The rejected Son came to receive you.

 

Sermon for Lent 5, April 6, 2025

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

Luke 20:9-20  ⁹He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some tenant farmers, and went away on a journey for a long time.  ¹⁰When it was the right time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the tenant farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.  ¹¹The man went ahead and sent yet another servant, but they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  ¹²He then sent yet a third.  They also wounded him and threw him out.  ¹³The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do?  I will send my son, whom I love.  Perhaps they will respect him.’  ¹⁴But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another.  They said, ‘This is the heir.  Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’  ¹⁵They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  ¹⁶He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”  When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”  ¹⁷But he looked at them and said, “Then what about this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’  ¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush the one on whom it falls.”  ¹⁹That very hour the chief priests and the experts in the law began looking for a way to lay hands on him, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them.  But they were afraid of the people.  ²⁰They watched him carefully and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, so that they could trap Jesus in something he said and then deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. (EHV)

The rejected Son came to receive you.

Dear friends in Christ,

            If there were an indictment for these crimes, there would be an incredible list of charges against those tenants.  The list begins with theft when they refused to turn over a portion of the harvest to the owner.  However, they immediately also escalated their guilt with assault of the servant, and their crimes increased from then on.  Those tenants were obviously guilty of theft but also fraud for not intending to carry out the agreed-upon contract.  Then there were the numerous assaults and the conspiracy leading up to intentional first-degree murder of the vineyard owner’s son.

It really makes for a shameful, disturbing case, and few would blame us for being shocked at the blatant evil displayed.  At the same time, would we really look any better if brought before a judge?  If we go down the list of the Ten Commandments, how many are we guilty of breaking?  Any confirmand will advise you that we are guilty of breaking them all.  We too have been guilty of theft in some way or another.  We too have found ourselves scheming for riches or hating another person.  We too have shamelessly defied our parents and superiors.  We too have lusted after another person, if only secretly.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t accuse anyone without certain evidence, but can any of us honestly deny our guilt?  Here is the deal, however.  Jesus was not indicting a group of tenant farmers for stealing grapes.  Instead, much like Nathan told a story to King David one thousand years earlier in order to convict David of his great sins, Jesus tells this horrific parable to bring the leaders of Israel to repentance.  The parable vividly pictures the wickedness that consumed the scribes, priests, and other leaders God had put in positions of authority over His people, and those leaders “knew he had spoken this parable against them.”

Therefore, we need to understand what the parable is teaching.  Here, the tenants were the leaders of Israel.  The vineyard is God’s Church on earth, and the fruit God expected was a harvest of faithful believers.  God had chosen the descendants of Israel as His people.  He had built a wall of protection around them and poured great care into making that people a productive environment for His kingdom to grow.  Sadly, by Jesus’ day, we have the situation pictured in the parable, in which the leaders were conspiring to kill God’s Son lest they lose control of their power and prominence on earth.  Jesus tells this story, not to ridicule but to call them to repentance, and to teach that The rejected Son came to receive you.

The whole Bible is God’s message of what He has been, is, and will always be doing to work out the salvation of sinners, because God truly desires to save sinners from condemnation.  He sent His own dear Son into this world to accomplish that mission, and He has no desire for any person to miss out on the joy and glory of heaven.  Yet, there is a serious warning here for all people.  There is only one way that anyone can or will be saved, and salvation comes only through believing that Jesus is the Holy One of God and the One and Only Savior and Redeemer from sin and death.

Many of the Jewish leaders in those positions of authority, as Jesus lived among the people on earth, fell into the trap of assuming that peace with God is something they deserved.  Others, like the Sadducees, refused to believe that there is more than this life here on earth, so they were hyper focused on maintaining what they considered their good lives.  They didn’t want to risk their wealth and privilege on believing in this Prophet from Nazareth.  Unfortunately, you and I can be tempted by the same influences.

As we go about our daily routines, it can be all too easy to fall into the temptation of earthly wealth.  The prosperity gospel (which isn’t gospel at all, but Satan’s trap) is truly tempting to the sinful nature that wants to believe God rewards good behavior and pious prayer with riches whether deserved or not.  That same prosperity thinking, however, will also accuse one of being on God’s enemy list whenever things in this broken world aren’t going well.

Likewise, our sinful nature is powerfully tempted to believe the lie that we have to please God in order to have peace with Him.  Yet, that is nothing more than the devilish lie that brought pagan religions onto the world scene.  At the same time, our egos have a hard time processing the truth that there is nothing in fallen humanity that makes God love us.  The sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve really doesn’t like to face our faults and failures in life.  We would rather hide from God’s law and from His righteous judgment.  Because of all those temptations and traps, it is good and right for us to thank and praise God that The rejected Son came to receive you.

Going back to the parable, we read, “So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”  When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”  Jesus gives a blunt warning that anyone who rejects Him, rejects also His Father who sent Him to save people like you and me.  Consequently, He boldly shares that they will face eternal damnation for their cruelty and unbelief.

Notice their response, though.  Were they saying, “May God never be so just?”  Or perhaps, “May we never be so unrighteous?”  It appears to be the former rather than the latter, because those same men were already plotting to kill Jesus lest He cause a loss in their earthly positions.  They were jealous of Jesus’ popularity, in addition to being afraid of His righteous words.

So, where does that leave us?  Honestly, we have been saved not because of any good in us, but because God, in His love, was working through the rejection of those leaders to send His beloved, holy Son to the cross to die for all people.  St, Paul later wrote, “When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons.  And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to shout, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:4-6)

The Israelites had been God’s people for thousands of years—sometimes, many of them were very faithful—yet, many times, the majority wandered from believing in the God of their fathers.  Still, this always remained the way that God would bring salvation to all who will believe in Jesus.  Exactly at the right time and involving certain people who so violently opposed the Lord that they would willingly send His Son to death, a death that unbeknownst to them would also pay for their sins.  Thus, they did their dirty deeds, but you and I are among the beneficiaries.  We are granted forgiveness because God planned to win it for us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.  It is because of God’s mercy that Jesus entered the world when He did, and it is because of His love that we are adopted as heirs through faith in Jesus given to us by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel in Word and Sacraments.

Therefore, the message for us to today is not to imagine that we are better than those people, but that God used them to deliver us from a fate worse than physical death.  God rescued us from eternal damnation through everything Jesus did to live and die for us.  Christ Jesus lived the blessed righteousness we need to stand before God in peace, and He carried all our guilt to that cruel, bloody cross to experience the death and separation from His Father that you and I by nature and right deserved.

Then, just as the Lord had been doing in Israel for over fourteen hundred years, God sent His messengers to tell His elect about the peace with God Jesus has won.  That’s truly what the Christian Church is all about.  We are here in this cruel world to share the Good News of what Jesus has done for all people.  We are here to walk among this depraved and often cruel people who don’t yet know Jesus, but not in order to make us suffer or gloat, but rather, so that while we endure the ills and hardships of life on earth, we too are reflecting God’s love upon others, so that they see what Jesus has done to give eternal life.

Dear friends, this peace with God that surpasses all understanding was brought to you through the Gospel and the water and Word of Baptism.  It was shared again and again with you through the proclamation of God’s salvific Word in the Bible.  Through these things, the Holy Spirit granted to you faith in Jesus so that you have become productive branches on Jesus’ vine in God’s vineyard.  Remember Jesus’ words to His faithful followers:

I am the Vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8)

Jesus came into this world this first time to redeem us back into God’s vineyard, and to make us productive branches for his Father’s glory.  A day is coming when Jesus will once again return to collect for His Father the bounty of His vineyard by gathering into heaven all those who believe and trust in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world.  Though rejected by many when He came to deliver us, and rejected by many still today, God’s Son paid the price to bring you back into His home of peace and the security of His kingdom.  He is coming soon to judge and dispose of those who refuse to believe, but primarily, The rejected Son will come to receive you into the glory and peace of heaven, where you will dwell for all eternities to come, because The rejected Son came to receive you.  Amen.

The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints.  Amen.

The Spirit of Christ gives eternal life.

 

Sermon for Lent 4, 2025

Grace and peace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Romans 8:1-10  So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  ²For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  ³Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin. God condemned sin in his flesh, ⁴so that the righteous decree of the law would be fully satisfied in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.  ⁵To be sure, those who are in harmony with the sinful flesh think about things the way the sinful flesh does, and those in harmony with the spirit think about things the way the spirit does.  ⁶Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace.  ⁷For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot.  ⁸Those who are in the sinful flesh cannot please God.  ⁹But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you.  And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ.  ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. (EHV)

The Spirit of Christ gives eternal life.

Dear brothers and sisters made alive in Christ,

            Since the introduction of DNA testing, and its application in fighting crime, numerous criminals have been brought to justice after many years of evading punishment.  At the same time, there have been a number of people who spent years and decades in prison, and even on death row waiting for the ultimate justice to be applied.  Many of those had protested their innocence, but it is well understood that most convicts claim innocence.  Yet, some were eventually proven not guilty and released.

You and I have a different story.  We, too, were once imprisoned in a spiritual death row, bound in the chains of sin and unbelief—however, in your case and mine, the conviction was appropriate for God’s Word declares, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  We had no legitimate defense for the sins we had committed, and therefore, we deserved the death sentence on our heads.  Yet, like those previously mentioned, our death sentences have been overturned—however, in our case, not because we were innocent—and not based on a technicality of the law—no, we were set free from the penalty our sins had earned, because God sent His Son, Jesus, to take that penalty of death for each and every one of us, so that instead, The Spirit of Christ gives eternal life.

Immediately before our sermon text, Paul lamented the fact that sin still affected him even though he had been set free from its penalty.  Paul recognized that as long as we live in this world, we have to deal with our sinful flesh on a daily basis.  Thus, as a reminder of the power of Christ in our faith, Paul wrote, “So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Because of sin’s curse, the sinful flesh is often tempted to take the salvation of our Lord very lightly, and sometimes, we are tempted to take advantage of Christ’s forgiveness by thinking it is okay to sin, if just a little.  However, Paul is not in any way saying that sin is acceptable.  In contrast, he addresses the guilt we feel because of the sins that daily creep into our lives, sins which make us feel outside of God’s grace.  When we become conscious of our sins, our consciences accuse us, and we feel guilty, unloved, unwelcome, and unforgiven by the merciful Lord who gave His life for all.

To fight those feelings that lead to despair, and the devil’s taunting, the Holy Spirit had Paul remind us that because of the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus, all our sins were taken away, not just the sins of our past, not just original sin, not just the big ones, and certainly not just the little ones, but all sins were laid on Christ.  When a person is made a child of God through faith in Christ, all guilt is removed.  We no longer must walk in condemnation.  The Christian is not controlled by what the flesh desires; rather, the Spirit of Christ now reigns in our lives.  By His gift of faith in Jesus, “the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” 

We saw this on the day of Pentecost, for the people were cut to the heart by the apostles’ preaching, and they asked, "Brothers, what should we do?”  Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37-38)  The gift of the Holy Spirit is faith in Christ Jesus.  Through Spirit-given trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, your sins are wiped from God’s record, and you are set free.  All the condemnation is gone; your deserved death sentence revoked.  “For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set [us] free from the law of sin and death.”

The spiritual death sentence under which we once lived and were under Satan’s control was removed by Christ on the cross, and the freedom He won is given to you by the Holy Spirit bringing you new life through faith.  What the law could not enable us to do, Jesus did.  What we had no power to do on our own, Jesus accomplished for us.  He lived the perfect obedience required.  He died the innocent death.  By God’s grace, His perfect righteousness is now credited to you and me.  By the Holy Spirit making us alive through faith in Christ, you and I are counted completely righteous before God.

Paul wrote, “Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace.”  When we were controlled by the flesh, the devil was our warden, and we were dead in sin.  That spiritual death kept us afraid of the future.  The sinful nature often fears what will become of us when our bodies are laid in the dust.  Until Christ enters our lives, we can only wonder with terror, how dare we stand before God’s judgment?  Who or what will defend us against His righteous anger?  The world and our sinful flesh had no answer. 

However, The Spirit of Christ gives eternal life.  Now that we have been brought to faith in Christ, we don’t need to fear the future or the judgment, for we have been given life that lasts forever.  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  He said, “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)  Before He left this world, Jesus comforted His disciples saying, “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)  Jesus’ own resurrection from the grave proves that God’s promise of eternal life and peace for you and me is certain and sure.

Later in this chapter, Paul wrote, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)  That is the confidence faith in Jesus gives to the believer.  We have everlasting life.  What can the world do to us?  Take our physical life?  That only sends us home to be forever with our Savior.  Steal our property?  So what!  Our real home and all true wealth is “in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20)

Throughout this section of his letter, Paul contrasts our old sinful existence and our new life of faith.  He wrote: “To be sure, those who are in harmony with the sinful flesh think about things the way the sinful flesh does, and those in harmony with the spirit think about things the way the spirit does.  Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace.  For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot.  Those who are in the sinful flesh cannot please God.” 

The world continually tries to deny it, but before receiving faith in Jesus, nothing anyone does is good in God’s eyes.  Sin corrupted every part of our being.  Even when we wanted to do good things, we did them for the wrong reasons, so it was counted as sin.  There was not one good thing in us, just as Isaiah confirmed, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” (NKJ Isaiah 64:6)  Even the very best things we might do on our own were corrupt and offensive to God’s righteous judgment.  However, all of that was changed by Christ Jesus and the gift of the Spirit, for Jesus prayed of His heavenly Father, “Sanctify them by the truth.  Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

To reassure fellow believers of the blessings of Christian faith, Paul wrote: “But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you.  And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”  Separated from Christ, we could do nothing, but those who believe in Him are now credited with all righteousness.  Not only that, but we now can serve our Lord.  We are now enabled to do good things in God’s eyes.

It is important to note, here, that you don’t have to do things that are great and mighty in the eyes of the world to be counted as righteous before God.  He requires simple faith in Jesus.  The monks that beat themselves, starve their bodies, and do all kinds of works and rituals to please some imagined command have nothing on you.  Those who give away fortunes to ease their guilty consciences gain nothing if it is done outside of faith in Jesus.  But what great joy is ours, that even though we once couldn’t do anything to please God, now everything we do in faith and love of God is counted for our glory.

All other religions teach ways they think will earn God’s favor, but none can achieve it.  In fact, Paul wrote to the Galatians, “You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law are completely separated from Christ.” (Galatians 5:4)  All those who teach a salvation of works, or righteousness by obedience of law, keep people locked up in Satan’s death-row prison.  Faithless works have no meaning to the Triune God, and anything done to please any other god is only idolatry. 

Dear friends, Jesus left this world saying to His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  As the body of Christ, true believers in God’s Son live to grow His spiritual body.  That is an ability no one else on earth possesses, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we rejoice for the ability and the opportunities to increase His kingdom by sharing the Good News of what Jesus has done for us, and for all, to rescue people from the pit of despair which is that path to hell.

The faithful Christian lives as a beacon of light to draw lost sinners to the saving arms of Jesus.  The great commandment says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)  We love God when the Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe in His Son, Jesus.  We love our neighbors when we share Christ’s salvation with them.  We love our neighbors when we live the good example of the faithful Christian: walking in faith through good times and bad, making worship and praise of our Lord the priority of our lives, serving unselfishly as we reach out to both friends and enemies with the forgiveness Jesus won for all. 

Now, you probably don’t feel like you are always serving the Lord.  Like Paul, you probably lament your sinful nature that finds you breaking God’s commands and neglecting Him in many ways.  Certainly, any sin is regrettable and could lead us away from faith in Christ.  Therefore, we never want to minimize the reality of our sinfulness.  Rather, we lay it all before Jesus in sincere repentance.  We study God’s Word to learn faithful obedience and to grow in His grace.  Then, dear friends, walking in true faith, we live in the Spirit.  Connected with Christ through Baptism, we live trusting that Jesus has paid for all our sins.  Living in that faith, we don’t serve Him out of fear; we serve because of humble thankfulness that The Spirit of Christ gives eternal life.  Amen.

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

Relying on God’s grace.

 

2^nd Sermon for Midweek Lent

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.

Psalm 51:7  ⁷Remove my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean.  Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (EHV)

Relying on God’s grace.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            How do you remove the stain?  I’m afraid that has become a common question at our house, because I seem to dribble on the front of my shirt far more often than either I or my wife would like.  Still, most of the time, she can handle this pretty easily.  But how about more stubborn stains?  Blood can be hard to remove.  Some wine stains are notoriously hard to get out.  Mechanics and farmers often have to work pretty hard, and use some strong soaps, to clean their hands.  Getting the dirt out from under my fingernails was always a challenge back when I was farming, and the worst was getting rid of the smell of manure.  In my mind, it always seemed like I could smell the barn on my hands no matter how many times I washed.

What David is discussing here with the Lord, however, is a far more complicated stain than anything we have to deal with on our clothes or hands.  Those are all surface stains, but in all honestly, since the fall of man into sin, the corruption causing us to be separated from God goes far deeper.  The corruption of sin penetrates all the flesh of our bodies, our personalities, and our souls.  We can’t work or wish that corruption away.  Neither is there anything we can buy to wash it off, because it goes so much deeper than the stains that ordinarily concern us.

Years ago, we had a Great Pyrenees dog that got free one night and ran out into the fields straight into a skunk.  She came running back quite a different dog than she left, of course.  She wasn’t happy with her new perfume, and obviously, we weren’t too thrilled about it either.  That dog had a massive fur coat, and it must have absorbed a full, direct hit of that skunk’s malodorous blast.  It made your eyes water to be near her.  So, what were we to do?

We tried washing with all the detergents we had one hand.  We tried the tomato juice bath and every other home remedy we could find.  Nothing seemed to help—the dog still reeked.  I’m talking about one hundred forty-five pounds of smelly dog.  Anyway, we broke down and took her to a professional groomer to have them do their magic.  After a full day of bathing at the spa, our Rosie came home looking pretty as could be, a beautiful white coat, a lovely bow around her neck, with a sweet perfume that failed to hide the stink of that skunk.  For months after, we could smell that wild fragrance, and every moist weather change brought the skunk stench right back out in the open.

So why do I tell you this story?  So much of the time, people view sin as just a little dirt on the skin.  No big deal, they think, I can wash it off anytime I want to.  Adam and Eve thought they could hide it from God under the trees, and maybe in a few days, He would forget about it, and they could come out of hiding. (At least that’s what I imagine they were thinking when they hid from the Lord).  However, the stain of sin goes completely through us, and as long as sin is on and in us, we can’t hide it from God, for the stench of our guilt always lingers.  Furthermore, because we live in such a septic tank of a world completely corrupted by sin in every way, we have no place to go to avoid it. 

Of course, many would argue that they aren’t all that dirty.  Some will claim that people, especially babies, arrive in this world clean and pure.  Yet, David explained in this Psalm, “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born.  I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)  Indeed, if we deny the sin we are born in, we are really calling God a liar, for the Holy Spirit moved St. John to write, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)  

Sadly, many in our world still try to deny the concept of inherited sin, but the Bible is clear that we need cleansing from all corruption: a cleansing from our own sins, from the temptations of the world, from our inherited guilt, from evil thoughts and desires, and from the failures to do the good things we should.  All of that had to be dealt with before we could hope to enter the presence of the eternal, holy God who created us with the expectation that we should be like Him in holiness.

Of course, mankind has long tried to find ways to purify himself in order to stand before God in peace.  Over the millennia, man developed countless pagan religions in fruitless efforts to appease whatever gods they imagined.  However, the more we, who are corrupted with sin, try to wash ourselves clean, the more it just moves the smell around, but it’s always there.  It’s kind of like trying to clean your hands with a bucket of used motor oil.  No matter how hard we scrub, the black stain of sin remains, and may even get worse.

That is why for every sinner, actually every person who ever lives in this troubled world, it is vital that we learn the importance and the sure cleansing power of Relying on God’s grace.  In our Psalm text this evening, we see what David learned.  David knew he couldn’t fix himself.  He understood that he couldn’t work his guilt away; he couldn’t buy his way into God’s heart, nothing of earth could cleanse his great shame.  Only God could redeem, repair, and restore what sin ruined.

David prayed, “Remove my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean.  Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  Hyssop is a plant that the priests used like a sponge to sprinkle blood and water at the temple while conducting sacrifices for the people.  David uses hyssop here as a symbol for the whole sacrifice.  However, David wasn’t referring to the temple sacrifices the priests did for the people.  Those efforts were a proclamation of the single future sacrifice that would bring healing, peace, and purity to all who believe, for by God’s “will, we have been sanctified once and for all, through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.” (Hebrews 10:10)

Because people usually think of cleaning the surface, we need to understand the depths of our corruption.  Sin doesn’t just mar the surface; it goes all the way in.  It’s an infection that spread to every part of our being.  To compare, consider that dentists want you to clean your teeth regularly so that any possible contamination doesn’t spread to your blood stream and eventually infect your heart.  If you have a wound somewhere on your body, even just a toe, it must be cleaned and treated, or infection may spread leading to the poisoning and eventual death of the body.  Likewise, sin can’t be ignored nor just washed off.  It has to be removed completely from us so that we can truly live.

Our God foretold His plans for the removal of sin’s infection when He spoke through His prophet, Ezekiel, “I will sprinkle purifying water on you, and you will be clean.  I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your filthy idols.  Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you.  I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:25-26)  St. Paul explains how the Lord carried out that prophecy: “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)  The polluting stain of sin’s putrid infection was excised from us and transplanted unto Christ Jesus.  In an exchange only our holy God could offer, God made His Son the sick, poisoned, dying, repulsive being in order to suffer the poisoned death that would save us from a certain fatal end. 

Of course, since sin had completely corrupted us, something had to be implanted in its place in our account so that we could be welcomed home into God’s presence.  Therefore, God fulfills His prophecy by crediting Jesus’ perfect righteousness to us who believe in Him.  Again, that great exchange that took our stinking sin and put it on Jesus also made a sweet-smelling sacrifice that brought us His holiness so that we are granted free release from condemnation by Relying on God’s grace. 

In all of this, we did nothing to earn release from God’s wrath.  Rather, God showed His love from the beginning by promising a Savior who would cleanse us of all sin.  Throughout the generations, God prophesied the events that would show us the path of holiness in Jesus.  Then God sent His Son to live perfect righteousness for us and ultimately to suffer the death our sin infection caused.  Thus, “Christ reconciled you in his body of flesh through death, in order to present you holy, blameless, and faultless before him.” (Colossians 1:22)

Jesus took all sin into Himself, bore the punishment that brings us peace, and then behold, God made a healing medicine out of the blood Jesus shed for us.  At times in the past, Christian artists displayed this healing flood as the water and blood that poured from Jesus’ side as He hung on the cross flowing into the baptismal font and the communion cup.  Through these means of grace, God brings the healing medicine that removes our guilt and restores vitality to the believer.  Concerning Baptism, St. Paul wrote,

Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.  For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5)

Likewise, Peter explains,

God’s patience was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.  In this ark a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.  And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:20-21)

Through Baptism, God cleanses us of all impurity as He joins us with His holy Son.  Then Jesus, likewise, also grants us a medicine that cleans away our guilty stain and restores new health to our stricken souls.  Living in a world so corrupted and poisoned by sin, we naturally need continual cleansing and restoration.  Therefore, Jesus provides that healing both in the saving message of the Gospel and proclamation of absolution for our sins, but also in the bread and wine of His holy Supper.  On the night He was betrayed, “Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples. He said, ‘Take, eat, this is my body.’  Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you, for this is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28)  By this precious food of His holy body and blood, Jesus again and again cleans our souls of sin’s poison and pours into us the pure, living, healing water of His holy life.

Dear friends, it is unlikely that I will stop spilling on my shirt as I grow older.  It is even more unlikely that I could ever reach purity of heart by my own efforts.  Thanks be to God that Relying on God’s grace, we have a peace and hope that cannot be taken away.  In Christ, all our sins are forgiven, and the stench and stain of our guilt is removed from us as far as east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)  Thanks be to Jesus that through God-given faith Relying on God’s grace, He has made us a part of that great throng who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)  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.

Who is this “I AM” who saves?

 

Sermon for Lent 3, March 23, 2025

Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

Exodus 3:1-15  Now Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, a priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  ²The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in blazing fire from within a bush.  Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but the bush was not burning up.  ³So he said, “I will go over and look at this amazing sight―to find out why the bush is not burning up.”  ⁴When the Lord saw that Moses had gone over to take a look, God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses!  Moses!”  Moses said, “I am here.”  ⁵The Lord said, “Do not come any closer.  Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  ⁶He then said, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.  ⁷The Lord said, “I have certainly seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry for help because of their slave drivers.  Yes, I am aware of their suffering.  ⁸So I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  ⁹Now indeed, the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me.  Yes, I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them.  ¹⁰Come now, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”  ¹¹But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  ¹²So God said, “I will certainly be with you.  This will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”  ¹³But Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I say to them?”  ¹⁴So God replied to Moses, “I am who I am.”  He also said, “You will say this to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you.”  ¹⁵God also told Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers―the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob―has sent me to you.  This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’” (EHV)

Who is this “I AM” who saves?

Dear elect of the Lord,

            When Moses met the Lord on the mountain of God, and the Lord called for Moses to challenge Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt, you can sense the trepidation that Moses felt as he listened to the Lord’s instruction.  Even though Moses was raised to believe in the God of his forefathers, he still had much to learn about the God we worship and follow.  It is likely that we too need a refresher course on all that God promises us in His name, so that we are ready to respond no matter what the challenge or situation we might face.

For decades, Moses had lived a quiet, pastoral life shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep in the wilderness.  As much as anything, Moses had been hiding from the wrath of Egypt’s pharaoh who had threatened Moses’ life for killing an abusive Egyptian master.  Though raised in the palace, Moses was no longer the brash, impetuous youth.  The country life suited him, and he was comfortable in the anonymity of his life.  Boy, was that about to change!

Moses had a hard time believing that he was the right man for the job.  He as much as argued against the Lord’s decision.  But finally, he said, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I say to them?”  So God replied to Moses, “I am who I am.”  That certainly clears it up for the skeptic, doesn’t it?  So, Who is this “I AM” who saves?

Actually, Moses no longer had to be afraid of the Pharaoh because all who had known about Moses’ previous run-ins with Egyptian authority were dead.  Moses would be a true nobody to the ruler of Egypt.  The same could be said about the true God, for the pharaohs considered themselves a god.  In fact, when Moses met with Pharaoh, that ruler demanded, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go?  I do not know the Lord, and I certainly will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)

We shouldn’t feel smug, though, as we hear Pharaoh’s arrogant response.  Isn’t this the same boldness we display whenever we rebel against our Lord and sin against Him?  Isn’t this the way we act every time we worry about things that should be given to the Lord to handle, or whenever we misuse His name?  Don’t we too say, “Who is the Lord,” whenever we don’t fear His judgment or recognize His grace for all people?

Because we have so often also been guilty of, at least, acting like we don’t know the answer, it is vital that we truly know and remember Who this “I AM” who saves is!

God replied to Moses, “I am who I am.” … The Lord, the God of your fathers―the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  From this “I am,” we are reminded that the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.  In his Psalm, Moses prays to the Lord, “From eternity to eternity you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)  St. John’s Gospel tells us, “Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)  Indeed, John’s Gospel confirms for us what is evident in many parts of Scripture, that Jesus is true God along with His Father in heaven.  Therefore, we can have total confidence that this “I am” is the Almighty God who created the world and everything in it.

Did you ever drive somewhere and miss a turn you planned to take?  How long did you drive before you realized that the road you were on would never take you where you wanted to go?  I ask, because so many people in our world search for answers about the past, or the origin of the world, or the future, yet they deny that God has anything to do with it.  Because they seek answers on a path that denies the truth, they truly can never understand reality.  They are continually the blind leading the blind.  However, we have the answers in our Scriptures which always line up with scientific and archeological findings, if only we have eyes that can see.  So that we may see, Jesus declared, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)

Moses was worried about the danger and ridicule he might face if he returned to Egypt with this bold demand.  However, God was keeping His promise to Abraham.  Centuries earlier, God had promised to give the land of Caanan to Abraham’s descendants, but in addition, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Know this!  Your descendants will live as aliens in a land that is not theirs, and they will serve its people, who will afflict them for four hundred years.  But I will surely judge the nation that they will serve.  Afterward your descendants will come out with great wealth.’” (Genesis 15:13-14)

Our God is all-knowing.  He knows the present, the past, and the future.  The Lord spoke to Jeremiah saying, “My eyes are watching everything they do.  It is not hidden from me, nor is their guilt hidden from my eyes.” (Jeremiah 16:17)  The writer to the Hebrews confirms this, “There is no creature hidden from him, but everything is uncovered and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we will give an account.” (Hebrews 4:13)  Therefore, we should understand that there is nothing we can hide from the Lord.  At the same time, we can be confident in everything the Lord tells us, for He cannot and will not deceive, because “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and merciful toward all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:17)

When he objected to the Lord’s command to go to Egypt, Moses asked, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  So God said, “I will certainly be with you.”  Whenever we have fears, worries, or doubts, we should remember Jesus’ promise to us: “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)  No matter what trials, sorrows, hardships, or rejection from defiant unbelievers we might have to face, we have the most powerful ally in creation.  We have with us always the “I am” who came into the world to save people from sin, death, and the devil.  Our defender is ever at our side, and He is all-powerful to save.  

If ever in doubt about your Lord’s power to deal with the world, look at the plagues He put upon the Egyptians so that they would let His people go.  He spoke to Moses saying, “I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless he is forced to do so by a powerful hand.  So I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in their midst.  Afterward he will let you go.” (Exodus 3:19-20)

Who is this “I AM” who saves?  This is the Lord who cursed the devil when he led Adam and Eve into sin, but also promised a Savior who would crush the demon’s head.  This is the Lord who gave His Son, Jesus, into the world to redeem all God’s people from the curse of sin which is eternal death.  This is the “I am” who, after taking on human flesh to live holiness among us, laid down His life for His friends so that we might have forgiveness and life everlasting, who suffered the pain of death so that our sins are paid for and we are forgiven, who declared through His apostle, “I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness, and I will not remember their sins any longer.” (Hebrews 8:12)

Who is this “I AM” who saves?  He is the Lord who promises His people that even in times of hardship and trouble, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)  He is the Lord who asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4)  He is the Lord who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and to freedom through the Red Sea in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.  Who promises that just as Israel was saved through water so we are saved from slavery to sin through the waters of Baptism. 

He is the Lord, who in human flesh suffered the cruel injustice of a perfectly holy Man dying for the sins of the world, yours and mine included, whose blood shed on the cross paid for all our guilt and shame, who died and was buried, but on the third day rose to live and never die again, who reigns over all things until the end of time, who declares to you that all your sins are forgiven, and He has opened the gates of heaven for all who will believe in Him, for He promises, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.” (John 11:26) 

He is the “I am” who showed St. John a vision of the result of His work “and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)  And the elder declared, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple.” (Revelation 7:14-15)

Who is this “I AM” who saves?  He is your God, your Savior, Redemer, and Comforter, who knit you together in your mother’s womb and knows your every weakness yet has loved you with an everlasting love and intends to welcome you into heaven on the last day just as the father welcomed his prodigal son, saying, “‘Let us eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again.  He was lost and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:23-24)  Just as Jesus has told us, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)  This is the Three in One, the Triune God, the great “I AM” who saves you.  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.