Luke 16:1-13 - Christian Wealth Management - September 18, 2016

In three decades, from 1985 to the present, seatbelt usage in our country has increased from 14% to 79%. The increase was estimated to have saved 85,000 lives and $3.2 billion in costs to society. [1] What caused the (positive) shift? Vince and Larry. Vince and Larry were featured in a series of commercials run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which vividly depicted what happens when a person is involved in an accident and is not wearing a seatbelt. Oh, did I mention that Vince and Larry were crash test dummies? Knowing that, you maybe remember the campaign tagline: You could learn a lot from a dummy. It was a catchy line and an effective campaign because normally you don’t expect to learn much of anything from a dummy.

In the Word of God before us, Jesus uses a similar approach. He uses the example of a worldly, wicked person – a wasteful but shrewd manager to teach his disciples how to manage earthly wealth. It’s effective because no one would expect Jesus, the one who warns his disciples over and over again not to love the world or anything in the world, to use a despicable example of waste and dishonesty to teach a spiritual lesson. And yet, that’s just what Jesus does this morning as he teaches us Christian wealth management.

The parable before us has generated considerable discussion and confusion because in it Jesus seems to praise wastefulness and deceit. But if you read the parable carefully, you’ll see that the manager was not commended for his dishonesty, but for his shrewdness, his wisdom. Where is this wisdom? See if you notice it: There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.” The manager said to himself, “What shall I do now?”

Did you notice the wisdom in that simple question? A foolish manager might have ignored the warning or shrugged off the master’s threat with a flippant, “he’s not serious.” A fool might have thought, “Hey, I’ve got a job today, why worry about tomorrow?” A fool might have tried to argue with his master, accusing him of being unfair in his expectations or being too demanding. But not this manager – he was wise. He was concerned about the future. He knew he had put himself in a bad position and believed that the day would come when he would have to give a full accounting.

That’s the first step in Christian wealth management, too. Jesus wants us to ask, what shall I do because we too are managers of someone else’s possessions. As Paul reminded us in the epistle lesson: we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:7) All that we have, we confess in the first article of the Apostle’s Creed, belongs to God. This is true of our clothing, shoes, food and drink, our homes and cars, our bodies and souls, our reason and understanding – and it’s true of our money. In his Word, God has outlined four ways that he wants us to manage the wealth he has given us: 1) He wants us to use the best we have, our first fruits, to support the work of his kingdom on earth (1 Cor 16:2); 2) he wants us to take care of our families (1 Timothy 5:8); 3) he wants us to help those in need (1 John 3:17); and 4) he wants us to pay our taxes (Romans 13:6-7). And just like the master in the parable, God has promised that the day will come on which he will demand an accounting of our management.

The question is: do we really believe this? We confessed in the creed that Jesus…will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And yet, how often, instead of living in view of that day of accounting don’t we think “I’m the master of what I have,” or “I’ve worked hard for what I have and it’s none of God’s business what I do with it?” How many live their lives and spend their money as if there were no day of Judgment, no God who knows our hidden thoughts, no master who will demand an accounting of how we have managed his possessions? How often do we sit down and consider our time, money and everything else God has given us and ask ourselves if we have been faithful in our use of those precious gifts?

And if we do sit down and consider that question, what do we find? Maybe a better question is: how do I know if I’ve been a faithful manager or not? There’s at least one way I can think of. We each (I hope) planned ahead and know what we will be putting in the offering plate this morning. Take that number and multiply by 4. What does that amount tell us? How does it compare to the amount we will spend this month on cable, internet and smart phones? How does it compare to the amount we spend eating out, golfing, fishing, hunting, camping or traveling? As we stand before God with our offering statement in one hand and the bill for our leisure and luxuries in the other, what do they tell God, what do they tell us? What does our monthly budget suggest is nearest and dearest to our hearts? Remember that Jesus also said: where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) What holds first place in our hearts? Is it God or Money? That’s the most important question, isn’t it? If this manager’s heart was filled with fear and uncertainty at the thought of losing his job, how should we feel knowing that one day we will have to give account to the One who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell?

So: what shall [we] do? Let’s start with repentance. Let start by confessing that we have not been faithful managers of God’s possessions because not one of us can say that we have loved God with our whole hearts and demonstrated that in our wealth management. Instead of growing stubborn and angry, with the attitude that it’s none of God’s business what we do with our money, let us fall on our knees in sorrow that we could be so cold toward the God who gives us everything. Let us plead for his forgiveness. And then let us rejoice in his answer, for His answer is “for my Son’s sake, I forgive you.” Jesus has wiped away all evidence of my unfaithful management and yours with his life, death and resurrection. His is the only heart that never followed the god of money. Tempted with all the wealth of the world, Jesus said: away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. (Matthew 4:10) Paul summed up what it took for Jesus to wash our unfaithful management from God’s accounting books: for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty we might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9) Through faith we can face God’s day of reckoning without fear, because Christ has wiped our records clean with his precious blood.

But not only has Jesus freed us from our sinful mismanagement of the past, he has also freed us to be wise managers of his wealth right now. The dishonest manager had been told that he had to give an account for his management. He knew what that audit would reveal and that he would be out of a job. He contemplated digging or begging for a living, but decided that he wasn’t cut out for either. Then he hit on a plan: I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses. And it’s pretty slick what he did, isn’t it? He adjusted the bills of his master’s debtors so that, instead of owing the master, they owed him. Jesus tells us that there’s a lesson here for us too: I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Let’s repeat: the manager was not commended for his dishonesty, but for his shrewdness, his wisdom. It wasn’t his fancy working of the books that made him wise, but the fact that with his limited time and his master’s money, he made friends for the future.

Similarly, Jesus encourages us to use our master’s money to make friends for the future. Jesus’ words are a powerful antidote for the tendency we have to think of the work of the church strictly in terms of dollars and cents. Jesus talks about making friends with our money – friends who will greet us in heaven. Sometimes these friends have names we know; just as often, they do not. They are the students who sit at Jesus’ feet in Sunday school, VBS, and area Lutheran day schools because our offerings have given them that opportunity. These friends are the future pastors and teachers who are now studying at MLC and WLS by virtue of the gifts we send to our Synod. These friends are people in Africa, China and dozens of other countries who are able to hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ through our mission offerings. These friends are people in our own neighborhood, who, if they see a full parking lot or perhaps in the future a building project might wonder: what is so important to these people that they are so generous with their time and money? With these words Jesus invites us to look at the wealth we spend on furthering his kingdom not as money that’s thrown away and lost, but as an investment in immortal souls and heavenly friends.

At the same time, we can’t push this parable too far. There is a point where the similarity of Christians and the manager ends. The manager needed friends so he would have a place to go when he’d lost his job. We could never make enough friends with our worldly wealth to earn a place in heaven when our time here is up. But we do have a place to go when this life is over, a place prepared for us by Jesus by his perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection. There is no room for doubt – we have a place to spend eternity, reserved for us before we were even born by the God who chose us from eternity. We don’t manage our money to make friends to get there. We don’t need them to have eternal life.

And yet, we do need these friends. We need them for the opportunity to give evidence of the saving faith that lives in our hearts. We need them to be able to demonstrate that our love for God is not just lip-service, but genuine love that shows itself in action. We need them to show that as managers of God’s money we believe that he gave us wealth not just to make our own lives comfortable but to carry out his great commission – which we have studied over the past 4 weeks: Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:20)

But let’s get to the heart of the issue for a moment. As we contemplate God’s plan for wealth management on one hand and our own desires on the other, we’re going to realize that if we want to manage wealth God’s way, it might mean having to cut back in some places or give other things up completely. The thought of sacrificing our own luxury and leisure for God and his church will fill our stingy, selfish sinful nature with resentment. We will once again want to say: “how I use my money is none of God’s business,” or “I’ve given my part, it’s time for someone else to chip in.” There’s only one cure for that sinful attitude. Remember the friend who didn’t just cut back and didn’t just give up some of what he had to make us friends. He gave up everything. He is the one who said greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13) and then proceeded to Calvary to do just that. That was how much Jesus valued our friendship and our salvation. May his love for us move us to manage our wealth so that more and more people may come to know and believe in Jesus as their dearest friend.

You could learn a lot from a dummy. That was a catchy line from an effective ad campaign. Today, Jesus says: you could learn a lot from the worldly as he teaches us Christian wealth management. May we learn to live as managers who must give an account and let us learn to use our wealth to make friends for heaven. Amen.

[1] http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/The-Classics/Safety-Belt-Education

Ephesians 1:18-23, Isaiah 55:8-11, John 14:23-27 - Go and Make Disciples Part 3: Christ Builds His Church - September 4, 2016

It’s Labor Day weekend. Labor Day holds different significance for different people. For children who have suffered through two whole days of school, it’s a well-deserved break. For others, it marks the unofficial end of summer, the last weekend to tackle that household project, or a sure sign that football season is here. But how many Americans know the history of Labor Day? Labor Day started as a movement among labor unions in the 1880’s in New York City as a way of protesting long work days and poor working conditions and celebrating “the dignity of the American worker.” For several years, Labor Day festivities were limited to big labor unions in major cities. Then, in 1894, Congress passed the act marking the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. So, if you have or had a job and want to be faithful to the spirit of the day, tomorrow you should kick back, take it easy and give yourself a pat on the back – because you’ve earned it.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been talking about labor of a different kind: making disciples. One question we haven’t asked is: What is a disciple? In recent years, and in keeping with our ‘me’-focused culture, the discussion of discipleship has been centered on what a disciple does; he gives, he volunteers, he obeys, he imitates Christ. Unfortunately, that contradicts Jesus’ own definition of a disciple: if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31) According to Jesus, a disciple is not a doer, a disciple is first and foremost a learner, a pupil, one who is taught. In other words, the essence of discipleship is not serving Jesus, but being served by Jesus. Being a disciple is about what you receive and the effect it has on you, not what you do and the effect it has on others. Tomorrow, you’re free to celebrate the dignity of labor however you see fit. But today, we’re going to wrap up our series on the great commission by focusing on the one at the center of all disciple-making; not the disciple, but the teacher; Jesus Christ.  

I.                    His Authority (Ephesians 1:18-23)

Whenever we think about the mission of the church, it’s important that we don’t pass too quickly over Jesus’ claim: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Not just anyone has the right to make disciples. In fact, there’s always something weird and creepy about those who gather a group of followers around themselves without proper authority to do so. There’s even a term for it: a cult. Maybe the most famous cult in our country is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – the Mormons. There’s something odd about that group because, despite the name, they are not disciples of Christ, but disciples of a man named Joseph Smith. Another famous American cult called Heaven’s Gate was led by Marshall Applewhite. You may remember that this cult following came to an abrupt end in 1997 when 39 members, certain that an alien spaceship hiding in the shadow of the Hale-Bopp Comet would rescue them, committed mass suicide in their trademark white Nikes by drinking poison. Creepy. Strange.

What makes the Christian church any different? Paul tells us that unlike illegitimate cult leaders, Christ did not claim the authority to make disciples for himself, rather, it was given to him. Perhaps it’s easy for us to forget, but Christ did not spend the majority of his time on earth making disciples, because [he] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28) Having accomplished his mission, [God] raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Christ has the authority to make disciples because he paid the ultimate price to redeem the world. No cult leader can make that claim. And this is a great comfort for us. As a church we are constantly confronted with threats and difficulties. It often seems like we are fighting a losing battle against an immoral and godless world. People we were sure were rock-solid believers suddenly fall from the faith. Whenever we look in the mirror we are confronted with our own sin. If the existence of the church depends on us, it’s doomed. That’s when we need to remember that Jesus is the head of the church – and he loves it like his own body. And not only that, but God has given him authority over the entire universe and the power to rule it all for the good of the church. He has promised the gates of [hell] shall not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18) As members of His church, we may be certain that nothing that happens in our lives is out of our Savior’s control. In this church, under the authority of the one who lived, died, rose and rules everything we may rest secure.

II.                  His Tools (Isaiah 55:8-11)

If Christ said “Go and make disciples” and stopped there, how would you propose carrying out his command? In our world, there are two ways to influence others. These two ways are so dominant that we even have sayings about them: 1) there’s the carrot and stick approach, which uses a combination of threats and rewards to change behavior; and, along the same lines 2) you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar – meaning that it’s more effective to be polite and flattering than hostile or demanding. Flattery and rewards or threats and hostility – that’s how things get done in our world. If it were up to us to decide how to make disciples, I suppose that we would either raise an army and demand conversion or death or we would flatter people by telling them they are really good and give them promises of earthly rewards. (Which, incidentally, are the very methods most religions use to gain followers.)

However, just as the authority to make disciples is Christ’s alone, so are the choice of tools to do so. Christ said make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) Reason believes this to be utter foolishness. Reason questions the effectiveness of the Word, spoken, and combined with water, bread and wine. To all appearances they seem so weak and ineffective – just rituals, just sounds that travel through the air to our ears or a series of letters on a page seen by our eyes. How could something as drastic as conversion from unbelief to faith, from death to life be accomplished by something as simple as the Gospel? Our reason questions it, doubts it, denies it.

That’s why it’s so important for us to take the words of Isaiah 55 to heart: my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. To be clear, it’s not just the tools that seem weak and irrational but the message itself. The Gospel invites us to live by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) The Gospel doesn’t tell us what we must do but what Christ has done for us. Through the Gospel God settles accounts in a way that seems irrational: he punishes his perfect Son for the sins of a wicked world and offers the same wicked world his Son’s perfect righteousness through faith. If it were up to us to find a way to heaven, we would want to work for it. God offers it as a free gift – and ensures that it remains free by offering it only through channels that demonstrate that He alone coverts, creates faith and keeps us strong in faith.

Irrational? Unreasonable? Maybe, but God promises that these means are effective – just as effective as the rain and the snow that fall from heaven to water the earth. God could feed and sustain our bodies in any number of ways – but he has chosen to provide for us by causing water to fall from the sky which yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater. God could have decided to send an army of angels to force sinners to repent, he could have printed his Word in the clouds or the stars, he could speak directly to our hearts – but he hasn’t promised to. Instead, he has promised to reveal his will to the world, to convict the proud and to comfort the despairing through His Word – spoken, printed, pondered, and attached to water, bread and wine. This Word is the most powerful force on earth. The writer to the Hebrews states that the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) And as Christ builds his church with His tools, he gives his guarantee: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. That purpose? Making and saving disciples.

III.               His Promise (John 14:23-27)

In the Great Commission, Christ authorized the church to make disciples for someone we’ve never seen using tools that seem weak and powerless. For many, the Great Commission raises more questions than answers. We want more. We want to see and feel the power of God at work. We want to understand the mind of God and see behind the curtain of his hidden will. We’re not the first ones to want that, either. Shortly before his crucifixion, some of the apostle’s came to Jesus with similar questions and concerns. Thomas said Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? (John 14:5) Philip said Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. (14:8) They wanted more. Jesus’ response?

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. It may not seem like Jesus answered their questions and concerns, but he did – in a way we would never have imagined. As long as Jesus was on this earth, he was confined to one place at one time. But now that he reigns in heaven and rules the universe, he can be with us wherever we go. By his promise and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is here at the font, calling sinners by name and cleansing their hearts with his forgiveness. He is here at the altar, offering his own body and blood for us to eat and drink for our personal forgiveness. He is in those classrooms welcoming little children into his arms. He is there when temptations come, arming you with the sword of the Spirit. He is there when you sin, urging you to repent and comforting you with his forgiveness. He is with you as you are being wheeled into surgery and he will be standing there waiting to welcome you home with open arms when you close your eyes for the last time.

So no, we don’t need anything more or anything better, because when we have the Word, we have Jesus, and Jesus gives us the one thing we need most: peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Peace in a violent world. Peace for our sinful, fearful hearts. Peace in good times and bad, in life and in death. Peace with God is what Jesus gives us through his word and his invitation to come to him for true, lasting peace is what makes disciples. Make disciples – bring people to my feet to learn from me – he tells us. Do it with my authority and my Word. And do it with my promise: surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Amen. 

2 Timothy 3, Deuteronomy 11, Ephesians 4 - Go and Make Disciples Part 2: Christian Education - August 28, 2016

According to a 2015 Pew Research Center poll, the millennial generation (roughly, those between 18 and 35 years old) is the most educated generation in history. That statement is based on the fact that well over 20% of millennial men and women will have at least a bachelor’s degree by the age of 33. For comparison’s sake, in the Baby Boomer generation, only 17% of men and 14% of women had attained a bachelor’s degree by the same age. At the same time another 2015 survey revealed that while 41% of millennials claimed that religion was very important to them, only 27% of them said that they attended services on a weekly basis. Again, that compares to 38% of Baby Boomers who attended worship weekly. What does this data mean? The millennial generation, the generation that has recently graduated from college and is entering the work force, getting married, and having children is smart – too smart for religion and too smart for God.

I.                    The Word is the Basis for Christian Education (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Why is that? Why is the smartest generation also the least religious? At least one part of the answer involves how they were educated and the results of that education. The vast majority of millennials were educated in secular, progressive classrooms from pre-K through college. (Secular in the sense that there was no religious influence in the classroom and progressive meaning that they were indoctrinated to believe that every change is for the better.) That secular, progressive education reveals its influence in changing priorities and attitudes that are decidedly not for the better. Priorities and attitudes that don’t seem much different from those Paul warned Timothy about in the 1st century: mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power.

In contrast to the secular world raised to love and worship self, this was Paul’s advice to Timothy: as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of. Christians are conservatives, not in the political sense, but in the highest sense possible. In a world where values and morals are always changing, usually not for the better – Christians stand firm in God’s unchanging truth. Paul gives two reasons for this. First, because we know who taught us. Timothy’s teachers were his mother and grandmother and Paul himself, sources who were loving and trustworthy. (2 Timothy 1:5) Sadly, we haven’t all had the same experience. Some of us have had teachers who did not teach us God’s Word but rather their own ideas. That’s why Paul offers the best reason to stand firm: because from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We stand firm in God’s Word because three things are true about it that aren’t true of any other book. 1) Its power to create faith begins at infancy. It’s impossible to teach an infant algebra or Newton’s Laws of Physics, but the Bible can create faith in even the youngest child’s heart, as Jesus himself confesses. (Matthew 18:6) 2) It is holy. There are no errors or mistakes. Every history, mathematics, and science textbook must be regularly revised and updated – because new theories are always coming along. The Bible is perfect. It will never need to be updated. God will never issue a revision because His truth is unchanging and unmistaken. 3) Science textbooks can inform you about our world, history textbooks tell you about the past – but only this book can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It’s good to be informed and educated about many things in this life. It’s better to be wise for eternal life – to know and believe that Christ crucified for sinners is the only door to heaven. If we want to have the certainty of eternal life and the ability to share it, then the basis must be holy, unchanging and always applicable. The only basis for that kind of education is God’s Word.

II.                  The Word Must Be Taught to the Next Generation (Deuteronomy 11:1-7, 16-21)

In recent years there have been hundreds of studies, articles and books published identifying the peculiarities of the millennial generation. Millennials been called narcissistic, coddled, entitled, weak-willed and lacking in basic morality. While generalizations are dangerous because there are always exceptions, if social scientists feel comfortable describing millennials that way, who or what is to blame for it? The answer that some have arrived at is humbling. Their parents, teachers, and leaders – those who should have taught them the value of selflessness, morality, humility and hard work – didn’t. Whether that’s true or not doesn’t concern us here. What we do need to recognize is that the Word must be taught to the next generation.

The book of Deuteronomy (second law) tells us about the last years of Moses’ life. These were the years after the wandering, right before Israel entered the Promised Land. Before he left them, Moses reminded the Israelites of God’s love and his will for their lives. Did you notice where he placed the responsibility for living according to God’s will? On each individual Israelite: [you (sg)] love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. Each individual man, woman and child is responsible to love God by obeying his commandments – then and now. I can’t obey for you and you can’t obey for your children. Personal responsibility and accountability to God, characteristics that are woefully lacking in our world today, are essential to living as Christians who recognize God’s power and authority over this world and our lives.

But as Moses goes on he focusses more narrowly on who is responsible for teaching this to the next generation and why. He starts with why. Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God in Egypt and at the Red Sea. It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert and how he punished Dathan and Abiram for their rebellion against God’s appointed leaders. (Numbers 16) But it was your own eyes that saw all these things the Lord has done. Moses’ point? Children cannot know what they have not been taught. Infants, children, and teenagers do not receive saving faith through genetics, you can’t sprinkle it on their cereal, they will not believe in Jesus simply because they come from a long family of Christians. They must be taught to know what Christ has done for them and what his will is for their lives. And for that to happen, we, who know the unchanging truth of God’s Law and Gospel, who have personally experienced the Lord’s discipline and mercy, who confess our sinfulness and rejoice that Jesus came to save sinners – we must teach them. We are all responsible for teaching the next generation – none of us is exempt.

But that doesn’t mean that we are equally responsible. In fact, Moses assumed that most Christian education wouldn’t take place in church or a classroom. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Who is Moses speaking to here? Who is with a child from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed? The primary responsibility for teaching children the truth of the Word rests with parents. Some social scientists argue that the main reason the millennial generation is so different is because theirs was the first generation to be sent to day care and preschool at a very young age. More than previous generations they didn’t learn how to play sports or read their abc’s, how to interact with others and their sense of morals and values from their parents but from others. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, you can judge for yourself. But the Lord has made it clear: the responsibility for teaching children the way of the Lord rests primarily with parents – it can’t be shifted to others. And the reason ought to be obvious: who spends the most time with children? Who guides their choices of television, friends, and activities? Who continues to influence their decisions even as adults? Parents. That doesn’t mean that the church and pastors and teachers aren’t responsible for teaching children God’s Word – they are. But their role is to assist and support parents – not replace them. If the next generation is to know and believe in Christ as their Savior, they must be taught. It is the responsibility of every Christian, but the special responsibility of parents.

III.               Christian Education Is A Lifelong Pursuit (Ephesians 4:11-16)

One issue that has troubled Christian pastors and parents since the beginning of time is: why do those who have been baptized, raised, and confirmed in the Christian faith suddenly become apathetic toward God and neglectful of the means of grace? I’m not going to claim to have solved the problem, but one aspect that is no secret is that once a teenager has been confirmed – they think they know it all. I know that’s not unique to the things of God, but nowhere is that attitude more dangerous than when it comes to the things of God. Paul warned the Corinthians: if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12) The way of complacency leads only one place, and it’s not heaven.

In Ephesians 4, Paul outlines God’s plan for the continuing education of Christians of all ages. God has given the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Why? To babysit? To do the things no one else wants to do? To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. The reason we offer regular Bible studies, the reason we urge and encourage parents to send their children to Christian grade schools and bring them to Sunday school, the reason God has given his church pastors and teachers is so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the full measure of the fullness of Christ. When are we done learning and studying God’s Word? When we know it as well as Jesus himself. Clearly, we have work to do. Clearly, it’s dangerous to think that confirmation is the conclusion to Christian education. Clearly, learning God’s Word needs to be a lifelong pursuit.

The result of lifelong learning is the one thing that can change the current trend of our world, the church and our families. Paul spells out the results: We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Infants are gullible. They think they disappear when playing peek-a-boo. Spiritual infants are gullible. They are easily mislead by false teachers and the godless doctrines of the world. We see that today in those who are tossed back and forth by society’s ever changing views on marriage and morality and sexuality, in those who are convinced that doing a few good deeds will get you into heaven, in people who are misled and deceived by false teachers who promise them prosperity and purpose in life. Young people, and really people of any age, fall away from Christ because when they stop building on the foundation of God’s Word they are easily swept away by waves of culture and the winds of false teaching. We know this. Sadly we see this happen with our own families and friends. What can we do about it? We can keep learning ourselves so that we are prepared to give an answer to every generation’s questions. We can encourage. We can pray. We can set an example by making God’s Word a priority in our own lives. We can warn and discipline with the Law and comfort and encourage with the Gospel and trust that God will work through those means to cause the seed he planted in Baptism to grow and produce a harvest.  

The good news is that even Christian education isn’t primarily about what we do, but about what Christ has done for us. God’s Son became flesh to live the perfect life we never could – and that included a perfect record of studying and teaching the Word. Our sins of apathy toward worship and the Word, our failure to raise our children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord, our reluctance to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth – Jesus has wiped those sins from our record with his precious blood. Because of Christ, God doesn’t see us as failures – he sees us as his perfect, obedient children. Cleansed and forgiven, let us commit to making Christian education a high priority because we know the promises God gives to those who plant themselves in his Word: forgiveness of sins, new life now and the assurance of eternal life when we die. Those are the precious gifts God gives us in his Word, they are the most precious gifts we can pass on to the next generation, and, in the end, receiving and sharing the gifts of God is what Christian education is all about. Amen. 

Romans 10, 1 Peter 3, 1 Corinthians 11 - Go and Make Disciples Part 1: The Means of Grace - August 21, 2016

Go and make disciples Jesus told his disciples before he ascended into heaven. Go and make disciples Jesus tells the church of all time, including our own little corner of the kingdom here in McFarland, WI. Making disciples of Christ is the mission of the church. The question is: how? Some say disciples are made when people are pressed into stepping up to the altar to make their decision for Christ. Some say that disciples are made by doing what the church tells them to do – give money, volunteer their time, go on mission trips, etc. Others kind of throw up their hands and say that we have no idea how or when God comes into a person’s heart, but there’s a good chance the Holy Spirit is present if someone is speaking in tongues, having a vision, or playing soft, soothing music. If you look at the Christian church today, you would think that Jesus told the church to make disciples – and then left it to decide for itself how to do that. The truth is, Jesus told the church precisely how to make disciples: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) Over the next few weeks we will focus on our Savior’s commission to make disciples and specifically, how he intends the church to do so. This morning we look at the most precious (and perhaps most underappreciated) gift Christ has given the Church: the Means of Grace.

The first thing we must do is define the term means of grace. Grace is God’s attitude of undeserved love for us, rebellious sinners and the means are the pipeline by which he conveys this love to us. Just as the water contained in the tower on the hill doesn’t do the residents of McFarland any good without water mains, so the gifts Christ earned by his life, death and resurrection don’t do any good unless there are sure and certain, God-ordained means to deliver these gifts to sinners. The Bible states and we confess that no one will be saved apart from these means of grace – and that’s something we need to emphasize. Why? Because there are many who claim that we are unfairly limiting God when we say that salvation comes only through the means of grace. How could we place limits on an all-powerful God, they ask. Well, we don’t; God in his Word does. Moses asked to see God in all of his glory. God said I will proclaim my name in your presence…but you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. (Exodus 33:15-23) In Jesus’ NT parable, the rich man wanted Lazarus to appear to his brothers on earth to create faith in their hearts, Abraham replied…If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. (Luke 16:31) God could create faith in human hearts without external means – we don’t deny that – but he never has and he never promises to do so. What he does promise is to create faith in human hearts through the Gospel. In the Smalcald Articles, Martin Luther makes our confession for us: Therefore we should and must insist that God does not want to deal with us human beings, except by means of his external Word and sacrament. Everything that boasts of being from the Spirit apart from such a Word and sacrament is of the devil. (SA III, VIII, 10) God offers forgiveness, faith, and salvation to sinful humans only through his chosen means: the Gospel in Word and sacrament.

I.                    The Word

In Romans 10, Paul establishes the necessity of preaching the Word. He first quotes the prophet Joel to summarize the essence of salvation: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. “Calling on the name of the Lord” is the OT way of saying repent and believe. Everyone who repents of their sins and trusts the Lord for salvation will be saved from the eternal death they deserve. He then draws a very rational connection between faith and the Word. How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? Paul highlights several very important elements: 1) Salvation comes by faith, not by works; 2) No one can believe until they have heard the gospel of Christ crucified; 3) No one can hear unless someone tells them; 4) No one can preach unless they are sent. So why do we gather here every week to hear the Gospel preached and taught? Because God sends men to preach His Word so that sinners can hear about what Christ has done for them, believe it, and be saved. Or, as Paul puts it: faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. We read and preach the Gospel every Sunday; we insist that our liturgy and hymns are faithful to that Word; we refuse to allow anyone to add to, subtract or distract from the Word because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)

II.                  Holy Baptism

The Gospel preached and proclaimed to sinners saves. But in his wisdom, God gives his grace to us in two other forms – the sacraments. The word sacrament simply means “a sacred act.” While the word does not appear in the Bible, the church uses the word “sacrament” to identify two special sacred acts in which God gives his grace to undeserving sinners. Different churches define the word sacrament in different ways – which is why some churches have seven sacraments and some have none – the definition we draw from Scripture has three parts. A sacrament is a sacred act which 1) was instituted by Christ himself; 2) which offers the forgiveness of sins; and 3) which uses an earthly element. Two sacred acts fall under this definition: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.

In his first letter, the Apostle Peter writes about the importance and the results of Baptism. He begins with the source of Baptism’s power: Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. On Calvary, Jesus accomplished salvation for the world. He, the sinless Son of God, died in the place of rebellious sinners – and his resurrection is the proof that God accepted his sacrifice. The question is, how does the salvation Christ earned for the world become our personal possession? Peter answers: through water. When water covered the earth in Noah’s day, it swept the face of the earth clean of wickedness and unbelief and saved Noah’s family at the same time. When water was splashed on your head at your baptism, God swept the sin from your heart and saved you. Remarkably, in comparing the two, Peter is saying that the miracle that takes place at the baptismal font is greater than the destruction of the Flood. How can that be? It is not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. The NIV translation makes it sound like Baptism is something we do, that by being baptized we pledge ourselves to God. That is very misleading. A better translation would be “a legal claim.” In Baptism, God credits Christ’s perfect life and atoning death to sinners one by one. Baptized believers can be sure that they stand innocent before God, not because they have committed themselves to God, but because God has committed himself to forgiving them for Jesus’ sake. Your baptism is God’s binding contract to save you. So, why do we baptize infants and adults, why do we recall our baptism regularly and why do we insist that God alone is active in the Word and water of baptism? Because baptism makes disciples and baptism saves.

III.               Holy Communion

Why spend an entire service talking about what we do here and why? Because when we forget the church’s mission or the tools God has given to accomplish that mission, Satan will quickly swoop in to convince us that the church would be better off doing other things – things that are more appealing to our sinful nature and the unbelieving world. Today, those “other things the church should be doing” include offering entertainment instead of instruction, preaching how-to guides for marriage and money rather than Law and Gospel, promoting political agendas, feeding the world, and in general placing the focus on us rather than the cross. While those are things that Christians may freely do out of love for others – they are not the primary mission of the Church. Bad things happen when we forget that.

In fact, Paul was writing to Christians who had forgotten why it was that they gathered every week around the Word, bread and wine. In Corinth, coming to church became little more than an opportunity to feast and socialize with friends. They had forgotten that the church does not exist simply to fill people’s bellies but to fill souls with forgiveness and life. The situation was so bad that Paul warned: I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. (1 Corinthians 11:17) What was the solution? Remember who called you out of darkness to gather as fellow believers in the first place – and remember what he commanded you to do. I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Jesus commanded the church to gather regularly not just to eat, but to receive his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Many regard it as foolishness that we believe in the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood in, with and under the bread and wine. But what did Jesus say? This is my body…this is my blood. Jesus didn’t leave room for interpretation. In this sacrament we receive the very body and blood that Jesus gave up and shed for us on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. So that, just like the Word and Baptism, the Lord’s Supper serves as the pipeline through which God gives us everything Christ won for us on the cross: forgiveness, new life and salvation. But there’s more: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Maybe you can’t preach or play the organ or sing in the choir. Maybe you don’t have much in terms of money, time or energy to support the church’s mission. But when you come here to receive the body and blood of Christ you are preaching a sermon to the world (and maybe more importantly, to your friends and family): Jesus Christ died for sinners, and soon enough he will be back to take me and all believers home. That’s a message that entertainment, how-to lessons, and political speeches do not preach – and it’s the one thing we and our world need most.

Go and make disciples Jesus said. How? Preach the Word, baptize with water, eat and drink my body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Why do we do what we do on Sunday mornings and refuse to let anything get in the way of the means of grace? Because these are the only means through which God has promised to save sinners and keep believers in the faith until they die. Is there anything more important than that? Is there anything better we could be doing? No. So let us thank God for giving us His means of grace, let us never neglect them, and let us be faithful in our use of them. Amen.  

Matthew 6:13 - The Church's Abiding Doxology - August 7, 2016

Over the past 8 weeks, we have sat at Jesus’ feet and listened as he said: this is how you should pray. (Matthew 6:9) As children talking to their dear Father, that is how you should talk to God. And these are the things which you should ask of God: that His Name, his Word be honored on your lips and in your life before a world that is watching; that his kingdom may reign in your heart and in the hearts of others; that his will – his Law and Gospel – may rule your life just as it rules everything in heaven. Ask your Father for daily bread, the stuff you need to sustain this life on your way to eternal life. Ask God every day to forgive your sins for Jesus’ sake and ask him to help you pass that forgiveness on to others. Hold out your helpless hand and beg God to lead you through a world riddled with temptation and trust him alone for deliverance from every evil. And today, we conclude this prayer the way we began it: with our Father. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. This doxology is the Church’s bold confession and her resounding Amen.

You probably noticed that we read the Gospel lesson this morning from the 1900 edition of the King James Version. Because some original manuscripts include these words and some do not, the editors of the NIV made the decision to put the doxology in a footnote. So what should we think? Are these Jesus’ words? Should we be praying them? Well, to make a long story short – and you will rarely hear a confessional Lutheran pastor say this – it’s not a big concern for us. Why not? Two reasons. First, whether Jesus spoke these words or not, they had become a part of the Lord’s Prayer in the Christian church as early as 70 AD – around 40 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, while some of the Apostles were still alive – recorded in one of the earliest non-Biblical Christian documents we have, the Didache.

Second, even if these words aren’t part of Matthew’s original text, they are without question Biblical. We heard proof of that twice this morning. In 1 Chronicles 29, David was preparing for death and preparing his son, Solomon, to take the throne of Israel and to undertake the building of the Lord’s Temple. As David looked back over his life and ahead to his heavenly home, he summed it all up with this grand doxology: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. (1 Chronicles 29:11) These words have stood the test of 3000 years and they also pass the test of eternity – as Jesus revealed to John in his Revelation of heaven where he witnessed saints and angels fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:12) Whether she is praising God in this world or the next, these words are the church’s abiding doxology; her unchanging hymn of praise to the Father who created her, defends her, and will carry her safely home.

When we began this series 8 weeks ago with the address, we noted that the only ones who can properly pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer and expect to be heard are those who have been washed in Jesus’ blood and approach God’s throne through faith in him. In that way, the Doxology not only rises as a hymn of praise to heaven, it is a public confession of what we believe about God. In a world that celebrates religious pluralism, that bends over backwards to treat every religion – from Islam, Judaism and Christianity to various cults, to the local Atheist church, and those who bow down to Mother Nature – as equally valid and true; it is all the more important that we give a bold and clear confession of the one, true God. So what do we believe about God?

Yours is the kingdom. All other kingdoms collapse. The mighty empires of old are piles of rubble underfoot. Mad tyrants whose thirst for power led to their own undoing – men like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Adolf Hitler, and Saddam Hussein – theirs is not the kingdom. ISIS and the EU and the UN, who extend their borders through treaties and military might – theirs is not the kingdom. The countless millions who spend their lifetimes carving out their little kingdoms filled with boats and cars, vacation homes and bigger and bigger barns to store all their stuff – theirs is not the kingdom. And we who long for the heavenly Jerusalem know that ours is not the kingdom either. Christ has set us free to admit: “My kingdom, my every achievement, my every ambition, my wealth, my name, my legacy – [we] consider them rubbish, that [we] may gain Christ and be found in him.” (Philippians 3:8) We confess with saints and angels – “Yours, heavenly Father, is the kingdom, now and forever.”

Yours is the power. The military commanders, politicians and the lobbyists – theirs is not the power. The playground bullies and the office manipulators and the Islamic terrorists – theirs is not the power. The presidents and prime ministers and the global elite – theirs is not the power. Yes, their power is real, but God has set limits on the power of human rulers, as even Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:37) and Cyrus (Ezra 1:2) had to confess. Those with the most money, the best lawyers, the biggest mouths – theirs is not the power. And we confess that the power is not ours, either. In humility we recognize that it only takes one accident, one illness, one failure, one bad decision, one embarrassing sin to reveal how little power we have, how weak and helpless we truly are. And so our trust is not in any man, woman or movement, but in God: “The power – ultimate power over wind and wave, sickness and health, body and soul and time and eternity – that power is yours and yours alone, dear Father.”

Yours is the glory. The entrepreneurs and innovators whose vision and forward thinking ends abruptly at the grave – theirs is not the glory. The Oscar winning actors, musicians, and Olympic athletes who work their whole lives to achieve 15 minutes of fame – theirs is not the glory. The self-righteous who imagine that God will be impressed with their tales of good works – theirs is not and will never be the glory. Nor can we boast of our faith or our good deeds, for even they are a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) Jesus has taught us that the only way to heaven is to despair of our own glory (which before God is really more like filthy rags) – and to confess with Paul: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Galatians 6:14) “Yours, not mine, heavenly Father, is the glory.”

Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. This is the church’s bold confession. But some days it’s hard to believe those things, isn’t it? Some days we mutter these words half-heartedly because we know that when we open our eyes and unfold our hands and walk out those doors the world will still contradict every word of this prayer. God’s Word is trashed and his people are slandered. His kingdom and rule are resisted. His will is ignored – and many seem happiest when they are intentionally living contrary to his will. It seems as though the powers of darkness are winning. We read the papers, watch the news, feel the winds of economic and political turmoil. We worry about our jobs, our children, the future. We track our health and our nest eggs as they both sputter and fail. We watch evil roll over the face of the earth and it doesn’t seem like the kingdom and the power and the glory belong to anyone in particular – especially not a good and holy God who only wants what is best for us.

If you ever feel that way; if it ever seems like everything we do here, say here and pray here contradicts what you see with your eyes and experience in your life…good, because that means you’re getting the hang of this thing called faith. The book of Hebrews defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) Having faith means having a perspective on life that is based not on what we see but on what God has promised. Faith means trusting that He holds the world and our fragile lives in his powerful hands. Faith testifies to the reality of God’s kingdom, the power, and the glory – even though we cannot see it. Like the towering cathedrals of the medieval church, this doxology lifts us out of the ordinary meaninglessness of daily life, it points us away from our troubled hearts and lives to eternal, invisible, indestructible things – the things of God.

That’s why the church doesn’t close the Lord’s Prayer with a question mark but with an exclamation mark, not with an “I hope” but with “I know”, not with “Amen.” but with “Amen!” You may think that pastors get to have all the fun learning and then reading the original Greek and Hebrew of Scripture – but you would be wrong, because every time you say “amen” you are speaking Hebrew. That word links you to the father of believers: Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) “Believed” is the Hebrew word “Amen.” (וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן) We end our creeds and sermons and prayers and hymns with this word. It means to be firm, sure, certain, unchanging. Abraham believed the Lord. He was absolutely certain that God would keep his promise to send a Savior, and the Lord credited that faith in the promise as saving righteousness.

When we say “amen”, we join Abraham in declaring our faith in God’s promises. Essentially we are saying: “Lord, I have heard your Word and promises and I live this life and stake my eternity on the certainty of you keeping them.” With “amen,” you confess your belief that God has credited everything Christ did to your account. His life is your life. His death is your death. His payment for sin is the payment for your sin. His resurrection is a foreshadow of your resurrection. We can’t prove any of this, we can’t hack into God’s accounting books to calculate the arithmetic of forgiveness, we can’t feel the cloak of Christ’s righteousness that covers us, we can’t peer through death to the other side of the grave. But, by faith, we know these things to be true. We pray “amen” by faith, not by sight.

Those without faith cannot pray. They cannot approach God or expect to be heard because no one comes to the Father except through [Jesus]. (John 14:6) Those without faith can only appreciate kingdoms established with borders and armies, not one established by Word and water, bread and wine. They cannot understand why we fall on our knees and confess “not my will, but yours be done.” They cannot help but grow anxious for the future, because they do not trust that God will provide bread for each new day. They are not motivated to forgive others because they have not experienced the sweet taste of sins forgiven themselves. They do not regard temptation as a danger to be struggled against but rather a “lifestyle choice” they are free to make. They cannot see that the real battle in this world is not between warring ideologies over political power but between the forces of heaven and hell over human souls. Those without faith do not believe and those without faith cannot say “amen.”

In his grace, God has opened our hearts to believe that the kingdom, the power and the glory are his. By faith we know that God’s kingdom is wherever Jesus is and that Jesus is wherever his Word and Sacraments are. By faith we lay these bold petitions before God’s throne and expect him to answer, because we know God’s promise and we trust that what the Apostle Paul wrote is true: no matter how many promises God has made, they are “yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

And so, whether Jesus spoke these words or not, it is perfectly fitting for us to close His prayer with the church’s abiding doxology. We pray with confidence because Jesus has taught us to pray in this way. We say “amen” because we believe his promise to hear us. As blood bought believers it is our duty to make the clear confession that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God alone now and forever. And it is our privilege to respond to God’s promises with the saints of old and the angels in heaven: “Yes, God, as you have promised – so shall it be.” Amen. 

Matthew 6:13 - Deliver Us From Evil - July 31, 2016

In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther referred to this petition as the summary petition, reasoning that if God answers this petition, he will have answered all of them. When you think through what Jesus has taught us to pray for, that explanation makes a lot of sense. What is it that keeps God’s name from being hallowed, his kingdom from coming, and his will from being done on earth as it is in heaven? What causes poverty and famine and creates our daily necessity for things as basic as bread, water and shelter? What hardens hearts so that we stubbornly refuse to ask for the forgiveness God freely offers through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice? What makes us so ungrateful for God’s forgiveness that we refuse to forgive those who sin against us? What is it that tempts us to sin against God and one another? The answer is of course: evil. So according to Luther’s way of thinking, if God answers this petition, he will have answered them all. And that’s really the point of everything we could ever pray for, isn’t it – that God would deliver us from evil. Praying this petition means asking God to teach us to correctly identify the source of evil and then to trust Jesus as the only one who can deliver us from evil.

After two long weeks, the conventions have wrapped up, the candidates have been chosen and have spoken. If you listen to political commentators, the one thing the conventions proved beyond question is that our country is deeply divided. Do Republicans and Democrats have anything in common? Can they agree on anything? I suggest that yes, Republicans and Democrats do have something in common, they can agree on something, and I think it came out pretty clearly in the acceptance speeches. Both candidates agree that our nation and our world are facing a crisis of evil. What that evil is and how to deal with it – that’s another story.

And perhaps that disparity points to a larger problem in our society and our world. Whether it comes from the podiums at political conventions or in our discussions around the kitchen table, what is the focus of most of the talk about evil? Isn’t it on the weapons and ideologies behind violent attacks and all the symptoms and side-effects of evil in our world? The presidential candidates laid out their visions to defeat terrorism, racism, poverty, income inequality and war. We talk about the evil of pollution and pornography and political corruption and pedophilia and potholes. But we no longer seem to be willing to say that these are only the symptoms of something much deeper. We accuse hate speech and inanimate objects of being evil, we blame bad leadership or hard circumstances for evil actions. And through it all we have forgotten how to call evil, evil.

And so instead of focusing on the source, we attack the symptoms – and nothing gets solved. The examples are countless. The problem is terrorism. One side demands that we take the war to the terrorist’s homes and hit them where it hurts. The other suggests that we stop attacking our enemies and try to convince them that we really want to be their friends. What have both sides failed to do? Stop terrorism. The problem is violence on our streets. One side claims that taking away guns and spending money on education will stop it. The other claims that a well-armed citizenry and the physical education of prison will prevent it. What have both sides failed to solve? Violence in the streets. At home, we worry about finances and the future, children misbehave and spouses betray each other. Among the solutions offered are better budgeting, firmer discipline and stronger communication. Has anything actually been solved? Finally, we all deal with the fact that our bodies are breaking down or already broken and that eventually disease or an accident or one of a thousand other causes will end our time on this earth. Everyone agrees that death is evil, right? But what’s the solution? A healthier diet, more exercise, better medicine, the fountain of youth? None of the solutions humanity has ever proposed has solved the problem of evil, because human solutions attack the symptoms while failing to address the source.

Now, for the unbelieving world, that’s understandable. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) The world writes off things the Bible identifies as evil: original sin, rejection of God’s Word and rebellion against God’s will, evil human desires and the devil, as either ‘superstition’ or relics from an ancient, unenlightened, ignorant period in history. It shouldn’t surprise us that the worlds’ attempts to stamp out evil focus only on the symptoms, for they have neither the understanding nor the tools to do anything about the root cause of it all.

But Jesus does. And so he doesn’t teach us to pray for deliverance from the symptoms of evil, but from evil itself. While the NIV reads deliver us from the evil one, the Greek is better translated simply evil. Satan is certainly one source of evil. Paul revealed that to the Ephesians: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) But Satan is not the sole source of evil. Jesus told his disciples out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Matthew 15:19) All of the evil we see in our world, evil of body and soul, property and reputation can be traced to two sources: Satan himself and the place he rules in this world: the human heart.

Ok, so now that we’ve recognized the root of evil, we can fix it, right? One man tried to do this the world’s way: through policies and laws. This man learned from the best Bible teachers of his time. He knew his Old Testament forwards and backwards. He even subscribed to and obeyed 613 additional rules God hadn’t given. If anyone could fix the problem of evil, it was this man. And yet, do you know what Paul confessed after God had opened his eyes to the truth? I know that nothing good lives in me…for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing…So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me…What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:18-24) So no, not even Christians can solve the problem of evil in our world – even though once again this election cycle many churches will use our political system to try – because we are captive to evil just as much as terrorists and cop killers. Not only can we not save the world, we can’t even save ourselves.  

That’s why Jesus doesn’t teach us to pray help us fix the symptoms of evil or give us laws that will prevent evil but [Father] deliver us from evil. That little word ‘deliver’ is a very big theme in the pages of Scripture, and the Bible is filled with stories of the deliverance of men, women, and children from the clutches of evil. Satan robbed Job of his family, wealth and health. God delivered him from his loss and pain and blessed him with twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:12) Around 1500 BC the Israelites cried out for deliverance from Egypt, where they were enslaved, persecuted for their faith, and forced to execute their baby boys. The Lord heard their prayer and sent Moses to deliver them. The book of Judges tells of how time after time God’s people rebelliously assimilated to the evil culture in which they lived until they realized that they had fallen for a lie and cry out for deliverance. In fact, you could summarize the entire book in just two phrases: [Israel] cried out to the Lord and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer. (Judges 3:9) Three men in the fiery furnace. Daniel in the lion’s den. The disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee. We could go on.

The important thing to understand is that all of these mini-rescue stories are just chapters in God’s blockbuster tale of deliverance for all mankind. The proper way to read the Bible, especially the OT, is to see each small rescue story as a shadow of the final deliverance that Jesus Christ began on Christmas Day and will complete on the Last Day. This was what Jesus meant when he told the Pharisees: you diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me. (John 5:39) And Jesus did exactly what God sent him to do. As he was hanging on the cross that word ‘deliver’ came up again as people passed by him and mocked him, saying: he trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he desires him. (Matthew 27:43 ESV) This was the one time in history that God didn’t deliver. God didn’t deliver his Son from evil. Or, more accurately, God did deliver his Son - right into the hands of evil. God loved us so much that he delivered His Son, not just into an evil world, an evil culture or an evil set of circumstances. He delivered Jesus to the soul and source of evil.

That’s the heart of the gospel: God delivered his Son into evil to deliver us from evil. Satan is skilled at confusing this message, so we need to be very clear on this: God did not send Jesus to rid the world of poverty or to solve street violence, he didn’t come to protect us from terrorists or to help children behave and spouses to communicate. Those are only symptoms. Jesus came into the world to get to the root of evil and tear it out. He came to seize the neck of the evil one and break it. On the cross, the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24) entered into the inner sanctum of all that is unholy, the source of all suffering and pain and even death itself – and he destroyed Satan’s grip on this world and our hearts by swallowing up the source of his power: sin. And having defeated the Prince of Evil, he continues to plunder Satan’s kingdom – not with guns or laws or elections – but by shining the light of his mercy and forgiveness into the dark depths of human hearts like ours. Politicians may give compelling arguments for why you should trust them to fix the symptoms of evil in our nation and world, but there’s only one person to trust for deliverance from evil – the One who entered the heart of darkness and lived to tell about it.

Then why do we still face the symptoms of evil wherever we turn? Satan, though defeated, continues to reign in this world and rule human hearts. (Revelation 20) But as Jesus frees human souls from Satan’s kingdom he also delivers us from the symptoms of evil. The Bible tells us that He does this in one of three ways. 1) He may keep evil away from us. If you have never been a victim of poverty or terrorism or disease – God has delivered you from evil. 2) He may allow evil to come and use it for our good. Think of Joseph and Job. Think of the crisis God used to strengthen your faith by bringing you back to his Word. In those ways – he delivers you from evil. 3) And finally, because this world will never be free from evil, look forward to closing your eyes for the last time, when God will deliver you from this world to himself in heaven – that is God’s final answer to this petition, the answer every Christian longs for. Until that day, don’t despair because evil seems to be prevailing and don’t become distracted by the world’s promises of deliverance. Instead, pray: Our Father in heaven…deliver us from evil. Believe that Jesus has delivered you from the Evil One through the water of Baptism and trust his promise to deliver you through all evil in this world to his side in heaven.

Most people – even Republicans and Democrats – agree that we are facing a crisis of evil in our nation and our world. But because the unbelieving world is spiritually blind and cannot identify the true source of evil, the best it can ever do is try to fix some of the symptoms. (Which, when it comes to government is fine, because that’s exactly what God created government to do.) In this summary petition, we not only learn how to correctly identify where evil comes from, but also to trust the only one who can truly deliver us from evil. Who is this? we will sing in moments, Jesus Christ it is, the almighty Lord. And there’s no other God; he holds the field forever. (CW 200:2) Amen.

Matthew 6:13 - Lord, Lead Us to Be Aware of Temptation and Through Temptation - July 24, 2016

By now I suspect most of us have heard of the latest craze in smart-phone apps – and if you haven’t, well you may be one of the lucky ones. Pokémon Go, it’s called. Not having joined the craze myself, what I understand is that you are able to see images of Pokémon characters on your smartphone screen overlaid on your real surroundings. For example, churches are popular hiding places for these creatures, so if you have this game, you might actually find a character here at Risen Savior. This game has been wildly popular all around the world. Many are praising the game, saying that it promotes socializing and physical activity. But, like almost anything in life, there is a dark side. In the past few weeks, two men in California fell off a cliff chasing a Pokémon, two Canadian teenagers wandered across the border chasing Pokémon and were detained by the border patrol, and a military veteran crashed his car into a tree while playing the game. The message to those who play Pokémon is: be aware of your surroundings and whether you’re walking or driving, and don’t give into the temptation to play when you should be keeping your eyes on the road. That’s good advice for any kind of smartphone use, and it’s good advice for navigating your way through life, too. And in a way, that’s what we’re asking for when we pray lead us not into temptation. We’re asking the Lord to lead us to be aware of temptation, and to lead us through temptation.

A cursory reading of this petition has caused endless confusion for many Christians. Why, they ask, would we need to ask God NOT to lead us into temptation? Is that something he does? Would God normally put stumbling blocks in the path of his children? No. James made that clear: when tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. (James 1:13) So this petition is not a prayer that God would stop tempting us, because his very nature doesn’t allow it. Nor is this a prayer that God would remove all temptation from our lives, because there’s only one way to do that: death. So this petition, is first of all a request that God would make us aware of our surroundings – that is, the things around us that tempt us to sin.

James reveals that: each one tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. (James 1:14) So the first source of temptation in my life is…me. The Bible teaches it and when we look in the mirror we can see it – but are we always aware of it? Are we aware that the source of lust is not the smut on TV or the way people dress or the flirtatious glance – but the desire for forbidden fruit that resides in our hearts? Are we aware that greed is not created by the wealth of others or endless marketing campaigns but either our lack of contentment or sinful pride over what God has graciously given us? Do we realize that laziness and gluttony aren’t merely symptoms of living in an affluent society but symptoms of a sin-sick heart? Whenever we pray these words, let us realize that the first tempter we need to be aware of with is not out there, but in here.

Jesus warned his disciples about the second source of temptation, telling them: woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! (Matthew 18:7) Being aware of our surroundings means recognizing that no matter how innocent and attractive the unbelieving world seems – it is not there to help us on our path to heaven. You’re not supposed to say this in a politically correct society, but unbelievers are incapable of pleasing God or helping us to live as disciples of God. Paul wrote: the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8) No matter how good, how nice, how helpful and compassionate the unbelieving world might appear, the truth is that nothing has changed since God gave his assessment of humanity before the Flood: every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5) So if it seems like everyone is only living for themselves, that’s because they are! If it seems like the world is going to hell, it is! The highest power an unbeliever can ever serve is himself. Don’t be deceived and don’t be unprepared – the unbelieving world only seeks to lead you away from Jesus and entangle you in the worries and concerns, the glitz and glamour, the terrors and torments of this life.

Finally, the general behind the dark forces of the world and the one who tries to rouse the passions of our sinful flesh is the devil. And his specialty is attacking Christian faith and his target is your soul. Knowing that he is doomed, he works tirelessly to lead as many people as possible down the broad road that leads to hell. He is the one responsible for tempting and leading baptized and confirmed Christians away from God’s Word and sacrament – the only means of preserving and strengthening saving faith. He is the sinister force behind every teaching and teacher who would suppress or deny the Gospel truth of salvation by grace alone in Christ alone through faith alone. He tempts Christians to become complacent and to believe they know all they need to go to heaven and begin to place their trust in the shaky sand of their own faith rather than the bedrock of the written Word. Satan is the fiend who leads us to sin with the promise that it’ll be fun and exciting – and when we have fallen shows his true colors – accusing us, condemning us, and leaving us to despair. Satan wants us to think that it’s no big deal to play around with temptation – that a little greed, a little lust, some hatred and some covetousness is nothing to worry about. But don’t fall for it. Remember Judas. Satan clawed his way into Judas’ heart through the ‘small’ sin of greed, greed that quietly turned into betrayal, betrayal that turned into despair, despair that turned into suicide and eternal death in hell. That’s what Satan wants for everyone. He wants us to think he’s playing around. He’s not. He’s playing for keeps. He wants as many people as possible to spend eternity with him burning in hell.

Temptation is all around us, we can’t escape ourselves, this world or Satan no matter how hard we try. What can we do? If this was the DOT trying to teach people to keep their eyes on the road, we could simply post signs saying clever things like: a steering wheel is not a hands free device, drive now, catch Pokémon later, or list the number of deaths to scare you away from those temptations. But it’s impossible to write list of things or places to avoid because literally anything can tempt us to sin. Nor should we despair if we struggle with temptation – as if only weak Christians are tempted to sin. Remember Adam and Eve, who were perfect in every way and were tempted to sin by a piece of fruit. Remember David, a man hand-picked by God to lead his people, who had all the money, power and women in the world – and yet broke the 5th and 6th commandment to get the one woman he should not have had. Or remember Peter, who listened to Jesus preach, who walked on water, who promised to die for Jesus, and yet at the probing of a servant girl denied even knowing Jesus. No one is immune to temptation. This petition is not for people who think they have conquered all sin and temptation and are deserving of heaven.

This petition is for penitent sinners. This petition is for those who are aware of the danger all around them and are aware of how weak and helpless they are to conquer temptation alone. This petition begins humbly: lead us. It’s as if we are deaf and blind, unable to walk a straight line much less march the path to heaven through a life filled with temptation. We need God not to just offer us rules and suggestions, we don’t need him to be sitting in the stands cheering us on, we need him to grab our hand and lead us through a life filled with temptation on every side.

And that’s precisely what he sent Jesus into this world to do. Do you remember the first thing Jesus did after he began his public ministry? Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1) Not only is that proof that temptation comes to the strongest believers, it is proof that Jesus was our substitute. He came to do what we could never do. To see every temptation clearly – and to pass through temptation without falling. Don’t worry that Jesus is shocked or sickened every time we fall into temptation and sin. We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) And so even as we pray this petition, and even as we face temptation on all sides, Jesus reassures us that he has lead the way. He has passed through every temptation Satan and the world could throw at him – and he never fell for it. Before God, he picks you up, puts his robe of righteousness around your shoulders, and assures you, “That dangerous road you could never walk, I walked it for you. I give my perfect life to you. My blood covers you. Yes, the temptations are and will always be there, but they cannot hurt you, for you are mine.”

Armed with the confidence that Jesus’ perfect life covers us and his innocent death washes away our sins, this petition is a prayer not that God would keep temptation out of our lives, but that when it comes, he may lead us to keep our eyes on the road to heaven. Following that road means first keeping our eyes on Christ for forgiveness and salvation, but also knowing God’s unchanging will – both what he commands and what he forbids. It means knowing yourself, your strengths and vulnerabilities. It means not only praying that God would not lead you into tempting circumstances, but also consciously avoiding or at least preparing for them.

While we can use this petition in the midst of temptation, Jesus intends it to help us prepare to face temptation. “Lord, today, lead me not into temptation. But when temptation comes, lead me to know your Word so that Satan cannot lead me into false belief. Lead me to know my weaknesses and vulnerabilities and lead me out of trying situations. Lead me away from the bar, the TV show, the argument, the Facebook page, the website – or anything else that rouses my sinful wants and desires. And Lord, when I fall, lead me back to your grace. Lead me to the forgiveness you graciously offer in Word and Sacrament that I might be stronger next time. Let me see temptation for what it is and use it to lead me ever closer to you.”

I don’t understand the temptation of chasing cartoon characters on a phone. But the best advice for those who do is to be aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes on the road when you’re walking or driving. Thankfully Jesus has something better for all of us as we navigate our way through this sinful world. Prayer. Lead us not into temptation he teaches. Lead us to be aware of the sinful desires living within us, lead us to see that nothing this world offers has any eternal value, lead us to see that Satan isn’t playing around – but wants us to spend forever with him in hell. Lead us not only to see temptation, but give us the strength to avoid it when possible and give us a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13) And Lord, when we fall, lead us to the safety of your forgiveness, confident that your perfect life covers us completely. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-12 - Lord, Teach Us to be Forgiven and Forgiving - July 17, 2016

Debt. For all the ads you hear and see on TV and radio about getting out of debt and all the promises from presidential candidates to help Americans get out of debt – debt is still a big problem for individuals and our nation alike. Struggling with debt is nothing new. King Solomon revealed the truth about debt: the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7) And this was his advice to anyone who found themselves weighed down by debt: go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:3-5) For Solomon, debt was something to be avoided at all costs. Is that still the case today? In 2015 the average American household carried $15,000 in credit card debt, $168,000 in mortgage debt, $27,000 in auto loans, and $48,000 in student loans. The numbers speak for themselves. For the average American, it appears that getting what they want outweighs their ability to pay for it. And the result is debt. Debt that leads to sleepless nights, anxiety and family problems; debt that not too long ago led to a nationwide recession and housing crisis. As bad as financial debt is, there’s a far greater debt problem in our world. Exponentially greater than any financial debt is the debt of sin we each owe to God. This very real, very dangerous debt problem is why Jesus teaches us to pray: forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Jesus takes care of our debt problem by teaching us to be forgiven and forgiving.

By calling sin “debt” Jesus brings home a harsh reality: sin is more than poor judgment or an error or mistake that can be easily erased. Sin creates a debt that must be paid, and as Paul says: the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Unfortunately, many people treat sin like they treat their finances: they want to live however they want and to hell with the consequences. And like a dishonest loan shark, Satan is happy to help people along that path. He has convinced some that a sinful lifestyle is something you are born with, and therefore is no more serious than having green eyes or brown hair. He has convinced others that God judges sin like credit bureaus judge debt – some sins are really bad, but others are not. He has led people to believe that if they try to do a little good each day they can slowly pay off their debt of sin – the idea of karma. He has even convinced many that if they stop listening to God’s Word, ignore the warnings of parents and pastors, and find some way to tune out the voice of conscience that sin will somehow go away, kind of like silencing the phone to avoid creditors. But that’s not how reality works. The longer you ignore your financial debt, the worse it gets. It’s no different with the debt of sin. God does not ignore or lose track of debts. In his courtroom, every sin must be paid for.

God taught this truth to his Old Testament people in an unforgettable way. Whenever any Israelite man, woman or child sinned – intentionally or unintentionally – God commanded them to bring an animal to the tabernacle where a priest would slaughter that animal as payment for their sin. (Leviticus 4-5) And to make it clear that God would not overlook even one sin, each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was to slaughter a bull and a goat for the sins of all the people – even the ones they were unaware of. (Leviticus 16) Day after day, week after week, year after year, the Lord taught his people the undeniable truth about the debt of sin: without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

Just like dealing with financial debt, owning up to the reality and consequences of our debt of sin is the first step in removing it. This need is why every time we come here to worship God the first thing we do is publicly confess our sins to him. This is why John the Baptist stood in the desert of Judea preaching repentance (Mark 1:4) and why the first message Jesus proclaimed when he began his public ministry was repent! (Mark 1:15) This is why Martin Luther wrote in his first of 95 Theses: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. And, it’s not a coincidence that in the words Jesus intended his disciples to use as a model for daily prayer he teaches forgive us our debts.

But this is where God is unlike any other creditor. While he demands payment for each and every sin, out of his infinite grace and mercy he decided to make that payment himself. I failed to mention earlier that on the Day of Atonement not one but two goats were chosen. One was slaughtered, but the priest took the other one, put his hands on its head, symbolically laid the sin of the entire nation on it and sent it out into the desert. (Leviticus 16:20-22) This goat represented God’s solution to the debt of sin. This goat represented Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was slaughtered on the altar of the cross as the payment price for the sins of the world. In God’s eyes, Jesus carried the debt of every sinner in the world to the cross and paid the price for it with his holy blood. This payment was sufficient to pay for every sin you have ever committed, to the extent that Jesus shouted from the cross: tetelestai – it is finished. (John 19:30) This is the word a Greek banker would write on a bill when it had been paid in full. Every sin from the past, all the debt that you could never hope to pay down and every ounce of the punishment you deserved for it has been removed, paid for by Jesus and forgiven by God.

The Gospel of sins forgiven might not be news to most of us, but it’s a lesson we are never done learning. Why? Because even though God has forgotten our sins, we haven’t. Because even though God no longer accuses and condemns us, Satan still does. Because even though the Judge has pronounced us innocent, we still feel guilty. The unfortunate reality is that as unnatural as it is for us to own up to our debt before God, it’s even more unnatural for us to believe that Jesus has paid the price for all of it. And the only cure for that is pure, unfiltered Gospel. And so, whenever you pray these words, recall the countless assurances God has given in his Word that for Jesus’ sake he has removed every cent of your debt of sin. Jeremiah 31:34: I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Psalm 103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Micah 7:19: You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Debt is inevitable, guilt is natural; forgiveness is not – we need to learn it. That’s why we need to pray and treasure these words forgive us our sins; Lord, teach us to be forgiven.

Only when we have learned that lesson can we continue: as we also have forgiven our debtors. This too, is completely unnatural for us. As good as creditors are at keeping track of debt, we are probably even better at keeping track of the debts others owe us. Isn’t it funny: I can ignore the fact that I owe hundreds of thousands of dollars to a bank, but there is no way I’m forgetting that $100 I loaned to a friend. We can forget that God has patiently forgiven us for committing the same stupid sins day after day for decades, but we can hold grudges against co-workers, ex-boyfriends, classmates, siblings and spouses for years. Actually, it’s not funny at all. It’s deadly serious. So serious that Jesus gives an expanded commentary on this petition: if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15) God’s forgiveness is free, we cannot earn it or deserve it. But if we refuse to forgive others, we will lose it.

Forgiven people are forgiving people, Jesus says. But let’s be honest: forgiving is not easy. As long as we live in this sinful world, making the conscious, willful decision to not hold a grudge, to not retaliate, to not return evil for evil but instead return good for evil, will never come naturally or quickly. And the bigger the debt, the harder it is for us to forgive.

But there are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to forgiving others. First, don’t confuse the emotions of forgiveness with the fact of forgiveness. Especially when it comes to sins like betrayal and unfaithfulness and physical abuse, or pain inflicted by those closest to you – you may never be totally free from the pain of that sin, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t forgive the one who did it to you. God is able to forgive and forget perfectly, we cannot. And so, forgiveness for us means that no matter how we feel, we are making a conscious decision NOT to seek revenge, NOT to hold a grudge, NOT to wish evil on that person, and to tell them, repeatedly if necessary: I forgive you. What if they continue to sin against me? Well, there are limits to forgiveness. Divine limits. We are to forgive others as often as God forgives us.

Second, there is a real difference between not be able to forgive and being unwilling to do so. If a person says: “I know what God requires of me and I will not do it,” this person needs to listen very carefully to the concluding words of Jesus’ parable about the unmerciful servant: 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 of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart. (Matthew 18:33-35) Jesus is clear: unforgiving people are not welcome – either to receive forgiveness through his body and blood here and now (Matthew 5:24) or to be received into heaven when they die.

On the other hand, when the pain is deep and the effects are long lasting, sometimes all a Christian can utter is: “I know, Lord, what you require of me. I know that you expect me to forgive just as you have forgiven me. I want to, but I can’t, help me.” If that is your struggle, there’s only one thing to do, come back to the well of God’s forgiveness day after day after day. Seek out his word of absolution publicly and privately. Taste the body and blood of Christ given and poured out for the forgiveness of your sins and the sins of the person indebted to you. And then leave, forgiven of all your debts, ready to forgive the debts of others.

Solomon’s words concerning debt are still relevant 3500 years later: debt is bad. Financial debt often leads to serious consequences. The consequences of our debt of sin is far worse: death and eternal imprisonment in hell. But Jesus came to bring forgiveness. He has paid your debt once and for all on the cross. But until he takes us home to heaven, we can never stop praying: Lord, teach us to be forgiven. Assure us that no matter the amount of debt we have accumulated, Jesus’ blood has washed every penny of it from God’s record books. And Lord, teach us to be forgiving. Especially when it hurts, especially when it’s hard – give us the strength to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave [us]. (Ephesians 4:32) Amen. 

Matthew 6:9-11 - Simple Petition, Many Ingredients - July 10, 2016

In the flow of the Lord’s Prayer, this petition might seem a little out of place. In the first three petitions Jesus shined the spotlight on God – his name, his kingdom and his will. These are the spiritual necessities that sustain and strengthen us for eternal life in heaven. But now Jesus turns his attention to the physical side of things, and he brings up bread. Bread, that food staple which these days we almost take for granted. Bread, the food whose most important job is holding a sandwich together. Why? What connection is there between holy things like God’s name, kingdom and will and something as ordinary as bread? What does prayer have to do with what we put on the table for lunch?

The Bible makes it clear that God is interested in what we eat and what we drink and what we wear. From the beginning, the glorious, heavenly things of God were intimately connected with every day, physical necessities. What led Adam and Eve to fall from grace and bring sin and death into the world? Food. Why did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob? Because he was hungry. When Jesus realized that thousands of people had followed him into the wilderness to hear him preach, he didn’t dismiss them, saying “at least I’ve filled their souls, that’s what really matters.” No, he filled their bellies with bread and fish. In his letter to church leaders and members James writes: Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15-16) God, our Creator, knows that in this life body and soul are co-dependent. He knows that if we are to hallow his name, live in his kingdom, and carry out his will we need food, clothing, shelter and many other things to do so. Jesus summarizes our physical needs with this petition: give us today our daily bread. A petition that appears simple, but involves many different ingredients.

The first two words point us to the source. These days “locally sourced” food has become pretty trendy. “Locally sourced” food doesn’t come from some anonymous factory farm, it comes from a local farm that you could visit if you wanted to – so that after you eat your chicken sandwich, you can go see where that chicken grew up. Apparently, people want to know where their food is coming from. Do we always remember the source of our food? If we asked the children here where their food comes from, how many would say Pick-n-Save or McDonalds? How many adults would respond, it came from me who put in the hours at work to earn the paycheck that bought that loaf of bread. But we’re not really getting to the source, are we? Who gave us the education, ability and health to hold a job and earn a living? Who is responsible for placing us in a peaceful and prosperous nation where most of us don’t really worry about food and clothing? Who gave the farmer and the baker their skill and ability? In the end, who causes the sun to shine, the rain to fall and seeds to germinate? In teaching us to pray Our Father in heaven…give us, Jesus is encouraging us to recognize God as the source of every blessing.

Why is it so easy to forget that? Why are we so quick to sit down and eat, to walk out of the store with a cartload of food, or cash our paycheck without thanking God for it? Because, too often, we imagine that we deserve it. We deserve it because of how hard we work or how good we are. The truth is, we are sinners. And according to God, the soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel 18:20) If God were to give us what we deserve, our bodies would be rotting in the ground and our souls locked away in hell right now. That’s why it’s good for us to use the words of Psalm 118 as we sit down to eat: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1) It is only a result of God’s undeserved love that we can go to work, shop at the store, and sit down for a meal. The only reason we can spend a single moment peacefully working, resting and eating is because God sent his Son to take away our sins and to suffer the punishment of death we deserved. Because Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath that we had earned, we are not dead, we are not doomed, we are not damned, and we are free to enjoy the bounty of blessings God pours out on us. And because God has already proven his love by taking care of our greatest spiritual need – the forgiveness of sins – we can trust that he will take care of our physical needs as well. In that way, Jesus is not only the teacher of this petition, he is the answer, the source as well.  

But Luther asks another important question about this petition, “What is meant by daily bread?” In his answer he includes things like a godly spouse, godly employees, good government, peace and order, good weather and good health. Especially after a tragic week like this last one, it’s important to remember just how many elements have to come together for us to be able to eat a meal in peace. We need farmers to grow crops, factory workers to process them and grocers to sell them. We need truckers to bring them to the store, mechanics to keep those trucks on the road, and police officers to keep the roads safe. We need government leaders to keep society safe and orderly, military members to keep us safe from enemies, employers to give us jobs to earn money, and citizens who respect the laws of the land. Without any one of those elements, it would be a daily struggle to eat a meal in peace. If you have any doubt, just look at the refugee crisis in N. Africa and Europe. So no small part of this petition is praying that God would continue to maintain and bless our vast economy: farmers and grocers, truckers and mechanics, citizens and leaders – which all work together to allow us to sit down to eat our daily bread in peace.

Jesus continues by throwing a dash of community into this petition: Give US today OUR daily bread. I don’t know about you, but I’m really good at praying for me, myself, I – and maybe my family. But others, not so much. Jesus doesn’t intend for this to be a selfish petition. This idea of ‘community’ is a trendy one these days too. Many companies entice you to buy their products with a promise to donate a portion of the proceeds to those in need. One shoe company even donates a pair of shoes for every pair they sell. And, don’t get me wrong, it’s good that companies have a conscience and that our government uses our tax dollars to help those in need. But this prayer is personal. In this petition Jesus is not only reminding us to pray for the needs of others – in our family, our church, our community – but that he might use us to be part of the answer. God is the source of every blessing, but he gives us the privilege to serve as his hands in sharing those blessings.

Finally, Jesus sprinkles in the ingredient that binds this whole petition together: necessity. Give us TODAY our DAILY bread. The thing about food is that no matter how much we eat today, we will need more tomorrow. Jesus knows this and that’s why he doesn’t tell us to pray for bread for tomorrow or next year, he urges us to pray today’s bread. Why? Well, that’s all we can use anyway – God could drop a truckload of bread on your doorstep, enough to last the rest of your life, but it would go bad before you could eat it. And, more importantly, God wants us to look to him every day for our needs and necessities, not just once in a while.

Perhaps this is the most difficult ingredient of this petition for us 21st century Americans to get right. We’re told that we need to have a three month emergency fund in the bank to insure against job loss. We are encouraged to have a stock of non-perishable food and water in storage in case of disaster. We save our whole lives in the hope that one day we can retire. But what happens when we obsess over stockpiles of food and money for the future and those “just in case” scenarios? We are quickly overcome by anxiety and worry. Even though God has given us everything we need, we stress about getting the things we want. Even though we have more than enough for today, we lay awake at night worrying about tomorrow. And Satan uses that anxiety to get a foothold in our hearts – he leads us into the sin of trusting ourselves for our daily needs rather than God.

Now, this is not to say that we can’t do some wise financial planning and exercise prudence in how we spend and save for the future. But remember what James wrote: you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) In the end, what good is all our worrying, planning, and investing if God calls us home tonight? Instead of worrying about tomorrow, pray for what you need today and then leave the future in the hands of the one who promises: Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)

In this way, the 4th petition serves us in both poverty and prosperity. When we have more food than we can fit in the pantry and a healthy reserve in the bank, use this petition daily to thank God for providing that abundance. And when funds are running low, use this petition to express your trust that God will provide what you need for today, even if tomorrow is a mystery. No, God may not give you enough to take that dream vacation or to pay for nicest car or to eat out every week – and, sometimes, we may have to cut back in some areas to make ends meet. But God didn’t promise prosperity, he promised to give us what is necessary. As people living in perhaps the most prosperous society in human culture, we have become used to almost limitless wealth, but let us remember that the true riches God wants to give us aren’t on this earth but safe and sound in heaven. And keeping our eyes on those eternal riches, let us be content with and grateful for the bread that God graciously provides for us every single day.

After praying for God to invade our hearts and carry out his heavenly will on earth, the 4th petition might seem kind of unnecessary and out of place. But in order to serve God, we need to be alive – and there are many ingredients involved in something as simple as a loaf of bread. Jesus reminds us that the source of every blessing is our heavenly Father, who not only shows his love in keeping us alive in this world but has given his Son that we might live forever. We recognize and pray for the many elements of the economy that God uses to provide for our daily needs. We pray not only for ourselves and our families but for all Christians and all people. And Jesus relieves us of the compulsive need to worry about tomorrow with his assurance that God will provide exactly what we need for each new day. Give us today our daily bread. Simple petition, many ingredients. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-10 - What God Wants - July 3, 2016

“What do you want?” How many times a day do we say or ask that question? A dozen? A hundred? More? Since we can’t read each other’s minds, we are compelled to communicate with others what we want. In 1 month, I can’t tell you how often I’ve asked that question to Levi, and he just looks at me blankly and continues crying. Perhaps one of the reasons God designed marriage to be for life is because that’s how long it takes for a husband to understand what his wife wants. An entire industry exists for the sole purpose of taking surveys and polls to find out what people want when it comes to everything from fast food to president. To top it off, Mel Gibson starred in a movie called What Women Want. As important as it is to find out what other people want, in the 3rd Petition Jesus teaches us to pray for what God Wants, for all and for us.  

You may have guessed this, but I’ll confirm for you that this sort of question is very high on the list of things people ask their pastors. What does God want for my future, what college does he want me to attend, who does he want me to marry, what does he want me to learn from this disease or accident? There are countless books, websites, and talk shows that discuss these questions and how to find the answers. Unfortunately, it’s an exercise in futility because God hasn’t revealed the specific answers to those questions. They are a part of what we call God’s hidden will. (Deuteronomy 29:29) There are some things that God has not revealed to us – and in keeping them hidden, he’s telling us that it’s not our business to know. So when it comes to asking what God wants in specifics – be it the future, politics or romance – we’re better off not even asking the question, because not only is it futile to search for what God has hidden, it is sinfully arrogant to presume that we should know all that God knows.

Does that mean that we cannot and will never know what God wants? No. In the first ever, worldwide social media post, God handed his will to Moses on two stone tablets, and this is what he wrote: 1) God does not want people to worship anyone or anything other than himself. He forbids the worship of Allah, Buddha, bank accounts, vacation homes and Aaron Rodgers. 2) God wants his name, that is, his reputation and his Word to be kept holy. He forbids the use of his name to curse or swear needlessly. He condemns those who use his name to cover up lies and false teaching. 3) God wants all people to joyfully gather to hear his word and receive his forgiveness. He forbids us to find rest for our souls and peace for our minds in any place other than his Word. He condemns those who despise listening to his Word. 4) God wants children to obey their parents, citizens to obey their government officials, church members to honor and respect their pastors and teachers. He takes disrespect, disobedience and rebellion as personal offenses. 5) God wants every human life to be regarded as sacred. He forbids hatred and murder. He condemns those who conspire to take the lives of the unborn and the aged. 6) God wants his institution of marriage to be kept sacred. He forbids secret affairs, lustful thoughts, and filthy images. He wants his gift of sex to be enjoyed by husband and wife to offer companionship, children and chastity. 7) God wants us to keep what he has given us. God forbids stealing. He condemns lying on tax forms and slacking at work. He hates laziness and wants us to help others keep and protect their personal property. 8) God wants the names and reputations of people to be protected. He forbids gossip, little white lies and deceit. God wants secrets to be kept and rumors to be buried. 9 & 10) God wants us to be thankful and content with what we have. He forbids us to desire things, people, opportunities that we should not want to have. There you have it. What God wants in a simple, 10 point list. Amen?

Maybe not. If that’s what God wants and if he does whatever pleases him (Psalm 115:3) then why are our world, our homes and our hearts filled with the opposite, with idolatry and adultery, with anarchy and gossip, with abortion and terrorism? The world has two answers to the question of evil. The first is that the reality we see IS what God wants. Skeptics conclude that God wanted terrorists to blow up a Turkish airport, God wanted 49 people to be murdered in Orlando, God wanted a mother to be killed on Hwy 30 while helping ducks cross the road. After the Orlando shooting, Wisconsin State representative Mandela Barnes tweeted: “How many people have been driven to hate and act violently towards the lgbt community by “conservative Christian” ideology?” (an attack against God’s people is an attack on God himself.) The other conclusion is equally false: there is no God, or if there is, he isn’t interested or isn’t powerful enough to do anything to prevent evil. In one way or another, this fallen world finds a way to blame a holy God for evil in this world.

But we do not look to tweets or speculation to reveal the mystery of evil, we look to God’s Word. And there God has revealed the three sources of evil: 1) He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. (1 John 3:8) 2) We know that…the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) 3) And most devastating: the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) God’s will isn’t carried out perfectly in this world because the devil, the world, and our own sinful hearts are in a constant state of rebellion against Him. And so part of praying this petition means asking God to destroy those things that war against his will. And make no mistake, God will destroy everything and everyone who battles against His holy will. He cast Satan out of heaven into the fire of hell. He will purge this world of evil by destroying it on the Last Day.

But in his grace, God has also revealed that he does not want even one sinner to face eternal destruction. We heard it in Ezekiel and Ephesians. I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord…repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:32) And he made known to us the mystery of his will…to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10) God has made what he wants for this world undeniably clear: live according to my will or die. But because he is merciful and gracious, he formulated a plan of salvation where the one who suffered hell wasn’t the world, but his perfect Son. And because ultimately, God’s greatest desire for this world is not to damn the world, but to save it, He wants everyone to repent, turn to Jesus in faith and live. What does God want? It’s not a mystery, God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)

Are you satisfied? Of course not. We are all narcissists to one degree or another. We don’t just want to know what God wants for all people, I want to know what God wants for me. Before we go there, be warned, you may not expect or like what God has in mind for you.

When Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven he exposes the source of the problem: God’s will is done perfectly in heaven by the angels and saints, but we are here, on earth, where imperfection is the reality. But that’s only part of the problem. Look inside, what do you see? Do you see a heart that at all times and in all circumstances lives in perfect conformity to God’s will…or do you see a heart that more often than not defiantly shouts: my will be done! Same here.

And so before you pray this petition in a few minutes, realize exactly what it is that you are asking God to do. You are asking God to remove the part of your will that only wants to serve yourself with a will that wants to serve others. You are asking God to convert the part of you that strives to fit in with the world to a person who wants to match God’s holy image. You are asking God to destroy that which is most precious to you: your sinful SELF. Praying this petition is not natural for us. We are not wired to want what God wants. We want freedom, the freedom to choose, the freedom to live how we want – in the end, we want freedom from what God wants. We often see God’s will regarding worship, marriage, gossip, and hard work as out of date and optional. We sometimes see the conscience God gave us to alert us when we are sinning as something to be ignored, silenced or drowned out by distraction. And we know that God wants us to be like himself: kind, just, and loving to the unlovable; but we would rather be ourselves: grumpy, unforgiving and self-serving. And so, when God goes about working this change in us, it hurts.

It doesn’t seem painful at first. For most of us, God began this conversion with the water of baptism. There he washed away our sin and planted the seed of faith in our hearts. Relatively painless. But he follows that washing with teaching and his most important lessons aren’t learned in a classroom. God uses the discipline and punishment handed out by parents, police officers and pastors to show that he is serious about respecting his representatives. Losing a friend in high school on account of gossip is God’s way of reminding us that [we] shall not give false testimony against our neighbor. (Exodus 20:16) As we age, the lessons don’t get any easier. God cuts out covetous desires by allowing us to go through financial crisis. He allows extramarital affairs and divorce result in misery for everyone involved to show us that he is serious about marriage. He allows us to lose jobs, to suffer pain and disease, to struggle in many ways to teach us that He really wants us to fear, love, and trust in him above all things. And finally, the grave is a dread reminder that in the end, God’s will will be done – sin will be punished with death. If you’re feeling a little sick to your stomach by now – good. That’s the pain we were talking about. That pain is the first step of repentance. That pain is the excruciating admission that what I want (contrary to God’s will) is killing me. That pain leads us to cry out to our Heavenly Father, Lord, have mercy on me.

God has had mercy on this world and on us: he gave us his Son, the one teaching us this petition. This is Jesus, the one who revealed why he had come: I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38) Jesus carried out his Father’s will even though it meant poverty, persecution, and betrayal. Jesus agonized in the Garden and cried out: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42) Thankfully, God did not change his will. Out of love for rebels like us, he wanted his Son to die for our sins. He poured out his wrath on Jesus for every single one of the times that we said “my will, not yours be done.” And Jesus wanted this too. He wanted to suffer for your sins and mine so that we would be able to experience just what carrying out God’s will is like for all eternity. Whenever you pray this petition, repent that you haven’t kept God’s will – but then give thanks and rejoice, because Jesus has.

Whenever you wonder what God wants, don’t speculate about God’s hidden will, and if you do come to your pastor, be prepared for the answer: look to the Bible and look to Jesus. Because there you see that God wants all people to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation. What does God want? It’s no mystery, God wants to save you. Let us pray with sincerity and confidence, Lord, not my will, but your will be done. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-10a - An Invitation for Invasion - June 26, 2016

You may remember from history class that the event that sparked WWII was Germany’s invasion of Poland. But do you remember why Germany did it? They were invited to do so. At least that’s what Hitler wanted the world to believe. On the night of August 31st, 1939, a small group of German Special Forces, dressed in Polish uniforms, seized a German radio station in Gleiwitz, Poland and broadcast a short anti-German message in Polish. Hitler used this deceptive maneuver, which was part of a larger operation dubbed Operation Himmler, to give the appearance of Polish aggression against Germany and argued that Germany had to invade Poland “for the sake of the Germans living there who wanted protection from anti-German sentiments.” The world saw through Hitler’s ploy and three days later Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Why didn’t anyone fall for Hitler’s ruse? Simple: sovereign nations do not invite invasion of their homeland by friend or foe. Now, today, some of the people living under ISIS control in Syria and Iraq may welcome a liberating invasion, but generally nations don’t invite invasion, they arm themselves to defend against it. That fact is what makes the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer so interesting and unusual. Because when we pray your kingdom come, we’re inviting an invasion: both on the Last Day and today.

True or false: Whenever we pray your kingdom come we are asking for the end of the world. True. Praying this petition has eternal, universal implications. In this petition we are asking Jesus to return to send unbelievers to burn forever in hell and to take believers to live with him forever in heaven. This is no small petition. And there’s good reason for Christians to long for that day. This world is a battlefield. Satan rules as the prince of this world (John 14:30) and has allied himself with wicked governments, false prophets, and ungodly institutions to keep unbelievers in the dark and to try to rob believers of their faith. These are formidable enemies. In Revelation 12 and 13, Jesus compares Satan to an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, wicked governments he saw as a beast coming out of the sea, and antichristian teachers and institutions he saw as a dragon-like beast who rises out of the earth. We may know in our heads and hearts that Jesus rules this universe for the benefit of his Church, but as long as we live in this world we are pressed by these enemies on every side. We struggle against a world of anti-Christian policies and opinions. We may even begin to question our own faith when many so-called “Christians” seem to be going along with the world and against God. For genuine Christians, this is a heartfelt prayer, we truly desire Jesus to come to rescue us from the spiritual battlefield of this world.

But after 2000 years of praying the Lord’s Prayer, we might wonder if the petition is getting through. If we don’t know when he will return, and we can’t do anything to hasten his return – why do we keep praying this petition? It’s not for Jesus’ sake, it’s for ours. We need to keep praying this petition because even though we don’t know when he will return, we need to be ready for it. The Apostle Peter wrote: the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God. (2 Peter 3:10-12) We continue to pray this petition so that we don’t wind up like Joseph Stalin. In 1941, Stalin was warned by both Winston Churchill and his own spy network that Hitler was planning to invade Russia. Stalin didn’t believe it and didn’t act. Even after 3.4 million German soldiers were seen crossing the border into Russia, Stalin still failed to prepare to defend his homeland. In the end, Stalin saved Russia by a policy of aggressive retreat which left much of Russia in ruins. But there will be no retreating, no buying more time when Jesus returns. Anyone who is found without faith on that day will face God’s wrath forever in hell. And so whenever we pray these words, your kingdom come, we are also praying that when he returns, he might find us ready.

Which leads to another question: how do you prepare to face the judgment that decides where you will spend all eternity? Well, imagine that you knew a tornado was going to destroy your neighborhood this evening. How would you prepare for that? You probably wouldn’t worry about making sure to grab your favorite toys or fanciest pair of heels, you wouldn’t waste time unplugging your flat screen TV or throwing your golf clubs in the car. No, you would grab the necessities of life: bottled water, non-perishable food, batteries for flashlights and matches before you would get out and run. In the same way, in teaching us to pray this petition, Jesus is reminding us that what’s finally important in life aren’t earthly things, but spiritual necessities: not bottled water but the water of forgiveness found in baptism; not food to preserve these bodies but the food of Holy Communion that preserves our souls; not batteries for your flashlights but the power of God’s Word that fuels your faith. In other words, the only way to be truly prepared for Jesus’ return in judgment is to let him prepare us through Word and Sacrament – by washing away our sins and clothing us in the robes of righteousness he won on the cross.

Already we can see that when we pray your kingdom come, we’re not just inviting Jesus’ invasion of our world on the Last Day, we’re inviting him to invade our hearts right now, today. To understand how Jesus invades our hearts now, it’s important to remember the nature of his kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom is not a place with borders, armies, and laws. His kingdom is not a place, period; it’s an activity; it’s his ruling activity in human hearts. Our sinful nature doesn’t want this invasion. Our sinful nature wants to rule without any rival. This is the enemy we battle every single day. On Sunday mornings it may try to convince you that you have better things to do than worship. Right now it may be telling you that listening to this sermon is a waste of time. Our sinful nature wants to go along with a culture that denies that we are accountable to God for everything we think, say and do. This summer your sinful nature doesn’t want you to get in the habit of reading and meditating on God’s Word – to really understand what you believe and why, it wants to distract you with recreation and activities that promise rest and relaxation but in the end leave you empty and exhausted. And your sinful nature won’t give up this fight until the day you die. Satan makes sure of that by throwing gas on that fire with his incessant temptations.

What chance do we have against the evil axis of Satan, the world and our own sinful flesh? How can we possibly stand against godless governments and institutions who make it their mission to root the faith out of our hearts? Well, remember Colossians 1. According to Paul, the battle may be ongoing, but the war is won. God has already rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. (Colossians 1:13) He didn’t do it with guns or bombs or propaganda. Jesus rescues us with something far more powerful: the Gospel. Paul observed that unlike any other military or movement all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. (Colossians 1:6) In the end, it’s not a matter of us overcoming Satan and his allies; rather it’s trusting that Jesus has already conquered them. It’s believing that Jesus’ kingdom will come, every knee will bow before him (Colossians 2:10) even without our invitation – but we pray your kingdom come to invite Jesus to invade our hearts today and include us in his kingdom now and forever.

But even here, Satan has one trick left up his sleeve. He teaches his own version of this petition: “your kingdom come…but not yet, Lord. There are still a few pet sins I don’t want to give up. There are a few people I’m not ready to forgive just yet. I want to be part of your kingdom, but I don’t really intend to get serious about studying your Word and learning your truth right now – there’s time for that later, when I’m married, when I have kids, when my kids have moved out, when I’m retired, when I am physically unable to do anything but sit and read your Word.” Satan might realize that he can’t prevent us from praying this petition, but he’s satisfied if he can lead us to pray it half-heartedly, to procrastinate in really letting Jesus rule our thoughts and lives. And when Satan succeeds in getting us to believe that being a part-time Christian is good enough, he wins. Demanding that God wait until we’re ready for him is utter foolishness. It’s as foolish as the person who knows the tornado is coming but refuses to leave his house because he won’t leave his TV behind.

What should God do with people like us – who sometimes pray Lord, your kingdom come…but not yet? According to our standards of justice, he should destroy us right now. He should throw up his hands and say, “You want to continue living in Satan’s kingdom when I have given you the way out? Fine. Have it your way…live under Satan’s dominion today and forever in hell.” But God doesn’t do that. In fact, he didn’t even wait for our invitation to invade this world on his mission of salvation. As Paul said: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) When the world didn’t want him, Christ was born in hostile territory, lived among people who hated him, and finally gave himself up to die at the hands of his enemies – all to save his enemies. And he continues his invasion to this day. In baptism, Jesus takes dead, lifeless souls and breaths the Spirit of forgiveness and life into them. In Holy Communion, Jesus strengthens us to continue the daily battle against Satan and his allies by assuring us that with his own body and blood he has won the war for us. And even though we daily commit treason by giving in to our enemies, he continues to answer this petition by forgiving our sins and assuring us that he is coming soon to take us home to the safety of heaven.

In spite of what his propaganda stated, Hitler wasn’t really invited to invade Poland. He invaded Poland, not for the good of the Germans living there, but for his own benefit. That’s not how Jesus’ invasion works. He doesn’t teach us to invite him to invade our hearts for his benefit, but for ours. Pray this petition boldly and sincerely. Thank God for invading your heart with his forgiveness even when you didn’t want it or know you needed it. Pray that Jesus would invade your heart with his gospel today to prepare you for his coming on the Last Day. And pray that God would extend his kingdom to many others, because you know that only life in Jesus’ kingdom offers true freedom. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from fear. And freedom to serve our good and gracious Father now and forever. Amen. 

(Introduction & Outline originally authored by Pastor Daniel Habben)

Matthew 6:9b - Reveal the Holiness of Your Name - June 19, 2016

What do you get the guy who has everything? Around Father’s Day, children everywhere are asking that question and businesses everywhere are hoping to answer it for them. They suggest everything from a new tablet to a new lawnmower to a rack of ribs. And even though it’s a shame that like every other holiday, Father’s Day has been swallowed up by consumerism, it is good to think about all the things our fathers have done and continue to do for us. What are the most important things your father taught or gave you? I hope you don’t have to think about #1. The most important thing any father can do for his children is to teach them to know and love God’s Word and to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and salvation. If a father fails to take the leading role in this, nothing else they do really matters. But fathers do more than that. They provide food, shelter, clothing and open wallets. They teach their children how to ride a bike and drive a car and ask a girl out on a date. A good father is equally willing to give a smack on the butt when it’s deserved as he is to offer a shoulder to cry on when it’s needed. So that’s kind of a tough question, what do you get the man who has done so much for you?

A far tougher question is: what do you get the One who created and owns everything in the universe? What do you get the Creator who has given you life and breath, who provides food, clothing and shelter, who has blessed us with jobs and health and families? How do you thank the only Father in the universe who is willing and able to protect you both from the dangers you can see and the ones you can’t? How do you show your appreciation to the Father who sacrificed his perfect Son for your salvation? Fortunately for us, this doesn’t have to remain a mystery. Jesus teaches us that what our heavenly Father wants most isn’t a new grill or set of golf clubs, but our attention and our prayers. And, rather than giving God a gift, Jesus teaches that God wants us to ask him for something, to pray: hallowed by your name. Today, we show our appreciation for our heavenly Father by asking him to reveal the holiness of his name to us and through us.

The first question is: what is God’s name? A person’s name is more than what he is called or the titles he is given. God’s name is more than Jehovah or Elohim. God’s name is everything he has revealed to us about himself in his Word. We could even say that the Bible is God’s name because in it he reveals who he is and what he’s done – in other words, His reputation. The world recognizes the value of a good reputation. King Solomon declared that a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1) A person’s reputation determines what friends he will have and what schools will accept him and what employer will hire him. Sadly, as difficult as it is to build a good reputation, it’s very easy to lose one. Shameful posts and pictures on the internet have destroyed many reputations and lives. All it takes is one bad decision and some bad press for a business to lose thousands of customers and millions of dollars. A name, a reputation is a precious and fragile thing.

And no reputation is more precious or holy than God’s. In fact, when Satan declared war on God and his people in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t storm the gates of heaven to try to tear God out of his dwelling place or set the world on fire to destroy God’s perfect creation – he aimed his arrows at God’s name, his reputation as holy, just and loving. Satan led Eve to doubt that God would really punish eating from the forbidden tree with death, he led her to question God’s goodness and love, he deceived her into thinking that God was holding out on her. Properly understood, we could say that sin entered the world not when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, but the moment they doubted God’s Word and holy reputation.

And slandering God’s good name remains one of Satan’s favorite ways to lead people into sin and eternal death. Satan has led the world into blaming God for allowing a terrorist to shoot up a night club and for allowing an alligator to drag a child to his death. Satan has convinced most of the world that the one, true God of the Bible is no different than the god of the Koran or the god of your imagination – and that it doesn’t really matter how you live what you believe, as long as you believe something. Satan has been more successful than any gossip magazine or sleazy website in ruining God’s good name in the eyes of the world.

But Satan reserves his most devious and slanderous attacks against God’s holy name for believers like us. He does it by planting doubts and deceptions in our hearts. When you read the OT does he lead you to question how a holy God could command his people to exterminate every man, woman, and child from the Holy Land? Do you, like so many, have a hard time believing that the same God who loved the world enough to send his Son to die for it will condemn those have turned their back on Jesus to eternal death in hell? Does your faith in God’s goodness and love waver when you face difficulties in life? Just like one bad review can destroy a business or reputation, Satan plants these doubts in our hearts to try to destroy God’s name and our faith. And when he succeeds, the results are disastrous. When Adam and Eve bought into Satan’s lies they traded eternal life in a perfect world for the pain of childbirth, thorns and thistles and death.

Jesus knows just how hard it is for us to trust that God is good when there is so much evil in our world and lives. That’s precisely why he urges us to pray: hallowed be your name. Hallowed, now there’s a word you don’t use every day. To hallow something means to set it apart as holy. In this petition we pray that God’s name, everything he has revealed about himself in his Word, would be set apart as the one perfect and trustworthy thing in this imperfect world. How does this happen? Well in one sense, it just is. God told Moses that I am who I am. (Exodus 3:14) Grass is green, the sky is blue and God is holy. That is his very essence. He cannot make a mistake, he has never lied, and he has nothing to do with evil. It is who he is and what he does – and every page of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, stands as a living witness to the holiness of God’s name. And so, in one way, God’s name is holy no matter what anyone else does or says about it.

And yet, at the same time, humans can do real serious damage to God’s reputation on earth. When false prophets teach things that distort or contradict God’s written Word, they are blaspheming God’s holy name. When churches claim that their own decrees and doctrines are equal to (or even superior to) God’s, they are dragging God’s name through the mud. When someone stands before you and says that God isn’t really serious about people living according to his 10 commandments or that he expects us to do something to earn our way into heaven – the purity of God’s Law and Gospel is destroyed. And so whenever you pray this petition, keep in mind that you are praying for those who teach and preach in God’s name. You are praying that false prophets would be revealed and silenced and that your pastor would always faithfully represent the holiness of God’s name and what he has done to save us.

But this petition isn’t only for preachers and teachers. When we pray hallowed be your name, we are also asking God to show the holiness of his reputation through our lives. Just as our words and actions can reflect positively or negatively on our fathers and families, our words and actions as Christians on earth reflect on our Father in heaven. And so we have to ask ourselves, just what kind of reputation have we given God by our words and actions? Have we done more to preserve God’s holy name or drag it through the mud? What do our coworkers think about the God who expects his children to love [their] neighbors as [themselves] (Mark 12:31) when we are quick to lose our tempers and are hard to work with? What does it tell the world about our heavenly Father when as fathers we make sure our children are cared for physically and financially but neglect them spiritually? We would like to see more people join our church, but why should anyone want to worship a God that his own children don’t regularly worship? As we consider how our lives have reflected on God’s holy name we must confess: “God, I have not kept your name holy in my life. I have dragged your name through the mud and damaged your reputation by my words and actions. I don’t deserve to be called your child or to call you my Father. You would be justified in treating me as your enemy and condemning me to hell for my sins. Father, forgive me.”

Thankfully, our place as God’s children and our position in his paradise doesn’t depend on us. It depends on Jesus. He is the only One who never slandered God’s name or damaged his reputation by his behavior. And the good news is that Jesus didn’t just come to teach us this petition, he came to answer this petition. Whereas we are often ashamed to openly share God’s Law and Gospel with friends and coworkers, Jesus never failed to perfectly represent his Father’s will even before those who hated him. Because we have often hid our faith when it might harm us socially or financially, Jesus let his name to be trashed and his life to be taken as payment for our sins. As he contemplated the price it would cost to save us Jesus prayed: now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:27-28) In the end, God vindicated, he sanctified his reputation (both his threats and promises) by crucifying his Son on the cross for our sins. And so, this petition is fully and finally answered not in our lives, but in the life and death of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Christ crucified for sinners is the holiest part of God’s name – because it alone can save sinners from hell. For that reason, the gospel is also the main target of Satan’s most vicious lies and attacks. Satan continually tries to convince us that free salvation by grace through faith is too good to be true. He continues to smear God’s name by persuading us that we must do something to be saved. And because we face those attacks on a daily basis, let us pray all the more faithfully: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. In this petition we pray that God would continue to provide teachers who faithfully represent God according to His Word. We pray that God would plant his gospel of grace so deep in our hearts that no one, not even Satan, can make us doubt his goodness and love. We pray that God would lead us to look to Jesus and him alone for forgiveness and salvation. And until then, we pray that God would continue to reveal his holy name through our words and lives.

What do you get the guy who has everything? Most dads are satisfied when their children live and behave in ways that honor their father’s name and reputation. What do you get the Creator of the Universe? Jesus tells us that the Father wants us to pray: hallowed be your name. So let us thank God by boldly asking Him to continue to reveal the holiness of his saving name to us and through us, with the confidence that in Jesus, it has already been done. Amen.

Matthew 6:5-9a - When You Pray - June 12, 2016

Agree or disagree: Everyone prays. Obviously, prayer is one of the distinctive features of the world’s biggest religions. Five times a day Muslims fall on their faces in the direction of Mecca in prayer. Buddhists meditate, Catholics call out to the virgin Mary and departed saints, and orthodox Jews dutifully recite the Hebrew Scriptures. But the desire to pray doesn’t seem to be limited to religious people either. The White House hosts an annual prayer breakfast. When tragedy strikes, public figures tell us that their thoughts and prayers go out to the victims. When an athlete scores a touchdown or hits a homerun, they point to the heavens – as if God were the world’s #1 sports fan. Does everyone, religious or not, pray?

Jesus seems to think so. Three times in these verses Jesus uses the phrase: when you pray. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…when you pray, go into your room [and] close the door…when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans. Jesus is speaking to disciples, so he assumes that they pray. But he also says that pagans, hypocrites, and unbelievers pray. So in one way or another, it’s safe to assume that everyone prays. The universality of prayer among all kinds of people is pretty solid evidence that only a fool denies the existence of God. (Psalm 14:1) But even though prayer is universal, true prayer is not. In these verses Jesus teaches that not everything called prayer is truly Christian or truly heard by God. When you pray, he says, don’t pray like everyone else does; take care how you pray and remember to whom you pray.

Jesus assumes that his disciples pray. Is he right? On the average day, how often do you turn off the TV, put down the smart phone or tablet, lay aside the book, find a quiet place, take a deep breath, and open your heart to your Creator, Savior, and Lord? Jesus assumes that we pray, but we often find ourselves too busy, too distracted, too tired to pray. Our failure to pray – and our lack of desire to pray – is just another tell-tale sign of sin’s destructive effect on our lives. We usually think of sin in terms of doing things we shouldn’t. But the fact that we often lack interest in using God’s gift of prayer shows that sin has twisted us in on ourselves and turned us against God. That’s why God actually commanded prayer and threatens eternal punishment for those who neglect prayer. On Mt. Sinai, God declared: you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7) What does this mean? Luther explains: We should fear and love God that we do not use his name to curse, swear, lie or deceive, or use witchcraft, but call upon God’s name in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks. (SC)

God makes it clear that prayer is an important part of a believer’s life. But he also wants us to take care in how we pray. By introducing the Lord’s Prayer with a list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ regarding prayer, Jesus warns that not all prayer is pleasing to God. Jesus tells his disciples not to be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by men, but to pray in secret where the only one who will hear us is God. He tells them not to keep on babbling like pagans who must ramble because their gods are nothing more than lifeless lumps of wood or stone. Rather, God-pleasing prayer is simple, private, not long-winded, and is rooted in the knowledge that God knows our needs even before we ask.

Ok, don’t be like hypocrites or pagans, do pray in private with simple, everyday language; check. I doubt that any of us have been tempted to stand on a corner of State St. and pray to be seen by a crowd, so what do these words mean to us? The most obvious danger for us is to recite the Lord’s Prayer mindlessly. That kind of prayer is no better than babbling in God’s eyes. But today, there’s another, less obvious danger. In the first century, the synagogue and the street corner were the public gathering places – where people could be seen and heard. Where do people go if they want to be seen, noticed, commended and applauded today? That’s right, social media. How many people post and tweet saying that they are praying for this or asking God for that? Why do they do that? It’s hypocrisy. It’s not Christian prayer directed to God, it’s standing on the corner to be seen by men. For those who desire to be seen by men rather than heard by God, Jesus’ warning stands: they [will receive] their reward in full. They may be noticed and praised by other people, but they can expect nothing from God. When you pray, don’t be like the Kardashians. Don’t be like the blogger who stands on the corner of the internet to be seen and heard by the world. Don’t be like those who pray to a god no bigger than Twitter. Why? Because you know better. You know that God doesn’t need to read your post, because he can read your heart. That’s why we take care in how we pray, because we remember the God to whom we pray.

Who is this God? Jesus identifies him as Our Father in heaven. With these words, Jesus throws open the gates of heaven itself. So important is this address that we will consider each word individually. Jesus invites us to call God our Father. This was how God always intended it to be. This was what Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden when they walked and talked with God. But the Fall changed everything. Instead of humbly and shamelessly coming to God, they hid from him. They feared him. They hated him. The Fall had so twisted their minds that they did everything they could to avoid talking to a holy God. Since then, every human is born with that attitude toward God. By nature we don’t want to talk to him, we try to hide from him, we fear him, we hate him – because when we look at him we see how sinful we truly are.

Until one baby, born in the town of Bethlehem, shattered the mold. From the beginning his relationship with God was different. He was conceived, not by a man, but by God the Holy Spirit. As a twelve year old, there was no place Jesus would rather be than in [his] father’s house. (Luke 2:49) 18 years later, at his baptism, the Father spoke from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22) From the angel’s announcement of his birth to his final cries from the cross, Jesus was God’s perfect Son, and God was Jesus’ trusted Father. For the first time since Eden, the world was able to see the kind of relationship God desires to have with his children; not one of distrust and hostility, but one of perfect trust and love.

The remarkable thing – the good news for us – is that Jesus invites us to call his Father, Our Father. How can we, confessed, miserable sinners call God our Father? Because Jesus was not only the perfect Son, he was also our perfect substitute. When Jesus was baptized, he bound himself to us, he submitted himself to God’s law and took our sins on his shoulders. He carried those sins all the way to the cross, where he paid for every one of them with his blood. Our sins of neglecting prayer or of praying mindlessly; our sins of praying to be noticed by men instead of by God; our sins of viewing prayer as a last resort instead of a daily necessity – Jesus paid for every last one of them. So that now we don’t have to be afraid to approach God’s holy throne but can approach him with the same confidence that a child approaches his father. As Paul said: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

When did this change happen? Quite simply, when you were baptized. When you were baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God made you his child. Prayer is not the sole possession of pastors and prophets – in Baptism God gives this privilege to all regardless of age, sex, nationality, language, intellect, wealth or any of the other factors our world uses to divide us. And that leads us to the next word: Our. When God makes us his children, he unites us, he makes himself OUR Father.

That’s the incredible thing about prayer. When we pray as our Savior teaches, we stand with Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and all of God’s children – past, present and future. When we say “OUR Father,” all of the things that divide us disappear as we are united as undeserving sinners praying to a gracious God. When we say “OUR Father” we remember that God wants us to pray for more than our own personal wants and needs, he wants us to pray for all of his children, and to pray that more sinners would be drawn into his family.

Finally, Jesus tells us that our Father is in heaven. Does that mean that God is far off, distant and uninterested? No. Psalm 115 explains that because Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. (Psalm 115:3) God is not limited to 140 characters to answer your prayers. He is not bound by time or space or an internet connection. He reigns in heaven. He rules the earth – for you, for me, for the Church. Christian prayer is not a Hail Mary to an unknown or impotent being. Christians pray to the almighty, all-knowing, ever-present God in heaven.

Our Father in heaven knows that things are not right here on earth. He knows how sin corrupts everything he intended to be for our good. And he promises to help and restore his children even now. Does that mean that God will give us whatever we ask? No. No matter how cute Levi is, not even I will give him everything he wants. Wise fathers only give their children what is good for them. In fact, by teaching us to pray to our Father in heaven, Jesus is hinting at the kinds of things God wants to give us – things that are more heavenly in nature than earthly. But that is a sermon for another time. One of my college professors summed up the words of the address this way: “Every time you begin the Lord’s Prayer you should be reminded that you’re praying to the one who is eager and able to help.” (Joel Fredrich)

In one way or another, everyone prays. Idolaters pray. Those who worship the idol of social media appear to pray – some of them hundreds of times a day. Jesus takes it for granted that believers like you and I pray. Accept your Savior’s invitation. Pray, as Paul says, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18) Take care how you pray. Don’t think that the world has to see it for God to hear it. Don’t ramble. Don’t thoughtlessly recite the words. Because you know better. You know the God to whom you are praying. He is Our Father in heaven. He looked for us and found us. He sent his Son to wash away our sins. He knows what we need better than we do. He promises to hear us, has the power to help us, and will give us only what is for our eternal good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Joshua 5:13-6:5, 20 - Jericho: A Memorial to the Lord - May 29, 2016

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. What does that mean? It probably depends on who you talk to. Children are eager to get out of school. Travelers will lament the long security lines at the airport. The media is interested in everything from the beginning of hurricane season to how many beach-goers will fall victim to shark attacks to the ongoing presidential campaign. And what often gets lost in the wash? The real meaning of Memorial Day. The reality that the reason that we can travel and go to the beach and peacefully elect a new leader is because men and women in the armed forces paid the ultimate price to gain and preserve those freedoms.   

While it’s sad when people forget the purpose of Memorial Day, a far greater tragedy is that many more people don’t know or remember Bible history – and the memorials it contains of what God did to serve and save our sinful human race. The Church exists to prevent this kind of forgetfulness. Today we travel back in time to the region of Canaan, just west of the Jordan River, to the fortified city of Jericho. Our text only gives a brief overview of the battle of Jericho – but what do you remember about it? Do you recall the Israelites marching around the city blowing horns and shouting? Does your imagination run wild with images of Jericho’s walls tumbling down on the seventh day? While those are the right details, if that’s all you remember, then you’re missing the point. Tomorrow, don’t let the memory of those who gave their lives for your freedom get lost. But today, let us remember Jericho, a memorial to the Lord – where we see that in impossible circumstances, His promises are sure.

The Israelites should have learned this lesson by now. After all, their very existence was only a result of God’s power and promises. God freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them through the depths of the Red Sea. God provided food and water as they wandered in the wilderness. God held back the Jordan River so that they could cross into the Promised Land on dry ground. God had promised a home flowing with milk and honey, and the spies had verified that Canaan was just as promised. But now an immovable obstacle seemed to stand in front of God’s promise. That obstacle was Jericho, the heavily fortified city that guarded access to the Promised Land. Joshua, recognized how impossible this situation seemed. That’s why he was off on his own, looking over the city, probably formulating a battle plan.

In the midst of his strategizing, [Joshua] looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” A natural question when someone pulls a sword on you. The man’s answer is clearer in another translation: No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come. (ESV) No? No, you’re not on our side? What kind of an answer is that? This is an important point. We often ask, in our minds and prayers, “God, are you on my side?” That’s the wrong question. The proper question is, “Are you on God’s side?” The Lord is not a mercenary for hire. He does not take sides in human battles. The man made it clear from the outset to Joshua, that if he planned to emerge victorious, he had better be on God’s side, fighting for the Lord and following his will.

Joshua got the message. He took off his sandals and fell on his face before the man. See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. According to the Lord’s commander, the battle was as good as won. The Lord was giving his word that the mighty, never before conquered city, with all its warriors and weapons would be taken by the Israelites. But here is where faith comes in. For the Lord didn’t tell Joshua to arm his men or prepare to besiege the city. No, he said march around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in. Instead of preparing for battle, the Lord told Joshua to do what? Worship. Worship the Lord for seven days by marching around the city with the Ark of the Covenant, blowing horns and giving a loud shout.

It probably sounded like a foolish, impossible plan, but the Israelites believed and did it anyway. And on the seventh day when the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. Everything happened just as the Lord said it would. He kept his promise. Jericho was leveled and the Lord emerged victorious. What did Joshua and the Israelites contribute to the victory? Nothing. God had done everything. He had destroyed the walls and handed them a conquered city. This was to establish an important precedent for Joshua and the Israelites as they continued their conquest of the Promised Land. This ruined city was to be a memorial to the Lord – a reminder to them that no matter how impossible the situation seemed, the battle is the Lord’s and with him and his promises the victory is sure.

The whole point of a memorial, whether it’s a day, a monument, or a written record – is so that people don’t forget. But how often don’t we do just that, forget. How easy it is to forget that we wouldn’t be able to gather here to worship our Lord in freedom and without fear if it weren’t for those who gave their lives to preserve our religious freedom. How often we take for granted and forget that the privileges we have as American citizens – the freedom of speech, to bear arms, to due process, even the ability to vote – aren’t absolute human rights, but privileges purchased with blood. Tomorrow, don’t forget that freedom is not free.

Today, don’t forget the lessons of Jericho. How could we? The message is so clear. The memorial to the Lord at Jericho tells us that no matter how impossible the battle seems, both the battle and the outcome are the Lord’s. But in the midst of life’s turbulence, it’s so easy to forget. And when we forget the Lord, we will fall into one of two ditches of unbelief. The first was on display the first time the Israelites had come here, to the threshold of the Promised Land. Moses had sent spies to scout out the peoples and cities and quality of the land. The majority of spies forgot God’s promise and reported: we can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are…the land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size…we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. (Numbers 13:31-33) 40 years earlier, when faced with a similar set of circumstances, the Israelites had forgotten God’s promise, doubted his power and spent 4 decades wandering and dying in the wilderness as a result.

Doubt kills faith. But we all face situations that tempt us to doubt God’s power and love. Normally we think of cancer or disease or death. But those are by no means the only impossible situations we face in life. Raising God-fearing children in a godless world is a challenge for every generation of parents. Living with a spouse who is unfaithful or absent or unloving can feel like a burden too heavy to bear. Dealing with the fallout of divorce puts enormous stress on everyone involved. Facing financial uncertainty or frustrations at work is not easy for anyone. But are they impossible situations? For us, sinful humans, alone – yes. On our own we can’t even defeat the common cold, much less the more serious issues of life. And in moments of weakness we sometimes ask the wrong question: are you on my side, Lord, or not? It’s a question that reveals doubt not faith. It’s also an arrogant question, for it presumes that we know what is best for our lives. When faced with impossible circumstances, don’t doubt the Lord’s promise and power. Fall on your face before him in the humble understanding that his ways are not our ways – good or bad, what he decides is best.

The other ditch is just as dangerous. As the conquest continued, the Israelites set their sight on the town of Ai. The spies gave presumptuous report: not all the people will have to go against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there. So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai. (Joshua 7:3-4) Just like that, the Israelites forgot Jericho. After one victory they began to believe that they could conquer Canaan without God.

For us, arrogant self-reliance might be more subtle. It happens when I credit myself for the food on my plate, forgetting that every meal is a gift from God’s gracious hand. It happens when I imagine that exercise, a healthy diet, medication and therapy can keep this body alive one second longer than God has determined. It happens when I trust my nest egg or pension to secure my future. Even here, sinful pride can raise its ugly head. When we begin to believe that if we can just find the right method or strategy to make the church grow – we are pretending to be God’s equals instead of God’s subjects. Whenever we start to take the credit or rely on ourselves for the victory we are doomed to fail – because pride kills faith too.

And so, in part, Jericho is a call for us to repent for doubting God’s promises and thinking we don’t need his power. The memorial at Jericho reminds us to have the humility to recognize that we are not God; we are not in control, he is. When he promises victory, don’t doubt, believe. When he tells you to trust him and not your own strength or cunning, listen. That’s all wrapped up in the 1st commandment, as Luther explained: we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

But there’s good news in Jericho, too. Where? Do you remember the man who confronted Joshua with a drawn sword? It wasn’t an angel – angels don’t accept praise or worship from men. This was the pre-incarnate Savior. This was Jesus. Here is the good news: the one who commands us to trust and forbids us to doubt is not some far off, disinterested deity – he is a warrior. He is the King who came down from his throne in heaven to wage war against our greatest enemies: sin, death, and Satan. And on the cross he defeated them once and for all, winning the battle for your soul. That same Jesus promises to go to war for you in the rest of life’s battles too. Whatever the circumstance is, remember that the battle is the Lord’s. Take it to him in prayer and let him fight. And trust that with Jesus fighting your battles, final victory is as sure today as it was in Jericho.

Tomorrow, remember those who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. Every day, remember the one who gave his life for our salvation. Remember that even though he died to win our freedom, he didn’t stay dead. He rose to life to live with us and to wage war for us. Remember what Jesus did at Jericho. Remember what He did for you on the cross. Remember, believe and in any and every circumstance trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) Amen.

Ephesians 1:3-14 - The Big Picture of Salvation - May 22, 2016

I.                    Chosen by the Father

In navigating our way through this dark, confusing and uncertain world, it’s important to have a grasp of the big picture. This is something we learn early on. For example, have you ever tried putting together 1000 piece puzzle without looking at the completed picture on the box? It’s nearly impossible. I’ve learned, as our home fills up with mysterious baby related items, that bringing baby home is really only the beginning of the adventure. When it comes to saving, investing and financially planning for the future – the best advice helps you to keep the big picture in mind. Seeing the big picture helps us keep the proper perspective – especially when it comes to dealing with the ups and downs, the tragedies and victories of life. The big picture is what the Apostle Paul presents to us this morning. More important than a puzzle picture or your personal financial picture, Paul reveals the big picture of salvation formulated by the Triune God.

If these verses sounded like a long, complex, somewhat confusing stream of consciousness – it’s not just you. The 11 verses before us are one long sentence, of over 200 words, in the original Greek. It’s quite likely that the format of Paul’s words reflect the nature of his topic – he takes us from eternity to eternity, to reveal what God is up to in past, present and future, he helps us see the cosmic dimensions of God’s plan. It’s a picture so big that, kind of like these verses, we struggle to grasp it all. But, fortunately, the Trinity provides an outline to guide our thoughts: We are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed with the Spirit.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Here we see the work God the Father performed even before the creation of the world. What did God do before creating this universe? He chose you to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined you to be adopted as his sons and daughters. Ephesians 1 is where the false teaching of “decision theology” comes to die. Paul pulls back the curtain on how you got to this point; the point of being a baptized, instructed, confirmed Christian – it’s not because you chose God, but because before God created one wave of light or one drop of H20 – he chose you. This is commonly called the doctrine of election and this is good news! This means that even though you were born as God’s enemy, God determined from eternity to bring you into his family. This doctrine confirms that everything in the past, present, and future takes place in line with God’s stated purpose of bringing you to heaven. The doctrine of election takes all the pressure off of us. Salvation doesn’t depend on the strength of our decision or the goodness of our lives. Salvation depends on God. It’s his plan. It’s his work. And he didn’t do it because he knew how cute and adorable we would be – he did it simply because he wanted to, in accordance with his pleasure and will. God chose you, not because you are holy – he chose you to make you holy. That’s grace; that’s undeserved love. Let us praise his glorious grace, which he has freely given us by singing stanza 3 of hymn 194.

II.                  Redeemed by the Son

We know that even if we have formulated the best, most comprehensive big picture plan for our lives – things often don’t turn out as we planned. I have yet to meet the college student who planned to find a job where his degree was just a worthless piece of paper – but it happens. No one intends to default on their mortgage – but that happens too. We can’t look into the future to plan for the car trouble or hospital visit. Our plans fall apart. But God’s do not. If God makes a plan and a promise, he keeps it. And the responsibility for carrying out God’s plan for your salvation fell on the shoulders of one person: Jesus Christ.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment – to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

The root of an awful lot of false teaching and false believing today is the mistaken notion that the Gospel is all about us. It’s not. It’s about Christ. Did you notice how Paul made that undeniably clear? At least 12 times he says that God’s plan for our salvation is “in” or “through Christ.” If heaven is your goal, you need to accept the fact that getting there cannot depend on you or your effort. Why not? Because the Bible reveals the sad truth about humanity: God looked at mankind from his eternal vantage point and determined that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5) David confesses the universal truth: [we] were sinful [from] birth. (Psalm 51:5) Isaiah notes that even our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) We could go on. But the point is that if salvation depended at all, even .01% on our obedience, it would have failed.

The good news is that God’s plan of salvation never relied on what we have done or will do, but on what Jesus has done. The plan God formulated in mist of eternity was put into action in human history, 2000 years ago, in the geographical area of Palestine, under the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius and Pontius Pilate. The work Jesus came to do is called redemption. This is a word every Christian should have imprinted on their memories and included in their regular vocabulary. Redemption means to buy back or set free from slavery or imprisonment. We were imprisoned by sin and enslaved to Satan, utterly unable to free ourselves. But Christ redeemed us. He set us free. He did it by paying the price of his own blood on the cross – a payment price worth more than all the gold in all the world. In stark contrast to the false view of God held by too many – one where God is happy go lucky and unserious about sin – the Triune God, the only true God, could not ignore our sin or sweep it under the rug, so he addressed it head-on, by holding his Son accountable for all of it. Because Christ paid the price for our redemption, we are forgiven. Every last one of our sins was placed on Jesus’ shoulders and washed away by his blood.

Whenever you are tempted to doubt your salvation, come back to these words. For those times when your conscience leaves you restless, when guilt weighs on your heart, when uncertainty has you wondering about God’s plan for your life – hear this today: Christ has redeemed you. Every one of your sins have been forgiven, sent away, never to be heard from again. No matter how big your pile of sin is – God’s grace is bigger. Whether you’ve been a Christian for 40 years or 40 minutes, Jesus’ redemption applies to you. God chose you before you were born and Jesus redeemed you 2000 years ago on the cross – all according to plan. Believe it, because it’s the only true picture of salvation.

III.               Sealed with the Spirit

When a plan involves 2 or more people, that plan becomes a commitment. And because our commitments are often fickle and prone to failure, we sometimes have to give proof of our sincerity. Sometimes it’s as simple as a handshake or a verbal agreement. But other times it involves something precious: a diamond ring represents a husbands commitment to his wife, starting a business might involve putting your own assets up as collateral. Maybe the assurance we are most familiar with is that of a down payment on a home. It’s the money you give the bank before you ever move in as proof that the rest of the payment will eventually be made. If the picture of salvation involves not only God’s eternal plan and the Son’s work of redemption, but also includes you and me and the other elect – we would expect some proof of God’s commitment, right? That’s where the third person of the Trinity comes in.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.

The Father planned from eternity to save us – Jesus did the work of saving us. It’s done, finished. This inheritance is guarded, safe from dust and rust and thieves and taxes in heaven. But the very nature of an inheritance is that we don’t have it yet. Right now we are still subject to disease and disappointment. Right now we still struggle with doubt and sin – and often, with each other. Even if we believe that God has a master plan for our lives, where is the proof that he will follow through – not for Abraham or Moses or Paul, but me and you – in the end? Right here: You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Whether you first received the gospel when a man splashed water on your head in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit or later when you first heard the message of Christ crucified – that was the moment in your life when God’s plan became more than a fuzzy blueprint; that was when God fit you, personally, into his grand picture of salvation.

Your faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. He is God’s down payment, proof that God will follow through on his plan and promise. Faith is just one of the many blessings God has in store for you, and right now, it’s the most important blessing, because it assures you day after day that more is on the way. Possessing faith in God’s plan is kind of like having someone hand you the winning Powerball ticket. If you have that winning ticket you’re going to carry it with you wherever you go, waking and sleeping – it assures you that millions, though you don’t see them, will someday be yours. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on our hearts. It proves that he owns us. And the Holy Spirit works tirelessly today and every day to keep us steadfast in the one true faith by showing us again and again God’s big picture plan, executed by Christ and revealed in word and sacrament. When doubt or sin linger, come here, for here is where you receive another installment of God’s down payment to you week after week – a down payment that consists of sins forgiven, life and salvation – signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

It’s important to regularly step back to see the big picture. It gives perspective. It aids in planning. It helps you deal with both tragedy and success. In Ephesians 1 Paul presents the big picture of salvation. It is a grand and glorious plan – stretching from eternity to eternity. The Father chose you. The Son redeemed you. The Spirit seals you. What is left for us to do? Nothing but to praise his glorious grace with our lips and our lives. Amen.

John 14:15-21 - We Are Not Alone - May 15, 2016

It’s about WHO you know, not WHAT you know. In everything from running a business to getting your car repaired to enrolling your child in the best daycare – much of life is about building and maintaining relationships. That’s why financial advisers promise to get to know you – not just manage your money. That’s why huge corporations spend millions on public relations and charitable endeavors. It’s also why many churches these days that don’t really talk about Jesus or the Bible will make a really big deal of offering a relationship with God. It’s an attractive concept these days when so many are isolated from human contact behind a computer or smartphone screen. It’s also a completely natural desire because God created us as social beings. Already in Genesis 2 God declared that It [was] not good for [Adam] to be alone, and he resolved to make a helper suitable for him. (Genesis 2:18) It’s perfectly normal for humans to desire intimate, personal relationships – both with each other and with their Creator.

The problem is, no business and not even many churches today are honest about why our relationships with God and others so often seem broken. And unless we understand why our relationship with God was ruined in the first place we cannot even begin to appreciate what Jesus came to do or the words before us this morning. It does no good to point the finger at Adam and Eve, the serpent and the forbidden fruit. We can’t blame our parents or our upbringing or our culture. No, the reason you and I don’t have a perfect relationship with God is because we are sinners. Every one of us. But that begs the question: what is sin? The essence of sin is disobedience to God’s holy will. It is doing what we want rather than what God wants. And what does God want? Jesus declared: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40) In other words, God’s will is for us to be focused on himself and others; and to sin is to be bent in on ourselves. To sin is to praise and serve myself instead of praising God and serving other people. Sin is an infectious disease that isolates us from God and from each other. And the wages of sin is eternal death in hell. (Romans 6:23)

But God would not let this situation stand. His love, his very character would not allow his creatures to remain isolated from him. And so, while we were dead in sin, unable to show an ounce of love for God, [He] demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) Jesus spoke these words in the Upper Room on the night he was betrayed and handed over to death. Jesus would leave this room and allow himself to be hung on a cross all to pay for our sins and clear the path for us to have a relationship with God. Everyone who confesses their need for His sacrifice through repentance and trusts it through faith has a restored relationship with God. They – you and I – are, once again, God’s dearly loved children.

And so, when we read these words in John 14 we shouldn’t hear a demand but rather an invitation from the One who suffered hell – total isolation from God’s love – so that we wouldn’t have to. If you love me, you will obey what I command. It’s important to note that Jesus did not say: “If you love me, you will obey what Moses commands.” No. Believers are no longer under the law, but under grace. Jesus did not come to be a new law-giver. Martin Luther explained this well: “Therefore I lay upon you nothing but this, demand and desire only this one thing, that you faithfully preach concerning me, have my word and sacrament laid upon you, and keep love and unity among yourselves for my sake, and suffer with patience whatever on this account comes upon you. These are the brief commandments that are called my commandments; which I lay upon you only as you love me and for my sake do them gladly.”

To be clear, Jesus is not saying that our obedience earns God’s love. God’s love always comes first. (1 John 4:19) God is the sun and we are the moon. We only reflect – often dimly – the love God has shown us in Christ. And yet, even though Jesus has put us back in a perfect relationship with God – we are not able to maintain that relationship on our own. That’s why Jesus goes on: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

When you fall into sin, when your faith is weak, when you don’t feel close to God – don’t despair, because 53 days after Jesus died for you He sent the Spirit to counsel us in our relationship with God. A counselor is someone who helps you through tough times. The Greek word, Paraclete, literally means advocate. It means that the Holy Spirit stands by our side to testify to us of God’s love for us. That’s why Jesus calls him another Counselor. While Jesus lived with his disciples, he filled that role. He was walking, talking proof of God’s love and grace. Today, we don’t see or speak with Jesus. But we’re not alone. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, as confirmation of God’s love for us.

The world thinks we’re crazy – that maybe we’ve had too much wine – because we can’t prove the Spirit’s presence with reason or put him in a test tube. So where is the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence? Does singing old Lutheran hymns coax him out of hiding? Does he arrive when the usher lights the candles? No. We cannot summon God any more than we can make the sun shine. Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to another invisible force: the wind. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8) So even though we cannot see or grab ahold of the Spirit, Jesus says, we will see the result of his work. Paul explains: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) The undeniable proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence doesn’t happen in front of your eyes, but in your heart. If you believe that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man, that he died for your sins and rose to life three days later, the Spirit lives in you because only the Spirit can produce that faith in a human heart.

Why doesn’t everyone who hears the Gospel believe it? Jesus explains that too: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live you also will live. The world doesn’t see Jesus because the world thinks that He is dead and buried – as dead as Moses, Abraham Lincoln and the artist formerly known as Prince. But, by the Spirit’s work, we know and believe the truth: Jesus lives! He lives and he rules all things for our benefit. And because Jesus destroyed death’s power by his own death and resurrection, we know that death has no power over us and we will live with him forever.

But never forget – there is only one way anyone can believe these things – and that is through the work of the Spirit. But if the Spirit is invisible, how can we know where to find Him? Paul explains in Ephesians 1: You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13) Wherever the means of grace are rightly administered – there the Holy Spirit is present and working. And what is he busy doing?

That’s not a mystery either, Jesus tells us: On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Someday, he says, the disciples and the church would realize that Jesus did everything to restore their broken relationship with God. What day is that? Today, the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost has been called the birthday of the Christian church, because on this day Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and to create faith in Jesus in the hearts of sinners. From that first Pentecost until the end of time, the Spirit is actively working through the means of grace to assure lost sinners that Jesus has done everything necessary to restore you and me and all believers to a loving, personal relationship with God.

And that, finally, brings us full circle: Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. Once again, Jesus is not saying that we have to earn God’s love. Scripture is clear on that. But, Jesus is saying that we grow closer to God as we obey him. To illustrate: Parents, I assume that your love for your children is not based on their obedience to you, right? Of course not. But you love them even more when they show their love to you by listening to you. The same is true here. God loved us before we could ever love him. He proved that by sending his Son to die for us, his natural born enemies. But those who hear God’s Word, repent, trust in Jesus and obey his commandments – those are the people God happily calls his family.

Why spend so much time discussing the person and work of the Spirit? Many churches have turned the person and work of the Holy Spirit into at best, a total mystery, and at worst, just another thing we have to do. Neither of those are Biblical or true. The truth is that Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to comfort us – by reassuring us that Jesus has restored our relationship with God. This does not mean that things will ever be perfect in this life. We won’t be free from sin until God calls us home. But even though we are sinners, we are forgiven sinners – and that is the essence of a relationship with God.

If you ever feel alone and isolated in this world, that’s not your imagination. Sin has isolated us from God and one another. Pentecost means that we are not alone; Jesus has not abandoned us. The Father has given us the Spirit. The Spirit sustains our faith in Christ. Through the Son we are loved by the Father. Through the Gospel, spoken, poured out in Baptism and offered in, with and under the bread and wine, the Spirit proves over and over that Jesus has reunited you in a perfect, loving relationship with the one, true God. Amen.  

Jude 17-21 - But You, Build Yourselves Up in Faith - May 8, 2016

Brody, it’s mother’s day, so I’m going to steal one of the questions moms everywhere love to ask when their children’s friends are planning to do something stupid: “If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you?” After hearing that question often enough, you might come up with a smart-aleck response like: “Well, they must have a good reason – what are they running from?” All kidding aside, this is the last time I, as your pastor, have the chance to talk to you personally before you become a confirmed member of Risen Savior, before you begin your high school and college years, before you grow – hopefully in maturity as much as height – into an adult. And I chose these verses from one of the shortest books in the Bible, because I feel a lot like Pastor Jude did 2000 years ago. This is what he wrote at the beginning of his letter: Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. (Jude 3) Brody, I would love nothing more than to dwell on the faith that you and I studied over the course of the past two years. I would like to further explore the mystery of the person and nature of Christ this morning, to plumb the depth of God’s love for sinners and to deepen your appreciation for the glory of heaven that awaits believers. But, to paraphrase moms everywhere – I know that when you leave here you will be confronted by many people who will tempt you to jump off a cliff into unbelief. So my final encouragement to you Brody – is to continue to build yourself up in your Christian faith.

If I learned anything from Brody over 2 years, it is a new appreciation for video games. I learned what an FPS is. (First person shooter) I learned that it is possible for a human being to survive an entire weekend in front of a TV on a diet of nothing but Doritos and Mt. Dew. But maybe the most interesting thing I learned is the most popular video games are extremely life-like. What does that mean? Well, not only do the graphics look like real life, but many video games consist of a process of upgrading – upgrading your skills, abilities, weapons, etc. And why do you need to upgrade to make progress? Because the levels get harder, the enemies get fiercer, the stakes (seemingly) get bigger. That’s really the same reason Jude encourages us to continue to build up (upgrade) our faith today.

Jude writes: dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. Like a video game, every stage in life brings with it new challenges, fiercer enemies, and higher stakes. We are living, quite literally, in the final level of world history. God’s creative activity was completed thousands of years ago. Jesus has also completed his mission of redemption; he suffered, died and rose to wash away the sins of all people of all time. You know that Brody. You also know that Jesus’ final earthly act will be to judge the living and the dead. He could return at any time. He will come when we least expect him, like a thief in the night. (Matthew 24) But until that Day, Christians will be surrounded by fierce enemies. Scoffers, Jude calls them.

What is a scoffer? Scoffers are people who laugh at the truths we sometimes take for granted, truths that you have known since your mother and grandmother first taught you about Jesus. They deny the authority of God’s Word and refuse to submit to God’s moral standards for their lives. Instead of following God’s will, they will follow their own ungodly desires. I know you’ve faced these enemies already, Brody. You’ve had science teachers who have laughed at the truth that God created this world in six days. You’ve had health teachers who’ve made a mockery of God’s plan for sex and marriage. You’ve had friends (and probably some teachers, too) who refuse to acknowledge God’s authority as Judge and tell you that the most important rule in life is to do whatever feels good. You’re no stranger to watching scoffers leaping off the cliff of truth into the abyss of unbelief that leads to hell.

But as you get older, as you start taking higher level classes and become more independent – those enemies will get stronger, too. They won’t be satisfied with simply following their own ungodly desires – they will try to divide you from your Savior and from your fellow believers. When it comes to sin they will make the false claim that “everyone’s doing it.” They will point to sociology and psychology to persuade you that God can’t be right when he asserts that there is no one righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10) There might even be people who call themselves Christians who try to convince you that Jesus just wants you to be happy – even if being happy means sinning against his holy will. The trouble is that there’s a part of you that wants to agree with them, to go along to the edge of that cliff. You know what that part is called, right? The Old Adam. Your Old Adam wants nothing more than to go along with the crowd and satisfy your every sinful desire. And sometimes those enemies will win. You will disobey God’s will and go your own way. That’s when the 10 commandments you memorized will flash through your mind and your conscience will sternly remind you that anyone who breaks even one of God’s commands deserves to go to hell. But you also know what to do when you fail and fall. You know that that is the time to repent: to confess your sins and trust that the God who loves you enough to show you your sins loved you enough to send his only Son to die for them, too.

In life, like in video games, you need to be able to identify your enemies. Remember what the apostles warned about these last days, Brody. You will be surrounded by scoffers who laugh at God and his will. Remember this warning and don’t be deceived – anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word does not seek your salvation but your destruction. They seek to divide you from your Savior now and forever.

Remember this warning, and then remember the confirmation passage you chose: Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11) I’m glad you chose that passage because it summarizes what Jude says here. When everyone else is jumping off a cliff by giving in to their sinful desires – don’t follow them. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Back to the video game analogy. You need two things to beat a game. You need to know your enemies, their strengths and weaknesses – but you also need to build up your own abilities, stick to your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Now, every analogy limps – and so does this one. Because it makes it seem like you’re on your own now when it comes to building up your faith and staying in God’s love. But don’t forget this either, Brody, even as you head off to high school next year and into the world of adulthood, you’re not alone. No matter how tall you get, you will always be Jesus’ little lamb. Wherever you go, God will be with you. And through Jude, God shows you how to remain in the love he gave you when you were baptized.

First, he says, build [yourself] up in your most holy faith. The picture here is building on a foundation. And you have two great advantages here, Brody, the first is that you are building on the most solid and unshakeable foundation ever laid: the Word of God – which will never fade, change, or pass away. The other great advantage you have is that you have Luther’s summary of those basic doctrines locked away in your mind – you proved it last week. You not only know what God demands of you – you know that Jesus has kept every one of God’s demands perfectly in your place. You not only know that God created the world in six days, you know that God plans to destroy this earth and make it perfect and new again. You not only know and believe that the Holy Spirit created faith in your heart through Baptism, you also know that the Spirit preserves and strengthens faith through the means of grace. And that’s key. Because just as your enemies will get stronger, you need to build on the foundation God has given you. How? Read the Word. Hear the Word. Study the Word. Share the Word. Eat and drink the body and blood of the Lord. The world’s temptations, Satan’s lies, and your own sinful desires will shrivel up under the bright light of God’s truth. Don’t just upgrade your video game skills, upgrade your faith by feeding it with Word and Sacrament.

Secondly, pray in the Holy Spirit. After God has spoken to you, speak to him. Tell him things you would never tell anyone else. Tell him your hopes and dreams, your fears and concerns. Thank him for his love and ask him for anything – knowing that he will give you whatever is best. And pray confidently. You are God’s child – baptized and confirmed in faith – and no one can take that from you. Pray, confident that because the Holy Spirit presents your prayers to God – you will always be heard. Pray joyfully, knowing that there’s nothing your heavenly Father loves more than hearing from his children and meeting their needs. In good times and in bad, pray – and know that you remain in God’s love.

Finally, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Something that you and I and all believers need to remember, Brody, is that no matter how hard we work, no matter how firm our faith and how much we persevere in prayer, we will never be able to completely reform or purify our lives or this world. Both this world and our bodies are terminally ill because of sin. Never forget that Jesus didn’t come to this world to make it holy, but to make us holy and to save us from it. Look forward to that day, because on that day Jesus will destroy all your enemies once and for all. On that day, Jesus will publicly declare what he privately told you in Baptism: your sins are forgiven, you are not guilty. On that day, Jesus will take you into his arms and give you the crown of life. That day will be better than any video game you can ever play, because the joy of the victory Jesus won for you will never end.  

Even if everyone else is jumping off the cliff into unbelief and death, Brody, I pray that you never will. My prayer, Jesus’ prayer, the prayer of everyone here is that you will never fall away from the faith that you were baptized into years ago, that you confessed last week and will be confirmed in this morning. I’m confident that [the one] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6) He will help you to see your enemies for what they really are. He will build up your faith through Word and Sacrament, through prayer and through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. You might forget many of the things you learned over the past two years – but don’t forget this: the best level of life – eternal life – is yet to come. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11) Amen.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 - First of All: Pray - May 1, 2016

In my Bible, the heading for 1 Timothy chapter 2 is Instructions on Worship. What was at the top of Paul’s list for worship in Christian churches? Did Paul say “thou shall sing only organ music”? Did he tell Timothy “your sermons shall be relevant and motivational”? No, St. Paul tells young pastor Timothy that when it comes to worship, one thing is to be a priority: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone. Now, I’ll admit that when I was younger, I didn’t really understand why we spent so much of the service in prayer. I often thought that the prayers were the dullest part of the service, it seemed like an awful lot of standing and listening, and very quickly my mind began to wander to thoughts of what was for lunch and my eyes to what the people around me were doing. But wandering thoughts and eyes are not at all what Paul has in mind when he urges us to pray as a congregation. No, he says, first of all, when you gather for worship, pray, he teaches us HOW to pray, WHO to pray for, and the God to WHOM we pray.

The primary reason that we have many different prayers throughout our service is because God wants us to pray for all kinds of people on all kinds of occasions. He wants all of our prayers to be the result of overflowing hearts that have so much to say. Paul uses four words to bring out the wide-ranging nature of Christian prayer: requests, prayers, intercession, thanksgiving. This, Paul says is how we are to pray: with requests – that is, we come to God like a child comes to his father to ask for whatever we need – knowing that we come to him with empty hands and that he fills us with everything we need, be it health, peace or forgiveness. Prayers is a very general term indicating any kind of devotion or praise to God. When we make intercession to God, we are boldly asking God to do something on behalf of others. Interceding is what we do when we see pain and suffering and ask God to give support and relief where we cannot. Finally, Paul says, we offer thanksgiving: this brings our prayer full circle, so that the blessings we receive from God return to him again in the form of gratitude.

Paul’s encouragement is not only a good model for our prayers here, but for our personal prayer life as well. Sometimes we get into a rut of prayer that is centered on us and what we want and need. We pray for ourselves but forget to pray for others. We ask God for stuff but forget to thank him for the stuff he has already given us. One easy way to remember the different elements of God-pleasing prayer is to follow what is called the A-C-T-S model. Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication. Following this simple outline helps us to keep our focus and serves as a reminder to praise God, confess our sins, and offer thanksgiving before we present our list of requests to God. Prayer is a powerful gift from God, and he wants us to take advantage of that power by taking care in HOW we pray.

Just as important as HOW we pray is WHO we pray for. Paul urges: pray for everyone. That’s kind of overwhelming – how can I possibly know what 7 billion people need, how would I ever have the time to intercede to God for every one of them? In fact, this prayer is very simple. We pray that God would carry out his will for all people, a will which Paul spells out: God our Savior…wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Our prayer can be as simple as the words of the Lord’s Prayer: thy will be done; or as focused as a prayer for a specific person we know who is stumbling in the darkness of unbelief. In both cases, we pray that God would bring everyone to a knowledge of the truth – the two fold truth that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace. (Romans 3:23-24)

Praying for everyone obviously means that we exclude no one. But Paul encourages Christians to specifically pray for kings and all those in authority. I don’t think I am alone if I admit that the leaders of our government haven’t always been at the top of my prayer list. And yet, Paul tells us to make the conscious effort to pray for those whose responsibility it is to govern.

This was no easy thing for those first Christians to do. Those Christians saw their friends and family dragged into coliseums throughout the Roman Empire where they were tortured and sacrificed as entertainment for pagan Roman crowds. Those Christians found themselves targeted for persecution by the Roman government and Roman people who falsely blamed them for all kinds of problems in society. If Christians were persecuted like that today, we would hear about pastors calling down hell fire on civic leaders and issuing widespread calls for rebellion or at the least civil disobedience. But Paul encourages Timothy to do just the opposite: he urges those Christians to pray for the very leaders who hunted them down and tortured them for their Christian faith. 

Even though they’re not hunting us down or banning Christianity, it’s not always easy to pray for our nation’s leaders today, is it? It doesn’t seem right to us to ask God to bless leaders who introduce laws and policies that contradict God’s will. We hesitate to pray for politicians who are revealed to be corrupt and immoral in both their public and personal lives. But there is a very good reason for us to pray even for unbelieving, immoral rulers; so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. History teaches that it is easier for Christians to lead quiet, God-pleasing lives when there is peace than when there is war. Examples abound: think of God’s OT people who had to shed blood as they conquered the Promised Land and then were besieged, starved and killed by their enemies; think of the NT Christians who had to weigh denying Christ versus a horrible, painful death; think of how hard it would have been to live for God during the American Revolution or the civil war. Wars and rebellions – even those undertaken with seemingly righteous motives – can lead Christians to do some terrible, evil things – not the least of which is to question God’s love and power. We pray for the leaders God has placed over us so that we might live peaceful and Godly lives, and at the same time, we pray that God would shine the light of his Gospel into their hearts so that they too might know Christ as their Savior.

Pray for everyone Paul says. Pray especially for your nation and government he urges. Why? Because this is good and pleases God our Savior. There are many good reasons to pray – but the most important one of all is that God wants us to. It pleases God when we bring all our thoughts and concerns and praise and thanks to his throne.

In the end, the power of prayer doesn’t come from how we pray or who we pray for. Prayer is not powerful because we are so eloquent and earnest when we pray – because quite often, we’re not. No, prayer is powerful because of the God we pray to. Paul says that we are to address our prayers to the one true God. When we pray, we pray to the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth. We pray to the God who orders the sun the shine and the rain to fall and numbers the very hairs of our heads. We pray to the God who raises and crushes leaders and nations like pawns on the chessboard of history. When we pray, we stand with our petitions before the throne of the king of Heaven and the Judge of all mankind.

Sometimes we forget that. We forget that when we pray, we aren’t talking to a buddy or texting a friend – we are addressing the one, true, holy God. We forget that when we come into church – we are walking into God’s house. This isn’t a movie or a concert – this is different and much more important. When we come here we stand before God, and the only thing we bring to the table is our sins, and the first thing we do is openly and honestly confess how sinful, how unworthy we are to be here. It is an awesome and awful thing to come before the one, holy God. Throughout Bible history, people were shaken to the core when they witnessed the glory of God. The people of Israel shook with fear when God descended on Sinai with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Peter, James, and John were shocked and awed when Jesus was transfigured before them. Even the mob in the Garden of Gethsemane fell on their knees when Jesus told them who he was. When we come here to stand before God, it is with all humility and sorrow, because we know our sins and how they have ruined our relationship with Him. Let us never forget that on our own, we cannot pray to God or expect that he will hear us; we cannot even stand in his presence dressed as we are in the tattered rags of our own sinfulness.

That’s what makes the last line of our text so important. Paul writes: There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. We cannot come to God on our own, and – this is the good news – we don’t have to. We come in Jesus’ name; as his invited guests. We come dressed in the robes of holiness that Jesus earned for us as our perfect substitute. God answers when we knock because Jesus reestablished our line of communication with his Father by his death which served as the ransom price to redeem us from our sins – symbolized by the tearing of the curtain in the temple the moment he gave his last breath. God hears our prayers because our risen and ascended Savior still stands before him as our mediator. Knowing that, knowing what it cost our Savior to give us access to God, will remove any selfishness or shortsightedness from our prayer life. It will instill in us a sense of awe when we come before God and will cause our prayers to overflow with praise and thanks for all that he has done.

So, what should we do when we gather for worship? Expect to be entertained? Motivated? Moved emotionally? Paul tells us: pray. Pray for everyone – because it is God’s will that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Pray for our nation’s leaders and government that they too might come to faith and that we may live peaceful and Godly lives. Pray at all times and in all places to our Almighty God in heaven, confident that he has the power to do whatever you ask. Pray, because Jesus lived, died and rose to give you that privilege. It’s in his holy name we pray today and every day. Amen.  

2 Timothy 2:8-13 - Remember Jesus Christ - April 24, 2016

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We often summon that mindset when we face difficult or trying circumstances. It is a reminder not to be discouraged, to buck up and grit your teeth and just fight your way through. Sometimes, it works. Visit a fitness center and the sweating and grunting tell you that people are toughing it out to reach their fitness goals. Visit a dormitory in the middle of the night where students fight against sleep to cram for a test. Visit a kitchen table after the children have been put to bed where husband and wife have to make some tough decisions to make ends meet. Visit a hospital room, where a patient smiles and tells the nurse and her visitors that she’s feeling fine when inside she’s feeling a 10 on the pain scale. Sometimes, we can tough it out.

Other times, we can’t. Sometimes the situation is so dire that we can’t see any way to get through it. That same student, though he can fight off sleep, can’t fight off the uncertainty of not knowing if there will be a job waiting for him or the dread of graduating with a mountain of student debt. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” doesn’t help. When you’re sitting at the kitchen table and the question isn’t about how to pay for vacation but whether you will be able to make the mortgage payment or whether you have to go back to work when you had planned to retire, you don’t really want to hear “just do your best and God will take care of the rest” – because your best isn’t good enough. We might be able to grit our teeth and tough it out through pain, but it’s hard to be tough when you’re facing cancer, surgery, or chronic disease. And so it’s not real helpful when a friend comes and says, “Everything will be ok. Things will get better. You can make it through.”

In situations like that, you realize that being tough doesn’t always work. That’s not your imagination. That’s God’s own truth – imprinted on your heart from the moment you were born. (Psalm 73:26) Deep down, every human knows that their best efforts, at some point, won’t be enough. Christians experience this truth every day. Our faith is never so strong that we don’t struggle with doubt. Our best intentions are riddled with selfishness. Our deepest love can’t help everyone we want to. Not to mention our two biggest problems: sin and death. No amount of toughness or effort can purge the sin from our records or keep us breathing one moment longer than God has determined. How do we not despair? Stop looking inside yourself for strength and answers, stop trying to tough it out. Remember that Easter has changed everything. Remember Jesus Christ.

Both the author and recipient of this letter were familiar with difficult situations and the temptation to despair. Paul was in prison in Rome for a second time. He was fairly certain that this time he wouldn’t be freed. The only way out of his prison cell would come at the end of a Roman sword. 2 Timothy would be Paul’s final letter. And that would be difficult for young pastor Timothy to take. Paul was his father in the faith, the man who had mentored and trained him, he was the one he looked to for guidance and encouragement – and now he would be gone. So what does Paul tell Timothy to do? Tough it out?

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. When the going gets tough, the tough…no, the weak, the sad, the powerless don’t get going – they look to Jesus Christ. In other words, Paul is telling Timothy: “When the going gets tough, don’t look inside – look to Jesus. Remember that in suffering and dying he took away the darkest part of your existence: your sin. And that by rising he defeated your greatest enemy: death. Remember that he set the example: the way of suffering, the way of the cross is the only one that leads to heaven. Remember that Jesus ascended to heaven in order to rule everything in this universe and there is no situation – no matter how tough – that he doesn’t have absolute control over. Remember that even though I will shortly die at the hands of the Roman emperor Nero, Jesus is really the one who directs your destiny. (Which, incidentally, we ought to keep in mind as we fret this election year.) Remember Jesus and remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)

This gospel, the gospel of Christ crucified and risen, Paul says, is my gospel. This was what Paul preached and taught. But, more than that, this gospel gave Paul strength and courage as he faced death. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Even here, Paul doesn’t pretend that the situation isn’t dire, nor does he claim that as an apostle he has the inner manliness and fortitude to get through it on his own. No, he trusts that the same Jesus, the same good news that converted him from a Christian murderer to a Christian martyr would not die with him – would not be chained even by his death. Paul would endure anything and everything for the gospel – because he knew that it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)

When the going gets tough, remember Jesus Christ…and then, remember his faithful apostle. That’s a humbling exercise, isn’t it? We look at Paul and see how he sacrificed everything – his home, his health, his wealth and finally his life – for Christ and his gospel. And then I look at myself and how I am too often unwilling to give up a moment of “me-time”, how reluctant I am to give my treasure back to the one who gave it to me first, to sacrifice time and energy for the sake of the elect (those God has chosen to come to faith) – and I am humbled and ashamed. Maybe you feel the same way. But that’s not the main reason Paul directs us to think about his own life.

There are two lessons that come from remembering the examples of the saints who have gone before us. First, we’re not alone. Whenever we are tempted to think “woe is me,” pick up your Bible and see that God’s people have endured difficult, trying circumstances since the beginning of time. Open up to Hebrews 11 and 12 and you will see evidence that faith in Christ is a mighty, solid and, yes, a tough thing. But you will also see that those heroes of faith weren’t heroes because of their own strength or character, but because God was faithful to them and for them. See how no circumstance – no matter how difficult – could dim their faith that God would, in the end, deliver them from this world of sorrow to himself in heaven.

Secondly, and this is certainly the more difficult lesson to learn: it’s a lie of Satan that life in a sinful world can ever be free from trials and troubles and tough situations. Remember Jesus, the Son of God, who never deserved any pain or hardship because he never said or did anything sinful – and how the world crucified him. Remember the apostles, who dedicated their entire lives to proclaiming and preserving the Gospel of Christ and that the world killed them too. Most of us have never had to face the trials of famine or tyranny or war like many believers throughout history. We’ve never had to grab our families and a few possessions and run for our lives. We’ve never had to fear that if someone finds out we follow Christ that our families, homes, or lives will be in danger. But all of those have been and continue to be real threats to Christians around the world.

Yes, we have our own problems – financial, family, health, spiritual – and there will always be problems of one sort or another as long as we live. Don’t see problems as a reflection of how God feels toward you at any given moment – look to the Bible for that. Instead, see problems as a reflection of the sin that infects our world and our hearts. See problems at home, at work, anywhere as reminders of your need to repent. Satan has done a very good job of obscuring this, but the truth is that Jesus didn’t come to make life in this world easy or pleasant – he came to save us from this world of sin and sorrow. That is how the message of Easter gives us the strength to endure: in trial and trouble it points us to Christ, it shows us that the way out of trouble is not in our hands but in Christ’s, and the way he has chosen to save us is through death; death that leads to eternal life. If we’re resolved to die in order to go to heaven (like the saints were) – how can any other danger or circumstance rattle us? When the going gets tough, remember Jesus Christ and remember saints like his faithful apostle, Paul.

Finally, remember this trustworthy saying: (likely the words of an early Christian hymn) if we died with him, (which we did when we were baptized into his death) we will live with him; If we endure, (through repentance and faith) we will also reign with him. But there is also this warning: If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. The sinful nature in us (not to mention countless heretical teachers) argue that God is too kind and loving to ever send anyone to hell. The rationale is this: we often back down on our threats, why should the Lord be any different? But God is faithful. If God were to prove untrue to both his promises and his threats, he would cease to be God. Yes, God is love (1 John 4:8), he is loving enough to warn us that whoever denies [Christ] before men (either by word or action) [Christ] will disown him before [his] Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:33) But he is also faithful to his promise: whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

For Paul, this trustworthy saying meant that he would not let any trial or hardship shake his faith in Christ. He would let the world and his enemies do whatever they wanted to him – even kill him – because he trusted that the One who died and rose again to life would never abandon him – and that they could destroy him, but they could never destroy the gospel. For us, this means that the gospel message is indeed the most important thing in life. It is not simply a Sunday morning attraction. It is what guides us through this dark world. It is what gives us the strength to endure tough situations. The Gospel reminds us that we should not expect that life in a sinful world (including the sinner living in each one of us) will ever be easy or trouble free. Instead, the Gospel promise is that Jesus will rescue us from this world. When the going gets tough, don’t get going. When the going gets tough, remember Jesus Christ, remember his resurrection, remember his faithful apostle, remember his trustworthy saying. Remember Jesus and trust that he will never forget you. Amen. 

John 21:15-19 - Do You Love Me? - April 17, 2016

In communication, questions have a unique power that other types of discourse often don’t. If I use an indicative (make a statement) you can, without really thinking about it, agree or disagree with it. For example: “Rocky road is the best flavor of ice cream.” But if I phrase it as a question, you have to look inside yourself and think about it. “Do you think rocky road is the best flavor of ice cream?” Questions have so much linguistic power that some questions – you just don’t ask. For a man, you never ask if a woman is pregnant unless you see her holding the baby. Many people would find it offensive if someone asked them how much money they make or who they voted for. Questions have the power to offend, to lead us to really consider something, and to reveal what is hidden in our hearts. This morning, Jesus has a question; the most relevant, important question of all: do you love me?

In our English translations, it appears that Jesus asks the same question three times. The Greek tells a different story. In ancient Greek there were four words for love – but only two are used positively in Scripture. Agape is the highest form of love, it is willful and intentional. It is the unconditional, undeserved love God showed a wicked world as spelled out in Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Phileo (Philadelphia) is brotherly love, the love of friends and family – it’s natural love. Both of these terms for love appear in the words before us.

If we paraphrase the exchange between Jesus and Peter this distinction comes out clearly: “Simon…do you love me unconditionally more than the rest of the disciples do?” “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you like a friend.” “Simon…do you love me unconditionally?” “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you like a friend.” “Simon, do you love me like a friend?” “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you like a friend.” Far from pointless repetition, Jesus’ questions worked from the highest form of love possible (the kind of love and dedication Peter had declared for the Lord (Matthew 26:33)) to the lower – and, in doing so, Jesus pierced through Peter’s pride, knowledge, and self-righteousness; all the way to his heart. Peter was hurt by these three questions – because they served as a painful reminder of his three-fold denial. Why would Jesus do that to Peter? Because he knew all things; he knew that Peter was carrying around a load of guilt – the guilt of having abandoned and denied his Lord. Jesus knew that Peter had tried to rid himself of this guilt – through bitter tears, by sprinting to the tomb, by jumping out of a boat to swim to Jesus – but that those things didn’t work. Jesus knew that the only cure for a guilty conscience was to bring it to the surface so that it could be washed away by his true, unconditional love and forgiveness.

God did not preserve this dramatic exchange for us to sit here 2000 years later and feel pity or compassion for Peter. He preserved it so that we might learn from it; so that we would sit before Jesus and have him, the one who knows what is in a person’s heart (John 2:25), ask us: “Do you love me?”

First, note what this question is not. Jesus does not ask: “have you given a confession of your faith?” He doesn’t ask: “do you believe in God?” “Have you been baptized, confirmed; do you hold membership in a Christian church?” He doesn’t ask: “do you love your family, friends, your dog or your work or your hobbies?” He doesn’t ask Peter or us “How much do you give to the church or do for the church or how much do you witness your faith to others?” He doesn’t ask what others think about him. No, clear all that out of your mind, because the question Jesus asks cuts right to the heart of what it means to be a Christian, a disciple of Christ. Paul summarized the heart of the issue in 1 Corinthians 16: If anyone does not love the Lord – a curse be on him. (1 Corinthians 16:22) So, do you love Jesus?

Do you love Jesus unconditionally – that is, without asking anything of him in return? Do you think you love Jesus more than the people sitting around you? Do you love Jesus so much that you would never deny knowing him in order to escape an uncomfortable situation like Peter did? Do you love Jesus so much that you would leave your job and home rather than leave your Savior? Do you love Jesus more than your money or things? Do you love Jesus more than your son, daughter, husband, wife, mom or dad? Do you love Jesus more than your reputation and accomplishments? Do you love Jesus enough to admit that you don’t know him or his Word as well as you should? Do you love Jesus enough to never let anything come before sitting at his feet and listening to him? Do you love Jesus enough to acknowledge that you have put other things before him? Do you love Jesus enough to open yourself up to him to confess to him things that you have never admitted to anyone else? Do you love Jesus more than you love life? Do you? Do you love Jesus with intentional, agape love?

The book of Hebrews says: the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) This question is proof. This question is why King David’s confession must constantly be on our lips: I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. (Psalm 51:3-4)

Why does Jesus ask this question to his disciples, to Peter, to you, to me? Because he knows, better than we do, that as long as we hide our sin or make excuses for it or try to work it off – it can’t be forgiven. When we realize this, we know that it is out of the deepest love that Jesus asks us this question. Jesus brings the darkest, guiltiest depths of our heart to the surface – not to put it on display, not to mock us, not to laugh at us – but to show us how badly we need him – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29)

Here’s the surprising thing: the real reason we avoid the confrontation of the law isn’t because we don’t want to feel it’s piercing pressure, but because we often forget what the Gospel – the good news really is. What? Well, how many of us, when Jesus’ question pinned us down were thinking, “Ok, I’ll try harder to love you.” That is our default reaction. But Jesus didn’t say try harder, did he? What did Jesus tell Peter? Feed my lambs…Take care of my sheep…feed my sheep. Peter, by his denial of his Lord had forfeited not only his position as Christ’s apostle but his place in heaven. By commanding Peter to feed his flock, Jesus was telling him: “Now that your sin has been brought to the surface, it has been washed away by my atoning blood – and not only are your sins forgiven, but I am restoring you back to your office as my witness, my apostle – not because you deserve it, but because of my love.”

That’s something we always need to keep in mind: Jesus only disciplines those he loves. (Revelation 3:19) Really? By making Peter think about the most embarrassing event of his life, Jesus was loving him? Think of it this way: would you ever speak to someone who had betrayed and denied you? Jesus did. Simply by coming to Peter, Jesus showed his compassion and love for his fallen, broken disciple. By coming to him, likely still with the visible marks of his crucifixion, Jesus left no doubt in Peter’s mind of his love. Recalling the events of Holy Week, Peter couldn’t help but remember that Jesus had washed his feet, had been arrested, beaten and crucified – for him and his sins. While Peter had denied Jesus, he could not deny that Jesus loved him in word and action with true, unconditional, undeserved, agape love.

So we see Jesus’ loving heart for fallen Peter, but where is it for us today? Well, Jesus is here, isn’t he? He’s here in Word and Sacrament. Even though we have betrayed him, he still speaks to our hearts and shows us his heart. Maybe it’s too obvious. Easter and Good Friday seem like a long time ago already, but may we never forget the love Jesus demonstrated in allowing himself to be arrested, beaten, murdered and sent to hell – for us. See Jesus standing before Peter and restoring him to his flock – but see him standing here before you, healing, restoring, and loving you, too. For still today, Jesus speaks to his lambs and sheep. Do you know what he’s saying? “As God’s sacrificial Lamb and by the power of my blood: I forgive you. I forgive you for thinking that you can earn my love by your offerings or effort. I forgive you for your sinful pride. I forgive you for loving your job and things, your children and spouse, your wealth and life more than me. The whole reason I humbled myself to be born in this world, went without riches or glory, allowed myself to be arrested, beaten and hung on a cross was because I knew that you could never love as God demands – so I did it for you. Whatever the sin, no matter the guilt – I have paid for it, it is gone, wiped from God’s memory and mine. No, you don’t deserve my sympathy or love, but I give it anyway – so come forward to receive proof of my love, come forward to receive the very body and blood that I gave up and poured out to forgive your sins. Come for my forgiveness and then go, go in peace because you don’t have to do anything to earn my love. Go back to your life and follow me. Follow me through sickness and health, through trial and trouble, through good and bad – know that I know all things, I know what is going on in your heart and life and I love you, unconditionally, anyway. Go with my love, go as my lamb and go with my blessing.”

Questions have the power to touch us where nothing else can. It cuts us to the heart that Jesus asks us this question. But there’s an even better, more humbling, more comforting question for us to leave here and wonder about: Jesus really loves people like us? Yes, he does. He lived. He died. He rose. All because he loves you. That’s why we’re not done celebrating Easter yet. He is our Lamb because he died for our sin and today he’s our Good Shepherd because Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.