Funeral Sermon: "Following the Shepherd" (Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17)

Lyle, Mark and Marilyn, family and friends of Glenda:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

 

[Resting From Her Labors]

 

All throughout Glenda’s life, the Triune God – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – provided for all of her needs of body and soul. The Lord gave her faith at the waters of Holy Baptism, and the Lord sustained that faith. Today, Glenda is now resting from her labors.

 

As you may know, Glenda was a twin – and despite being the smaller of the two – she survived, but her twin sister died shortly after birth. She and Lyle also experienced the loss of their son Michael when he was 12 years old. In life, she certainly experienced her share of heartache. God gives and He takes away. We – on this side of heaven – don’t know why He does the things He does and we are free to question Him, but His will is always good. But also as is life, Glenda experienced so many celebrations. She enjoyed traveling. She especially enjoyed her travels to Europe and Alaska, but also those weekend trips through the mountains of Colorado.

Glenda was devout to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here at Prince of Peace, she was one to get involved in various activities, such as altar guild and Bible studies. However, to many at Prince of Peace, Glenda and the church kitchen were synonymous. For some reason, when discussing anything about the church kitchen, Glenda’s name always seems to come up.

 

Throughout her life, Glenda was blessed by God. She was blessed to be a wife and mother. She was blessed to be a grandmother and great-grandmother. Among these blessings, she cherished every moment of family time. On occasion, she would ask, “Have you heard anything from the boys?” The boys being her grandsons. She thoroughly enjoyed hearing the latest from her grandsons. But her greatest blessing is receiving the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone!

 

Today, Glenda is resting from her labors as she has received the promise of eternal life as she has joined the Church Triumphant in heaven! As Glenda experienced loss during her earthly life, today, we are also experiencing loss. With any separation, we come to a time of mourning. We mourn because death is not natural. Now, some mourn publicly, while others mourn privately. But we all mourn. You see, humanity was not created to die. But due to our first parents – Adam and Eve – we all die, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). And, so we mourn. But mourning is a good and godly work. Why’s that? Well, Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus wept because He loved His friend, so weeping and mourning the death of any loved one is a good work.

 

We Christians mourn the reality of death. We mourn because we were never intended to die and should live forever. But we do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We mourn, but our mourning is mixed with hope. Our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy in the Lord’s promises. So, what are the Lord’s promises? Well, our Scripture readings are just that! Psalm 23 portrays our life here on earth “now”. Revelation 7 points to the “not yet” that Glenda is now experiencing in heaven.

 

[The Valley]

 

Our whole life here on earth is lived under the shadow of our enemy: death. Certainly, our life has its joys and celebrations. Yet our life is also lived under a shadow, an overcast sky that won’t go away even as we celebrate and laugh. This shadow of death is the sad reality we have since the Fall into sin.

 

This journey through the valley of the shadow of death can seem like a lonely walk that ends in defeat. But we who are in Christ have the Good Shepherd’s promise that we do not walk alone. With us walks the Shepherd who has trod this same path before us. This Shepherd is Jesus who stands beside us today in our grief to give us guidance and direction.

 

This Shepherd is who walked into the valley of the shadow of death. He left the brilliance of heaven, descended to earth, was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and took upon Himself our human flesh and became one of us, though without sin. His perfect life was a display of God’s merciful love and care for all people. He used His power to forgive sin and overcome death, disease, and the devil. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. But all the while, His ministry had one direction as He was led to the cross. There, the sinless Lamb of God was made to be sin for us – as He took upon Himself all our sins. He died in our place as the atoning sacrifice and rose from the dead for our justification. Through His death and resurrection, the Good Shepherd brought us grace.

 

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the One who walks through the valley with us. With Him by our side, He gives us rest in “green pastures.” With Him by our side, He raises us from death to life through the “still waters” of Baptism. With Him by our side, He “restoreth my soul.” With Him by our side, He leads us on the right path, because Jesus is the righteous path.

 

We are never alone as we travel in the valley of the shadow of death in our life now. The Lord Jesus has walked it before and He is walking it with us today and every day.

 

Throughout our life, Jesus is walking with us. He is right at our side leading. For everyone in Christ, He calls us His friends (John 15:15). Now, what does Jesus mean here by “friend”? Is He just a buddy? No, much more than that! The hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” was one of Glenda’s favorites. Through our singing, Jesus invites us to stand in awe and gratitude that He who reigns over all creation now treats His people – who were once His enemies, due to sin – as His friends.

 

Throughout the hymn, God invites us to pray. Oh, and this is a peace we often forfeit when we decline the invitation to pray. Throughout this hymn, we are reminded of the everyday difficulties, which are sometimes faith-challenging trials, but no matter what while we live in the shadow of death now, we have a Friend who is always faithful and He always fulfills His promises. And, He always knows the best answer to our prayers.

 

[The Mountaintop]

 

In this valley, Jesus leads us and answers our prayers. From the valley of this life, we will one day come to the mountaintop. We heard of this mountaintop in Revelation 7. Upon this mountaintop, we see “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” (Revelation 7:9).

 

So, who are these people “clothed in white robes?” Well, these people are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation – that is, out of the valley of the shadow of death. Among this Church Triumphant is Glenda. She and all the faithful are now standing before the throne, because their robes have been made white through the blood of the Lamb. Jesus died in the valley, so that all by grace through faith in Him might live on the mountain.

 

Glenda is now arrayed in white among the faithful in heaven. She is there because she believed in Jesus as the only Savior from sin. Upon her death, Glenda came out of the valley of the shadow of death and is now singing on the mountaintop with her fellow saints. They sing because they are free from all pain and sorrow, because in the presence of the Good Shepherd, sin has no power over them. Jesus has wiped away ever tear from their eyes as they hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. Glenda and her fellow saints are completely satisfied!

 

Glenda heard the Shepherd’s voice and followed Him while in the valley (John 10:27) and she is now with Him on the mountaintop. By God’s grace, we may one day join her. By grace through faith in Jesus, our destination is with the saints arrayed in white!

 

But heaven is not the end! There is more to come! Paul writes: “Behold! I tell you a mystery … In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ... For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51,52). You see, death does not have the final say. Life has the final say. Since Christ has been raised from the dead, we too, will also be raised on that glorious resurrection day! Amen.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Glenda Marie Anderson Obituary:

 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/glenda-anderson-obituary?id=36543160

Sermon for Pentecost 16: "Receiving Mercy Through Christ Alone" (Luke 16:19-31)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

 

Our text today contains images that may be earthshaking, because it pictures our own mortality. Yes, we are all going to die, since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). This is our fate. That is, unless Christ returns first.

 

In the meantime, during our days on earth, everyone receives blessings from God. Each person – Christian and non-Christian alike – receives blessings now. We all receive daily bread – our food, clothing, and shelter. Every good and perfect gift is from God. We all receive protection from God as He constantly shields all people from the full wickedness of Satan. Even in today’s reading, throughout their days on earth, the rich man and Lazarus both received blessings from God. 

 

[The Life and Death of the Rich Man and Lazarus]

 

Jesus said: “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-20a).

 

From the start, we see two men who couldn’t be any more different. One was exceedingly rich, the other was beyond dirt poor. 

 

For this rich man, every day was a party. He wore the best money could buy. He lives in luxury. He spends his money like it’s burning a hole in his pocket. He was completely self-centered and heartless toward anyone but himself.

 

The other man lying outside his gate was a beggar named Lazarus. He was sick and crippled covered with sores and was starving. There he is lying at the gate day after day. He is a pitiful sight. His only hope is that someone – anyone cares! To make matters worse, Lazarus could see the rich man’s lavish lifestyle as he “desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:21a). All he desired were some bread crumbs that this rich man would just throw away.

 

It appears, the only ones who seemed to care for Lazarus were some stray dogs. They only showed him pity. They were his only friends. At least when they licked his sores, they relieved some of his pain. Jesus could hardly have pictured a man in a more pitiful condition as Lazarus.

 

Now, this rich man must have seen Lazarus at his gate every day. Yet, he did not lift a finger or spend a penny in order to relive this man’s pain or to satisfy his hunger. The sight of this utterly pitiful beggar aroused no pity in him. This nearly lifeless man had no effect on his conscience.

 

Up to this point, the rich man and Lazarus have been pictured as direct opposites as far as earthly prosperity is concerned. But then Lazarus died. Here is where things switch. When Lazarus died, he “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22a). Nothing is said about a fine funeral. For Lazarus, it appears, his body may have been unceremoniously placed in an unmarked grave with few, if any, people present to mourn for him. But that didn’t matter, since the angels carried him to Abraham’s side, or literally “Abraham’s bosom.” Here, we have the lovely picture of the believer being brought into the closest association with Abraham, just as a child is laid on the bosom of his mother and is embraced by her. This picture language tells us that to be with Abraham is to be in heaven.

 

Just as Jesus tells us that Lazarus died, the rich man also died and he was buried. Now, for this rich man, it is likely that he had a beautiful funeral with so many influential people to honor him. Yet, this rich man’s funeral was a poor funeral compared to Lazarus, since there were no angels to transport this rich man’s soul to heaven. Instead, he entered hell, since he had remained an unbeliever to his dying hour.

 

[The Conversation Between the Rich Man and Abraham]

 

These two men who had been opposites in their earthly life remain opposites even after death. Lazarus is escorted by angels immediately to heaven. Just as immediately, the rich man arrives in hell. Now, hell was first prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was never prepared for people and that is a tragedy even to God.

 

In hell, this rich man is experiencing terrible torment. He is suffering. He is experiencing weeping and gnashing of teeth. He is experiencing extreme terror and horror as he has been cut off from all of God’s blessings. This rich man is forever separated from every good thing, since every good and perfect gift is from God. The devil gives nothing, but empty promises. Without God’s presence and protection, he is experiencing the real sufferings of hell.

 

Meanwhile, Lazarus is in heaven, the place of the eternally blessed. Now, Lazarus had his earthly lot of bad things, such as a long, painful illness, bitter poverty, humiliation, and degradation. But all the while, he endured those bad things. He endured because he possessed by faith the invisible treasures: assurance of pardon for the sake of the Messiah, the certainty of God’s love resting upon him, and the sure hope of eternal life in heaven. In fact, God had used those bad things in his life to refine and strengthen his faith.

 

While in heaven, Lazarus is “comforted.” He is receiving all the good things of heaven, its joy and bliss, its honor and glory, and all through faith.

 

Now, this rich man was not in hell because he enjoyed the good things in life, and Lazarus was not in heaven because “he had it so bad” here on earth. No, that’s not why. Riches and poverty were not the cause. Unbelief and faith is the cause.

 

But even with this being the case, the rich man begins to plead with God through Abraham, saying: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me” (Luke 16:24). “This isn’t fair!” “Give me another chance!”

 

Even for us, we may think: “Why not give him another chance?” This may sound callous, but this is simply the way it is. So, when a person goes through life and perishes and does not believe in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior, this person must stand on their own merits. This person must receive exactly what their own merits deserve. Again, God is not vindictive, but this is simply the way it is. Indeed, God desires all people to be saved, but when people ignore God’s one way of salvation, this is the tragic result.

 

Now, when the rich man realizes that he has received what he deserved, he then attempts to find another way to save his five brothers who are on the path to hell. He said, “I beg you, father, to send [Abraham] to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27-28).

 

For the rich man, he figures that the only alternate way of salvation is a “shock treatment” method. He thinks that if someone would return from the dead to confront the wicked, God would get positive results. He believes the wicked would immediately repent. He believes that this would be a sure-fire method to scare the wicked away from hell and right into heaven. Here, he is not only contradicting God, but he is brazenly accusing God of injustice!

 

This, too, would never work. Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). The rich man said, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent” (Luke 16:30). No, this will not work, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

 

The “shock treatment” will never work on people who have heard the Word of salvation again and again and again, but have kept on hardening themselves against it. They will not be convinced, or come to faith in God’s Messiah set forth in that Word, even though God should raise someone from the dead to denounce their unbelief, warn them against the fires of hell, and summon them to faith. Instead, they will attempt to prove that the resurrected person never died, or they will declare such a resurrection to be scientifically impossible. If the Word of God is irrelevant to them, they will never be convinced that someone is raised from the dead. You see, God’s Word is the means by which God turns hearts.

 

Now, you may wonder, “Will there be conversations between those in hell with God?” That answer is no. Though they may want to, they will not be able to. For they will have to bow before the will of the exalted Christ as proclaimed in Philippians 2:10: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” that is, hell. It is likely, Jesus is using this conversation for the sake of the story. In the end, every tongue will “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).

 

[The Gospel is Revealed in the All-Sufficient Scriptures]

 

With the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, how does God show mercy? Well, that answer is this: “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” Everything that the rich man wanted is revealed in Moses and the Prophets. Now, the phrase “Moses and the Prophets” summarizes the entirety of the Old Testament Scripture. This same Old Testament warns against this terrible torment known as hell. This same Old Testament warns everyone what happens to those who break God’s Commandments. But this same Old Testament also gives the wonderful promise of a Savior who would deliver them from torment.

 

So, if we don’t remember the Scriptures – the Old and New Testaments – and what these Scriptures teach that the Word of the Gospel is all-sufficient – if we don’t remember that – we will end up like the rich man. 

 

We all have family and friends who do not remember the Scriptures. We all know some in our church family who have been missing. Instead of worrying about their salvation, give them a call or take them out to lunch and share with them in a friendly way the salvation you have received in Christ by taking to heart what is proclaimed by Moses and the Prophets.

 

So, we must take heed to what is proclaimed in the Divine Service and take it to heart. But today, you are listening to Moses and the Prophets. You have repented of your sins and by the Holy Spirit working in you, you will continue to repent of your sins. So, by listening to the Holy Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets as they proclaim Jesus, you are joining Lazarus by coming to the table this day as we receive a foretaste of heaven on earth in the Lord’s Supper.

 

We have been given the gift of Moses and the Prophets. Like the Emmaus disciples who at first doubted Christ’s resurrection, we have been given open eyes in the breaking of the bread, the risen One who comes to us at every Divine Service, as we are persuaded in how we have been given salvation in Christ. Thus, we live in Christ by telling others of our salvation in Christ, so that they too – through the Holy Spirit’s work – may be given mercy – just as we have received mercy – and all through Christ alone! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 15: "Trusting in the Generosity of God" (Luke 16:1-15)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Money is Persuasive]

 

Money is a remarkably persuasive false god. Money sits on your shoulder and whispers into your ear: “Now listen to me! I’ll give you a little freedom to do some things, but in the end, you will make all of your important decisions in life on the basis of me. You will decide when to get married because of me. You will decide when to have children because of me. Remember, when push comes to shove, I call the shots! Understand?”

 

You have in this parable the story of a man who had been accumulating wealth for himself. He was trusting that the needs of his life and his future would be secured through his savings account, his business dealings, and so forth. Now, he was, we’re told, cooking the books, skimming money off the top, but like those who break the Seventh Commandment and steal money, he’s figured out a way in his mind to justify it. “I’m overworked and underpaid.” “I’ll pay it back.” “I need it more.” Whatever the reason, for this man, he believes his master’s money is the solution. The master’s money is the thing in which he trusts.

 

And whatever we end up trusting becomes our god. As Luther says in his Large Catechism: “Anything in which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your god.” Popular false gods are celebrities, athletes, politicians, and even doctors. But the most common false god is money.

 

But the thing is, we can’t trust in false gods. And money is a false god. You see, it doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t love you. And it will leave you. That is what happens in this parable. Everything this manager – this steward – had been lying awake at night afraid would happen, happens. His money abandons him, and he is left now to figure out something different to put his trust. But, what will it be?

 

“There was a rich man who had a manger, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg” (Luke 16:1-3).

Now, pay attention to the manager’s desperation: He’s stuck. He’s hopeless. That’s why Jesus includes His comment, “I can’t dig; I can’t beg.” His ship is sinking and he does not even have a lifeboat. Everything he had worked for – a lifetime’s worth of careful effort and planning, even if it was crooked – was gone. Even if you have not been in his shoes, I trust you can understand his frustration.

 

[Trusting in the Master’s Generosity]

 

Well, the manager has been fired. From this point, he is no longer legally authorized to conduct any business in the name of his master. And if he would, it would not be legally binding. But take a moment to notice that the master does not immediately throw him in jail. He surely could have for cooking the books, but he didn’t.

 

We have all heard of – or have been involved in – companies that have downsized. Now, when this happens, the boss often says something like this: “Sorry, due to downsizing, we are letting you go. We need you to leave the premises immediately.” These companies do this because they recognized that angry or desperate employees can do a lot of damage if they are not cut off immediately. Notice, that is not what the master does. Instead, he let the fired manager go home, get the books, and return back.

 

So, what does the fired manager do? He uses the very, very small amount of time to take advantage of his master’s reputation for being generous. Now, this manager could have done a number of things, but he doesn’t do them. Instead, he figures that his best shot at survival is to bank on his master’s reputation for being exceedingly generous. He had been trusting in his master’s money, but that’s now all gone. He’s fired. Now he begins to trust in the thing he should have trusted in the first place: his master’s generosity.

 

So, during this time, he quickly calls in each of his master’s clients. From this, we can tell how much clout this man has. We see how quickly people come to him when he sends for them! Now, here’s the key: the manager is fired, and he knows that, the master knows that, but no one else does. The clients don’t know it.

 

So, one at a time, the fired manager calls in the clients. And here is how he does it: “He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty’” (Luke 16:5-7).

 

Through these couple transactions, he cancels about 18 months of wages with each account. But did you notice that he has them change the amount? It happens in their handwriting, not his. This is an important detail, and the reason is this: the next thing the manager will do is take all these changed contracts back to the master. And when he places the books on his master’s desk to review, the master slowly realizes two things: first, these debts have been lowered, and second, my debtors know about it, because it’s in their handwriting. If it had been merely in the manager’s handwriting, he would just change them all back and there wouldn’t be any harm; no one would have known.

 

But now the master sits back in his chair. Just outside, he can hear the sound of celebration thrown in his honor – in honor of the most generous landowner that country has ever known. They have already begun to post on social media about how good and kind their landlord is. After all, they all assume that the manager just did what the master asked him to do.

 

Now, many of us have been tenants in an apartment or leased a building for a business, so what would a normal landlord do? A normal landlord would walk right into that party and announce, “Turn down the music. The party is over! Everything that happened today was illegal. I didn’t authorize this. That man is a crook. And so, I am still expecting your regular payments at the beginning of the month.”Yes, that is what any ordinary landlord would do. Is that what you would do? And if that’s what the master did, this man’s plan would collapse. But the master doesn’t do it. Not this master. Not this landlord. This master has a reputation for being generous. Because, he is generous.

 

He looks up at his fired manager and says, “Well played. You knew me. You knew that I would let this stand. You’re a crook and a scoundrel, but you are really smart.” Jesus says this: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness” (Luke 16:8a). He commended him not because of his character or his ethics, but because of his shrewdness. When his ship was sinking, he knew which way to jump. 

 

[Our Master is Unusually Generous]

 

So, what’s the moral of this story – this parable? Jesus says: “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails [your money, which it will] they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). 

 

We all have money. Many of us have significant amounts of money. Or, you may have little money. But we all have money. Jesus says, “Use this money however great or small to get people into heaven.” 

 

You see, our money, however great or small, can have eternal returns. Our tithes and offerings go to paying the bills of the church so we can have a comfortable and dry place to receive God’s gifts of His Word and His Sacrament. Our tithes and offerings also go to missions outside these church walls, such as those learning to be church workers at our seminaries, and those in financial need through the Good Samaritan fund.

 

We all have heard of people who came into a bunch of money all of a sudden – from the lottery, from inheritance, or from a sports contract. What usually happens? Before that person knows it, the money is gone. Now, what if this person gave 10 percent of his money to church missions? As every cent of his money is gone, a person asks him, “Don’t you wish you had that 10 percent back?” He would reply, “No, that’s the only part that is still doing any good.”

 

You see, God has made it so our money could be a false god to you, and it likely is, but he made it so that your money can be used for eternal purposes. So, for whatever else you use your money, this parable teaches that we have a Christian responsibility to support – shrewdly and enthusiastically – the preaching of the Gospel.

 

But there is, as you can see, a backstory to this. It’s not as through you labor under a master who is hard and cruel, but rather one who is unusually generous. And whether you have been faithful in your use of His money or have been less than faithful – have squandered it, have wasted it, been selfish or greedy – your Master is still generous. He continues to love you and sees you through. By grace through faith in Jesus alone, we will receive an eternal dwelling. We are saved because of the generosity of your Master.

 

Your Master is Jesus Christ. He loves and forgives sinners. He gives all who trust in Him more than just earthly wealth and goods. He gives us His Body and Blood on the cross to save us. And this is for free! We don’t have to do a thing. We don’t have to make back payments or make up for your sins or try to impress anyone. We don’t have to do anything, but trust in Him. He’s accomplished everything for us.

 

So, if you are stuck and don’t know what do to or where to go – if you’re too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg – cling to Jesus for He is always generous. So, grab a hold of the generosity of God. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 14: "Sinners Saved by Jesus" (1 Timothy 1:5-17)

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Expectations]

 

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). That is not what we would expect. Christ Jesus came into the world to condemn sinners. That is what we would expect. Christ Jesus came into the world to destroy sinners. That is what we deserve. Christ Jesus came into the world to punish sinners. That is what we think. Christ Jesus came into the world to teach sinners how to no longer be sinners, by being nice to one another. That is how we act. But this is not what today’s text says: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Yes, Christ Jesus came to save sinners.

 

This leaves us only with one thing to do: be a sinner. Being a sinner doesn’t seem like a particularly hard task. After all, all of us sin. Each of us break the Ten Commandments. The Apostle Paul in today’s epistle ran through the Commandments showing what sinners look like. Sinners are unholy and profane, striking father and mother, murderers, sexually immoral, homosexuals, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:9-10). This is me. This is you. Now, it might be that you have held back yourself from these sins, but our hearts and minds are constantly bent toward sin.

 

Recall how Jesus teaches us what is sin? He says to be angry is to commit murder (Matthew 5:22); to look with lust is to commit adultery (Matthew 5:28). We have these two great tables staring us down – especially with the return of these two restored stained-glass windows: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” – Commandments 1-3 – and “Love your neighbor as yourself” – Commandments 4-10 (Mark 12:30-31). Now, which of us can check these off the list? 

Do the dishes, check. 

Take out the trash, check. 

Fold the laundry, check.

Love the Lord with every ounce of my being? Hmm.

[We Are Sinners]

 

This means that you are a sinner, and this is a good thing, remember? Because that is who Christ Jesus came to save. He came to save sinners. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12). Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. But who is so healthy that he or she doesn’t need a doctor? Who is so righteous that he or she doesn’t need a Savior?

 

This is where we get to the difficulty. The Pharisees and scribes that Jesus is talking to are just as sinful as you and me, but they don’t realize it. They think they are righteous, that they are all well, that they don’t need help, no Savior needed, and this is trouble. We all know people – our own family andfriends – who don’t realize they are sinners. Some believe that if the sinner doesn’t affect their life, they are fine with their sin. It’s a libertarian point of living – live and let live – by tolerating the unhealthy behavior of others. They don’t realize that they are about to walk off or drive off a cliff. Everything seems fine. They have a happy family, a well-paying job, a nice home, but they have no salvation. They are lost, but they are ignorant that they are lost. 

 

This is what Paul – inspired by the Holy Spirit – is describing in today’s epistle. He wrote: “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions” (1 Timothy 1:6-7).

 

We are sinners, but we hate to admit it. Our Old Adam – our old sinful flesh – hates to admit our sin. We prefer to say things like: “Sure, I’ve made mistakes. Yeah, I’ve messed up. Everyone makes mistakes. My bad. Nobody’s perfect.” Those words are the soothing confession of our sinful flesh. We would prefer to say things like that. We would rather say, “I’ve tried my best.” But you haven’t, have you? And just because everyone else has messed up doesn’t make it okay with God. He is holy. God isn’t a college professor who grades on a curve. 

 

Remember, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but our flesh clings to the illusion of its own goodness with a death grip, like a cat at bath time with claws sunk into the carpet. To confess that we are sinners, to acknowledge this, is death to the Old Adam, but this is what we are after. The cure only makes sense after the diagnosis.

 

Just imagine some man coming up to you holding a pill and says, “This pill is going to make all your hair fall out; you’re going to lose your appetite; you will have to stop working for a few weeks because this pill will make you that sick.” What would you do? You would likely run away from this man! You may even call the police! But imagine if this man is your doctor, and he’s just given you the bad news that you have cancer. The diagnosis is bad, but the doctor caught it in time so that the chemo pills can take care of it. Now, you don’t run from him. You stay. You take the pills. You pay this man thousands of dollars! You rejoice because you know the alternative. What a difference the diagnosis makes.

 

We are all sinners. That is our diagnosis: poor, miserable sinners. God’s Law “is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and the disobedient, of the ungodly and sinners” (1 Timothy 1:9). We have all broken God’s Law and stand deserving of His judgment, His wrath. When we acknowledge that nothing good dwells in us, that we have deserved God’s anger because of what we have done – in thought, word, and deed – and because of who we are, then the cure comes breaking over us with light and joy and peace.

 

[Sinners Saved by Jesus]

 

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Hey, I am a sinner! Jesus came to save me! You are a sinner! Jesus came to save you!

 

And save us He does: His agony in our place. His death for your life. His blood is a flood washing away your sin, your fear of death, your condemnation. All of this comes to you through His crucified flesh on the cross.

 

In today’s epistle, Paul was bold to confess his sins. He called himself the “foremost” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). In his epistles, Paul boasts of his weakness, of his sins. In the Book of Acts, Luke records how Paul had overseen the brutal murder of Stephen and how Paul had obtained permission to trouble the Christians in Damascus, throwing them, even the mothers and children, into prison for believing that Jesus is God. Paul, here, makes no attempt to hide his sin. He is a sinner, but a sinner with a Savior.

 

Paul knows the horrendous depth of his own sin, but this, for Paul, simply means that he knows all the better the height of Jesus’ love. He wrote: “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16).

 

As Christ said in today’s Gospel lesson, sheep wander off without knowing the wolf is waiting in the wings. You see, God wants us to rejoice at others who are rescued. Jesus says to us, look around at all who are lost and to rejoice when they are found. But remember, it is Jesus who does the seeking and the saving.

 

God’s grace is that He is able to seek out to rescue those sheep who are lost. When we are looking for the one lost sheep, or the one lost coin, that is you, that is me. Like Paul, we were once lost, and Christ Jesus saved even you and me.

 

This is a trustworthy saying: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Every word here is the truth of the beating heart of our hope and joy:

§  Christ – the eternal Son of God promised as the Messiah, the Anointed One; 

§  Jesus – true man, son of Mary, so named “because He will save people from their sins”(Matthew 1:21); 

§  came – sent by God the Father, willingly leaving the glory that was His from eternity; 

§  into the world – humbly placing Himself under the Law and being tempted as we are (except without sin), obedient even to death on the cross; 

§  to save – His one great goal and accomplishment “to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10); and save who?

§  sinners – those who deserved only damnation. For “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

Here in the Divine Service, Jesus gives us the cure for our sins. He gives us the medicine of immortality, known as the Means of Grace – His Word and Sacrament. Unlike earthly medicines that often come with devastating side-effects, Christ’s medicine is 100 percent effective, 100 percent of the time. His medicine kills our Old Adam, so that we would have eternal life. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation. As sinners, we need to continue taking this medicine weekly, for we constantly need forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our weak faith.

 

By grace through faith in Jesus, your sin cannot stand in the way of Jesus. Your death cannot stand in the way of Jesus. Your trouble cannot separate you from Him. Your Savior is Jesus, the one who came to save sinners, who came to save you. So, repent and believe! We are sinners saved by Jesus! “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +