2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 - God's Judgment Is Always Just - November 6, 2016

Do you recognize the figure on the cover of your bulletin this morning? She represents what is supposed to be the decisive principle in a court of law: impartial, unbiased, firm but fair justice. Fittingly, her name is Lady Justice. Lady Justice has been around since ancient Roman times, if not earlier, and she is usually pictured as you see her here: blindfolded, holding a set of scales and carrying a sword. The scales mean that she will carefully weigh all the evidence for and against – so that she will arrive at the right verdict. The sword means that she hands out punishment to those who deserve it. The blindfold means that she is not influenced by a person’s face or race, by how much money or power or influence they have. Lady Justice can be found all over the world; from Ottawa, Canada to Frankfurt Germany, from Memphis Tennessee to Tehran, Iran. Since ancient times people around the world have seen the need for fair and impartial justice.

The ideal that Lady Justice represents is a great one, isn’t it? There are only two problems. One, the justice system is operated by imperfect humans who don’t always get it right. Sometimes the guilty go free; sometimes the innocent are punished. Sometimes justice isn’t blind and it does take a person’s power or wealth or influence (or how many lawyers they have) into account. Secondly, most people assume that justice means getting the outcome they want not the outcome they deserve. That’s why you see and hear so many people marching, tweeting and shouting about injustice, claiming that a whole variety of issues are not fair. Admittedly, our justice system is imperfect, and so those cries may occassionally be justified. But there’s a danger here for us as believers – that we allow our knowledge of the imperfections and failures of the human justice system to shade our view of God’s justice. Sometimes we want to accuse God of being unfair. Paul reminds us that God’s Judgment is always just: today and on the Last Day.

Now, we can’t definitively say that the Christians in Thessalonica were harboring feelings of injustice and unfairness against God – but knowing what they were going through, we can hardly blame them if they did. When Paul first arrived in Thessalonica with the message of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection for sinners, the gospel was warmly received, by Jews and Greeks, men and women. But there were other Jews who were jealous of the gospel’s success. They rounded up a mob of bad characters and started a riot. They rushed to the house where Paul was staying, hoping to let the crowd have its way with him. Paul had secretly escaped earlier, but the Jews didn’t give up. They dragged Paul’s host, Jason, and some of the other believers before the city officials, accused them of inciting riotous and rebellious behavior – and made them post bond to guarantee that there would be no more disturbances – even though they were the victims in the first place. (Acts 17:1-9) We could understand if these believers were beginning to question God’s justice; to wonder if God was being unfair in allowing them to suffer simply for following Christ. And yet, in spite of the persecutions, the church in Thessalonica grew and flourished, to the point that Paul had received a glowing report about their perseverance and faith. (2 Thessalonians 1:4)

In the words before us, Paul reveals the reality behind the suffering that Christians endure: all this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. What? Suffering, persecution, and affliction are evidence that God’s judgement is just? What planet is Paul living on? Two biblical truths are at work here. Principle #1: suffering and glory, persecution and the kingdom go hand in hand – following Christ means following him through suffering. Jesus had both taught and demonstrated that the only path to glory leads through suffering. (Luke 24:25-26) He told his disciples that if they wanted to follow him to heaven, they needed to prepare to pick up their crosses and follow him. (Matthew 16:24) Paul concurred, writing that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) Therefore, when God allows believers to suffer now, it is evidence that he is preparing them for glory.

Principle #2: The fact that believers have the strength and faith to endure persecution reveals God’s justice. Peter wrote: do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:12, 14) In other words, standing firm in the face of persecution shows that God has your back. If you are persecuted for believing and confessing that God, not a big bang, created the universe; that God, not the Supreme Court, has the right to define marriage; that God, not the court of public opinion, decides which behaviors and lifestyles are right and wrong – you have proof that God is getting it right. Jesus told his disciples: blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

But how can we be so sure? With all the deceit and confusion Satan has sown in our world, how can we dare to be so confident that God’s judgment is just and that we are not making a terrible mistake? Because God – the Judge – has declared that you are right with Him. God slammed his gavel down in judgment on Calvary long ago and just moments ago he credited that verdict to your account: God our heavenly Father has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins…therefore, your sins are forgiven. We stand acquitted in God’s courtroom right now. Even though every one of us lacks the worthiness God demands, he has declared us worthy. Worthy, because of the life Jesus lived in our place. Worthy, because Jesus carried our guilt to the cross. Worthy, because he died to pay for our sins. Worthy, because God raised him from death and made you alive in baptism.

You stand on the right side of God’s judgment now – and your current suffering, perseverance, faith and love are proof of that; they are evidence that God’s judgment is just. That’s a hard truth to accept, though, isn’t it? It certainly doesn’t feel like God is getting it right when our children hate us for our loving discipline. It doesn’t seem like God is just when Christians are mocked and ridiculed for their beliefs. It doesn’t seem fair that saints should suffer while sinners prosper. If you ever feel that way, Paul says, look to the future, see the bigger picture. God is just: he will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

One Day, all will be made right, publicly and eternally. That Day will see the greatest role reversal in history: Jesus will pay back trouble to the trouble-makers and will give relief to those who have been afflicted. As we look forward to the day when Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels we can rest assured that those who ignored God, rejected Christ, and tormented Christians will get what they deserve. While it may seem like the deck is stacked against Christians now, while it often feels like the world is sitting in judgement of God, his Word and his people today, Paul says that the tables will be turned when Jesus returns. It won’t be God and his Word on trial, but those who rejected his Word and his Son.

And unlike human courtrooms, where people can get out of punishment through plea bargains, where evidence is tampered with, jurors are coerced and justice is anything but blind: Jesus’ judgment will be swift and right in every case. There will be no mistakes, no mistrials, no appeals and no last-minute backroom deals. Jesus will get it right and his judgment will be undeniably just because he will look deeply into every human heart to see the only evidence that will matter on Judgment Day: faith or unbelief. Paul says: He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Two categories of people will face condemnation: 1) those who ignored all the evidence that pointed them to the one, eternal God, to whom they were accountable for every thought, word and action – atheists, agnostics and the apathetic – they will be punished justly for their sins. 2) And those who heard the Gospel of salvation but refused to believe it – those who were baptized and fell away, those whose door Jesus knocked on and they refused to open, those who imagined that Jesus could be the Savior of their soul but not the Lord of their life – they, too, will be punished, justly, for their sins.

And in contrast to those who deny the existence of hell or imagine that a loving God would never send anyone there, Paul spells out the reality: they will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. Destruction doesn’t mean that they will cease to exist. Rather, they will experience what no living human, apart from Jesus, ever has: the cold shoulder from God. Heaven is being with God, seeing him face to face and living in the full light of his glory. Hell is being exiled from his presence, away from God’s face, away from his love and every good thing. It is living forever in the place Jesus described as a fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42) Is this punishment terrible? Yes. So awful that we don’t want to think about it? Yes. Something we would wish on our worst enemies? No. Unfair, unjust, wrong? No. It is exactly what unbelievers deserve for rejecting God’s Son as Savior.

The day is surely drawing near when Jesus, the Judge, will come from heaven in blazing fire with his holy angels. He will take his place on the judge’s stand; everyone will appear before him and in every case his judgment will be perfectly just. That’s the day when evildoers and unbelievers – those who persecuted the Christians in Thessalonica and those who persecute you – will be punished. They will not, in the end, get away with it. And that’s the day when believers will realize full, lasting relief. On that Day Jesus will come to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. On that Day, faith and hope will turn into reality – and believers will know and experience God’s full love and glory and they will know that his judgment was just all along.

And yes, just as Paul assured the people in Thessalonica – this includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. By faith in Jesus, you are and will be found to be on the right side of God’s judgment. By faith, you know that because God declared Jesus guilty of your sins, you are worthy to enter heaven. Right now, you may wonder. Right now you may be puzzled by God’s justice and frustrated by his judgment. You may think, when you are suffering hardship or persecution, that it isn’t right and it isn’t fair. Satan will tempt you to accuse God of getting it all wrong.

Stand firm! Stand firm on this one unshakeable, undeniable truth: God’s judgment is always just. Yes, we know that Lady Justice doesn’t always get it right, but Jesus always does. His judgment is just for you right now, in that suffering proves you are on the side of your Savior; and his judgment will be just on the Last Day, when he will give you true, eternal relief from all suffering and sorrow. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

John 8:31-36 - Jesus Christ has Set Us Free! - October 30, 2016

We live in a nation that prides itself on freedom. In 9 days, we will exercise our freedom to vote. We can vote for a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, a member of the Green Party – or no one at all. We enjoy freedom of speech – the Constitution gives you the right to say almost anything at any time; although as Christians we will always use that right to edify others and glorify God. When we turn on the TV or flip open our tablets, we enjoy freedom of the press – MSNBC or FOX, the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. We are free to watch and read all of them or none of them. Most important, we enjoy freedom of religion in our nation. Unlike thousands of Christians around the world, we don’t have to worry that the government or our employer will persecute us because we worship Jesus Christ as Savior. As Americans, we are free in any number of ways – and let us never take our freedoms for granted. But today, let us cherish the most important freedom we have – the freedom only Jesus can give: freedom from slavery and freedom for sonship.

To truly appreciate freedom, we must understand the opposite: slavery. John 8 provides a prime example of what slavery looks like. The woman the Pharisees brought to Jesus as he was teaching in the temple courts one morning was a slave – a slave to sin. She had been caught – red handed – in the sin of adultery. The Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus to see if he would support the Law of Moses which said that she should be stoned for her crime. (Leviticus 20:10) This woman knew what it meant to be enslaved to sin. Lust had controlled her. Evil, vengeful men surrounded her, and on the other side of her only apparent escape – death – stood Satan, delighting in the fact that he had wrecked another home, ruined another life, and trapped another soul for eternity.

The Galatians in our second lesson also knew what it meant to be slaves. Some of them were literal slaves – a grim reality for many in the Roman Empire. All of them had, at one time, been slaves to idols – false gods with eyes that couldn’t see, ears that couldn’t hear, and hands that couldn’t help. Behind every one of these false gods stood Satan – who had succeeded yet again in convincing humans created in God’s image to worship blocks of wood and statues of silver. With half the tree they heated their house. With the other half they made a god. It was pure insanity. Pure satanic slavery!

Before you pity that woman and the Galatians too much, listen to what Jesus has to say: I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Sometimes this slavery is easy to spot. The heroin addict who lies and steals to maintain his habit, his slavery is obvious. The husband who spends his time, money, and creativity deceiving his family and friends to maintain a secret affair – his slavery is evident. When pastors walk to the door of a member who hasn’t worshiped in months or years, they often hear the rattle of sin’s chains in the reasons, rationales and excuses put forward: busy schedule, gotta work, it’s the kids and their sports or academics, it’s my only morning to sleep in, I’m young, I’ll have time for Jesus later, etc. Wrecked bodies, destroyed homes and lives, greedy hearts and starving souls – all of it is slavery, slavery to sin and slavery to Satan.

Other times it’s harder to spot – especially in myself. There’s one important thing to remember: slavery to sin isn’t only what we do, it’s who we are. We just admitted that, didn’t we? Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful… Pick a commandment, any commandment. When we hold God’s Law up to our hearts like a mirror, our own slavery becomes undeniable. The 4th – sure we respect those in elected office, those called by the church, our employers and supervisors – to their faces; how many of us would have to blush with shame if our private thoughts and conversations about them were made public. The 5th – it’s easy to refrain from shooting someone. It’s not so easy to refrain from murdering with hatred in our heart. The 6th – it’s fairly easy to stay out of our neighbor’s bedroom. It’s not so easy to keep our eyes to ourselves. The 7th – I doubt that any of us have held up a Kwik Trip, but to “forget” to claim some income when tax time comes, to make the decision that all God deserves this week is my spare change – that commandment makes thieves of us all. Jesus doesn’t say “Every time you sin you are a slave,” he doesn’t say, “If you sin you are a slave,” He says, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. If you are breathing, you are a slave to sin.

We know this. We don’t like it. So we try to escape. Usually, in one of two ways: 1) We try to work our way out of it, or 2) we deny it. Try to work your way out of it – that’s the route the Galatians had taken. They had confused Law and Gospel. A group of false Christians had wormed their way into the Galatian congregation. They were essentially Pharisees in Christian clothing. They said that it was fine to believe that the Gospel made you a Christian, but that if you wanted to stay a Christian and be certain of heaven, then you still had to obey the Old Testament laws: circumcision, rest on Saturday, and no bacon for breakfast or pork-chops for supper. Paul could hardly believe it: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. (Galatians 1:6-7) In other words, Paul is saying that if you return to trying to do something to earn salvation, you wind up forfeiting the completed work of Christ on your behalf.

Martin Luther tried a similar route 1500 years later. He gave up a promising career in law to become a monk. He gave away all his earthly possessions. He slept on a stone floor in an unheated cell, became a priest, attended confession seven days a week and worshipped seven times a day. He did all this in an attempt to free his conscience from guilt and his soul from slavery to sin. His path of freedom through works quickly became another form of slavery. Luther wrote this when he looked back on his life as a slave…er, monk: I saw many who tried with great effort and the best of intentions to do everything possible to appease their conscience. They wore hair shirts; they fasted; they prayed; they tormented and wore out their bodies so severely that if they had been made of iron they would have been crushed. And yet the more they labored, the greater their terrors became. Especially when the hour of death was imminent, they became so fearful that I have seen many murderers facing execution die more confidently than these men who had lived such saintly lives. (LW 27:13) Attempting to work your way out of slavery – whether that means fasting, giving, working, cleaning, preaching, or just trying harder tomorrow – is simply trading slavery to sin for slavery to law. Slavery never leads to freedom.

Option 2: deny, deny, deny. The Jews’ history was one of slavery beginning, middle and end. Egypt. Babylon. Rome. It was undeniable. And yet they claim: We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free? They were in denial. “We can’t be slaves. We’re children of Abraham. We’ve got the right blood flowing in our veins – so God has to give us a pass.” Sadly these Jews forgot that the fact that their forefathers wandered and died in the desert shows how serious God is about all sin – no matter who your ancestor is.

That’s why we will never let our celebration of the Reformation turn into Lutheran pep rally. “We’re sons of Luther – and WELS (that’s the good kind of Lutheran) on top of it! God must be happy with us.” The truth is that being Lutheran doesn’t earn us a thing in God’s eyes. If we imagine that we are free because of our Lutheran pedigree – because we were born, raised, and confirmed Lutheran – we are in denial, and we end up losing the one person with the pedigree that really matters: Jesus. And so we don’t celebrate the Reformation to worship Martin Luther, or to place our trust in our Lutheran heritage as if that somehow earns our spot in heaven; no, we use the Reformation to thank God for using Martin Luther to bring back to the forefront the one true solution to our problem of slavery: Jesus Christ – in Christ alone!

Doing good works cannot set us free from sin. Being Lutheran does not set us free from sin. Only one thing sets us free from sin: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Who is this who claims to be the Son, to be the only one with the power to set slaves free? There is no more important question and no answer that Satan tries harder to confuse and cover up. The world at large is too distracted to consider this question. Some in the visible church say that Jesus can be whoever you want him to be. But salvation doesn’t depend on who you want Jesus to be, it depends on who Jesus proved himself to be by word and action. John testified at the beginning of his Gospel that Jesus is the Word [who] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) Either Jesus is God’s Son and he can free us from our slavery to sin or he is an imposter who will spend eternity in hell with us – there is no middle ground.

Jesus has proved beyond all doubt, first to eyewitnesses and second to us through his Word, that he is God’s Son and our Savior. He is the only person who can set us free. But our freedom wasn’t free. Our freedom cost him everything: He left his throne in heaven to become a slave on earth. He came bearing truth, but no truth has been more frequently and completely rejected than His saving gospel. Jesus came to bring light to people living in darkness, but most preferred to stay in the darkness of sin and unbelief. Jesus had all power, but in weakness he allowed himself to be arrested, mocked and beaten. Jesus, the King of Justice, suffered the ultimate perversion of justice – the guilty Barabbas walked free while he was nailed to a cross. The Author of Life died. The one who fills the universe was wrapped in grave cloths. But that’s not the end of the story: the One who died rose and now lives forever!

Because God’s Son broke the bars on death’s prison, not only is he free – he has set us free. Slaves can only make other slaves. If we trust our own obedience to set us free – we will be slaves forever. If we look to Luther to set us free – we will find that heaven isn’t the only corner of eternity with a section for Lutherans. But when the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Through the conquering work of the Son, you are free from slavery to sin. Through the Lord of Life, you are free from the terror of death. Freed from slavery to Satan, you are free to be sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.

That’s freedom you can enjoy right now. How? Lutherans love the answer to that question. If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. We hold to the Reformation creed of Scripture alone because Jesus tells us that it is only through his Word that we are truly set free. Jesus ties the gift of freedom, not to our genetic heritage, not to our church membership, not to a feeling in our hearts, not to our good works – but to His Word. Jesus connects true freedom, not to an army representing the red, white, and blue but to the blood-stained Gospel. If you want to be free – hold onto Jesus’ teaching, treasure doctrine, take every opportunity to hear and dig into God’s Word – because through that Word Jesus sets you free to be children of God.

As Americans, may we never take our freedom for granted. Don’t forget that our freedom of press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion were bought and paid for by American lives. Vote next Tuesday. Be interested and involved in the administration of our city, state, and country. Thank God for our liberties. But more importantly on this Reformation Day, rejoice in the freedom you have as a child of God. It was purchased and won for you, not by American soldiers, but by the blood of God’s one and only Son. That freedom comes to you through the Word. That freedom can’t be taken from you. That freedom will ring loud and clear forever. Amen.

1 John 2:15-17 - What is the World to Me? - October 23, 2016

Few temptations have troubled believers more through the centuries than worldliness. There are all sorts of reasons for this. One, we are surrounded by the world. It’s what we see and sense. We can touch it and hold it. Apart from divine revelation and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, it’s the only reality we can grasp. Second, the world offers what our sinful nature longs for: instant gratification; while the promises of God are heavily weighted toward the future and eternity. Third, the church, in an effort to be “relevant”, in misguided attempts to become all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:22) has regularly become like the world rather than the light of the world. Finally, the love of the world is a dangerous temptation for Christians because Satan would like us to believe that that we can have it both ways; that we can love the world and love God. The apostle John makes it clear that the Christian’s love is exclusive; you either love God or you love the world, but you can’t love both. Today we ask: what is the world to me?

Recall from last week that John wrote this letter to Christians who were being misled and confused by heretics. These heretics claimed to have enlightenment, but John says that they were still in darkness. They tried entice people with the promise of a secret knowledge of God, but their doctrine and life revealed that they did not truly know God. To refute their claims that true faith is purely subjective, that doctrine and behavior don’t really matter, John gave his readers three tests by which they could evaluate these false teachers (and their own faith) to see if it was authentic. Briefly, there was the moral test – obedience; the relational test – love for others; and the doctrinal test – teaching and believing the historical gospel of Jesus Christ. The section before us is an application of the moral test – authentic faith is marked by obedience and love for God above all things.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The first word to understand and define is love. The Greek word is agape. This type of love is a commitment, an act of the will, NOT a feeling. It is a one-way love. It is the love that caused God to send his precious Son to die for a hostile world. It is the kind of love husband and wife promise to one another in marriage. Just as you cannot commit to lifelong love for more than one person, you cannot love God and the world. You can be committed to God or the world, but not both. It’s impossible. You must make a choice.

The second word to define is the world. The Greek word is cosmos. It originally referred to the well-ordered nature of the universe as God created it. But here, John uses it to describe the organized system operated by Satan in opposition to Christ and the gospel. Later in his letter John would say: we know that…the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) The world consists of unbelievers under Satan’s control – those who operate on the basis of ungodly thoughts, attitudes, motives, values and goals. It is everything that stands opposed to Christ, his gospel and his glory.

So what does it mean to not love this world? John does not mean that you must hate your house or your car (although when they break down it’s hard not to hate them). He doesn’t mean that Christians ought to empty their bank accounts and sell their possessions and live in seclusion and poverty – although some have done so. No, in the words that follow, John demonstrates that this love is primarily a question of attitude and motivation. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.

Worldliness is an attitude and lifestyle that is motivated by sinful desires. To be worldly means to operate on Satan’s principles. It is to move through life motivated by selfishness, greed, pride, and personal ambition. It is to have sinful desires for things you do not have and sinful pride in what you do have. Rather than living to please God who judges the heart, the worldly person tries to impress other people, who can only look at outward things. So there should be a list of things to do and not to do, right? In the past, some Christians came up with the “filthy five” – drinking, smoking, attending movies, playing cards and dancing – and if you avoid those then you have successfully avoided the world. The thing is, John is not primarily concerned about about what you do or where you go. He’s concerned with why you do what you do. Do you do what you do because you love and want to be loved by the world or because you love and want to be loved by God. It’s either or. We must choose our love.

There’s one thing about this choice: on our own, we would and could never choose to love God. From birth we were Satan’s children. We were dead to God, blind to his blessings, and hated his will. We were capable only of loving the world. Until God stepped in to change things. Later in this letter John writes, we love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) God demonstrated this committed love to the sinful world over and over. God knew exactly what would happen shortly after he created a perfect universe, he knew that the crown of his creation would ruin it with sin – but he created it anyway. Later when God looked at the world and saw…that every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5) he could have scrapped everything and started over – as he proved in the Flood – but in love he preserved Noah and his family so that you and I would have the chance to be born and believe and be saved. God knew exactly the type of world he was sending his Son into by placing him in Mary’s arms – a world that would hate him, reject him, unjustly condemn him and crucify him – but God loved the world enough to sacrifice his Son to save it. God knew your heart, your desires, your sins before you were born, he knew that you would disobey his commands and live as his enemy – but in the waters of Baptism he reached into your heart and cleansed it, created faith in it, and wrote your name in his book of life in heaven. You cannot love God and the world, but neither can you choose to love God instead of the world. So God chose you. With his Word and Sacrament he created life where there was only death, love where there was only hate, children where there were enemies. That’s grace. That’s God’s love for you. Because God chose to love us, in faith, we can choose to love him above all things.

And like any other relationship, this one must be maintained. In Baptism, God broke Satan’s stranglehold on your heart, but he never stops trying to lure you back to his side. The way we maintain our relationship with God depends on how we handle everything in the world that Satan uses as bait. Here is one of the many places where our hymnal is such a treasure, because the hymn we just sang points out both the temptation of worldly love and gives us guidance to love God. You may forget every detail of this sermon – but hopefully you take this hymn with you.

What is the world to me, with all its vaunted pleasure, when you, and you alone, Lord Jesus, are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, my soul’s delight shall be; you are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me! (477:1) What is the world to me when it comes to the cravings of [my sinful nature]? I hate to admit it, but often it means way too much. My cravings, my appetites too often take control of my heart and become the focus of my life. As humans, God created us with these appetites, but Satan twists and perverts these cravings so that we try to find peace and rest through comfort food, pills and alcohol, laziness or sinful sexual outlets. I seek the escapes it offers to forget about my problems. But the peace and rest the world gives are short-lived. The contentment of a full belly only lasts a few hours. The momentary haze of painkillers and alcohol doesn’t actually solve any problems. And, while ignoring God’s will for sex and marriage may seem like freedom, presidential candidates aren’t the only ones who realize it only leads to guilt and shame. The only way to overcome these cravings is to be filled with desire for Christ and his promises. Christ offers lasting peace – peace with God purchased with his blood. Christ offers true rest – because he said it is finished. (John 19:30) Christ wed himself to me in Baptism so that I can honor God’s will concerning sex and marriage. Christ can overcome my cravings.

The world seeks after wealth and all that money offers, yet never is content though gold should fill its coffers. I have a higher good; content with it I’ll be; my Jesus is my wealth – what is the world to me! (477:3) Our commercial culture works overtime to tease the lust of [my] eyes. Attractive people tell us we won’t be happy unless we own the product they’re selling or the lifestyle they’re pushing. We flip through magazines and websites that tempt us with beautiful homes, shiny cars, luxury products and glamorous vacations. Capital One and MasterCard will buy you everything you want, and they’ll dig you deep into debt for free. The lottery promises financial freedom – and you only have to get lucky once. Christ gives me life and breath and a new sunrise every day. His mercies are new every morning. The peace, forgiveness, and love he offers never go out of style. And best of all – he gives them away for free. Longing for the true wealth Christ offers smothers the lust the world seeks to enflame.

The world seeks to be praised and honored by the mighty, yet never once reflects that they are frail and flighty. But what I truly prize above all things is he, my Jesus, he alone. What is the world to me! (477:2) Yeah football players and politicians want to be praised and honored. But so do I! I like it when people notice what I’ve done and give me a pat on the back – and soon enough getting noticed becomes my motivation. If I need to put someone else down to get the recognition I deserve – so be it. And social media provides the perfect platform for me to toot my own horn while simultaneously tearing others down. The problem is that no matter how much praise I get from the world, God knows the ugly truth, He knows how rotten I really am. But because of Christ God looks at me and smiles. Clothed in Christ’s righteousness God will raise me up after a far-from-perfect life and say well done, good and faithful servant, come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:23) If worldly praise and honor are what we seek, we may get it – and that’s all we will get. But if we love God, we know it doesn’t matter if anyone notices us now, because God, in Christ, sees us as his children, children he wants to spend all of eternity with.

But John saved the best for last: The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. If the world and the things it offers are the focus of your heart and love, you will lose them all at death. Nothing worldly will mean anything in eternity. But if you do God’s will, and remember, the primary work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29) – you will live forever.

What is the world to me? Until we die, we will live in this world. But Jesus prayed for us the night before he died, prayed that though we are in the world, that we may not become part of it. (John 17:15-19) That while we walk this dust just like everyone else, we may be different. Because God chose us, we are different. We are citizens of another place. We are strangers here. Our minds are set on heaven and its riches, not this world and its desires. Our hearts are not filled with worldly cravings, lust and boasting – because they are filled to overflowing with God’s love for us and our only boast is in what Jesus has done for us. He took our place in hell. He washed us clean and gave us life. He fills us with hope not just for this life but for all eternity. Jesus is our treasure, our peace, our rest, our crown, our life, our all – and he means way more than the world to me. Amen.

1 John 5:13-15 - Know This with Certainty - October 16, 2016

Follow your heart or listen to your head? When we make decisions in life, we have options – will I go with my gut or with the option that is logically and rationally sound? We regularly face this question when we’re shopping – which is one of the reasons it’s never a good idea to go to the grocery store when you’re hungry. We face it in our professional lives – do you take a risk on pursuing a new opportunity or do you stick with the job you have? We face it in the golden years of life: do you retire early while you can still travel and enjoy an active lifestyle, or do you put it off? In our subjective, relativistic culture, it seems that most of the advice you hear is to make decisions by following your heart, doing what feels right – and logic, not to mention morality, are hardly considered. Oprah Winfrey, talk show host and author of a book called What I Know for Sure reveals how she makes decisions. “Learning to trust your instincts, using your intuitive sense of what’s best for you, is paramount for any lasting success. I’ve trusted the still, small voice of intuition my entire life. And the only time I’ve made mistakes is when I didn’t listen.” [1] I’m sure every one of us has followed that or similar advice in the past – how did it turn out?

We can get ourselves into trouble when we trust our hearts more than our heads in making life decisions, but it’s far more dangerous to base things like our relationship with God, eternity and prayer on our hearts rather than our heads. And John says that when it comes to these questions, you don’t have to follow your heart, you don’t have to trust your intuition. You can and ought to know with absolute certainty that you have eternal life, that God hears your prayers, and that God answers your prayers.

How do you know that you have a real, living relationship with God? That’s a question believers have asked since the beginning of time. For the same length of time, false teachers have taught that a living relationship with God is something you feel. Religion, they allege, takes place in your heart. Faith isn’t as much about doctrines and confessions as it is feeling close to God and experiencing the presence of God. In this letter, John was combatting those ideas as they arose in the heresy of Gnosticism. The Gnostics taught that if you wanted a real relationship with God, it wasn’t good enough to know and trust in Jesus Christ – you had to have a personal, inner, mystical connection to God. In other words, they encouraged people to follow their hearts instead of trusting God’s Word.

Part of the reason that the gnostic, mystic heresy is so seductive is because as fallen humans we have a tendency to believe that we know what we need better than God does. In our shortsightedness, we tend to think that our greatest need is more money, a new job, more respect, a better home life or better health. We expect that if God really deserves our fear, love and trust, he better agree with us. Are those really our biggest problems? What is our greatest need? Biblical and Lutheran theology are clear. We were born spiritually dead in need of spiritual life. Sin and guilt are our biggest problems and redemption and salvation our biggest needs. God makes that need known and clear to us in his Law. He holds up his holy will and says “do this” and “don’t do that” or else. And yet, we haven’t done what God has commanded and we have done what God has forbidden and so we deserve nothing but the “or else”; eternal damnation in hell.

But God has provided the solution, he has answered our greatest need. John writes: I write these things to you…so that you may know that you have eternal life. God doesn’t want you to wonder if you have eternal life. He doesn’t want you to follow something as fickle as your feelings. He wants you to know it – with certainty. How can we be so sure, so certain? John is very specific: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. People, and only people, who believe in the NAME of the Son of God can be positive they have eternal life. What does that mean? Why doesn’t John just say “If you believe in the Son of God you have eternal life”?  What does it mean to believe in the NAME of the Son of God?

Remember that John is combatting the heresy that tells you that faith and truth are things “you just feel.” By identifying believers as those who trust in the NAME of the Son of God, he’s saying that being a Christian means knowing and believing certain things about God’s Son. Jesus’ name is more than his different titles – more than Messiah, Christ and Savior. Jesus is NOT a lump of clay to be molded into whatever you want him to be. Saving faith is not vague trust in God. A living relationship with Him must be based on more than our own best efforts and gut feelings. To believe in Jesus’ name means to believe in all that he is and all he revealed himself to be. Those all-important details are what we confess each Sunday in the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds. It means to believe that he is true man, born of a virgin. It means to believe that he is God’s Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. It means to trust that everything Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote about him was true. He really lived a perfect life in Israel, he really restored sight to the blind and caused the lame to walk. He really was persecuted, arrested, tried, beaten, hung on a cross, died and rose again. And to believe in Jesus’ name means to trust that everything Jesus did, he did for you, to give you life and salvation. Eternal life is not based on intuition. Heaven doesn’t become yours when you follow your heart. Eternal life is yours, and you can be absolutely, 100% positive of this because Jesus, God’s Son, lived, died and rose to buy it for you. Trust this. Believe this. Know this with certainty.

Ok, so the future’s taken care of; but what about the present? What certainty can we have that we are living in and with God right now? The way the apostle John sees it, our confidence for the present stems from our confidence for the future. The reason we can be confident of our right standing with God today is because we know he has already taken care of our future. We can pray with confidence because He has told us in his Word that Jesus has paid for our sins and earned our place in heaven.

Now, this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Why does John need to encourage us to have confidence in approaching God? Because it’s not a civil or spiritual right. We were born dead in sin and unbelief, God’s enemies, not his friends – and God does not hear the prayers of his enemies. Another false aspect of Gnostic, mystic teaching is that God will hear you if you are just sincere enough, if you have enough good feelings in your heart. Try that approach with the President. Try going to the White House and demand to be heard because of how sincere you are. Do we really believe it’s any different with the King of kings? In fact, God makes it clear that while he is certainly capable of hearing every prayer, he simply refuses to hear the prayers of unbelievers: surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. (Isaiah 59:1-3)

Does God listen to every prayer lofted his way? Hardly. But the surprising thing is not that God ignores some prayers – it’s that he hears any at all. Yet he does, and we can have confidence in that fact. Why? Because of what we talked about before. The redeeming work of God’s Son, Jesus, not only gives us eternal life, but it changes our status before God. Instead of being classified as natural born enemies, God sees us as his redeemed children. As children, God now grants us the privilege to come to him in prayer. He even gives us the assurance that he will hear us. That is why when we pray in Jesus’ name we can know with certainty that God hears us.

That is also why, while John encourages us to ask [for] anything, he places one condition on our prayers: if we ask anything according to his will. That’s a struggle for us, isn’t it? That’s why many prefer to have a mystical relationship with God rather than one based on his Word – because I want God to do my will and not the other way around. But that’s not how it works. And it’s not as if God’s will is entirely a mystery, God has told us plenty about his will for us. Worship and serve me alone, use my Word and my name properly. Honor those in authority. Honor human life and respect other’s property. Do not slander and do not covet. God has even revealed his broad will for all mankind: he wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4) And if we really focused on praying for those things, we probably wouldn’t have time to worry about anything else.

But there are many things God hasn’t revealed to us. He doesn’t tell us which hymns to sing or which portion of the Bible the sermon should be based on. He doesn’t tell us which purchase to make, which job to take, and when to retire. He doesn’t tell us who we should marry or how many kids we ought to have or what our destiny in this life is. So what does it mean to pray according to God’s will when we know some things about it and don’t know others? It means to pray in line with what God has revealed in his Word. (So guess what, if you don’t know what God’s will is, what should you do? Yep, go back and study his Word) Therefore, we will never, ever pray for anything sinful. We will not ask him to bring evil on anyone or ask that he give us something we should not want to have. We will pray for the things he has promised to give, things like peace and joy, forgiveness and contentment. And for all the rest? We ask and then we leave it up to him. We pray as Jesus did, not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42)

And when we pray according to [God’s] will, we can know one more thing with certainty: if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him. That seems to contradict our own experience, doesn’t it? What about our prayers that seem to soar to heaven and fall back to the ground unanswered? What about my prayer for guidance in my personal life, my career, my retirement? What about my prayer for healing, my prayer for a job, my prayer for a God-fearing spouse, my prayers for a child? What about those prayers? How can John say that we have what we asked of him? Well, remember Christian prayer means asking God to give us what He thinks is best, not what we think we should have. Sometimes God’s answer will be yes. But it might be no. It could be not right now. Those are answers, aren’t they? Just because God doesn’t give you an immediate positive answer doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear and hasn’t answered. It simply means that God has different plans. We may not like it, but we do need to accept it and trust it because we know that God would never do anything to harm us. And, more than that, we know from the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) that it is God’s will that we continue to pray, that we make heaven ring with our prayers, that we try to wear him out. You can trust that he will hear them and answer them longer than you can pray them. Don’t give up. Persist in prayer and know for certain that if God hears us, then we have what we asked of him.

All due respect to Oprah, but following your heart is not usually the best advice when it comes to making decisions. More importantly, it’s spiritual malpractice to trust your heart when it comes to matters of faith and eternity. Fortunately, we don’t have to. Because God has given us certainty. He has given us his Son whose life, death, and resurrection mean that we can know for certain that we have eternal life, God hears our prayers and God answers our prayers. Biblical certainty trumps intuition every time. Amen.

[1] http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-on-Trusting-Her-Intuition-Oprahs-Advice-on-Trusting-Your-Gut

1 Samuel 12:20-24 - Consider What Great Things God Has Done For You - October 9, 2016

“We’re tired of this government. It’s not getting anything done, it’s getting in the way of our happiness, the economy is stalled and we don’t feel safe at home. Our friends in the world don’t trust us and our enemies don’t fear us. We need a change; out with the old and in with the new!” Even though this sounds like a rant you might hear if you tune in to certain TV and radio talk shows, it’s not. No, this was the complaint of the Israelites around 3000 years ago. The government they wanted to replace? God himself.

From the time he had brought his people out of slavery in Egypt, the Lord had been Israel’s king. He had led them, fought for them, guided, protected and fed them. But when the Israelites looked at their neighbors they saw flesh and blood rulers, kings who wore crowns and carried swords and led their nations into battle. That’s what the Israelites wanted. They weren’t content to have God lead them, they wanted a man. They rejected the King of kings in favor of a fallible, sinful, human king.

But it’s not like this was anything new. Countless times over the previous 400 years, the Israelites had turned away from God to follow their own path. Almost from the moment God gave his chosen people their own home in the Promised Land, Israel was stuck in a sad, cyclical rut: they would rebel and turn away from the Lord, he would allow one of the neighboring nations to oppress them, they would repent and cry out for help, and God would raise up a Judge, a Gideon or a Samson, to rescue them. Rebel, repent, rescue, repeat.

The last of the judges the Lord raised up to lead Israel was named Samuel. He had served the Lord faithfully his entire career, but the Israelites wanted more, they wanted a king. Samuel tried warning them. He tried to tell them that having a king would mean sending your sons off to die in war, sending your daughters to serve in the palace, and being burdened with the taxes necessary to run a government – but the Israelites insisted. The Lord gave in, gave them what they wanted and crowned Saul as Israel’s first king. Before Samuel stepped aside for good, he did something most people would consider unthinkable today: he reminded them of the past, of their sin and guilt, of their faithlessness and God’s faithfulness. He closed by reminding them that on top of all their other sins they had now added one more: rejecting the Lord as King by asking for a human king.

How would you feel if someone stood up in front of your friends and family, everyone you know, and confronted you with a list of all the worst sins you committed over the course of your entire life? Remember the way you treated your parents and those things you did in high school? How about those “mistakes” you made in college, the ones you try to forget? And what about those more recent “indiscretions” that, if they became public knowledge, would ruin your career, marriage and family? Can you imagine having someone go through your life with a fine tooth comb, pulling up and exposing all of your shameful sins and failures? Just the thought of it is horrifying. How would you respond?

Hopefully, like the Israelites did. They feared God’s well-deserved wrath. They confessed their sin. They begged for mercy. The Word of God before us is Samuel’s response to Israel’s repentance. Given how regularly Israel had rebelled against God, Samuel’s first words come as a surprise: Do not be afraid he told them. Samuel began with forgiveness. He assured them that although they had rejected God, God had not rejected them. He still loved them. He had chosen them as His people and he would not abandon them.

It’s 3000 years later in a different time and place, but isn’t that exactly what happened right here just a few minutes ago? We stood here and confessed that we have sinned against God and deserve nothing but his wrath and anger. We threw ourselves on his mercy and asked for his forgiveness. And the Lord, just as he did through Samuel all those years ago, assured us that He has forgiven every one of our sins. He does not count them against you. He has chosen you as his child and he will not abandon you. Everything that you’ve done in the past, even the things you would like to forget but can’t, God has forgotten them all, buried them at the foot of his Son’s cross. The past doesn’t concern God any longer. What God is concerned about is tomorrow.

Samuel continued: You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. Samuel reminded Israel of her true identity – she belonged to the LORD. This was a wonderful comfort but also a stern warning. Just because you have a king now doesn’t mean you don’t have to answer to THE King. And beware of where your chosen path leads: first you want a king like your neighbors, next you will be tempted to follow idols like your neighbors. Don’t forget what the Lord has done for you. He won’t reject you! Don’t reject him!

In the same way, we stand here as God’s chosen and forgiven people. There’s no question; whoever has been baptized and cleansed in Jesus’ blood are God’s children. The question is, how will we respond? Will we remember all the great things he has done for us and follow him faithfully? Will we serve him with all our heart? Or will we turn away after useless idols?

Now, we aren’t tempted to bow down to the same idols the Israelites were; idols named Baal and Asherah, idols made of wood and stone. But there are no shortage of things that demand our attention, our time, our devotion, our energy, our money, our hearts. What is it that demands devotion in your life? Is it work? Does your career demand sacrifices; sacrifices of time spent with your family or time spent in God’s Word? Maybe a certain lifestyle, behavior, or activity demands your full attention. Will you let those things, that lifestyle, that stuff become the goal, the idol to which you devote your time and energy? Today, Satan doesn’t need to tempt us to bow down to idols made of wood and stone if he can convince us to follow our own feelings and desires rather than God’s Word.  

They may look different, but these idols are really no different than those Samuel warned the Israelites about. They’re things that can divert our attention away from our God-given responsibilities in life, they are things that can draw our attention away from God and his Word. And, like those idols, in the end, they’re useless. (The Hebrew word for useless is the same one used in Genesis 1:2 the earth was formless and empty, or as one translator puts it: good for absolutely nothing whatsoever.) Sure, these idols promise to help us or entertain us or bring us pleasure. And sometimes, they do give us a moment of happiness. But none of those things will be there to help in a time of need. None of them can save you from your sins or take away your guilt. None of them can get you to heaven.

So why do we put our souls in danger by turning to these worthless idols instead of God? Our problem is the same as the Israelites: a short attention span. A poor memory. God had rescued his people from Egypt, guided them through the wilderness and given them a home in the Promised Land – but they had forgotten his goodness to them. It doesn’t take long to forget what God has done, just ask nine of the lepers. How quick are we to forget what God has done for us? Already today, he has forgiven us, promised us new life and salvation – does that make any impression on our hearts or have we already moved on to planning the menu for tonight’s Packer game? With tears and trembling we praised and thank God for making our children his children in Baptism – and yet too often we forget that Baptism is not the end but the beginning of a lifetime of learning at Jesus’ feet. How many sicknesses, disasters, and tragedies has God rescued us from, only to watch us go back to following our own way? It’s very easy to turn away from God when you forget or fail to appreciate what he’s done for you. Many have gone down that path. Will we follow them?

That answer would be scary if it weren’t for one important promise: For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people. Again, the proof is in the past. No matter how many times the people of Israel turned away from him, the Lord always remained faithful, ready to forgive them, save them, and take them back. The entire OT paints a portrait of God’s faithfulness to unfaithful people. Why was the Lord so patient? Why did he remain faithful to his unfaithful people? Because he had made a promise to them and to the world that he would not, could not break: he was going to send a Savior into the world and he was going to use the nation of Israel to do it.

And God kept his promise. The spiritual situation in Israel wasn’t much better during Jesus days than it was during the days of Samuel. Many Israelites had turned away from God and turned to their own idols. But that didn’t stop God from being faithful to his Word. He sent his Son to become one of us, to take on our human nature so that he could obey God’s Law in our place. Jesus broke the mold by remembering his Father and by obeying God with all his heart. He remained perfectly faithful in spite of countless temptations to go his own way. Even though he proved he was the promised Messiah through his authoritative preaching, signs and miracles, many if not most of the people rejected him. But even that didn’t stop Jesus from doing what he had come to do: to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). Consider what great things our faithful God has done for an unfaithful world!

And then consider your own life. You were born in sin and unbelief and deserved to be left there. But the Lord came to you through his gospel, through Baptism, to claim you as his child. When you wanted nothing to do with him, He claimed you to be his own. He credited Jesus’ faithfulness to your account. And in spite of all the times you have been unfaithful over the years, God has remained faithful, he has always been there to forgive you when you beg for mercy and repent. And who can begin count all the times and ways God has fed us, healed us, guarded and protected us from evils seen and unseen. Consider what great things your faithful God has done for you!

He’s better than any other king. He’s the kind of leader you want to serve with all your heart. And he promises to help you do just that. Listen again to Samuel’s parting promise to his people: As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. God still does the same for us today. On our own, we would forget the great things God has done. But God has given pastors and parents to remind us. He gives Christian friends and family to pray for us and encourage us. And best of all, he gives us his Holy Spirit, who does both – teaches us God’s will through the Word and intercedes for us with the Father. God never rejected Israel and he has promised that he will never reject us either.

So don’t reject him! Serve the Lord with all your heart. You can and you will when you remember what he has done for you. When you sin, don’t be afraid; repent and trust in Jesus’ forgiveness. When the idols of the world tempt you, don’t turn away; and be sure that God won’t turn away from you. Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Amen. 

Luke 7:1-10 - Lord, Increase Our Faith - October 2, 2016

How do you feel about sugar-coated realities, deceptive ad campaigns, and bait-and-switch marketing techniques? Do you appreciate them or hate them? When your doctor gives you the results of the test, would you rather have him sugarcoat the truth or tell it to you bluntly? When you sign up for phone, cable and internet, do you appreciate knowing ahead of time that the low price is only a one-year promotion or are you content to let that little fact hide in the small print? How about when it comes to the Christian church – and being a member of the church. How do you describe our church to non-members? Is it a family? Is it close-knit, loving, caring, and supportive? Do you invite people to come here because of how nice everyone is? We know enough not to claim that the people here are perfect, but would you call them good, kind, compassionate? Would you? Really? All the time? Could you make those claims with a clear conscience, or would you be guilty of sugar-coating reality? Whether we like to admit it or not, we know the truth. We know that the church, her pastor and members are far from perfect. We know that we have hurt others and others have hurt us. Does that mean that “the one, holy, Christian church” is just one big fabricated lie? No. But we do need to come to grips with the reality that the church on earth is made up of sinners who are bound to sin against each other. This morning, Jesus tells us the truth. He doesn’t sugar coat it, he tells it the way it is and what God expects of us. And when we realize what it is that God demands of his children, we will be led pray, Lord, increase our faith.

Jesus begins with a concise assessment of life in this world: Things that cause people to sin are bound to come. Don’t be deceived by the lie that when a person becomes a Christian he will stop sinning. Temptations are bound to come – and sometimes you and people you know will fall right into it. Our reality is very much like a Tom & Jerry cartoon: where the mouse, Jerry, is on one side of the room – his hole-in-a-wall home, is on the other side; and Tom, his arch-enemy has scattered mousetraps across every inch of floor in between. From where we stand, heaven seems to be far off – and Satan has littered the world with temptations designed to lure us away from God, trap us in sin, and strangle our faith. Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it, he doesn’t misrepresent what life in this world will be like for his disciples. It won’t be a cakewalk. Things that lead us to sin are bound to come.

But woe to that person through whom they come. ‘Woe’ as Jesus uses it is more than just a throwaway word. ‘Woe’ is a judgment, a verdict – God’s judgment and verdict – on anyone who leads another into sin – eternal ‘woe’ in hell is the sentence for that person. And in case ‘woe’ doesn’t clearly represent what Jesus means, he continues to make it crystal clear: it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Only the cruelest criminal minds have ever decided that cement shoes were an appropriate means of dealing with one’s enemies. But here Jesus says that something equivalent to cement shoes would be better than to cause one of these little ones to sin. When we hear little ones, we naturally think of children – and how true it is that children are like sponges, soaking up and imitating the words and actions of the adults around them – especially, it seems, our sinful words and actions. But here Jesus is referring to all of his little ones – each and every person who is God’s child through faith.  

Remember, Jesus is not speaking to the unbelieving world here – Satan already has them on the broad road that leads to hell. No, Jesus is speaking to believers like you and me: sin will come, but woe to us if we are the cause of it. How do we lead others into sin? It happens when we intentionally or unintentionally give the impression that sometimes it’s ok to disregard what God says; sometimes it’s ok to sin. When we come here and use our tongues to thank and praise God, only to use them later to slander and gossip about others, we can be tempting others to join in breaking the 8th commandment. When we pray for God’s help in overcoming temptation and then go and indulge the greedy and lustful desires of our flesh – we can lead others into believing that’s ok. When we nod our heads as God encourages and urges us to worship regularly – only to show that worship is more of an option in our own lives – what message are we sending? What impression are we giving if we loudly condemn homosexuality as a sin against the 6th commandment – but we ignore the equally damning sin of heterosexual family and friends living together outside of marriage?  Woe to me, woe to you. We would be better off dead at the bottom of the sea.

Temptation will come, so watch yourselves, Jesus says. Not only should we take care not to lead others into sin, but we are also responsible for dealing with sin when it happens. If we are going to walk the walk of Christianity, then this is our responsibility to each other: If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And this isn’t only when someone happens to sin against you personally. We are to rebuke fellow believers whenever they fall into sin – even if the world would say it’s none of our business. It’s tempting to think that only the elders and the pastor are responsible for pointing out and rebuking sin – but Jesus teaches here that every disciple is responsible for pointing out, rebuking, and forgiving sin. To refuse or fail to do so is a sin itself – a sin of omission. Why? Why is it my responsibility to warn others about sin? Well, why would you warn a child not to play in the street? Out of love and concern for them. That’s what God does for us in his Law and that’s what we owe each other. Paul writes let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8) Christian love recognizes that unrepented sin puts the souls of our family and friends in eternal danger. In love Christians gently but firmly rebuke sin.

Watch yourselves, Jesus says. Watch out for each other. Point out sin – and when the sinner repents forgive them. But that’s not always easy either, is it? It’s not easy to forgive a friend who betrays us or tells lies about us; it’s not easy to forgive someone who repeatedly and intentionally hurts us; there are few things harder than forgiving the spouse who has broken the bond of marriage. But we have received God’s free and full forgiveness – God has never refused to forgive us – who are we to refuse forgiveness to a brother or sister who repents? Even, Jesus says, if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. And it’s not that seven is somehow a magic number. God’s forgiveness is limitless, and we are to imitate that kind of forgiveness with each other.

So what do you think? Do we have what it takes to resist sin, rebuke it and forgive it? Can we live up to our Savior’s high calling? The apostles were a little tentative, they knew this was no easy thing Jesus was asking them to do, so they asked Him Lord, increase our faith. They understood the difficulty of what Jesus was asking them to do, they recognized that there is nothing harder for a group of natural born sinners than to avoid offending one another and to properly deal with sin when it comes.

But with this question, the disciples also demonstrated that they still didn’t really understand faith. They thought that only someone with a superhuman, miracle-working faith could do the things Jesus demanded. It’s also seems that they were using weak faith as an excuse to avoid the more difficult duties of discipleship. Have we ever done the same? I know that this isn’t right and goes against God’s will, but hey, no one’s perfect; It’s not my job to go and tell so-and-so that what they’re doing is sinful – leave that to someone else; I don’t have a strong enough faith to forgive those who have sinned against me. Yes, you do, Jesus says if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. By comparing faith to the smallest of seeds, Jesus is telling us that the power of faith doesn’t lie in how much you believe, it lies in what you believe. So, where do we find the strength to watch ourselves, to resist the temptation to sin and avoid leading others to sin? Not inside us, but in the Word. Paul wrote to Titus: the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passion, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:12-13) Where do we look for the courage to rebuke and forgive sin? It’s not found in courageous faith, but in the Lord’s unfailing promise: If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (John 20:23) Do we have what it takes to do our duty as Jesus’ disciples? Yes. Because faith doesn’t depend on us, it depends on God.

Finally, Jesus addresses the attitude with which we live and work in God’s kingdom. Because when we diligently and faithfully do our duty, it’s tempting pat ourselves on the back and believe that God is pretty lucky to have disciples like us. So Jesus tells a story to illustrate the proper attitude his disciples ought to have: suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat?’ Would he not rather say, ‘prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Whether you write the paychecks or receive them, you know that employers don’t generally thank their employees for doing their job. When we do what God demands, we don’t earn anything, we don’t deserve a pat on the back – because we are simply doing what God created us to do.

Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat what a life of discipleship will look like. He asks us to do some hard things: to watch ourselves, to rebuke and forgive sin. In humility we are to recognize that no matter how much we do for God and his church – it’s never more than the duty God has given us. Do we have what it takes? Honestly? No. And that’s why we look to Jesus. Because we will never be perfect servants, he was. Peter says this about him: he committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. (1 Peter 2:22-23) He was tempted in every way we are, but he didn’t sin. Even though it made people angry enough to kill him, he never failed to rebuke sin. And even as he was hanging on the cross, enduring the bitter insults of the people he came to save, he didn’t lash out, rather he prayed: Father, forgive them. (Luke 23:34) And, in his amazing grace, God has made a deal with us, a trade: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Trusting that when God looks at us, he doesn’t see our failures and sins, but Jesus’ perfectly dutiful life and sacrificial death – that’s what great faith is all about. We can confess without hesitation: we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty because we know that for Christ’s sake God will pick us up and say: well done, good and faithful servant…come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:21) Don’t be deceived, neither this church nor any church is perfect and discipleship will never be easy – but what a privilege it is to serve a master who loved us enough to give up his life for us! May God increase our faith in his Word and promises so that we live in his grace and according to his will. Amen

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 - True Contentment - September 25, 2016

Contentment – however you define it, that’s the shiny pot of gold at the end of the American dream, isn’t it? For 240 years immigrants from around the world have come to America in search of the freedom to pursue whatever life might make them happy and content. So universal is this desire for contentment that throughout the years many presidential candidates have formed campaigns around the concept. Way back in 1856, John Fremont’s slogan was “Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Free Men, Fremont.” Four years later, Abraham Lincoln told citizens to “Vote Yourself a Farm.” In 1900 William McKinley guaranteed “A full dinner pail,” and in 1928, Herbert Hoover promised “A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” [1] And this year we know what the candidates are promising.  Every four years the American people are promised jobs, full bellies and bank accounts – because it’s human nature to think that those things lead to happiness and contentment. Does it seem like our nation is content? Are you content?

Or, would a more accurate assessment of the state of the union be the one found in Ecclesiastes 1: Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 1:2) 240 years of candidates, campaigns, policies and promises have not delivered the happiness and contentment that people are longing for. The fault doesn’t lie as much with presidents and their failed promises as it is with a fundamental misunderstanding of what contentment is and how we can get it. Today, King Solomon teaches us how to find true contentment.

Already in Ecclesiastes, Solomon has pointed out the meaningless of pleasure, wisdom, toil and advancement. But in chapter 5 he turns his theme of meaninglessness to work and wealth. What? What about a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage? Doesn’t God say if a man will not work, he shall not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10)? Before we look at Solomon’s words, think about your own life. No doubt we want to believe that our lives are a positive influence on the world; but how much impact have your long hours at work really had? Or maybe you’ve made it, you’ve worked hard and have finally retired – are you content? Or, would you agree with Solomon that along with pleasure and wisdom, work and wealth all too often seem pointless, meaningless?

If you feel that way, you will take great comfort from these words, because near the end of his life even Solomon, the man who had experienced all the pleasure, wisdom, work and wealth this life can offer, came to the same realization. And to help us make sense of the meaninglessness of life under the sun, Solomon identifies four reasons why trying to find meaning, purpose and contentment in work and wealth is bound to fail. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. America’s first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller was once asked how much is enough? His response: just a little bit more. That attitude is more common than we care to admit, isn’t it? No matter how big our last raise was, we wish it were a little bit more. No matter how new our car is and how big our house is, someone else always has a newer, bigger model. Thinking that just a little bit more will lead to contentment is like chasing a mirage; we will never catch it. And so, says Solomon, it’s meaningless.

As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The second myth about wealth is that having more will solve my problems. Solomon pokes holes in this myth. First, he observes that the more you have, the more people want a piece of what you have. An example of this is almost any superstar athlete or actor. When they were putting in the endless hours of practice, the hard work necessary to achieve greatness, they were alone. But when the big paychecks start coming in, all of a sudden they have more “friends” than they know what to do with. The other problem, which is so obvious that we are often blind to it, is that the more you have the less you can actually use. When I was 9 or 10 years old, I thought that a box set of Topp’s baseball cards would make me happy. Guess how many times I’ve looked at those cards? Not once, those baseball cards are holding down a shelf somewhere. How much stuff do we have in our homes that does little more than gather dust? And here’s the humbling part: how much better off are we than the poor person who can only go to the store and look at all that stuff? Meaningless, it’s all meaningless.  

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. The third myth most people believe about money is that having more will bring peace. Solomon observed in his own time that the laborer who only has the basic necessities sleeps well no matter how much he has to eat. On the other hand, the rich man, the man who has time for leisure and all the best food, can’t sleep because he has eaten too much, has too much going on in his life and can’t unwind. Having more money doesn’t bring peace – it actually does the opposite, it brings more anxiety.

I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. Maybe the most popular and seemingly virtuous reason we place so much value and purpose on our work and wealth is because we want to secure the future for ourselves and our families. But Solomon pours cold water on that dream, doesn’t he? The situation he describes is anything but rare: a person works hard for decades in order to retire comfortably and be able to provide for his family’s future. But then calamity strikes: a catastrophic illness, a stock market crash, a failed pension fund or years spent in an expensive nursing home – and the nest egg is wiped out. Solomon closes with the cold, hard truth: as a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness with great frustration, affliction and anger. As the rich man in Jesus’ parable discovered, death renders a lifetime of working, saving and investing worthless. Money, no matter how much we have, can’t provide security and so, in the end, hoping to find peace and contentment in work and wealth is as futile as trying to catch and contain the wind.

By now you might be wishing you hadn’t come to church this morning. This doesn’t really make us feel good about going to work tomorrow morning, does it? But you can’t really argue with Solomon’s logic, can you? We know from experience that work and wealth don’t lead to contentment, they lead to sleepless nights, anxiety about the future, and uncertainty regarding our purpose in life – because the very things that seem so meaningful turn out to be meaningless. And it’s true. If our goal is to make money for the sake of getting rich, wealth is meaningless. If we work hard hoping that hard work will make us feel content, our work is meaningless. If the entire focus of life is providing certainty and security for our children, it’s all meaningless because we can’t guarantee either of those things. Naked you came from your mother’s womb and naked you will depart and everything in which you found meaning will turn out to be meaningless.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Did Solomon just contradict everything he said earlier? What has changed?

For the first time, God enters the picture. God changes everything. When God is in the equation then work and careers and money and saving for the future are not meaningless. They are gifts from a gracious Giver. They are the means God uses to sustain our short lives on this earth as we look forward to spending eternity with him – because in the end, he knows and he wants us to know that heaven is the only place where we will be truly, finally, perfectly content. We believe that, why does life still feel so meaningless? It began just after the Fall when God cursed the ground and told Adam that only through painful toil would he eat all the days of his life. (Genesis 3:17) Would you believe that God did that because he loves us? Would you believe that there is a greater purpose behind the meaninglessness of life? There is. God uses the pain, toil and endless meaninglessness of this world to remind us that we are not made for this world. Broken dreams and ruined plans serve God’s purpose by showing us that even now, God’s primary objective for us is not to get comfortable in this world but to live in and with him. And the only way for that to happen is through faith in Jesus.

To live with God through faith means to confess that in one sense, everything – our jobs and careers, our hard work and our savings, even our lives – are utterly meaningless, because none of them have met the standard of perfection God demands. Hoping to find value and meaning in our work and wealth is meaningless because even the best we have to offer is nothing more than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) in God’s sight. And so, for this life to mean anything, we must look away from our work and wealth to Christ, whose life was the only one that meant anything in God’s sight. His work was meaningful because it was perfect. His life had purpose because he lived to please God and his life was precious because he took it and sacrificed it for us on the cross. Even his death had meaning because it paid for every last one of our sins. And then, God raised Jesus from the dead to prove beyond all doubt that everything he did has meaning for us now and forever. Paul explains just what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection mean for us: he was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25) Jesus’ life and death overflow with meaning because they mean that this life – with its years of toil and unfulfilled dreams – is not all there is. His life fills your life with meaning because heavenly riches, true peace, security and contentment aren’t something we have to work for, they are God’s gift to us in Christ.  

And through faith in Jesus, even the most meaningless aspects of life have meaning. When the alarm rings tomorrow morning, remember these wise words of Solomon. You can find satisfaction in your work, because that is the work God has given you. And, if God has blessed you with a job you love or wealth and possessions and the time to enjoy them – give thanks, for that is a truly rare and wonderful blessing. But don’t waste time griping or grumbling that you don’t make enough or have enough – because God has promised to give you what you need. Don’t let life become all about working and accumulating stuff – because that’s as pointless as chasing after the wind. And don’t waste your time thinking about what might have been or dreaming about what could be – because the past is history and the future lies with God. Instead, occupy your thoughts with the rich blessings God has given and promised you in Jesus; enjoy today for today and let God worry about tomorrow. And instead of praying for more, pray for the rare ability to be content with what God has already given and promised you.

And when you live like that, with a light grasp on the things of this life but both arms wrapped around the heavenly treasure God gives through faith – that’s when life really has meaning. That kind of life is free from worry and anxiety because it knows that work and money are not the goal of this life, heaven is. That’s the secret to true contentment. Money can’t buy it. But when you seek first God and his kingdom and his righteousness, he promises – he promises – that all these things will be given you as well. (Matthew 6:33) Amen.  

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._presidential_campaign_slogans

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.