Victory is yours by the blood of the Lamb.

 

Sermon for St. Michael and All Angels, September 29, 2024

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

Revelation 12:7-12  ⁷There was also a war in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought with the dragon.  The dragon fought back along with his angels, ⁸but he was not strong enough.  There was no longer a place for them in heaven.  ⁹The great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, the one who leads the whole inhabited earth astray—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  ¹⁰I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.  ¹¹They conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.  They did not love their lives in the face of death.  ¹²For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and those who dwell in them.  Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has gone down to you.  He is full of rage, because he knows that his time is short. (EHV)

Victory is yours by the blood of the Lamb.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            For at least the last decade, bullying among adolescents has seemed to be a growing problem around the country.  That really shouldn’t surprise us, though, because the human race has been tormented by a bully almost from the very beginning of time.  With his lies and insinuations, that bully is the cause of every death in this world just as Jesus testified against His adversary, “He was a murderer from the beginning and did not remain standing in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” (John 8:44)  In this text from Revelation chapter 12, Jesus gives us a picture of His fight with that bully, Satan, and this picture shows that Victory is yours by the blood of the Lamb.

The apostle, John, watched a series of visions concerning the work of salvation.  As you well know, the record of those visions comes to us in the book of Revelation.  It is an apocalypse, a revealing of truth in a series of extraordinary pictures.  Here, John reports: “There was also a war in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought with the dragon.  The dragon fought back along with his angels, but he was not strong enough.  There was no longer a place for them in heaven.  The great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, the one who leads the whole inhabited earth astray—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”  Opinions of whom this Michael is have varied, even among orthodox theologians.  Some claim that this is Christ, the Son of God, the one called “The Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament.  Others claim that Michael is the archangel, or chief angel, among God’s heavenly helpers.  For our purposes, either explanation is fine, but I tend to believe that this is a picture of Christ, our Savior, for He alone could defeat the bully of the ages.

Perhaps it strikes you as odd that I label the Devil a bully, but he has been tormenting mankind since he asked Adam and Eve, "Has God really said…?” (Genesis 3:1)  Throughout history, Satan has lied to everyone he meets; he has tricked the weak and tempted every human to rebel against our Creator; he is our avowed enemy, and every time he managed to tempt someone to sin, he would run to God to accuse the perpetrator of that sin.  So, now you know the meanings of his names: liar, slanderer, accuser, enemy, and adversary.

From the time Adam and Eve fell into sin, you and I and all the rest of humanity were the weaklings in the battle.  On our own, we could do little to stand up against this spiritual bully, but you are loved by your Creator, and He would not leave you defenseless.  God gave His word of promise to use in defense against the bully, and at the perfect time, He sent His Son to defeat that cowardly tormenter once and for all.  John’s vision shows us that Victory is yours by the blood of the Lamb.

The name, Michael, comes from the Hebrew question, “Who is like God?”  The answer is the Son of God incarnate.  The second person of the Trinity took on human flesh to fight for you and me.  Now, Satan hoped to win control of creation without this fight.  He seems to have thought that if he controlled man, God would be destroyed.  However, God would not give in without a fight.  Jesus entered this war with Satan in the arena Satan had ruled.  Satan was used to winning by deception, lies, and accusations.  Jesus entered the field and fought with truth, humility, and holy obedience. 

Rather than deny God’s authority, Jesus lived under it in perfect obedience.  That had to enrage the devil.  No matter how he tempted Jesus, Satan couldn’t move Christ from the path of righteousness.  Eventually, Jesus humbled Himself to the very end as He took our rightful suffering and death on the cross.  Oh, Satan tried to wreck that plan, too.  The devil had Peter try to persuade Jesus not to undergo that torture, but Jesus replied to His disciple, “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men. (Mark 8:33) 

As Jesus took our punishment, the devil obviously did his best to get the Man, Jesus, to crumble.  The blows of Jesus’ enemies were as wicked and punishing as any Roman soldier could dish out.  The mocking was cruel, the accusations totally false, the physical torture nonsurvivable.  Yet, because He is both true God as well as true Man, victory was certain for our Lord Jesus.

Late that long ago Friday afternoon, when a Roman spear pierced Jesus’ side, the devil may have celebrated his assumed triumph for God’s Son was dead.  Jesus’ body was taken off the cross and carried to a tomb to be buried in humility, not even properly anointed.  There was no time for a funeral or any of the normal grieving rituals.  Those mourning Jesus’ sacrifice were hiding in fear.  However, none of that really mattered to the Lord, for He had no intention of staying dead.  And oh how the devil was shamed as Jesus rose from the grave and marched triumphantly into Satan’s prison to announce His victory over sin, death, and the devil.  This Good News for you and me means that Victory is ours by the blood of the Lamb.

Today, we celebrate St. Michael and all the holy angels.  You maybe wonder why.  First, understand that we do not worship the created angels.  However, we do give thanks and praise to God for all that He accomplishes for us through them.  Second, during His earthly life, Jesus was tormented by the same deceiving taunts that trap you and me.  However, in His thirty-some years of continual battle against our ancient enemy, Jesus too was strengthened and encouraged by those holy messengers from His Father.  Only Jesus could fight our war with the deceiver, but His Father made sure that Jesus was not alone until that very last day when on the cross, He suffered our rightful separation from His Father. 

Those angels who uplifted Jesus’ spirits have likewise served to help us in so many ways.  First of all, they often delivered God’s messages to the prophets and main characters of God’s salvation plan and protected them against the forces of evil.  Still today, the angels defend God’s children on a daily, even minute by minute, basis.  Do we always know they are there?  Likely, we rarely if ever observe them, yet the Lord promises, “If you make the Most High your shelter, evil will not overtake you.  Disaster will not come near your tent.  Because he will give a command to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:9-11) 

In St. John’s vision, “The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”  Though the serpent had been cursed already in the Garden of Eden, he retained the ability to accuse us of all kinds of wickedness.  In fact, that may have been his only pleasure.  First, Satan tempts people into sin in any number of ways, and then he reverses course and accuses them of sin against God.  Sometimes, as in the case of Job, Satan would even falsely accuse a victim and challenge God to keep His faithful people.  All of that ended when Jesus rose victorious from the grave, for Jesus’ victory is complete. 

Never again can Satan accuse anyone before the Lord.  Jesus took away all the guilt of every sin and paid the full penalty for the sins of the world.  Never again can the devil enter God’s courts to accuse.  The apostle, John, “heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.’”  God’s holy angels, and all those saints who have already gained the victory, sing praises to the Savior and celebrate His eternal triumph over that conniving bully devil who causes so much grief.

Those heavenly voices praise the victory given to you and me through faith in Jesus, saying: "They conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.  They did not love their lives in the face of death.  For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and those who dwell in them!”  The angels and saints in heaven rejoice over every sinner who repents.  They rejoice for all of us who are granted the victory through faith.  They celebrate that the blood of the Lamb has covered your sins, washed you clean, and made you presentable to the Father in heaven.  The testimony of the apostles, who told the world of Jesus and His total victory over the devil, made you and me believers.  Because of Jesus’ life and death, Victory is ours by the blood of the Lamb.

Still, the story hasn’t ended.  This world continues on until all who will believe have been brought safely home in the kingdom of heaven; meanwhile, danger lurks in every corner of earth.  The heavenly choir cried out, “Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has gone down to you.  He is full of rage, because he knows that his time is short."  Christ’s victory is accomplished, but as long as this world is allowed to continue, Satan will spin his web of lies, slanders, accusations, and temptations.  Understand that this deceitful angel wanted to rule over God and all things.  Satan arrogantly decided to challenge the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, but in that revolt against God, the devil was totally defeated, sentenced to eternal torment, cast out of any position of power or glory, and embarrassed in his own home court. 

A wounded animal, or a conquered foe, is often a very dangerous beast.  Therefore, we must be continually on guard, because “Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)  The devil is hungry for souls.  He can’t defeat God and His Son; that battle is over and won.  So, Satan is on the prowl night and day, with his fraternity of evil following his lead, looking for souls to steal away from God’s care, doing everything he can to keep those who have been forgiven from enjoying God’s grace in heaven.  “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!”  Terrible trouble and sorrow is the fate of those who walk apart from the Savior.  The heavenly choir warned that Satan will spend the few days he has left trying to steal away anyone and everyone from the Savior who loves you all with an everlasting love.

Do you still wonder why we celebrate God’s helpers and messengers?  Because God is still using them to keep us safe in His protective care.  How many times we receive heavenly intervention, here on earth, only God and the angels truly know.  You should take confidence in this, though; Elisha told his terrified servant, "Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:16)  With their city surrounded by thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers, Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes would be opened, and he saw that the surrounding hills were covered with vast hosts of angels protecting them. 

For sure, the devil has a lot of helpers: both, his fallen angels and those lost souls who follow him here on earth.  However, God has many more angels, and much greater power, so we are not defenseless against Satan’s assaults—God Himself is on our side, sending His holy angels to guard and keep us, and appointing His earthly messengers with the power of the Gospel to build up your faith by Word and Sacrament, keeping you ever on guard and defended against the wicked bully and his tools. 

Dear friends, as we celebrate, today, don’t let anyone confuse you.  We thank God for His helpers, but we don’t worship or pray to any created angels.  The holy ones themselves would not allow that.  However, we do worship the Son of God and Man who won the victory on our behalf.  We worship and praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all they have done to rescue us from our sorrowful condition of sin.  In our worship and praise, we remember again the victory of Easter morning.  We remember again how Jesus won us to salvation at our Baptisms, whereby He washed away our every sin and marked us as God’s own dear children.  There, we were united with Jesus’ death, and His resurrection, so that the eternal victory is ours.  We thank and praise our heavenly Father for His love, for His abiding care, and for the service of those messengers He sends to help and protect us.  Rejoice, dear friends, your place in God’s kingdom is assured—because the Victory is yours by the blood of the Lamb.  Amen.

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

Praise God for His mercy.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 18, September 22, 2024

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

Numbers 12:1-15  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman).  ²They said, “Has the Lord really spoken only through Moses?  Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”  The Lord heard this.  ³(Now the man Moses was very humble, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)  ⁴Right then the Lord spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the Tent of Meeting!”  The three of them came out.  ⁵The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent.  He called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.  ⁶He said, “Now listen to my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known to him in a vision.  In a dream I will speak with him.  ⁷Not so, however, with my servant Moses.  He is faithful in my whole household.  ⁸With him I speak face-to-face, clearly, and not in riddles.  He sees the form of the Lord.  Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”  ⁹The Lord’s anger burned against them, and he left.  ¹⁰The cloud went up from above the tent, and immediately Miriam was leprous, as white as snow.  Aaron turned to Miriam and saw that she was leprous.  ¹¹Aaron said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold this sin against us.  We have acted foolishly.  We have sinned.  ¹²Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant that comes out of its mother’s womb with its flesh half-eaten away.”  ¹³Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her, please!”  ¹⁴The Lord said to Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, would she not be disgraced for seven days?  Have her confined outside of the camp for seven days, and after that she can be brought back in.”  ¹⁵Miriam was confined outside of the camp for seven days, and the people did not set out until Miriam was brought back in. (EHV)

Praise God for His mercy.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            The events in this text could probably be described as a teachable moment.  Certainly, for Miriam and Aaron, and for the whole house of Israel, this should have served to teach them God’s ways.  For you and me, as well, God’s reaction to this seemingly minor rebellion testifies to us how seriously God takes our disobedience and sin, but this scene also demonstrates His mercy to the repentant sinner.  Therefore, we say, Praise God for His mercy.

At first glance, this dispute might seem rather minor.  A prominent woman is upset with her younger brother.  The problem here, however, is that Miriam’s complaint is completely invalid, and her sin involves several layers of rebellion against God.  Whenever we study the Ten Commandments in our confirmation classes, it quickly becomes clear that our actions often violate more than one command.  Such is the case with Miriam.

Miriam, the prophetess who had led the Israelite women in praising God after their rescue from the Egyptian army, became guilty of prejudice (or irrational judgment) against Moses’ wife.  She was jealous of Moses’ rank, envious of his authority, slanderous of his good name, and rebellious against what Moses taught at the Lord’s command.  Likewise, her brother, Aaron, became complicit in her sin by listening to her without correcting the accusations.

As I said, this text must serve as a teaching moment for us.  It would be easy for us to look down on Miriam for her weakness.  Some might prejudicially judge her and condemn all women as similarly weak, but that is not the intention here.  We might, however, criticize Aaron for his lack of leadership, for he was granted the role of High Priest in Israel.  By God’s choice, Aaron was placed in that leadership position in which he was to teach and intercede for God’s people.  Obviously, he fell down on the job just as he had earlier when the people demanded an idol to worship.

Yet, this text would serve us poorly if we only judged others based on Miriam and Aaron’s weaknesses.  God’s law was given primarily as a mirror to show us our sins, and since this incident is clearly picturing God’s response to rebellion, we would best use it to examine ourselves.

Therefore, we each need to look deeply into our own rebellions against the authorities placed over us.  How often, in our youth, did we rebel against our parents, teachers, or others who were put in authority over us?  How often do we still today desire to shave the rules a little bit in our favor?  How often do we treat those in authority with disrespect, slander, anger, or false accusations?

As we look into our personal mirrors, how often do we find ourselves prejudiced against other people simply because of their genealogy, skin color, accent, of family background?  It wasn’t very long ago that for a Norwegian to marry a German, Italian, or Swede might have caused anxiety in the family.  What lack of faith do we still show simply because someone is different than ourselves?

More importantly than any other fault, how often do we find ourselves questioning what is written in the Bible because it doesn’t fit our personal preference?  There are many people who claim to be Christians, yet they want to bend what the Scriptures say.  Have the difficulties presented by close communion caused you to question what Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians?  Maybe more personally, does the role of men and women presented in the Scriptures cause us irritation simply because our modern feelings seek something supposedly more equal?  Have any of us ever complained about a pastor, not because he taught false doctrine, but because we simply didn’t like the way he said something, or perhaps because we thought he should be better at something?

Don’t worry, dear friends, I am not up here challenging you because of anything I have seen in you personally.  Rather, I am primarily examining myself.  How often I have fallen short of perfection in these matters is deeply troubling to my confessional faith.  If we are honest, these faults, like every sin, are common to every person on earth.  Even the most pious person falls short of perfection.

Having said that we all fall short doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.  When Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses, it wasn’t Moses who called them to task; it was God Himself who heard their evil rebellion and God Himself who brought them before His judgement.  Again, this teachable moment shows us that we can’t hide any of our guilt from God.  We might perhaps keep our wickedness hidden from our loved ones or even those who offend us.  They might not hear our muttering, complaining, and conspiracies.  Our government officials, pastors, and teachers won’t catch all our faults.  But there is no hiding from God and His all-knowing, all-seeing, all hearing perfection.  Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Miriam and Aaron here, God always knows our guilt before He accuses.

On the other side of the coin, though, here we see how God has provided someone to intercede for us.  In Miriam and Aaron’s case, it was Moses, the same Moses they wanted to judge, who in humble faith, after the Lord laid severe consequences on her for her rebellion, pleaded with God to heal Miriam.  This same Moses, who God called the humblest man on earth, didn’t react angrily to Miriam’s haughty challenge, nor did he turn away gloating at her punishment. 

We should now also recognize that Aaron returned to the role God had planned for him as priest for Israel.  The chief role of the priest was to intercede for the people.  When Aaron saw the plague God put on Miriam for her rebellion, he immediately repented of his own sin as co-conspirator and pleaded for mercy for Miriam as well.  Likewise, gentle Moses never sought punishment for his accusers, but rather, he immediately pleaded with God for mercy for their sister.

Now, before we get to the conclusion, we should note that there are often consequences for our sins.  Some want to ask why God allows bad things to happen to people, but bad things happen because of sin.  Sometimes, it is others who suffer for the sins committed, and then our judicial system tries to rebalance the guilt.  By that I mean that if a person pulls the trigger, drives drunk, or does other foolish things that hurt or kill people, the victim certainly suffers the consequences.  Yet, the jails are here so that the guilty will also suffer a consequence for his faults.

Therefore, we need to understand that God doesn’t let sin go unpunished.  No, He doesn’t always inflict immediate punishment on the guilty, for if He did, none of us would live.  Just as Peter was moved to write by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “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)  God made it clear throughout His Word that sin’s reward is death.  Yet, God has shown unlimited patience and mercy toward us in two ways.  First, He doesn’t punish us as we deserve.  Second, and most importantly, God gave a Savior to intercede for us, but even before that, to bear the punishment we all deserved, so that we could be forgiven and restored to peace with God.  Thus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John testified, “For out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16-17)

Therefore, when Moses was sent by God to rescue Egypt from their slavers, he was also put in the position of bringing the law that showed their need, and ours, for a Savior.  Consequently, in His love for us, God didn’t leave us condemned but instead, He sent His Son to bear the eternal consequence for the sins of us all.  Jesus dealt with the devil hoard that both tempted and accused us.  Jesus bore the burden of death that the rebellions and accusations we throw around deserve.

Then, just as Moses interceded for his sister, Miriam, and God restored her, so Jesus intercedes for those who by faith in Him have been made His brothers and sisters.  For you and me and all those who trust in Christ, Jesus is interceding with His Father in heaven, so that we are counted holy and worthy to be restored into the fellowship of the kingdom of God.

Dear friends, Miriam and Aaron were taught a harsh lesson for their foolish attack on Moses.  The price they paid was a scolding and a temporary banishment for Miriam.  You might say, they got off easy, but we all got off easy when it comes to sin against our God and Savior, because we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood.” (Romans 3:23-25)  Justified freely means that God has forgiven all our sins for Jesus’ sake.  There is nothing we must do to reconcile ourselves with God for He accomplished that completely through the life and sacrifice of His Son.  Praise God for His mercy.  Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Christ’s Word conquers doubt and demon alike.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 17, September 15, 2024

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—to whom be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Mark 9:14-27  ¹⁴When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some experts in the law were arguing with them.  ¹⁵As soon as all the people in the crowd saw Jesus, they were very excited and ran to greet him.  ¹⁶He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”  ¹⁷One man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a spirit that makes him unable to speak.  ¹⁸Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.  I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”  ¹⁹“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied.  “How long will I be with you?  How long will I put up with you?  Bring him to me.”  ²⁰They brought the boy to Jesus.  As soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion.  He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.  ²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”  “From childhood,” he said.  ²²“It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  ²³“If you can?!” Jesus said to him.  “All things are possible for the one who believes.”  ²⁴The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears, “I do believe.  Help me with my unbelief!”  ²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit.  “You mute and deaf spirit,” he said, “I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”  ²⁶The spirit screamed, shook the boy violently, and came out.  The boy looked so much like a corpse that many of them said, “He’s dead!”  ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up, and he stood up. (EHV)

Christ’s Word conquers doubt and demon alike.

Dear friends in Christ,

            The events of our text occur immediately as Jesus and the chosen three disciples came down from the mountain after Jesus’ transfiguration.  As they drew near the people described before us, they saw quite a turmoil taking place.  All of that excitement was caused by one thing, their doubt concerning God’s Word; therefore here, we learn that Christ’s Word conquers doubt and demon alike.

As the people saw Jesus returning, they rushed to surround Him, most likely seeking His solution to the problem that developed in His absence.  Earlier, Jesus had commissioned His disciples to proclaim the Gospel and gave them authority to heal diseases and cast out demons.  Yet, a distraught father had brought his afflicted son to the nine who remained while Jesus, Peter, James, and John were up on the mountain, but they were unable to help the boy.  Hence the conflict.

When Jesus asked what the whole mass of people was arguing about, “One man from the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a spirit that makes him unable to speak.  Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.  I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’”  So, what was the conflict?  We can imagine the causes of the discussions by what is often reported in other events.  First, the crowds had grown accustomed to having their desires for healing be met.  Secondly, the experts in the law used this opportunity to question the people’s confidence in Jesus.  Finally, the man with the demon-possessed son was left despairing of getting help for the boy.  Into that melee came Jesus.

And what is the obvious connection between those three groups in the argument?  All of them were caught in doubt.  The crowds were doubting both the disciples and Jesus because the disciples were failing to heal.  They doubted Jesus because the men He sent out were unable to duplicate His power.

The experts in the law were so opposed to Jesus that they rejected anything connected with Him.  Most likely, they were glad to see this failure and used it as an opportunity to challenge those who had believed in Jesus—especially His disciples.  Finally, we come to the desperate man with the stricken son.  His doubt grew out of his grief of seeing his son’s sad state and once again being disappointed in getting relief.  He had heard the stories of Jesus healing the diseased and injured who came to him.  The news of Jesus driving out demons had spread across the region, and it had given the man a glimmer of hope, but his heart was breaking when yet again a cure was not immediately procured.

However, the problem wasn’t in any lack of ability to heal.  The problem came when people sought what was not promised and sought it in a way that wasn’t given.  We speculate a bit, of course, but it seems like the disciples forgot that it was Jesus who was doing the healing through them all along.  Perhaps, they fell into the trap of thinking the power came from within themselves.  The experts in the law, on the other hand, had never believed Jesus and therefore proved that they didn’t understand even what they were supposed to be experts in—the Old Testament words of our God.  The doubts in the crowd came because they didn’t see exactly what they expected to see whether the prayer was answered or not.

The question for us is how do we fit into that scene?  Where do we fit in among the doubters?  Naturally, as believers in Jesus, we wouldn’t want to admit our doubts.  We believe Jesus is true God as well as true Man and that He has all the power in the universe.  Still, how often does our resolve to be faithful to Jesus take a hit when things don’t turn out exactly as we would hope?  How often are we afraid for the future as we deal with the problems of the present?  How often do doubts creep in when it seems like our prayers aren’t being answered?  Do we ever wonder if they are even heard?

I don’t think we should ever grow complacent in our faith.  The reason I say that is because “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)  The boy in the center of our account was afflicted with a demon of unusual power.  Any deviation from a perfect trust in God likely would lead to being overpowered.  Furthermore, don’t doubt that the devil was dancing there just excited to stir up trouble among Jesus’ followers.  Any time Satan can get us to wonder, or doubt, or question God’s care for us, he will pounce on his unwary prey.

Some evidence for that is seen in the demon’s reaction as Jesus approached.  When they brought that afflicted child to Jesus, that evil spirit didn’t give up on his previous ways.  Rather, “As soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion.  He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.  Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’  ‘From childhood.’ he said.” 

Whether it is a spiritual battle or a physical trial, the devil and this world won’t make it easy for the believer.  Our days in this world of pain will almost always fall under some conflict, trial, hardship, or attack.  The reason is never that God doesn’t care, nor that he doesn’t intervene or help.  Rather, we are left in this world to face these struggles with faith in Jesus, and it is faith that God looks for in His children.  Remember also, that God isn’t using this as a test.  Instead, we are here to demonstrate the love of God among those who yet need to know Him.  As Paul explained in his letter to the Ephesians when he described our trouble, we need to keep ourselves dressed and equipped with the armor and weapons God provides in His Word.

In further explanation of the child’s dire condition, the desperate father cried out to Jesus, “It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  “If you can?!” Jesus said to him.  “All things are possible for the one who believes.”  The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears, “I do believe.  Help me with my unbelief!”  Sometimes, a believer’s faith can be very weak.  Sometimes, the day-to-day struggles in this broken world can nearly defeat us, but trust God’s promise that even the smallest faith is saving faith, for Jesus said, “A smoldering wick he will not put out, until he leads justice to victory.” (Matthew 12:20)

In this little interchange, we see the determined efforts of our spiritual enemies.  The devil and his hoard want nothing more than to destroy every soul.  They want to prevent God from having any beloved child in His heavenly home. 

There is Good News, however, for those who believe.  The devil didn’t win this battle, just as he didn’t win any battle with Jesus.  You see, Jesus came into our world and put on human flesh to win the battles we couldn’t.  The doubts that so trouble us when evil hurts our eyes, didn’t enter the picture with Jesus.  Jesus said, …“All things are possible for the one who believes.”  As God’s Son, Jesus had true perfect trust in His Father.  Jesus knew the devil couldn’t stand against Him.  Jesus knew that whatever word He uttered from His mouth would have to be obeyed by the devil, the world, and in fact, every created thing. 

Though truly weak, that father’s faith was still in the right place.  He continued looking to Jesus as his only hope.  “When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit.  ‘You mute and deaf spirit,’ he said, ‘I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!’  The spirit screamed, shook the boy violently, and came out.”  To the very last moment possible, that demon fought against a child of God.  Yet in defeat, it had to obey Jesus’ command, and out it came.  Never again would that wicked spirit be able to control the lad.  Never again would the child or the father have any reason to doubt Jesus’ power, or His love, because Christ’s Word conquers doubt and demon alike.

Now, Mark reports, “The boy looked so much like a corpse that many of them said, ‘He’s dead!’  But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up, and he stood up.”  Certainly, that child had endured tremendous stress and trial.  The demon did everything it could to try to snuff out the life.  Yet, the Author, Giver, and Redeemer of life was there to rescue the child from the jaws of death.  The same is true for you and me.  Yes, the devil and the world will oppose us in whatever ways they can.  The temptations to doubt will rain down on us constantly. 

Remember, however, what Jesus has done for you.  For you and me and all people, Jesus lived a perfect faith, completely free from any doubt, worry, or fear.  For you and me, Jesus trusted His Father in heaven with absolute confidence that He had the one and only plan that would rescue sinners from the devil’s control.  For you and me, Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of old so that we can be confident that He is the One Man God has sent to reconcile the world with our Creator. 

For you and me, Jesus carried the sins of the world, yours and mine included, when He was convicted of the truth that He is the Son of God and King of all creation.  Jesus carried all sins to the cross and paid the price of death we had earned.  Then for you and me, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, busting the devil’s control forever.  No demon could defeat Jesus.  No grave could hold His holy body.

So that you and I would benefit in the victory Jesus has won, God has given His Word of grace to change our cold, dead hearts into believing, living flesh.  His Word of grace lifts us up to life in the baptism that washed away our guilt and connected us with Jesus’ death, but also with His resurrection so that we already have eternal life certified to us.  By the power of the Gospel that has entered our ears, we were gifted faith in Jesus as our Savior, and in that faith, we are counted by God in heaven as if we have never doubted, worried, or feared anything at all.

By the power of the Gospel, the devil is chained for eternity in the prison God prepared to hold our enemies away forever.  Never again can they trouble us as they could in the past before we were brought to trust in Jesus. 

Dear friends, take the whole of God’s Word to heart; it teaches us about God’s plan of salvation and the Savior who brought that plan into effect.  Cling to the power and promises “of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)  With full confidence in your Savior, rejoice that Christ’s Word conquers doubt and demon alike.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace—who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, in connection with his blood, which established the eternal testament—may he equip you with every good thing to do his will, as he works in us what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.  To him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

We have healing worth more than silver or gold.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 16, September 8, 2024

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours, forever, from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Acts 3:1-10  Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, an hour of prayer.  ²A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple.  ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation.  ⁴Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.”  ⁵So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.  ⁶But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”  ⁷Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.  ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk.  He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.  ⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God.  ¹⁰They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (EHV)

We have healing worth more than silver or gold.

Dear restored friends of Christ,

            There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”  This is widely accepted as good and helpful advice.  Likewise, we might be enamored of the miracle preformed for this lame man.  Instead of just giving the man a coin to feed him for the day, he was healed in such an impressive manner that he could now be gainfully employed for the rest of his life.  However, there is a much more important message here, for just as Peter helped that lame man walk, he also brought him the gift of eternal life, for We have healing worth more than silver or gold.

All around the world, there are people whose only means of survival is to beg for a living.  Such was the case for this man.  From the moment he was born, his legs hadn’t worked, and in the economic climate of that time, there was precious little he could be trained to do to make a living.  Pretty much every job required people to be able bodied in order to be productive.  Consequently, the man was carried, every day, to the temple gate to beg for the pennies and dimes of those who came to the temple to pray.  Likely, it was an ideal location, for the people entering the temple were primarily believers who knew that God expects His people to help the less fortunate.

Now, rather than get into a discussion about how well or how little we do in caring for those who need our help, we should first examine how we were in the same circumstance.  Like that man, you and I were crippled from birth.  No, most of us weren’t physically crippled; we were, however, completely unable to overcome our greatest affliction which was our sinful nature.  Our sinful nature crippled our standing before God.  It made all of us selfish, and often leads us to be lazy, boastful, inconsiderate, or even cruel.  It made us suspicious of those who beg for our help and care.  It made us sometimes expect others, or God, to do things for us that we should take responsibility for on our own.  In the crippled condition of our souls, we could do nothing to please God or for Him to value our service in His kingdom.  In fact, our natural lack of faith would even lead us to accuse God of being unfair whenever He allows us to experience illnesses, pain, or loss.

That all sounds pretty serious, you might say, even damning, and the truth is, without the help of Jesus Christ, you and I would eventually be thrown unto the dung heap of hell for our uselessness before God.  Most of the world wouldn’t notice or care, just like most of the people in that time wouldn’t have noticed the passing of that lame man if he had starved.  Oh sure, a few friends, and his relatives would have noticed, but otherwise, his life would have been unremarkable.

As was the habit of faithful believers of that time, Peter and John continued in the tradition of going to the temple to pray and to give thanks to God for all the many ways He helps us, especially, for the forgiveness and grace He shows us as sinners who have been brought to believe in Him.  Their encounter with the lame man wasn’t unusual.  Yet, just as the man was being carried to his usual begging spot, he spotted Peter and John and asked for their help. 

As I am sure you remember, Jesus’ disciples had left their businesses and jobs behind to bring the Good News of salvation through faith in Christ to the world.  They were not materially rich by any means.  Thus, we hear Peter say, “Look at us.”  So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 

We hear a lot today from those who think faith is foolishness.  Modern man has been taught from youth that there is no god, or to make yourself an idol in effect.  Here, Peter demands the lame man’s attention.  Why?  Because We have healing worth more than silver or gold.  Giving the man a coin would have helped him temporarily.  Even the miracle of restoring his legs would have been only a temporary help if that were all the apostles would have given him.  However, in this brief interaction, that lame man was introduced to Christ Jesus, and it opened a whole new world to that previously crippled individual in which by faith he would receive everlasting healing.

It wasn’t just his legs that were restored when the lame man learned about Jesus.  Far more importantly, his soul was healed, for when hearing about Jesus, he received faith in Jesus and with that faith he was forgiven of all sin and counted righteous in the kingdom of God, and that restoration is not temporary, for it gives life everlasting in the eternal dwellings of our Savior’s Father. 

The evidence to prove the point came immediately.  “Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.  Jumping up, he stood and began to walk.  He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.”  A man who had never used his legs previously, now leaped to his feet and continued jumping, walking, and praising God who provided such a marvelous blessing.  Yet notice, he didn’t run off to tell his family and friends.  He didn’t go out to find employment.  Rather, he immediately gave thanks to God.

Naturally, we might assume that the healed man just wanted to praise God for his physical healing.  He might have given a small offering at the temple then went on his way, but that is not what the text implies.  He continued to let his neighbors see that he was healed.  He continued giving all credit to God and to God alone.  Surely, that man was glad he had met Peter and John, but his praise was only for God because he understood that only Christ can save us from the curse of sin that caused his frailty to begin with.

That, my friends, is an example to lead us forward in life.  You and I have been healed of a far greater ailment than just legs that don’t work.  Furthermore, in most cases, our healing was granted to us while we were still quite young and small.  By workers sent by Jesus, we were washed of the curse of sin in Baptism.  By the water and Word there applied to us, we were made whole before God.  Furthermore, it wasn’t a superficial cleansing but the restoration of our souls. 

Just as the guilt of the first Adam made the curse of sin infect us completely—body, soul, and mind—so the healing that comes from the second Adam, Christ Jesus our Lord, makes us completely clean.  Yes, we have yet to experience the great change physically.  That will have to wait until Jesus returns in glory on Judgement Day.  Still, in the kingdom of God, you and I have been made pure, acceptable, useful, and thankful.  By bringing us to faith in Jesus through hearing the Gospel and the washing of Baptism, the Holy Spirit has implanted in us a new and living heart that rejoices to praise God for His mercy and kindness. 

You see, Jesus came into this world to give us healing worth more than silver or gold.  With His perfect life and perfect obedience and trust in His Father’s will, Jesus cured our greatest imperfection.  Because of Jesus’ work and His sacrifice on the cross, the Father in heaven now credits Jesus’ holiness to those who believe and trust in Him.  That means that God no longer sees us as selfish, lazy, boastful, inconsiderate, or cruel.  He no longer sees us as people who only give grudgingly.  We are no longer counted as a people far from God, for He has brought us close to Himself through His Son.  Through faith in Jesus, we are credited as righteous, for “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)  Indeed, it is Jesus’ righteousness working in us that motivates us to do the things God wants us to do naturally.

Back in the time after our Savior healed that lame man through Peter, “All the people saw him walking and praising God.  They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”  Now is our time to spend our days praising God and displaying our joy to show the world how Jesus has healed our defects of sin, “For 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)

Dear friends, our bodies and souls came into this world completely unable to do anything God wants us to be doing.  We were born without trust in God, without knowledge of His love and kindness, without any hope of everlasting life, without any ability to serve or please our Creator.  However, that has all been changed by the work of the Holy Spirit who likewise worked in that lame man almost two thousand years ago.  Just as through the hearing of the Gospel from Jesus’ apostles, he was brought to believe in the Savior who lived, died, and rose again, so you and I have been made whole and holy so that we may serve God here on earth, but even more so, that we might dwell with the Triune God in heaven forevermore.

For further reassurance that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to heal you, come forward this morning to receive the very body and blood Jesus sacrificed to cure your imperfections which He now gives to you as a medicine of immortality bringing to you again and again the forgiveness and peace with God that is yours through faith in Christ Jesus.  Come, partake of this living food to strengthen you to go forth daily, rejoicing and praising God that We have healing worth more than silver or gold.  Amen.

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