What to remember when you are seized with remorse.

 

Sermon for 5^th midweek Lent, March 30, 2022

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

Matthew 27:3-5  ³Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse.  He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ⁴and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”  But they said, “What is that to us?  That’s your problem.”  ⁵He threw the pieces of silver into the temple and left.  Then he went out and hanged himself. (EHV)

What to remember when you are seized with remorse.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

            When silver is freshly minted, it is so bright and shiny, yet it tends to tarnish and grow darker and dirtier the longer it is in your possession.  Those thirty silver coins seemed like such a treasure to Judas until he saw what his treachery had accomplished, and they suddenly became unbearably dirty to the betrayer.  This evening, we learn, What to remember when you are seized with remorse.

Have you ever so strongly desired something that you were willing to bend the rules a bit to possess it?  We tend to think of Judas’ betrayal as the most horrific crime, and it is, but do we also follow the same path, at least on occasion?  I suspect that we shave corners when, occasionally, it suits our desires.  Our speed on the road pushed just a little higher than the law allows.  A little income going unreported on our taxes.  A spouse betrayed by a lustful glance in the wrong direction.  A swear word spoken that contradicts our faith in the Lord.  Must we not admit that every sin we commit betrays the Lord who gave His life so that we could be declared innocent?

If you are anything like me, you probably can think of a whole long list of little indiscretions that you would never want to see the light of day.  Things we did in our childhood.  Mistakes we made when we should have known better, and actually did know were wrong, but we did them anyway for the momentary thrill.  Maybe even harder on us are those things where we accidently crossed the line and now a friend or loved one is cut to the heart.  How often doesn’t the pang of guilt touch a nerve in us, also?

Judas had been entrusted with the money bag of our Savior’s disciple band—a community treasury, you might call it.  Those tinkling coins became his downfall.  The convenience proved too strong for Judas to resist, and when taking a little off the top was no longer enough for his greed, Judas made a deal with the devil for that big score of thirty silver coins.  There was just one detail Judas hadn’t bargained on—Judas never calculated that Jesus would actually pay with His life.

Now scholars could argue about whether Judas was a believer in Jesus.  They question the timing of when he realized that Jesus would actually allow Himself to be condemned and killed.  Judas may have had enough confidence in the judicial system to believe that there was no way Jesus could be convicted of a capital offense, or he may have assumed that Jesus would use His divine power to escape the wiles of the Jewish leaders and the Roman governor. 

It is likely that Judas deceived himself into thinking that his greedy act would be a victimless offense.  However, that wasn’t in God’s plan, and Judas was foolish if he had ignored what Jesus had been saying about the upcoming days.  Because of what Jesus had been telling His disciples, Judas should have understood that his betrayal would lead to Jesus suffering terrible atrocities and dying at the hands of the Sanhedrin.  Somehow, Judas ignored all that to get his hands on those coins.

Regardless of what Judas was thinking when he made his decisions and his bargain with the chief priests, we heard the outcome as I read these few verses.  Judas was overwhelmed with remorse for his evil actions, but it was too late.  When he saw that Jesus was truly going to be nailed to a cross at the hands of Roman soldiers, when he finally realized the gravity of what he had done to his good Friend, Judas was beside himself with guilt.  How could he redeem himself?  How could he wipe away the tarnish he now saw and felt on his little, ill begotten treasure?  Sadly, Judas didn’t receive any help from the priests, and no longer trusting in Jesus for forgiveness, Judas made a horrible choice.  Without any hope of redemption, Judas threw those few coins into the temple (perhaps hoping somehow to buy God’s mercy), “Then he went out and hanged himself.”

The guilt had become too much to bear.  That’s the trouble with listening to the Tempter.  First, Satan does whatever he can to tease us into sinning.  He holds up shining trinkets and makes us want them, and then, when we succumb to the devil’s wiles, as we often do, he is right there mocking and accusing the sinner, not only reminding us of our guilt, but also deceiving the guilty again with the lie that there is no way to receive forgiveness and redemption.  Judas bought that lie, and it cost his life.

Dear friends, this is exactly why Jesus so willingly went to the cross when He was betrayed.  God knew the devil’s deceit from the very beginning.  Yet, Satan’s cunning would never change God’s love for you and me.  I’m sure the devil thought he could defeat Jesus.  He kept trying to nibble away at the Son of God until that moment Jesus declared, “It is finished.”  However, that moment stands as the mark of God’s great love for you and me.  God’s Son came down to earth to do what we couldn’t—while holy and innocent, He paid the price of death for all the guilty ones of the world.

If only Judas would have waited for three days, he might yet have been saved.  But, his hope was gone the moment he decided to make money his god.  Still, three days after Jesus bore the price of death for the world, God raised Jesus from the grave triumphant over death even as Jesus had triumphed over the tempter.  Satan couldn’t tempt Jesus to sin, and the grave couldn’t hold Jesus in death.  And because Jesus is victorious over both, He can and does willingly forgive us of every sin and every betrayal we have committed, whether by decision or inadvertently.  Jesus paid for them all.  The Bible now declares to all of us, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Isaiah had foretold it, saying: “After his soul experiences anguish, he will see the light of life.  He will provide satisfaction.  Through their knowledge of him, my just servant will justify the many, for he himself carried their guilt.” (Isaiah 53:11)  By the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning, we have the sure proof that He is the Savior God has promised since the fall into sin.  Not only is Jesus the Savior, but He has been given authority to judge the whole world, you and me included.

Now, if Jesus had been only a man that God graciously raised from the dead like Lazarus and a few others, we might still be left trembling in fear, worried that He would want retribution for the sinners who caused His pain.  Yet, that is not our God.

The apostle, John, who stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross as He died, wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “This is how God’s love for us was revealed: God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him.  This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)  Sin had separated us from God; God’s love and commitment brought us back together.  That is the whole purpose of the history given to us in the Bible.  It tells the story of God’s self-sacrificing love for those of us who don’t deserve it. 

So, What are you to remember when you are seized with remorse?  We are invited, encouraged, and commanded to remember God’s love for us in Jesus.  There is no sin too great for God to forgive because Jesus paid for them all.  There is no way for God to hold any betrayal against us because every betrayal has been charged to Jesus as the sin of the world.  The Holy Spirit through St. Paul tells us, “We urge you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)  He also says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away.  The new has come!  And all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)  “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

What we are to remember always is that Jesus came into this world to live for us the righteous life we need and then to suffer and die the death we deserved so that we might be more bright and holy in God’s eyes than any silver coin.  Through faith in Christ Jesus, you and I have been declared innocent, and by the power of the Spirit in the Gospel and Baptism, God has claimed us as His redeemed and holy children.  He does for us what we could never do, makes us beloved and clean in His sight.  Dear friends, remember Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  That is God’s declaration that what Jesus did for the world is enough for you and me.  To God alone the glory.  Amen.

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

Work for the Bread Who gives life everlasting.

 

Sermon for Lent 4, Laetare, March 27, 2022

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

John 6:24-36  ²⁴When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.  ²⁵When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”  ²⁶Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  ²⁷Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”  ²⁸So they said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”  ²⁹Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”  ³⁰Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you?  What miraculous sign are you going to perform?  ³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”  ³²Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven.  ³³For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  ³⁴“Sir,” they said to him, “give us this bread all the time!”  ³⁵“I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them.  “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.  ³⁶But I said to you that you have also seen me, and you do not believe.” (EHV)

Work for the Bread Who gives life everlasting.

Dear disciples of the Bread from heaven,

            We will soon enter the time of year when many people, and many of you, will be working overtime to produce food for the coming year.  Whether you are farming or merely planting a garden, spring planting means many extra hours of work tilling the soil, eliminating and inhibiting weeds, and getting seed into the ground.  The question I have for you, today, is why are you doing this work?  Why do you do anything, or everything, you do?

It is often said that, regardless of how many hundreds of religions sprout up in our world, there are in essence really only two—the religion of “do,” and the religion of “done,” which is true Christianity.  All the pagan religions, and every religion that doesn’t worship the Triune God, are mere human efforts to do something to make sure that life here on earth is better.  Regardless of what gods they serve, those pagan religions serve only the god of the belly.  Pagan worshippers strive (in whatever way their religion dictates) to make sure that their works satisfy their deity in the wishful thinking that this will help the fields produce good crops, keep their enemies at bay, and in some cases, earn a future in some kind of heaven.  In any case, success or failure is thought to depend on what you do to please an imagined god.

Our text, this morning, serves as a pretty good contrast between the two types of religion.  Here, Jesus invites us to choose wisely, and to Work for the Bread Who gives life everlasting.

The events of our text take place the day after Jesus fed five thousand men plus many women and children with just five barley loaves and two small fish.  It was a tremendous miracle far beyond the scope of imagination.  Yet, it brought a curious response from many of the people.  Instead of listening to the message Jesus was bringing, they saw the cheap and easy food, and that is all they wanted from God’s Son.  Of course, the chief problem is that they still didn’t recognize Jesus as the Son of God.

As you heard in our Gospel lesson a few moments ago, Jesus had left those people behind because they desired to make Him their bread king.  They didn’t believe in Him as the Savior sent from heaven, but still they wanted Him to satisfy their bellies.  Though claiming to be of the faith of Abraham; in reality, they believed and acted like pagans.  Thus, Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”

As is so easily the case, those people were concerned primarily with earthly things.  We know how easy it is to fall into this trap.  Making a living requires lots of hard work for most people.  Furthermore, our world is full of many troubles that consume our attention: the struggles of health, a desire to keep up with successful neighbors, wars abroad and disputes between neighbors at home, life and death issues along with many other troubles keep our eyes focused on this life.  Jesus recognized the pagan thinking in their reality.  He invites them to change their focus, saying, “Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 

While this statement may challenge us, we must remember why Jesus came into the world.  Jesus didn’t come to make this world a rose garden.  Rather, Jesus came to rescue us out of this world condemned by sin.  Also, it’s not that God doesn’t care about us here on earth, just that He wants something so much better for us.  Remember, Jesus had previously said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)  Because of sin in the world, ours and that of our parent’s from the beginning, everything about this world is corrupted and headed for destruction.  Chasing solely after the things of this world leads ultimately to disaster.

The crowd’s reply shows us the nature of their faith.  They said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”  Their thought process led them to assume that they had to please God.  This pagan thinking seems sincere.  The trouble is it assumes that what we do will control God and bring Him under human authority.  It gets reality backwards, so they didn’t recognize the gift Jesus came to give them which is forgiveness and eternal life.  Only Jesus could please God as necessary to rescue mankind from the curse of sin.  Only Jesus could give us salvation and a home in heaven.

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”  Here is the reality, salvation comes only through faith in Jesus, but even that is not a work any of us can do.  By nature, we were dead in sin.  By nature, we were under the devil’s control, and he causes people to believe they can control God and their destiny.  However, no one ever saved himself from the curse of death that sin brings.  It is only by the work of God that anyone will be saved as St. Paul noted in his letter to the Ephesians: “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Still mystified by Jesus and His words, Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you?  What miraculous sign are you going to perform?  Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”  That crowd had just witnessed one of the greatest miracles ever, plus the countless healings Jesus performed daily for those who came seeking His help, yet the pagan mind couldn’t recognize Jesus.  The warning for us is that we don’t follow the same false path.  How easy it is for us to see the troubles in our world as though God is punishing us.  How easy it is to challenge God to prove Himself as those people did.  Huge is the crowd of people still today who demand proof that God is doing His job.  They see the sins of mankind and question how God can exist if He allows this wickedness to continue.  How could a loving God allow starvation, cancer, hatred, discrimination, pandemics, and the brutality of wars to exist?  Yet, all of these things are consequences of sin in the world.

The crowd asked for a sign like that which Moses had proclaimed to Israel.  They demanded daily bread by miraculous intervention.  Again, the people were focused on their bellies, so Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  Our chief problem isn’t that God has failed in His providence; rather our problem is sin and the condemnation it brings.  Therefore, fulfilling His Father’s gracious plan, Jesus came to restore peace between God and the human race and to give us life everlasting.  God wants to deliver us from the darkness, death, and pain so endemic to this world.

Therefore, in answer to those skeptical Jews, who didn’t believe what He was teaching, Jesus told them, “I am the Bread of Life, the one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.”  In His sermon on the mount, Jesus declared, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)  It is the same message.  God wants us to be focused on a life that far surpasses the frail existence we know here today.  The life of God’s people is more than money and goods, more than food for the table and peace between nations.  It is so much more than serving our bellies.  Jesus came to be the source of our everlasting peace and hope.  He came because our sins required a payment, and because we need to be holy to spend eternity with our Creator.

All religions other than faithful Christianity preach works that you are required to accomplish in order to have a future.  Jesus came preaching what He was doing for you and me and the world.  Every word that comes from the mouth of our God is food for the soul.  Every action of Jesus’ life is the holiness we need before entering the glory of heaven.  Finally, the three years of Jesus’ ministry as the Teacher of Israel led up to His sacrifice as the Lamb of God.  With His holy life lived for you and me, Jesus then took our sins to the cross, and by His death, the wages of sin has been paid.

My friends, this spring, you may be tempted again to put your relationship with God on hold while you strive to do the things you need to do in your vocations.  As a former farmer, I know those temptations are strong.  My point isn’t that you have to follow a strict regiment to serve your Lord.  Rather, my invitation is to keep your focus on Jesus in everything you undertake.  Remember who you serve—not the god of your belly—but the true God who gave His life so that you will be holy before His Father.  Start each day remembering the sacrifice Jesus made to give you life and peace.  Take moments to consider and remember His words of promise and His resurrection from the grave through which God certifies to the world that Jesus’ victory over death and the devil is complete.  Remember Jesus’ continual invitation, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Never forget that no matter what happens here on earth, our God has a plan to take care of you.  By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul assures us, “What then will we say about these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?” (Romans 8:31-32)  Through whatever trials the world throws against us, our God will provide just as He always has, and should He allow us to face hardships or whatever disaster might befall, remember that Jesus has already done everything needed to give you eternal life.  His death paid the full penalty for your sin.  His life is counted to you as your willing service to God.  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead assures you that all sins are forgiven.

Dear friends, by the work of the Holy Spirit in Word and Baptism, God made you His own dear child by working the faith in you to believe in Jesus as your Savior.  Remember Jesus’ promise, “I am the Bread of Life, the one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.”  Then, trusting in Jesus as your Savior, go out confidently and faithfully in your vocations as you Work for the Bread Who gives life everlasting.  Amen.

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

The semblance of legality.

 

Sermon for 4^th midweek Lent, March 23, 2022

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

Luke 22:66-67  ⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the council of the elders of the people met together, both the chief priests and experts in the law.  They brought him into their Sanhedrin and said, ⁶⁷“If you are the Christ, tell us.” (EHV)

The semblance of legality.

Dear friends in Christ,

            The plan was to deceive.  The religious authorities wanted truth to be hidden from the public, therefore, under cover of darkness in a kangaroo court, they had determined to kill an innocent man.  The trial was illegal; the verdict premeditated, immoral, and unjust.  Yet, in the hopes of preserving their own skins and dignity, they held a trial at dawn for The semblance of legality.

We are accustomed to capital trials lasting weeks, and appeals taking years or decades.  The members of the Sanhedrin had no intention of letting anything inhibit their deadly plan.  The more they saw of Jesus, the more desperate they had become. 

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and more and more people came to believe in Him, the members of the Sanhedrin began to panic, worrying that if too many people followed Jesus, the Romans would consider it an uprising against their rule and come remove those Jewish leaders from the positions they held.  Their fears were calmed, somewhat, when “Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all.  You do not even consider that it is better for us that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.’” (John 11:49-50)  Thus, the plan for premeditated murder was set in motion, and Judas’ offer to betray hastened it.

The night trial was illegal because by their own rules and the rules of their Roman overlords, a trial could not be held under the cover of darkness.  The verdict had to be reached in what we would call, “regular business hours.”  Furthermore, a verdict of death for the accused required a repeat appraisal on a different day to ensure that the accused was fairly tried before sentencing.  The Sanhedrin failed to follow their own rules, much less the Lord’s command not to murder.

This verdict was also immoral and unjust.  The council ruled that Jesus should die, because they refused to believe the evidence that all pointed to Jesus as the promised Messiah and Son of God.  There was no evidence or honest testimony against Jesus.  Not even two witnesses could be found who agreed with each other in an accusation against our Lord.  The crowds had welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with great celebration and loud cries accepting Him as David’s Son—a sure indicator that they believed Jesus was the promised One.  Yet, that only made the leaders hate Him more and more determined to kill Jesus for not denying that He is the Son of God.

The semblance of legality.  The outcome was predetermined, but the Council wanted the world to think that everything had been handled correctly and legally.  It likely was also a precaution before they took Jesus before Pilate to receive the sentence they intended to impose on Him.  Pilate was a far cry from a good and honest ruler, but he feared any sort of public insurrection, and Caesar, so Pilate was just as concerned about his own neck as those Jewish leaders, so why risk Pilate releasing Jesus on a technicality? 

The priests and Pharisees also feared the people.  They wanted this mockery of justice to be seen as good for the Jewish nation.  Their hatred for Jesus led them to pretend that they were protecting their kinsmen from a Roman invasion that could come if Jesus was crowned king of Judah.  However, Jesus wasn’t that kind of king and had actively worked to make sure that didn’t happen.

Regardless, none of this mattered in the grand scheme of things because God used their wickedness to carry out the plan He had set in motion as soon as Adam and Eve sinned.  Every step of the way, Jesus and His Father knew how the Jews would react, and what wickedness they would try.  Nothing is hidden from God’s sight, nor from His foreknowledge.  David wrote in his psalm, “Lord, you have investigated me, and you know.  You know when I sit down and when I get up.  You understand my thoughts from far off.…Before there is a word on my tongue you, Lord, already know it completely.…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.  It is too high—I cannot grasp it.” (Psalm 139:1-6)

Thus, the question for many would be why?  Why did God allow this semblance of legality?  The answer is us.  For you and me.  Oh, we would like to think we are better than those wicked leaders.  We would never be jealous of someone else’s popularity, would we?  We would never fail to recognize Jesus if He were walking among us.  We would never plot and scheme to hurt someone.  Certainly, we would never try to hide our guilt, would we?

Yet, isn’t that the story of all mankind?  Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves in the trees.  Moses tried to hide his murder of an Egyptian master by burying the body in the sand.  King David tried to hide his guilt of adultery by having his faithful soldier murdered on the front lines of battle.  So, what sins have you tried to hide?  What secret desires or thoughts do you have in your heart that you hope no one will notice?

Experience tells me that when people fall into sexual sins, whether before marriage or after, they often stop coming to church.  The same is true when they begin to question God’s Word.  Rather than come to the pastor for help in understanding what the Lord has written, they go away, and rather than come to the Lord for release from their guilt, they often try to hide it. 

Most likely though, your guilty conscience isn’t burdened by the most outrageous acts.  It is the little things that often start to gnaw at us: the guilt felt from looking at pictures or persons of the opposite sex that get hearts racing, some little theft of time, effort, or goods from your job or schooling, failure to be generous when we could or to help someone in need when we are able, a word spoken hastily that hurts someone we love, or hurt we feel too easily when we are not willing to forgive those slights from others.  Maybe its unconscious guilt.  Maybe we know the cause, but we certainly don’t want our friends, neighbors, loved ones, or God to see how imperfect we really are.

The truth is we often try to hide our guilt because we find it impossible to obey the law completely, perfectly, and our natural hearts know that we will be judged for it.  We read passages in the Bible that say, “So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31)  “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:20) And, “Bear with one another and forgive each other…just as Christ forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)  Then, in our failures, our guilty consciences look for a place to hide, but we often try to hide in the wrong places.  Thus, we see that Caiaphas had unwittingly prophesied truth when he said, “It is better for us that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”  

Jesus faced The semblance of legality, because that is what was necessary to fulfill God’s plan for justice for our guilt.  “We all have gone astray like sheep.  Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has charged all our guilt to him.” (Isaiah 53:6)  God’s plan for our salvation required Jesus to face the wickedness, deception, and betrayal of humankind while remaining sinless in His suffering. 

Throughout His life as a Man, Jesus faced every aspect of our lives, the temptations, illness, pains, and fears, yet He remained without sin.  Likewise, throughout His journey to the cross, Jesus faced things that no man should have to face.  A disciple who betrayed Him.  Others who abandoned Him.  Strangers who abused Him.  Teachers of Israel, who should have been the most receptive to the Word of God, turned against Him.  A Roman governor charged with upholding Roman law sentencing an innocent man to die by crucifixion, solely, because Pilate feared an uproar in the crowds.

All of that injustice was endured for you and me and every sinner who ever had to deal with guilt.  None of us could stand before the Lord God on Judgement Day if not for Jesus facing judgment in our place.  It wasn’t right according to human standards.  According to justice, we should expect punishment for our sins.  Still, because God loves us, He planned something better for you and me.  He sent His only Son to live and die in our place, so that every dot and dash of the law would be kept perfectly, and the just demands of the law that require death for sin would be carried out on God’s Son so that we could be free and alive in God’s presence forever.

This also shows us the love of our Savior, who regardless of the worst display of injustice ever, went willingly and without complaint to the cross so that we could be counted forgiven and holy in His Father’s eyes.  Isaiah wrote, “Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent in front of its shearers, he did not open his mouth.  He was taken away without a fair trial and without justice, and of his generation, who even cared?” (Isaiah 53:7-8)  “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and to allow him to suffer.  Because you made his life a guilt offering, he will see offspring.  He will prolong his days, and the Lord’s gracious plan will succeed in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)

Dear friends, those Jews tried to hide their wicked plot, but God used their evil ways to carry out His good plan for saving you and me, and because of Jesus’ willing sacrifice, God has made us His own dear children, and declared us not guilty of every sin, hidden or visible, and free of every guilt, whether we know it or not.  Peace is now yours through faith in Christ Jesus—peace with God, forgiveness full and free, and the sure hope of live everlasting in heaven.  All because Jesus endured The semblance of legality.  Amen.

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

Imitate God as children of light.

 

Sermon for Lent 3, Oculi, March 20, 2022

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

Ephesians 5:1-9   ¹Therefore, be imitators of God as his dearly loved children.  ²And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  ³ But do not let sexual immorality, any kind of impurity, or greed even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints.  ⁴Obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking are also out of place.  Instead, give thanks.  ⁵ Certainly you are aware of this: No immoral, impure, or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, who is God.  ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words.  It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.  ⁷So do not share in what they do.  ⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light, ⁹ for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. (EHV)

Imitate God as children of light.

Fellow redeemed and sanctified friends,

            In the Bible, nothing is more offensive to God than idolatry, which makes sense because the First Commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)  Numerous times in the Scriptures, those practicing idolatry are described as putting a stench in God’s nostrils.  Now, think about the worst smells you have ever experienced: the worst diaper you’ve ever had to change, rotten eggs, rotten soybeans, a dead animal in the hot sun, or cleaning up someone else’s vomit.  I apologize if I put some bad memories in your mind, but in our text, Paul describes many of the sins we find so easy to commit as idolatry, so imagine the face God might make when the idolatrous stench of our sins wafts up to His nostrils.

The last half of this letter is an explanation of living a sanctified life.  To be sanctified is to be set apart as holy to God.  That is what has been done for us when the Holy Spirit brings us to faith in Jesus.  Through God-given faith, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)  Through faith all the stench of your sin and your previous idolatry was totally removed so that we smell sweet in God’s presence. 

Here, Paul writes, “Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  The purity of our Savior was put over us when Jesus took our place in punishment and death.  Through Christ, we were made holy and acceptable to God—all sin—all stench—removed.  So, why would we want to immerse ourselves again in anything that made us smell to God like a dead skunk?  The believer in Jesus doesn’t want that, therefore, Paul says, Imitate God as children of light.

By the power of the Spirit, Paul wrote, “Be imitators of God as his dearly loved children.  And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  What is God like that we should imitate?  Perfectly holy.  Perfectly loving.  God cares for every living thing, even for those who hate Him.  He is gracious, forgiving, self-sacrificing, kind, compassionate, and slow to anger, and already I can see that I just can never measure up. 

Then Paul goes on to add this, “Do not let sexual immorality, any kind of impurity, or greed even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints.  Obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking are also out of place.”  Our culture is so awash in exactly this type of thing that I doubt we even recognize the sin in it most of the time.  Dare we watch television, a movie, read any kind of advertising, go on the internet, or even listen to much of the comedy in our world?  Our world is slathered in all this impurity; it is like we are swimming in a waste-water pond.  So, what are we to do?  How can we possibly be saved?

Having pointed out that we have been made holy through Christ, Paul’s point here is to remind us to avoid the obvious sins.  We are to learn to recognize what is impure and what is good, and then we must police ourselves to stay away from that which would trap us in filth.  We are immersed in a world that considers sexual immorality a good thing, where hooking up is just entertainment, and casual sex and living together without marriage is considered normal.  Precious few even question it anymore.

All around us, there is a push to get more money, more stuff, and more power.  If we see someone else has something, most people think they deserve it too.  It starts even with little kids who are given participation trophies because nobody should have anything better or more than anyone else.  And yes, I realize that is too simple a comparison.  Yet the devil is masterful at teaching us to desire what belongs to others.  If we see it, he wants us to want it, and that my friends leads to idolatry.  Paul warns against this saying, “Let no one deceive you with empty words.  It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.”

Obviously, we have all failed at imitating God.  That’s why Jesus came into the world.  He came to cleanse us of all sin, to wash away our disgusting stains and putrid stenches, because even our little sins are offensive to God, even those that we don’t know or recognize.  However, the faith in Christ we have been given changes us.  It set us free from the devil’s control.  Through baptism, God stepped forward and cleansing us made us His own dear children, giving us rebirth from above and new life, new hope, new citizenship in His kingdom, and a new ability to love and to serve.

Paul tells us, “Do not share in what they do.  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.”  Jesus has transformed our existence.  No longer are we idol worshippers seeking only physical pleasure and worldly goods.  Instead, we have been washed clean of all sin and dressed in the righteousness of Christ.  The picture the Bible uses for the Church is that of a bride on her wedding day, perfectly prepared, dressed in a gown of most brilliant white and a crown covered with the finest pearls and gems the eye has ever seen.  The righteousness of Christ Jesus should reflect off of us in a dazzling array.  The world should see believers as people who with all humility Imitate God as children of light.

Now, I will not give you a free pass to sin.  At the same time, we all know we can’t measure up to the holiness the law demands, so what do we do?  The sanctified life of the Christian is to live always in repentance.  It is recognizing when and if we stumble.  It is knowing that even our best isn’t good enough and that we need the cleansing bath of our baptism continually.  No, I don’t mean you must be rebaptized every time you sin.  However, every time we repent of our sins trusting in the forgiveness Jesus attained for us, we are returning to that baptism that cleansed us and gave us life in the first place. 

In many ways, this is our returning to God’s presence in worship.  Here, God renews you with the power of His Word.  Here, Jesus gives you His body and blood in the Supper to testify to you again and again that your sins are forgiven because He paid for them with His holy sacrifice.  It is putting the holiness of our Savior in us as healing medicine.

With all the turmoil going on in the world, it would be easy for us to look around and point fingers at others assuming God must have seen something really bad in them.  Paul wrote, “It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.”  However, the wrath of God spoken about here comes at the end.  On Judgment Day, the people going to hell are those who don’t believe in Jesus.  Their whole life is idolatry.  Does any Christian want to be a part of that?  No way!  At the same time, do we want to reach out to those who don’t yet know Jesus?  I certainly hope so, because we know that “God our Savior,…wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)  It is why we Imitate God as children of light.

When you look at Jesus’ life shown to us in the gospels, you see that Jesus was continually returning to His heavenly Father for help, for guidance, and for peace.  Jesus never had sin to repent of, yet He continually turned to God in worship and praise and trust.  Jesus did that also in our place.  It is Jesus’ perfect obedience and trust that has become ours through faith.

The light of Christ is reflected off the believer onto others by how we live in the world.  If we look like the slime pit that surrounds us, what attraction is that to those who are drowning in the filth?  Of course, we all know that much of the world doesn’t want what we have to offer.  That’s because those walking in darkness don’t understand the joy of the light.  It is only after being given life through faith that the light becomes important.  Still, the only way anyone is brought to new life is by hearing the word of life.  We only get the opportunity to share it when we live in the light and life of Jesus.

Dear friends, it is self-evident that none of us can save ourselves or cleanse ourselves to remove the stench of our sins.  However, you have been cleansed through faith in Jesus.  You have been washed clean and given life by the power of baptism.  “Do not give the Devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:27)  Recognize the gift Jesus gives you, the forgiveness, the sanctification, eternal life, and a home in heaven.  Know that God leaves you in this world to share His light with those still suffering in darkness.  Live as His dear children; Imitate God as children of light.  Amen.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, both soul and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.  Amen.

At home with the Lord.

 

Funeral sermon for Norman Geihl, 3-18-2022

O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow, yet not as those who have no hope.  We thank You for all the blessings bestowed on our brother in faith now fallen asleep and for all the blessings given through him.  But most of all, we thank You for making him Your dear child by faith in Jesus Christ.  Give us all to have complete trust and sure hope in Jesus always.  We ask this all in His holy name.  Amen.

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

For our comfort this afternoon, we read the words of our Savior recorded by St. John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

John 14:1-7  “Do not let your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  ²In 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.  ³And 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.  ⁴You know where I am going, and you know the way.”  ⁵“Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?”  ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.  ⁷If you know me, you would also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (EHV)

At home with the Lord.

Dear friends of Norman Geihl, and especially his family: Mark, Pam, Paul, David, and John, spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,

            I think it would be a fair assessment to say that Norman was a builder.  One of the highlights of his life was building the family home with the help of his children.  More than that, Norman was active in helping to build his community, providing the lumber and supplies for many a home and farm in our town and area.  He was a dedicated servant of his community, helping to establish the golf course here, and working actively in many other ways to promote his community and interests.  Norman was proud of the family he and Marilyn built and the accomplishments they have achieved since leaving home.

At the same time, Norm knew there was one home he could not build, nor could he do anything to obtain it, and that is his home in heaven.  Norman knew that this life on earth is not the end, but he also knew that he couldn’t earn or work his way to our true home in heaven.  However, by the grace of God, he also knew the promises of everlasting life through faith in Christ.  Through baptism and hearing the Good News of our Savior, Norman knew Jesus and his Father in heaven, and he was eagerly looking forward to joining Marilyn at the throne of our God.  Early this past Monday morning, the angels came and took Norman to be At home with the Lord.

In our reading, Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.”  Jesus spoke this to His disciples because this world is filled with trouble and pain.  All of that is the product of sin in the world.  Sin corrupts everything about this planet and everyone on it.  It is the reason there is death.  Norman was a good man, a good father and grandfather, a good citizen, and a good friend, but Norman was also a sinner.  We have the proof of that here in front of us for “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Norman publicly confessed his sinfulness all the years he was a member of this congregation and before that too, I would imagine.  He also confessed it to me personally at home visits these last couple years.  Yet, repentance is more than just admitting sin.  True repentance requires trust in the Savior for forgiveness of that sin.  Norman had that too.

Norman believed in Jesus and all that Jesus has done for him.  He believed, as the Bible teaches, that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth taking on human flesh through His mother, Mary.  Norman believed that Jesus lived a holy life on our behalf and died on the cross at Calvary to pay for the sins of the whole world, Norman’s included, and yours and mine too.  This is why Jesus tells us not to be troubled.  Through faith in Christ, God credits the believer with the holiness of His Son.  Jesus took all our sins and paid for them with His sacrificial death, so we would be counted holy by God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit St. Paul tells us, “So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) 

Today, we have a body before us, the result of sin in the world, yet there is also life for Norman in heaven, because “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)  The world might like to tell you that death is the end, and some people hope that it is because they fear facing God’s wrath, but Jesus tells us, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus then reminds us what that means: “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.”  Jesus spoke those words shortly before He went to the cross to die for all of us.  By His death, He purchased for us what we could never earn: forgiveness of all sin, eternal life, and a home in heaven.  The proof of this statement is found at the tomb on Easter morning.  Death could not hold our Savior.  The devil, sin, and death were defeated when Jesus rose to live again.  The most profound part of this is that now, we too will live and rise from the grave on the last day—then with our bodies glorified—never to suffer or die again.

This afternoon, we will commit to the earth your father and grandfather and our dear friend, but for him, this is not the end.  Today, he lives At home with the Lord, yet a day is coming when even his body will be raised to live again.  The prophet, Job, said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust.  Then, even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh I will see God.  I myself will see him.  My own eyes will see him, and not as a stranger.” (Job 19:25-27)  This is the Christian faith that gave comfort to Norman to the end.

Now, there are many in the world that would mock the Christian for believing in life after this world, but we have a sure and certain proof that it is real.  On the third day after He was crucified, died, and was buried, our Lord, Jesus, rose from the grave with a glorified body prepared for an eternal reign as our Lord and King.  His resurrection is the certified seal that God’s promise of our resurrection is also true.  Thus we say with King David, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon Me to the grave.”  Sin brought death into the world.  The Son of God conquered death so that those who believe in Him as their Savior will live and die no more.

Dear friends, if you have been baptized into the Christian faith, if you believe that you are a sinner for whom Jesus died and rose again, then you too have God’s assurance that He has a mansion waiting for you in heaven.  Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.” (John 11:25-26) 

When he heard that Jesus was leaving him behind in death, the disciple, Thomas, wondered how we could ever reach our home in heaven.  Jesus told him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.  If you know me, you would also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  The only way to forgiveness and eternal life is through faith in Jesus.  Norman knew that; he trusted it, and he certainly hoped all of you do too.  He couldn’t wait to be reunited with his Savior and the love of his life, Marilyn.  Yet, that also means he doesn’t want to be separated from any of you that he loved.  Neither does Jesus want to be separated from you forever.

God sent Jesus so that at the end of our days, here on earth, we could be taken to His house where there is no more suffering, sorrow, pain, or death.  Today, as we mourn, Norman rejoices in the presence of God, experiencing the glory of God and the magnificence of the saints and angels singing and praising his dear Savior as he enjoys life in heaven that will never end. 

As you go through the coming days, when sorrow, pain, and fear may trouble you, remember that what Jesus did for your loved one, He also did for you.  God took away all your sins, every guilty stain, and He put those condemnable things on His own beloved Son, and Jesus took them to the cross and paid the penalty of death for you, so that believing in Jesus as your Savior, you too may live with Him forever. 

God bless each of you as go today.  May the comfort His promises brought to Norman also be your comfort and joy.  Then, trusting in Jesus as “the Way and the Truth and the Life,” you too will spend eternity, At home with the Lord.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.