Sermon for 8/30/15: Trinity XIII

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Justified

Luke 10:23-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

Most people think the account of the Good Samaritan shows that we're supposed to help people in need. When they think of the Christian faith, they think this story is the whole story: be good to other people and you'll get to heaven. “Do this and you will live.” But the Word of God isn't there to condemn you, but to save you. His Word doesn’t teach you how to earn eternal life. His Word is given to teach you how He saves you. Jesus doesn't tell the story of the Good Samaritan to teach the guy how to be nice to people. He tells him the story to save him from trying to save himself.

The Gospel says that when Jesus answered him, the young law expert, "wanting to justify himself," asked, "Who is my neighbor." There's the key. He wanted to justify himself. To justify means to show why he's right. He wanted to save himself. And it's our problem too. We want to justify ourselves. To God, "justify" means to "be right and make right." For us, though, "justify" seems to mean "make up excuses." The Law of God is simple, as the young law expert knows: You love God above all things. You love your neighbor as yourself. In fact, you can't love God without loving your neighbor, as Jesus taught him. But we, like the lawyer, want to justify ourselves. The Law says, "Love God. Love your neighbor." We say, "But I can't do it." The Law replies: "Love God. Love your neighbor." And we say, "I can't do it. But I have a good reason for not doing it." And the Law replies: "Love God! Love your neighbor!" That's what the Law says. That's all it says. You can't make excuses. You can't get around it. Either love God and your neighbor, or you are doomed.

That is why, when the man in the story gets beat up and robbed and left half dead, the priest and the Levite pass by on the other side. What Jesus is teaching this lawyer who wants to justify himself is that he, the man, is the guy who is beaten up and robbed. His righteousness is stolen by the devil; he is mauled by sin. When the Law comes, what does it do? It can't help. It can't save. It can't rescue. It just tells us what to do and what will happen if we don't do it. That is why the priest and the Levite, who represent the Law in the story, just go on their merry ways. They can't help. But a Samaritan does. He has compassion on the man. He cleans and bandages his wounds and takes him to the inn to recover. He pays the expenses. So when the Law doesn't save you, the Lord has compassion. And God's compassion doesn't mean that He sits up in heaven feeling sorry for you. He suffers Himself to be arrested and mocked and beaten and spit upon and jeered and hated and crucified. He carries our sins on Himself and dies for them on the cross. That's the Lord's compassion! The compassion of our Lord is not in His somehow taking pity when you get weepy. His compassion is to come to half-dead sinners, beaten and robbed by the devil, and to save you.

But the Samaritan's compassion doesn't stop there. He carries the man to an inn and puts him in the care of the innkeeper and provides for all his expenses. Jesus doesn't just die for you and then go away. He pours His oil and wine from His own wounds into the wounds of your sins, washing you in the waters of the holy font. He carries you by the preaching of the Gospel to the inn of His church. There he puts you under the care of his pastors, his innkeepers, that you would have rest from your sins. He covers all the expenses with His precious blood. That is why in the Christian church there is no limit to the forgiveness you receive in baptism, no limit on how many times the absolution can be spoken or Jesus' body and blood be given and received. The Law will pass you by and leave you dying. But the Savior gives His life to save yours. You will not die because Jesus has gone through death and suffering for you, in your place.

That is what it means that God truly justifies you: not your excuses, but the wounds of Jesus; not your works, but the Word and Sacraments of Jesus. You can't justify yourself. But Jesus does by what He has done for you. He has done it in your place. That's God Himself justifying you in Jesus. That's Jesus being your neighbor. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 8/23/15: Trinity XII

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The Word Comes In

Mark 7:31-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

Why do we worship the way we do? Why do we follow the liturgy week after week? Why don't we just take turns saying what we feel about God? Why is it that we worship according to the holy liturgy? We worship the way we do because Jesus does for us in the Divine Service what He does for the deaf and dumb man. He opens our ears to hear His Word. He unties our tongues to speak rightly, to speak His Word. One of the great things about our hymnal is that you see the Scripture verses listed next to the words. It teaches us that when we speak and sing as we worship, we are speaking, singing, and hearing God's Word. It’s not our own thoughts, nor is it merely the stuff the pastor likes to say. We hear the Word of God, and that Word opens our ears and loosens our tongues.

Like the world, our ears are so full of our own ideas that we can't hear God. We have all sorts of things to say about Him, but that's just the witless mumbling of tongue-tied sinners. When people talk about God, they say things like, “Oh, He's a nice guy.” “He's loving, and people are basically good, so He just ignores bad things you do.” The world does not know God. But what about you? When you talk about God, do you say what the Lord says? Or do you just make up things that sound good? If you're like me, at the first chance you get to talk about the Lord, you just kind of mumble something. So Jesus must open our ears and loosen our tongues.

Jesus saves you by taking you aside from the world and opening your ears and untying your tongue. But what can get through the sin filling your ears and loosen tongues that are stiff with silly talk? In the healing of this man, our Lord shows exactly how He saves you. Why does he stick his fingers in the man's ear and touch his tongue with spit? Why does He lift up His eyes to heaven and sigh? Remember that Jesus is the Word made flesh. When He sticks His fingers in the man's ears, He is putting the Word into them! When He spits and touches the man's tongue, He is showing that the only thing that should be in your mouth is His Word! By putting His fingers in the man's ears, Jesus is plugging them to anything else. By opening His ears and loosening this man's tongue, the Lord gives to Him the Word of salvation. “Ephphatha! Be opened!” The man's ears and mouth are opened! The Lamb of God let His blood spill forth for the salvation of the world. This sacrifice opens the Father's ears to your prayers. This sacrifice opens His mouth to speak forgiveness and blessing.

With fingers in ears and spitting and touching his tongue, Jesus heals the mean of his deafness and silence. These actions all point to what we call the external Word of God. Your salvation and forgiveness and righteousness are all outside of yourself. The world is full of preachers whose message to you is to look inside your heart to try to feel whether Jesus is there. They will point you to your intentions and your efforts and your good works. But Jesus opens the ears and mouth of this man. This man could not hear what Jesus says, nor could he repeat it. He cannot change himself. He cannot make himself hear or talk. Only Jesus the Word can do that. Don't go looking for Jesus in your heart! He comes to you at the font with the water and word of Baptism, the very spit of Jesus! He comes to you from the pastor who delivers the forgiveness of sins in absolution and preaching, saying, “Be opened.” He comes to you at the altar where His body and blood are put into your mouth, just as His fingers and spit were put into the deaf and mute man. You will not find Jesus or hear Him or speak rightly from within yourself. But He comes to you, from outside yourself, in these holy means of grace. It is the Word which opens your ears and the Sacraments which fill you with Jesus.

Isaiah prophesied that the deaf would hear God's Word. When Jesus shows up, the deaf do hear! But this is much more than a miracle for a deaf man. It teaches you that Christ opens your ears and mouths so you may hear His Word and speak and sing His praises. With this Word, given at font, altar, and pulpit, have no doubt: your sins are forgiven; you are the Father’s dear child in Christ. As He has taught you in His Word, boldly pray: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.” And He is gracious to answer, “Ephphatha! Be opened!” In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 8/16/15: Trinity XI

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Like Other Men

Luke 18:9-14

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

You’ve probably heard the story. A pastor sits down in a restaurant or a hospital waiting room or wherever. Someone sits down near him and, noticing the pastor’s clergy shirt, says to him, “I don’t go to church because you Christians are too judgmental.” This person claims that they condemn no one…but in saying so, they condemn everyone. How did the Pharisee address the Lord? He said, “I thank you that I am not like other men.” 

How easy it is to fall into the camp of those to whom our Lord is speaking, those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” We Lutherans easily become smug and superior. And there’s a certain amount of justice to it. If we believed we weren’t teaching and practicing according to the Word of God, then it wouldn’t matter where we went to church. We could happily worship at any church, take communion anywhere, and it wouldn’t matter. However, in our churches, the Gospel is preached purely and the Sacraments are administered rightly. Because this is so, we think we’re better than other churches. Dear Christians, if that is how we treat our straying brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are sinning. It’s important to preach as our Lord taught, and it’s important to practice what we preach. But we must not forget that we are still sinners who need forgiveness for our own errors.  

You’re not so judgmental, are you? You’re not so closed-minded as to think that we’re the only ones who have it right. When you visit other churches, you pretend there’s no difference. It doesn’t matter if they have women pastors. It doesn’t matter that they approve of homosexual marriage and ignore heterosexuals living together before marriage. Maybe you even commune! If you have ever wondered why we Lutherans think we’re better than everybody else, you too have fallen into the trap of the Pharisee. 

The trap of spiritual smugness and superiority is all around us. We Lutherans do fall into it. I certainly do! I look at other churches and think, “How can they not get it? The Lord makes it so simple. Thank God I’m not like those who do not seem to get the Gospel!” The minute you think like that, even if you are right, you are lost. Have you ever thought, “The Church sure seems to be filled with a lot of hypocrites”? You are lost. Have you ever thought, “Why aren’t more people involved, like I am?” You are lost. Have you ever thought, “Why does Pastor take this doctrine so seriously?” If God should justify you as your hearts deserve, you would be lost. If you stand in condemnation of anyone and think you’re any better, more likely to be saved on your own merit, you’ve fallen into the trap from which Christ wants to rescue you today. Fall to your knees before the Lord. Acknowledge your sin. And then, like the tax collector, pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 

And for the sake of Jesus, the Father does have mercy! Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was justified. The other was not. One could see that he was special. The other could only see his sin and beg God for mercy. One hopes that God can see some his sincerity, his devotion, his faith. The other is only sure of this: he is a sinner, and God is full of grace. God does not teach the way we would want to teach. The doctrine Jesus gives the Church is this: You have a God Who came to be like you, even though He had no sin. Even though He was tempted and did not falter, He did not thank the Lord that He was different from the rest. Instead, He was baptized, just like any other sinner. He received the Holy Spirit, just like anyone who needs God’s help. He fasted and prayed. And then, instead of a mere tithe, He gave Himself into death for your salvation. In none of that did He exalt Himself. In fact, the Scriptures say that He Who knew no sin became sin for us on the cross. Jesus died like any other sinner. What saves is not that God is different from the rest of us, but that He’s more at ease with being counted as a sinner than we are admitting our sin. 

No one gets saved by not being a sinner—not even little babies. See why Christ’s doctrine is so important? No baby is saved by being different than you. Like anybody else, a child is only saved through faith in Jesus. That’s why we baptize babies. We’re all sinners! That’s why we urge our people toward private confession and absolution. You need confession and absolution to return you to your baptism. You need daily reading in God’s Word. You need daily prayer. You need the body and blood of Jesus. You need these things because you are, indeed, a sinner. 

And then, because you are a sinner like everyone else, come. Come and hear His word of forgiveness, spoken to you by the pastor as by Christ Himself. Come and be instructed and confirmed, and continue to study. Partake of Christ’s body and blood in bread and wine for your forgiveness. He is always ready to teach you true repentance, faith, and humility. He is always ready to raise you up with the forgiveness He won for you on the cross, so that you may thank Him—not that you are unlike other men, but that He made Himself to be like you, so that you would in turn be like Him. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.  

           

Sermon for 8/9/15: Trinity X

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Making Peace

Luke 19:41-48

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He cried. He was coming into the city to save the people from their sins, and they didn't care. They didn't believe. They did not know the things which would give them peace—the Son of God dying for sins on the cross. They didn't know the time of their visitation, when God Himself showed up to save them. Jesus cried because God in the flesh saves the world from sins, but God's own chosen people refused to believe it. When the Holy Spirit gathers us in the church, when we celebrate the Divine Service, God Himself is present. Here in this place, the Lord stands among you to serve you the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation. Here in this place, Christ comes to bring the things that bring you peace. Here in this place, our Lord is with you to shelter you from His wrath and to give you eternal life. The water of Holy Baptism; Absolution spoken by your pastor; preaching and teaching; the body and blood of your Lord Jesus: these are the things which bring the peace of God to you. Do you know them? Do you believe that Christ is here and visits you for your good and blessing?

Jerusalem didn't know the things that will bring it peace! The clergy especially, along with the Pharisees and leaders, wanted a Savior who comes to do what they want, not one who suffers and dies for their sins. Over and over, as Jeremiah reminds us, the Lord has called to His people and they want nothing to do with Him. Jesus then predicted what will happen to Jerusalem. If they don't want God's Word, then the Lord won't have them! In 70 AD the Romans laid their siege against Jerusalem and destroyed the city. Brothers and sisters in Christ, don't miss this warning about what happens to those who reject Christ and want nothing to do with His Word. How long will God be patient with you before He brings you to utter shame and ruin? Do you know the things which bring God's peace? Do you know the time of God's visitation? Are God's Word and promises the very thing which give you peace? Or do you despise them and see the consequences in a life full of frustration and heartache and turmoil?

The visitation of God, the things that bring peace, are all there in Christ. Jesus comes to Jerusalem—God Himself. Over and over He sent prophets like Jeremiah to warn Jerusalem to stop worshiping false gods, to repent and cling to the Lord's saving promises. Now God has come Himself in the flesh to save and rescue His people. Jesus goes to the cross and suffers and dies for the sins of a world that doesn't know Him and doesn't want to know Him. He dies for His own people who don't want anything to do with Him. He dies for you and me—people who often put little importance on learning His Word and receiving the true peace which comes from sins forgiven. But He goes to the cross to bring an end of your enmity with God. He goes to the cross in your place as your sacrifice that takes away your sins. Believe that, dear people of God! Believe that all that Christ is and has done by His death and resurrection is for your peace.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let Jerusalem serve as a warning, a wake up call that God's Word is not to be treated lightly or with contempt! Instead, hear again the things that are for your peace: the Son of God dying on the cross and rising from the dead; the washing of water and the Word at the holy font; the speaking of forgiveness into your ears by your pastor; the forgiving feast of Christ’s body and blood at this altar. These are the things for your peace. You don't have to look anywhere else in the world to have your sins forgiven, to be made right with God, to have peace with your neighbor. Though you have despised God's Word and gifts, your sin has been blotted out by the blood of Jesus. Do not fear that you have neglected God's Word and promises! Don't be afraid of your sins! They have been answered for, covered by Jesus. He has come to Jerusalem for the salvation of the whole world. And now He comes to His Church, in this Divine Service, to give that salvation to you. These are the things that make for your peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.    

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 8/2/15: Trinity IX

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Enduring Riches

Luke 16:1-13

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

Jesus says the world is so much smarter using its mammon than we are using ours. He says, “The children of this world are wiser than the children of light.” To prove it, He uses the example of an unjust steward, a scoundrel who gets himself fired and then uses his master’s money to gain friends for himself when he is unemployed! It’s a shrewd business decision. The people of this world know how to use the things of this world—and work harder at it—than the people of God do with the things that are ours! Take a drug addict. He risks life and limb to get his fix. He doesn’t let friends or family stand in his way. He doesn’t care if the police are a constant threat. He is a skilled liar, able to get others to believe that, if only they help him one more time, this will be the end of it. His friends are only his friends when he brings them money for more drugs. They will cut him off in a moment, beat him up and throw him out, if he gives them the slightest cause. Yet, he visits them often. Nothing they do turns him away.

How different from the children of light. Who among us risks life and limb to come and receive the Gospel in our ears and mouth? Which of us shows the same devotion to the Word as we do to our favorite treats or activities? Who will go to such great extents to gain friends for heaven with our eternal mammon as the world influences people with its mammon of sin? The world’s mammon passes away. Our mammon, the forgiveness of sins, remains forever. We have the Bread of Life come down from heaven! We have God in human flesh, Who spent all He had to gain a heaven full of friends in you and me! We have His shrewdness for us, earning forgiveness of sins, life and salvation! We have His Baptism to deliver that to us, His Absolution to return us to Him over and over, and His body and blood to eat and drink in bread and wine. These fill up heaven with God’s friends!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, use the stuff that belongs to Jesus. Use the unfair, unrighteous, undeserved mammon which God gives you freely! It is no more yours by right than the master’s wealth was for that steward. Yet he used what wasn’t his. As for you, use what rightfully belongs to God: His good favor, His peace, His forgiveness, mercy and love. That’s how God wants His treasure—His forgiveness—being used! Our Father delights when you share the gifts His Son won for you.

Instead of writing off your neighbor, enjoy God’s forgiveness, and write off anything another owes against you! Say, “I forgive you, as the Lord has forgiven me!” What friends that gains for you in heaven! Can you do that? Yes, you can! Do you need help? In that case learn more of what God does and says to you in Holy Baptism. Come to private Absolution and hear how God writes off your sins through a pastor, who speaks as if God doesn’t mind when we act so freely with His blood-bought Treasure! When your pastor tells you, “I forgive you all your sins,” say, “Amen!” And then, go and share that forgiveness with poor souls who need it as much as you.

We are so shrewd when it comes to stuff that passes away, and so foolish with what will not! We pursue our hobbies with a religious zeal, and our religion with a passing nod—one whole hour once a week! We are anything but shrewd when it comes to the Gospel. Look at the evidence. The devil is far more successful getting his children to work hard than God is with His. Yet God is our helper. He is our Friend Who will not be put off, even by how shabbily we treat Him! Already, heaven is full of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are all happy to greet you—so much so they took what they possessed and they invested it in you! The Father sent His Son. The Son took what His Father said and made it known to you! He took our flesh and blood and then He spent them to gain a heaven full of friends in you and me! All this the Spirit teaches freely in the Church. Our God uses all He has so you and I are gathered up with angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.

How much more you have than the children of this world! God has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His Gifts, and here, through His Word and Sacraments, He sanctifies and keeps you, together with Jesus Christ and all His friends, in the One True Faith. Our Lord is not teaching us to earn our way into heaven. He is saying: “You’re already there, and all of heaven is now at your disposal. Your sins are forgiven! Don’t let the world outdo you when it comes to using what is Mine! God has wiped out all you owe and all your neighbor has against you!” That might not go into your bank account so well, but it fits nicely in your neighbor’s ears. That is true riches, riches which endure for you forever. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.