Sermon for Pentecost 4: "Acknowledging Christ Before Men" (Matthew 10:5a, 21-33)

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:

Jesus said, “So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

 

In last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sent out His apostles into a hostile world to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In preparation for today’s words, Jesus makes it clear that because of their proclamation, the apostles will be persecuted and hated. But Jesus doesn’t just leave them there. If He would, who would want to be a follower of Christ if all that happened is that you would be persecuted and hated by all?

 

So, Jesus continues today as He encourages His apostles. And what Jesus says to them, He also says to us, because being a follower of Christ is not easy, despite what some may say. Because of our association and faith in Christ, there is no neutral ground, but only a hostile world. We see division among our families. We face rejection and persecution, which will not end until Christ returns. As Christ’s disciples, we expect to be like Him, including the opposition that He faced during His earthly ministry. But all the while, Jesus encourages us to acknowledge Him before men, promising that He will acknowledge us before the Father.

 

But what does it mean to truly acknowledge Jesus? I acknowledge my neighbor by tipping my hat to him, or by waving to him when I pass by in the car. Is that what Jesus means? Does He mean that I must notice Him?

 

In the WWE today, there is a wrestler named Roman Reigns who begs the crowd each week saying, “Acknowledge me!” Week after week, Reigns just wants to be honored for his accomplishments, as he has defeated every challenger along the way to being the Undisputed WWE Universal World Heavyweight Champion for more than 1,000 days.  As he speaks, “Acknowledge me,” the crowds erupt to cheers and boos. Is Jesus begging us to notice Him?

 

What does Jesus mean when He says, “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men”? Well, first off, the word “acknowledge” used here from the ESV is rather weak. That word comes from the Greek word “homologeō,” which means “to confess one’s faith, declare publicly, or acknowledge.” Acknowledge works, but “to confess” is much stronger. In fact, traditionally the word “confess” was used here. And this is where we get the word for those who suffered for the faith known as “confessors.” They all may not have died a martyr’s death, but they all suffered for their Lord by refusing to deny Him.

 

But one thing to further note here is that Jesus is not advocating a theology of “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” What Jesus is saying here is a gracious promise, but is also a stern warning.

 

Jesus says, “A disciple is not above His teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). So, we confess that Jesus is our Lord and Master. We don’t actively ignore Him and His Word. We follow Him and His Word.

 

So, what are we confessing about Jesus? Are we confessing that Jesus was just a great moral teacher? Are we confessing that Jesus’ life was a great example in showing how we are to live and die? No, what we confess is the whole Christ as is proclaimed in the Scriptures. This is why it is so important that we recite the Creeds in the Divine Service. We confess that Jesus is truly and fully God and Man. We confess that Jesus is the Creator of heaven and earth. We confess that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary. We confess that Jesus is our redeemer and Savior who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. We confess that Jesus rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and that He has all power and all authority. We confess that Jesus will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.

 

So, what are we afraid of? Why are we not shouting the one true Christian faith from the housetops? Why are we so often tempted to shrink back from our Lord and deny Him?

 

Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). In the Creeds, which are all found in the Scriptures, we confess that the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is mightier than all of our enemies – human and demonic combined. 

 

So, why is it that we so often tend to fear people and their reactions so much, and we tend to fear God too little? We all need to hear Jesus tell us that “even the hairs on your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). We need to hear how God preserves us and takes us to life eternal by confessing Him to men.

 

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Am I doomed? As much as I want to tell others about Christ, I keep my mouth shut, since I’m afraid of what others may say about me.” Well, you are not doomed. God forgives your sins, including the failure to confess Christ boldly to others through words and deeds. Through His Holy Spirit, God renews our faith, so that we are granted greater courage.

 

Just look at the Apostle Peter. On the night of the arrest of Jesus, Jesus said to Peter, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times” (Matthew 26:34). To that statement, Peter responded, “‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’ And all the disciples did the same” (Matthew 26:35).

 

As Jesus stood before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, Peter was outside in the courtyard warming his hands over a fire while a servant girl came up to him and said, “‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean’” (Matthew 26:69). Three times, Peter denied knowing Jesus as he said, “I do not know what you mean” (Matthew 26:70), “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:72), and then he swore again saying, “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:74). Peter denied Jesus before men. And his denial was extremely serious as he not only abandoned his faith, but he also publicly renounced his faith. As that rooster crowed, Peter was completely miserable. He knew what he had done and what his denials meant.

 

For each of those three denials, following His death and bodily resurrection, Christ forgave Peter. He forgave Peter in the locked upper room and for added comfort, He forgave Peter again following the miraculous catch of 153 large fish from the Sea of Tiberias saying three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me” (John 21:15-17). Jesus concluded saying to Peter, “Follow Me” (John 21:19).

 

Jesus uses the examples of sparrows and hairs on our head to demonstrate the enormity of God’s love for us. This love was most powerfully demonstrated when the Father sent His only begotten Son. Christ Jesus fearlessly and loudly proclaimed the kingdom of God, despite insults and taunts. He worked and spoke as long as there was daylight. He courageously walked to Calvary, where His body was nailed to the cross – as were our sins. The One who judges justly raised Him to life again. Christ now has the keys of death and hell, and has opened heaven’s gates for us.

Now, don’t think, “Whoever once denies Me before men,” but “Whoever persists in denying Me before men.” So, the only people who will be denied by Jesus are those who publicly persist in denying Him as Master and Lord. To deny Jesus is to persist in rejecting Him as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) who brings us to God the Father.

 

So, if Peter can be forgiven for denying Jesus, so can you! Remember what we also confessed this morning? “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). In our pious fear and faith, Christ gives us courage through His Means of Grace in that He alone has the power to forgive our sins, so that we can confess Him before men as the only Savior of the world! 

 

Being forgiven, Peter went on to confidently confess Jesus before all men, saying, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). Despite his suffering, he no longer feared men. He knew that it was foolish to be afraid of men. He knew that the world and its prince Satan is not the judge. He trusted in Jesus, who is the only One who can cast both soul and body into hell. He trusted that Jesus would confess him, just as Jesus confesses all who acknowledge Him in heaven before the Father, the Church Triumphant, and the angels.

 

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus would – and He does – speak of you before the Father? He preaches of everyone who confesses Him as Lord and Christ.

 

Sometimes confessing our Lord before other people does complicate things. People may ridicule us as Christians, avoid us, and even harm us. But thanks be to God, that when we confess Him, He also confesses us, this Jesus who has rescued us from the powers of sin, eternal death, and Satan. Christ protects us in this world that attempts to destroy us, but it can’t, since we confess Jesus as our Savior, God, and Lord. 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 3: "Just the Right Time" (Romans 5:6-15)

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:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

 

At the right time. At the right time, Christ Jesus died for you! God’s Word speaks much about His timing. In Mark 1, following the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul proclaims in Galatians 4: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

 

The Triune God is above time. He controls time. So, He knows the right time for everything, since He is in control of the seasons.

 

At just the right time “God show[ed] His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

That’s the right time? Shouldn’t the right time be when humanity follows His Word? Shouldn’t the right time have been when all of humanity chooses to serve God? That’s what we, in our sinful nature, may believe. We, in our sinful nature, think that it is possible to love God and obey His commandments. That’s what the Israelites believed at Mount Sinai who said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). How well did they do in keeping God’s commandments? Not too good.

 

Now, most of these Israelites were eyewitnesses of all the power and majesty of God. They witnessed God’s power in bringing them out of bondage in Egypt. They witnessed God’s power in bringing them safely across the dry ground of the Red Sea.

 

But before all of that, how many of these Israelites truly trusted in God? Yes, there was Moses and Aaron, but how many of God’s chosen people would have rather remained in Pharoah’s bondage than be saved? I would say most or close to all. They were used to their condition. They disliked it, but they didn’t know of any way out, so they just continued in slavery.

All the while, God cared for them. When it was just the right time, God rescued His people through His miracles, signs, and wonders. The Israelites did nothing. God did it all.

 

Even after all of that, the Israelites made a promise to God that they would do all that the Lord commanded them. Did they fulfill that promise? No. They were weak. They were sinners.

 

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

 

This is love. God loved us while we still hated Him. When Christ came, it was just the right time. Humanity was weak, powerless, sick, feebled. Humanity didn’t care at all about God. Despite that, God cared for humanity. When we were powerless to save ourselves at just the right time, Christ died for us.

 

Today, we may feel the same. How could God care about me? I am a poor, wretched human being. I can’t do any good. I try to do good, but I mess it up. Why would God care about this country? We have turned from Him. We worship man rather than God. We worship nature rather than God.

 

Despite what we may think, God still cares for you, despite your unfaithfulness. So, just when we don’t care at all about God, God shows His love for you “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God is not against you. He is for you. God is not out to get you, but to have you as His own. The cross reveals that He is your friend.

 

In our reading from Romans, we see God’s grace beautifully explained. Despite all of our faults and being sworn enemies to God by doing what we want, when we want to do it, Christ came according to God’s timetable, and not in response to any human choosing or planning.

 

Christ came when we were powerless. Even if we had wanted Him to come, which was not the case, we couldn’t have done anything positive to bring it about. But the infinitely worse situation was that by nature we didn’t want anything to do with God and His promised Savior, because we were “ungodly.” And yet, for such ungodly people as us, the Father sent His Son to die.

 

This is one-way love, the kind of love that is so hard to find in the human experience. It could happen. But it’s so very rare. We hold our lives dear. We don’t want to let our life go. If we would die for someone, we would like to first make sure they were worth the sacrifice of your life – a person we cared about so much to risk your life to save them. Think of those pregnant women who are struck with cancer and refuse cancer treatments in order to save their child. They risk their life, so their child could live.

 

We could have gone on in our weakness of sin, but God couldn’t have that, He wants everyone to love Him and be with Him forever. So, at just the right time, when humanity would have nothing to do with God, God would have everything to do with us.

 

But what caused man to get this way? What caused man to turn away from God? Well, it was all through one single man named Adam. Adam is the earthly father of humanity. As the father of humanity, all of his descendants share his fallen human nature. So, as Adam sinned and turned aside from the good to which God called him, human nature became corrupt, despising God’s righteousness, pursuing sin, and suffering shame. This is the experience of all mankind, since we are all descendants of Adam.

 

Due to Adam’s fall, we became children of wrath. We would rather follow our depraved desires than what God has called us to do.

 

This is also why the birth of Jesus from the virgin Mary is so significant. Through the virgin birth, Adam’s nature is bypassed by Jesus since Jesus is not begotten of a man, but of the Holy Spirit. Although Jesus receives human nature from Mary, He avoids the particular corruption of this human nature by being conceived not of Adam or of one of His descendants, but of God. Thus, Jesus is made like us in every way, even temped as we are, yet without sin, without enmity toward God, without corruption of the human nature.

 

As sinners, death is our lot. Death enters the world through sin and spreads to all men because all sin. Thus, we are weak and have no power to keep ourselves alive. We are sinners with only one destination: eternal death.

 

Yet, the free gift of salvation is not like the trespass. When Adam sinned, he brought all into sin. But at just the right time, Jesus dies and rises on our behalf as He has no need to save Himself. All that He does is on our behalf. All that He does is for you!

The free gift is not like the trespass, imprisoning all in eternal death. No, this free gift releases all into the joyous, reconciled life with God in which Jesus already abides.

 

For sinful man, this seems so unnatural. Afterall, if we want to get paid, we must do the job. If we want someone to love you, we have to be loveable. If we want groceries, we have to pay for them. But with God, we don’t buy our way to His love. We only receive. Jesus says salvation has been accomplished. It is not something that you do, because it is done. It is finished. It is finished for you.

 

There is nothing for us to do but to receive God’s free gift. There is nothing we must earn. Everything is paid in full on the cross.

 

But how do we receive this free gift? Well, Jesus spreads His salvation through a spiritual and supernatural way. He spreads His free gift of salvation through Baptism. In Baptism, you are born again of water and of the Spirit. In Baptism, you become a child of God. You are begotten of God. He communicates to you His nature, that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. By God’s Spirit, your old nature is put to death, and you are born again into the immortal nature of the Son.

 

All who believe and are baptized are begotten of God, receive His nature, and live eternally. In this way, just as the children of Adam all sin and all die, and all are enemies, so the children of God have sin put to death in them daily through repentance and faith and are restored to life and reconciled to God.

 

Christ’s death shows us God’s great love for us. Although we were enemies going against His will, at just the right time, Christ died for us.

 

So, if you ever wonder if God still loves you. Look at what He has been willing to do for you. When you were weak and powerless and totally opposed to Him, at just the right time, He reconciled you back to Him through Christ’s death.

 

If God justified us by His grace when we were all against Him, just imagine how much He loves us now that we have been won by Him. So, let us all rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 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 2: "Shaped by Jesus" (Matthew 9:9-13)

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:

The Pharisees said to Christ’s disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11)

 

That’s a good question. Why is Jesus – a Jewish rabbi – sitting at a dinner table with tax collectors and sinners? Doesn’t “bad company ruin good morals”? (1 Corinthians 15:33) Could Jesus be there condoning their sin? Well, that is what the Pharisees’ question is implying.

 

I have heard it often said that Jesus “hung out with sinners” or He “hung out with prostitutes” during His earthly ministry. Is that what Jesus is doing here? Is that what Jesus is being accused of by the Pharisees?

 

Yes, exactly! The whole point of the Pharisees’ question was to slander Jesus and His reputation to make it appear as if Jesus tolerated, accepted, and even embraced sinful behavior. But is that what is going on here? Is Jesus tolerating, accepting, and embracing sinful behavior?

 

Let’s go back to what led to Jesus being invited to this dinner with tax collectors and sinners. Earlier that day, after healing a paralytic, Jesus comes up to Matthew as he is collecting taxes at his tax booth. Jesus walks up to Matthew and says two words to him, “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9). Amazingly, Matthew picks up his things and follows Jesus. He didn’t think twice. Jesus spoke those words of invitation and he just dropped everything. Matthew abandoned his business and gave up his livelihood. He was willing to lose his life, so that he may save it. Jesus spoke and Matthew followed without any hesitation.

 

So, just as Jesus invited Matthew to follow Him, Matthew thought it well to invite Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus brings with Him His other called disciples and Matthew invites over some of his friends and associates. This is where things get interesting. This is where the sinful world latches on and joins the Pharisees in accusing Jesus as accepting sinful behavior.

 

The sinful world likes this Jesus who tolerates and accepts sinful behavior. You see, sinful man would rather shape Jesus than be shaped by Him. Sinful man would rather see Jesus as an apathetic hippie who wandered around Galilee flanked by drunks and hookers. Sinful man imagines Jesus sitting on the roadside making small talk and watching the world pass by. With a Jesus like this, He is no longer the Shepherd, but a sheep. This is exactly the kind of Jesus that Satan prefers.

 

But that is not the real Jesus. Christ came to save sinners and not to lead sinners to eternal destruction in hell. He came to give eternal life, not eternal death.

 

So, as Jesus, His disciples, and Matthew’s other invited guests were eating together, some Pharisees walk by and notice this odd arrangement of people. First off, a respectable Jew would never eat with such people. Afterall, as I said earlier, “bad company ruins good morals.”

 

As the Pharisees were watching this, they made their accusation, but they didn’t have the courage to speak to Jesus directly, but instead spoke to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

 

Even though Jesus was not addressed directly, He answers them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). Jesus is there to treat the sickness of sin, not to condone the sin. Here, Jesus speaks about why He is there. Here is there as a physician. Physicians treat sick people. These people are sick, and their sickness is sin. They are not free of guilt. Jesus is in no way saying that these people are not responsible for their sin. Jesus is there because they are sick and cannot heal themselves. They all need rescuing from their sins.

 

Here, Jesus tells of His mission: “For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13b). He has come to rescue every single person from all times and all places of their sin, since there is no such person who has no sin.

 

But who are these people that have caused so much offense to the Pharisees? First off, it’s always good to remember that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23a). But this isn’t exactly what the Pharisees were after. For them, “sinners” were a much narrower group of people. In particular, tax collectors and prostitutes for these were the people who flagrantly and publicly violated the Law of God.

 

You see, tax collectors had the reputation for being dishonest and unrepentant Law breakers, and most tax collectors would scheme on getting wealthier in the process. Pharisees considered them among the worst of sinners, since they were both traitors – in working for the hated Roman government – and liars, since they cheated people out of their money.

 

So, Matthew – a tax collector –was about as likely a candidate for discipleship as Saul of Tarsus, who had taken the lead in the bloody persecution of Christians before Jesus called him and transformed him into one of the pillars of the Church, the Apostle Paul.

 

The sin of tax collectors was greed. They had a reputation for not trusting God to provide, so they just fleeced and extorted the people. They had the reputation as those who had the love of money. For this, the Pharisees considered them among the scum of the earth.

 

What about you? Could you be among these men holding too tightly to your money? We’ve all seen how rising inflation has cut into our income. We can’t get the same value for material goods as we used to. The volatility of the stock market may cause you to worry about your investments and retirement accounts. Money isn't going as far as it used to. You may be feeling anxiety about money: “Am I going to have enough?” When your mind goes there, you begin to hold tight to your money, or it takes hold of you tightly. We sin.

 

Closely related to the tax collectors would be the prostitutes. They too, are considered the scum of society. This sin involves selling your body for money or acceptance or drugs. It could be about anything. But more is going on with this than sexual immorality. Underneath prostitution, we find the loss of the sanctity of marriage. Sex sells and buys, instead of being a sacred gift for a husband and wife.

 

Now, you are likely not a prostitute, but we all live in a time when sexuality and nudity are exploited, exposed, and explicit for us to see every day of our lives. How difficult it is today to keep our desires, our urges, our minds, and our hearts chaste. The internet, movies, television programs, and even commercials, tempt viewers to keep on looking, even fantasizing about what counts as beauty. We are bombarded with these images day in and day out. They catechize us, but in the wrong way. We sin.

 

With the lowest of the low there at the table, there are likely some people there speaking filthy words. Speaking profanity. This is no different than today. Foul language flows into our ears and perhaps flows out of our mouths. What do you say in anger when you lose your temper? How quickly we lash out with mean words, hateful words, words that God never wants us to speak. We sin.

 

There at that dinner table reclining with Jesus are what the Pharisees consider the worst of the worst of sinners. Dishonest men, scandalous women, worriers, and Law breakers. There at that dinner table is Jesus sitting with you and me. 

 

Jesus is there not to accept or tolerate any sinful behavior, but to treat that sinful behavior as any good physician would with any sickness. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

 

Jesus is not there to merely accompany them, but to bring them to repentance. He is there to heal their sin. These are all guilty people who want to be rescued. Jesus is there to say, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) and “Sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus is there because these sinners recognize that they are spiritually poor, and spiritually miserable. He is there because they recognize their personal sinfulness and unworthiness. He is there to give them the remedy for their sins: His forgiveness.

 

Jesus is there for the Pharisees too, but they don’t see any need for a physician for their souls. They are so deluded that they don’t think they need to be saved, since they wrongfully regard themselves as spiritual healthy.

 

The Church is the hospital for sinners and not a club for the righteous. Jesus is the Great Physician who knows just what the sick need – His merciful forgiveness. Jesus never came to an adulterer to approve of adultery, or to the tax collector to approve of his greed and corruption. No, He came to purge them of their sins – and us of ours.

 

He came to treat their illness. He came to treat their sin. He listened as they confessed their symptoms, so that He could give them the remedy.

 

The Law exposes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23a). We deserve only damnation since not one of us is innocent. Thanks be to God that we have the remedy for sin, justification by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus “whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). 

 

Today, and at each Divine Service, Christ is here for you! He is here in this hospital known as Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. He is here to shape you through repentance and faith. He hears your cry for forgiveness. And He comes with the remedy – His Medicine of Immortality, His Word and His Sacraments. Through these Means of Grace, He gives you food to eat as we inwardly digest His Word and receive His forgiveness through His Body and Blood broken and shed for you, so your sins would be forgiven, and your faith strengthened. Then He says, “Go and sin no more!”

 

Whatever your sin, Jesus has taken that sin to the cross for you. He suffered, died, and rose in your place, so that through repentance and faith in Him, you could receive the soothing remedy of His forgiveness that only the Great Physician brings. 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 the Holy Trinity: "One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity" (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit who we worship as one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

The divine mystery of the Holy Trinity is beyond our own comprehension. And yet, we try our best to understand how God is One in three Persons. We can attempt to picture it. But we can’t fully grasp the divine mystery of three in One. We can’t get our heads around the essence and relationships involved in the one true God as the Trinity.

 

But we sure do try. One analogy that’s used is water. Water is a liquid. It can be frozen as ice. It can become steam. Three in one: liquid, ice, and steam. As helpful as this analogy seems to be, it ultimately fails. You see, you can’t have that water be liquid, ice, and steam at the same time. You either have liquid, ice, or steam. Never all three at the same time. But the Father is always God; never is there a time when He was not God. The Son is always God; never is there a time when He was not God. The Holy Spirit is always God; never is there a time when He was not God. All three Persons of the Trinity are always and fully God at the same time.

 

Some today think that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament era, God the Son was the God of the New Testament era, and God the Holy Spirit is the God of our era. But the Triune God does not come to us in different modes through history. God is never divided. None is greater or lesser than the other Person. God is eternal as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, when we pray to God the Father, we are also praying to God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

 

Another way the Trinity is falsely taught is through the apple. It’s a good idea, but this analogy also fails. Each apple has an outer peel, an inner core, and a meaty center. One apple in three parts. Comparing an apple to the Trinity may be helpful, but it fails in that the peel, core, and center are only parts of the apple. Again, the Father is completely God all the time, not just part of God, not just a third of God. The Son is completely God all the time. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is completely God all the time.

 

The shamrock, or three-leaf clover, has been used too, but it too fails to fully comprehend the Trinity.

 

Very simply, the Triune God is so far beyond us that we’ve just barely scratched the surface of who He is and what He can do. But there is something we do know about the one true God. Jesus reveals to us this truth in the Gospel lesson as He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). There, Jesus reveals the Oneness of God in three Persons. God is three in One. This is the Holy Trinity. This is what we believe, teach, and confess. Even this is far beyond our comprehension.

 

In our reading from Genesis, God first reveals Himself. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Here, God is revealed as the Creator. Everything that is, was created by God. In the Creeds, we confess that God the Father Almighty is the maker of heaven and earth. Now, this is not to be understood as though the other Persons of the Trinity had nothing to do with the creating of the universe.  

 

Remember, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also eternal, just as the Father is eternal. Concerning Jesus, the Son of God, St. John writes, “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing that was made” (John 1:3). Concerning the Holy Spirit, He is described as “hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2b). The Holy Spirit was active at the creation, preserving what He had created.

 

You see, the work of creation is what all the Persons of the Trinity share. The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit cannot be divided. There are not three Gods, but one God.

 

At the creation of the heavens and the earth, the one true God who reveals Himself in three Persons, tells us even a little more about Him. Day after day, He created the universe. He just does it. He thinks about it, speaks it, and it is done. But that sixth day is different.

 

On the sixth day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

 

Much is revealed here. First, the Triune God includes an obvious deliberation and plan. He did nothing similar in the case of the earlier creatures. Without any deliberation and counsel before, He just said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation” (Genesis 1:11), and “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above” (Genesis 1:20). But here, when He wants to create man, God summons Himself to a council and announces some sort of deliberation within the one God.

 

First thing to note here is that there is an outstanding difference between man and all other creatures. Apes resemble man. They dwell together. They are fed together. They eat together. They receive nourishment from the same foods. They each rest and sleep. Their similarity is great. But there is a great difference. The apes were never created by the special plan and providence of God. Man was. So, man is a creature far superior to the rest of the living beings that live a physical life.

 

Man is set apart when God says that He made a special deliberation as He gave consideration to the creation of man, and not only that, but also making man in the image of God. God gave man dominion over all other creatures. “And behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

 

But as you all know, the world today isn’t what it was originally created to be. Due to Adam’s Fall into sin, man has lost the image of God.

 

In his book “The Trinity”, St. Augustine attempts to classify the image of God. He wrote that the image of God is the power of the human soul: memory, the mind or intellect, and will. Augustine may be right, but due to Adam’s Fall, our memory, our intellect, and our will are often forgetful and out of whack. We still have memory, mind, and will, but they are depraved and weakened.

 

Like the Trinity, in defining the image of God, we keep on coming up short. We can only guess as to what that was like. But like how God calls Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are given clues on the lost image of God.

 

We know that Adam was of one will with God. We know that Adam was of one will with Eve. There were no secrets. So, both Adam’s inner and outer sensations were all of the purest kind. His intellect was clear. His memory was the best. His will was straightforward. In everything, Adam and Eve surpassed all other living creatures. They had eyes sharper than an eagle. They were stronger than lions and bears. They had no fear of death or any other danger. They were content with God’s favor.

Due to the Fall into sin, we lost all of that. The created world is no longer completely subordinate to fallen man. Animals attack and kill man. Water drowns man. In the end, due to the Fall into sin, man dies, and the earth covers him.

 

Even after the Fall, man still retains human personality and powers of intellect, but we lost our one will with God. Instead of knowing God to be the source of every blessing, the source of our daily bread – food, clothing, and shelter – our sinful nature looks inward and praises ourselves and thanks ourselves.

 

As we begin the month of June, the historical month of marriage, we realize that so much has been lost, since man has lost the image of God due to the Fall. God created man male and female. Before 2015, this was an agreed upon fact. No logical person argued against that. But since the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, it has become increasingly difficult for many to define a man from a woman. You know and I know, but this is now an argument by the fallen, sinful world, which is led by the great deceiver, Satan.

 

I feel sorry for anyone who is struggling with this. We are all confronted with this ideology day in and day out – in our public schools, our public libraries, television shows and movies, and of course, social media. 

 

Imagine you’re a teenager and you feel awkward and out of place. You don’t fit in with the other boys and other girls. You just want to fit in and be happy. One day, you go on social media. Suddenly you see people happy because they socially transitioned to the other sex. You see that they are applauded by the culture. You think, maybe I should do that.

 

Let’s say you are a parent of a teenager. One day, your teenager comes to you with a different name and wants you to refer to him by a different pronoun. You think, I gave my child his name. You remember the moment you found out what sex your child was before he was born. You read online and find out that if you don’t affirm your child’s new name, that you are a cruel and oppressive parent. You also read that if you don’t affirm your child, your child may commit suicide. What are you supposed to do?

 

We all struggle. We have all felt awkward. But God makes no mistakes. Just as He deliberated in the creation of Adam. He also deliberated in the creation of every single human being as He formed your inward parts as He knitted you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16).

 

The only thing that is different from the creation of Adam is that we have lost the image of God. In its place, we are all born with a sinful human nature, which is turned away from God and is focused only on the self.

 

The wages of sin is eternal death apart from God. This could have been the fate for everyone. But it isn’t. God wasn’t about to leave us to our sinful desires. God wants us all to be with Him. That is why He created humanity after all. Remember, when Adam was created, He said, “It was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Everything was finished. God rested the seventh day.

 

All that God had created, Satan has done his best to undo. Marriage is the foundational building block of society, so he convinced sinful man that marriage is akin to a simple friendship. It isn’t. Marriage was instituted by God as a union of sexual differences – one man and one woman in a one flesh union – and is intended for mutual companionship, both in prosperity and adversity, and for the procreation of children who are to be brought up in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Satan convinced Adam and Eve that they could become like God, even though they already possessed the image of God. Satan promised what he could not provide but could only take away. Satan only lies. That is his nature.

 

In all that Satan destroyed in the Garden, God restored. Jesus took our punishment – the agony of our sins, the sorrows of death, and even the horrors of hell, which is the complete separation from God. While on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” There, God provided for our redemption. Then He rested.

 

On that Easter morning, Jesus who was dead, rose from the dead. He conquered the sin that leads to the grave. He crushed the powers of hell. Forty days later, He ascended into heaven and to this day, He has all power and all authority on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus suffered, died, rose, and ascended so that man could one day regain the image of God.

 

Today, God comes to us through His Means of Grace. Here in the Divine Service, God comes to us through His Word and Sacraments. Through these means, the Triune God sanctifies us as we receive forgiveness and strength for our weak faith. 

 

In Holy Baptism, Satan is cast out as God gives the baptized the power to believe in Him. As a baptized child of God, Satan places a target upon you. He never gives up. He wants you to return to him and his lies. 

So, God gives us more ammunition against Satan, the fallen world, and our sinful nature. He gives us confession and absolution as a buffer from the evil foes. And He doesn’t stop there. He also gives us the Sacrament of the Altar where we receive even more of God’s forgiveness as we partake of Christ’s body and blood. God gives us a foretaste of the feast to come. God comes to us because He loves you. He desires the salvation of all mankind.

 

At Christ’s coming, He will raise all people. On the cross, salvation was won for all people. But on the Last Day, judgment will occur. Sadly, not everyone wants the free gift of salvation won by Jesus. To those people who refuse God’s grace, at Christ’s coming, they will have to give an account concerning their deeds. Those who have done evil by priding in themselves instead of receiving God’s grace will be cast into eternal fire. But those who trust in Jesus will rise to the newness of life in the New Heaven and New Earth with the restored image of God. 

 

We will never fully grasp the divine mystery of the Trinity. We will never comprehend how majestic and immense the one true God is. But we don’t have to fully understand Him, since He understands us. He knows every one of our wants and our fears, and He provides us always with what we need – our daily bread and most of all, the forgiveness of our sins – through His Word and His Sacraments. Amen.

 

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

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +