelieving world – the world that is racing at breakneck speed to hell – defines and strives for success. Rather, stand on the side of that road into Jerusalem and watch Jesus riding a donkey on his way to winning eternal glory for you and me and all people. Be assured that because Jesus earned his Father’s stamp of approval by dying on a cross, your sins are forgiven and you too have the Father’s approval. And leave here with the goal of becoming genuinely successful according to God’s holy standards of humility, service, and faith. And, even though this scene in Jerusalem doesn’t look like much, always, always, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus – he is the very definition of success. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 - Can These Bones Live? - April 2, 2017

The scene was gruesome. Worse than any Civil War battlefield, worse than Auschwitz after the Allies had liberated it, worse than Hiroshima after Truman dropped the bomb. The valley before Ezekiel was not filled with dead bodies, or even skeletons, but a sea of scattered, dried, disconnected bones. Bones that were very dry. Ezekiel would have shuddered at this grisly scene. Not only because as a priest he was prohibited from touching a human corpse, but because according to God’s holy law, bodies were left unburied as a sign that they had fallen under God’s curse. (Jeremiah 34:17-20) These people were not only dead, they were damned.

What had happened here? The Lord explains: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” The people of Israel not only felt dead and dry, before God they were dead because they had made two huge mistakes. Their first mistake was not taking God’s Word seriously. For centuries they had laughed at the prophets who warned of God’s judgment for their disobedience and called them to repentance. In fact, that’s why Ezekiel was in Babylon. He was there to remind them that they were prisoners in a foreign country because they had rebelled against God. He was there to preach repentance to them – and to tell them that Jerusalem was about to fall completely. Solomon’s temple, the Lords’ dwelling place, would be burned to the ground. But still, the Israelites didn’t believe it. Not Jerusalem – not David’s city. Not the temple – not the dwelling place of the Lord. Not Judah – God would never do this to the tribe from whom the promised Messiah would come. But it happened just as the Lord said. A year and a half later – 586 B.C. – (Ezekiel 10:18) Nebuchadnezzar’s army steam-rolled Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. (2 Kings 25) When the exiles heard about the fall of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 33:21) – they were stunned in shock and disbelief. They fell from the heights of overconfidence to the depths of utter despair.

It’s still a huge mistake to not take God’s Word and warnings seriously. Just like God chose Judah and gave her every possible advantage – so God has chosen us and given us every possible advantage. We have been baptized, instructed, confirmed, God proclaims his Word to us week after week, he invites us to receive his Son’s body and blood. But just as Judah ignored God’s warnings, so Satan is always whispering in our ears: “You hear that sermon, that Law, that warning – yeah, that’s for other people; not you. God would never actually punish you for your sin; after all, look how many others are doing it and getting away with it.” He tempts us to think that God’s warnings against greed and materialism are only for the rich – or only for the poor – and so we excuse our own love affair with money and things. He tempts us to believe that the warning of the third commandment: we should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it (SC: 1) only applies to one hour on Sunday mornings. He tempts us to think that we already know everything we need to know about God – and leads us to skip Bible study in favor of Sunday brunch. And you know what – we can probably get away with it for a while. God is patient with us. But to go on ignoring sin and disobedience is like ignoring cancer – it will eventually do to us exactly what it did to Judah – it will destroy us. This gruesome scene is a warning for us: if we don’t learn from Judah’s example, we will experience their same fate.

Maybe that’s what you feel like this morning. Maybe you feel the depression, disappointment and emptiness sin brings. Maybe you feel like your bones are dried up and your hope is gone. If you do, don’t make Judah’s second mistake. Instead of repenting, Judah argued that it was God’s fault that their friends and family were dead, their temple and homes were in shambles, they were exiled and enslaved in a foreign country. But none of it was God’s fault. God did not bring this destruction down on the heads of the Israelites; they brought it on themselves by their disobedience, rebellion, idolatry and adultery, their apathy and impenitence. God had not left Israel. Israel had left God.

Don’t we make that mistake too? Don’t we sometimes blame God for the hardship we experience? It’s God’s fault that I’m struggling to pay the bills or fighting one major medical issue after another or that my marriage is on the rocks or that my children have fallen away. It’s God’s fault that I feel ashamed or guilty or broken. God did not bring pain and sickness and suffering into this world – sin did. God did not force us to spend our money foolishly, he didn’t lead us to be unfaithful in marriage, he doesn’t lead our children astray – the devil does that. Even death itself is not God’s fault. Death is our fault. Paul told the Romans: if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. (Romans 8:13) The reason our world is in chaos, the reason we feel guilt and shame, the reason our bodies break down and our families break up, the reason we feel hopeless and helpless – is because of our rebellion, our unbelief, our disobedience. Whether you’re looking with Ezekiel at a valley of dry bones or the evening news or looking in the mirror – what you’re seeing at is not God’s fault; you’re seeing the dreadful results of sin.

Can these bones live? Is there any hope? If it’s up to us, no. We can no more breathe money into our bank accounts, breathe love into our marriages, breathe health into our bodies, breathe obedience into our children – than Ezekiel could breathe life into those dead bones. But Ezekiel teaches us that the only proper response to a hopeless situation is to put the ball back in God’s court: O Sovereign LORD, you alone know. And God responded. He told Ezekiel to prophesy [literally: preach] to these bones and say to them, ‘dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

While preaching may seem like an unlikely cure for death, Ezekiel did what God commanded. He preached to a valley of dead, dry bones. And as he was preaching there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them. But there was still no breath of life in them. So the Lord told Ezekiel to do the impossible one more time: breathe life into them. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.

This was more than a fantastic vision. This is what God would do for his people, people who had been destroyed and exiled, people who were without hope and without a future in Babylon. To those who were saying our bones are dried up and our hope is gone God promised I will open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel….then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD. And 70 years later, God kept his Word. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD…the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to let God’s people go back to Israel to rebuild the temple, their homes and lives. (Ezra 1:1-4)

If God did this for Israel, can he do the same today? Can our bones, our lives, our families, our faith that have been dried up and deadened by sin be brought back to life? Absolutely, 100% yes! Our Savior allowed his body to be dried out by sin and death for us, so that through faith our dead, dry bones may have the breath of life. The Hebrew word for “breath” (10x) is the same word for “spirit.” Just as God breathed life into those dead, dry bones so he promises to, he longs to fill us, who are dead and dry because of sin, with his life-giving Spirit. How? Don’t overthink it. What did God use to breathe life into those bones? What did Jesus use to call Lazarus out of his tomb? Jesus once told his disciples: the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63) The instrument, the one and only instrument, God uses to create life out of death is his Word. God has given us the cure for death – you would think people would be knocking down the doors to get it – but so many forfeit this cure because they don’t want it and can’t understand it.

Here’s the thing, God doesn’t command us to understand it, he commands us to believe it. And the evidence for believing in the power of God’s Word is undeniable, isn’t it? In six normal days God created everything that exists, including mankind – and he did it with nothing but His Word. Abraham and Sarah were old and their bodies were dead but at the word of the Lord, Isaac was born. Judah was as good as dead in Babylon, but God breathed life into them and brought them back to their homes and land and temple. The body of Lazarus had already begun to stink in that hot Middle Eastern grave, but when the Lord of Life spoke, he walked out.

We will never understand how the Word of God can give life, but Jesus swears by it: I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24) And, we’ve seen the evidence of the Word’s power with our own eyes, haven’t we? Spiritually dead, unbelieving infants are brought to the font where God washes away their sins and breathes life into their hearts, and from the moment they can speak they will tell anyone and everyone that they are Jesus’ little lambs. Spiritually drained, worn out people come forward to eat and drink the life-giving body and blood of their Lord, hear his word: “go in peace, your sins are forgiven” and leave relieved of guilt and reenergized in faith. How many Christians find financial peace, not because their bank accounts are suddenly flush but because they found contentment in God’s gifts and peace in his promises? How many of us were at one time those “young people” that our pastors and families worried about – until God sent someone to preach the Word to us – which brought us back to the path of life? How many marriages have found new life, not just through better communication but by communicating to each other the forgiveness God has freely given them? How many Christians have faced cancer or disease or surgery with confident determination because they trust that God means it when he says never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. (Hebrews 13:6) Not even death itself can shake us when we believe with Martha that [Jesus] is the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25) Still today, God creates hope out of hopelessness and life out of death, and he does it through his Word.

Can these bones live? God asked Ezekiel. As we look at our own hearts, our own lives, our own families and see the dreadful results of sin, we might be asking the same question. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 20:26) Doing the impossible – like creating life out of death is God’s specialty – that’s the nature of his grace and the incredible power of his Word. Amen.

Matthew 20:17-28 - What Kind of Christianity Do You Want? - March 26, 2017

We Americans love to have choices, and if free-market capitalism is good at anything – it’s offering choices. Choices everywhere. Say you’re shopping for something as mundane as a loaf of bread. You could get the standard white or wheat, you could choose pumpernickel or rye, frozen dough you bake yourself or a loaf of French or Italian or Sourdough someone else baked for you. You can find bread made without yeast and bread made without gluten. When you get to the checkout you get to choose whether you want to pay with cash, check, credit or debit. And then, the most important decision of all: paper or plastic. And that’s just for a loaf of bread! Then you have to decide what to put on the bread, what kind of vehicle to transport it in and what style of home you will eat it in. In America, we certainly have freedom of choice. So why should Christianity be any different? Well, it’s not. You have choices. But today we’re not talking about Roman Catholic or United Church of Christ or Reformed or Lutheran. This morning we’re not discussing denominations, we’re asking a far more basic question: what kind of Christianity do you want: a Christianity of glory or a Christianity of the cross?

Americans tend to judge church (and everything else for that matter) by their personal experience. When you come to church what do you expect to experience? Do you expect the service to be all about you, your individual wants and needs – a religion that comforts and coddles your human nature? Or a religion that confronts your human nature by placing Christ and his cross at the center of attention? You have choices. If you visit or watch a service at one of the many mega-churches in our country, chances are you will hear some form of prosperity gospel: that Jesus died to make you rich, happy or healthy. It’s capitalism cloaked in Christianity. It’s a Christianity of glory. I’ve taught a few adult information classes to those who come from a non-denominational background, they have said that in their experience the sacraments – and especially Holy Communion – take a backseat to moving music and inspirational leaders. Why? Because the most important thing is “what you feel on the inside.” When what Jesus commands takes a backseat to what I feel – that’s a Christianity of glory. The trendy thing these days is to get rid of the altar, pulpit, and baptismal font, remove any crosses, and forget any sort of confession of sins or absolution – to make way for a stage, a band, and a 40 minute inspirational speech. The purpose of going to those churches is not to confess or learn or worship, but to celebrate. Now that sells…because who doesn’t like to celebrate? Celebration is easy. But you have to wonder: without Christ, his cross, and the forgiveness of sins – what is there to celebrate?

So what will it be for us? This morning Jesus demonstrates that he has nothing to do with the Christianity of glory. Jesus will have nothing of the warm, fuzzy religion that appeals to human wants and desires. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, Jesus presents his disciples and us with the Christianity of the cross – because it’s only at the cross that Jesus meets our deepest needs: our need for mercy, forgiveness, and life.

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life. That summary is so familiar that it can easily go in one ear and out the other. He would go to Jerusalem to be betrayed, condemned, turned over, mocked, flogged, crucified, raised. We confess it every week in the creed, right? Yawn. (Can’t we come up with some new material?) But don’t ignore this fact: Jesus knew ahead of time exactly what he would face in Jerusalem. He knew about every drop of spit that would run down his face, every slap that would sting his cheek, every lash that would tear his flesh. He knew that at the end of it all stood a cross and a grave with his name on them. He knew every ugly detail of Holy Week. And he was willing to do it anyway – because his Father’s will was not for him to find glory in a palace in Jerusalem but suffering and dying on a cross outside the city limits.

This wasn’t, or at least, shouldn’t have been news to the disciples. This was the third time Jesus told them that he would suffer and die. But when we look back at each prediction, we see that the disciples never really got it. The first time Jesus predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection: Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” He said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:22-23) “You know Jesus, if you want to be popular, if you want people to follow you, you shouldn’t bring up things like suffering and dying – people don’t like that, it’s bad for your image.” Peter was willing to follow Jesus wherever he led, as long as it was a painless path that ended in glory. Sound familiar?

The second time, Matthew tells us that the disciples were filled with grief. (Matthew 17:23) They weren’t just sad that Jesus was going to die. They were sad that all of their dreams of power and riches and glory would be dashed on that rock with the ugly name: Golgotha – the place of the skull. (Matthew 27:33) Instead of thanking Jesus for his willingness to go to the cross for them, they curled up in a safe space of self-pity because Jesus wouldn’t give them the glory they wanted.

Finally, the third time Matthew records this fascinating reaction: then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” He asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” Can you imagine having the guts to ask Jesus what James and John did? Neither could they. That’s why they had mom do it. (Who, by the way, we believe was Jesus’ aunt. see Matthew 27:56 & John 19:25) Who can say no to their aunt? They completely ignored what Jesus had just said about his arrest, torture, and death. They were after the easy life – the life where they could recline in La-Z-Boy’s next to the guy calling the shots with all of the power, honor, and glory that would bring.

Shame on them…shame on James and John for being so brash and bold and stupid and foolish! But…do we ever do the same thing? Do we ever ask for or expect special treatment from Jesus? Have we ever been stingy with our offerings, and yet expect Jesus to keep his spigot of blessing flowing full stream? Have we ever gone days or weeks without praying, but expect Jesus to keep his ears open just in case we decide to? Have we ever intentionally disobeyed God’s commands, and then expected him to swoop in to save us from the consequences of our actions? Do we ignore what God clearly says in his Word, but expect him to guide us to the right decision anyway? Do we shamelessly skip opportunities to be in God’s presence in His House – but still expect his presence in our homes and lives? Shame on James and John? No, shame on us! They certainly aren’t the only ones who expect glory without the cross.

But there was a deeper problem. By volunteering to share Jesus’ cup, James and John thought they were asking for a cushy job as Jesus’ closest advisors. But they didn’t know what they were asking for. They were like two little children who wished they were grown-ups. A child thinks that being an adult is all about calling the shots and going to bed when you want to and never having to follow anyone else’s rules. In reality, that child doesn’t know what he’s asking for. The aches and pains, the frustrations at work, the burdens of mortgages and bills and making ends meet, the wishing you could go to bed when you want to, and when you’re in bed not being able to sleep. That’s the reality of adulthood. James and John wanted to bask in glory at Jesus’ side, but the grown-up reality was that Jesus’ reign was not going to be on a glorious throne in Jerusalem.

No, Jesus’ reign consisted of drinking the cup the Father placed into his hands. What’s in that cup? Adam and Eve’s rebellion. Noah’s drunkenness. Abraham’s lies. Jacob’s deceit. David’s adultery. Matthew’s greed. Peter’s denial. Judas’ despair. Paul’s murder. All of it was in that cup – and more…The sins of the past we are desperate to keep hidden – in that cup. The thoughts in our heads that would make Hollywood directors blush – they’re in the cup. The words we’ve spoken to intentionally hurt others – in the cup. The things we’ve done to please ourselves or screw others over – in the cup. What have you thought or said or done this week that’s in the cup? And yet, the One who had no sin drank that cup and made our sins his very own.

But there is more in this cup. The final, bitter ingredient was justice. God’s justice demanded that sin be punished – that your sins and mine be punished – but instead of raining down his wrath on our heads, he rained it down on Jesus. As God raised his hammer of justice over Jesus, he cried out: my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) He drained the cup of God’s wrath over our sin. That’s how Jesus rules. As he said: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Or, as Peter, one of the ten who resented James and John’s audacity, later wrote: he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) Because of Jesus, we don’t just have to pretend to be happy; we can really rejoice – because God’s not angry at us anymore. Jesus has satisfied God’s wrath and delivered to us mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life. If you come to Christ and his cross, that’s what you should expect to receive – and that’s a good thing, because that’s what you and I need most of all.

But Christ and his cross offer so much more. The Christianity of glory may promise you whatever wealth, health or happiness you believe will complete your life; but the cross assures us that the same God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32) The Christianity of glory will offer you free childcare while you enjoy a concert; but only Christ’s Word connected to the water of Baptism assures you that your child is in the care of their Father in heaven. The Christianity of glory tries to convince you with music and manipulation that you are “close to God”; in Holy Communion, Jesus offers you his very body and blood – you can’t get closer than that. (Matthew 26:26-29) The Christianity of glory prefers to pretend that disease and hardship and disappointment and suffering don’t happen to believers (at least, not the good ones); the Christianity of the cross confronts those realities with the promise that [nothing] in all creation will be able to separate [you] from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39) The ultimate goal of the Christianity of glory is to give you your best life now; Christ, who took up his cross for you, made this promise to all who take up their crosses and follow him: to him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

All those things – and countless other blessings – Christ has won for you and for me; and he did it on the cross. So what will it be? Let the world have their easy religion, their best life and their glory now; we’ll take the cross and the mercy, forgiveness and never-ending glory Jesus won for us there. Amen.   

*Outline written by Pastor Aaron Christie - http://www.trinitywels.com/site/outlines.asp?sec_id=2161&secure=&dlyear=0&dlcat=Sermons

Ephesians 5:8-14 - God's Spotlight In A Dark World - March 19, 2017

The Boston Globe is one of the oldest and most influential newspapers in the United States. Founded in 1872, it grew to nationwide prominence during the turbulent 1960s in large part due to its investigative reporting. Counting several Pulitzer Prizes to its credit, the Globe’s investigative journalists pride themselves on exposing crime, fraud, and abuse both in government and in the private sector. You may remember that in the early 2000s it was the Boston Globe that exposed the widespread priest abuse scandal and cover up that rocked (and continues to rock) the Catholic Church to this day. That investigation was also the basis for the movie that won last year’s Oscar for Best Picture – named after the investigative journalist unit, it was called Spotlight. [1] A fitting name, given that a spotlight reveals and exposes things that would otherwise go unnoticed. Yet, as fitting as that name is for a group of investigative journalists, it is an even more fitting description of our Savior, the Light of the world. (John 9:5) As God’s spotlight in this dark world, Jesus lights the way, he exposes the darkness, and he awakens the sleeper.

For you were once darkness. When Scripture refers to the darkness that covers this world and lives in human hearts, it is talking about something far worse than any kind of physical or mental darkness – with far worse consequences. Earlier in this letter, Paul defined the darkness into which all people, including us, were born into: as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air…all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-3) We were born into this world spiritually dead and spiritually blind. Not only could we not see how to please God, we didn’t want to; we hated God. Worst of all, from our first breath, we stood condemned and guilty before God – worthy only of his wrath.

But now you are light in the Lord. What changed? When did this happen? It happened when we were baptized. By creating faith in our hearts, God taught us that if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. (Romans 8:13) God shows us that disobeying his will – even if it feels good, even if it makes us happy, even if everyone in the world is doing it – is the surest and fastest way to eternal death in hell. He shows us that sin never satisfies – it only leads to broken hearts, broken dreams, and broken homes. The light of his Law shows us that we are utterly unable to save ourselves because even our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) At the same time, the Light of the Gospel illuminates the one and only way to heaven, through Jesus Christ – the way the truth and the life. (John 14:6) Not only did Jesus cure physical blindness when he was on this earth – he provided the cure to spiritual blindness by swallowing the darkness of sin, death, and the devil and crushing them by his death on the cross. The cross of Christ shines as the only path back to God – through faith in him our sins are forgiven, we are justified, the glory of heaven is ours. That’s justification. That’s 100% God’s work of saving us.

But Jesus does even more: he shows us how to live in this world. This is sanctification. This is how God keeps us separate from this world’s darkness. Once the Law has exposed sin and the Gospel has wiped it away – then God’s Word serves as a spotlight to guide us through this dark world. Paul encourages us to live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth). At first it might seem like Paul is mixing metaphors here, but what he says is scientifically accurate. Plants need three things to grow: water, CO2, and…light. Not only does Christ wipe out the darkness in our hearts, he enables us to produce the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth. Goodness is genuine morality – morality that goes beyond good intentions to actually doing good things for others. Righteousness means doing what is right – not what the world says is right, but what God declares is right. Truth is God’s unchanging, authoritative, objective truth. In order to produce this fruit we must find out what pleases the Lord. This means that instead of simply going along with what is popular and acceptable to the world, we will test everything against God’s holy, unchanging, authoritative Word.

And just like a spotlight dispels darkness and reveals danger wherever it shines, so as children of light, we will expose the darkness in the world around us – in two ways. Paul writes: have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. Christians will first expose the deeds of darkness by not taking part in them. The contrast between our lives and the lives of unbelievers is to be as stark as the difference between darkness and light. Is that contrast clear in our lives? If the Globe’s Spotlight investigators followed us around, would they be compelled to report that we don’t live like those who live only to serve their own desires – or would they be left scratching their heads as to what, if anything, makes us different? If our TV viewing habits, our internet histories, the way we spend our time and money were to be made public – would they reveal the fruit of light or the deeds of darkness? You must answer those questions for yourself. And if you find that more often than not you are living in twilight rather than the brilliant light of Christ, repent. Repent, turn to Jesus, and find forgiveness in the blood he shed for you.

Secondly, Christ calls his people to not just avoid sin but to expose it in the lives of others. Can you think of anything less politically correct and more countercultural? Why should we take on such a thankless, difficult task? Think of it this way: would you rather go to a doctor who is willing to order the necessary, if painful, test to reveal the source of your illness or a doctor who tells you that you’re just fine – even when you know you’re not? That’s not much of a question, is it? We want doctors to expose the problem so that they can heal it. In the same way, just as God has brought us to the light of his truth – he wants us to expose the deeds of darkness in the lives of others, especially those we love and care about, so that they too can see the brilliant, saving, forgiving love of Christ.

Because we are children of light we will not sugarcoat sin, we won’t defend it, we won’t get angry when God’s Word or God’s servants expose it; we will call it what it is. This is what God’s spotlight does: it reveals hidden dangers and Satan’s traps – even when it hits close to home and even when it hurts – because it’s the only way to heal. Satan wants us to believe that having a busy schedule, children with too much homework or too many activities, or early bedtimes are airtight, God-pleasing reasons to ignore evening worship opportunities – God’s Word exposes the truth. Those “reasons” are weeds and distractions the devil plants in our lives in order to suffocate our faith. Whenever we think about worship, we should be thinking about it in terms of priorities – and the Apostle John warns about allowing worldly concerns to take priority over God and his Word: do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) Satan wants us to think that cohabitating (living together outside of marriage) is the smart way to test-drive a relationship before making the life-long commitment. God’s Word exposes that lie as rebellion against his will. A person who intentionally, knowingly, and persistently lives in disobedience to God’s will for marriage will not go to heaven if he does not repent and change his sinful life. Paul warns: do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral…nor adulterers…will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Satan wants us to believe that allowing money to dominate our thinking, our behavior, and our decision making is the only practical, responsible way to live in this world. God’s Word exposes it as greed and idolatry and a lack of trust in God’s promises. Paul shines the spotlight of God’s truth on greed: for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10) Satan loves it when Christian congregations tolerate or simply refuse to discipline unrepentant sinners in the name of open-mindedness or a mistaken understanding of love. God’s Word exposes this as utterly loveless and dangerous behavior. Paul sheds light on what the church should do when one of its members has fallen into sin and will not repent: what business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13) We could go on, but you get the point. We are children of light – because that’s what God made us – so we will expose sin and rebuke it – and accept the consequences. Why? Why if it means losing a friend or starting an argument or hurting feelings? Because the light of Christ has exposed the true nature of sin to us. We can see that living in the darkness of sin only leads to broken hearts, broken homes, broken bodies, broken minds and a broken relationship with God forever. That is what Jesus came to save us from – not save us for.

And to inspire and give us courage as we seek to both live in Christ’s light and expose the darkness of sin, Paul quotes the words of an ancient Christian hymn: wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Here is where the spotlight of Christ is vastly different from the Boston Globe’s spotlight unit. Once the investigative journalists of the Boston Globe have brought a scandal or secret to light, their job is done. They do nothing to help the person or people they have exposed to shame and guilt and sometimes even criminal prosecution. But Jesus said that God did not send [him] into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17) Just like a good doctor will diagnose the real problem so that he can prescribe a healing treatment, so the purpose of exposing and rebuking sin (yes, even excommunication) is to bring sinners to repentance. It is to show them the true darkness of their sin so that they can see the true brilliance of God’s forgiveness in Christ. It is to wake them up from spiritual slumber, so that they are awake and alive with saving faith in Christ.

That’s the ultimate goal. That’s the reason Christ came and suffered and died and rose again, that’s the mission Christ gave to his church and the reason he sends her pastors and teachers, the reason we fearlessly expose sin with God’s Law and graciously extinguish it with the Gospel. We want to live as children of light and we want all – both those who are dead in unbelief and our friends and family who are sleepy with apathy or indifference – to come out of this world’s darkness into Christ’s wonderful light.

May God continue to shine the spotlight of his love on us to show the way to life, to expose the darkness of this world, and to awaken those who have fallen asleep. Amen.  

[1] http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2012/06/22/distinguished-history-digging-truth/koYXOjPVD3CfTuRBtp0ZnM/story.html

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 - Does Faith Save? - March 12, 2017

Sola gratia; sola fide; sola Scriptura. Did you notice those words on your way into church this morning? They are engraved on the stone just to the left of the doors as you enter. In a world where we face sensory overload on every hand, it’s easy to ignore little things like that. I also realize that most of us never learned Latin and so the words are foreign. But for Christians – and especially for Lutherans – those are very important words. Those words sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide (faith alone), and sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) stand as the Biblical (and Lutheran) answers to the most important question in the world: how are sinful humans saved? Ever since our Savior ascended into heaven, these basic, foundational principals have come under attack by false teachers and false teachings, and have had to be defended with the sword of God’s truth. This morning God’s Word leads us to carefully consider one of those fundamental Christian doctrines: sola fide (faith alone). We ask with Abraham and Paul and believers throughout history: does faith save?

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? In answering this question, Paul uses Abraham as an example and guide. Why? Couldn’t Paul find someone else, someone who didn’t live 4000 years before us? In using Abraham, Paul is proving a couple points. First, he is showing that Christian faith is not something that has evolved over time – Abraham was saved the same way we are. And second, this question “how are we saved – is it by faith or works?” has always been the most important question a person can ever ask.

So, if we are saved by faith; how do you define faith? Is it a feeling? Is it knowledge of facts? Is it equivalent to church membership? Is it a hidden, undefinable force in a person’s heart that drives them to do what they do? The book of Hebrews gives a careful definition of faith: faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) Is that the sense you got as you listened to Genesis 12 earlier? What stuck out to you: what Abraham believed or what he did? It’s hard to get past the fact that when God told Abraham to leave everything he knew and set out for an unknown “Promised Land”; he actually did it, isn’t it? We might think: “If that’s faith, I don’t know if I would have that kind of faith; I don’t know if I could drop everything and leave everyone and go to an unknown place even if God personally told me to.” If that’s what you took from Genesis 12, you’re not alone. Abraham was held up as the pinnacle of righteousness by the Jewish people because of what he did. The rabbis wrote: “Abraham was perfect in all his dealings with the Lord and gained favor by his righteousness throughout his life.” [1]

The Jews had learned the wrong lesson from Abraham. But, sad to say, many Christians do not really understand salvation by faith, either. Too often today when people are talking about faith they bring up either the internal psychology (the feelings) of faith or the great things that faith does. If a certain hymn or song makes us feel funny inside – that must be faith pulsating there. If a person has an incredible knowledge of the Bible – they must have great faith. Or, if a person who is going through a difficulty in life but they still come to church, they still have a smile on their face, they still confess their trust in God; they must have great faith. Or like the Jewish rabbis, we might think of Bible history heroes as having great faith because of what they have done. Noah, because he built an ark on dry land. Moses, because he stood up to Pharaoh and his armies. David, because he defeated Goliath. A grandparent or parent, a pastor or teacher may stick out in your mind as being of great faith – because of how they lived or preached or taught. But we must understand that when we think of faith in that way, then we’re not really talking about faith anymore; we’re talking about works. And Paul is very clear: if…Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. Admittedly, Abraham’s works were good and righteous – and before men they may have given him a reason to boast. But Abraham’s good works could never justify him in God’s courtroom, where nothing less than perfection is tolerated.

If you take only one thing from this sermon, take this: faith is the opposite of works. Faith is not what you know, it’s not what you do, and it’s not what you feel. How can we be certain? What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Do you remember what happened before Abraham took a single step toward Canaan? God said: I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3) Yes, Abraham obeyed God’s command to leave his home and family and travel to an unknown land. But Abraham didn’t believe God’s command, he believed God’s promise – the promise to make him into a great nation, to make him famous, to bless all nations through him (a reference to the Savior). That faith in the promise – trust in what God would do – is what was credited to Abraham’s account as righteousness.  

The same is true regarding our salvation. The Gospel is not a command, but a promise. Long before you and I were even a glimmer in our parent’s eyes, God promised to send a Savior into this world who would be born of a virgin, who would destroy the devil’s work by healing the sick and casting out demons, by preaching the good news, suffering and dying and rising again. 2000 years ago those promises came to a culmination on Calvary, where Jesus Christ offered his life as the perfect sacrifice for sin so that on Easter morning God could announce that the sins of the world had been paid in full. And in his Word, God has promised to credit Jesus’ righteousness to anyone who believes and is baptized. Where were you and I in that story? What did we contribute? Unless you want to take credit for your sins that put Jesus on the cross, you must admit that you contributed nothing. The only way to receive God’s promise and Christ’s righteousness is to accept it as a gift. Paul uses an analogy from the business world: now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited to him as righteousness. If we must earn salvation by what we do, it’s not a gift – it’s something we have earned. But if salvation is a gift of God’s grace, then by definition, we can’t do anything to earn it. So, does faith save? Yes, in the sense that it simply believes God’s promise and receives Christ’s accomplished work. Faith saves because it takes us, and anything we might do, out of the equation. When it comes to salvation: we do nothing, God does everything. In that sense, faith, and faith alone, saves.

But we wouldn’t waste our time asking a yes or no question if the answer were that simple. There is a way that faith does not save. Briefly, faith, if it is misplaced or is regarded as meritorious, does not save. Jesus exposed misplaced faith in the Samaritan woman at the well. Did this woman have faith? Sure she did. In what, is hard to say (although it was likely some combination of Judaism and idolatry) – she seems to be very “open-minded” in her understanding of truth – like so many people today: “it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you believe.” And we can see evidence of her “faith” in her life. She “had” a man; but they weren’t married. What does that tell us? This woman’s faith was misplaced; she trusted a make-believe god with make-believe laws. As Jesus told her, she was drinking from the wrong well. (John 4:13-14) In today’s terms, there’s no doubt that a young Muslim man who walks into a bar in Miami with the intention of killing as many people as possible (and knowing that he will either be killed or imprisoned for the rest of his life) has faith. He does. But it’s misplaced. Trusting Allah is no different than trusting nothing, because Allah is nothing. His “faith” will not save him.

In religion, like in rock climbing – the most important thing is not your rope, it’s what that rope is anchored to. What is your faith anchored to? In verse 13 Paul talks about the righteousness that comes by faith. That righteousness is Christ’s righteousness. Our right standing before God is based on Jesus’ work, not ours. He obeyed God perfectly, we haven’t. He poured out his blood on the cross, we didn’t. He paid the price for our sins – if we want to pay that price, we must spend eternity in hell. We are not saved because we believe; we are saved because Christ died to save us. The rope of faith, in order to save, must be anchored in Christ.

Paul also describes the problem with understanding faith as something meritorious: something that earns God’s favor: if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. If you trust your faith to save you, then you are back in the realm of obedience to the law. Specifically, the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) If faith is going to save you, then your faith must be perfect in every sense: in what you believe and how you live. No one, not Abraham, not you, not me has that kind of faith. So, faith in faith is idolatry. I’ll say it again: faith in faith is idolatry. It is not trust in God. It is not trust in his grace. It is not trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice. It is empty, futile, worthless. To use the rope analogy, having faith in faith is like trusting your rope because it’s so good and sturdy, even though it’s not tied to anything. Martin Luther was so averse to thinking of faith as meritorious that he said: “I am accustomed, for the better understanding of this point, to divest myself of the idea that there is a quality in my heart at all, call it either faith or love, but in their place I put Christ and say: “He is my Righteousness.”” (St. L. XXI)

Again, Abraham serves as a case study. He had saving faith, but it was far from perfect. Did you know that before God broke into Abraham’s life, he worshiped idols? Yeah, Joshua told the entire assembly of Israel: long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped foreign gods. (Joshua 24:2) Did you know that even after God brought Abraham to faith, he lied about the fact that Sarah was his wife, not once but twice – because he didn’t believe God would protect him? (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-18) Did you know that Abraham had a baby with his servant because he didn’t believe God would keep his promise to give him a son? (Genesis 16:4-6) I don’t bring this evidence up to ruin Abraham’s reputation, but to demonstrate that even saving faith merits us nothing, earns us nothing in God’s eyes – because it is never perfect.

And you know what? That’s very good news. Because I don’t know my Bible as well as I should, do you? I don’t always live the way the Bible tells me to, do you? I don’t perfectly trust God’s protection, his love, his plan and I don’t always rejoice in suffering, do you? My faith doesn’t always show itself in acts of love for my family, friends and perfect strangers – does yours? Sometimes, when I keep falling into the same sin over and over again or when guilt leaves me lying awake long into the night or when the smartest people in the world claim to prove that there is no god, I sometimes have some doubts; do you? But that’s when I’m right where God wants me. Because God’s grace and his promise are not to save those who have lived a perfect life or even have a perfect faith. Jesus himself said that he didn’t come for the good, but the bad; not the healthy, but the sick. (Luke 5:31) Paul says: the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. In the end that’s where we come into the picture – we are the wicked people God has justified (declared “not guilty”) for Jesus’ sake. That promise is what saving faith clings to. So when sin or guilt or Satan or life has you feeling more like that Samaritan woman than Abraham – don’t look to yourself, your works, or even your faith – look to Christ; because his life and death and resurrection provide the only solid anchor for faith and the only certainty for salvation.

So, does faith save? Yes…and no. Yes, when faith is defined as the opposite of works – that clings to Christ alone; faith alone saves. But no, faith that is misplaced or meritorious cannot save. To say, “faith saves,” is like saying, “eating makes you strong.” Eating doesn’t give you anything – the nutritional value of the food does. Faith saves because it receives Jesus Christ as Savior. Faith alone saves, but saving faith trusts in God’s grace alone, in Christ’s sacrifice alone, spelled out in Scripture alone. That kind of faith, and that kind of faith alone, is what saves. Amen.

[1] BST Romans, 122

Matthew 4:1-11 - The War for Your Soul - March 5, 2017

What would you say is the greatest conflict in our world today? The worldwide battle against radical Islamic terrorism or the refugee crisis? Global poverty or global warming? What about in our own country? Is it the vicious politics of left vs. right or the deterioration of American morality? Is it one of the great ongoing wars our society is waging against drugs, homelessness, or poor education? Maybe the battle is closer to home. Are you fighting a cold or a disease or depression? Are things with your spouse or sibling or child or friend rocky at the moment and the conflict has left you drained? Maybe you are fighting to make ends meet or fighting for every breath. If we were to take a poll of average Americans, it’s probably a safe bet that some of the aforementioned battles would be on their list. Perhaps some have made your list. But do you know what? You would be wrong. The fiercest battle in the world isn’t over Islam or politics or finances or healthcare; the greatest battle – one that has been raging since Genesis 3 – is the one for immortal human souls – your immortal soul. Satan has successfully distracted much of the world – and, sad to say, much of Christianity from this most important conflict. But the fact remains, this is the most important conflict in the world. Why? Because unlike any other conflict you can think of, the consequences of this battle extend beyond death into eternity. This battle is what Matthew sets before us this morning: as Jesus begins his public ministry he enters the field of battle to engage Satan in the war for your soul and mine.

A bit of context is necessary before we step onto the battlefield. Our lesson follows right on the heels of Jesus’ baptism where He publicly received his role as the representative and substitute for the entire human race. Jesus enters the desert to battle Satan, not for his own benefit, not for his own sake; but for our benefit, for our eternities’ sake. Why? Why did we need a champion to go to war for us? Simply because, like Adam, like Israel, like every human before us, we have failed God’s test. The test of living up to His holiness. The test of submitting our reason to God’s authoritative Word. The test of putting obedience to his commands before the desires of our flesh. Because humanity had failed God, God’s Son had to go to war for us.

Matthew begins: then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Notice two things: the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert with the express purpose of facing temptation. Don’t we sometimes think of temptation like we think of dessert if we’re on a diet? Keep it out of the house and it won’t tempt you? Stay away from certain places and certain people – and Satan can’t get you. That’s a very naïve and dangerous way to think of temptation. The fact is that even if you were able to totally isolate yourself from every single source of evil in this world – you wouldn’t be able to avoid temptation. Our enemy is powerful and his greatest ally lives in our own flesh. No matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid his temptations. Which is precisely why Jesus had to enter the desert to be tempted; if he was going to be our substitute, he had to face the exact same temptations we face…with one big difference: where we fail, miserably, repeatedly; he had to emerge absolutely victorious, without even a hint of sin. Secondly, note how the circumstances differ from Genesis 3: when Adam was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, he was surrounded by more food than he could ever hope to eat. When Jesus faced down Satan, he was hungrier than you and I can imagine: he had eaten nothing for forty days and forty nights.

It was this natural, human need for food that Satan chose to attack first. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” “Jesus, you’re hungry and you’re God – put those two things together and make yourself some food.” It sounds so harmless that we almost miss the trap, don’t we? What would be wrong with Jesus making himself a sandwich? Nothing…except the biggest thing. Satan was using Jesus’ aching stomach to lead him to distrust God’s loving care and to disobey God’s will – because his Father wanted him to go hungry. If Jesus made himself a meal, he would be sinning against the first commandment – much like Israel did when, after God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, they suggested that it would be better to have died in Egypt than to starve to death in the wilderness. (Exodus 16:1-3)

How does Satan lead you to distrust God’s promise to provide? Has unemployment or underemployment led you to doubt that he really cares? Do you anxiously check the stock market every day because you have begun to trust it to provide for you rather than God? Have you sacrificed your duties to your spouse, your family and your God on the altar of work for the idol of a paycheck? A salesman who was trying to sell me whole-life insurance once asked me “what is your most valuable asset?” The answer he was looking for was my potential to work and make an income. Have you ever valued your own talent and ability over and above God’s promise? Of course, in those ways and many more we, like Israel, have failed the test. We have sinned. We have obeyed our stomachs instead of trusting our God.

For Israel’s failures and ours, Jesus endured a grumbling stomach without grumbling against God. While we often mistake needs for wants and necessities for luxuries, Jesus saw the insidious nature of Satan’s proposition and he defeated it – not with an army of angels – but with the sword of the Spirit: it is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ So hearing a sermon can serve as a meal replacement? (How’s that for a dieting plan – the Desert Diet – remember, you heard it here first!) No, that’s not what those words mean. Jesus understood and trusted that all the bread in the world would not keep him alive if his Father did not want him to live and that if his Father wanted him to live, he would keep him alive even if he didn’t eat for another forty days. Food or no food, our lives are in God’s hands. Jesus trusted that. Imagine having that kind of faith! Now stop imagining and believe, because Jesus did this for you! His obedience is credited to your account. You have God’s promise and you can have that kind of faith…so act like it. Jesus: 1; Satan: 0.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Again, if you’re not paying attention, it would be easy to miss the trap – after all, doesn’t God promise to send angels to protect believers? Well, yes, but if you read Psalm 91 carefully, you will see that Satan left out an important line. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11) Psalm 91 is about the protection that God promises to provide from the dangers that come near believers as they are busy living for God; not taking unnecessary risks to see if he will really do what he says. The trap Satan had laid was to see if Jesus would put his Father’s promise to the test.

Hundreds of years earlier, Israel had failed that test at a place called Massah (“testing”). The Israelites were camped at a place where no water was to be found. So what did they do? They quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied “why do you put the LORD to the test?” (Exodus 17:1-7) But certainly grumbling and complaining would never come out of our mouths and hearts, would it? We would never adopt an attitude that says, “God, you promised to provide for me richly and daily, so where are the riches?!” We would never needlessly expose ourselves to danger or embrace a diet or lifestyle guaranteed to shorten our lives, would we? Honestly? Yes, we would, we have and we do. We, too, are tempted to take Scripture out of context and lodge outrageous claims against God in things he has never promised. God hasn’t promised you a long life if you decide to slowly kill yourself with gluttony or laziness or prescription pills or alcohol. God hasn’t promised to send his angels to guard you if you find it thrilling to break the speed limit. God hasn’t promised to keep every hardship, disease, or accident from you. God hasn’t promised to put food on the table if you will not work. God has promised to provide what you need – but on his timetable, not yours. And yet, how often we test God in these things.

But Jesus didn’t. Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Jesus knew that God hadn’t promised to send his angels to catch him if he threw himself off of the temple. He didn’t test his Father. But he also displayed perfect trust in his Father’s protection and plan. We witness that perfect trust when Jesus was calmly sleeping in the boat on the stormy Sea of Galilee, even as his disciples – seasoned sailors themselves – panicked. (Matthew 8:23-27) We hear that trust when he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father…not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42) We see it as he is hanging on the cross, flattened under the hammer of God’s wrath we deserved, when he submissively commits his spirit into his Father’s hands. (Luke 23:46) Because we have tested God in things he has not promised and failed to trust the promises he has made, Jesus overcame Satan’s temptation in our place. He won. Jesus: 2; Satan: 0.

Finally, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” This time, you would have to be sleeping to miss the trap. The devil brazenly tempted Jesus to become a Satanist. Why would this even be a temptation? Because Satan was proposing a shortcut to the glory God had promised Jesus; a shortcut that didn’t involve blood and sweat and suffering and death. The instances in which Israel failed this test are too numerous to list. One of the more memorable ones took place at the foot of Mt. Sinai, right under God’s nose, when Israel decided to worship and praise a golden calf instead of the LORD who had led them out of Egypt. (Exodus 32:1-35) What shortcuts to glory has the devil highlighted on your path through life? I know they’re out there, because I know Satan hasn’t given up. Marriage can be hard work – if it gets too difficult, why not get out and find greener pastures? Raising children to know and fear and love the Lord is not easy either – why not let daycare and the schools and the church do the dirty work? Going day after day to a job you can’t stand takes persistent effort – winning millions in Powerball, that’s no sweat. Open and honest repentance is embarrassing – why not just find a church where they will tell you that God loves you just the way you are? Whatever the shortcut – if we follow Satan’s path instead of God’s we are no better than Satan himself and deserve to suffer his punishment.

Once again, Jesus didn’t give in. He refused to betray his Father in favor of a shortcut to glory. Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Jesus held out against this third and most attractive temptation even though he fully understood that it would mean a path of rejection and betrayal, blood and tears, suffering and death. As we begin Lent, this battle has given us a pretty good indication of how the war will end on that hill outside Jerusalem, doesn’t it? Jesus: 3; Satan: 0.

So, now you have the handbook to defeating Satan and his temptations. Just do what Jesus did. Know your Bible as well as he did. Identify both Satan’s traps and the specific passage that will serve as the perfect sword to shred his lies. Do that, and you too can be victorious! No, no, no. If you walk out of church this morning thinking that Jesus has done nothing more than give us an example to follow, I have failed you miserably. Jesus didn’t enter the battlefield to simply show us how to resist temptation (although in a secondary way he does show us that the Word of God is our only sure defense) – he came to defeat Satan and temptation for us. Perfect obedience to God while he was near starvation was how Jesus began his work of destroying Satan’s power over us. And, because we have failed so fully and so frequently, he would continue his march all the way to Calvary to pay for our sins himself. Through faith, his perfect obedience is your perfect obedience. That is the victory Jesus fought and died to win for you. That’s why, as you leave here to go back to your personal battlefield, don’t ever give up the fight. And, more importantly, don’t be afraid of Satan or his traps – because although the war rages on, the victory is won. Amen.

Matthew 17:1-9 - What Does This Mean? - February 26, 2017

In a world that has hundreds of different churches and dozens of different denominations, people often wonder: what’s the difference? There’s no simple answer to that question, but one way to identify the differences is to identify the questions they are looking for answers to. Much of the preaching and teaching you from so-called prophets on the radio or TV seems determined to answer the question: what is God trying to tell us in the daily news – and what can it tell us about the future? What is God trying to tell me when the National Security Adviser resigns amid scandal or when powerful storms batter California? (in short, the daily news is nothing more than evidence that Jesus was right: this sinful world is spiraling into destruction – Matthew 24.) Another strain of Christianity has sought to answer the question: what makes sense, what is a logical explanation to the mysteries of God and what do I need to do to remain in God’s grace? Broadly, we know them as those of the Reformed tradition. If you happen to know someone who attends a large Megachurch, they will probably be asking: what can the newest book or hottest, hippest preacher teach me about my finances, my marriage, my destiny in life? If a person is seeking to “feel” close to God and experience the Holy Spirit, they likely come from a Pentecostal, charismatic background. Finally, every year around Lent, you hear a lot about this denomination, because both members and non-members often wonder: what new rules or exceptions to rules is the church going to hand out this year? We know them as Catholics. (If you have any Catholic friends, challenge them on this. Ask them what the church has to say about eating meat on Fridays this year, when St. Patrick’s Day – along with its corned beef sandwiches – falls on a Friday. For help, look up Acts 10 and 11 and Colossians 2:16-18). Have you noticed anything strange, anything missing? Sadly, many churches and church bodies look for authority and answers in any and every place except the one in which God has promised to give them: the Bible. Which brings us to Lutheranism. What is the Lutheran question? The uniquely Lutheran question, the one that we ask before and above all others is: what does this mean? (with “this” referring to God’s Word.) Today, the celebration of our Lord’s Transfiguration grants us a wonderful opportunity to put this question into practice, because there are several aspects of this story that beg us to search the Scriptures for the answer to the question what, exactly, does this mean?

First, we might wonder: what does it mean that Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain by themselves? Why them? Why only three out of 12? We could guess at why Jesus chose Peter, James, and John, but we are not in the business of guessing, so we’ll just admit that we don’t know. But we do know why Jesus chose three. In the OT, by God’s command, the testimony of just one eyewitness was considered unreliable. God gave these rules for Israelite court cases: one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deuteronomy 19:15) When three witnesses gave independent corroborating testimony to an event – their testimony became truth and fact under the law. This is still the case in the New Testament – Jesus states that 2 or 3 witnesses are needed both to properly practice church discipline (Matthew 18:16) and to bring an allegation or accusation against a church leader. (1 Timothy 5:19) We aren’t told exactly why Jesus picked Peter, James, and John – but we do know why he chose three disciples to witness this event: so that we could be sure beyond all doubt that this actually happened.

Our second question might be: what does it mean that Jesus was transfigured? The Greek word for “transfigured” is our English word metamorphosis. It’s what happens when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly or a tadpole becomes a frog. In Jesus’ case, what changed was not his shape or body, but his appearance. Jesus glowed with the glory of God; glory that he had hidden for 33 years under poverty and humility, under human flesh and blood. Why? Why now? What does this mean? Jesus wanted his disciples, and us, to see where His true glory lies. It’s not so much in his almighty power – although we feel his power in the rays of the sun and see it in the majesty of the stars and the wonder of new life. It isn’t primarily his sovereignty – although He has total control of nations and kingdoms and history. No, we see His glory most clearly in the fact that while he is all-powerful and all-knowing he loved us so fully and freely that he lived a perfectly obedient life for us, and then died for us – all to save us from our sins and give us the gift of glory in heaven.

The Transfiguration presents us with the reality of what it took to save us from our sins, and the contrast is striking. Jesus is God, King of kings and Lord of lords, but he became a poor, meek, weak human being just like us. He warned Adam of the wages of sin before he ate the forbidden fruit, but then he dove out of heaven to pay that price himself. Jesus, by his perfect life, had earned eternal life – but he willingly traded it for a shameful death on a cross and the punishment of hell that sinners deserved. The glory we see in Jesus’ appearance is His love for helpless sinners. Paul put his finger on the glory Jesus wants us to see: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) In other words, Jesus’ transfiguration is visible theology. It is a simple summary of the gospel: God for us.

Next: what does it mean that Moses and Elijah appeared, talking with Jesus? Moses was God’s instrument for the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. Elijah was the most famous of God’s prophets in the Old Testament. Together, they represent all of OT history and the first 39 books in our Bible. There are other questions that come to mind, such as: how did Peter, James and John recognize them? We don’t know. How did they have bodies before the resurrection? Well, Elijah was taken bodily to heaven on a flaming chariot (2 Kings 2), but Moses is a little more difficult. We are told that God personally buried Moses’ body (Deuteronomy 34) and Jude 9 seems to suggest that the archangel Michael carried Moses’ body to heaven – but the simplest and best answer is that Matthew tells us Elijah and Moses were bodily present, so we simply accept that God can raise whoever he wants whenever he wants. What’s really interesting is not that these two biblical heroes were present, but what they were talking about. Luke writes: they spoke about [Jesus’] departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31) If these residents of heaven weren’t talking about whether the fish in heaven’s ponds were biting or what was on the menu for the next heavenly banquet or how the angelic choir sounded especially good last week – but were talking about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus – does that give us a hint as to what we, who are still waging the war of faith in this life, should be talking about? They were talking about Jesus – his life, death, and resurrection! They were talking about the Gospel! So what? This answers another question that baffles many Christians: how were OT believers saved? The same way we are: through faith in Jesus Christ.

Next, we hear Peter act as Peter often did: without thinking. Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. If you ever get the feeling that you are weak in faith and foolish in action – rest assured, you aren’t alone. The New Testament gives example after example of Peter’s shortcomings. He failed in his attempt to walk on water (Matthew 14:22-36); he rashly pulled out his sword and cut off Malchus’ ear in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:50); and even though Peter boasted about staying faithful to Jesus to the point of dying with him, he felt threatened enough by a servant girl to deny even knowing him. (Luke 22:33-34; 54-62) Here, Peter is babbling about tents in the presence of the glory of heaven. What does this mean? I am Peter. You are Peter. Like him, we are the ones who are constantly screwing up in the presence of God, making boasts we cannot back up and speaking and acting without thinking. And yet, if Jesus wasn’t ashamed to call rash and foolish Peter his friend and disciple, then there is hope for us as well. At the same time, the fact that Peter’s foolishness is written down for us provides further proof that this is a true account. If Peter, James, and John had only sat down later to fabricate this account out of thin air, they would hardly include such a foolish mistake by one of the Twelve.

There’s a cloud and a voice – what do those mean? When Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to receive God’s law, God’s presence was described as a cloud covering the peak. (Exodus 24:17) Throughout Israel’s history, God often appeared in the form of a cloud: a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as the Israelites wandered in the desert (Exodus 13:21) and a cloud of glory in the temple. (1 Kings 8:11) The cloud indicates the presence of the only true, almighty God. But what about the voice: this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! What does this mean? This is God’s endorsement of Jesus. This is God telling the world not only that Jesus is his Son, not only that Jesus had lived perfectly in this world for 33 years, but that he is the one person who could carry the sins of the world to the cross and pay for them with his precious, sinless blood. For that reason, you and I and all people should listen to him. Don’t listen to the world’s twisted and perverted modern definition of morality, don’t listen to your heart or feelings about your standing before God, don’t listen to me or any other preacher declare pop-psychology or our own ideas to you as God’s truth – no, listen to Jesus and him alone. How? Open your Bible. It’s been said that if you stick a knife anywhere in the Bible, it will bleed red. When you read your Bible begin by asking “what does this mean?” followed by “where do I see Jesus, my Savior?” He’s there, on every page. Don’t do it because I told you to, do it because God told you to.

Finally, Jesus commands the three: Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. Why not? Well, Jesus had already had people follow him for all the wrong reasons. They wanted him to be their warrior to defeat their Roman overlords, their bread-king to fill their bellies and bank accounts, their private physician to heal all their diseases. But that was not Jesus’ mission. Jesus’ mission was not and is not to fix all the problems caused by sin in this world. Jesus came for one primary reason – to take your sins and mine and the sins of the world, carry them to the cross and suffer God’s righteous wrath to pay for them. And after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter, James, and John could testify to the world that this was no ordinary criminal who was brutally beaten and hung on a cross to die; this was God’s Son, the promised Messiah, who came to take away the sins of the world. When asked how they could know this, they could say: we heard God’s endorsement from heaven, we witnessed Moses and Elijah speaking with him on the mountain, we have seen his glory!

And now, now that we know what these nine verses mean objectively, we may ask the question: what does this mean for me? Why spend an entire Sunday on an event that most churches don’t recognize and many Christians are unaware of? It is placed here, on the last Sunday before Lent because this is the point at which Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem and begins his descent into the valley of the shadow of death on our behalf. The Transfiguration tells us that he was ready to face the doom we deserved. It tells us that he was the one chosen by God to carry out the job no one else could perform. It tells us that he was the one the OT prophets had promised and described. It tells us that Jesus knew exactly who he was and what he was doing when he walked into Jerusalem to be betrayed, denied, tortured, crucified and buried. And it assures us that through faith we are truly pleasing to God, because in Jesus every last one of our sins has been punished and paid for. Your sins are forgiven. You are saved. You will spend eternity in heaven’s glory with Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah and Jesus. That glorious gospel comfort is finally the answer God always wants to give us when we search his Word for the answer to the uniquely Lutheran question: what does this mean? Amen.

Romans 12:9-21 - What Does Genuine Love Look Like? - February 19, 2017

About two years ago, British journalist James Bartholomew observed a trend in modern Western culture and coined a new English term to describe it. He called it “virtue signaling.” [1] Have you seen any virtue signaling lately? Are you a virtue signaler? Maybe you’re wondering: what is virtue signaling? Today, instead of telling you, I’m going to show you. The caption reads: “My tumblr [a social media site similar to Facebook or Twitter] post about feeding the homeless got 10,000 reblogs! It’s so very satisfying to be making a difference in people’s lives!” Yes, how good you are for telling the world you care about the homeless while ignoring the one you’re walking past. This is a blatant, obvious example. But virtue signaling is everywhere. When companies advertise their support for the environment or poverty or homelessness to convince you to buy their product – they are virtue signaling. When people wear wristbands proclaiming their awareness of cancer, plaster their bumpers with stickers decrying everything from inequality to bullying, or participate in something as silly and unhelpful as an “ice bucket challenge” – they are virtue signaling. Virtue signaling is a way to make yourself feel and look good without actually doing any good. We just celebrated the king of virtue signaling holidays: Valentine’s Day – how much easier is it to buy a box of chocolates or a dozen roses than it is to actually sit and listen or do the chores! Virtue signaling is a shallow excuse for not showing real care, compassion and love. We live in a world of empty expressions of love – so we need our Lord to tell us what genuine love looks like.

But before we do that, we have to make sure we are using the right definition and standard of love. We could easily take a stroll down the road of self-righteousness by comparing our love to the artificial, virtue signaling love of the world. But the world is not the standard of love; God is. And Paul tells us exactly what God demands: Love must be sincere. (Literally, without hypocrisy.) In other words, when God looks for love, he looks at our hearts. This genuine love must flow in two directions. First, Jesus says: love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30) Secondly: love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31) In both of these, Jesus’ standard is: be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) God is not fooled if our “love” is no more than lip-service. God knows when our kindness is little more than a cover for a bitter, jealous, greedy heart. God knows if we do good things for others even though we’d rather not. God demands that we love him and love others with genuine, sincere, perfect love. Self-examination time. How do we stack up?

If we’re honest, we must confess that we have not loved as God demands – and even the best we can do is tainted by sin. The perfect Law of God reveals that if our salvation depends on our love, we are doomed. But here’s the good news: At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 3:5-8) When we were unlovable, wretched, rebellious enemies of God, he loved us. He didn’t just tell us about his love – he proved it by sending Jesus to live and die for us. If you want to see genuine love, look at Jesus. He didn’t just talk about helping those in need – he actually rebuked the proud, he comforted the hurting, he fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind and life to the dead. When his enemies showed their hatred by beating him and nailing him to a cross Jesus showed his love by praying: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) And then, Jesus performed the greatest act of love in human history: he laid down his life to pay for the sins – of not just his friends, but his enemies. Through faith, our lovelessness is covered by his perfect life of love. That’s genuine love. That’s genuine love from our God whose very essence is love. (1 John 4:16)

Only when our faith is firmly fixed on God’s perfect, genuine love for us will we be ready for Paul’s answer to the question: what does genuine love look like in our own lives? Paul begins: hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Love hates? Yes. Our world says things like: a true friend will support you in anything you want to do. No. True love is discerning. A true friend will tell you when you’re doing something foolish or dangerous. Genuine love will go farther. Genuine love will tell you when you are doing something that threatens your eternal welfare. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Both Greek words here describe the love which naturally exists between parents and children, brothers and sisters. Genuine love goes further than family relationships, in fact, it transcends them, rises above them. While so much of the world’s virtue is marked by division: black or blue or white or brown lives matter more than others; genuine, Christ-like love shows the same tender, warm affection for brothers and sisters in faith as it does for blood relatives. Honor one another above yourselves. Virtue signaling is intended to make you look better than other people. Genuine, Christian love will fall over itself to give others the credit. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. It’s likely that many of the world’s virtue signalers actually do intend to do some real good. But sinful laziness prevents their good intentions from ever bearing fruit. The same can happen among believers. We say we will pray for someone, but forget. We volunteer to help, but other things come up. How do we overcome this? A more accurate translation is: be fervent in Spirit – the Greek word pictures a pot boiling over. In order for us to be able to love others, God must light a fire in our hearts. If we find our love growing cold, it’s because we’ve strayed from the fire of God’s love. If we want to glow with love for others, we must be warmed by the love and forgiveness God gives us first, in the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. This triplet applies primarily to the way we run our race through life. Our certainty of salvation in Jesus keeps us steadfast and joyful when we face the storms and trials of life. When trials come, we don’t lash out or grow irritable, we patiently endure. And, in all things, at all times, in all places, for all people – we pray; we turn over our problems and concerns to God. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Genuine love doesn’t wait to be asked for help and doesn’t expect to be repaid. Everything we have is God’s gift to us – and we should take special care to share what God has given us – especially with our fellow believers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Genuine love never wishes that something awful would happen to someone – even if they deserve it. Genuine love hopes and prays that God would bestow rich blessings on those who persecute us. Why? Because our role models are not the celebrities who stand on stage and spew their empty, hypocritical outrage – our role model is God and Jesus gave the perfect example of God’s love even for his enemies in Matthew: He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45)

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. This is one of the greatest joys and challenges of being a pastor – your pastor. I get to share in your joys – the birth of a child, a baptism, a marriage, a new job, the peace of forgiveness; but when you lose a job, when the doctor’s report is not good, when death robs you of a loved one that becomes my burden as well. But I don’t have a monopoly, either. Rejoice and mourn together – that’s how we share one another’s burdens. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. There is no hierarchy in Christ’s church. No one is any better or holier than anyone else. There are no elites, no 99% and no 1%, there are only blood bought sinners. Let’s pause there. Genuine Christian love is sincere, discerning, and affectionate. It is enthusiastic and patient, generous and hospitable. It is marked by harmony and humility. And that’s just here, with our fellow believers.

But Paul is not done. Genuine love also looks out, to a world filled with enemies. Do not repay evil for evil. Do not take revenge. Do not be overcome by evil. Each of these phrases says the same thing in different words. Retaliation and revenge are not in the Christian vocabulary. And our sinful nature doesn’t like it. That’s not fair. That’s not the way the world works. When someone gets hurt, the perpetrator must pay. That’s why we have judges, juries and executioners – justice must be carried out. And while Paul is not forbidding using the courts and rule of law to achieve justice; he is forbidding seeking personal revenge. Because, while revenge and retribution are the way of the world – they are not the way of Jesus’ disciples.

The question is: why? Why shouldn’t I flip off the guy who cuts me off on the highway? Why shouldn’t I get even when someone rips me off or betrays my trust? Why shouldn’t I throw a temper tantrum when I don’t think I’m being treated fairly? Why shouldn’t I unleash on the waitress for messing up my order – it’s her fault, I have every right! No, you don’t. For two reasons. First, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Perhaps the most annoying part about virtue signalers is their arrogance; they think they know better than everyone. They know better than you how you should think, better than police officers and presidents who is a threat to our safety, better than judges who is guilty and innocent, better than elected representatives what is best for our country. For the Christian, revenge is an act of arrogance; it is nothing less than pretending to know better than God – to take his place as the Judge. God knows when you are wronged, and he will carry out fuller and firmer justice than you ever could. Either in this life – through his representatives (look forward to Romans 13) or in the next, through the eternal punishment of hell – God will right all wrongs. Of that, you can be certain.

Secondly, showing kindness instead of seeking revenge has the potential to bring about the best of all possible outcomes: if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head. Heaping coals on someone’s head is a good outcome? Yes. Burning coals are a picture of shame. Have you ever felt shame? That hot, sick feeling you get especially when someone is kinder, more patient, and more forgiving than you deserve? That’s the kind of heat genuine love pours on the head of enemies. Our goal in repaying evil with kindness is not just to make someone feel shame, but hopefully to lead them to repentance and faith and salvation – and that is, without a doubt, the best of all possible outcomes. With God as our example and strength, we can pay back kindness for evil – and that is how genuine love is not overcome by evil, but overcomes evil with good.

So, now, we have to ask: are you a virtue signaler…or do you demonstrate genuine love? That’s a hard question to answer, isn’t it? If I’m honest, I have to say: both. Sometimes my actions are genuinely loving – but other times I’m no better than the guy in the cartoon. Can you say the same thing? Do you know what that makes you – wanting to do and be genuinely loving but always struggling and often failing? That makes you a Christian. (see Romans 7) That struggle to love is what drives us daily to the cross – to wash our sins in the limitless flood of God’s love. We began with a cartoon, we will close with a story from the life of Paul Gerhardt, the author of our final hymn. In his last will and testament he reminded his only living son why he should show genuine love to all: “Do good to people, even if they cannot pay you back because…” and we would expect him to continue “…because God will repay you.” But, that’s not what Paul wrote. Rather, he continued “…because for what human beings cannot repay, the Creator of heaven and earth has already repaid long ago when he created you, when he gave you his only Son, and when he accepted and received you in holy baptism as his child and heir.” (quoted in Handling the Word of Truth) God’s love for you in Christ. That’s what genuine love looks like. Amen.

[1] http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/04/hating-the-daily-mail-is-a-substitute-for-doing-good/

Matthew 5:21-37 - You Have Heard It Said - February 12, 2017

Have you heard any fake news lately? No, I’m not making this up. It’s a real…fake…thing. Fake news is defined as false information or propaganda which is published with the appearance of being authentic, factual news. During last year’s presidential campaign it was alleged that foreign governments influenced the vote of the American people by publishing propagandized, fake news headlines disguised as real news. This fake news phenomenon has grown so problematic that Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has said that it is “killing people’s minds.” [1] Well, whether Mr. Cook realized it or not, he is simply voicing a concern that Jesus first voiced over 2000 years ago. Only, Jesus’ concern was not that fake news was killing people’s minds, but that it was dooming their souls. As we continue our walk through our Savior’s Sermon on the Mount this morning, Jesus teaches us that whether we are living in the 1st or 21st century, just because you have heard it said doesn’t make it true; you must consider the source and stick to God’s truth.

Jesus begins with a fake news headline of the 1st century: You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ In quoting Exodus 20, Jesus is not calling the commandment Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai fake news. But over the course of 1500 years, the teachers of Israel had artificially limited the 5th commandment to mean that the only way a person broke it was by literally committing murder. It was this twisted view of God’s prohibition of murder that led the Pharisees to believe that, even though they had hunted, arrested, illegally tried, unjustly convicted, and finally handed the Son of God over to Pilate for crucifixion, that they were innocent of his blood and blameless before God.

What have you heard about the issues of life and death lately? Have you noticed that even as the rate of violence and murder have stayed steady or even increased, it is most widely reported only when it fits a certain narrative or when a “hate crime” label can be attached? Have you heard that college students need “safe spaces” away from opinions and viewpoints they find offensive while the lives of the most helpless in this world (unborn babies) continue to be snuffed out at a horrific rate? Have you heard that the lives of the terminally ill or severely handicapped are not worth living and that it is an act of love to assist their suicide? Aren’t we sometimes tempted to think that God isn’t really concerned about the hatred in our hearts and the loveless words on our lips as long as we don’t act on them? You may have heard many things about hatred and murder. So how do you decide which of them are true? The only solution is to turn to Jesus and listen as he clarifies God’s will.

But I tell you, Jesus says with divine authority, that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment, anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. The teachers of Israel had left out one very important word from their interpretation of the 5th commandment, a word that is sadly lacking from our culture’s definition and even our NIV translation: YOU (sg) do not murder. You, every part of you, is prohibited from any murderous thought, word, or action. Martin Luther commented in his sermon on these verses: you may find as many ways to kill as you have organs. You may use your hand, your tongue, your heart; you may use signs and gestures; you may use your eyes to look at someone sourly or to begrudge him his life; you may even use your ears if you do not like to hear him mentioned – all this is included in [do not murder]. (LW 21:74) The point Jesus wants to drive home is that all hatred, whether it ends in violence or murder or not, is a sin against the 5th commandment. A sin that puts the sinner in danger of the fire of hell. Yes, the physical act of murder is forbidden by God, but so is bullying, abortion, euthanasia, angry outbursts, vengeful and vindictive attitudes. God looks at the heart and the attitude he demands is one of love, not hate. 

But just as important as understanding what Jesus does mean is understanding what He doesn’t mean. Jesus doesn’t mean that judges and police officers and parents are forbidden from being angry with those who break the law or rebel against their authority. Jesus doesn’t mean that all taking of life is forbidden: in Romans 13 God explicitly authorizes the government to punish lawbreakers and use the sword to take the lives of capital criminals and enemy combatants; as Paul writes: He does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:4) As Jesus discusses these commandments, we must understand that he is discussing our personal behaviors and attitudes, not the offices, roles, and authorities that God has established in this world.

And the teachers of Israel didn’t limit their meddling to the 5th commandment; they also had a corrupted understanding of God’s 6th commandment regarding adultery and divorce. Jews living in Jesus’ time were taught that any filthy thought, word, or action was ok as long as it didn’t end in intercourse. Are we being told anything different today? Isn’t the main discussion of sex in our society based not on whether or not it is right or wrong, but on how to do it safely and responsibly? If you doubt this, visit a health class at any public high school and suggest abstinence as a the only form of birth control that is 100% effective at preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (not to mention it is the only form approved by God) – you will be laughed out of the building. And as far as divorce goes, in Jesus’ time, a man could divorce his wife for any reason – even if the only reason was that he had found a prettier woman to marry. The societal issue was not whether divorce was right or wrong, but that it should be done properly – that a husband give his wife a document of divorce before sending her on her way. Today, many people don’t even give passing consideration to whether divorce is morally right or wrong, but how to do it properly: so that the possessions are divided fairly, the reputation of both parties is preserved, and the children and pets are cared for. Consider the source of this fake news. The spiritually dead, unbelieving world under Satan’s spell. It is not a trustworthy source. For the truth, we must turn to Jesus.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Adultery doesn’t begin with the act, Jesus explains, it begins in the heart. The result is that God not only forbids the adultery that takes place in a shady motel, but the adultery that takes place in front of the computer screen and in the imagination. So what are we to do in a world which plasters smut on billboards and pumps its filth right into our homes? Is Jesus serious about gouging out our eyes and cutting off our hands? Think about it this way: would throwing away an eyeball or hand remove the desire from your heart? No, Jesus wants us to gouge the lust out of our hearts, where every adulterous action originates, through repentance. Then, and only then, have you really removed the offense from God’s eyes. And, if the sinful desire has been removed from the heart, the hand and the eye will follow suit. Even though it is nearly impossible for 21st century Christians to avoid every sexual temptation, the new life God has created in us controls even the muscles of our neck and the hand that controls the remote. The disciple of Jesus does not have to look and give in to temptation; he or she can walk away, turn away or change the channel.  

Our unbelieving, godless world is filled with fake news concerning divorce, but Jesus says that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. Divorce is never God’s will or intention – and he only allows it after the union has already been broken by adultery or desertion. Marriage as God defines it is a lifelong union between one man and one woman. When divorce happens, sin has always been committed and the result is always that the union God intended to be permanent is shattered. Divorce is never, ever God’s will. I have heard it said: “it’s not that simple, pastor.” That’s right. In this world, sin has created an ugly mess of marriage and divorce. But according to Jesus (and this is where you have to ignore the world’s fake news) a sinful situation does not change God’s will. God’s will is not situational, it is absolute. Regardless of what the world, our emotions or reason says, Jesus tells us that no one has the right or justification to bend, twist or redefine God’s will regarding marriage to suit difficult circumstances or selfish desires.

Finally, Jesus’ disciples had also heard all sorts of fake news about swearing and taking oaths. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ Evidently in Jesus’ time people were taught that some oaths were more serious than others. If you swear by the hair on your head, you’re not real serious. If you swear by God, you are absolutely serious. What have you heard about the words and language we use? Have you heard that intentions are more important than words? Have you noticed that a man’s word isn’t what it used to be? Have you ever heard or used the excuse “I know what I said, but that’s not what I meant”? Have you fallen into the habit of using God’s name as an exclamation point rather than to pray, praise, and give thanks? How many of us have stood before God and promised to faithfully conform all [our] lives to the teachings of God’s Word, to be faithful in the use of Word and sacrament, and in faith and action remain true to God as long as [we] live and then later acted as though that confirmation vow meant nothing? We have heard all sorts of things about our use of language, but Jesus says:

Do not swear at all…simply let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one. What does this mean? As believers, we know that God is always present and always listening to the words we speak. Therefore, there is no need for a believer to swear in his or her personal life. Believers should be so honest and have such a reputation for integrity that nothing more than a simple yes or no is needed to affirm the words they have spoken and the promises they have made. Anything beyond this only and always comes from the devil, the Father of lies. (John 8:44) At the same time, Jesus is not forbidding all oath taking or swearing. Swearing, for example, in a courtroom, at the altar in a marriage vow, even the oath we made when we were confirmed are all appropriate and God-pleasing because they are demanded by him or his earthly representatives.

Jesus has clarified God’s will concerning murder, adultery, divorce, and swearing. Where does that leave us? Does the phrase poor, wretched sinner come to mind? Does mourning over past sins of thought, word and action wrench your soul and constrict your throat? Do regret, pain, and guilt weigh heavily on your heart? Good, because that means the law has done its job. God hasn’t given us his Law to make us feel good about ourselves or show us the way to heaven – because it’s very clear that it can only lead to the dead end of hell. We have heard the law and the law’s main purpose is to filter out the fake news and clearly show us our sins against God.

But don’t despair, consider once more the source: Even as Jesus was preaching this sermon he was obeying God’s Law perfectly in our place. He didn’t just talk about the Law; He lived according to it for 33 years. As he teaches us about the holy life God expects from us he was busy living the only perfect life that could satisfy God’s holy demands – and through faith, his holy life is your holy life. You have heard the law, now look to the cross and hear Jesus say it is finished (John 19:30) – knowing that the “it” was his perfect sacrifice which washes away all of your sins against all of God’s commandments. Put away the world’s fake news and listen to the real Good News: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1) Jesus didn’t just come to preach the Law, he came to free you from the law’s impossible demands. We are not forgiven because we keep God’s commands; we want to keep God’s commands because he has already forgiven us. Because of what Jesus has done for you, you can go in peace. Go back to your life as Jesus’ disciple, go out to salt the earth and light the world with the real news of law and gospel. Be a critical listener. Consider the source. Don’t let the fake news spread by the world and the devil or created by your reason or your feelings define right and wrong. Listen to your Savior and stick to his truth. Amen. 

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/02/10/fake-news-killing-peoples-minds-says-apple-boss-tim-cook/

1 Peter 2:9-12 - Your Christian Identity - February 5, 2017

Have you noticed that a significant portion of our population has been melting down over the past few weeks? To put it another way, many in our nation seem to be going through an identity crisis. Just a couple examples. Just over two weeks ago thousands of women stormed the streets of Washington D.C. and cities around the world to protest…what? I’m not exactly sure what they were protesting. If actress Ashley Judd can be considered the spokeswoman for that protest, I guess they wanted the world to know that they are a bunch of “Nasty, loud, vulgar, proud women.” Ok. No argument here. The other is the ongoing debate over whether gender is a biological fact or a psychological theory; which has resulted in the fact that some people are having an identity crisis when it comes to deciding which bathroom to use. But as highly publicized as those examples are, they are only symptoms of a deeper problem. They are evidence of a world lost in the darkness of sin and unbelief searching for personal identity and purpose. This shouldn’t surprise us. Identity is important – it’s who you are. So…who are you? How do you identify yourself? Male, female, son, daughter, father, mother, white, black, rich, poor, high school dropout or college graduate, employed, employer, jobless, retired, Republican, Democrat, Independent…the world demands that you identify yourself according to these categories. Is that really all we are? The sum total of our body parts, our skin color and politics? Not according to God. This morning Peter helps us rediscover our Christian identity, first to know it and then to live it.

In an example of the foolishness and inconsistency of unbelief, our society encourages people to identify as whatever they want while simultaneously denying the right of any institution or authority to identify you as such. For example, I am free to identify myself as a Caucasian, heterosexual, monogamous, Christian male – but don’t you dare label me as a Caucasian, heterosexual, monogamous, Christian male. It’s absurd. But not as absurd as people who claim the ability and right to self-identify before God – and demand that he accept it. There are blatant examples: the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons – cults who have hijacked the label of Christian while denying Jesus’ identity as God and Savior – which is the central doctrine of Christianity. But there are more subtle examples too. People who attend church but secretly idolize power or position or wealth. People who claim Jesus as their Savior even as they live as Jesus’ enemies. And, maybe most humbling of all, people who claim to be Christian and yet by word and deed join St. Augustine in his honest but unbelieving prayer: Lord, make me good…but not yet. [1] There is a theological and logical lie behind these claims. It is the lie that creatures can claim an identity different from that given them by their Creator. That was the lie that led to Satan’s fall from heaven, Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden, Israel’s fall into destruction, and countless Christians’ fall from faith. We creatures don’t have the right or authority to identify ourselves before God. Only God can truly identify us. And he only has two categories.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Once upon a time we had no standing, no rights before God. We were less than nothing in his eyes. We not only didn’t recieve his favor and love, we received only his wrath and judgment. We didn’t possess citizenship in his kingdom or membership in his family. We could assert every imaginable claim, we could grumble and protest – but none of it could change the fact that by nature we were not God’s people, we were not entitled to his mercy, we could not call on him in prayer, live a life pleasing to him, or hope to live with him in heaven. We were lost, dead, and blind; doomed to a meaningless life on earth and imprisonment in hell forever. By nature, damned sinner is the only identity we own. That’s the true identity crisis every human faces.

What changed? What happened? Did we somehow manage to slip across the border from God’s wrath into God’s grace? No. What happened was that little word “but.” Did you notice it there 3 times in verses 9 and 10? But, but, but. What stands behind that but? God. God happened. God changed us. He didn’t just change our label, he changed our hearts and, as a result, our lives. He called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. Peter explained this in the beginning of this letter, where he addressed God’s elect, strangers in the world…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. (1 Peter 1:1-2) Whether you can pinpoint the moment this change occurred is not important. The important thing is acknowledging who is behind this change, this conversion. God chose you. The Spirit sanctified you – set you apart from the rest of the world. Obedience to Christ, called faith, was planted in your heart through water and the Word. Having been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, your old identity – along with all its sinful desires, words and actions – has been torn up and thrown away. While once we were like refugees standing outside God’s kingdom carrying only our dirty, worthless, sinful rags as identification, we now stand before God clothed in the perfect robes of Christ. We are God’s people. Not because we have claimed it or earned it, but because we have received his mercy.  

Now, that might sound a little abstract. What does that mean? Peter explains: you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. You are a chosen people. Our world condemns discrimination. God practices it. Out of 7 billion people, God chose you. And unlike the world’s groups, marches and protests, this choice wasn’t based on your birthplace, gender, skin color, or politics. Look around at the proof. God has chosen men and women, married people and single people, those who never went to college and those who have received their doctorates, white and black, nurses, mechanics and artists, young and old. The Christian church is the most diverse organization in the world. And yet none of those things played a factor in God’s decision to choose you, Jesus’ decision to die for you, or the Spirit’s decision to bring you to faith, keep you in the faith and give you the hope of everlasting life. In a world that divides people along lines of race, gender, and social status – God unites us under one banner: undeserving sinners chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit and saved by Christ.

You are a royal priesthood. In the OT, the only people who could properly, personally approach and serve God were the descendants of Aaron, members of the priesthood. If you wanted to pray, you had to go through them. If you wanted to offer a sacrifice, they had to do it on your behalf. But in the NT, God threw out that rule book. You don’t need a priest to pray for you, you can pray directly to God through Jesus. You don’t need the blood of a lamb or a black robe or an altar to serve God – your life is a living sacrifice and the world is your temple. Wherever you go and whatever you do – you do it as a royal priest.

You are a holy nation. Holy? Really? Didn’t we just identify ourselves as natural born sinners, disobedient in thought, word and action? Yes. But Jesus’ blood has washed you clean, has replaced your filthy rags with his own righteousness. Maybe we need to emphasize this for a moment. We are so accustomed to what we were that this is really hard for us to accept. On top of that, our world calls us delusional, Satan calls us guilty and our own consciences condemn us. But Jesus died to make you holy and sinless. It is finished (John 19:30) applies to your sins and your forgiveness. Don’t listen to what anyone else says – not even your own conscience. God has declared you to be holy and holy is what you are – right here, right now.

Finally, you are a people belonging to God. That brings us full-circle. Humans have an inherent need to belong. We want to belong to our families, our group of friends – and when that doesn’t satisfy – Facebook groups and political groups and groups marching in the streets. But whenever you turn on the TV you see the hopelessness, helplessness and confusion that results from belonging to the world. So don’t. Don’t identify yourself according to the world’s categories. You belong to God. Whatever else you might be, you are first and foremost a Christian. No one can take that from you. That is your identity. Know it. Believe it. Cherish it.

And live it. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. One of the greatest lies that Satan has sown in the church is that once you become a Christian, the struggle is over. Peter says just the opposite. Becoming Christian isn’t the end of the struggle, it’s the beginning. God made us Christians, now we are to live as Christians. Christians abstain from sinful desires and live good lives. This means war. And the fiercest and longest struggle is not against the unbelieving world but right here, in our own hearts – it is a war against the person we see in the mirror. The sinful nature doesn’t want to belong to God – it wants to be its own god. And the way it rebels is by leading us to live and believe everything that is contrary to God. In other words, it tempts us to sin. Now we may argue: “I can’t stop sinful desires from popping up in my heart and head – especially in this godless world.” True. No one is denying that. Martin Luther compared sinful desires to birds: “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest there.” (LW 42:73) You won’t be free from sinful desires until God buries your sinful nature in the ground. But that’s not an excuse for giving in to them. Remember who you are! Remember what Jesus died to make you and give you! You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) And, when you fail, come back to the cross, come to his holy Supper, drop your sins at Jesus’ feet in confession and leave forgiven, refreshed and ready to continue to struggle.

But, be warned. When you do that, people will notice. The world, which struggles with its own identity, will recognize you as something alien, a stranger in their darkness. It will hate you and accuse you of doing wrong because you don’t join in their evil ways. Don’t be surprised by it. Embrace it as proof of your true identity. And, know that this good living that Peter refers to is not some set of special, heroic good works. He’s not calling us to solve poverty or end violence or leave our homes and families to march in the streets in protest. He’s talking about living as a Christian in your average, every day, normal life. If you read the rest of this letter you see what Peter is talking about: quiet submission to governmental authorities. (1 Peter 2:17) Respect for employers and supervisors, even the bad ones. (2 Peter 2:18-25) Honoring marriage – whether married or single – and living our gender in a way that glorifies God. (1 Peter 3:1-7) And, in general, carrying out whatever role God has given you in life: child or parent, husband or wife, employer or employee. Even things as simple as changing the dirty diaper, taking the time to instruct and discipline your children, and patiently putting up with your spouse’s irritating habits and forgiving their sins – all are offerings God welcomes from his chosen people. But remember why you do it. It’s not so that the world may see your good deeds and glorify you. It is so that the world may see your good deeds and glorify God. Your quiet, moral life may lead your unbelieving neighbor to ask you why you live the way you do (and what a great opportunity to declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness) – but it may not. Either way, in this life or on Judgment Day they will join us in giving glory to God. And for us, there is no higher calling and purpose in life.

Our nation appears to be melting down in an identity crisis. It is grasping for identity and purpose in gender, race, nationality, political affiliation – even in whether you are backing the Patriots or Falcons this afternoon. They’re looking in the wrong place. Don’t look in the mirror for your true identity. Instead, look to Jesus. Let your Creator and Savior identify you. You are so much more than your body parts and life experience. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. From your baptism to your grave you are a Christian. And wherever life leads you, you have a purpose: to declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

Matthew 4:12-23 - A Light Has Dawned - January 22, 2017

How did you feel this past Monday? Was it hard to get out of bed and get going? Did the sleet and ice and rain make you feel like staying in bed? Were you a little gloomy and depressed? Did you know you were supposed to be? This past Monday, January 16th, was informally known as Blue Monday. In 2005, Dr. Cliff Arnall, a British professor, published a formula for predicting the gloomiest day of the year based on factors including weather, debt, and probability of failed New Year’s resolutions. According to him, “Credit card bills are a big problem after Christmas. Snow, ice and floods are causing worries, and many feel a lack of motivation.” Also, “The deaths of so many celebrities, many in their 50s and 60s, has also worried people by reminding them of their own mortality.” Oh, and to top it off “other extra factors this year are Trump and Brexit causing uncertainty and increasing people’s fears.” [1] Well, even if you weren’t depressed last Monday – you might be now. While Blue Monday is little more than a pseudoscientific marketing stunt designed to drum up business for travel agencies and airlines, it contains an element of truth, doesn’t it? Our world and our lives are covered in a blanket of darkness and depression – and not just in January. For that and many more reasons, it is good for us to be here because in this world of darkness, a Light has Dawned.

The circumstances surrounding the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry did not seem to suggest that he came to bring light. First, his ministry began in earnest only after he heard that John had been put in prison. John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the OT prophets, had been imprisoned by Herod for having the guts to point out that he was sinning by taking his brother’s wife, Herodias, as his own. (Matthew 14:3-5) A year later, John would be beheaded by Herod as part of a foolish oath he had sworn to Herodias’ daughter. Dark. Gloomy. Depressing.

Secondly, the place where Jesus chose to begin his ministry was not exactly a shining city on a hill. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” Before Palestine became a territory of the Roman Empire, the northern region of Israel was known as Zebulun and Naphtali – named after Jacob’s sons and their tribes which had settled there. This was not a place you would choose to live if you had a choice. For two reasons. First, Galilee was a military no-man’s land. Whenever a foreign invader from the north set its sights on Israel, they came through Galilee. The landscape and people of Galilee bore the scars of centuries of invasions. Second, after God had handed over the 10 Northern tribes to Assyria in 722 BC, Galilee was repopulated with foreigners from other countries. From the perspective of the Jews, Galilee was not only filled with “illegal” immigrants, it was filled with unclean, unsaved, unbelievers who brought their immorality and idolatry into the Promised Land. I suppose if, instead of single family homes, the development outside those doors was designated a camp for Syrian refugees, we might begin to have an idea of Galilee’s population and reputation. Galilee was a place of deep darkness, socially, politically and spiritually. And this was where Jesus decided to set up his home base and begin his ministry.

Why? Why wouldn’t Jesus start his ministry in a place like Jerusalem, where the Temple was, where the teachers were, where he would be most likely to find good, obedient, righteous Jews? Because, as Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier, Jesus came to shine the light of God’s grace in the darkest – and, most unexpected – of places. The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. As Jesus would make explicit later: he [did] not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:13) So that’s what he did. He went directly into the heart of darkness. He went to the people who were the most hopeless, whose lives were most messed up, who were suffering with various diseases, severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed. (Matthew 4:25) Jesus made his primary mission to visit those who didn’t know God, didn’t know the way to God and had no hope that God could ever have compassion on them.

This is still how Jesus operates today. The light house of his Word and Sacraments don’t exist for those who have life all figured out, to those who are happy and healthy and wealthy, his compassion and forgiveness are not for those who don’t want it and don’t think they need it. Jesus still comes to those who feel like they’re blindly stumbling through life, who don’t feel happy or healthy or successful, to those who are hopeless, helpless, and on the verge of despair. Practically speaking, those who think the church is only for “good” people, don’t understand who Jesus is or what the Gospel message is all about. The Christian church, this Christian church, is not for “good”, righteous, perfect people. If you’re one of those, or if you think you are, you might as well leave now, because we have nothing to offer you. Jesus comes exclusively to people who are broken, people who are wandering in the fog of doubt and uncertainty, people who feel left out, alone, and abandoned, people who are suffering physically, financially, spiritually. The absolution at the beginning of the service is not for good people but for confessed, convicted sinners. The parents who bring their babies to be baptized here do so because they recognize that their baby inherited more than their genetic makeup, they inherited original sin and therefore a death sentence in God’s courtroom. Holy Communion is not for the best of the best, but the worst of the worst - and that’s not my idea, that’s Paul’s: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15) Jesus didn’t come to shine light in a bright place. He came to shine light into the darkest places. And, if you’re like me, this makes you very happy, because even if we don’t look it and no one would guess it, we know that darkness surrounds each one of us. If you are broken, despairing, depressed, if you’ve messed up life so badly that you don’t think you can ever put it back together, if you feel like you’re just wandering through life without aim or purpose, if you know that you need more than a handout and a piece of advice – you know that you need a Savior – rejoice, because a Light has Dawned in the most unexpected of places – Jesus is here for you.

In that unexpected place, he proclaims an unexpected message. Dr. Arnall, inventor of Blue Monday, suggested some ways people could cheer themselves up. He writes “the easiest way to be happy is spending more time with people who love you and like you as you are…Use Blue Monday as a springboard for change, whether it is to lose weight, stop smoking, embark on a dream or change jobs. Make the most of your life and live it to the full.” Isn’t that typical of the world’s advice to those who are despairing? If people disapprove of your sinful lifestyle – go find people who will accept you just the way you are. If you’re unhealthy, buy a FitBit, get on a diet and go exercise. If you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, follow these 12 steps to recovery. If you’re lost and hopeless, dream big and chase that dream. If your marriage or family are broken, read this book to fix it or abandon it and start over. Look inside. Believe in yourself. You. You. You. Do. Do. Do.

There’s only one problem with that line of thinking – if you truly are lost and wandering in darkness – you know that the worst part is that you can’t find your own way out. You know that the biggest problem isn’t some outside factor, temptation, or situation – the problem is far more serious, far deeper – the problem is right in here, our own sinful hearts. No outside factor can make you unhealthy, addictive, lazy, unfaithful, or hopeless. The darkness we see in our world is merely symptomatic of the darkness that lives in every human heart – in our beating hearts. So telling you to find hope and light in yourself is like telling a blind man to try really hard to see – it just leads to greater darkness. That’s why, when Jesus steps in to bring light, his message is not only unexpected, it’s remarkably different.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. The light Jesus shines into the darkness has two parts: the first is repentance. In the context of wandering in darkness, repentance is Jesus stepping into our lives to take off the blindfold, to show us the reality, and help us acknowledge the truth. The truth that by and large, the darkness in our lives don’t come from the outside, but from within. Jesus came to shine the focused light of God’s truth which dispels our dark tendency to blame our problems on the weather, on the political atmosphere, on a difficult set of circumstances, on any physiological or psychological factor or on other people. The source of darkness is not out there. It’s in here. (Mark 7:1-23) That’s what Jesus shows us by leading us to repentance with the mirror of the Law. That’s what Jesus wants us to see. That’s what Jesus, our God and Savior, wants us to confess. That’s repentance. That’s unexpected.

But not as unexpected as the second part. The kingdom of heaven is near. Sin has a tendency to put us in a sick, self-destructive cycle. I sin because I’m a sinner so I’m going to keep on sinning. The world’s solutions to that destructive cycle are, at best, temporary remedies that do little more than mask the real problem. 12 step programs might change behavior but they can’t change the heart. Drugs and therapy treat the symptoms but not the source. Surrounding ourselves with people who accept us just the way we are might make us feel good but it doesn’t make us good. The remarkable news, the light that Jesus has come to shine into hearts stuck in the cycle of sin is that he has come to heal, to fix, to solve the source of all our problems – he has come to bring the light of God’s forgiving grace into our sin-darkened hearts. It’s not that he ignores our sin. It’s not that he’s unaware of how ugly we are on the inside. The unexpected message is that God knows exactly who we are and loves us anyway. He loves us, not because we’re good, but because we’re lost.

He loves us so much that he sent the Light of his life, his Son, to live among us. Jesus was born like us, grew like us, endured the darkness of temptation and loneliness and depression in this world like us. And the fact that of all places Jesus began his ministry among the people of Zebulun and Naphtali should assure you that he doesn’t care how dark your life is, he doesn’t care how much sin he will find, he isn’t afraid to wade into the worst situation because his mission is to remove every last remnant of that darkness from your heart and life. He doesn’t tell you to trust yourself or be a better you. He doesn’t tell you to clean up your act and then he will love you. He tells you to trust him and believe that his blood has scrubbed every last drop of sin from your heart and that you are now wearing the brilliant white robe of his innocence. Jesus didn’t come to tell you or show you how to beat the darkness, he came to defeat the darkness and save you from it forever. And that is exactly what he has done. On the cross he swallowed the darkness of sin and the shadow of death and on Easter morning the blazing light of his resurrection destroyed their power forever. That’s the only light that pierces the darkness of this world and our hearts, the only solution that crushes the power of death and breaks the cycle of sin in our lives. That’s the unexpected message of Christ and the Christian church.

I’d like to be able to tell you that spring will be here tomorrow. That the darkness of winter is over. I’d like to be able to tell you that because you cling to Jesus in faith, all your problems will go away. But I can’t. All the conditions that Dr. Cliff Arnall described as causing Blue Monday – the weather, the bills, the failed resolutions, all the other problems – will still be there. But in this dark world – a world of sin, a world of death, a world of people like us – a Light Has Dawned. Jesus has come to shed light in the most unexpected places – our own sin-darkened, hopeless, helpless hearts; with an unexpected message – God has forgiven all our sins and promised to take us to live in his glorious light forever. May the brilliant light of God’s grace in Jesus brighten every aspect of your life this week. Amen.

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/15/blue-monday-2017-could-bluest-ever-says-expert-behind-equation/

Acts 13:38-49 - Good News That Divides - January 15, 2017

Can you think of anything less offensive than a lamb? Lambs, those cute, cuddly, fuzzy, harmless balls of wool. Lambs are standard equipment for babies. The Bible pictures us as lambs and Jesus as the Good Shepherd who holds us in his tender care. We take our children to petting zoos to run around with lambs, and we don’t worry, because they don’t have any fangs to bite, no claws to rip and tear. Even in our ultrasensitive world – who could possibly be offended by a lamb? You’d be surprised. Cute, cuddly, spotless white lambs, no, no one could take offense at that. But try pointing to one Lamb in particular. A lamb who is oppressed and afflicted. A lamb who will be slaughtered and sacrificed. A lamb whose spotless white coat will be splattered with crimson blood. And then tell people that they need this Lamb, because He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Then you have the single most offensive message ever proclaimed. Today Jesus appears as the Lamb of God. That’s good news. It’s good news that divides between life and death, faith and unbelief.

Although there are some people in our world who enjoy conflict and division, most of us do not. We like peace. We will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation and conflict. When occasions arise that we need to talk to someone about a difficult issue and we know that they will not welcome the conversation, we usually try to put it off as long as possible. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we are hesitant to talk to others – even our own families – about Jesus. We know they may not like what we have to say and we’d rather not create conflict. We also know that Satan and his armies place a target on the back of those who stand for Jesus. And who wants to engage the prince of darkness in a fight? Wouldn’t it just be easier to avoid the conversation and the conflict altogether? That’s what many people think. But not Jesus’ disciples. Jesus’ disciples know better, they know that he said: do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matthew 10:34-36) Jesus himself tells us that the Gospel is good news that divides.

We see this played out again and again in the early Christian church – and especially in Paul’s ministry. He had to flee Jerusalem because some Grecian Jews decided to kill him. He and Barnabas were run out of Iconium by an angry crowd. In Lystra some Jews got their hands on Paul stoned him and left him for dead. And in our text we see that in Pisidian Antioch (a city in modern-day Turkey) the Gospel created a polarized, tense situation. The Gospel is good news that divides. The question is: why would anyone want to proclaim, believe or stand for a message that is inherently divisive?

We will get to the answer in a bit. But first we have to address some other important issues, such as what is this message and what kind of reception can we expect. Paul concluded his sermon with this simple summary: My brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. 15 to 20 years after John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, Paul does the exact same thing; he tells the congregation in Pisidian Antioch that forgiveness of sins comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to have your sins wiped away. Faith in the Lamb who was mocked, betrayed, bloodied, beaten, whipped, pierced and crucified is the only way to be made right with God. The result of the Lamb’s sacrifice is justification. Justification is a legal term. It is a judge’s “not-guilty” verdict. Everyone needs to hear this message because everyone knows that they don’t always do what they should and that they do the things they shouldn’t. It’s called sin. We try our best to make it right. We want to remove that burden of guilt from our hearts and minds. The natural place we turn is the Law. Whether it’s the Law of Moses or the many behavioral codes of today: political correctness, environmental ethics, the law of tolerance, the golden rule – it’s where humans naturally turn for salvation. The problem? We can’t keep any of them perfectly and they can’t remove our sins from God’s sight – we cannot earn a not-guilty verdict in God’s courtroom by obedience to any law. Paul says stop. Stop trying. Stop working for righteousness and instead repent – lay your sins at Jesus’ feet – and believe – that he has paid for every last one of them. Believe that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and by that faith you are justified in God’s sight. What all our sweat and effort to obey are unable to do, God gives away for free through faith in the Lamb. That’s the Gospel. That’s the message of life.

But that’s only half the message: take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’ Habakkuk first spoke these words to the Israelites in the 7th century BC, as a stern warning that if they didn’t repent and put their trust in God for salvation, they would be wiped out by the Babylonians. They didn’t listen. They didn’t repent. And in 586 BC Jerusalem was destroyed. Paul warns his 1st century audience that if they reject the Lamb, they are rejecting God, and they will perish just like their forefathers. This is the Law. Reject this message at your own risk. Reject the Lamb and die. So, to summarize, the good news is that: Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Believe in him and you stand not guilty in God’s courtroom. Reject Him and you will die. That’s the message. Crystal clear, right?

That’s where Paul ended his sermon that day in Antioch. But the people wanted to hear more. They invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. Luke leaves some gaps in the story here, but we can be confident that throughout the following week Paul and Barnabas continued to teach this message to the people all over the city. This message was so different from anything the people had heard before that on the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. Not everyone was enthusiastically receptive to Paul’s message, though. Already, the Lamb created tension and division. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. The Greek says that they “blasphemed” Paul. They claimed that he was lying. They likely perpetuated the lie started by Jesus’ enemies in Jerusalem that Jesus was nothing more than a criminal cursed by God and that his “resurrection” was a trick played by the disciples. This is an important fact for us to understand and take to heart: some people will hear the Gospel and reject it. They don’t want it, don’t want to hear it, don’t want to be part of it. Jesus faced it. Paul faced it. We will face it.

How did Paul and Barnabas respond to rejection? Did they doubt that the message God had given them was true? Did they decide to change or soften the message? Did they say that everyone can believe what they want about the Lamb and still be saved? Did they try putting the Gospel in a cool, modern, hip package with the expectation that that would convince people to believe it? No. Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Don’t misunderstand, Paul took no pleasure in the Jews’ rejection of the Gospel. It broke his heart. He wrote in Romans: brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1) Here is where the 21st century Christian church could afford to learn a lot from the 1st century church. When the Jews rejected the Lamb, Paul and Barnabas did not change the message to something more acceptable to the unbelieving world. Nor did they arrogantly presume that if they put the Gospel into a different package that they could convince the hard-hearted Jews to accept it. No. They boldly and faithfully proclaimed God’s message and accepted the fact that while some believed it, many did not.

Paul and Barnabas had done what Jesus told them to do: go…to the lost sheep of Israel. (Acts 3:26) But when God’s chosen people rejected his Lamb, Paul and Barnabas obeyed Jesus’ command, they turned their attention to the Gentiles. They didn’t waste their time preaching to people who didn’t want to hear it, they devoted their time and resources to people who realized the desperation of their situation and gladly heard and believed the message of the Lamb. The results were astounding: when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. Here we see a vivid example of the doctrine of election. Note the order: all those God appointed for eternal life believed. Did they make a decision for Christ? No. Had they found God? No. God searched for and found them. Election is very simple. In eternity God elected some to be saved. In time, God ensures that those people hear the Gospel, believe it, and are saved. The credit belongs to God. What about the others? Well, we saw that too, right? The Jews didn’t consider themselves worthy of eternal life, they rejected the Gospel when it was preached to them, and they perished. Who gets the blame? They do. This is what happens wherever and whenever the Gospel is rightly proclaimed: some believe it and are saved; others reject it and perish.

In theory, it’s easy, right? Some will believe, some won’t. Here’s the hard part: the Gospel is still dividing between life and death, faith and unbelief in our world today, right here in our own church, even in our own families. Jesus’ words are just as true for us as they were for Paul: do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34) Again, don’t misunderstand. We take no pleasure when people reject God’s Lamb. It breaks our hearts. We make every effort to reach the lost and straying and to faithfully proclaim the Gospel to them. But, we also understand that the message of the Lamb divides. We understand that division and rejection is not evidence that the Gospel has failed, but that it is working. Most of all, we do not let rejection tempt us to change or alter or soften the message. We pray for the courage and boldness to proclaim God’s message faithfully, that faith in the Lamb is the only way to have your sins forgiven and to stand before God justified. In humility we confess that if we are saved, it is only because God chose to save us, and all the glory goes to him. If we are lost, it is because of our stubborn pride and disobedience. That message is divisive because it confronts and condemns human pride and glorifies God alone.

Back to our question: why would anyone want to proclaim or stand for a message that is so inherently divisive? First, it brings glory to God. This is his message. This is his law and his gospel. This Lamb is the Lamb of God. Salvation is his free gift. The glory is his. To preach any other message or to change this one would break the 2nd commandment and dishonor God. Second, this is the only message that saves. The forgiveness of sins comes only through Jesus. No one can be justified by what they do, justification comes only through faith in Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who carried our sins to the cross without complaint. He is the Lamb of God whose spotless coat was splashed with his own crimson blood for our sake. He is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on the cross in our place. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is good news. This is good news that divides; between life and death, faith and unbelief. May we faithfully hear it, sincerely believe it and boldly proclaim it. Amen.