The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life.

 

Sermon for Easter 4, April 21, 2024

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God His Father—to Him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.

John 10:11-18  ¹¹“I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  ¹²The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep.  He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.  ¹³Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.  ¹⁴“I am the Good Shepherd.  I know my sheep and my sheep know me ¹⁵(just as the Father knows me and I know the Father).  And I lay down my life for the sheep.  ¹⁶I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.  ¹⁷This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.  ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.  This is the commission I received from my Father.” (EHV)

The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life.

Dear lambs of the Living God,

            There are some who view Jesus as a masterful teacher and showman who grew too famous for His neighboring teachers and politicians to tolerate, so tiring of His popularity and criticisms, they had Him killed.  Others view Jesus as some sort of radical who ultimately wore out His welcome with the governing authorities who feared Him leading a rebellion, so they crucified Him.  Some of His day thought Jesus to be demon-possessed or mentally ill.  Many people no longer think about Jesus at all.

To be clear, however, Jesus tells us exactly who He is and His mission in life.  Jesus came into this world in a role only He could fill, to do work that only He could accomplish.  If Jesus had not come or had not fulfilled this role, you and I would suffer eternally.  Today, we give thanks and praise the Lord because The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life.

Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  As soon as Jesus used that “I am,” statement, the ears of Israel’s leaders perked up.  They knew He claims to be God.  They understood that Jesus was equating Himself with the God who met Moses on Mount Sinai, who chose David as king of Israel, and promised Abraham that from his seed all nations on earth would be blessed.  This is important for you and me, because only the Son of God could be the truly Good Shepherd.

To be the Good Shepherd who would give His life in exchange for the rescue of God’s people, the Messiah had to be perfectly holy, righteous, and completely willing to sacrifice His life for people who have only sinned against Him.  He could have no regrets about the pain He would suffer, not even concerning the agony of separation from the Father.  In addition, He needed perfect knowledge of this world and everything in it.  He had to have the strength to do and control all things, and the perfect restraint to do everything needed while living the humble life of an ordinary man.  He had to have patience to deal with great sinners and powerful temptations without ever once succumbing to the baser instincts of man.

Jesus had to do everything perfectly in thought, word, deed, emotion, and feeling.  He loved with the purest love ever to exist, because it sought nothing for Himself except the hearts and souls He would rescue from darkness and death and return to His Father’s glorious home.

Not only did Jesus announce His divinity as He made these statements, but He said, “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  The world still tries to lay the blame for Jesus’ death on the people who accused Him, sentenced Him to die, and nailed Him to the cross.  Yet, those people were really no more guilty than you or me.  Jesus had to die for the whole world, because we are all sinners to the core. 

Now, no doubt many men, and women too, have given their lives for their friends, family, or country.  Yet, none of them could save a soul, not even their own.  Furthermore, not one of those brave, self-sacrificing heroes has ever raised anyone from the grave, especially not themselves.

However, from the day Adam and Eve sinned, God has comforted His people with the promise of a Savior.  No ordinary man could do.  No woman either.  However, God promised to send a Son of the woman who not only could, but would, win us back from the devil’s deceptions.  The Deceiver would be crushed for eternity, but the Son would live on even after suffering great pain and death.

In our text, Jesus compares the Good Shepherd with the hireling.  “The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep.  He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.  Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.”  Certainly, every pastor, priest, or religious teacher should take this message to heart.  Anyone who ever gives more thought to his own benefit than to defending God’s people from the world and the devil’s schemes will fall prey to the conniving ways of Satan’s wolf.  Yet, not even Moses could stand up to every test.  Not one of the apostles Jesus sent out with His Word could stand alone to win the fight against the main predator in this ongoing war.  This is why faithful preachers and pastors rely solely on the Word of our God as they lead Jesus’ lambs in the wilderness of earth.

You might say that our Good Shepherd had to have skin in the game.  Thus, Jesus covered His divinity in human flesh to destroy Satan and rescue God’s most precious creation from the jaws of our most ancient enemy.  That’s why we needed the Good Shepherd.  Only God’s Son had the necessary desire, tools, and strength to repel every assault of the wicked ones.  He said, “I am the Good Shepherd.  I know my sheep and my sheep know me (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father).  And I lay down my life for the sheep.”  Jesus knows exactly what we need for salvation, and He knows exactly what is needed for our sanctification.  For our salvation, Jesus lived in perfect obedience to all His Father desires so that we could be counted holy.  Furthermore, Jesus gave His life in exchange for ours so that our debt of sin is paid in full. 

Still, not content just to pay the price to redeem our souls, The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life.  Knowing that we need to hear the Good News of all He has done to give us life, Jesus sends pastors and teachers with the instruction, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples.  You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) and with the command, “Go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  He gives children to parents and instructs them to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

As Jesus gave His disciples these final instructions, He wanted those men to know that His salvation isn’t limited to only the clans of their forefathers.  God gave His Son into suffering and death because He desired salvation to be available to all people.  Thus, Jesus says, I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” 

In our world, there are numerous religions, and nearly uncountable denominations and organizations that claim to worship God, or that pretend to have another road to peace.  However, only one way leads to everlasting life and the glory of heaven.  This side of heaven, we may not always know who are among the flock of our God, but Jesus knows.  Furthermore, it is evident here on earth that wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, and the Sacraments rightly administered, there will be those who hear the voice of the Savior and follow Him.  Someday, as we are gathered around the throne of heaven, it will be perfectly clear who has heard our Savior’s voice and loved the sound of His call.  We will be gathered forever around His throne giving praise to the Lamb who was slain, who yet lives and reigns over all things for the good of those whom His Father has elected to enjoy eternal peace.

There are occasionally those who want to blame the Jews for killing Jesus, or the Roman soldiers for nailing Him to the cross.  However, all those people who brought their false accusations against Jesus, and the crowds who shouted, “Crucify Him!”, and the governor who decreed the sentence were doing exactly what God had planned would happen to His Son so that we might believe in Him and live.  That doesn’t excuse their behavior, but God worked through their evil to bring good for you and me, and for them too, if they later came to believe in Jesus.  But none of those forces was in control of the events that day.  No, that would be Jesus, alone, for He assured His disciples, “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.  This is the commission I received from my Father.”

Of course, God didn’t start loving Jesus because He was willing to lay down His life for God’s flock.  No, God has always loved His Son for they abide in the perfect harmony of their shared nature.  Still, watching His Son live the life we needed, and giving up His life in exchange for ours, the Father confirmed His love from heaven, saying in thunderous voice, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

Still today, Jesus is living to protect His flock from the wicked one, to preserve us from danger, and to work saving faith in those God has chosen.  As part of the promise that The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life, Jesus promised His disciples, “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) 

A real shepherd does more than just stand and watch, or even just walk at the head of the flock.  He observes the flock with a knowledgeable, trained eye, so that whatever they need, he is ready to supply.  When new grazing fields are needed to nourish the flock, he guides them there.  He knows when they need water and where to find it.  At all times, he remains ever vigilant against the enemies that would steal a lamb or a weakened sheep from the flock.

In like manner, our Good Shepherd always has His eye on you, ready to supply your every need, to heal your hurts, and to guide you through the perils of this cold and troubled world.  Then, especially with His Word and Sacrament, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, builds a fence around us to protect us from the wily ways of the old predator, so that the old evil foe can never again snatch us away from the Father’s love. 

Dear friends, rejoice in the love of your Lord, your Savior and Redeemer.  The Good Shepherd shepherds us to eternal life.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace—who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, in connection with his blood, which established the eternal testament—may he equip you with every good thing to do his will, as he works in us what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.  To him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.

 

Sermon for Easter 2, April 7, 2024

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Amen.

Acts 18:1-11  After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.  ²There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.  Paul went to see them.  ³Because he had the same occupation, he stayed and worked with them, for they were tentmakers by trade.  ⁴Every Sabbath he led a discussion in the synagogue, trying to persuade both Jews and Greeks.  ⁵When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was entirely devoted to preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.  ⁶But when they opposed Paul and slandered him, he shook out his clothes and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads!  I am innocent.  From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”  ⁷He left that place and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshipper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.  ⁸Crispus, the synagogue leader, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household.  And many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.  ⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking, and do not be silent.  ¹⁰For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.”  ¹¹He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (EHV)

Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.

Dear friends in Christ,

            Thomas, our Lord Jesus’ disciple, found it impossible to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, that is, until Jesus stood before him, personally, so that Thomas could put his finger in the nail wounds and his hand in Jesus’ side.  In response to Thomas’ reluctance to believe what he hadn’t seen with his own eyes, Jesus promised people like you and me, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)  Here, in our sermon text, we see that among those whom God has called into His kingdom, they are Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.

Many people assume that faith is a decision people make of their own volition.  Yet, in our text we find many Jews who refused to listen to Paul’s expounding of Jesus as the promised Messiah.  In fact, after hearing Paul preach a few times, many of those Jews, who had access to all the prophets’ writings, and thus should have been most eager to hear about the Savior coming into the world, were, like their brethren in Jerusalem, stubbornly refusing to believe that Jesus could be the Savior God promised to their forefathers.  In their stubborn refusal to hear God’s messenger, those who rejected the Gospel of Christ Jesus consigned themselves to eternal torment.

Now, it would be nice, marvelous in fact, if we could say this type of foolish rejection no longer happens.  Yet again, experience tells us that it is at least as common today.  Far too many are the supposedly intelligent people who rely on human wisdom rather than trust in the words of our God.  I am certain there is not a person in this room who has not lamented a child, a relative, or a neighbor who has either abandoned faith in Christ Jesus, or who has refused to listen in the first place.

St. Paul, in his love for his fellow Jews, and his concern for their eternal salvation, had diligently preached in the synagogue of every town he came to, hoping to bring the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to his own people who had been looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises for two thousand years.  Still, in city after city, Paul’s efforts among his fellow countrymen often fell on deaf ears.  In Corinth, Paul’s fellow Jews went so far as to blaspheme Jesus and slander Paul in their stubborn rejection of the Good News of all Jesus has done for them.  Finally, Paul turned his efforts to those who were willing to listen.  “When they opposed Paul and slandered him, he shook out his clothes and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads!  I am innocent.  From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!’”

Jesus had chosen Paul to be His apostle sent especially to the Gentiles, those people not of Jewish background.  Still, in his faithfulness to his Savior, Paul never neglected the Jews.  The Holy Spirit had worked faith in Paul to such an extent that he too wanted all people to know Jesus as Savior and Lord and thus believe in Christ for life and salvation.  Furthermore, as Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness.  Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  So, Paul never gave up on even the stubborn.

Even so, Jesus had commanded His disciples, “If anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.  Amen I tell you: It will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” (Matthew 10:14-15)  The Lord has infinite patience with people and wants all to be saved.  Yet, He will not forever put up with those who refuse His grace.  Along with Paul, and in line with God’s will, we pray for those who turn away from the Lord that at some point they will again open their ears to His Word and return in faith.  At the same time, we must acknowledge that those who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus will suffer eternal condemnation.

Still, if that were our focus, how melancholy our work would be.  If we spent all our time lamenting those who refuse God’s marvelous Gospel, how many others would hear the Good News and believe?  And, that is the point of our text, that the Lord blessed Paul’s work in the same city where his fellow Jews turned him away.  One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking, and do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 

In that riotous city, known far and wide for its immoral activities and idolatrous paganism, God had chosen many to hear and believe the message of Christ crucified for sinners.  Some of those new Christians were Jews, some had been Gentile proselytes to the Jewish faith who likewise now saw the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, but many were former idol worshippers who were so glad to hear of a Savior who actually did something for them rather than a religion that demanded continual efforts to appease the imagined angry, sullen, helpless idols of the pagan religions.  Those converts to Christianity of varied backgrounds were Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.

There are some in our world who claim that God works without means and will elect believers to salvation primarily through miraculous ways.  However, there is nothing in the Bible that promises that fable.  Rather, the Holy Spirit caused St. Paul to write, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  Because God intends to work saving faith through the means of hearing His Gospel message and by the power of Baptism, God sends out believers willing to share that forgiveness and salvation with others.

Paul and the other apostles spent their lives bringing Christ’s salvation peace to the world, first, in person, and then through the words they recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  God intended that written Word to be told to any and all who might listen, and the Holy Spirit works through that saving truth to develop and grow faith in formerly lost sinners.  Always, it is the Holy Spirit giving faith, for the Bible says, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)

Because faith came to us in just this way, we too have been Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.  Just as the Father in heaven loved us when He sent His Son to live, die, and rise again for us, He loved us also by sending the Holy Spirit through the Word of the Gospel to bring us this saving gift.  Furthermore, this is such a marvelous message and gift, because the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf wiped away the guilt that was inherent in all of us.  Furthermore, even if we were once stubborn, rebellious, and hateful against those who willingly brought us to God’s house, our Savior has paid for our sins.

It is undeniable that we all have had moments in which we didn’t want to hear what God has said.  No person, other than Christ, has ever had a perfect faith or trust in the Almighty.  Yet, because Jesus lived that perfect trust in His Father in heaven, and He obeyed perfectly every authority placed over Him on earth, and because Jesus rejoiced to absorb every scrap of the Word of the Bible, you and I are counted as perfectly righteous through faith in Jesus which covers our guilt with His holiness.

Dear friends, last Sunday, we celebrated, again, the resurrection of our Lord from the dead.  Now, as we peer into our futures, we know that most of us are likely to face death before Jesus returns to judge the world.  For many, that can be a terrifying, disturbing reality to face, and will be even more so for those unbelievers alive when Christ returns in glory.  Yet, knowing what Jesus has done for us, and being blessed with faith in Christ, which the Holy Spirit has implanted in us by His Holy Word, we can go about our days, and even face our end in sure hope, the certain confidence that our futures are secure in heaven.  Our Lord Jesus rose from the dead so that we have living proof of His victory over sin and Satan, and the sure promise that we too will be raised, “For as in Adam they all die, so also in Christ they all will be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ as the firstfruits and then Christ’s people, at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23)  We are indeed Blessed to hear the Word of our Lord.  Amen.

The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with you all.  Amen.

Vindication.

 

Sermon for Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Amen.

Mark 16:1-8  When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint Jesus.  ²Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.  ³They were saying to each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb for us?”  ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.  ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.  ⁶He said to them, “Do not be alarmed.  You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid him.  ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him, just as he told you.’”  ⁸They went out and hurried away from the tomb, trembling and perplexed.  They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (EHV)

Vindication.

            They called Him a traitor to Rome but demanded His crucifixion because they considered Him a traitor to Israel.  They accused Him a blaspheming against God, but demanded His death for telling the truth that He is the Son of God.  They couldn’t find even two witnesses against Jesus who could agree on an accusation of any sin, but He was crucified because of the sins of the world.  He gave no thought to His own wealth, safety, or power, but Jesus was crucified because they were jealous.

Dear beloved ones in Christ Jesus,

            Vindication is the condition of being proven right or innocent.  In the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Jesus proves that He is the Son of God, that He was innocent of all sin, that everything He promised is true, that God is faithful in everything He had prophesied, that we are forgiven of all sin, and that those who believe in Him will live and never die.

Far too often, the prophecies God had provided through His prophets were either ignored or misunderstood.  Even those who knew the prophecies pointed to the promised Messiah refused to believe that Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s promises.  The people of Israel were looking for a warrior-king, someone who could wrest them from the Roman overlords and set up Israel as the major power on earth. 

There are still some Jews who think that God’s prophecy of a Savior applies to the people of Abraham’s descendants, but with Jesus rising from the dead, all doubt is removed.  Jesus is the only Man who foretold His dying and rising again and made it come true.  To all the doubters of the world, God has been proven faithful to His promises.  The Savior of the world has come, has lived, died, and risen from the tomb of death victorious over all enemies.  Therefore, in Jesus’ resurrection, we find vindication of the Father in heaven who promised a Seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. (Genesis 3:14)

Jesus was sentenced to die by the Sanhedrin, ostensibly because He was blaspheming against God when He claimed to be the Son of God.  The men who worked so hard to see Him killed even mocked Jesus on the cross for that true statement.  Now, there can be no doubt.  No on else could ever endure what Jesus went through for you and me, could be whipped, crucified, pierced with a spear to the heart, and be pronounced certifiably dead, then buried, and still rise from the dead. 

The soldiers who were posted to guard His tomb, so that no one could steal the body and make a false claim, confirmed the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, for they went to Jesus’ enemies and recounted the truth of what they had seen.  They thus vindicated their fellow soldier, the Roman centurion who observed Jesus’ death and with terror in his voice declared, “Truly He was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54)

Numerous times in His three years of teaching His disciples, Jesus told them how He would suffer and die at the hands of the scribes and Pharisees, but He also told them that on the third day He would rise from the grave.  The disciples never seemed to understand this promise.  Jesus also told Martha, after her brother Lazarus was dead in the grave for four days, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies.  And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.” (John 11:25-26)  Still, Martha was shocked when Jesus called out Lazarus’ name and he came out of the tomb four days after he died and was buried.  Here again, in His own resurrection, God the Son is vindicated in His claims, and just as important, in His prophecies and His promises. 

The members of the Jewish ruling council heard about this miracle of raising Lazarus, and decided Jesus had to die lest He continue to draw believers to Himself.  In their jealousy, those men refused to believe what Jesus promised, and because they feared Him, they plotted His death.  They feared that if Jesus gained the trust of more people, the Romans might come and take away their positions of power.  In spite of all evidence, they convinced themselves that Jesus was a fraud.  Yet, here in the moment of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, His mission to save sinners is vindicated.  Jesus wasn’t seeking an earthly kingdom but the salvation of many souls.  Thus, when He had risen from the grave, Jesus didn’t start a rebellion against Rome, but He initiated the spread of the Good News of Christ crucified for sinners and faith in Him to give life everlasting.

For three years, a number of women had followed Jesus with the sincere belief that He was God’s promised Redeemer and Savior sent to reign over heaven and earth forever.  The disciples, likewise also, especially Peter, had devoted those years to following Jesus as students, giving up careers to learn at Jesus’ feet, convinced that He had “the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)  Peter’s own words testify to this trust.  In the time of trial, however, even the most faithful followers among them lost their hope.  Yet, what they had hoped for was not gone, for when Jesus gave up His life, He was doing exactly what they had been promised so that all their confidence in Him was vindicated. 

Jesus was never defeated by the Sanhedrin, by Pontius Pilate, by Herod, or even by sin, death, or the devil.  Every part of Jesus’ life and death went exactly as His Father in heaven had planned, from His birth through His resurrection after dying, so that you and I and all who believe in Jesus are forgiven of all sin, because Jesus paid for the sins of the world.  The perfectly holy Lamb of God bearing the sins for every fallen man, women, and child.  Thus, under the inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul wrote:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin. God condemned sin in his flesh, so that the righteous decree of the law would be fully satisfied in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. (Romans 8:1-4)

Dear friends, you and I have perhaps faced some of the mockery that was thrown against Jesus while He was nailed to that cross.  Many of our world still refuse to believe that Jesus is God’s Son sent to save sinners.  In fact, many refuse to believe they are sinners, and often even celebrate their vile wickedness.  Because Jesus no longer walks the earth, those mockers question why anyone would believe in Him.  They reject everything God has said, because they don’t see it presently with their eyes.

Regardless of what the evil world might claim, you and I can go forth boldly through our time here on earth, vindicated in our faith, knowing without a doubt that because Jesus rose from the dead, our sins are removed from us as far as east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)  We can go about our days confident that God has forgiven our sins and remembers them no more. (Hebrews 8:12)  Though Jesus’ enemies accused Him of a multitude of sins, we are vindicated for believing God’s proud proclamation “This is my Son, whom I love.  I am well pleased with him.” (Matthew 3:17)  In light of Jesus’ resurrection at the exact time He promised to rise from the dead, we can boldly put our trust in all of God’s Word, especially that which says, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

With all believers in Christ Jesus, from Eve who believed God’s promise of a Savior who would crush the serpent’s head, to Job who looked forward in faith to seeing his Redeemer in the flesh, (Job 19:25-26) to Abraham who believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, (Genesis 15:6) to those women surprised by the angel at the tomb until the last believer in Jesus draws breath upon the earth, we can walk confidently and with great boldness of faithful joy singing,

I know that my Redeemer lives;

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, He lives, who once was dead;

He lives my ever-living Head.  Amen.  Amen.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace—who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, in connection with his blood, which established the eternal testament—may he equip you with every good thing to do his will, as he works in us what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.  To him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Evidence.

 

Sermon for Good Friday, March 29, 2024

Matthew 27:38-54  ³⁸At the same time two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.  ³⁹People who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!  If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”  ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests, experts in the law, and elders kept mocking him.  They said, ⁴²“He saved others, but he cannot save himself.  If he’s the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  ⁴³He trusts in God.  Let God rescue him now, if he wants him, because he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  ⁴⁴In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him kept insulting him.  ⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land.  ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  ⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.”  ⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine.  Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink.  ⁴⁹The rest said, “Leave him alone.  Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” ⁵⁰After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  ⁵¹Suddenly, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and rocks were split.  ⁵²Tombs were opened, and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised to life.  ⁵³Those who came out of the tombs went into the holy city after Jesus’ resurrection and appeared to many people.  ⁵⁴When the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God. (EHV)

Evidence.

Dear sorrowing friends,

In our skeptical age, the world still cries out for evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be.  Just as on that day some now call Black Friday, and we call, Good Friday, there are many mockers in the crowd.  For everyone who believes in God’s promises of redemption, there are likely many who question whether Jesus actually ever lived.  There are a host of people who imitate the mockers who challenged Jesus to come down from the cross to prove that He really is God’s Son.  Still, today, there are those who demand signs and wonders before they will believe in Jesus.

We don’t have to go back to Golgotha to hear the mockery.  It is all around us every day.  It’s in the voices of those who demand proof outside of the Bible accounts.  It’s in the actions of the many who sneer at God’s invitation to come hear His holy Word in our worship services.  It’s in the actions of the many who at their confirmations claimed they would be faithful even unto death, but they no longer enter the church because faith in Jesus doesn’t matter to them anymore.  Perhaps, it is even in us whenever we wonder about how well Jesus is taking care of us, or when we wonder why He allows us to hurt, to still have sickness, war, and death.

Yet, the evidence is here, right in front of us, that Jesus is who He claimed to be.  That He really did live and die for your sins and mine.  The evidence is in the historical recordings of those men who watched the events of Jesus’ life and the actions and miracles of the Son God sent into the world through birth from the Virgin Mary.  The testimony of a multitude of eyewitnesses should make us believe and never doubt.  The Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah were fulfilled to the last dot and tittle.  Every little bit of Jesus’ life and death lines up with those signs to look for.

And what does the eyewitness testimony tell us today?  We see the One who the crowds welcomed as the Son of David nailed to a shameful cross—The One against whom no two witnesses could find any sin or fault, being put to death in the most horrible way known to man at the time for crimes He didn’t commit, but also for His faithful testimony that He is the Son of God and the promised Messiah.  We hear in their eyewitness reports the mockery of the crowds who rejected Jesus.  But mostly, we hear Jesus’ voice cry out the mournful plea, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  The true Son of God, who in His whole earthly life had depended on His heavenly Father’s direction and strength, there on the cross suffering the torment of separation you and I deserved for our sins.

God had declared through His prophet, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:20)  Yet, so that He might save the many who were subject to this curse, God punished His Son so that many might believe in Him and live.  And Jesus suffered all the torments of hell so that you and I don’t have to.  He took that separation from God that you and I couldn’t escape on our own.

The skeptic still demands proof.  Most of them won’t even read the Bible, and if they do, they don’t read looking to find the truth.  Rather, many look for things to challenge.  Yet, the evidence is there.  Further proof that Jesus was carrying out His Father’s plan right to the last letter is right here before us. 

In crucifixion, most of the victims slowly suffocate.  Jesus had said He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again. (John10:18)  Here we see Jesus speak loudly, both when He calls out His agony, and as He gives up His life.  The psalmist wrote about the Lamb of God who makes Himself the Victim in our place, “You notice trouble and grief.  You take it into your own hands.” (Psalm 10:14)

The victory of the eternal Victim is also evident in our text.  Matthew reports that as Jesus gave up His life, the very ground beneath their feet shook in agony of the loss.  The temple curtain, that divided the most holy place where the seat of God was kept separate from the people, was torn in two from top to bottom, indicating to the world that our separation from God has ended.  Jesus’ power over death was again shown to the world as the graves of saints who had believed in Jesus were sprung open and the believers restored to life.  After Jesus’ resurrection, they appeared to many in the holy city and were seen by many witnesses.

Finally, even the opponents, the enemies and idol worshippers who nailed Jesus to the cross were convinced by what they saw and heard.  Terrified they cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God.

Dear friends, the proof and all the evidence anyone ever needs is all there in the holy writings.  You and I can walk confident in everything you have been taught about Jesus.  As for the others who surround us—well, we can’t argue them into believing.  But the testimony of God’s Word is true, and it is powerful.  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, just tell them what you have seen and heard.  Tell them what the eyewitnesses said, and let the Holy Spirit do His work. 

“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)  Still, the Good News of all that Jesus did in His life and death to save sinners is all the power that is needed to bring life and salvation to even the hardest heart. 

The skeptic asks, “Why, if Jesus has the power to give life and to save, didn’t He save His own life?”  The answer is found in the love of God, who gave His own beloved Son into death so that many others might truly live and never die.  The answer is found in the Son who refused to come down from the cross until He took death away from you and me.  The answer is even more apparent just three days hence when the grave, in which they laid Jesus’ body, is thrown wide open for all the world to see that Jesus has conquered death and the devil, so that we may dwell eternally in God’s presence in heaven. 

To Him who lived and died for you and me, may all glory be given.  Amen.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless in the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and to all eternity.  Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

A new covenant given for you.

 

Sermon for Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

Luke 22:7-20  ⁷The day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when it was necessary to sacrifice the Passover lamb.  ⁸Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”  ⁹They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”  ¹⁰He told them, “Just as you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.  Follow him into the house that he enters.  ¹¹Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’  ¹²He will show you a large, furnished upper room.  Make preparations there.”  ¹³They went and found things just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.  ¹⁴When the hour had come, Jesus reclined at the table with the twelve apostles.  ¹⁵He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, ¹⁶for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”  ¹⁷He took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves, ¹⁸for I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”  ¹⁹He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  ²⁰In the same way, he took the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is being poured out for you.” (EHV)

A new covenant given for you.

Dear friends of the Lamb,

            It’s hard to imagine anyone being more alone than Jesus.  I know that sounds silly, because Jesus had been surrounded by massive crowds for three years, and He gathered that night with His twelve closest disciples.  Yet, consider how alone Jesus was in His human condition.  He alone was the only perfectly righteous Man ever to live after the fall into sin.  Therefore, in every aspect of life, Jesus kept Himself separate even as He interacted with others.  Where people might make crude jokes, Jesus stood apart as perfectly innocent.  When temptations struck those around Him, Jesus remained resistant to the temptation—holy in every thought, word, and deed.

Even more so, as Jesus carried out His ministry, almost everyone who came to Jesus, came because they were seeking help only He could give.  They came for healing from every kind of disease.  They came to Him when they were hungry.  They came asking Him to decide between arguing brothers.  They came always with their hands out looking for a favor, for an answer to questions.  They came expecting Jesus, alone, to build for them a world-wide kingdom of power and dominance.

As Jesus gathered with His disciples that night, only Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him.  Again, Jesus was all alone.  He knew that Judas had arranged to betray Him.  Jesus knew that each of those disciples would run away in His time of trial.  He knew that Peter would deny even knowing Him.  He knew the crowds that welcomed Him into Jerusalem with great shouts of acclaim just days earlier would, that next early morning, cry out for crucifixion of this Son of David.  No one would stand with Jesus.

Perhaps that is the rub isn’t it?  People came to Jesus with all kinds of selfish expectations, but few, if any, came to Jesus because they knew Him as their Savior from sin.  Of course, that is the way it had to be, because we all were separated from God by sin.  None of us could do anything on our own to be reconciled with God, so God came to earth in His Son to establish A new covenant given for you.

The Passover meal was an annual event that commemorated God’s deliverance of the people of Israel from their bondage of slavery in Egypt.  In that meal, the people ate the flesh of the lamb whose blood saved them from the avenging angel as he passed through Egypt striking down every first born in the land.  Now, the first born of God and Mary declared, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”  Was it because He was lonely that Jesus wanted to eat this meal with His friends?  Was it because He loved the ceremony that caused Jesus to say this?

No, all of this was God’s plan from the moment sin entered the world.  God created this world to have a peaceful, loving relationship with the people He had created in His image.  Yet, that image was soon shattered in mankind by sin.  Therefore, Jesus eagerly desired to eat this meal, because His whole purpose in life was the culmination of God’s plan to reconcile Himself with mankind—to reconnect mankind with the image of God through the sacrifice of His Son to cover the sins of all people.

As Jesus reclined for that Passover meal, He knew full well the suffering, pain, mockery, and death He would undergo later that night and through the next day, as we count the days.  Still, He was eager to go through that to bring back together you and me, and all who believe, in harmony with God in heaven.  The original Passover was a two-way covenant in which God promised that those who followed His instructions would be protected from death.  God had made several other similar two-way covenants with Israel, but Israel had broken every covenant. 

Now, Jesus was giving a covenant of peace and reconciliation that was a declaration of God’s love for sinners, a promise of forgiveness and peace with God, a meal that puts in our mouths, sacramentally, the very body and blood of the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of all sinners of all time.  There was no if for our side to do.  There is no condition mankind must live up to in order to receive God’s promised blessing.

When Jesus took up the bread and the cup, He knew the sins of those who were receiving the bread and wine.  He knew they were being covered by His sacrifice.  He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is being poured out for you.” 

A testament is a covenant, a promise of action or gift.  God’s gift to us is the forgiveness of sins won for us in the suffering and death of His Son.  For every time we have acted like Peter and denied knowing Jesus because we were afraid to let people know He is our Savior, Jesus paid the price.  For every time we felt like Judas, when the temptations of the world pulled our hearts to grasp for something other than the love of God, Jesus paid the price.  For even those times when the devil whispers in our ears that we have sinned too greatly for God to forgive us, when that liar tries to steal away the grace of God from our hearts and make us feel worthless before the judgment of God, Jesus paid the price of death for you and me. 

Jesus holds out A new covenant given for you.  That is what this supper is all about.  This meal is not just a memorial to Jesus.  Certainly, He wants us to remember what He has done for us to rescue us from certain destruction, but this meal is about Jesus reminding us how He has reconnected us with God.  It is putting Jesus’ flesh and blood in our mouths, again sacramentally in with and under the bread and wine.  With every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is there in that meal showing us that He truly gave Himself as payment for our sins.  And, each time we eat and drink, trusting that Jesus has given us His righteousness in place of our sins, we preach Christ crucified for sinners to those around us.

I said Jesus was so alone in this world.  The reason He was in this world was to bring us back together with Him, and with each other.  Our sins had separated us from God, but how often don’t our sins separate us from each other as well?  With His holy life put on the line for us, and by taking all of our sins on Himself as He went to the cross to pay for sins He didn’t commit, Jesus was taking sin out of the picture.  With this meal, Jesus invites the repentant betrayer to partake and be healed.  With His flesh and blood in the bread and wine, Jesus is telling the repentant thief that his guilt is covered.  He tells all of us, no matter how much baggage of sin we carry, that we are welcome at the banquet feast of heaven because of what He suffered for us all.

No, Jesus doesn’t invite us to sin freely.  That would be a foolish idea.  Instead, He invites forgiven sinners to enter into His presence to be comforted and strengthened by a meal that cannot be compared to any other.  King David sang, “You set a table for me in the presence of my foes.” (Psalm 23:5)  That night, as Jesus knew Judas was betraying Him, and He knew the Jewish leaders were scheming His immediate death, as He knew the disciples would abandon Him in fear, Jesus set a table of peace for them—a meal to give them hope and strength for the future.  That is what Jesus gives us as well. 

Through His body and blood, Jesus is refreshing our trust in His sacrifice for our sins.  In this meal, Jesus is strengthening us to face the world which is always hostile to Him and to His Father’s will.  As we remember Jesus and proclaim His death until He comes with our eating and drinking, Jesus is also giving us confidence that our sins are forgiven, and we have peace with God that will never again be broken, because Jesus’ body broken for us brings us together again in one great fellowship in His body, the Church.

The day is coming when Jesus will return in glory.  A day is also coming for each of us to meet God face to face, whether as Jesus returns to judge the world on Judgement Day, or as we are gathered home in death.  Regardless of the way we are brought before God’s judgment, Jesus has established A new covenant given for you—a promise of peace—a surety of hope—a commitment from Jesus that we are welcome in God’s presence because of the sacrifice He made for you and me.  All sin was put on Jesus, so that the Father would count all people forgiven for Jesus’ sake, so that we may dine forever at the wedding banquet with our Savior and King in the everlasting glory of heaven.  Amen.

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.  Amen.