Category Archives: lutheran sermon

The ministry of making straight the Lord’s way

Posted on by


Right Click to Save

Sermon for Rorate Coeli – Advent 4

Philippians 4:4-7  +  John 1:19-28

It’s the Sunday before Christmas, the last Sunday in this penitential season of Advent. We’ve had to practice some discipline in holding off the Christmas decorating and celebrating, so that this season of Advent might fulfill its godly purpose of preparing us for Christ’s second coming. Today, the Apostle John fulfills that purpose in his Gospel by pointing us back to John the Baptist.

Who are you, John? Who are you?, the delegation from Jerusalem asked. We know part of the answer to that question from Luke’s Gospel, who tells us about how John came to be born of the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth in their old age.

But that’s not what the delegation from Jerusalem was asking. They may have known who John’s parents were and where he came from. They knew what he was preaching and what he was doing there in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. But they were wondering what John was claiming about himself, if he was claiming to be someone important—someone who might threaten their position and their power in Israel. They knew he had a large following of people going out to hear him on a regular basis, many of whom were also baptized by him. They knew that there were rumors flying among the people, “Could this be the Christ? — The Savior promised throughout the Old Testament?”

John made the good confession. He made it firmly and openly so that no one—including John’s own followers—should make any mistake about John: I am not the Christ. So that means, no one should be looking to me as the Savior. I am not the fulfillment of the Old Testament. I am not the Righteous One, the promised Seed of Abraham, the one who will judge the earth, the one who will rule at God’s right hand over all creation, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Christ is all those things, but that’s not who I am.

What then, John? You must still be claiming to be someone important. You wouldn’t take up this prophet’s mantle and be out here preaching in your own name. Are you Elijah? That seems like a strange question, asking John if he was the Old Testament prophet who lived hundreds of years earlier. But remember, Elijah never died; he was taken to heaven alive, in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. And the prophet Malachi had promised that Elijah would come before the Christ would come.

No, John answered, I’m not Elijah. And he wasn’t. Elijah remained in heaven. But John was “the Elijah” Malachi had prophesied, as Jesus confirmed and as the angel Gabriel pronounced to Zacharias, the prophet who was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Are you the Prophet?, they asked him. No. The Jews at that time were misreading a verse from the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses prophesied that God would send a prophet like him, from among their brethren. They thought this prophet was coming, in addition to the Christ. What they failed to understand was that “the Prophet” about whom Moses prophesied was the Christ, to be raised up from among their own brethren in Israel—a man, who, like Moses, would be sent from God to redeem them from slavery, to lead them and to reveal God’s will to them, and to whose word they must listen. John was certainly a prophet, and, as Jesus called him, more than a prophet. But he wasn’t THE Prophet. That was Jesus.

Who are you, then, John? We need an answer. What gives you the right to preach? What gives you the right to tell people they are sinning against God, to call them to repent, to announce the forgiveness of sins? To speak in God’s name at all? They had a point. You don’t just get to get up one day and decide to go out and tell people stuff in the name of the Lord. You don’t get to go out and act like a prophet and a herald of God to your countrymen, unless it’s your God-given vocation to do so.

But it actually was John’s God-given vocation to do so. Like few other men in history, John was directly called by God, as the angel Gabriel announced. He wasn’t preaching from his own desires or with his own thoughts or on his own authority, nor was he trying to get people to focus on him or to praise him or to cling to him. He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” The Jews were expecting the Christ to come, and Elijah, and the Prophet. But they didn’t seem to care about this voice of one crying in the wilderness, about whom Isaiah had prophesied. Even after John reminds them of this passage from Isaiah, they don’t care. Why?

Because the coming of those other men they thought of as glorious and spectacular. They were expecting God to come to Israel and tell them what a great job they were doing, compared to all those terrible foreigners and Gentiles, who were pagans and idolaters. They were expecting God to come and wipe out the Romans and make the nation of Israel the ruler over all the other nations. But this voice of whom Isaiah wrote—his message is not so sweet, and certainly not glorious or spectacular. Make straight the way. But that means, the way is not straight leading up to the Lord’s coming.

And of course, it wasn’t. The hearts of the Jews were, for the most part, stuck on external things, earthly things. They didn’t even notice how they were mistreating one another, becoming more and more self-centered and selfish, more and more concerned about their government, their possessions, their food and clothing, their tithing and their religious rituals that had lost their meaning. God’s commandments were being reinterpreted to allow them to get away with anything they wanted. And the people of Israel had become either haughty and merciless toward their neighbor on the one hand, or secure, open sinners on the other. In that condition, they would never be ready for the Advent of Christ. (And their condition then sounds all-too-familiar to us now, doesn’t it?)

So John preached. He preached against all of it: open sins and secret sins, arrogance and works-righteousness. The idolatry of possessions, the idolatry of their own bodies and pleasures, the idolatry of government, the idolatry of manmade “truth,” the idolatry of self. Make straight the way of the Lord! Hear His Word! Repent before it’s too late! The Lord is coming! Let Him find you humbled! Let Him find you penitent! Let Him find you troubled and sorrowing over your sins! Let Him find you acknowledging your guilt and seeking His mercy when He comes!

But the Pharisees and the priests didn’t want to humble themselves, and they didn’t want to be lectured by a nobody out in the desert. What they wanted was for John to admit that he was nobody, that he had no right, no authority to preach repentance to Israel. Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? John’s answer was perfect: “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” In other words, in the grand scheme of things, I am nobody. I’m not the one you should be worried about. The Christ is coming. In fact, He’s here already and you don’t Him. He is the One to whom you will answer. He is the One who has come to save you sinners from your sins. But take warning. If you refuse to repent and believe in Him, He will not be your Savior. He will be your Judge.

That’s how John made straight the way for the Lord’s first Advent. Is the way straight for His second Advent? John’s preaching, which is still echoed now by Christian preachers, will see to it that it is, because this is the Holy Spirit’s ministry. The Holy Spirit, through the ministry of the Word, is making the way straight for Christ’s coming every time repentance is preached, every time the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in Christ’s name, every time a sinner is baptized into Christ, every time the Lord’s body and blood are offered to penitent sinners. The world, as a whole, will not be straight, will not be ready, will not be right. But to all who heed God’s call to repent and believe in Christ, the way is straight, and you can expect His coming with joy, as Paul wrote in the Epistle: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

And if, in this way, you’re prepared for His second Advent, then you’re also properly prepared to celebrate His first Advent at Christmas. Amen.

 

Source: Sermons

Some things made right immediately, all things eventually

Posted on by



Right Click to Save

Sermon for Gaudete – Advent 3

1 Corinthians 4:1-5  +  Matthew 11:2-10

People expect a lot from Christmas. And I don’t just mean a lot of presents. They expect treats and goodies, lights and decorations and festivities. They expect certain songs to be played and sung. They expect vacations and family reunions and time with friends, and they expect—or at least, really wish—for those reunions to be happy and fun. (Some people expect snow for Christmas, although, for us, it would be more of a surprise than an expectation.) But it’s more than those external things, isn’t it? It’s a feeling they’re after, maybe the return of a feeling they vaguely remember from times past. The feeling that everything is OK. A feeling of peace. A sense of belonging. The return of joy. No wonder the build-up to it lasts for weeks, or months! No wonder Christmas time can be the most depressing time of year for many people! Because the expectations are so high—too high for any holiday to fulfill. As long as you live in this world, you can’t escape the reality of sin—the sins of others, and your own sins, too. You can’t escape the reality of suffering and death.

But that doesn’t mean there can’t be joy. For the Christian, sin and suffering and death are conquered things—things that have been conquered for us by Christ. And we don’t need for everything to be made right right now. It’s enough that some things—the most important things—are made right immediately, knowing that everything with be made right eventually. That’s the true secret to joy.

But we all need to be reminded of that on a regular basis. Even John the Baptist, the great prophet and forerunner of Christ, needed some reassurance. Why?

We hear in the Gospel that John was in prison. You may remember why. He had spent the last year or two of his life preaching repentance and a baptism for the remission of sins—a necessary preparation before Christ began His public ministry. He had faithfully proclaimed the word of the Lord to Israel. He had preached that the coming One—the Christ—would baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. And then, when Jesus appeared on the scene, John began pointing everyone to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

In the course of preaching against Israel’s sin and impenitence, John struck a nerve with King Herod, accusing the king of adultery because he had married his brother’s wife. So Herod arrested John and put him in prison—an imprisonment that would soon end in John’s beheading.

As John sat in Herod’s prison, waiting to die, he began to have some questions. If Jesus was the Christ, as John had announced, where was the baptism of fire? Where was the winnowing fan and the cleaning of the threshing floor? Why was the wheat not being gathered into His barn? Why was the chaff not being burned up with unquenchable fire? In other words, the Christ is supposed to make everything better, make everything right. But everything isn’t better. I wasn’t wrong about Jesus, was I?

So John did the wise thing, the faithful thing. He sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him the question. He trusted, but he didn’t understand. So he asked: Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another? Is there another Christ coming to make things right, to put an end to the wicked and impenitent and to rescue the believers out of this sin-filled world?

Now, Jesus could have simply answered, Yes, I am the Christ. Expect no one else. But instead of claiming it, He demonstrated it. At that very moment when John’s disciples came to Jesus, Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Then Jesus told them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

First of all, Jesus is making some things right right now. He was performing miraculous healings that no one else could do or had ever done, doing the very things that the Old Testament promised that the Christ would do. As Isaiah wrote, Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God;   He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. Jesus pointed John to the Scriptures, which pointed to Him as the Christ because of His deeds.

But then there was that other part of what Jesus was doing: the poor have the gospel preached to them. Understand what that means. The Gospel—the good news—that Jesus was preaching to the poor had nothing to do with taking them out of financial poverty. These were the “poor in spirit,” as Jesus called them in the Sermon on the Mount, those who recognized the poverty of their sinfulness, who humbled themselves before God, because they knew they deserved nothing from God but wrath and punishment. To them, and only to them, Jesus preached Good News: the forgiveness of sins through faith in Him. That to all who look to Jesus for salvation, salvation is given fully and freely—eternal life that begins right now, reconciliation with God the Father that begins right here, right now, as sinners are brought to God the Son by God the Holy Spirit. All things necessary for our salvation are done by Christ. All the riches of heaven are donated to the poor who trust in Jesus. Those are the things—the most important things—that Christ was preaching, and that Christ was actually doing.

As for the rest—the end of suffering, the end of death, the punishment of the wicked and the final redemption of the righteous—well, John would just have to trust that Jesus the Christ will take care of those things, too, in His good time. None of the Old Testament prophets, including John, could fully appreciate God’s New Testament plan. His plan wasn’t for Jesus to come only once, to pay for sin and to judge the world and do away with the wicked all at one time. His plan was always for the Christ to come twice, the first time to pay for sins with His death and usher in the age of the preaching of the Gospel to all creation, building His Church throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel; and the second time, at the end of the age, to take care of the rest. John had waited his whole life for Jesus to appear, and he got to see Jesus, but he would never get to see the rest of the story unfold.

But you might. You’ve already seen the vast majority of the story unfold: the death and resurrection of Christ, the preaching of the Gospel, the building of the Church throughout the world over these last 2,000 years. You’ve seen far more than John was ever given to see. And you may well live to see the second Advent of Christ at the end of this age. Or He may delay a little while longer. In either case, as Jesus said to John, blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

You won’t understand all the plans that God has for this world, or for your life. You won’t know the day of His coming before He comes. And you won’t escape the reality of this world’s sin, suffering and death, until you actually escape from this world. Don’t stumble because of that. Don’t be offended because of Jesus—because the cross you bear as His disciple is heavy, because He isn’t making everything right right now. He never promised to do that. But He has made some things better right now. He has given Himself as the atoning sacrifice for your sins. He has given you the ministry of the Word, where God Himself speaks to you through men whom He has made, as Paul wrote in the Epistle, “stewards of the mysteries of God.” He gives you His body and blood now. He hears your prayers. He has promised to hold you up, as His dear child, even in your darkest hour. And He has given you the promise of everything being made right at His Advent. You already have that promise, even though you don’t yet have the fulfillment. Let that be your source of joy, at Christmas and always. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Source: Sermons

Signs that the Day is near

Posted on by

Sermon for Populus Sion – Advent 2

Romans 15:4-13  +  Luke 21:25-36

Where is planet earth headed? What’s coming for our human race? There seems to be a growing uneasiness in men’s hearts about the future of our world. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking—an atheist—recently gave our planet an expiration date, more or less. Within a thousand years, he says, the earth will be uninhabitable for humans. So we’d better get to Mars and figure out how to colonize inhospitable planets! We’d better find another home, somewhere in the galaxy, because this one’s days are numbered!

A lot of people know, or sense, that something dreadful is coming. Apocalyptic visions of catastrophe and destruction, either for our race, or for our planet, or both, are commonplace. Whether it’s due to climate change, or war, an unfortunately aimed asteroid, the loss of the ozone layer, solar radiation, the degradation of earth’s magnetic field, super volcanoes, or alien invasion, the people of earth seem to suspect that something dreadful is coming on the earth.

Of course, we Christians know their suspicions are warranted. Something dreadful is coming—the Day of the Lord, when He comes for judgment, to wipe out, not just the earth, but the heavens, too. And leading up to that dreadful Day, there will be any number of signs, which the Lord Christ told us about nearly 2,000 years ago.

What should we be watching for, leading up to that dreadful Day? What are these signs? Luke’s Gospel mentions several of them, and Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 24, mentions others. Combined, there are nine signs that should keep us awake, focused and ready for the Day of the Lord—nine signs that sound the alarm: The end of the age is coming!

#1: There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars. What does that mean? Asteroids? Sun spots? Solar and lunar eclipses? Supernovae—stars exploding? Maybe. If so, we’ve been seeing these signs for a long time. But Matthew’s Gospel puts these signs in the heavens at the end, after the other things have taken place, just as the Last Day arrives. He writes: Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. So I’m of the opinion that the heavenly signs Jesus refers to won’t happen until the very end.

#2: There will be distress of nations, with perplexity. Anguish and anxiety, stress and unrest. Not for everyone, not all the time. But enough that it’s noticeable. Have you noticed a growing amount of anguish and anxiety in the world, stress and unrest? It’s not hard to find.

#3: The sea and the waves roaring. To those signs in nature, Matthew adds earthquakes, famines and pestilences. Heard of any of those things recently?

#4: In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Tell me a time when that hasn’t been around! When I was growing up, several conflicts and two World Wars had already come and gone just in the 20th Century, and it was the Cold War and the constant rumor of WWIII and nuclear holocaust. Today it’s cyberwarfare, the Middle East, monetary crises, and growing tensions among the super powers.

#5 Men’s hearts fainting from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. Do you see that happening? The suicide rate just keeps rising. The global panic over global warming—or is it global cooling? or is it climate change? Over the past 40 years the terms have changed, and the end of life on earth has been predicted multiple times. It’s a wonder we’re still here! To be frank, many climate change alarmists are just hypocrites pushing an insidious agenda to cripple capitalism and to promote socialism and fascism. But many are truly alarmed. Their hearts are fainting from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. They just don’t believe what Jesus says about what’s really coming on the earth.

#6: Matthew writes that Christians will be hated, persecuted, and put to death. We saw such rabid hatred of Christians in the first few centuries after Christ. We saw it again, to a degree, at the time of the Reformation. But I would suggest that never before in the Christian era has Christianity been as widely and as openly hated as it is today. And you can think of all sorts of examples, big and small, from creation-believing students being ridiculed by their teachers, to bakers and photographers being fined, to synodical suspensions of pastors, to Christians in other parts of the world having their heads removed and their bodies burned. See the signs for what they are.

#7: Matthew mentions the great dissemination of false doctrine and false prophets, many Christians falling away from the faith and many being deceived. There have always been plenty of false teachings and idols in the world. But this false doctrine is a sign within the external Christian Church. It’s true, some churches split over non-doctrinal reasons. But the vast majority of Christian confessions or denominations around the world exist because of differences in doctrine. And any doctrine that is different than that which was passed down to us from the Prophets and Apostles, working under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is false and even demonic. The very existence of so many different churches is a sign that Christ is coming soon.

#8: Jesus says that lawlessness will abound, and because of it, the love of most will grow cold. We see such things happening. We see the lawless side, for example, when people target and kill police officers and loot and burn down businesses. We also see love growing cold as people react to such lawlessness with hatred and rage of their own.

And finally, #9, the one sign of Christ’s coming that’s pure and pleasant and sweet: Jesus says, This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Well, look at that! The Gospel of Christ is still being preached. It has reached into all the world, and it will continue to be preached until the end of the world, no matter how much the devil and the world try to snuff it out.

All the signs are there: this world is coming to a close. The leaves on the fig tree have sprouted. Summer is almost here. None of the signs that we see taking place should give us reason either to fear, or to complain, or to indulge in self-pity—or worse, in revenge. None of it. None of the signs that we see taking place around us should cause us to panic or to try to reverse the course of the world or to save the planet. The planet is unsalvageable. Our race is unsalvageable, un-savable—

Except for the one and only salvation that God Himself has provided: that all men should repent, believe in Christ crucified, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, now, before it’s too late, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. And for those who have been baptized, God continues to provide for our salvation with daily forgiveness of sins in His Church, with the preaching and teaching of His Word, with the Holy Supper that gives us the body and blood of Jesus to keep renewing us in faith, in hope, and in love all the way up to the day of His coming.

But what can happen? Men can reject the Word of Christ, even those who were once counted among His people. We have a vivid reminder of that held before our eyes: Jesus says, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.

To what generation was He referring? Clearly many generations of men have come and gone since then without the end having come. For the most part, the phrase “this generation” in the Gospels refers to the unbelieving Jews, the physical descendants of Israel who were once the Church of God, but then stopped being the Church of God when they refused to believe that Jesus was God’s Son and their promised Messiah, when they refused to repent and look to Him for salvation. Many of them have been converted to Christianity, but many more remain unconverted and hardened in their unbelief, and you can expect them to remain in that state until the end of the world, as a tragic warning for Christians of what happens when you’re not ready for Christ’s coming.

Heaven and earth will pass away, Jesus says. Sorry, Stephen Hawking, Mars and the rest of the galaxy will offer no shelter from that day. It’s not only the earth that will be destroyed. Heaven and earth will pass away. But My words will by no means pass away. Isn’t that the reason to keep hearing and learning the Word of Christ? His words will outlast even the earth itself. His promises will never fall. His truth will never change or become obsolete.

In that Word, Jesus pleads urgently with His dear people, But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Carousing can include partying, becoming obsessed with sports, entertainment, obsessed with food, obsessed with clothing and style. Drunkenness includes overindulgence in drink, in drugs, in sex. Cares of this life includes just about everything else: technology, education, career, retirement, buying Christmas presents, etc. It’s easy to become weighed down with all these things and to put the Last Day on the back burner of your heart.

So watch and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. How do you escape all these things? By being preserved in faith and in watchfulness until the end, whether that end means our death before the Last Day, or our being preserved in faith if we’re still alive on earth when the Last Day finally comes. How do you stand before the Son of Man? By faith in Him who died for us and rose again. That’s all. Faith in Him now will make us worthy to stand before Him then. And for those who believe in Christ Jesus, there is nothing to fear or dread on the Day of His coming. Instead, Jesus says, When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Christ, our Redeemer, has already paid for our sins and reconciled us with God through faith and made us children of God through Holy Baptism. Only the final redemption awaits, when this planet is destroyed and the rest of the human race is cast out into eternal torment. For those who are found believing in Christ at His coming, there will be no punishment and no condemnation. Only the redemption of our bodies, the destruction of sin and death, and the beginning of a new and glorious life in the New Jerusalem, the home of righteousness. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Source: Sermons

Nearer now than when you first believed

Posted on by



Right Click to Save

Sermon for Ad Te Levavi – Advent 1

Romans 13:11-14  +  Matthew 21:1-9

The new Church Year begins today—and it does not begin with Christmas. The world, for its own reasons, is anxious to celebrate Christmas—or rather, its idea of Christmas, which has nothing to do with the virgin-birth of God’s own Son in human flesh, who was born to die for our sins and to make peace with God through His blood, shed on the cross. Many Christians, too, are anxious to celebrate Christmas, but many love Christmas more for secular reasons than for the Mass it’s intended to be—the gathering of the Church around the Word and Sacrament of the Word Made Flesh. I fear that many Christians will end up skipping the Mass part of Christmas entirely, even though Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. (Don’t you be among them!)

No, the Church Year begins, not with Christmas, but with Advent, an earnest season of penitence and preparation. But even so, it’s not a preparation for Christmas. It’s a preparation for the Advent—for the arrival—of King Jesus on the Last Day. It’s funny, we just went to see the movie entitled Arrival, about the arrival of…aliens. There are many such movies, of course, because human beings seem to be anticipating the arrival of someone from the heavens. They foolishly think it will be aliens from another planet who come to visit, willfully ignoring the words of Jesus that He is the One who will arrive, to bring salvation to His waiting people and destruction to His enemies.

It’s true, the King has delayed His second Advent for a long time—as He said He would. And as the years go by, people doubt His coming more and more. “Where is the promise of His coming?” So it’s all the more important that we awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

The Gospel points us to Jesus’ first coming into Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago at the beginning of Holy Week. Zechariah’s prophecy foretold it: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Hail the King, about to die as a ransom for all our sins. Hail the King, who comes lowly, to save.

That salvation has three parts to it. The first part was accomplished by the end of that Holy Week. The King saw our race corrupt with sin, oppressed by the devil, weary, confused, lonely, guilty, sick, and dying. So the King gave His life for the world. He suffered for our sins. He allowed the full weight of mankind’s disobedience to be heaped onto Himself and punished, so that we wouldn’t have to be punished.

He was humble and lowly when He first arrived in Mary’s womb, and He remained humble and lowly all the way up to the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He allowed Himself to be tempted by the devil, mistreated, mocked, rejected, or sometimes just ignored by men. But even in His lowliness, even in His humility, He was recognized by some as the King He was, as the Christ, the Son of the living God. By them He was thanked, He was praised, He was hailed with songs of Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!

The second part of the salvation that the King came to bring is the part that has been going on ever since His resurrection and His ascension into heaven: to call men out of darkness into His marvelous light; to send forth His Spirit, who comes still today to teach the world who God is, what God has done for us, and what great things God has promised to those who believe in Jesus. He comes to convict mankind of sin, to bring sinners to repentance, to lead the penitent to look to Christ, the King, for mercy and help.

But all of that is still done in lowliness, in humility. Christ still rides into His Zion, His Jerusalem, His Church, on a “lowly donkey,” that is, through the humble means of grace, through the preaching of men, through water and bread and wine. But preaching can be ignored and disbelieved, and Baptism and Holy Communion can be twisted and emptied of their saving power. The King still allows Himself to be mistreated, mocked, rejected, and ignored in His members. But at the same time, just like it was 2,000 years ago, the King is recognized by some in His lowly Word. He is still praised and thanked by His people as He comes. We still rejoice at His coming, even though our joy is subdued by the realities of living in a sinful world. We still sing with thankful hearts, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!, even though our thanksgiving is still hindered by our thankless flesh.

But the third and final part of the King’s salvation is coming soon. That second Advent is almost here. There will come a day when the King no longer comes lowly or humble. He will come in glory. He’ll come to Zion riding on a cloud. He’ll exalt His Church, even as He Himself has already been exalted, and there will be no more oppression, weakness, weariness, loneliness, guilt, or sickness, or dying. There will come a day when His believers will welcome Him into His Church with shouts of thanksgiving, unhindered by any grief or sorrow, pain or sin. The King’s first Advent on Palm Sunday is a foreshadowing of that great second Advent on the Last Day.

That’s the day Christians live for, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that. You don’t live for Thanksgiving Day, or for Christmas Day, not for a shopping day, or a birthday, or a wedding day, or for spending good days here on earth with family or friends. No, the image that the Scriptures constantly hold before the Christian’s eyes is of the crucified, risen and ascended King coming to Zion in righteousness, with rewards of grace for His people and with vengeance for His enemies.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Those words of the Apostle Paul are just as urgent today as they were when the he wrote them to the Roman Christians. There is an imminent arrival—an Advent of the King—for which we must be prepared, with repentant hearts, with prayer, with zeal to hear and to know and to learn the Word of God, and with lives of obedience to all of God’s commandments. Now, in this new Church Year, is the time to prepare. Now is the time to wake up. Now is the time to love one another. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Amen.

 

 

Source: Sermons

Thanksgiving flows from sins forgiven

Posted on by

Sermon for the Eve of Thanksgiving

Colossians 2:6-15  +  Luke 7:36-50

Just like every other time we gather together here around Word and Sacrament, we’re here for Thanksgiving. Now, there are many ways to give thanks to God. You can say a prayer of thanks by yourself, of course. You can say a prayer or sing a song of praise with your family or here in your church, or you can confess the one true God, as you just did in the Nicene Creed. You can make a list of all the things you’re thankful for, all the things you recognize, with gratitude, as coming from your Father’s bountiful goodness: food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, and on and on and on.

Deeds of love for your neighbor can be an act of thanksgiving to God. True obedience to God’s commandments is always an act of thankfulness. Your whole life, in fact, can be one great giving of thanks, in all you do, in all you say, in every godly vocation that you hold.

But the starting point of all true thankfulness is love for God. It all begins with love. And love begins with faith. And faith rests upon God’s promise to forgive sins for the sake of Christ. Thanksgiving flows, ultimately, from sins forgiven, which is why only Christians can truly celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

That’s what the apostle Paul emphasized in the Epistle from Colossians: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Even more directly, that’s what Jesus teaches in this evening’s Gospel. An unnamed sinful woman—that is, a woman well-known for her sins, probably a prostitute—heard that Jesus was dining at a Pharisee’s house, so she went to see Him. The Western Church has traditionally identified her with Mary Magdalene, who has also been identified in Western tradition with Mary, the sister of Martha and of Lazarus. Whether or not they’re all the same woman, the lesson remains the same.

She spoke not a word of thanks to Jesus in our Gospel—no prayers, no praises. In fact, she said nothing at all. Instead, she brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

The woman said nothing. But her every action, her every tear, was a thanksgiving—a thanksgiving that flowed from love that flowed from faith that rested upon the forgiveness of sins—the Gospel that she had already heard and believed.

The Pharisee who invited Jesus—Simon was his name—didn’t appreciate her act of thanksgiving. Nor did he think very highly of Jesus for letting her do this to Him. He thought to himself, This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.

Now those are the thoughts of a truly thankless man, and Jesus tells him a little story to illustrate his thanklessness. Two debtors owed money to the same man. One owed 500 denarii, the other owed just 50. The creditor forgave both debts. Which of them will love him more? I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And He said to him, You have judged rightly.

Then Jesus explains the story to Simon. You see this woman? I came to your house and you did nothing for Me. You didn’t even offer me the common hospitality of a foot-washing or a bit of cheap oil for my head, much less greet me with the customary kiss of friendship. But this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and kissed them and anointed them with costly perfume. And she did it, not to make up for her sin and not to purchase My favor, but she did it out of her great love for Me, because she knows her sins are great, but she also believes that I am great, and that I have come to forgive sinners their great and terrible debts of sin. She loved much because she has been forgiven much. Your sins are forgiven, Jesus told the woman. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

But you, Simon, you should take her actions as a grave warning. Because your lack of love for Me, your lack of thanksgiving to Me, is a sure and certain sign of a deadly disease: To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

It’s not that Simon actually had little that needed forgiving. It’s not that you or I or anyone actually has little that needs forgiving, compared to all those “really wicked” people out there. The difference between Simon and the sinful woman wasn’t in how much forgiveness each one needed from Jesus. It was in how much forgiveness each one sought from Jesus, how much forgiveness each one admitted that he or she needed from Jesus. That’s why the woman was so grateful and Simon so ungrateful. She was penitent; he was impenitent. She was honest about herself; he was delusional about himself. She was astounded by the grace and mercy of Jesus, while Simon was bored with it.

So it is that thanksgiving can only flow from love, and love can only flow from faith, and faith is only true faith when it rests upon God’s promise to forgive sins for the sake of Christ alone. This is where thanksgiving begins and ends.

And so tonight, we go back to this source of thanksgiving, this Christian faith, this recognition of how badly we need the blood of Jesus to pay our debts, and how great Jesus truly is for willingly shedding His blood, just so that He could say to each of us on the day of our Baptism, Now your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Baptism has saved you. I have saved you. Go in peace.

That brings us here to the Lord’s Supper itself, the “Eucharist,” the great Thanksgiving in which we poor sinners, penitent, baptized and forgiven, come to offer this “sacrifice” to Jesus. Not a sacrifice to pay for sins anymore, but a sacrifice of thanksgiving—our grateful acknowledgement that Jesus is the friend of sinners and has given His body and blood for us, and now to us, as a seal of the forgiveness He won for us by His death on the cross. The Eucharist is our as-often-as-you-drink-it opportunity to come into the presence of Jesus, to express our love for Jesus, even as the sinful woman did in the Gospel, and at the same time it’s our opportunity to receive from Jesus much more love than we ourselves can give, just as the sinful woman herself received absolution from Jesus again that day.

From here, let your love for Christ be nourished and grow into an every-day, every-hour, every-minute kind of thanksgiving. After all, it is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to our merciful God, with words of praise, with prayers of thanksgiving for all that He has given, with lives of obedience to His commandments, with lives of service to your neighbor.

There are many reasons to give thanks to God, but they all begin with the forgiveness of sins. There are many ways to give thanks to God, but they all begin with love—love for the God who made us alive together with Christ, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. Any Thanksgiving that does not begin and end with that is empty and useless. But, as we’ve seen in the Gospel, every Thanksgiving that flows from love that flows from faith that rests upon the forgiveness of sins is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of Christ. A blessed Thanksgiving to you. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Source: Sermons

State of Readiness: Alert

Posted on by


Right Click to Save

Sermon for the Last Sunday after Trinity

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  +  Matthew 25:1-13

Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s year. We’ve followed and studied the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ for another year. We’ve heard His continual call in the preaching of the Gospel to repent of our sins and to believe in Him, the crucified and risen One, for the forgiveness of sins. We’ve received that forgiveness in Holy Baptism, in the Absolution, and in the Sacrament of the Altar, where He’s given us the communion of His very body and blood. We’ve taken counsel from His warnings, we’ve taken comfort in His promises, and we’ve taken guidance from His Holy Spirit, who has renewed and strengthened us in faith, in hope, and in love. And starting next Sunday, we’ll do it all over again. And we’ll keep repeating this blessed cycle until Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, finally comes to take His Bride, the Church, into the new heavens and the new earth.

On this last Sunday of the church year, Jesus pleads with His dear Christians once more: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Watch. Keep watching. Be alert at all times. The day is coming like a thief in the night.

Those who have had any firearms training are probably familiar with something called the levels of awareness or states of readiness. There are four such levels: unaware, aware, alert, and alarmed. I’ll spare you the firearms applications and apply it directly to the state of readiness for Christ’s coming.

Some—those who don’t believe in Christ or care about His Word—are living in a perpetual “unaware” condition. They’re oblivious to the truth about who God is, who Jesus is, and what He has done for us. They don’t believe He is coming for judgment at all, and so they go on living in their arrogance, idolatry, and unbelief. They are “in darkness,” as Paul wrote in today’s Epistle, and the day of the Lord will come upon them for their eternal destruction.

Many Christians also fit into that category of unaware. They are the Christians in name only, who know nothing and who care to know nothing of the doctrine of Christ. They have an idea of who Jesus is that they’ve made up in their own heads, and they’re content to know their made-up version of Jesus and consider themselves Christians, but they have no awareness of their great need for the forgiveness of sins, nor faith in the blood of Christ to cleanse them of it. They think of Christianity as one valid religion among many. They would hate the real Jesus, if they knew Him. Such people are unaware that Christ is coming like a thief and unaware of what is necessary to be prepared for that day.

But we are not like those who don’t know the thief is coming, are we? We are sons of light, and sons of the day. We do know, for sure, that the day is coming, even though we don’t know exactly when. We know who Jesus is. We are aware of His coming.

How foolish we would be, then, not to keep watch, not to also be alert, focused, prepared to meet the Bridegroom when He comes.

Like five of the ten virgins in Jesus’ parable were unprepared, not watching, not alert. The ten young ladies all knew that the Bridegroom was coming. They were aware. They were eager to go out and meet Him. But they did not all keep watch. They did not all prepare for His coming. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Half of them were not ready when He came, and were locked out of the wedding feast forever—half of those who started off well, eager to meet the Bridegroom.

Stop and take note of that. As Jesus describes the times leading up to His coming at the end of the age, He doesn’t depict for us a Christian Church that is mostly prepared, in a state of readiness, where practically all Christians are going to go out to meet the Bridegroom with joy upon His arrival, with just a few stragglers who are oblivious and unprepared. No, what picture does He paint? He shows us a Christian Church in which a full half of the Christians are caught unalert and unprepared at His Advent. This is nothing for us to pass over lightly and pretend that we can just go on with our earthly lives and stop caring about it, stop thinking about it, stop preparing for. That would be foolish, not wise.

Now, what did the five wise virgins do? What made them wise? The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. They were aware that the Bridegroom was coming. They were aware of their need to have burning lamps in order to meet Him and accompany Him upon His arrival. They were aware that they might be waiting awhile, and they were aware that the oil that was in their lamps would eventually be consumed by the flame. That’s how fire works. It consumes fuel. We’re all aware of that, aren’t we? Putting all those things together, they became alert—alert to the necessity of bringing more fuel along with them, enough to keep their lamps burning, enough to get through the night. And it did get them through the night, so that, when the midnight call rang out, they were ready to go straight out to meet the bridal procession.

The foolish virgins, on the other hand, took no extra oil along with them. It doesn’t say that they forgot to take extra oil, or that they had no opportunity to acquire extra oil. No, they chose not to take it. They neglected to take it, even though they knew their lamps couldn’t possibly stay lit all night long. See, they were counting on the Bridegroom arriving early. They assumed they would have plenty of oil to last. But He didn’t. And they didn’t. And their lamps went out. And they went straight from being vaguely aware that He was coming, past alert, to alarmed at His arrival.

As well they should be. Because, while the five wise virgins accompanied the Bridegroom into the wedding hall, the five foolish virgins scrambled to find a seller of oil at that late hour. They were too late, weren’t they? They finally showed up at the wedding hall, where the door was already closed, so they knocked and said, Lord, Lord, open to us! But he answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.

Locked out of the wedding hall, just like the rest of the world, even though they started out as friends and servants of the Bridegroom. Locked out of the wedding hall, no longer acknowledged by the Bridegroom, just as all those who fail to watch for Christ’s coming will be denied by Christ, locked out of heaven and sentenced to eternal darkness and torment in hell because they neglected the means by which they should keep their lamps burning.

What are these precious, burning lamps, which alone are required for entrance into eternal life? They are the burning lamps of faith. Not just any faith, of course, but faith in the true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And not just the knowledge of who this God is, but the reliance on this God and the trust in this God to save us poor sinners, who deserve only His wrath and punishment, for the sake of Christ alone, who died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. It’s as simple as John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

But hear what the Holy Spirit teaches us in today’s Gospel. There is no such thing as “once saved, always saved,” or “once a believer, always a believer.” On the contrary, many who have made a good beginning, believing in Christ for salvation, have later made shipwreck of their faith, as St. Paul puts it. In order for faith to remain, in order to persevere in the faith until the end, a ready supply of oil is required.

That oil is the Gospel as it is preached and as it is administered in the Sacraments. The vessels that hold it are the ministers of the Word, whom God has called and given to His Church to, what did Jesus say?, “feed His lambs” and to “take care of His sheep” until He comes. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Coming to church, to the Divine Service regularly, often, is an integral part of being, not just aware of Jesus’ coming, but alert and ready. Of course, not just coming, but listening to Jesus, trusting in Jesus, living in daily contrition and repentance. Holding out your beggar’s hand and seeking mercy and charity from Jesus—that’s being alert and prepared. I’ll warn you again, as I have warned you before: if it’s within your power, don’t move to a place where the pure teaching of the Word is absent. Don’t take a job that will prevent you from receiving the supply of oil your faith will need to keep burning bright. Don’t let the concerns and cares of this life keep you from hearing the Gospel. Don’t marry a person who does not adhere to the pure teaching of Christ and who will not help you keep watch for His coming. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

On the other hand, if you find yourself in any of these situations already and it’s not within your power or divinely given prerogative to change it, pray to God that He will provide the strength and the means for you to attend to the faith He has given. Use every opportunity that He puts at your disposal, including the Bible reading booklets that are being provided to you today, with their Bible readings and Confessions readings, and Small Catechism readings.

The Christian life is not like a flash of light that burns brightly for a moment and then you go to heaven. It’s the slow and steady flame of a lamp that needs to keep burning for years, for decades, as you walk in great weakness here below, fighting constantly against the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh, bearing the cross patiently, always watching, always alert, knowing that Christ will come soon, and knowing that “soon” just might be today. Or it might be in a hundred years. You have to be ready for either scenario.

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Take the wisdom God has provided again today. Take it into the new church year with you and use it. You’re aware of what’s coming. You’re sons of light and sons of the day. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober…Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Amen.

Source: Sermons

Christ will judge in favor of His brethren

Posted on by


Right Click to Save

Sermon for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity

2 Thessalonians 1:3-10  +  Matthew 25:31-46

So much time has been spent on election stuff. It has been all-consuming for a lot of people in our country, and the nastiness that preceded the election on the Right and on the Left, and the juvenile protests and the reprehensible riots that have continued after the election are just more evidence of the fact that our country, our human race, our world itself is ripe for judgment.

It’s time to stop dwelling on election day and start preparing for Judgment Day. Once again, the annual lectionary that the Christian Church has used for hundreds and hundreds of years helps us to do just that. The Holy Spirit sets this parable before us today of the sheep and the goats. Judgment is coming! And every soul must be prepared. Judgment is coming, and God will not permit any protests on that day when Christ the King descends in majesty, when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, and He takes His place on His glorious throne, in the sight of all flesh.

We know, by faith, that Christ already sits on His throne and rules over all things for the benefit of His saints, His dear Christians. But now is not the time for us to see it. Jesus tells this parable about the sheep and the goats to give our faith something firm to cling to, to assure us that, despite everything we now see, He will most surely reveal His throne to us one day, on the Last Day. Then we will see the reality. Then we will see what has been true all along. And His saints will be blessed forever. And His enemies will be cursed forever.

But take note how Jesus describes His saints in this parable, and how He describes His enemies. First, there is a separation of the two. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. That separation is another thing that’s already a reality now in God’s sight, but we can’t necessarily see it. We can see who claims to be a Christian at the moment, and who doesn’t. But we can’t see which of those claiming to be believers in Christ are actually pretenders, or which ones will fall away, and we can’t see which of those who are currently not Christians will eventually be converted before the Last Day. All of that will be made visible when Christ comes in His glory. The separation will be clear, and it will be permanent.

Then notice the criterion Christ says He will use at the Last Judgment: the good that people did or failed to do for “these My brethren.” To the sheep He says, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ And to the goats He says, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

You won’t understand this parable at all if you don’t understand who are the “brethren,” or the brothers of Jesus.

Some people would like to stretch the term “brethren” to apply to all people, making all people on earth the brothers and sisters of Christ and of Christians. They say, “See! You’re supposed to see Jesus in all people and take care of all people, especially the least: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned.” They insist that the purpose—even the primary purpose! —of the Christian Church is to do social work and to seek social justice. Just this week, after the election results came in, the Bishop of El Paso expressed his concern over Mr. Trump’s potential treatment of “our brother and sister refugees and migrants” and “our brothers and sisters who are Muslim.”

Don’t be led astray by these false teachers. Throughout the New Testament the phrase “the brethren of Christ” is used as a synonym for “Christians.” The baptized. The saints. The writer to the Hebrews says, Both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. “Those who are being sanctified,” through faith in the blood of Christ—those are the ones Christ is not ashamed to call brethren.

So this whole parable is about the treatment of Christians in this world, from the greatest to the least. As Paul writes to the Galatians, You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. That’s why Jesus can say that whatever was done or not done to any of His Christians was done or not done to Him. Because every Christian is clothed with Christ in holy Baptism.

See how He elevates His people in this parable! In the judgment pronounced against the goats, there is no mention of their idolatry, of their misuse of God’s name, of their hatred of God’s Word—the first three commandments. Why? Because idolatry and unbelief don’t damn a person? Of course they do! There is no mention of murder or adultery here, either. Why? Because murder and adultery are not causes for condemnation in the judgment? Of course they are! But for the sake of emphasis, Jesus passes by all the idolatries and the wicked deeds of men that they commit with and against one another, and shows us what matters most to Him: His people. His beloved Christians. His dear saints. To help any of these, including the least, is the greatest work that a Christian can do. And to mistreat any of these, even the least, is cause for eternal punishment. As Jesus said earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

All this talk about work in the judgment…Was Jesus just kidding when He said that whoever believes in Him is not condemned? Was the apostle Paul lying when he wrote that “to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness”? Are we actually judged on the basis of good works done to other Christians? Or by works in addition to faith? Can unbelievers be saved if they do enough good deeds to Christians?

Once again, Jesus expects that we have been paying attention. If we ignore the rest of Matthew’s Gospel, and the other Gospels, and the book of Acts, and all the Epistles of the New Testament, and just read the verses from today’s Gospel, we might conclude that our works are everything in the judgment and that faith has almost no part. But then we would be foolish interpreters of Scripture.

Faith alone saves. Faith alone justifies. Faith is what unites us with Christ Jesus. It unites us to the death of Christ. It allows His good works to be accounted to us for righteousness. God forgives sins to all who believe in His Son. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. The Scriptures couldn’t be clearer on this point.

Those who do not know and believe in Christ cannot earn His favor by helping Christians. And those who do know and believe in Christ already have His favor. Good works are the product of faith. Good works always flow from faith, as light and heat flow from the sun. It’s what real Christians do; they love one another, without being guilted into it or forced into it. Remember what Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians in today’s Epistle: We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. God Himself is responsible for that love and for the service Christians render to each other. It matters to Him, and He praises it, and He will recognize it on the Last Day.

In the same way, God will recognize the mistreatment of His people, as Paul also writes, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. And He won’t just punish the mistreatment, but, as our Gospel declares, even the lack of good treatment of His people He will condemn when He comes.

Now, none of this means that Christians are allowed by God to mistreat unbelievers, or that Christians are to be apathetic toward the suffering of non-Christians. The commandment remains in place, “Love your neighbor”—not just your brother—“as yourself.” But today’s Gospel is not about helping your neighbor. It’s about the love that Christians show to fellow Christians, and more importantly, it’s about God’s righteous wrath and judgment against the unbelieving world for every offense they commit against His holy people.

Unbelievers had better take warning, before the Last Day and heed this call to repentance now. Because then the curse will be pronounced upon them and it will be irreversible: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

But Christians should be greatly comforted by the coming judgment, because our curse has already been removed. In the words of St. Paul, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Our judgment has already happened. In the words of Jesus, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

As we walk in that life, as we prepare for the day of judgment, we know we have nothing to fear, either in this life or on that day. Instead, we have everything to look forward, even the words of the King: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. What hardships and tribulations of this life can compare with that glory? Live with an eye toward that day. Live with your eyes fixed on Jesus. And remember that Jesus allows you to serve Him by serving His brethren here below, His dear Christians, here in our midst, and everywhere in world. Let His love for His brethren be reflected in your love for the brethren. And let that be the thing that people see in you and know about you—more than your thoughts about the election. Amen.

Source: Sermons

Living as refugees of Jerusalem

Posted on by


Right Click to Save

Sermon for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  +  Matthew 24:15-28

In those days leading up to His crucifixion, recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 20-25, Jesus taught His disciples many things about the coming days—what they should expect to happen after His resurrection, both during their lifetime and all the way up to the end of the world. In today’s Gospel Jesus covers the entire New Testament period, from the destruction of Jerusalem that would happen in 70 AD, all the way up to His second coming at the end of the age. It’s a tragic prophecy of the apostasy and destruction, not only of earthly Jerusalem, which once was the beloved city of God but then rejected its Redeemer, but it’s also a tragic prophecy of the apostasy and eventual destruction of the spiritual Jerusalem—the Visible Christian Church on earth.

Of course, mingled with that tragedy is also the lovingkindness of Jesus who warns His true Christians about all this ahead of time and provides for His true Church a way of escape from the destruction that is coming. That way of escape is for us to flee from Jerusalem and to live out the remainder of our days on earth as her refugees.

Jesus mentions the “abomination of desolation,” which Daniel, too, had prophesied. An abomination is something that God despises and hates, and it was a common word used in the Old Testament to describe idols and idolatry in general. False worship. False doctrine that depicted a god who does not save sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. False doctrine that depicts a divine spirit who deals with men, not through the Word of God, not through the ministry of the Word, the appointed Means of Grace, but directly and inwardly.

That abomination was firmly set in place in Jerusalem and in her temple in the decades after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Some of the Jews listened to the Gospel for a while, but eventually the city rejected it. They rejected their Savior, who was the true Temple where God is to be worshiped. They kept looking for an earthly savior who would save them, not from sin, death and the devil, but from the Romans. So God caused those very Romans to bring destruction on Jerusalem and her earthly temple.

But all who heeded the warning of Jesus and His instructions, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, were spared from Jerusalem’s demise. But a time of great tribulation came upon those Christians for the next 250 years. They were spared from the wrath of God that was poured out on Jerusalem, but the cross they bore for following Christ was real, and living as refugees of Jerusalem meant that they had to keep fleeing from one place to another as the Roman empire ramped up its persecutions, and many Christians became martyrs for the Christian faith.

According to the promise of Jesus, those days were cut short, even though 250 years is a pretty long time. In the fourth century, Emperor Constantine became a Christian and ended the bloody persecution of Christians throughout the world. The “great tribulation” came to an end. But Christ hadn’t returned. So Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24 still had a spiritual meaning and a spiritual fulfillment that would yet take place. They should expect another “abomination of desolation” to be set up in the holy place, in the holy city.

Now, the days of earthly Jerusalem’s importance are past. It will never again be called by God “The holy city,” and “the holy place” will never again be located in a Jerusalem temple. The holy city is now the Holy Christian Church, and the holy place is the hearts of Christians, whom God has sanctified for Himself through Holy Baptism. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

The abomination that would be set up in the Christian Church is summed up in the Roman papacy. We’ve known that now, in the Lutheran Church, for nearly 500 years. It doesn’t matter who the pope is, or how different he is from other popes that came before him. He represents all the false doctrine that has invaded and now desolated Christendom, every teaching of man that obscures or darkens the work of Christ and faith in Christ. That all have sinned against God and deserve His wrath, that Christ has come and suffered for all sin and risen from the dead, that God offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life to sinners for the sake of Christ alone, through faith alone, apart from all our works and obedience, that God sends His ministers to call all men to repent of their sins and believe in Christ Jesus, and that God the Holy Spirit will work forgiveness of sins, life and salvation through Word and Sacrament—that is the simple Gospel of Christ. Wherever human works are added as a cause of our salvation, wherever sinners are directed to seek peace with God apart from Christ or apart from His Means of Grace—that is of the devil. It’s an abomination in the sight of God. It causes desolation—devastation within the Christian Church.

The first Lutherans recognized that abomination within the Roman Church. And when their efforts to bring reformation to Rome failed, they realized that they had to heed Jesus’ words and “flee to the mountains,” to flee from the pope’s doctrine, first in their hearts, and then, as necessary, with their feet. They couldn’t, in good conscience, remain under the Roman bishops. They couldn’t hold onto the earthly safety and prosperity that came with loyalty to the Roman pope.

They not only had to leave the safety of Rome behind. They had to be continually living as refugees of Jerusalem, continually watching out for the false prophets and false christs who would distort the Gospel and get them to turn their eyes away from Jesus and away from His Word and Sacraments. Fleeing from Rome wasn’t a one-time thing for them. It was an ongoing way of life. And the life of refugees is a messy business, full of instability and confusion and uncertainty.

So it is also for us. As Lutherans, we have fled from Rome. But it’s not over yet. We’re still living in the midst of the “great tribulation.” But this tribulation is more spiritual than physical. False doctrine has filled the world, has filled our country, has filled our culture. (To be honest, our country, as a whole, has never known true faith-alone, Word-and-Sacrament-based Christianity.) The spirit of antichrist still calls out all around us, “Come back! Come back! And don’t let doctrine get in the way! Come back to the safety of Jerusalem, the safety of Rome, the safety of the one big Church—you can even call it Lutheran, if you want to! Think of all the nice things you and your children are missing out on by your picky doctrinal positions. Think of all the good you’re failing to do for the poor and for the oppressed by remaining in your tiny little church.”

That’s all part of the great tribulation, and it’s the life that we refugees of Jerusalem, we refugees of Rome, will continue to live until Jesus comes for us. We’re constantly surrounded by false prophets who are always shouting, either, “Come back to Rome!” or “Here’s Jesus, over here! There’s Jesus, over there!” “Over there, in the desert, by yourself, away from organized religion!” “Over here, in the inner room of your heart, in your feelings, in your emotions, in your dreams! That’s where you’ll find Jesus!”

Do not believe it, Jesus says. You won’t find Jesus attached to Rome or its pope, or to the big synod, or the big church of any kind. You won’t find Him out in the desert, or alone by yourself apart from His means of grace. You won’t find Him in your heart or in your prayers or in your imaginations. You won’t find Him on earth, except as He comes through His Spirit, where two or three are gathered in His name, where His Word is rightly preached and His Sacraments are rightly administered. There is Jesus. There is His Church. There are His elect, living the life of refugees until Christ comes again.

And when He comes again, there will be no doubt about where He is. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. The eagles don’t think to themselves, let’s go find a carcass over in such and such a place. Instead they’re constantly flying around, flying around without knowing where the carcass will appear, waiting and watching until it does. Then they know where to go. Then they know where to gather.

Such is the life of Christians, living as refugees of Jerusalem. We don’t expect to find Jesus in Jerusalem or in Rome or in any human institution, and so we cannot be permanently tied to any human institution, including this church building, including this diocese. Instead, we follow where the Word of Christ is preached in its truth and purity. And then, when Christ appears in the clouds with all His saints, we will fly to Him and gather to Him, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Amen.

Source: Sermons

Powerful preaching, forceful faith

Posted on by


Right Click to Save

Sermon for the Festival of the Reformation

Revelation 14:6-7  +  Matthew 11:12-15

The story of the Reformation is the story of a priest who became a great preacher, a man who witnessed the corruption of the Church and was called by God to speak up about it, to call the people of his day to repentance, to point them to Jesus, to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God. He was loved by many and hated by many and persecuted for his bold preaching. And as a result of his preaching, many people turned from the error of their ways to Jesus, and, by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, they were given a place in the kingdom of God.

Of course I’m talking about the man whose name was John, the Baptist, of whom Jesus once said, Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. He was the last prophet of the Old Testament. And as such, he didn’t merely reform the Church of God. He prepared it for its transition from the Church of the Old Testament to the Church of the New. His duty was to point to Christ, and to the kingdom of heaven over which Christ rules.

What is the kingdom of heaven? It is the reign of Christ as King in the hearts of men. Not the kind of ruling that forces men to follow Him or to obey His commandments. But the kind of ruling that brings with it the forgiveness of sins, that frees a person from slavery to sin, from the power of the devil to accuse and condemn, and even from death. It’s the kind of ruling that makes a person a born-again child of God and an heir of His heavenly kingdom.

Where is it, this kingdom of heaven? It isn’t up in heaven. Instead, it has come down from heaven. It’s wherever the Gospel is preached, where the Sacraments are administered. There is the kingdom of heaven! There the Spirit of Christ calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

And what is the Gospel? It’s what John the Baptist first began to preach. God has come to the aid of sinners. God has stepped into our earthly history. He has given His Son to be born as a man, to redeem us from sin, death and the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and by His innocent suffering and death. He did it, not because we deserve it or have worked for it. But by His grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. I think that passage would be better translated, “The kingdom of heaven advances forcefully, and forceful men lay hold of it.” In the parallel passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, it puts it a little differently. “The Gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is pressing into it forcefully.”

How was the kingdom of heaven advancing forcefully? The Gospel of Christ was proclaimed in the face of much opposition. It was proclaimed precisely where men did not want it to be proclaimed, and yet it could be silenced or stopped. Herod couldn’t stop the kingdom of heaven from being proclaimed by putting John the Baptist in prison. The Pharisees couldn’t stop Jesus from proclaiming it, until He Himself was ready to bring everything to its completion on the cross. Even then, the crucifixion of Christ couldn’t stop the Gospel from being proclaimed. The apostles and the ministers of the Church went out and preached, even though they were targeted and killed, one by one. And the Christians who heard and believed their Gospel spread it to their own families and fellow citizens even as they fled from persecution to one city after another.

And how were forceful men laying hold of the kingdom of heaven? Who were these “forceful men”? They were tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, a Roman centurion, a Canaanite woman, a village of Samaritans. They were little children, of whom Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” All of these were laying hold of the kingdom of heaven, pressing into it forcefully. Not by being wise or good or obedient. They were all sinners deserving damnation. But in the face of great sinfulness, in the face of great opposition by the world, in the face of all the devil’s temptations and accusations, by the power of the Gospel they all dared to trust in Jesus as their Savior, as the Christ, the Son of the living God. That’s no small feat. That’s the power of the Gospel, which is the power of salvation for everyone who believes.

That Gospel of Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Savior of sinner was powerfully preached in the world for many hundreds of years after Christ’s ascension, and the kingdom of heaven continued to advance forcefully around the world as the Gospel was preached.

The kingdom of heaven always advances forcefully, and forceful men always lay hold of it. But that doesn’t mean the Gospel is always preached as clearly and as abundantly as before. There came a time when the Gospel was preached less and less, as the Roman pope became less and less Christ-centered and more and more self-centered, less and less word-of-God oriented and more and more man-oriented. It became difficult for people to hear the Gospel through all the chattering of the pope’s men about other things, as they preached less and less about Christ and more and more about indulgences, works of penance and satisfaction, paying for one’s own sins, praying to the saints, worshiping the Virgin Mary, the sacrifice of the Mass, and on and on.

We celebrate the Reformation, because God raised up men like John the Baptist, men like Martin Luther and Martin Chemnitz and countless others who, in the face of great opposition, pointed poor sinners away from all those other things and back to Jesus, back to His Word, back to His works, His merits, His grace, and His promise of salvation by faith alone. Luther was, indeed, like that angel of whom we heard in today’s Epistle, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Since the days of the Lutheran Reformation, the Gospel has been clearly preached again in the world. But again, that doesn’t mean it’s always preached as abundantly as before. The Scriptures do not depict for us a kingdom of heaven that spreads visibly over the face of the earth, gradually taking over the planet and enveloping the world in good behavior and charitable acts, nor do they depict a large Christian Church that fills the world with pure teaching and with orthodoxy. On the contrary, pure preaching is depicted in these last days as rare, and with regard to faith, it is not depicted as a common thing, but instead Jesus asks, When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

No, the powerful preaching of the Gospel and the forceful faith that results will not be widespread as this old earth winds down. But the kingdom of heaven must remain on this earth until Christ comes again. The Word of God remains forever, as the Scriptures declare and as the Lutheran Reformers also proclaimed. There must be a Church on earth that preaches the Gospel and that hears and believes the Gospel.

As those who have been given the treasure of the Gospel and who have been given entrance into the kingdom of heaven, let us give thanks to God for His grace in giving us this gift. And let us see to that, by God’s grace, we do not take this treasure for granted, but stand upon it as Luther once stood, powerfully proclaim it, and steadfastly believe it. Amen.

Source: Sermons

Caesar has his God-given place

Posted on by



Right Click to Save

Sermon for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity

Philippians 3:17-21  +  Matthew 22:15-22

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to consider together the texts appointed for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity. This Sunday is usually displaced by our celebration of the Reformation. But this year, it just so happens, by God’s providence, that Trinity 23 falls the week before the Reformation, and that’s cause for thanksgiving, because, I don’t know if you’ve noticed at all, but there are some elections coming up, and things are looking rather bleak for the future of our nation, and, really, for all the nations of earth—no matter who is elected in November.

St. Paul reminded us in today’s Epistle: Our citizenship is in heaven. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to hold onto this truth during these chaotic political times. Our citizenship is in heaven, safe from the risings and fallings of earthly nations, secure from the hands of corrupt earthly rulers, and from the hands of godless citizens (and voters). The assembly of the baptized, the Church of Jesus Christ, does not tie its hopes to any nation on earth, nor does it put its trust in any political candidate or secular ruler. None of them—no human being, for that matter—can be trusted. Instead, the Christian’s trust is placed solely and completely in Christ Jesus, our only Savior, and our hope and expectation is set fully, not on the establishment of an earthly kingdom, not on the prosperity or the “greatness” of our nation, but on Christ’s coming at the end of this age and on the resurrection of the dead. As we approach our national and local elections over the next few weeks, you will do well to remember this verse from Philippians 3. Our citizenship is in heaven.

So what about our citizenship here below, in this nation in which God, according to His eternal purposes, has caused us to be born? Are we to deny it? Are we to embrace it? Are we to despise Caesar or worship Caesar? Or are we to view him in some other way? All of these things are addressed very concisely by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

Not that the Pharisees were looking for instruction from Jesus on this important topic. For their part, they were just looking for another way to get Him killed. They devised the perfect trap question for Him. Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Understand the political landscape at that time. Israel still existed as a nation, but it had fallen under the umbrella control of the Roman empire, whose emperors were still using the title of “Caesar” at that time, after Julius Caesar, whose military and political exploits greatly expanded the power of Rome. Rome had divided the land of the Jews into four territories and placed four tetrarchs or governors over them who were to serve Rome by keeping the Jews in their territories under control. As a result, the Jews were living under the general belief that to be pro-Caesar was to be anti-God and anti-Israel, and to be pro-God and pro-Israel was to be anti-Caesar.

So the Pharisees put this yes/no question to Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar, and they made sure the Herodians were there as witnesses (Herod was one of those four tetrarchs who served Rome). If Jesus answered, No, it isn’t lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then Herod’s men would have cut Him down for inciting rebellion against Rome. If He said, Yes, it’s lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then the fanatical Jews, who hated Rome and were constantly trying to start another revolt, would have cut Him down themselves. Either way, the Pharisees would have won.

But Christ is wiser than all His enemies. He doesn’t give them a yes or no answer to their question. Instead, He defeats their trap by reframing the argument. Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

The fact that Caesar had conquered God’s people, the nation of Israel, did not mean that God’s people should rebel against Caesar. It wasn’t “God vs. Caesar.” Caesar—who represents all secular rulers—has his place in the world, and his place is not inherently opposed to God or God’s people, nor is his place above God or side by side with God, but under God, as a servant of God, with a specific scope of authority given to Him by God, even though Caesar and his entire government were not believers in the true God or citizens of the kingdom of heaven. And the Christian, as a permanent citizen of heaven, who has also been made a temporary citizen under Caesar, is to be neither anti-God nor anti-Caesar. But we are taught to recognize the place of each, and to fulfill our responsibilities toward them both.

What is the place God has given to Caesar—to the secular rulers and civil authorities? The apostle Paul summarizes it well in Romans 13: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

God has appointed all the governing authorities, including the pagan emperors of Rome. They had no love for the true God or for His people Israel. But what did God accomplish through Caesar Augustus, His minister? He’s the one who issued that decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. That got Mary and Joseph down to Bethlehem, just in time for a very special birthday. What did God accomplish through His minister, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate? He was not a just ruler; He gave an innocent Man over to be crucified. But the crucifixion of that Man means forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for all who believe. What did God accomplish through His ministers, the Roman rulers, both before and after the time of Christ? The Pax Romana, the Roman peace, allowed the Gospel to spread far and wide from Judea to all the ends of the earth. And, what did God accomplish through His ministers, the wicked Roman rulers who persecuted His Christians and put them to death? The persecution of the Church did not put an end to the Church, but caused it to flourish. As a Church father once wrote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

The fact is, God always accomplishes His good purposes through secular rulers, whether they intend to serve Him or not—His good purposes, either to protect the life and property of His people for a time and to maintain law and order in society, so that the Gospel can be preached freely; or to punish the wicked nation with injustice, with bad laws, with chaos and destruction. Because even when nations are disintegrating, even during times of chaos and persecution of the Church, even when Christians are martyred, even then the gates of Hades will not prevail against Christ’s Church. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

What things are Caesar’s, so that we should render it unto him? Taxes and revenues are due to him—even if they seem excessive. Obedience to his laws—even if they are unjust. Willing submission to his authority—even if he is abusing his authority. Even honor—whether or not he is honorable.

What things are God’s, so that we should render it unto Him? All things are God’s: our bodies and souls, our hearts and our devotion, our time and our possessions, honor and worship, glory and dominion. Obedience to His commands, including His command to render unto Caesar the things that He has given to Caesar.

And God has surely given many things to Caesar. But not His Word. Not our souls. Not our conscience. Over those things, Caesar has no authority. So if Caesar commands us to disobey God’s commandments, then we must obey God rather than men. If Caesar commands us to stop preaching the Word of God or any part of it, or to stop gathering around Word and Sacrament, then we must disobey Caesar—and suffer the earthly consequences for it, without grumbling and certainly without rebelling. Because, while Caesar has power over our bodies and our possessions, he has no power whatsoever over our souls, over our faith, or over our eternal inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven. And through our suffering here on earth, God’s name will still be honored among us, and we can trust God Himself to deal severely with unjust rulers in His own time.

All of this has been said about the rulers who have been placed over us, or who will be placed over us. What does it mean when it comes to electing or choosing our own rulers in a democratic society? I’ve already written something about that recently. Submitting to godless tyrants is one thing. Choosing men or women who give every indication that they will be godless tyrants who won’t protect the innocent or punish the evildoer but will do just the opposite—that’s another thing entirely. Have nothing to do with such choices, with such elections. Leave it in God’s hands, and don’t be afraid. Instead, as the Psalm says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

So render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. But above all, for the remainder of this passing election cycle, for the remainder of our country’s existence, for the remainder of your short life here on earth, remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead and now sits at God’s right hand, reigning over every nation of the earth for the good of those who love Him. And also remember St. Paul’s words to the Philippians: Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Amen.

 

 

 

Source: Sermons