Sermon for 2/26/23: First Sunday in Lent

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The Word Is a Weapon
Genesis 3:1-21

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

 

Both the Gospel and the Old Testament readings for this day are about temptation. Now, Adam and Eve were only human, whereas Jesus was not only human but also God. At first, that might seem like an unfair comparison. All Jesus had to do was use His divine power, and Satan could not touch Him. But a careful reading of today’s Gospel actually tells us that Jesus did not use His divine power. Jesus was hungry; God doesn’t get hungry. If Jesus had used His divine power for His own advantage, He would not have been hungry. We learn from the Gospels that Jesus never used His divine nature for His own advantage. As you may remember from Catechism instruction, we call this His “state of humiliation.” Jesus took on human flesh in order to take our place. That was the reason for His humiliation. He wouldn’t really be our Substitute if He used His divine power only to serve Himself. Instead, He used it to help others.

It is interesting that the first temptation the devil aimed at Jesus was about food. The same was true in the Garden. The first temptation of humanity was about forbidden food. God had set aside one tree, and the fruit on that tree was forbidden. All Adam and Eve really had to do was leave it alone. God had given them dominion over His creation. He asked only that they show their love for God simply by not eating the fruit of that one tree. Nevertheless, they listened to the serpent; they picked and ate the forbidden fruit.

Adam and Eve fell; Jesus resisted. What was it that allowed Jesus to resist the temptation while Adam and Eve gave up without a fight? The answer is God’s Word. The devil’s real temptation began with the words, “Did God actually say?” The battle really had nothing to do with forbidden fruit, turning stones and bread, or jumping from high buildings. The real battle is always over God’s Word. If Satan can drive a wedge between us and God’s Word, the contest is over. Did God really say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the Garden?” Did God actually say, “You shall not murder?” Did God really say, “You shall not commit adultery?” All the tempting questions have their foundation in one question: Did God really say, “You shall have no other gods before Me?” Before we commit any other sin, we must first remove God from being God. Satan doesn’t really care if we commit any other sin, as along we remove God from being God. And to do that, the devil must separate us from God’s Word.

When the devil cannot get people away from Scripture, he gets them to twist it. He gets them to think of what they must do. “Have I made a decision for Jesus?” “Have I accepted Jesus into my heart?” “Have I given my whole life to Jesus?” “Have I made Jesus my Savior and my Lord?” In a very subtle way, the devil turns your focus away from God and back on yourself. Instead, the Bible answers different questions. “Has Jesus made me His own personal sinner?” “Has Jesus welcomed me into His heart?” “Has He given His whole life to me?” “Has He died to pay the price for my sins?” And the answer in God’s Word to all these questions is a resounding yes!

The Epistle to the Hebrews says: “The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That is how Jesus used God’s Word. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” Jesus did not cast aside the Word of God as did Adam and Eve. Instead, He relied on it to defend Himself from the devil. Hearing the Word of God, the devil had no choice but to retreat.

Today’s Gospel reading, which is God’s own answer to the Old Testament reading, teaches us that Jesus endured that full-on, no-holds-barred assault of the devil. The devil retreated after this battle, but he never gave up. He was tempting Jesus still, even as He hung on the cross. Those who passed by the cross were doing the devil’s work when they said: “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Jesus could have escaped the cross. He always had His divine power at His disposal. But He resisted the temptation to use it. He remained on the cross until He died, until He paid for the sins of the world.

Jesus endured all the temptations of the devil and lived a holy life of complete and perfect righteousness. With His death on the cross, He performed the “great exchange;” He took away our sin and covered us with the righteousness of His perfect life. And now He sends the Holy Spirit to work through God’s Word as we hear it, as it washes us in Holy Baptism, as it feeds us in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Through these means we are enabled to face and defeat temptation, for they give us Jesus and all that He has done for us. 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 2/22/23: Ash Wednesday (Lord's Supper series)

This opens our sermon series for the season of Lent: our series on the Lord's Supper. It is never a bad thing to return to the Catechism so that we may continue to grow in faith toward God and appreciation for His gifts to us. 

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No video; I forgot the camera. Sorry!

Heavenly Treasure
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

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

 

Jesus told His hearers in the Sermon on the Mount, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” That’s why we are here this evening: to receive heavenly treasures from our Lord Jesus Christ—to hear His Word; to receive the forgiveness of our sins; to receive life and salvation in His body and blood. And we need these treasures precisely because they are the gifts our Old Adam fears most. “Poor miserable sinners” that we are, we seek earthly treasures: money and possessions, the acclaim of our bosses and teachers—really anything other than those things that draw us near to our loving God. We turn away from the gifts that edify and nourish our souls.

That is what sin really is: a turning away from God and His gifts, relying on what we can get or do for ourselves. This means that repentance is turning away from ourselves, our self-centeredness, our wants and desires and what we think is best, and receiving in their place our Father’s gifts again. God gives and we receive.

That’s how it has been since the beginning. God made everything. He created a perfect world for His children. But they turned away from His gifts: gifts of life, of good and abundant food, of each other in marriage, of being in His image, of a right relationship with Him. They turned away from all that to the allure of getting something for themselves. And the result of turning away from God and His gifts was death.

But God would not leave it at that. Death would not have the final word. Our Father’s answer to them, His response to their turning away, was that He gave again. While the residue of the forbidden fruit was still on their breath, while they were still ashamed because of their nakedness, He gave to Adam and Eve the promise of a Savior, a Seed of the woman to crush the head of the satanic serpent. 

With all this in mind, consider the Holy Gospel we heard tonight. Consider how it speaks of taking the gifts of God and turning them into something they were never intended to be. Righteousness is a gift of God. Prayer is a gift of God. Helping others is living out the forgiveness we have received by sharing it with others. So what happened? The Pharisees, like all sinners, took these gifts and perverted them into opportunities for themselves: the chance to be seen, to be praised, to get the admiration of others. They turned the life of faith into a three-ring circus. Repentance was needed. 

So what about us today? Do we fall into the same trap? Do we turn away from the gifts of God to something else? We want to say no; we want to deny it with all the indignation we possess. But the truth? The truth is that we do. We turn away from God’s gift of Absolution: instead of repenting and confessing, we try to justify ourselves, to explain and excuse our actions, to blame others for our sin. We turn away from the gift of God’s Word: we believe what the world says, instead of clinging to what God said is true; we judge things by what seems right to us rather than by what God said. We turn away from the gift of Baptism: instead of clinging to our identity as children of God, we measure our value by the numbers in our bank accounts, by our positions on the corporate and social ladders, by what our grades are, by what the world thinks is important.

And we turn away from the gift of our Lord’s Body and Blood. Sometimes we claim that Jesus made a mistake in using bread and wine as the elements, seeing how gluten makes some people ill, seeing how addicts can be harmed by the intake of any alcohol. Sometimes we claim that it can be offered too frequently, because taking it more often might make it seem less special somehow. And sometimes we forget that the body and blood of Jesus is our family meal, meant to bring us together in the fellowship of this Table. We refuse to live as the Communion of saints, a family.

So tonight the cry goes out once again: Repent. “Be reconciled to God.” Turn away from the decaying wealth of this world to welcome His gifts. Receive Christ again, for the Father “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Christ was made sin for you. He became your turning away. He cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” Instead of turning away from us as we deserve, the Father turned away from His sinless Son. In place of forsakenness, we are given Christ’s righteousness, a true heavenly treasure.

That is our focus as we journey to our Lord’s cross again this year. Tonight—starting tonight—turn back. Turn back to Christ. Turn back to His gifts. Receive the love, the forgiveness, the life, the hope, the strength, the comfort, the promises, and the joy you need. Receive Him, for He is here: present in His Word, present in His body and blood, for you. He is your Treasure that endures 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.

Sermon for 2/19/22: Quinquagesima

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Reserved by God
I Samuel 16:1-13

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

 

Samuel was not at all enthusiastic about anointing a successor to King Saul, and I think we can understand why. Saul had been a great disappointment. Samuel was regretting the fact that Saul had turned away from the Lord; no doubt he feared failure all over again with a second choice. He likely also feared Saul’s anger. The king’s dark moods, his jealousy and violent temper, were common knowledge. A man who had been willing to execute his own son would not hesitate to behead a prophet of the Lord. But then, we might feel like saying to Samuel, “What is the problem? Who is greater: Saul or God?” It all seems like foolishness…until we consider our own life and our personal problems; then we, too, panic and become fearful.

Reassured by God, Samuel went to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s eight sons. The citizens of the area were terrified by Samuel’s arrival. No doubt they had heard how the prophet had recently destroyed the Amalekite king, a command of the Lord which Saul had failed to carry out. Had Samuel come now to carry out some similar act of divine retribution on them? Samuel assured the elders of Bethlehem that he had come in peace, that he had come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

Only Jesse and his sons were invited by Samuel to assist with the sacrifice. As soon as Samuel laid his eyes on Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, he was convinced he was looking at Saul’s successor. Eliab was tall and handsome, with kingly bearing. But the Lord cautioned Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature...For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Too often, perhaps more than we even realize, we make judgments of others based only on what we see: facial appearance, age, skin color, clothing. Thank God that He doesn’t render judgment on us by such things! Your worth before God rests entirely in Jesus Christ. And God is delights to see a faithful heart within you which confesses its sin and seeks forgiveness from God. Through the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you are given such hearts, and you are called the beloved of God.

Seven sons, one after another, passed before the prophet. Any one of them would have made an excellent choice, at least as man sees things. And yet, it was not to be. But then David was brought in, and while Samuel saw a handsome young man, his youthful good looks did not necessarily suggest one strong enough to rule the nation. But God knew better. David’s humility and his trusting heart were just what God was looking for.

God looks upon the heart. He knows you infinitely better than you can ever know yourself. God had given David a faithful heart. And even as David entrusted his heart and his life to the Lord, so, too, can you, in full assurance that the Lord who brings you to faith in Jesus Christ—not of your choosing, but of His—also calls you to those ventures in life for which He prepares you.

Jesse and his seven older sons looked on with amazement as the prophet took his horn of oil and poured it over David’s head. Perhaps the young David didn’t fully understand the significance of this simple act, any more than we fully understand the things God does for us. No matter. The prophet was there according to God’s will and by His grace to anoint David for service. As time passed, and David eventually came to the throne, he would be instructed by the Lord as to what he would do.

But by this simple act of anointing, God put a “Reserved” sign, if you will, on David’s life. The Holy Spirit came upon the young shepherd in renewed measure that day. And under the guidance of that same Spirit—the Spirit who unfailingly works through the Word of God—David would grow in faith and love toward God. In time, David would come to the full appreciation of what the Lord had done for him that day, how He had placed David in that line of the ultimate Anointed One, that great Good Shepherd and King of all kings, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you understand what God has done for you? In Holy Baptism you are washed and cleansed and set free from the judgment your sins deserve. There at the baptismal font, He chose you; He set you apart. He put His own “Reserved” sign on your life. You are now reserved for service to Him. You are reserved to hear His Word faithfully. You are reserved to receive from Him the very body and blood of the Savior for the forgiveness of your sins. You are reserved to a life now that is lived to His praise and honor. And you are reserved for the joy of eternal life when our Lord Jesus returns to raise your body from the grave and to gather all His faithful, body and soul, to live with Him 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.

Sermon for 2/12/23: Sexagesima

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Sufficient Grace
II Corinthians 11:19-12:9

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

 

One might be tempted to think that the Lord would protect a faithful servant such as St. Paul from trouble. But that is not always God’s way, as many of us have learned from first-hand experience. Paul endured hardship and danger that would have stopped most people. He had been shipwrecked, imprisoned, beaten, and stoned. He faced poverty, hunger, and the violent opposition of the pagan as well as the Jews. And to all of this was added yet another affliction, “a thorn...in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me,” as he described it. We don’t know what this affliction was. But whatever it was, it was so terrible that the apostle implored God to take it away. Three times, when the affliction no doubt seemed unbearable, he prayed for relief.

If the great Apostle to the Gentiles was called on to endure such things, we need not wonder that troubles and afflictions come our way, too. If we expect only good days in the service of the Lord because we are His faithful children, we are only deceiving ourselves. And there is good reason why God does not give even His faithful followers a guarantee of freedom from affliction. Suppose He did, and those who are His children were blessed above all others, while those indifferent to Him received nothing but punishment and loss. No one would dare disobey Him openly, and all would apparently pay heed to His commandments. But what kind of obedience would that be? What would it be worth? God wishes us to love Him and obey His commandments not out of abject fear or even for reward, but because He first loved us, and because His commandments are actually an expression of that love for us. Even His much-loved children must learn that the Lord “...disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” Only in eternity will these matters be given a full answer. And there God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there will be no more death or sorrow or pain; all such things will have passed away. In our pilgrimage here on earth, we are never free from these things. But we are comforted to know that the crown of eternal life will surely follow. In every trouble here, we have an unfailing resource we can turn to…and that is prayer.

Paul sought out the right help in the right way: he took his afflictions to the Lord. And yet, there are many who despise prayer and avoid it. They endure their troubles with thick skins and hard hearts. Instead of prayer, some turn to the pleasures of the world, trying to drown their troubles in self-indulgence. And if that doesn’t work, they try to worry their troubles away without the help of God. But there is no help and no comfort in any of these.

God desires in us a prayerful heart. Through the Psalmist, He says: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you...” Our Savior says to us: “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” And each prayer of the faithful is heard and answered—often not in the way we would desire, but in an even better way. We have no promise from God that He will give us always just what we ask. The truth is, sometimes we don’t realize the harm that would come to us if God were to answer in just the way we asked. But God always answers, not according to our poor understanding, but according to our need; not for our momentary good, but for our eternal welfare. Upon this we may rely with complete confidence. 

God answered Paul’s prayer, though His answer was not to remove the affliction. But He assured Paul of an even greater blessing than freedom from this particular trouble: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” This same comforting, strengthening promise of divine grace is yours, as well. He is equal, and more than equal, to all occasions and every trial that may press upon you. Turn to Him in prayer. He will comfort those who sorrow. He will be a faithful companion to all who are tempted. He will supply strength sufficient for every need. He has not changed. His is the same voice, the same gracious assurance. His grace and strength are the same today as always. To the tempted, to the sick at heart, to those who struggle with life, His invitation sounds today as it did then: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

Sometimes it seems that the Lord is not near. We call out to Him, and we don’t find an answer. The answer has been given, but we don’t yet comprehend it. We pray for a blessing, and then lament that it hasn’t been given. The blessing has been granted, but we have simply failed, as yet, to recognize it. We ask that the thorn be removed, yet it remains. But grace to bear the thorn is given, and that is the real blessing! Let this promise strengthen your faith. Let every time of trouble be a time of prayer. Let every affliction bring you closer to the Lord who has loved you with all that He is and all that He has. In the name and for the sake of Christ, seek the help of God humbly and with confidence. He will lift the burden from your shoulders, or He will give you strength to bear it to His glory. He promises: His grace will always be sufficient for you. 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 2/5/23: Septuagesima

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Argue or Trust

Exodus 17:1-7

 

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

 

 

Israel had trouble believing God would do what He said He would do. They did not trust God; they forgot the promises, and they were extremely impatient. It did not look like God would do what He had promised. Then along came Moses, the man chosen by God to lead them. God called him and sent him and worked the ten plagues and brought them out of Egypt. God proved that He would do what He promised, despite their lack of trust.

Having been delivered from Egypt, the people of Israel found themselves in the desert. They had limited water with them, and they could not see where they are going to get more. They still had not learned; they still did not trust God. They could not imagine that God could do what they needed Him to do, and so they blamed the messenger of God. We know how it ends. God told Moses to strike a particular rock, and He made water gush out of the rock. If they had only trusted God…but they did not. They took to quarreling with Moses. Their problem was with God, and Moses pointed that out to them. He said, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”

Now and again, whether as individuals or as a congregation, we have shown that we do not trust the Lord. “Why is our giving so dismal?” “Why is our attendance so low?” “Why am I sick?” “Why did the Lord take my loved one?” “Why is school so hard?” We don’t know what is happening; we don’t like the way things are going. So we don’t stop to exercise our faith in God. Instead we grumble. We quarrel with God.

Jesus once said, “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” He spoke those words to His disciples, but they apply to every messenger that He calls and sends to speak His Word. When anyone quarrels with their pastor over the Word of God, our doctrine, or our practice based on the Word of God, the argument is not with the pastor, but with God. When someone attacks their pastor, they are attacking God first. As your pastor, I must say that have not faced much of that here, and I appreciate that. But it happens throughout the Church.

Now, if a congregation is talking about what color to paint the restrooms, all opinions are welcome; after all, the Word of God has nothing to say about the color of restroom walls. But if a congregation is dealing with doctrine and the practice that flows from the Word of God, the only recourse must be to the Word of God. If the preacher is not faithful to the Word, not only can you disagree with him; you must correct him. If he refuses to be corrected, you must either flee from him or drive him out. But if what he teaches is faithful to the Word, the argument is not with the preacher, but with God. And the cause of the argument is often the same as it was among ancient Israel. Too often people respond from how things seem or how they feel, rather than responding from the knowledge of God and trust in Him.

God dealt with the Old Testament Israel in a unique way, calling one man to make His offspring a nation. He deals with us in a unique way as well, choosing one man, His only-begotten Son Jesus, to carry our sins and die in our place on the cross. He has called us all together out of many nations to be His holy people, the holy Christian Church. He spoke our names in Baptism, and He has gathered us together into a family. We are the body of Christ in this place.

Just like on the Exodus, God continues to deal with us personally. He washes us in the water combined with His name. He speaks His Word into our ears. He comes among us in the body and blood of Jesus, given and shed for you in and under bread and wine to strengthen your faith. These gifts comfort us and prepare us to worship our Lord with holy lives lived out in the world.

Israel had trouble trusting God when confronted by the harsh and tangible realities of life. They couldn’t see how God could do what He had promised He would do. We often struggle with the same thing. Life is real and urgent. Trials and temptations rear up before us, demanding action, trying to tell us that there is no God, that there is no help, that there is no salvation for sinners who struggle to trust in the One who made us.

But we are called to believe. We are called by God to take Him at His Word, to follow Him where He leads, whether it is where we think we should go or not. It can be quite challenging to take God at His Word and trust Him. But God is good. He provided water in the desert for the people of Israel, giving them what they needed in a way they never could have believed possible. In the same way, He will provide for this congregation and His whole Church, as He has throughout our history, although it may be in a way that we didn’t expect. And He will provide for you and your family in ways beyond your ability to ask or imagine. 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.