By God’s mercy, the Gospel is unveiled for us.

 

Sermon for Reformation, October 31, 2021

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.

By God’s mercy, the Gospel is unveiled for us.

Dear friends walking in the Light,

            As the days grow shorter in the fall, some people begin to dread the darkness of the winter months.  Seasonal affective disorder, as the doctors call it, can lead to depression and other feelings of despair.  So, imagine the gloom of spending your days with no light at all—how hard it would be to feel real joy if forced to dwell in darkness, as in a cave far underground.  Then, think about how shocking it would feel if the walls were suddenly blown open and your eyes, accustomed to total darkness, were exposed to brilliant sunlight.  At such an event, who wouldn’t cover their eyes and perhaps even react angrily at whoever exposed that bright light to your face?  I think many of us can identify with that adverse reaction to bright light when we think of a family member throwing open the curtains to wake us up on an sunny, early morning.

            In a real strong way, this is how the world, stuck in the darkness of idolatry and sin, reacts to the light of the Gospel.  When that good news first comes to a sinner, it seems shocking, and many react violently against it.  On the other hand, when a person has grown up in the Light, it is the most natural thing, and truly the most helpful, life-giving, and cherished blessing we possess as we face the struggles and work of life.  In our text, St. Paul explains that we walk in the light of the Gospel, because By God’s mercy, the Gospel is unveiled for us.

Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  The light of Jesus’ gospel throws open the gates of heaven to sinners who had no right to expect it.  That good news is what we Christians have enjoyed since the Holy Spirit worked faith in our hearts. 

Now remember, Paul had been a vicious opponent to Christianity and a persecutor of early Christians, so understand the grace he experienced and the joy he felt because Jesus had called him to faith.  Considering that, we read the words Paul wrote to the Corinthians under the Holy Spirit’s guidance:

2 Corinthians 4:1-6  Therefore, since we have this ministry as a result of the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged.  ²On the contrary, we have renounced shameful, underhanded methods.  We do not operate in a deceitful way, and we do not distort the word of God.  Instead, by proclaiming the truth clearly, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.  ³But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing.  ⁴In the case of those people, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from clearly seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is God’s image.  ⁵Indeed, we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  ⁶For the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” is the same one who made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. (EHV)

It was because of God’s mercy that St. Paul was preaching the gospel and starting new congregations of Christians, including the one in Corinth.  Because Paul had been shown mercy, just as you and I have received mercy, he was willing to face anything to tell others about what Jesus had done for him and for us.  No matter what he had to face, Paul would not grow weary of the truth or be discouraged in telling it.  If we truly believe in what Jesus has done for us, we should be able to say the same thing.  No matter what opposition we might face, whether from family members or hateful enemies, we have Christ on our side.  Jesus has already won the victory over sin and death for us.

Because the Corinthian congregation was being assaulted by teachers who were mixing error with truth, the Holy Spirit was guiding Paul in instructing them with the truth.  He said, “We have renounced shameful, underhanded methods.  We do not operate in a deceitful way, and we do not distort the word of God.”  Faithful teachers have no need to distort God’s Word nor to misuse it for devious ends.  However, throughout history, many foes have twisted the Scriptures for their own wicked purposes.  Sometimes, it is because they haven’t trusted the gospel to do its work, so they proclaim law upon law trying to make people good.  Yet, the law only convicts and leads people to despair or to self-righteous arrogance leading to condemnation 

Other times, such as in Germany of Luther’s day, God’s word is misused to imagine that a person can buy forgiveness and thus a place in heaven.  Right along with that was the deceitful practice of using authority in the Church to gain personal wealth or privilege. 

Yet, the truth is, we all need to be cautious not to twist what we believe so that we may ignore other parts of Scripture and continue in our favorite sins.  Multitudes of our present-day culture try to explain away immorality by pretending Jesus didn’t condemn their specific sins.  The Lord gives no allowance for such nonsense.  In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul made this clear when he explained, “Do not be deceived.  Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor males who have sex with males, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor the verbally abusive, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)  Who are these people destined for eternal wrath?  They are all the people who have not been brought to repentance through faith in Christ Jesus.  Paul himself had been a murderer but had been released from the curse through faith in Christ Jesus.

Having established that he and his fellow apostles spoke only the truth that the Holy Spirit had given them, Paul wrote, “Instead, by proclaiming the truth clearly, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”  The true apostles, including Paul, rightly marked sin as leading the soul to hell.  At the same time, they brought the cure for sin and death through the gospel.  Nothing more was needed by any sinner, whether Jew or Gentile.  By rightly dividing law and gospel and sticking to God’s Word as the source of truth, they were God’s emissaries to the world.  They were telling people, who were desperate for some assurance of peace with God and life after death, about all that Jesus had done in living for them and dying for their guilt. 

You and I have the same opportunity.  We don’t have to convince people of the need for a Savior.  The law alone does that, but we do have to share what the law actually says.  We don’t have to convince them that Jesus lived the perfect life God’s justice demands, for the gospel alone works that faith in the sinner who despairs of saving himself.  Therefore, it is our job simply to tell others about Jesus and all that He has done for you and me, and for them. 

Today, we celebrate the return of the gospel to the people in the Reformation Luther began with his ninety-five theses.  Martin Luther made such an impact on the world, not because he was some sort of rebel, but because he offered the light of the gospel among people from whom it had been hidden for far too long.  For Luther himself, it was like a bright light was switched on when he finally received the rare opportunity to study God’s Word in depth. 

It may seem strange to us, but most of the common people of 16^th century Germany had no access to a Bible.  Furthermore, with church services and preaching primarily in a foreign language, most of Luther’s neighbors had never understood what the gospel truly says.  What they had heard was that Jesus was an angry judge who needed to be appeased before they could enter heaven.  Yet, that image of Jesus doesn’t appear in God’s Word.  It is a figment of the imagination of men who had either been deceived themselves or who desired to deceive for personal gain.

You know who is ultimately behind those deceptions, or course.  Satan works overtime to try to keep people from learning the truth.  To draw us a picture, Paul wrote, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing.  In the case of those people, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from clearly seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is God’s image.” 

The so-called god of this age is the devil.  In every person, it is as if the kidnapper had put a dark bag over our heads as he led us away from God.  Handcuffed as we were by Satan’s deceptions, we couldn’t remove that bag by ourselves, and even as the Holy Spirit sends His messengers to lift that veil from our minds, the devil and his cohorts try to keep in our way as many obstacles as they can dream up.  Thus, many people who are accustomed to the ways of the world actively pull the veil back down over their own eyes when confronted by the light of the gospel.  Yet, the sad end of those kept in the dark is eternal confinement in hell.  The devil is to blame, but so is the sinner who refuses to see.

At the same time, while we celebrate the Reformation, we are not bragging about the exploits of men nor dare we brag about our own faith in Jesus.  Like Paul, and his faithful Christian brothers, we must say, “Indeed, we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For the God who said, ‘Light will shine out of darkness,’ is the same one who made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.”  Jesus is our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord.  We are His servants by God’s grace.  Being His servants is not a bad thing because it brings us into God’s household with forgiveness and everlasting life.  Furthermore, it is our privilege to share that forgiveness and life with those around us.  We don’t need to build great palaces for glory or mansions for us to live in luxury.  Those things will be given us in heaven.  Here on earth, we will be content with whatever the Lord gives us.

The Lord God “made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.”  None of us chose to be believers in Jesus.  Rather, from eternity, God chose us.  By the power of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, God has called, gathered, and enlightened us to the salvation won for us by Christ Jesus.  God worked that faith in us.  God gave us new hearts that live.  Jesus won the victory over sin and death on the cross, and Jesus, true God and true Man, has won the victory over our veiled hearts by the power of His gospel. 

Not only that, but Jesus wants every sinner to hear the good news of all that God has done for us in Christ, so that everyone who believes in Him might have everlasting life.  This is what we celebrate on Reformation.  Not some personal arrogance.  Not some special knowledge that no one else is privileged to know.  Not some special work that only we might have done.  No, none of those things count for anything in the kingdom of the Lord.  Instead, we preach Christ Jesus and Him crucified, so that by simple trust in Jesus as our Savior, given to us by God’s grace alone through the gospel in God’s Word alone, we and many others may have peace with God and life that never ends.  Dear friends, By God’s mercy, the Gospel is unveiled for us.  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. 

 

The Lord your God is faithful.

 

Sermon for Trinity 22, October 24, 2021

Grace, mercy, and peace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 7:9-11 ⁹He did this so that you would know that the Lord your God, yes, he is God, the faithful God who maintains both his covenant and his mercy for those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.  ¹⁰But he also repays the ones who hate him to their face by destroying them.  He will not delay repaying anyone who hates him.  To his face he will fully repay him.  ¹¹So you are to be careful to keep the set of commandments and the statutes and the ordinances that I am commanding you today. (EHV)

The Lord your God is faithful.

Dear fellow redeemed and friends of Christ Jesus,

            You are redeemed.  That means you have been purchased at a price.  More specifically, you have been rescued from a condition you couldn’t escape.  You were delivered from the control of someone more powerful than yourself, who held you in slavery leading to everlasting death.

Likewise, in the verses immediately preceding our sermon text, Moses reminded the Children of Israel that they had been redeemed and rescued from slavery in Egypt.  Moses also reminded Israel that there was nothing good or worthy in themselves that caused God to deliver them out of the control of their Egyptian overlords.  They had no power, no great wealth, no military might, and certainly no merit in the kingdom of God.  Instead, Israel had been rescued from a bitter fate solely because God chose to love them for the promise He had made to their forefathers.  God wanted Israel, and every other people on earth, to know that The Lord your God is faithful.

That is still true today, dear friends, The Lord your God is faithful.  And, like Israel, you are a Christian not because you somehow shined brighter than anyone else in the eyes of the Lord.  You did not merit God’s favor by your works.  Indeed, there is nothing good in any of us that would cause God to love us, or to rescue us from the devil’s control.  Yet, God does indeed love us, and He has indeed rescued us from slavery to Satan and from everlasting torment in the prison set aside for the devil and his angels.

Moses reminded the Israelites that God had rescued them out of Egypt “so that you would know that the Lord your God, yes, he is God, the faithful God who maintains both his covenant and his mercy for those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”  You and I are part of a perfect corollary.  God wants us to know His love.  He wants us to know His faithfulness.  At the fall into sin, God made a promise of rescue through the Seed of the woman, and He kept that promise when Jesus entered this world to accomplish God’s covenant against the devil. 

Dear friends, the devil didn’t consider the odds when he started his rebellion against God.  Had the devil done so, perhaps no one would ever have sinned, for Satan’s rebellion was always doomed to failure, because The Lord your God is faithful,.  However, as is so often the case among the wicked, caring about what is right or good was not in the devil’s consideration.  Satan wanted to be God, and he wanted control over God’s creation and God’s people to be serving the devil’s schemes.

Oftentimes throughout the history of the world, it looks like the devil has the upper hand.  Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, the whole human race has followed in their footsteps of rebellion and selfishness.  Today, again, we who trust the Lord look around at the world and shudder at what we see happening among the people of the world.  Selfishness rules.  God’s commandments are trashed with seeming impunity.  Power goes mostly to those able to control the timid.  Life is cheap, or at least little valued among those led by Satan’s wickedness. 

You and I recognize that Satan’s rebellion also touches us.  Just a few moments ago, we all confessed with serious anguish that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against God by thought, word, and deed.  With that admission, we agree that we deserve nothing but condemnation.  Therefore, we plead to God for mercy and grace.  At the same time, realize that God was working this humble confession i in us when He rescued us from the evil one’s control. 

Just as God rescued Israel so that they would know Him, so God also rescued you and me so that we would know His true nature.  Through the cleansing waters of Baptism and the life-giving power of the Gospel, God rescued us from sin, death, and slavery to the devil’s schemes.  By placing us in Christian homes with Christian parents guiding us to learn more and more of God’s Word and by their example teaching us to walk in His way, the Lord has been leading us through this wilderness world.  Jesus made the payment that freed us with His own precious blood, and not so that He could drive us in bitter slavery, but rather, so that we could be with Him forever and serve Him in joy and peace and grateful thanksgiving.

The Lord your God is faithful.  That also means, however, that the Lord your God is perfectly just.  God will have no patience with the unrepentant sinner.  There will be no admittance into God’s heavenly home for those who remain in rebellion against Him.  Moses warned Israel, “He also repays the ones who hate him to their face by destroying them.  He will not delay repaying anyone who hates him.  To his face he will fully repay him.”  Elsewhere in God’s Word, we are told how those who face God’s wrath on Judgement Day will react: Jesus prophesied, “Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’” (Luke 23:30)  The rebellious will be filled with terror.

St. Paul later explained, “We will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  Indeed, it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Romans 14:10-11)  There is no fooling the Lord.  Those who prefer to live in rebellion and to indulge in wickedness as God describes it, sentence themselves to eternal imprisonment in hell.  On the day Jesus returns to judge the world, it will be too late to repent, and those who have refused to believe will at that point stand condemned even while they finally admit that The Lord your God is faithful. 

God will faithfully administer His just sentence against those who refused Him.  However, God is equally faithful in love.  Therefore, He honestly pleads, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)  Moses, God’s spokesman, instructed the Israelites, “So you are to be careful to keep the set of commandments and the statutes and the ordinances that I am commanding you today.”  While we live here on earth, God wants all His people to live in harmony and peace, walking in true sanctified living. 

For Israel, that meant they should live by the instructions and laws God laid down for them.  For you and me, God still holds out His Ten Commandments as sure guides for living holy lives, so that we know what is good and right, but especially, so that we recognize when we fail and confess those sins before the God who loves us and has paid the price for all our sins.

You see, just as the Lord rescued Israel in covenant love, He told His Son, “It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up only the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel, so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)  The descendants of Abraham were saved only through faith.  Those people God led out of Egypt were not saved because of merit or any kind of material value.  They were saved because God desired to save them.  Likewise, do we receive God’s mercy.

Though all of us have sinned against God and deserved only His wrath and just condemnation, God brought us to saving faith through the hearing of His Gospel in Word and Sacrament, because God wants us to experience His mercy, so that we will serve Him out of sincere love.  In Moses’ presence, God proclaimed Himself, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and overflowing with mercy and truth, maintaining mercy for thousands, forgiving guilt and rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7)  By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul later explained, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Throughout the world, many people hope to earn God’s favor or to buy their salvation through works and offerings to whatever god they serve.  Yet, our God doesn’t need our sacrifices to appease His ego.  Instead, the writer to the Hebrews tells us of the only sacrifice that is pleasing to God:

“When he entered the world, Christ said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me. . . .Sacrifices and offerings that were offered according to the law, both burnt offerings and sin offerings, you did not desire, and you were not pleased with them.’  Then he said: ‘Here I am.  I have come to do your will.’  He does away with the first in order to establish the second.  By this will, we have been sanctified once and for all, through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.” (Hebrews 10:5-10)

God promised a Savior for the world, and He sent His Son to live and die so that we might be delivered from Satan’s rebellion and the punishment that Deceiver deserves.  By the same love, God has transformed us from slaves dead in their sins, and pagans lost in confusion and hopelessness, into His own dear children dressed in Christ’s pure righteousness.  God again proves His faithfulness, for by the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, He delivers us from the darkness of unbelief into the glorious light of Jesus Christ.  Jesus won our freedom at the cost of His holy life.  By His blood we have been made clean, and by His Word He continues to be with us so that He might lead us home.  Rejoice and be glad.  Serve the Lord with great joy, for The Lord your God is faithful.  Amen.

Now to Him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.

The sign of Jonah confirms God’s truth.

 

Sermon for Trinity 21, October 17, 2021

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  All who do His precepts have good understanding.  Amen.

Matthew 16:1-4  The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and, as a test, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.  ²But he answered them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather because the sky is red.’  ³In the morning you say, ‘It will be stormy weather today because the sky is red and threatening.’  You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times!  ⁴An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”  He left them and went away. (EHV)

The sign of Jonah confirms God’s truth.

Dear children of the living God,

            How do you know?  Prove it to me!  Unless I see it with my own eyes, I will never believe!  How numerous are the objections to the truth of God’s word!  At the same time, all objections are really one and the same—they are all a simple rejection of God Himself.

Living as a Christian in this world sometimes feels like what I assume salmon feel like when they are returning to the spawning beds from which they came—fighting against every force of nature just to get back home.  The current rages against them.  It is uphill all the way, and just as you near the finish line, the bears and predators are lined up to grab and eat you.

Jesus must have certainly felt that way.  Wherever He went during His days of ministry on earth, He ran into opposition.  Even some of those who came to Him for help and healing had their doubts.  In desperation, one man brought his son to Jesus and pleaded, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  “If you can?!” Jesus said to him.  “All things are possible for the one who believes.”  The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears, “I do believe.  Help me with my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-24)

The most troublesome for Jesus, of course, were the leaders of the Jews who simply rejected Him no matter what they saw.  After observing Jesus perform countless miracles and healings, and seeing the crowds put their hope in Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him with their arrogant demand that He “show them a sign from heaven.”  And this wasn’t the first time they insisted that Jesus dance to their tune.  However, the problem wasn’t that the evidence of who Jesus is, and what He came to do, wasn’t obvious.  The problem was their disrespect and disbelief.

Much like the Pharisees and Sadducees, so many learned people of our day consider themselves too smart to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Human beings have mastered so many skills, and we are able to control so much in our world, that many people assume there is no higher power than the human race.  The so-called elites of our educational institutions take great pride in their imagined concepts of our origins.  Our political leaders are confident they can predict meteorological conditions and events decades in the future.  Men and women puff themselves up imagining that they control their own destinies.

As I say this, of course, we all have to admit that these same tendencies afflict us as well.  We often make our plans without considering whether they are God’s plans.  We see horrible events take place and question why God allows such things to happen.  We may wonder why God doesn’t give us every trinket and pile of gold we might imagine we want, or why He doesn’t heal us immediately, as we would certainly prefer.  Therefore, it is easy for the world to fight against the Christian faith.  To be faithful to the Lord is to swim against the tide.  The truth is, we can’t do it on our own.

Jesus told those who defied Him, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times!  An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”  It would be wise for each of us to consider how often we have demanded a sign from our Lord.  How often have we tried to make a deal with God?  How often have we questioned whether our Lord is truly keeping His promises?  How often does the devil get us even to question whether Jesus has truly paid for all our sins and opened the gates of heaven for us?  In reality, the truly honest sinner (if there were such a person) would have to admit to telling God something like, “Give me what I want, and I will do everything I am supposed to be doing already.”

Those leaders of Jewish society didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ or the Son of God.  They repeatedly demanded a sign from heaven to prove Himself, so Jesus had previously explained what would prove all things true.  He said, “An evil and adulterous generation wishes for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40)  This sign is the fulcrum upon which every prophecy, promise, and proscription of the Scriptures is proven true or false.  Every word God has given pivots on this one point, this prophecy that Jesus would be in the grave and rise to live again on the third day.

Dear friends, Jesus rightly refused to dance to the demands of His enemies.  Jesus didn’t have to make a deal with the devil in order to save us.  In fact, any slip up in doing exactly as His Father in heaven had instructed would have doomed all of us to destruction.  Therefore, from the moment of conception in Mary’s womb until He gave up His last breath on the cross at Calvary, Jesus did exactly as His Father willed, fulfilling perfectly every detail of prophecy, every mark and jot of the law, humbling Himself to live on our behalf without any error or fault, and finally, sacrificing His holy, precious life to suffer the shame of crucifixion in our place.

Here is the crux of the matter though.  If Jesus was not who He claims to be, there would have been no resurrection.  If Easter morning doesn’t happen exactly as God had foretold, you and I wouldn’t have a Savior.  Yet, Jesus’ resurrection from the grave on the third day after His certified death on that Roman cross is the absolute guarantee that everything Jesus promised is true.  The sign of Jonah confirms God’s truth.

All around us today, the currents of the world rush against us, and the predators of evil try to crush us in the pretense that Jesus couldn’t have risen from the dead.  Oh, some make other fantastical arguments against Jesus, but the true dividing point is His resurrection on Easter morning.  For you and me, this is the perfect victory and the perfect sign that life and salvation are now ours.

“Jesus lives!  The victory’s won!”  We sing it out boldly on Easter morning, but do we remember that good news when life feels hard?  We should!  And we should be glad! 

Naturally, our enemies do everything they can dream up to get us to doubt this truth.  However, Jesus’ enemies also did us a favor.  Those same men who demanded a sign from heaven, also demanded that Pilate put a guard at the tomb and seal the stone so that no man could steal Jesus’ body out of the grave and falsely claim His resurrection.  You might have heard—that didn’t work in their favor, because no one could stop Jesus from rising from the grave victorious over His enemies.  The victory was already won when Jesus declared from the cross, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

The list of evidence in our favor is long.  Those guards posted at the tomb testified of Jesus’ resurrection.  The angel that rolled away the stone after Jesus had risen testified also.  The women who met Jesus outside of that empty grave testified that Jesus lives.  The disciples, who had walked with Jesus for three years and had seen the miracles and heard His teachings, met Jesus time and again for forty days after that Easter morning resurrection.  Even the enemies of the Christian faith admitted in the historical record that numerous people had seen Jesus alive, and that His followers were willing to die to hold to that claim.  No other person in the history of the world has had the impact on humanity that Jesus has, because The sign of Jonah confirms God’s truth.

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign.”  Still today, countless men and women refuse to believe that the Bible is God’s Word.  What that really displays is unbelief in God.  Those who reject Jesus as the true Son of God and Redeemer of the world are idolators.  As long as they hold to those wicked beliefs, their destination is everlasting torment with the devil in hell.

At the same time, you and I can and should be confident in every promise Jesus made.  More than that, we need to make sure that those we love hear all that God has said about Jesus.  Our Epistle lesson this morning instructed us to use everything God has given us as a defense against the enemy and armament with which to fight.  The miracles Jesus did, as recorded by His followers, testify to the truth of what He has done for us.  The prophecies all point to Jesus as our Savior.  More than that, the Scriptures God’s Spirit has given us work saving faith in those of us who could never discover Jesus on our own.

Dear friends, Jesus declared again and again, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." (Matthew 9:2 NKJ)  He said, “Be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  He promised, “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)  And, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 

Finally, Jesus invites us to believe with our whole hearts every word the Holy Spirit has given to bring us faith and life, and against all the naysayers of the world, we have Jesus’ promise, “Yes, I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:20)  He is returning to take us home with Him.

All of this is true: your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, the Father has adopted you through baptism and the hearing of His Word, heaven is your home, and you will have life everlasting when you believe in Jesus.  All of this is certain and sure to give us hope that cannot be taken away, because The sign of Jonah confirms God’s truth.  Amen.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you— according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, . . . to God, who alone is wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Let the Spirit overflow you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 20, October 10, 2021

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

Ephesians 5:15–21  ¹⁵Consider carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise people, but as wise people.  ¹⁶Make the most of your time, because the days are evil.  ¹⁷For this reason, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  ¹⁸And do not get drunk on wine, which causes you to lose control.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit ¹⁹by speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (singing and making music with your hearts to the Lord), ²⁰by always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹and by submitting to one another in reverence for Christ. (EHV)

Let the Spirit overflow you.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            The days are evil.  How often over the last two thousand years do you suppose that was true?  I doubt that anyone would disagree about that in our own time.  Yet, when you consider the record of history, would any of us really want to live in the past?  Would you want to live when Paul wrote this letter and wicked ones were trying to kill him for his Christian faith?  Would you want to live during the two hundred years after Paul when Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire, and many believers were persecuted and executed for their faith?  Or, through the poverty, plagues, pestilence, political instability, invasions, and inquisitions of the Middle Ages?  For that matter, would you want to live in any number of places around the world where, today, Christians are in grave danger for believing in Jesus?

There is no doubt that the days are evil even here at home.  The world continues to torment us with political strife, immorality, dishonesty, violence and violent storms, racial distrust, intolerance of the truth, criminal danger, physical weakness, and illnesses leading to death.  The world actively promotes so much evil.  The Ten Commandments are reviled by so many, and to be honest, ignored even by many who claim to be Christians.  Murders and suicide rates have increased by leaps and bounds.  Hopelessness pervades the world, and most people have no idea where to turn for help or security.

An old adage says, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  I believe that’s why the Holy Spirit had Paul write these words.  This world has always been troubled to the point of death.  However, Jesus came to be the cure for death, and having won the victory, He leaves His followers in this troubled world, for a time, so that many more people might come to know the victory Jesus won for all.  This text speaks of our sanctified living.  It speaks to those who are already justified by faith in Jesus.  It tells us that for our good and for the welfare of those around us, Let the Spirit overflow you.

Jesus told His disciples, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NKJ)  What brings glory to the Father in heaven?  Faith in His Son.  How does that faith come to sinners and unbelievers?  Through the hearing of the Gospel.  But, who will listen to the people who have faith in Jesus, and have the good news of all Jesus has done for us, if we live like heathens?  Who will notice our joy if we don’t display the hope we have through faith in Christ?  Paul is repeating the instruction of our Savior because God wants all people to be saved, and He works through those who have saving faith.

Paul wrote, “Consider carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise people, but as wise people.  Make the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  Christians are people who have been made wise unto salvation by the power of the Gospel.  Through the Gospel we learn of God’s love for us, the Son He sent to save us, and all that Jesus did to live a perfect life for us, and how He paid for our debt of sin.  Because the world we live in is corrupt, we need to live carefully lest we be corrupted in our thoughts, words, and actions.  We need to be conscious of those around us who still need to learn of Jesus.  We need to be aware that faith and salvation can be lost if temptation should ever lead away from our Lord.

“For this reason, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Jesus’ will for those who call Him Lord is that we “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)  To call people to the Light that saves, which is Jesus, His light needs to be shining in us.  Who could blame the heathen for rejecting our message if we live as fools?  If we walk in the ways of the world, wouldn’t it be hypocritical to preach the law of God?  Another old adage comes into play, “Actions speak louder than words.”  So, Let the Spirit overflow you.

To the Galatian congregation, Paul wrote, “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)  Likewise here, Paul instructs us, “And do not get drunk on wine, which causes you to lose control.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit by speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (singing and making music with your hearts to the Lord).”

Sometimes, you will see this passage reduced to a command to worship in church, and certainly, the Spirit wants us to see that aspect in these words.  Yet, we shouldn’t stop there.  Yes indeed, it is to our benefit and the benefit of our fellow believers when we gather in public worship.  Here, we encourage each other in the faith as we gather together in accord with Christ’s command to love and cherish our fellow members of His kingdom.  Here, we are refreshed by the message of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.  And here, we are fed the very body and blood of our Savior who gave His life on our behalf—a medicine the strengthens our faith in the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the world—true heavenly food and drink from the very body of Christ.

The words of our liturgy and the readings of the day come directly to us by the Holy Spirit through the words of the Scriptures He breathed into the writers.  Our hymns repeat the message of salvation, sorrowing for our sins and rejoicing in all Jesus did for us.  Every aspect of our public worship is intended to tell and celebrate the forgiveness and salvation Jesus has given us.

But again, why stop there?  In all our daily living, Let the Spirit overflow you.  What does this mean?  Let the love of Christ guide our hearts in everything we do.  Let His love overflow us—pour out of us abundantly onto others.  Are there temptations to seek our own advantage over others?  Heaven forbid we take advantage of that.  Rather than seek our own gain by depriving someone else, let us rather give more than demanded and bless rather than curse.  Are there people who consider themselves superior to those of us who believe in Jesus, or who would take selfish advantage of our kindness?  Like St. Paul, may we “Consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8)

Here is where things might feel hard, for Paul writes, “Always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by submitting to one another in reverence for Christ.”  We find it very easy to give thanks when everything is going marvelously.  When the bins are busting with the harvest, prices are high and costs are low, when health isn’t challenged and peace rules the land, we find it easy to give thanks.  On the other hand, our sinful nature really raises its ugly head when tragedy, or even simple hardship comes calling.  We are reminded here of God’s words to Isaiah, “Certainly my plans are not your plans, and your ways are not my ways, declares the Lord.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my plans are higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We live in a world of great trouble and sorrow.  Those things haunt Christians just as much as anyone else.  Yet, we are given faith in Jesus to bring us peace that never ends, but that peace is not in this world.  When Paul instructs us to Let the Spirit overflow you, he is reminding us to keep our eyes focused on things above regardless of what we are feeling down here.  We cannot see the big picture in what God allows or does.  Why does He allow some to suffer and others seemingly have it made?  God doesn’t tell us the why, but He does promise that “all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)  Therefore, even in the worst of our trials and hardships, let us rejoice.  God has a plan to give us a future that is far more glorious than anything on earth.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to bring us into peace with God and to give us life.

Submitting to one another is an act of love.  It is living according to the summary of the second table of the Law, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  In a world troubled by unbelief and sin, submission is viewed as the vilest thing imaginable.  However, we do not submit without reason.  Rather, “submitting to one another in reverence for Christ.”  Trusting in our Savior, we recognize all that He submitted Himself to for us.  We remember that because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord of heaven and earth.  Through St. Peter, the Holy Spirit tells us, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Dear friends, Jesus told His disciples, “In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Regardless of how much trouble we might have to face in this world (or how much success), the truth is God has blessed us overabundantly.  He sent His Son to bring us peace with our Creator.  The Son lived a perfect life on our behalf which the Father credits to us by faith.  Jesus died as full payment for our guilt and transgressions and rose again in victory over death and the devil.  Finally, the Holy Spirit has brought us the words of truth, reconciliation, and everlasting peace.  Therefore, regardless of what is going on in the world, right now you have peace with God.  Right now, you are counted holy in His sight for Jesus’ sake.  Your sins have been removed from you as far as east is from the west, and God counts you as His own dear child.  Therefore, live with joy and thankfulness as a child of the kingdom of heaven.  In all things, Let the Spirit overflow you.  Amen.

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.

Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 19, October 3, 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.

Isaiah 44:21-23  ²¹Remember these things, O Jacob, because you are my servant, Israel.  I am forming you to be my servant.  You, Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.  ²²I am blowing away your rebellious deeds like a cloud, and your sins like a mist.  Return to me, because I am redeeming you.  ²³Shout for joy, you heavens, because of what the Lord is doing.  Make a joyful shout, you depths of the earth.  Burst forth with shouts of joy, you mountains, you forest and every tree in it, because the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel he will display his beauty. (EHV)

Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.

Dear redeemed children of the living God,

            We’ve all seen it; a powerful storm moves gradually across the sky causing darkness to draw across the land almost as if it is night.  The streetlights come on in the middle of the day.  Everything feels eerie and dangerous.  At another time, dense fog rolls in so thick it isn’t safe to drive, because you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you.  In both cases, we are blinded by what separates us from the light.  That is also how the Lord describes idolatry in our text.  Putting one’s trust in anything but the one true God who created us separates us from His marvelous, life-giving light.

Immediately before this section of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord described the foolishness of putting trust in man-made idols.  Those idols of human imagination, whether made out of wood, metal, stone, or even a human being, do nothing for anyone.  In fact, because they are man-made, they simply reflect some inward human desire or wish.  Consequently, they have no power to give any kind of help, much less to save.  At the same time, the Lord God of heaven and earth issues a gracious reminder of His love and mercy while inviting His chosen people to Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.

As we consider the words of this text, it is important to remember that though God was speaking to the exiles of Israel, He is speaking just as much to you and me, the spiritual descendants of Abraham, who have been granted the same faith and mercy that Israel was blessed to receive.

The Lord said, ^“Remember these things, O Jacob, because you are my servant, Israel.  I am forming you to be my servant.  You, Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.”  Now, in our times, most of our friends and neighbors shrink in horror at the idea of being a servant.  Servanthood implies losing one’s freedom and control to someone more powerful.

Consider though, if you should be picked to serve in the cabinet of the President of the United States.  Even though you would be a public servant, holding those positions is a great honor, and people fight tooth and nail to gain such an advantage.  That changes the picture, doesn’t it?  Should we not consider it a privilege and an honor to have God, who created the world and everything in it, say “I am forming you to be my servant.”?  Indeed, St. Paul wrote, “You did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you are afraid again, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we call out, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15)

Christian servants are formed to stand at God’s side in important service few others can ever experience.  Yes, God expects us to be faithful to Him.  Yes, He expects us to do His will.  At the same time, we are privileged to walk with Jesus who gave His life for the salvation of all who will believe.  We are privileged to have God’s ear.  He encourages us to bring our prayers and concerns to Him continually.  Jesus told His disciples, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.” (John 16:23)  Further on, He said, “In that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will make requests of the Father on your behalf.  For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26-27)  Because our Master is none other than the one true God who loves unconditionally, we can be confident that whatever is needed for our everlasting good will be carried out. (Romans 8:28)

Dear friends, we also have God’s promise that He will never forget us or abandon us in our need.  When Israel questioned God’s sincerity and faithfulness, the Lord reiterated His loving concern for us as He declared, “Can a woman forget her nursing child and not show mercy to the son from her womb?  Even if these women could forget, I will never forget you.  Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)  That inscription is doubled as we look to Calvary where Jesus allowed His hands to be nailed to the cross for our sins.  Jesus did not forget His love for us.  He gave His life in our place so that we might be His forever.

Through Isaiah, we are told of that sacrifice that would give us everlasting life: “You, Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.  I am blowing away your rebellious deeds like a cloud, and your sins like a mist.  Return to me, because I am redeeming you.”  The deep darkness of sin and guilt, the rebellious thoughts, words, and deeds that shaded our eyes from God’s love has been driven away by the light of the Son.  What separated us from seeing God has been wiped away forever as Jesus paid the full penalty for the world, so He says, Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.

Let that thought sink in: the Lord Jesus has redeemed you.  Satan thought he had pulled off the perfect kidnapping when he led Adam and Eve into sinful rebellion.  He had them and all their descendants firmly in his ugly grasp.  All the devil had to do for the win was to keep God’s precious people in rebellion.  Aah, but the devil never counted on God leading the rescue, personally.

As long as man tries to find his own salvation and his own peace with God, or even the world, the devil wins.  Those idols of human imagination that Satan entices people to trust are powerless to set us free from sin and death, but our God is a jealous God.  He was never willing to allow the devil to have the victory.  Therefore, God sent His own dear Son to live in human flesh for all the men, women, and children who ever were held in Satan’s chains.  God says, “I am redeeming you.”  He speaks outside of time, because whatever God determines to do is as good as done.  He will not be defeated!

The victory cry of our Creator is heard in Isaiah’s words: “Shout for joy, you heavens, because of what the Lord is doing.  Make a joyful shout, you depths of the earth.  Burst forth with shouts of joy, you mountains, you forest and every tree in it, because the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel he will display his beauty.”  Heaven and earth rejoice for what the Lord has done to defeat the devil’s wicked rebellion.  God promised this victory from the day Satan had his way with Adam.  It was never in doubt.  Though all mankind has wondered, wandered, and doubted God’s plan, no part of it was ever in danger for the Lord controls all things to make it happen.  No matter what evil tries to do to thwart God’s love, God is meticulously moving all things forward so that those He calls by the Gospel will repent and believe.  And what do we hear in response?  Jesus said, “I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

In this world, the absolute majesty and glory of God is seen most clearly at the cross.  There, God’s perfect love is put on display as the thick cloud of sin, wickedness, and rebellion that kept us separated from our loving God was wiped away by Jesus’ sacrifice.  Just as the sun burns away fog to let its light shine through, so God’s Son wiped away the sin that kept God hidden from us.  In the Good News of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice for sinners like you and me, we see God.  His Light is shining in the Word made flesh—in His life, death, and resurrection from the grave.  Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, complete, restores to us the fellowship of love and grace with our Creator God.

The light of the world that drives away the clouds of darkness shone brightly upon the world from the moment Jesus rose from the tomb alive on Easter morning.  The devil’s schemes were defeated.  Forever after, we as God’s servants have the privilege of telling the world that Jesus has won the victory that allows our return to the promised land of heaven. 

Back seven hundred years before Jesus took on human flesh, Isaiah had the grim task of calling a people who had lost there way back to repentance.  Success and the temptations of their neighbors had led the Israelites to abandon the God of their fathers for the idols of their neighbors.  The sin that infects our nature leads people to desire control in their lives.  Initially, it can be striving for reward through obedience.  However, that often leads to trying to control events outside of human control.  Lack of knowledge of the almighty God does the same.  Thus, while seeking to control, or guide, the future for selfish benefit, many turn to idolatry.  Perhaps it is following the lead of idol worshippers around us.  Perhaps it is trusting in superstitions.  It can even be relying on the promises of seemingly powerful politicians.  There are numerous ways idolatry creeps into the human heart.

Therefore, to every lost soul, and especially to every believer, the call goes out from our God, Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.  Jesus gave His life for all people.  All sins have been paid for.  The devil has received his due punishment for the treasonous rebellion he led and still seeks to drive.  Thus, daily, weekly, minute by minute, God is urging all people to come to Him for the only relationship that saves.  There is no person God doesn’t want to believe in His Son for life and salvation. 

The Savior who lived and died for all people calls out through the believers He sends, “I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  When the troubles of this world get you down; when temptation comes knocking at your door; when even a smidgen of guilt makes you wonder about your status before God, remember God’s gracious invitation to all His people, “You, Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.  I am blowing away your rebellious deeds like a cloud, and your sins like a mist.  Return to me, because I am redeeming you.”  Return to the Lord for He has redeemed you.  Amen.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Blessed be his glorious name forever.  May the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen.