By the Son and Holy Spirit, the Father gives life.

 

Sermon for Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2021

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how untraceable his ways!  To Him the glory, and from Him grace and peace to you.  Amen.

John 3:1-15  ¹ There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  ² He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.”  ³ Jesus replied, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”  ⁵ Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God!  ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.  Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.  ⁷ Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above.  ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  ⁹ “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.  ¹⁰ “You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things?  ¹¹ Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen.  But you people do not accept our testimony.  ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.  ¹⁴ “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (EHV)

By the Son and Holy Spirit, the Father gives life.

Dear friends in Christ,

            It is well-known that Jesus and the Pharisees were not close friends.  In fact, for much of Jesus’ ministry on earth, that self-righteous bunch was intent on getting rid of Jesus.  All that being true, this prominent Pharisee, named Nicodemus, came to Jesus with apparently honest intentions, seeking answers to questions he never got around to asking.  Nicodemus may have wanted to ask Jesus about His mission, or why Jesus was doing what He was doing, but a more common question was at the root of Nicodemus’ perplexity, even if he hadn’t yet considered it.  Still, before Nicodemus asked even one of his questions, Jesus gave him the answer that is most important for us—By the Son and Holy Spirit, the Father gives life.

Now, from most of our experiences reading the Gospels, we might assume that Nicodemus was on a secret mission to trap Jesus in some statement that the leaders of Israel might use against Him.  However, in this instance, that doesn’t seem to be the case.  In fact, Nicodemus’ confession, as he comes secretly to Jesus, indicates that at least some of the Jewish leaders understood that there was something special about Jesus.  Nicodemus recognized that Jesus’ miracles were signs of His relationship with God.  It might make us ask, even more, why so many of Nicodemus’ colleagues chose to reject the signs Jesus did and to reject Jesus in the process?

Nicodemus “came to Jesus at night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.’”  The implied question is “What are You doing here?  What message did God send You to give to the people of Israel?”  It is an understatement to say that Jesus’ answer startled the Pharisee for he was shocked.  The Pharisees had long understood the writings of Moses and the prophets to be a rule book telling Israel how to please God and receive His blessings.  Furthermore, the Pharisees were more than a little proud of their efforts to placate the idol of their imaginations. 

Thus, that most common question at the back of Nicodemus’ mind that had led him to question Jesus is the simple query, “What must I do to be saved?”  That question is the reason Jesus answered as He did.  The Pharisee expected more commands, or perhaps, threats and warnings.  Jesus not only perplexed the man, but He surprised Him.  Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Jesus hit Nicodemus at the root of the problem.  The Pharisees, and most other people throughout history, believed that we get to heaven, or get Paradise on earth, by pleasing God.  Jesus, on the other hand, dashes all those hopes to hell.  Jesus’ point is that sinners cannot save themselves.  Inheriting the sins of our fathers, we can only repeat the sinful ways that lead to destruction.  Rather than more laws, threats, and warnings; we need a transformation.  We need a total change from death to life.  We need rebirth from a different Father, the holy One in heaven.

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”  The ago old problem we all face; Nicodemus’ mind was set on earthly things.  He couldn’t imagine any other kind of birth than what is ordinary to the world.

Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God!  Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.  Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  Our birth establishes a connection.  When we are born of our earthly parents, we inherit their sinful condition—and we inherit the condemnation that sin deserves.  Therefore, when we sinners expect to somehow work our way to holiness, we always come up short of God’s expectation.  However, Jesus brings us a different birth—a spiritual birth—that gives us a connection and family relationship with His Father in heaven.  Simply put, being born of water and the Spirit is baptism. 

Now, to the natural man, baptism doesn’t look powerful.  At best, many think it can only symbolize a spiritual cleaning, and if baptism were a human-devised ceremony, that would be true.  However, baptism was not devised by man, nor is it powered by human effort, nor is it merely ceremonial.  In baptism, God is active through the power of the Spirit to cleanse away our toxic sin and implant in us a new life and a new connection with our Father in heaven.  Baptism is God reaching down to earth to claim a new child for His kingdom in a personal adoption.  Because this activity is God’s work, done at His command and by His power and authority, we can confidently baptize new-born babies, knowing that in baptism God is claiming the helpless sinner as His own, giving life to the lifeless, and holiness and hope to one who doesn’t even yet know it is needed.

To the skeptic, Jesus says, “Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above.  The wind blows where it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  The human mind wants to understand how everything works.  This is commendable in earthly things.  However, when it comes to spiritual things, we simply must bow before God’s authority.  By the power of His spoken word, God brought into existence every created thing.  Since we believe that, why should any believer question whether God can give forgiveness and everlasting life through His spoken promises?  The answer, of course, is that we should simply believe God.

YET, “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.  So many people have questioned every part of God’s Word in the same exact way.  How could God create the world in six days?  How could Jesus die yet return to life on the third day?  How can our Savior be both God and Man?

Jesus answered the reluctant hearer, “You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things?  Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen.  But you people do not accept our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”  Finally, it must be admitted that no one can believe any of this on his own ability or strength.  No human could imagine God’s salvation plan.  No mortal could develop the system of Christianity and make it work.  However, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  Or, as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  We preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:24-25)

The answer as always is Jesus.  He told Nicodemus, “No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.”  Dwelling now in heaven above, yet remaining continually with us through faith, Jesus has the answers because He is God’s Son.  Why should anyone accept the arguments of ordinary men?  Why give credence to the temptations of spirits who want nothing more than to destroy you?  Reject all such thoughts, because we have a sure and reliable witness to God’s plan to save us: the testimony and life of God’s Son, for “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, … all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and all things hold together in him.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

So that there can be no doubt about God’s plan to save sinners, Jesus gave Nicodemus a hint of things to come.  He said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  This forecast leads both to our salvation and the surety of our hope.  In these words, Jesus explains God’s long-term plan.  Since the beginning, and even before that, God had a plan in motion to save sinners like you and me.  Though all of us would sin against God and deserve eternal punishment, God works out our salvation through faith in His Son as our Savior—a faith the Holy Spirit works in us through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.  Thus, the message of our text: By the Son and Holy Spirit, the Father gives life.

Jesus pointed Nicodemus to the account of a time in Israel’s forty-year wilderness wandering when they were afflicted by deadly snakes.  At God’s command, Moses molded a bronze serpent and mounted it on a tree.  Whenever a person was bitten by one of those deadly serpents, he was to look to that bronze snake believing God would heal him, and he would live.  Those who refused to look or did not believe would surely die.  The history says that is exactly what happened.

The same is true for us and Jesus.  God’s Son made Himself in our image by taking on human flesh.  Holy and perfect in Himself Jesus was lifted up and nailed to a cross to suffer and die for our poisonous deeds.  Those who believe in Jesus are granted healing and total forgiveness, while those who reject the Son will surely receive eternal death in hell. 

Dear friends, this morning, we celebrate the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three persons in One God—working in unison to rescue sinners like you and me from the power of the devil, death, and our own personal weaknesses and sins.  God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to be our everlasting Savior.  The Son gave His life and rose again so that we may live forever.  The Spirit gave us the Word and works saving faith in us through that Word of peace.  Therefore, we are saved because God brought us to faith in that perfect One who fulfilled all of God’s plan for our salvation.  Believe it and rejoice; By the Son and Holy Spirit, the Father gives life.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen. 

God made peace with you all in Christ Jesus.

 

Sermon for Pentecost, May 23, 2021

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Ephesians 2:17-22  ¹⁷He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  ¹⁹So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.  ²⁰You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone.  ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  ²²In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (EHV)

God made peace with you all in Christ Jesus.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

            As you read through the letter to the Ephesians and consider Paul’s farewell address to that congregation in the book of Acts, you see that there is a necessary tension in the life of the Christian Church.  On the one hand, Christian congregations must be ever vigilant against false doctrine and false teachers.  At the same time, we must recognize that we have a real fellowship with all other members of the true Christian Church, what we Lutherans would call Christ’s “invisible Church.”

As St. Paul bid his farewell with tears, he warned the elders in Ephesus, “Always keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, … I know that after my departure savage wolves, who will not spare the flock, will come in among you.  Even from your own group men will rise up, twisting the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  Therefore be always on the alert!” (Acts 20:28-31) 

Many people wonder why there are so many divisions in the Christian Church today, and the answer is simply that so many teachers have run after ideas that are not in line with God’s Word as given through His chosen apostles and prophets.  It is, therefore, both mandatory and spiritually necessary that we keep ourselves separate from those who betray Christ by teaching things other then what God has said in His Word.  To do less would mean putting the eternal lives of ourselves and our fellow believers in serious jeopardy, because those who seek salvation through any other means than complete trust in Christ have separated themselves from Christ. (Galatians 5:4)

The other side of this necessary tension is that even though we are required to separate from any group that teaches false doctrine and refuses to be corrected, we look forward to the day that we will have real fellowship with all Christians, for our sermon text makes it clear that we have true peace in that Invisible Church, because God made peace with you all in Christ Jesus.

The “savage wolves” Paul had warned about were now swarming around the Ephesian congregation.  Those teachers may or may not have had bad intentions, but they were also leading people to believe that to be saved in Christ one must also follow all the requirements that necessarily burdened the Children of Israel.  Those Old Testaments laws were intended to separate God’s people from the unbelieving world.  However, by His perfect life and death, Christ had fulfilled the law and set His people free from those requirements.  All the dietary restrictions, sacrifices, and circumcision were no longer warranted, for none of those things did anything to save.

That brings us to our sermon text: “He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.”  Jesus didn’t come into the world to be a new Moses who would demand more obedience to laws.  Instead, Jesus came to be the peace with God we needed.  What Jesus preached as He walked the earth was forgiveness and peace through faith in Him.  More than that, this is the same message Jesus had His apostles, His representatives on earth, preach to peoples far and near.  The apostles preached that Good News first to the Jews and then Paul, especially, carried that wonderful message of freeing forgiveness to the gentiles who formerly knew nothing about Jesus.  The Jews had been a people close to God by His decision and work.  Now, this is true also for all who hear the message of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.”  Someone was teaching the Ephesians that they had to become Jews to be saved.  However, no one is saved by obedience to law—not the Jews and certainly not anyone else.

However, through Christ’s obedience to His Father’s will, and His fulfillment of every requirement the law had laid down, we all are granted access to God the Father by faith in Jesus.  Better than simply the permission to pray to God, we were welcomed into God’s own household.  He made every person who believes in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer to be welcome citizens in His heavenly kingdom.  As the apostle 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 [us] 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.” (Romans 8:1-3)

Because this is most certainly true, we rejoice for every believer in Christ, even those currently afflicted in false teaching churches.  Those who truly trust in Jesus will be saved, and they are part of the fellowship of believers.  At the same time, we pray for them, because they are being tormented by those who teach misleading and corrupting things, and the souls who remain in those churches are in grave danger.  That is why Paul pointed the Ephesians back to the source of their joy and salvation.

Paul wrote, “You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”  Paul uses the metaphor of a great temple being built up for God, by God Himself.  A temple built not of stone, or wood, or precious metal, but being built up of all those precious souls who have been brought to believe and trust in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Our backgrounds, nationalities, skin color, language—none of that matters—what matters is faith in Christ Jesus, given to us individually by the work of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.

Everything centers on Christ Jesus.  Apart from Jesus, there is no salvation.  Apart from His message of grace as laid out in the Bible, there is no part in this great temple.  Those who trust in themselves, in their own works, or in any other false or misleading message are nothing more than rubble and firewood that will be cast out into the flames of destruction come Judgement Day. 

Paul reminded his readers, “You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone.”  His point is that no one should abandon the grace of God when salvation has been given to him or her through this building process.  Through faith in Jesus, God has made us His own holy temple to glorify His name forever, so don’t ever turn away from His loving grace.

All of this brings us to the message of Pentecost.  Today, we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s Church.  We, of course, remember the impressive display of the Spirit’s power on that long ago day when the apostles were anointed with the fire of the Spirit.  However, every believer in Jesus became so by the same Spirit’s power and work.  The message Peter preached to the crowds that first Pentecost remains true for us, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)  The real gift of the Holy Spirit, as Paul reiterates here, is faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote, “In him [that is in Christ] the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”  By the Holy Spirit’s working through Word and Sacrament, God is building you and me, piece by piece, into exactly the Church He has planned to fill His heaven.  There is no obedience of law, no work of sinful people, no monetary contribution, no anything of earth that can bring us into God’s presence.  Only the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send to His disciples can do it.

Dear friends, this message is our great joy, and our sure confidence.  There is nothing we can do to be saved, but the Lord has done everything needed to save us.  We cannot believe in Jesus on our own, but the Holy Spirit provided the message that transformed us from dead unbelief to living faith.  We could not satisfy God’s justice, but Jesus did.  We could not find God, but the Holy Spirit found us through the proclamation of the Good News of all that God has done to reconcile Himself with you and me.  We could not achieve peace with God, but Jesus has won our forgiveness and has given to us peace everlasting in His high, holy kingdom.

Another part of our great joy is that, in heaven, there will never be any divisions among faithful people.  In heaven, there won’t be one church for this kind of believer and something else for others, for we will all be one in Christ Jesus.  To that end, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we maintain the tension that is needed in God’s Church, holding firmly and unwavering to all that the Lord has told us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  We hold firmly and unashamedly to the clear message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus only, as written in the Bible.

Furthermore, we look forward to that day when we will be united again with our Lord and Savior, in company with all our fellow believers, for we trust the Spirit’s promise, that “In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.  There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

Rejoice and give thanks, dear friends, God made peace with you all in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

God gives life to His people.

 

Sermon for Easter 7, Exaudi, May 16, 2021

Grace to you and peace from Him who is, who was, and who is coming.  Amen.

Ezekiel 36:25-27  ²⁵ I will sprinkle purifying water on you, and you will be clean.  I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your filthy idols.  ²⁶ Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you.  I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.  ²⁷ I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances. (EHV)

God gives life to His people.

Dear disciples of the ascended Lord,

            The liturgy for the final Sunday in the Easter season adds a hint of melancholy to the normally joyous Eastertide, perhaps recalling the uncertainty the apostles experienced after their Savior and Lord ascended to heaven while they waited with uneasy expectation for the mysterious Helper Jesus promised to send.  There was so much Jesus’ disciples didn’t yet understand.  Yet, while they waited for the Spirit of the Lord to bring them better understanding of God’s salvation plan, they could turn to that which was already certain: God’s message of grace in Moses and the prophets. 

This morning, we focus on God’s gracious promise of deliverance and rescue given to God’s people through the prophet, Ezekiel.  In these words, we see how God has glorified Himself by bringing salvation to sinners like you and me.  There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, but in His great mercy and for the glory of His holy name, God gives life to His people.

By the time of our sermon text, centuries of vile idol worship and disregard for God’s instruction and care had caused the Lord to become completely disgusted with the people of Judah.  Three separate times, large numbers of God’s chosen people were carted off into exile in Babylon.  Ezekiel, one of the few remaining faithful ones, was carried off along with thousands who, at the time of this prophecy, had been in exile for more than ten years with fifty more ahead of them.  Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed.  There was no reason for the Lord to offer any future to such an unfaithful people, but for the honor of His name, God would keep His promises. 

For you and me, the story is the same.  There was nothing good or honorable in us that would make God desire us. (Psalm 8:4)  Born in sin, we had nothing to offer.  Yet, God does not condemn just because we are born sinners.  Sinners are the only people God wants to save, because there are no other kind. 

Still, God is faithful to His promises.  From the time Adam and Eve first sinned, God had been promising a Savior.  The Lord kept His promise even when the world became so vile God felt obligated to destroy it completely.  Thus, He saved a remnant alive through that worldwide flood to rebuild a people for His name.  By the time Israel was languishing in slavery in Egypt, there was precious little faith left to warrant God intervening for Abraham’s descendants, but again, God remained true to His promises and for His own name’s sake, He rescued that people and delivered them to the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This story line is repeated throughout the Bible.  St. Paul quoted the ancient writers, “There is no one who is righteous, not even one.  There is no one who understands.  There is no one who searches for God.  They all turned away; together they became useless.  There is no one who does what is good; there is not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

This prophecy in our sermon text, given through Ezekiel, wasn’t given because anyone deserved it.  Rather, God was committed to keeping His name pure, and He was committed to showing love to a people who don’t deserve it but needed His mercy. 

You and I should have nothing but gratitude in our hearts, because it is God’s love that has shown mercy to us.  What Ezekiel wrote is fulfilled in people like you and me.  Because of God’s great love, mercy, and grace, we have been delivered from the curse of death by a rite that on its surface seems too simple to make any difference.  When God has one of His servants take simple water, has him sprinkle or pour those few handfuls over the head of a child, or an adult, then with the promise of the Gospel and the application of God’s name as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God Himself cleanses us from sin and gives life to His people. 

Through Ezekiel God declares, “I will sprinkle purifying water on you, and you will be clean.  I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your filthy idols.”  Just as God washed away the filth of the world in the great flood, God washed away all your wickedness and guilt in Baptism. 

Now, we don’t even usually recognize our own idolatry, but how often doesn’t some ordinary thing in our lives take precedence over our relationship with God?  How often don’t we offend our Savior when we misuse His name?  How often don’t we fail to follow God’s instructions with a pure heart?  Yet, God washes away all our guilt in Baptism.

Of course, God doesn’t do that without reason.  First of all, God is fulfilling His commitment to love us.  He is also fulfilling His commitment to justice.  Our sins had to bear punishment.  Our sins deserved death for us.  There is no entrance into heaven with a sin debt left unpaid.  But God gave His Son into death to bear the sin of all people of all time, and to pay the debt for everyone.  God’s justice then demands that He declare all people righteous for Jesus’ sake—and He does. 

Still, no dead, defiled sinner can come to God by his own volition.  Spiritually dead, blind, and enemies of God, we could not find nor reach the Almighty.  Therefore, He comes to us.  God came to us first in His Son.  Thereafter, God comes to us through His Spirit in the Word.  Because “God our Savior,… wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) He meets us here on earth through the water and Word of Baptism.  There, in that simple washing, God makes us His own dear children.  As St. Paul wrote to Titus:

“When the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

Since God has saved us and made us His own dear children, He refuses to abandon us.  Through Ezekiel He says, “Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you.  I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances.”  By this washing that removed our sins, God also gives us life.  That spiritually stone-dead heart, that could do nothing good before God, was thrown away and replaced with a heart that lives. 

That new life beating in us wants to walk with the Lord in thought, word, and dead.  That isn’t because we suddenly have power on our own, but because God the Holy Spirit is now working in us to desire those things God desires, to do those things God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), to pray for those things God wills, and to seek diligently to obey His instructions. 

Still, we know that we struggle mightily with our old sinful nature and the temptations of the devil and the world.  St. Paul also wrote about this:

I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is present with me.  I certainly delight in God’s law according to my inner self, but I see a different law at work in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of sin, which is present in my members.  What a miserable wretch I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25)

In Jesus Christ our Lord, God gives life to His people.  That’s what the Bible is all about.  That’s what our worship is all about.  That’s what faithful Christians are all about.  We are about Jesus.  God’s Son lived for us, died for us, rose from the grave, also for us, and ascended to heaven so that He could send the Spirit to us so that God could keep this promise made through Ezekiel and rescue you and me from sin and death.

In some ways, I suppose, we are a bit like the disciples as they waited apprehensively those ten days in Jerusalem for the Spirit of God to pour out upon them.  Jesus was no longer physically in their presence.  They didn’t have a clue, really, as to what was about to happen, or how the Spirit would appear to them.  Yet, they waited trusting in God’s promises.

Today, we see the signs all around us that tell us Jesus’ return is growing very near.  We don’t know whether that return will come today or a thousand years from now.  We do know that much trouble appears around us, and Satan and his hoards grow ever more bold.  Apprehensions and fears constantly trouble us, because the devil continues to roar his ugly threats. 

Remember though, dear friends, Satan no longer has access to God’s throne.  Only Jesus is there to speak for or against us, and we have God’s assurance of life and forgiveness through the writers our Savior assigned to bring us His Word; St. John wrote, “If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Therefore, with all your heart, rely on God’s promises.  He has given us new life and faith through Baptism and the hearing of the Word.  He promises that He walks with us and hears our every prayer.  Jesus assures us, with His own real body and blood in the bread and wine of His Supper, that our sins are forgiven and Paradise is ours.  Furthermore, He will not leave us alone as we face the trials of this depraved and falling world.  In fact, concerning those who believe in Him, “The Lord says, Because he clings to me, I will rescue him.  I will protect him, because he acknowledges my name.  He will call on me, and I will answer him.  I will be with him in distress.  I will deliver him and I will honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him, and I will let him see my salvation.” (Psalms 91:14-16)  Rejoice and sing praise to the Lord, God gives life to His people.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

The Blessings of Christ’s Ascension

 

Sermon for Ascension, May 13, 2021

Clap your hands, all you peoples!  Shout to God with the voice of triumph!  For the LORD Most High is King over all.  Amen.

Mark 16:14-20  ¹⁴ Later, he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table.  He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen.  ¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  ¹⁷ “These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons.  They will speak in new languages.  ¹⁸ They will pick up snakes.  And if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them.  They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”  ¹⁹ Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.  ²⁰ Those who went out preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. (EHV)

The Blessings of Christ’s Ascension

1. His presence

2. His promise

3. His work

4. His world

Dear friends in Christ,

            Do you have your feast prepared for your celebration after church tonight?  Did you wrap gifts and send greeting cards to proclaim your joy in the Ascension of our Lord?  Certainly, you must have spent the last couple weeks getting ready for Ascension, correct?  No? 

Well, sad to say, the Ascension of our Lord is about the most neglected event of our times.  There is no national recognition.  Most people don’t even notice the day.  Church attendance to celebrate Christ’s ascension is often on the slim side, if the congregation even gathers.  But, those who ignore this event miss out on something special: The Blessings of Christ’s Ascension.  Therefore, it is my privilege to tell you that in His Ascension, we are blessed with Christ’s presence, His promise, His work, and His world.

The first Blessing of Christ’s Ascension is His presence.  Does it sound a bit strange to hear that Christ gives us His presence by leaving this world?  Well, bear with me.  Mark tells us, “Later, he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table.  He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”  Jesus blessed those disciples with His presence but look at what He found.  Jesus found eleven men who didn’t believe the early eyewitnesses to His resurrection.  Even Peter and John who had seen the empty tomb were still doubting.

Have you ever had doubts about whether Jesus was raised from the dead?  The majority of people in our world mock Christians for believing that Jesus is alive.  Because resurrection from the dead isn’t something we see, the skeptical nature assumes that it’s not possible.  However, our risen Savior made sure that many eyewitnesses saw Him alive in the flesh after the third day in the tomb.  To remove any doubts about Jesus being resurrected as our Savior, He gives us the testimony of His presence.  Between His resurrection from the grave and His Ascension to heaven, Jesus appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses so that they could confirm that He has risen and lives.  Therefore, you and I should be absolutely confident that everything Jesus promises is true.

Yet, there is more to the presence Jesus gives us than just His physical presence during those forty days.  Mark reports, “Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”  Now consider; if Jesus had remained physically on this earth, how many of us would have the opportunity to meet with Him?  If we had need for His care, how far would we have to travel to receive His help?  When guilt for our many sins troubles us, how difficult would it be to go to Him to hear Him proclaim that we are truly forgiven? 

My friends, Jesus returned to His Father’s side to take up the divine power and glory He had set aside to become our Savior.  He is there now interceding for us.  Victorious over sin and death, Jesus ascended to reign as King of all creation and as our King, He takes care of our every need and answers our every prayer.  Furthermore, Jesus testifies to the Father that He has paid for all our sins and by the simple fact that we believe in Him, we are counted as righteous.  With His ascension, Jesus promises, “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)  Because we need Him, Jesus is always with us in His Word and He meets with us in our prayers.  Thus, by returning to His Father’s side in power and majesty, Jesus made Himself available to us no matter what road we walk in this world. 

In addition to the blessing of His presence, Jesus gave the Ascension blessing of His promise.  He said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons.  They will speak in new languages.  They will pick up snakes.  And if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them.  They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."  Jesus promises that all who believe in Him as their Savior have eternal life assured to them. 

It is in our nature to want to know how we can please God and be saved, but here, Jesus confirms that He has done everything needed for us to be saved—there is nothing we have to do to gain salvation—just believe and receive.  Of course, with that promise comes the warning that those who do not believe will be condemned.  Those who refuse Jesus’ gracious work, and invitation to believe in Him, forfeit the salvation Christ won for all. 

Now some may complain, “Why doesn’t Jesus give us the rest of this promise, that we can perform miraculous signs?”  Yet, I tell you that Jesus gave those signs to show the world that His words are true, and that the disciples He chose were telling the truth for Him.  The need for these signs has been accomplished, so rather than complain about not receiving more of these signs today, understand that the signs Jesus gave through His chosen witnesses give us confidence in the words He had His disciples record for us: words God intended would give us faith, hope, and everlasting life.

Along with these first two Blessings of Christ’s Ascension, Jesus also gives us His work. “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  Jesus could have found other ways to bring people to faith, but He gives His followers joyous, meaningful participation in spreading forgiveness and salvation to everyone we meet.  So, what did the disciples do with Jesus’ instruction?  Mark tells us, “Those who went out preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” 

Along with the joy of telling the world what Jesus has done to save us, He blesses us with the assurance that we do not do this work alone, but He is right here with us as we do the Good News telling He has prepared for us to do.  Remember Jesus’ promise, “In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” (Matthew 18:20)  Doing the work of telling the world of the salvation accomplished for us brings Jesus right back among us.  Do you want to be with Jesus?  Join together with your fellow believers in prayer, repentance, praise, and worship for in these things, Jesus is right here in the middle of our group.

You and I are never alone as we do the work He gives us, for He works with us.  Therefore, I ask you, as we do His work, do we not also participate in the signs He promised?  As we proclaim His Word and the Holy Spirit brings some lost soul to faith, isn’t the devil driven out of that person’s heart, and the soul is healed and given new life?  As we proclaim salvation to the lost, do we not speak the new language of the Gospel and join in singing with the angels the heavenly song of praise, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,” (Revelation 4:8) and “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12)  Truly Christ’s ascension brings us many blessings.

Still, we have one more Blessing of Christ’s Ascension: His world.  Jesus ascended to heaven as the first of all God’s children who will rise from the dead and be taken to heaven to live with our God and Father for all eternity.  The salvation Jesus won for us would ring pretty hollow if we had to endure forever the pains and sorrows of this world.  However, Christ’s ascension proves that His promise to take us home to heaven is also certainly true.  In John’s Gospel account, we hear Jesus promise that “In my Father’s house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am.” (John 14:2-3) 

Before He even went to the cross to die for us, Jesus foretold His return to the Father.  At His ascension we see that promise fulfilled.  In the book of the Revelation, John recorded his description of the vision he was given of Jesus’ promises fulfilled.  John reported seeing thousands upon thousands of people from every tribe, land, and nation gathered around the throne of God.  So, who were those people in that vast throng around God’s throne?  The elder assured John, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)

My friends, all who believe in Jesus and the salvation He won for us are members in this vast throng who, cleansed by Jesus’ blood, will spend eternity in God’s presence.  There, we will live and reign forever with our Lord and Savior and King.  Jesus’ world is His glorious home in heaven; a home that He will share with His redeemed for all eternity.

Dear fellow brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus, we rightly celebrate Christmas and Easter with great joy.  But don’t forget the Ascension.  As we gather to celebrate Christ’s return to the Father, we celebrate again all the blessings we have been given through faith in Jesus.  There, on that hill outside of Jerusalem, we were forever blessed with Jesus’ presence, His promise, His work, and His world.  Through faith in Christ Jesus, we receive the Blessings of Christ’s Ascension.  Amen.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you.  Amen.

The Lord will bring His people home.

 

Sermon for Easter 6, Rogate, May 9, 2021

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Amen.

Jeremiah 29:11-14  ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future.  ¹² Then you will call on me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you.  ¹³ When you seek me, you will find me, when you will seek me with all your heart.  ¹⁴ I will let you find me, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back from your exile.  I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have sent you as exiles, declares the Lord.  I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (EHV)

The Lord will bring His people home.

Dear sojourners in a foreign land,

            If you want to see a picture of the human condition, just look at the history of the Children of Israel.  Over the course of the last four thousand years, many have pondered why God chose Abraham and his descendants to be the people through whom the Lord would work out the course of salvation for all people.  I think there can’t be any better explanation for choosing Israel than that this people well-represents the whole gamut of mankind.  None of them deserved God’s love, nor do we.  None of them deserved God’s favor, yet He saved generation after generation through faith in His Son.

When we look at Israel’s history, we see God saving an undeserving people solely because of His mercy and kindness.  Abraham was called out of a nation of idolators.  Still, even though he had his own weaknesses and sins, yet “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)  Later, Abraham’s descendants were enslaved in Egypt, but the Lord rescued them and brought them out to freedom with a display of awesome power that serves as a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do to rescue fallen mankind.  Yet, even after their rescue, those people often went astray, often were guilty of sin, wickedness, and idolatry.  The Lord would discipline Israel when they strayed too far from His will, but when they repented, the Lord would show mercy. 

All of this is why Israel represents the whole of mankind so well.  No one in the history of the world deserved God’s mercy, yet God sent His Son to live and die so that with a mighty display of power, God could rescue a people of His own out of those enslaved by the devil and our own flesh.  Still, like Israel, even after being set free from slavery, we often stumble into sin and idolatry.  Thus, like Israel, we have to endure a time of exile in this cruel and foreign world, and how we long to be in Paradise with our God and Father.  While we wait, we trust the promise God gives again here in this text: The Lord will bring His people home.

Jeremiah had the task of warning God’s people of the exile they had earned.  He then had the duty to tell them how to live in that time of exile so that this people, so important to God’s plan of salvation, would be preserved and even restored.  Those afflicted people didn’t always want to listen to God’s prophet.  In fact, they often wanted to kill him.  However, had they listened to the man God sent, many more of those people would have enjoyed long life on earth and restoration to the fullness of God’s promises.

Here, Jeremiah addresses those who were already in exile, and he admonishes them to make the best of their situation because while they would be exiled in that foreign land for seventy years, God intended to bless them in many ways even through their trials, which brings us to our sermon text in which the Lord through His prophet tells them, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future.”  God was disciplining His chosen people to turn them away from their former errors.  Still, the Lord had plans to bless them in their time of exile and to give them a rich reward in the end.  This again foreshadows us.  After a life of discipline and many blessings, God plans to reward those who trust in Him with a home in His true Paradise.

The Lord declared this promise to His people: “You will call on me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you.  When you seek me, you will find me, when you will seek me with all your heart.  I will let you find me, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back from your exile.”  Those people living in exile arrived there without hope, but God reminded them that He had not forgotten His people.  In fact, God’s greatest desire was that they trust Him completely. 

The reason God’s chosen people found themselves in this predicament was sin.  The sins of Israel were numerous and grievous, but their greatest sin was idolatry.  Again, Israel serves as a picture of all mankind.  Now doubtless, you will say that we are not idol worshippers, but while it is true that we haven’t set up any golden calves to offer sacrifices to, we are guilty, for like all people, our greatest sin is the idolatry of self.  We all have set ourselves up as little gods.

Now, I know that sounds terribly nasty—outrageous even, to tell a congregation that they worship themselves.  But, I ask you, how did you enter this world?  On the day you were born, did you worry about your mother’s feelings, or did you demand her attention?  As you grew, were you totally submissive to your parents, teachers, and other superiors, or did you sometimes wish they obeyed you?  Finally, have you perfectly obeyed every one of God’s Ten Commandments all the time every day of your life?  Or, do you, like me and everyone else, sometimes follow your own desires and wishes and disobey God? 

The truth is, every time we break one of God’s commands, any time we doubt any part of His word, every time we worry, whenever we are afraid, if we trust in our works or overvalue our possessions, we are also committing idolatry, because in those moments, we are not trusting God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  If left to ourselves, there would be no hope for us, only eternal despair and exile along with the devil and his wicked angels.

However, that is not what God has planned for you who are hearing these words.  Remember, God said He would let you find Him.  It’s His gentle way of saying He would find you.  Out of all the people of the world, God made sure that you would be brought to life through baptism and the hearing of His word.  Out of all the places you could have been born, God gave you new life with His Gospel.  Furthermore, He promises to hear your prayers.  He will answer your every need.  Most important, the Lord has washed you clean of your sin and idolatry and made you His own dear child. 

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future.”  The first fulfillment of this promise came seventy years after their sojourn began when the people were allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild the temple.  Yet again, this foreshadows how God will return us to His Promised Land.  In our case, however, we don’t have to load up our oxcarts with all our belongings and travel hundreds of miles over difficult paths.  Instead, God’s Son came down to earth to give us the way home.

On the night He was born the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.” (Luke 2:14)  Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)  Finally, Jesus assured His followers, “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)  Though you and I have sinned grievously, we have a great Savior who took all the sins of the world on Himself and He became our righteousness before God. 

Our path to paradise isn’t found in the journeys we take through life but in humble repentance for our sins, great and small, and trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and life.  Now, while we are living in this exile land, we should live for the God who rescued us from slavery, idolatry, sin, and death.  The goal in life shouldn’t be to live for the demons by seeking our own will, but to walk with Jesus, obeying His word in everything we do, trusting that He will take care of us, and especially, trusting the good news that all our sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus’ blood shed on a cross on a hill outside Jerusalem.

The Lord will bring His people home.  Through Jeremiah, God promised His people, “I will bring you back from your exile.  I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have sent you as exiles,” declares the Lord.  “I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”  Sometimes, our journeys and trials in this life seem almost unbearable.  Sometimes, the temptations seem irresistible.  However, God always has a plan to help you and to rescue you from this dark and dreary place.  Trust Him.  Who knows what tomorrow might bring.  We are bombarded daily by news of disasters here and there.  The airwaves are filled with worry about political upheaval, persecution of fellow Christians, fears of governments abusing their citizens here at home and abroad. 

However, God’s promises are nothing like those of our politicians who pretend to give more than they have the power to achieve.  God’s promises are not even like our own which we know we sometimes fail to keep.  God is always faithful.  Furthermore, God has been planning your rescue and delivery from evil since before Adam and Eve first sinned. 

When Jesus entered this world, He was carrying out the plans God had laid for millennia.  When Jesus went to the cross carrying your sins, He was doing as His Father had planned all along.  And when your parents or someone else told you about all that Jesus has done for you, God the Holy Spirit was behind those words of peace, and He worked faith in you to believe and be saved.

Dear friends, God has a plan for you and me.  He gave His Son to die so that all your sins are removed and forgotten from His heavenly kingdom.  And through Baptism and the preaching of His Word, God allowed you to find Him, and in that rebirth, He wrapped His loving arms around you declaring, “You are mine.  Repent and believe.”

There will come a day when you and I will be ushered out of this life.  From across the far reaches of the earth, the Lord will gather His people.  All who have heard the Good News of what God has done for them in Christ, and believed it, will be gathered together to be taken home to the Paradise that is far more glorious than what any of us can imagine at this point in our lives.  We will leave behind longtime friends and neighbors.  We will leave behind all the material things that God has blessed us with.  But mostly, we will leave behind the troubles, trials, sorrows, and sins of this foreign land, for what the Lord promises will be done.  The Lord will bring His people home.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the LORD is good. His mercy endures forever.  His faithfulness continues through all generations.  Amen.