With God for us, everlasting victory is ours.

 

Sermon for New Year’s Eve, 2022

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Romans 8:31-39  ³¹What then will we say about these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  ³²Indeed, 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?  ³³Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect?  God is the one who justifies!  ³⁴Who is the one who condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us!  ³⁵What will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  ³⁶Just as it is written: For your sake we are being put to death all day long.  We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.  ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (EHV)

With God for us, everlasting victory is ours.

Dear beloved of God,

            When we reach the end of the year, it is almost always the case that we consider how the past year has gone.  Would we consider it successful?  Did we win or lose?  Did we put more money in the bank, or suffer losses?  Did the crops measure up to our hopes?  Are the local businesses flourishing, or are some in trouble?  How much was lost or gained in the markets?

At the same time, many lament the year past.  Personal losses piled up; physical health may have become challenging.  Some of us may have our independence threatened as we age.  More than a few of us suffered some physical ailment, and some have lost loved ones in the last year.  At the very least in our considerations, most of us would say that the year seemed to go by awfully fast.  Does that indicate that our time is running short?  Should we worry?

As we consider the world around us, certainly there are many things that worry us.  Politics is often filled with unethical or slanderous tactics.  Our culture seems to be in a war with itself, which depending on your point of view, may be winning or losing its future.  Gazing around the world, wars of various types certainly lend an uneasiness to our thoughts.  When a foreign power keeps hinting at using nuclear weapons to further its cause, everyone begins to tremble at the thought of what might happen.  

Now, as we consider our sermon text, it might be easy for someone to flippantly say, “Don’t worry; be happy.  None of this stuff matters!”  However, I think most of us understand that our lives here on earth do matter.  We are human after all, with feelings and emotions.  We also know that we are in this world to be shining lights to a world walking in darkness.  How can we do that if the world fights against us?  How much persecution will we have to bear to proclaim Jesus as Lord?

In his letter, Paul recognizes that we will face much trouble.  He lists all kinds of things that might lead us to be afraid.  One thing he didn’t mention, here, is how prosperity and easy times can often lead us into danger.  When there is little to no persecution, and little to no trouble around us, it is easy to grow complacent and forget the Lord, as Moses warned the Israelites before they entered the promised land: “When you eat and are satisfied, and you build nice houses and move into them, and your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have prospers, watch out so that your heart does not become arrogant and forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves.” (Deuteronomy 8:12-14)  If we are honest, we must admit that God has blessed us richly, certainly in our daily lives, but especially in rescuing us from the devil’s control.

What this long introduction leads up to is the question, are we winners or losers in life?  What the Holy Spirit would have us understand from Paul’s writing, here, is that what is truly important is that With God for us, everlasting victory is ours.

Our lives on earth certainly matter, and the ups and downs of life have a tremendous influence over our feelings of prosperity.  Still, should that be how we judge our success?  Paul wrote, “What then will we say about these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?”  This is a rhetorical question, of course, for no one can stand against God.  Immediately before this text, Paul mentions that he is speaking about God’s elect—those whom God has brought to believe in Jesus through the work of the gospel in Word and Sacrament.  The implication for us is that God chose us from before the beginning of time to believe and be saved.  Out of the wretched refuse of mankind, God chose us to hear the Good News of Jesus’ life and sacrifice which reconciled us with our Creator, who had every right to reject us for our sin.  Yet, in love, God not only refused to reject us, but He gave His own beloved Son to be our Redeemer and Lord.

Paul tells 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?”  This is in no way an invitation to be greedy.  Paul isn’t saying that every selfish desire we might have will be fulfilled.  What he is saying is that we have been given so much more than any sinful human could ever deserve. 

Because we are all sinners, what we deserved was God’s wrath and eternal condemnation.  Instead, in His mercy, God gave us purity of life by taking away all of our sins and counting them to Jesus while crediting Jesus’ holy life to us as though we had lived the perfect obedience of the Son.  God gave us peace by sending His Son to die in our place so that we are reconciled with God. 

Furthermore, God gave us citizenship in His holy heaven by allowing us to be born in a time and place where we could hear His holy Word and the promises of forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus.  Through this Good News, God worked that saving faith in our hearts, hearts that had been stone dead in unbelief, but through the power of His Holy Spirit working faith in us to give us new life.  God opened the gates of heaven for us and gave us sure and certain hope of living there by raising His Son out of the grave, fully alive, never to die again.  Finally, God gave all authority in heaven and earth to His Son who lived and died to make us right with God.

You and I know that accusations fly very easily in our world.  People accuse friend and foe alike of every kind of evil.  Even if we don’t do it to each other, certainly, the devil takes every opportunity to accuse us and make us fear God’s wrath.  To counteract those fears, Paul writes, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect?  God is the one who justifies!  Who is the one who condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us!”  This truth is intended to lift us up in good times and bad.  Whether we are winners or losers in the eyes of the world, With God for us, everlasting victory is ours.

No matter what happens to us here on earth, at some point all people will have to stand before the Righteous Judge.  Those who stand on their own record face certain condemnation and eternal banishment from God.  The wicked will spend eternity in the dungeon set apart from God to hold Satan and those who follow his rebellion. 

You and I will also have to stand before Jesus.  However, when the world, or the devil, or any other enemy you might have, tries to accuse you, Jesus will hold up the record of the righteousness He lived on our behalf, which His Father has credited to you.  Because of faith given to you by God, God will count you who believe in Jesus as perfectly righteous in His eyes.

Thus, the question, who can accuse you before the Judge when the Judge has already taken all your sins and shortcomings upon Himself and has accepted the just sentence of death and separation from God in your place?  “Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us!”  The resurrection of God’s Son from the grave shows that His mission of reconciliation is successfully accomplished.  Therefore, God has given His Son authority to judge the world, and He will not only judge you and me in the end, but He is already interceding for us continually, and His plea to the Father is for your forgiveness and your welcome in God’s heavenly mansions, because Jesus died for you and me, and for all, to erase any record of our sins. 

Of course, the Father knows this already.  He has called you from eternity to believe in His Son and live.  Together with His Son, through Word and Sacrament, God called you out of darkness into His glorious light, so that you might believe in Jesus and share in His righteousness.  In His immeasurable love, Jesus knows those who are His.  He declared, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” (John 10:27-28)  Therefore, through all the trials of life on earth, through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, celebrate this, because of Jesus and the grace He has given through faith, With God for us, everlasting victory is ours.  Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and in His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.  Amen.

God’s beautiful Gift brings peace and salvation.

 

Sermon for Christmas Day, 2022

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”  Amen.

Isaiah 52:7-10  ⁷How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of a herald, who proclaims peace and preaches good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God is king!”  ⁸The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voices.  Together they shout for joy, because with both eyes they will see it when the Lord returns to Zion.  ⁹Break out, shout for joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, because the Lord is comforting his people.  He is redeeming Jerusalem.  ¹⁰The Lord lays bare his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from our God. (EHV)

God’s beautiful Gift brings peace and salvation.

Dear people of the living God,

            Somewhere today, a mother gives birth, and the parents and grandparents marvel, “O what a beautiful baby!”  Somewhere today, a happy woman is admiring her Christmas gift of a beautiful, diamond, engagement ring.  Many places today, you will find little girls admiring their precious, new dolls and little boys excitedly operating new toys.

The prophet proclaims the beauty of God’s Christmas gift to the world.  However, the beauty of this gift is not in His human features, nor in what we might imagine doing with Him, but in the forgiveness, peace, and salvation He brings to a world struggling under the curse of sin.  Today, we marvel and rejoice because God’s beautiful Gift brings peace and salvation.

On Christmas Day, most people celebrate with joy, but do we know why?  Maybe we celebrate families gathering together.  Maybe we are excited about the stuff we are given.  Many of our world celebrate without any understanding of what makes this day something to celebrate.  Isaiah’s message celebrates the gift of God’s Son.  “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of a herald, who proclaims peace and preaches good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God is king!’” 

I am sure Isaiah’s prophecy had fulfillment in the return of the people of Judah from their captivity in Babylon.  However, the real point of this prophecy is to tell the world of God’s plan to rescue sinners from their exile in this sin-polluted world through the gift of one perfect Child.  Many commentators use this passage to talk about those who tell others about Jesus, and certainly it is fit for that.  However, there would be no point to the message without its main fulfillment in the arrival of the Savior.

The beauty of Jesus as a Proclaimer of Good News is unsurpassed for He is the Good News.  Isaiah would tell us that it wasn’t His physical appearance that made Jesus desirable.  The prophet writes, “He had no attractiveness and no majesty.  When we saw him, nothing about his appearance made us desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)  Yet, what a glorious celebration was witnessed at Jesus’ birth, for “Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.’” (Luke 2:13-14)  The heavenly host knew what mankind would eventually learn.  This Baby in the manger, ordinary in human terms, is none other than God’s only-begotten Son, who came to win the redemption of all people—to set free those walking in darkness and controlled by the devil’s evil whims.

We find confirmation that Isaiah’s passage refers to Jesus in Jesus’ words to John the Baptist’s disciples: “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Luke 7:22)  Jesus’ words confirm several prophecies, none more so than this one from Isaiah.  God’s own dear Son walked this earth in human flesh delivering Good News to the poor of the world.  His words are found from the first word of Genesis to the last word of the Revelation.  The apostle John reported, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)  This is our Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer.

At the arrival of your Savior and King, the angels of heaven sang for joy, and the shepherds were witnesses to the glory.  Isaiah wrote, “The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voices.  Together they shout for joy, because with both eyes they will see it when the Lord returns to Zion.”  The apostle Luke confirmed it: “There were in the same country shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” (Luke 2:8-9)  Humble shepherds that so many people give no credit for what they saw, yet God foretold their eyewitness testimony seven hundred years in advance.  Do you think common folk like those shepherds will see Jesus’ return when He comes to judge the living and the dead?  The Revelation tells us, “Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him.” (Revelation 1:7)  At Jesus’ birth, those ordinary shepherds witnessed God returning to His people, and they, you and I, and everyone else will witness Jesus’ return in the end.

Still, here is the most important part: “Break out, shout for joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, because the Lord is comforting his people.  He is redeeming Jerusalem.”  In this precious, beautiful, unusual birth, you and I and every repentant sinner are comforted.  Though we all had been torn away from the love of God because of the devil’s deceit, Jesus came to redeem us.  Charlie Brown begged everyone he knew to tell him the real meaning of Christmas.  In answer, his friend quoted Luke’s Gospel report of a Baby born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger.  Under no other circumstances would news of such a humble birth have survived for two thousand years, but this Child in a manger gives us life, hope, and everlasting peace with God. 

The skeptic of our times thinks we are foolish to put our hopes in Jesus.  Yet, it is precisely because Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises that we celebrate His birth and the salvation we receive by faith.  We, who are just as much the ruins of Jerusalem as any Jews of Jesus’ day, can sing for joy because God’s Son came to pay the redemption price that set us free from the devil’s control and bought us back for the kingdom of our God. 

Redemption comes at a cost.  A few verses before our sermon text, Isaiah wrote, “Yes, this is what the Lord says.  ‘You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.’” (Isaiah 52:3)  Who sold mankind into the slavery of sin?  I suppose you would have to say Adam and Eve.  For no gain at all but only trouble and pain, they sold themselves and all their descendants into the devil’s hands.  It was a terrible trade.  Yet, the God of love trumped every evil intention Satan conspired upon us. 

St. Peter wrote, “You know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, not with things that pass away, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)  That Christ Child in the manger at Bethlehem, the only truly innocent Baby ever born, became the ransom price that God paid to set you and me free from Satan, sin, death, and the grave. 

Many a delighted parent has oohed and aahed over the innocence of a newborn baby in a cradle, but only One was without sin, and that One is Jesus, Son of God and the virgin Mary.  Sinless from all eternity, and innocent in every thought, word, deed, desire, and action, Jesus lived righteousness for you and me.  Isaiah testifies, “The Lord lays bare his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from our God.”  The Son of God rolled up His sleeves to do the work that saves us.  Yet, still more than doing the work of living purity and righteousness for us, Jesus came into this world to be the sacrifice of blood that took away the sins of the world. 

If you want to know why Christians marvel at the Baby in the manger, it isn’t a fascination with the sentimental scene, or the hardship and dedication Jesus’ earthly parents faced in bringing that precious Holy One into the world.  No, it’s because we always remember that this little Child of lowly birth is the Son of God.  Furthermore, God the Father and the Son loved us enough to make Jesus the redemption price to win us a place of glory in heaven, because “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)

We celebrate Christmas for the same reasons we celebrate Easter, because Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that we might live and never die.  Talk about a beautiful gift.  The whole world marvels when someone gives a kidney so that someone else can have a better life.  Yet, Jesus, the Holy One of Israel and God’s own beloved Son, gave everything: His life, His body and blood, even His honor was put on the line so that the redemption price for you would be paid.  Nothing more will ever be needed to make you right with God, because Jesus has done it all. 

To the world, it looks like Jesus’ story starts in the manger in Bethlehem, but the real story started before God created the world.  Before He even began His creating, God knew the sacrifice He would have to make to have His people dwell with Him forever.  Even knowing what His dear Son would have to suffer, God laid out His plans to make us holy and to bring us back into peace and harmony with Him.

So, dear friends, celebrate today, and every day for the rest of your life, that through baptism and the gift of faith you are a child of God, bought out of slavery and death by the life and death of that little Child in the manger, who gave Himself to set us free.  What a beautiful gift God has given us in that manger bed that first Christmas Day.  God gave His Son to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Rejoice, therefore, God’s beautiful Gift brings peace and salvation.  Amen.

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

Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save.

 

Sermon for Advent 4, December 18, 2022

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.

Matthew 1:18-25  ¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place.  His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage to Joseph.  Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.  ¹⁹Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her.  So he decided to divorce her privately.  ²⁰But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  ²²All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³“Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son.  And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”  ²⁴When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.  He took Mary home as his wife, ²⁵but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son.  And he named him Jesus. (EHV)

Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Can you imagine how Mary might have trembled to tell her betrothed husband about this unexpected pregnancy?  Ordinarily, at that time, this would have been shocking, dangerous news, because many a man would have felt betrayed, angry, or even vengeful.

This morning we get to peek into the life of a man who is often forgotten.  Joseph has a rather small part in the Christmas story but consider how he must have felt when just as he prepared to bring his young bride home to make his house a happy and blessed place, Joseph discovered what any man would have considered to be the ultimate betrayal; his new bride, thought to be pure and innocent, was pregnant!  And Joseph knew that he had nothing to do with her situation. 

It isn’t rare, today, to hear of pregnancy before marriage, or even engagements falling apart shortly before the wedding, but two thousand years ago it was a completely different story.  Mary was Joseph’s committed wife.  The marriage pledge between the two had already been spoken publicly, yet the practice in their time was that even with the full commitment of marriage, the living together as husband and wife only took place after the groom had finished his preparations for their new life together.  Here, after Joseph prepared everything in his life to bring Mary home to be his beloved until death should part them, he discovered what he could only assume was her betrayal of his love. 

Many a man would have been angry.  Many would have simply walked away.  At that time, no one would have been shocked if Joseph would have drug his wife before the courts to have her declared unfit to be his wife, but Joseph wasn’t like that.  Joseph is called a just, or righteous, man.  It wasn’t in his character to disgrace, or publicly embarrass, this young maiden to whom he had committed his heart. 

Still, Joseph was afraid.  Maybe afraid he would have to provide for a child that wasn’t his.  More afraid, perhaps, that his wife wasn’t the faithful woman he knew her to be.  Therefore, God sent His messenger to tell Joseph, Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save.

I hope I don’t mislead you into thinking Joseph was called a righteous man because he was without sin.  Rather, the term tells us that Joseph, though also a sinner like us, was a believer in the One true God.  Thus, as with Abraham, Joseph “Believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Galatians 3:6)  Joseph’s faith was evident in his concern for Mary’s reputation and would soon be even more evident.  But first, “As he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

Joseph didn’t want an unfaithful wife.  What man would?  Therefore, what relief Joseph felt to learn that all of this was part of God’s plan to save the sinful human race.  In a time when Joseph didn’t know what really was happening nor what was the God-pleasing thing for him to do, God took away Joseph’s fear with the truth.  Mary’s pregnancy was not a product of betrayal; rather, it was God’s solution for man’s betrayal of God’s love.  The unborn Christ Child was the product of the Holy Spirit—God taking the seed of the woman into the Godhead in order to bring salvation for the world.

The angel informed Joseph that he needn’t be afraid to go ahead with his marriage, because “The child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  Joseph knew the prophecies God had given his people.  The angel got Joseph’s attention, first, by reminding him of his relationship with his forefather, King David.  Joseph was in the line that God had promised would bring forth the King who would rule forever.  The angel was, in effect, telling him, “Joseph, you will soon meet the Messiah, and you will be the man who will give Him His name!  You will serve as His earthly father.” 

Some heavy responsibilities came Joseph’s way, but Joseph was no longer afraid.  Instead, we get to see Joseph’s faith in action; he didn’t question the LORD’s messenger, and he no longer had any doubt about Mary.  “When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.  He took Mary home as his wife, but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son.  And he named him Jesus.”  Imagine the joy Joseph must have felt as soon as he woke from his sleep.  His beloved bride was, indeed, truly faithful, but even more than that, his God was faithfully fulfilling His promise to send a Savior from sin—right in Joseph’s lifetime—and even in his house. 

The humble carpenter would soon be meeting His Savior face to face.  I can almost imagine Joseph jumping from his bed, laughing for joy, throwing on his clothes, and happily running to Mary’s house to bring her home where she belonged.  Of course, Matthew just gives us the bare details, but that’s enough to remove any doubt that believing the message, Joseph’s fear was gone.

Dear friends, Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save you and me.  The angel told Joseph, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  Who are not Jesus’ people?  Only those who are not sinners.  However, we know from God’s Word that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  Therefore, Jesus came for everyone.

Friends, you came here this morning because you recognize that you are a sinner.  We all publicly confessed our sinfulness just a few minutes ago.  Therefore, Jesus came into this world to take away your guilt and your fears.  He didn’t come to punish you or judge you.  Jesus didn’t come to teach you how to make things right with an angry God.  No, Jesus came to save you from your sins. 

Jesus’ name means “God saves.”  The Child entering the world through the virgin, Mary, is the Holy One of Israel; He is the God who created the universe and everything in it, the One God who had walked with His beloved Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and yet in mercy after their betrayal of His love, had driven them out of the garden lest they eat of the tree of life and have to suffer on this broken earth forever.  Still, instead of eternally condemning Adam and Eve for their betrayal and disloyalty, the God of love took it upon Himself to enter this world in this miraculous way so that He could save Adam and Eve, and their sinful descendants, by living and dying for us all.

To take away Joseph’s fear, the angel pointed Joseph to the prophecies of God’s promise, "“Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son.  And they will name him Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”  Understand the magnitude of the name, “Immanuel.”  The separation between God and man, caused by rebellion and sin, is removed through the Christ Child, Jesus.  All the guilt, pain, sorrow, and death that sin brought into this world was being transformed into joy and eternal life.  Everything that causes us to be afraid is cured by Jesus, because He came to save.

Jump forward about thirty years to the moments before Jesus ascended to heaven, after accomplishing everything His Father required for our salvation, and what do we hear Jesus say?  “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)  "God with us," wasn’t just for those thirty some years Jesus walked on this earth; it is forever.  By that Baby born of Mary, the sin that kept us separated from God is removed, cancelled, nullified, and obliterated from God’s memory. 

What we read this morning about Joseph, and Mary, and the baby Jesus, is the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise given through Jeremiah:

“The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

So, dear friends, what fears might trouble you?  Do you fear the unknowns of this world?  Are you afraid you can’t measure up to God’s law?  Do you fear dying?  Or being left alone?  Are you afraid someone might betray you, or are you afraid that God sees something you have done as a betrayal?  Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save.

Trust the promises God made to you in your baptism.  There, He marked you as His own dear child, redeemed by the blood of His Son, Jesus.  If you fear being alone, remember that Jesus is always with you whether you feel His presence or not.  Jesus being with you keeps the devil at bay so no eternal harm will befall you.  If you are afraid of death, remember the resurrection of the Savior who died for your sins.  Just as Jesus was raised from the grave never to die again, so we too will be raised to live in Paradise forever.  Are you afraid because of sins you have committed?  Jesus lived, died, and rose again to save you from your sins by taking away your guilt.

This little Child of Mary, brought into this world in such an unconventional way, lived His whole life without sin, doing exactly as His Father in heaven willed, so that you may be counted holy by faith.  Therefore, because like Joseph, you believe the LORD’s holy Word, He credits it to you as righteousness, for He has restored you to His heavenly kingdom through the life and death of His beloved, only begotten Son, born of a virgin and laid in a manger, crucified on a cross and raised to life again so that you will live with Him forever.  Do not be afraid; this Baby comes to save.  Amen.

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

Be patient for the Lord’s time.

 

Sermon for Advent 3, December 11, 2022

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

James 5:7-11  ⁷Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the valuable harvest from the ground, patiently waiting for it, until it receives the early and late rain.  ⁸You be patient too.  Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord is near.  ⁹Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged.  Look!  The Judge is standing at the doors!  ¹⁰Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering with patient endurance.  ¹¹See, we consider those who endured to be blessed.  You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and have seen what the Lord did in the end, because the Lord is especially compassionate and merciful. (EHV)

Be patient for the Lord’s time.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            Could you imagine the laughter of the neighbors if a farmer would plant corn and two weeks later pull into the field with his combine expecting to begin harvest?  Likewise, what farmer would ever have success if he refused to plant until conditions were perfect to guarantee a great crop?

As you might expect, I have some experience in this.  When I was planting corn in April, or early May, I certainly didn’t plan on eating roasting ears the next day.  Any farmer worth the title knows that planting is a leap of faith.  He puts the seed down trusting that the rain will come, both early rain to get the crop off and growing and the later rains to fill the seed heads and push the plants to maturity.  Without rain, there is no harvest.  Now, we sometimes worry about getting enough moisture, and at other times we worry about getting too much.  So, is God unfair in either case?  Of course not!  Rather, He works all things according to His plan for the good of all.  Simply, we need to Be patient for the Lord’s time.

Now, as much as we know we need to wait patiently for the rain, how often does our patience with God and His plan grow thin?  Who among us hasn’t wondered about the weather being just what we need?  Who among us hasn’t complained about a neighbor, a spouse, or a child?  We might well ask how often our parents wondered if we would ever grow up, and the same thought may have crossed our minds about our own children.

We live in a world in which complaining has become a national pastime.  The refs for that ball game were terrible!  That driver is going to get someone killed!  The politicians are doing a terrible job.  The rich are stealing from the workers!  The workers are stealing from the owners!  My coworkers aren’t doing their fair share!  Why doesn’t God put a stop to those who commit violence?  Why does God allow this world to keep going in its depravity and evil? 

The list of our impatient complaints could go on and on.  To be honest, though, every time we complain about anyone or anything, we are putting God in our crosshairs with our accusations.  If we complain about our neighbor, we need to remember that this a person God created and loves.  If we complain about our world, the weather, or the government, again, we are complaining about what God provides for our good.  Even if we complain about ourselves, we need to remember that “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  Therefore, rather than complaining about what God gives us, or what we think He has failed to provide, we should be putting ourselves in position to do the best we can with the blessings God made in us.

Now, don’t get me wrong, God does not provide the wickedness we see.  The Lord is never evil and doesn’t cause evil.  Neither does God desire that anyone do evil things.  All the wickedness and lack of love in our world comes from the devil and from hearts infected with sin, including our own.  Yes, that is a hard thing to admit, isn’t it?  The same evil inclinations that drive so many others to do terrible things is also there in our own hearts, working away at the good desires our Savior implants in us with faith, trying to lead us back under the devil’s control.

So, what are we to do?  The first thing we need to do is to stand before the mirror of the law and admit that the real problem is in us.  We are the guilty ones we need to be worried about.  As Jesus said, “First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)  We need to repent for our impatience, our lack of trust in our God to provide, our quickness to condemn those who offend us, and our slowness to love as the Lord has loved us.  Then, in repentance, God forgives us, “because the Lord is especially compassionate and merciful.”

The second thing we should do is heed the guidance James gives us here: “You be patient too.  Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord is near.  Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged.  Look!  The Judge is standing at the doors!”  Just as God “is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance,” (2 Peter 3: 9) so we should be patient with God and with our neighbors.  Regarding our neighbors, Jesus said, “Love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)  He also instructed, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Really, all of this is sanctification.  James is reminding his fellow believers (including us) that this is how we are to live as redeemed children of God, loving others not as our sinful flesh would demand—which requires a reward for our service—but showing the new life of holiness Christ has put over each of us through faith.  When we are impatient and judgmental with others around us, we are building walls that might keep them from the love of Christ, for it is always true that, in this world, forgiveness and salvation is spread from one redeemed and sanctified sinner to the next.  Thus, in defense of our neighbor’s good name, Luther instructs us, “We should fear and love God, so that we do not lie about, betray or slander our neighbor, but excuse him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.”  Likewise, just as St. Paul wrote, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Striving to strengthen our faith with the example of God’s prophets who were so often hounded by friend and enemy alike, yet they stood firm in faith, proclaiming the Lord’s message of salvation in spite of the threat of death, and even though many of those prophecies wouldn’t be fulfilled until long after the prophet had been called out of this world, James wrote, “Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering with patient endurance.  See, we consider those who endured to be blessed.” 

Prophets like Jeremiah were imprisoned, tortured, and finally killed for their faithful preaching.  Hosea had to endure an unfaithful wife, taking her back time and again after her indiscretions and adulteries, so as to proclaim to the people the message of God’s faithfulness and mercy. 

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, boldly declared to his murderers, " Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?  They killed those who prophesied the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become His betrayers and murderers.” (Acts 7:52)  Standing firm in his faith in Christ, Stephen endured to the end, and though the Jews killed him with a shower of stones, he was blessed with eternal reward in heaven.  That promise of salvation by faith is true for you as well.

Finally, and indeed most importantly, remember what Jesus has done for all of us.  James used the example of Job, who God allowed to be stripped of every earthly blessing yet in the end restored to him all his former wealth.  In this, Job foreshadowed Jesus.  The Son of God came down to earth to live in our impatient world.  Daily, for all His years on earth, Jesus dealt with people who slandered Him without shame.  Living among so many who dishonored His God and Father, Jesus walked graciously and kindly, healing their illnesses, driving out the demons, teaching God’s love to the fearful, and patiently instructing men who often wanted their own way instead of God’s plan.

Jesus never questioned God’s plan for this world.  The Son, who had from eternity enjoyed dwelling at His Father’s side in heaven, willingly did everything asked of Him, and endured the suffering, shame, torture, and death that should have been ours as rebels against God.  Entering our world as a helpless infant, the Almighty Son of God chose patient endurance as a Man so that we who are so guilty of impatience might be declared innocent and granted pardon before God.

The ancient patriarchs and the prophets of old never got to see the fulfillment of their prophecies.  Many of them endured persecution and trials far more grievous that anything we have yet faced.  However, God had a plan—a plan to save them, and a plan to save you and me and many others.  Every detail had to happen exactly according to God’s plan so that there would be no doubt that His Son came to deliver sinners from eternal condemnation.  Today, those ancient believers are enjoying eternity in heaven while still waiting for their bodies to be raised from the grave.  Likewise, on this side of the grave, you and I must wait for the completion of what remains to be fulfilled, just as God waits patiently before Judgment so that His house may be filled with more of the redeemed and sanctified elect.  That is why James tells us, “Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord.” 

Though many wicked people seem to avoid consequence for their evil actions, the day is coming when those who have rejected the Christ will pay.  While earthly troubles may tempt us to doubt God’s promises, and while our patience may grow thin at times, God’s patience and promises are never in doubt.  The promised Messiah has arrived, and He lived perfect obedience and patience in our stead.  In our place, He took the punishment our sins deserved.  Then, victorious over sin, death, and the grave, Jesus returned to His Father’s side in heaven in glorious triumph.  By His patient, faithful endurance, and His willing sacrifice for you and me, Jesus has won the wealth of His Father’s kingdom in the souls of sinners saved and made righteous before God.

Still, our Lord Jesus will return in triumphant judgment on the last day to cast out the wicked but to bring home to heaven all who trust in Him “because the Lord is especially compassionate and merciful.”  Therefore, Be patient for the Lord’s time because “The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness.  Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  Amen.

Our God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen.

God’s children have peace in the Root of Jesse.

 

Sermon for Advent 2, December 4, 2022

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Isaiah 11:1-10  A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.  ²The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  ³He will be delighted with the fear of the Lord.  He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears, ⁴but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.  He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.  ⁵Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his hips.  ⁶The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together, and a little child will lead them.  ⁷The cow and the bear will graze together, and their young ones will lie down together.  The lion will eat straw like the cattle.  ⁸The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand into a viper’s den.  ⁹They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.  ¹⁰This is what will take place on that day.  The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious. (EHV)

God’s children have peace in the Root of Jesse.

Dear children of the heavenly Father,

            What do you tell people who have no hope?  The answer to that question is what the Lord has in mind with this message from the prophet Isaiah.  In Isaiah’s day, most of the people of Israel and Judah were hopeless, though some of them didn’t yet realize it.  You will find a lot of people in a similar situation in our world today.  Therefore, the answer to hopelessness in our times is the same as it was when Isaiah was sent to proclaim God’s Word to Judah: God’s children have peace in the Root of Jesse.

Isaiah had a long career as God’s spokesman.  During his lifetime, the northern kingdom of Israel was annihilated and many of its people were carted off into exile, and that part of the Children of Israel was lost in the mists of history.  The people of that powerful segment of Jacob’s descendants were hopeless, because after Solomon’s death, they put their hope in earthly prosperity, political alliances, and idols of their own and their neighbors’ imaginations.  They were hopeless, not because they recognized their lack of a future, but because the things they put their hopes in had no real power.

Now, Isaiah’s ministry was primarily focused on the southern tribes of Judah and particularly the city of Jerusalem.  Though the southern kingdom was somewhat more faithful than the northern tribes, it too was becoming more and more influenced by the things of the world and the idolatries of its neighbors.  Isaiah warned of the disasters that were coming to Judah for abandoning the God of their forefathers.

In our times, Christianity is more and more regarded as an obsolete religion soon to fade from importance.  Even among many who still claim to be Christians, there is great weakness of faith, and far too little knowledge of what God’s Word says.  Worse yet, there are many who simply don’t care what God has declared.  The selfishness of the heart has taken over.  Convenience, immediate prosperity, and the ways of the world too often drive even many who were baptized into and raised in the Christian faith.  Individuals thus influenced by the world around us are, in fact, often quite hopeless.

It is to people who never yet knew Jesus and to those who have let their faith slide that the message of Isaiah is critical, for the prophet writes of the Lord of glory who would enter this world to win salvation for all who would believe: “A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  He will be delighted with the fear of the Lord.”

By the words given to Isaiah, we know where to look to find the Savior.  He would come from the lineage of Jesse, King David’s father.  And, though that line would appear to be a dead stump in the history of the world, from that root, life would spring up.  A Man from King David’s descendants would grow up to rule the world.  He will rule a kingdom like no other.  He rules with power, wisdom, and might, and His reign will never end.  Of course, I am applying additional prophecies to Isaiah’s words, here, but the truth remains that this prophecy can only speak of Jesus of Nazareth.

This Root of Jesse shows us the greatness of our Savior.  Jesus is a great King, because He is both true God and true Man.  His wisdom and understanding far exceeds that which ordinary kings could possibly possess.  More important than political causes, however, is that Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord.  Isaiah was prophesying that this one Man would do what we cannot do, which is live in perfect submission to God’s will, with perfect love, obedience, humility, and trust.

Now, all of this wouldn’t really do us much good if this was a contest to see who was most holy before God.  Only Jesus could win, and the rest of us would still be subject to destruction for our guilt.  Yet, look what the prophet says: “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.”  If the King of God’s promise ruled with vengeance, brutal justice, and anger, our future would also be hopeless.  In the past, that threat drove many to fear Jesus.  However, the righteousness Jesus uses to judge the world is not ours, but that righteousness which He has lived for us.  You see, God knows all our sins.  Nothing escapes His notice.  However, in His mercy, our Savior King judges the world innocent because of the sacrifice He made on our behalf.  Therefore, those of us who have sinned but acknowledge that sin before God have our sins forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

The hopeless need to learn about all Jesus has done to save sinners.  The prophet wrote, “He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.  Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his hips.”  Speaking through His prophet, the Lord said, “My word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty.  Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)  Jesus, likewise, declared, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63)  The message of the Bible is a two-edged sword bringing death to those who reject it, but giving life and hope to all who the Spirit moves to believe.  That, dear friends, is what God has done for you and me.  By the hearing of the Gospel, by the washing and Word of Baptism, and by the power of the Holy Spirit in God’s word, we were rescued from hopelessness and given faith in Jesus, forgiveness of all sin, and life everlasting in the kingdom of our Savior.

So, now that we know the hopeless need to hear about the Savior King who springs from Jesse’s line, what do you tell those who hope in the Lord?  The answer is pretty much the same thing that Isaiah told to the hopeless, plus you continue with the promise of peace that those who have hope in Jesus will certainly enjoy.  The picture painted in the second part of our text is that God’s children have peace in the Root of Jesse.

Here, Isaiah paints us a graphic vision of the new heaven and new earth which will be established when Jesus returns in glory.  Having won salvation for all through His life, death, and resurrection before ascending to His Father’s side, Jesus will return to judge, and as we already saw, those who reject Him will suffer eternally.  Yet, those who believe will enjoy a peace we can hardly imagine.  The prophet painted in imagery of his day: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together, and a little child will lead them.  The cow and the bear will graze together, and their young ones will lie down together.  The lion will eat straw like the cattle.  The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand into a viper’s den.”

None of these things seem possible in our world, but that’s because our world is tainted by sin.  However, in the kingdom of heaven, sin is removed, death is destroyed, and peace reigns over all things.  Paradise is reestablished, and the peace Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden before sin is restored.  Now, how exactly will heaven look?  The various pictures the Bible gives show that it is far more fantastic than we can currently imagine.  Still, the picture painted here tells us we will never again have to worry or fear any part on our new home.  In the picture, the things that sin corrupted have been restored so that they never hurt, or hurt us, again.

Through His prophet, the Lord declared, “They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.  This is what will take place on that day.  The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious.”  Jesus’ resting place is not the tomb in which they laid His body when He died for you and me.  It is, rather, the throne of His Father in heaven, from which He rules all things in heaven and on earth.  There, all believers from every time and every place will be gathered to praise our Savior and enjoy true peace.  Death and dying will be finished.  Sin will no longer be part of our experience, all those difficulties that trouble us now will be solved, and all the questions we might ponder will be answered.

So, what do you tell the hopeless and those who have hope?  You tell them about Jesus.  You tell them how Jesus fulfilled every prophecy God had given about a Savior from sin and death.  You tell them what Jesus has done for you to absolve all your sins and heal your spiritual wounds.  You tell them how in Jesus, we have the peace of knowing that the King who gave His life so that we might live also rose from the grave to live and never die again.  You tell them that Jesus lives and reigns on high, so that all things now work for our everlasting welfare. 

Whether those who hear you tell them this good news believe you, or not, the message doesn’t change, and the truth continues to be true.  Jesus is both true God and true Man.  Jesus surely suffered all the punishment you deserved for your sins, including death and separation from God, but Jesus did that so that by believing in Him, you will enjoy the peace of heaven, and the joy of seeing God face to face without fear.

Let this be our hope and our message: God’s children have peace in the Root of Jesse.  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.