Sermon for Epiphany 4: "With All Authority" (Mark 1:21-28)

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:

 

“And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and was teaching” (Mark 1:21).

 

On the Sabbath following their selection to become fishers of men, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, together with Jesus, went into Capernaum to attend the synagogue service. And since, synagogues had no resident ordained minister, the rulers of the synagogue typically would invite some rabbi or scribe present to teach the Scripture lessons. On this day, these rulers picked Jesus of Nazareth.

 

Now, what Jesus taught on this Sabbath day, Mark does not tell us, but Mark does tell us the impression His preaching made on those worshippers. They were astonished. In the Greek, a stronger term is used; it is about the equivalent of “dumbfounded.” You see, these worshippers had never heard teaching like this. This is what caused them to say that Jesus “taught them as one who had authority”(Mark 1:22a).

 

So, what was so different about Jesus? Well, typically, the preacher would appeal to the interpretations of the past rabbis. Jesus, however, quoted no experts, but proclaimed the good news on His own authority. What Jesus taught was not something that He had learned from someone else. Rather, everything He taught and preached He knew by direct knowledge. So, everything Jesus said was in perfect accord with God the Father.

 

As everyone was flabbergasted at hearing God’s divine truth, suddenly there was an interruption. A man among the congregation cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:23-24). What we have here is a case of demonic possession.

 

As we live in the western world in the year of our Lord 2024, many today do not believe in demon possession. And if they did believe in it, many think demon possession was just something that happened years ago. So many today believe that surely Satan no longer sends evil spirits into people, but demon possession is real. You may not notice it, but that’s likely since you refuse to see it.

 

But Satan would rather attack in more subtle ways. Lying and seduction are powerful and have longer lasting effects than coercion. As the Father of Lies, Satan does a much better job with us when he simply convinces us that lies are truth. We see this in the attitudes of all sorts of social problems today. How easily the devil converts us into being liars ourselves – even lying to ourselves and fleeing God’s Word of truth. 

 

Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul proclaims this truth for all time: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

But we, who are in Christ, should not be frightened. Remember, the battle has been won, even if the war is not completely over.

 

But oddly enough, the great confession of today’s reading from Mark is not from a disciple, but from the demon-possessed man when he says, “I know who you are – the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). Now, this man could not have known what he said about Jesus. It was Satan that possessed this man who knew who Jesus of Nazareth was and what His purpose was. Satan knew, since he was in fact – at one time – a messenger of God, an angel of God. Even as a fallen angel, Satan will never forget his enemy. So, at that moment in the synagogue, two realms are colliding: the spiritual realm of the Lord God of Israel, and the spiritual realm aligned against it.

 

Even with his words, Satan is revealing himself to be wiser than many modern theologians. However, this knowledge is doing Satan no spiritual good. This knowledge is only filling him with fear and trembling that his reign as the prince of this fallen world is nearing its end.

 

Even though the demon-possessed man was speaking the truth about Jesus, Jesus would not accept its words as testimony. Satan was not a proper witness, for those hearing him could say, “Those are the words of the Father of Lies. How can we believe them?” Rather, Jesus wanted the people to recognize and accept Him as the Messiah through His authoritative preaching and seeing His works. So, Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25). With that simple command, at once, the demon obeyed. Now that man shook violently, and Satan used the voice of that man to utter a horrid scream, but that scream was that demon’s last whimper. At last, the man was free. Jesus had given a mighty demonstration of His almighty power in Satan’s own domain.

 

All throughout Scripture, demons know who Jesus is. Again, like their leader Satan, they, too, know who Jesus is, due to being fallen angels. Jesus would confront many demons throughout His earthly ministry. In Mark 5, Jesus met a demon-possessed man, with tremendous strength who had the power to break shackles and chains. The possessed man cried out to Jesus, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7). 

 

And even when Christ accomplished His mission as He lived a sinless life in the place of all sinners, even to the point of death on the cross, so that His innocent death atoned for the sins of all people by stripping Satan of all his power to control the souls of mankind, Satan still attempts to go after mankind even though he has no shot of victory. As Paul and Silas were in prison, they met a slave girl who was possessed by a demon. She cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). So, even though Satan and His minions hate God, it is their angelic nature to proclaim God and His truth – even if they don’t want to.

 

Again, God does not want demons proclaiming His truth, since again, those are the words of the Father of Lies. How can anyone believe them? And that’s the point. It would be Jesus’ authoritative preaching and His mighty works that would bring people to faith in Him as the Son of God.

 

Jesus is the One with authority, not Satan and not Satan’s minions. When Jesus spoke, He was speaking from the very essence as God. By His authority, He told the demons to depart. He alone had that kind of authority because He is the Author of life. He is our Creator. And our Creator is good. 

 

To every demon-possessed person Jesus met, He brought them liberation and new life. 

 

Today, even though he has lost the battle, Satan continues to attack us on all sides. He whispers in our ears saying, “Did God really say?” He causes us to question truth as he leads us into lies. We must repent and turn to Jesus as Satan’s deceit will never end until Christ returns in glory on that Last Day. And as that great and magnificent Day nears, Satan grows ever more desperate. 

 

Satan, the great deceiver, led our first parents Adam and Eve into disobedience, sin, and death. As a result, we are under God’s wrath sentenced to eternal damnation as we merit and deserve – through Adam’s sin and your personal sins of thoughts, words, and deeds against God and your neighbor. Without God’s love in Christ for you, there was no help, no hope, no comfort for us. This all changed only when the Son of God in His goodness had mercy came down from heaven by becoming man – like us in every way, except without sin – to help us. Christ snatched us from the jaws of eternal death in hell. He won us. He made us free. He restored us to the Father’s favor and grace as His own possession through the water and the Word of Holy Baptism. He has taken us under His own protection and His shelter in order that He may rule us by His righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and blessedness.

 

So, what should we do to combat Satan, this fallen world, and our own sinful nature that much prefers Satan’s lies to God’s truth? Well, turn to Christ, who alone has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. Turn to Christ, who alone has the authority that defeats Satan and his demons. Turn to Christ, who suffered and died for you, so that your sins would be forgiven and that you would be free from Satan’s accusations. Turn to Christ and listen to His voice in the Scriptures. Turn to Christ and receive His grace of forgiveness through the words of absolution and in His very body and blood under the bread and wine that forgives your sins and strengthens your faith.

 

In the spiritual battle until the Last Day, for everyone who clings to Christ, your victory has been won and all by grace through faith in Him, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, Jesus Christ, our 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 Epiphany 3: "The Appointed Time is Short" (Mark 1:14-20)

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:

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).

 

Warning! Danger! This is an emergency! Alarms are going off. Gas is leaking. Water’s rising. Fire’s advancing. Tornado’s approaching. Don’t wait. Don’t waver. Ask questions later. Don’t worry about the lights. Don’t lock the door. Act fast. Don’t look back. Don’t look for or grab anything. Forget the phone. Forget the valuables. Get up. Get out. Don’t worry what you are wearing: pajamas, underwear, or naked. Just go! And hurry!

 

The prophet Jonah says it like this: “Forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). St. Paul puts it this way: “The appointed time has grown very short.” This world in its present form is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:29)! And Jesus says this, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)! “Immediately [Simon and Andrew] left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18). “Immediately He called [James and John], and they left their father” (Mark 1:20).

 

Focus on the city of Nineveh, in the deserts and mountains, with temples and palaces. Cut to the kingdom of Judea, in Galilee and Palestine, with valleys and fields. Pan over imperial Corinth, amid Romans and Greeks, with seaside shrines.

 

A reaping is coming. The reckoning is commencing. Lighting flashes and thunder crashes. Earthquakes and hurricanes are rearing up. Hailstorms and hellfires are roaring forth. Famines bulldoze and floods steamroll. Planetary disaster. The abyss bursts open and beasts awaken, locust hordes swarm and rivers run red. Firmament peels back like a scroll, sun black as sackcloth and moon become blood. Heavenly bodies wobble out of orbit and stars plummet from the sky. Behold the horsemen of the apocalypse and elements melting, pelted by brimstone.

 

Human preferences have pressed the perimeters. But forces bigger than these will come with resolve. Human performances have flexed the fences. But fundamentals firmer than that are about to condense with vengeance. Human pursuit of pleasure has stretched the constraints. But principles deeper than the immediate pandemonium are going to consolidate for judgment. Human worship of power has tensed the tolerances. 

 

But realities greater than this arrogant mayhem are starting to tighten up and soon will demand recompense. Human pride has bent the borderlines. But laws older than the violent moment can’t help but straighten out for correction. Critical mass has accumulated. Heaven is getting ready to exhale. Almighty God is hollering, “Enough!”

 

On this Third Sunday after the Epiphany, which is known as Sanctity of Life Sunday, surprise pregnancy can come like this kind of emergency. Terminal diagnosis can cause this kind of anxiety. The abject panic, the existential dread threatens to drive us right out of our minds, or at least out of our right minds. Why else would we even consider something so otherwise reprehensible as intentionally ending life? One who is in such a situation may think, “I might not survive this. The humiliation will annihilate me. I stand to lose my very self. My options and escapes have run out. I have to kill or be killed.”

 

Drastic times call for drastic measures. But even elective abortion isn’t drastic enough. Even embryocide or physician-assisted euthanasia isn’t dire enough. The emergency that jeopardizes these circumstances exceeds physical discomfort and financial turmoil. The crisis that endangers our people eclipses psychological disfunction and social tribulation, limited resources and infringing upon liberties. The cataclysm that imperils us all looms larger than even primitive Ninevite savagery, Roman colonialism, Corinthian decadence, and Jewish disdain. 

 

So, it’s not just childbearing or disease that perpetrates the real wreckage. No, the primary predicament, the critical glitch, has hardwired itself into our nature and DNA. It’s selfishness. The competition impulse. Survival of the fittest. The zero-sum formula for advancement only at another’s expense. It’s sin. Day in, day out. It’s lifetimes of iniquity. Generations of deceiving and defrauding. Centuries of resenting and begrudging. It’s ages of slandering and disobeying almighty God.

 

And He is coming. God’s wrath is coming for each and every one of us. He will have you, toe to toe, head-to-head, face to face, eye to eye. He will demand ransom. He will require restitution. All our counterfeit prettiness, property, and popularity that euthanasia acquires will not suffice. The imitation pleasure, power, and pride abortion allows will not avail. Emergency will deprive us all of all that. That’s how emergency always works. Can’t grab anything to take with you. Can’t go back again. Desert your belongings. Leave even the valuables behind. The only way out is through, and the only way ahead is naked.

 

So, God comes naked. God Himself comes stripped down. The great I Am gets involved, no adjectives, no predicate nominatives. With the urgency so intense, God personally intervenes as never before. He sheds His majesty and enters our emergency. God draws near and meets us square where we are with mortals, with His creation, with us, sinners. God breathes and He bleeds as we do. God sits and suffers alongside just how we must: working, hurting, and disturbed.

 

Jesus, Emmanuel, God become man, is the gestating embryo who reaches us. Jesus the frail fetus and flailing infant reaches us with bare grace and patience. Jesus, the baby in the manger, greets us. Jesus, who appears as an ordinary boy, encounters us. Jesus, the humble, gentle drifter, embraces us. Jesus, who appears to be the regular, mediocre everyman and common, normal nobody, embraces us with undiluted dignity and unadulterated sanctity. As the ad campaign says: “He gets us.”

 

This God intrudes. This God invades. This God runs naked toward the emergency. This God throws Himself headlong into the disaster we brought upon ourselves. Jesus plunges face-first into our catastrophe and takes on not just our crisis but also its root cause: all human sinfulness. God holds nothing back to supply the sacrifice and to render the payment and to endure the punishment and to satisfy His wrath. Jesus the Christ comes, and He offers self and life in entirety to settle the accounts and to retire the debt to atone for man’s sins.

 

God’s naked grace invades to take us just as we are and make us just as Jesus is. 

 

He takes us just as we are. He makes us just as the I am. His unshielded substitution justifies our survival and salvation, no matter how unqualified or inadequate. His stark-naked crucifixion clinches the ruptures and stitches the fissures, no matter how unable or unattractive. His defenseless forgiveness bridges the rifts, heals the breaches, and relieves the emergencies, no matter how feeble or obsolete you and I, or any of us may be, and indeed are.

 

You see, naked doesn’t only mean death. Naked also embodies birth. We leave this life disrobed, but we enter existence unclothed as well. Jesus has made emergency the occasion for ending and for commencing. Emergent indicates coming forth. Crucifixion generates resurrection. Forgiveness fathers forevermore. Atonement births everlasting life. The slain Lamb stands raised again.

 

This Jesus ascended the throne of ultimate authority to embezzle death and vacate graves everywhere. The plane goes down, but the pilot gets the passengers out, and the pilgrimage goes on. The ship may sink, but the skipper recovers the sailors, and the crossing continues. So, our death in Christ leads to our resurrection in Christ. The power, the pride, the pleasure, the prettiness, property, and popularity – they never really mattered. The fellowship, the family, the kingdom, the community, the hearts and histories connected together, the lives bound one to another – that endures and outlasts even the emergencies.

 

Now, what about that alarm that is still sounding? Well, no need to panic. Proceed ahead in an orderly fashion. We will get through this and get out together. Jesus has prepared us for emergency. Perk your ears to the Voice of the One who’s been here before, who knows the Way. Fix your eyes on Him. Don’t look down or to the distractions around us. Let go of your false idols of comfort.

 

Your faith through the working of the Holy Spirit begun in your Baptism has quenched the flames and fireproofed you in Christ. The Lord’s Supper stocks us to full at each Divine Service, so we are ready for any storm. Christ strengthens our faith as we float along day by day, head above water. 

 

So, trust the One, the Great I Am, who became just as we are, and through Him, He makes us just as He is: righteous. Emergencies don’t just build character; they build community. So, proclaim and put this into practice. And there is no better occasion for courage than a surprise pregnancy. And there is no better opportunity for compassion than a terminal diagnosis. Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in you, you may change a heart or save a life – not just in this life, but also for eternity. Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

 

Special thanks to Rev. Michael Salemink of Lutherans for Life.

https://lutheransforlife.org/

Sermon for Epiphany 2: "Come and See!" (John 1:43-51)

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:

 

Philip found Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew) and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael responded, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46a).

 

Throughout the Epiphany season, Jesus is revealed to be the Christ, the promised Messiah in various ways. 

§  First, by the Magi when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy, and later rejoiced even more when they saw the promised Messiah with Mary and fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:1-12). 

§  Second, Jesus was revealed as the Christ last week when John the Baptist saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove to which the voice from heaven announced: “You are My beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (John 1:11).

 

Today, on this Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Jesus is revealed as the Christ in another way. Today, Jesus is revealed through the Word – the Scriptures. And through the Scriptures, we who trust in Jesus cannot help but say to others about Him: “Come and see!” (John 1:46b).

 

Philip and Nathanael studied the Scriptures. Philip studied under John the Baptist. And through his study, Philip was beyond convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah foreseen by Moses and the prophets. Upon Jesus’ powerful words, “Follow Me” (John 1:43), Philip became a disciple. And upon this great news, Philip could not contain himself, he had to tell others that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Christ. 

 

So, the first person Philip told was Nathanael. But first notice what Philip did not say to Nathanael. He did not say: “I get this strong feeling when I’m with Jesus that here is a great man of God, if not the Messiah.” He did not say: “This Jesus of Nazareth sends out good vibrations that tell me He’s the Messiah.” No, Philip connected his conviction concerning Jesus with the Scriptures. Moses in his five books, the Pentateuch, spoke about the Coming One. Moses and the prophets foretold of the Messiah through types and symbols. Moses said that God would raise up a prophet like himself from among the Israelites and that everyone should listen to Him, since His words are the very Word of God (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).

 

To this, Philip knows beyond any doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, since Jesus matches exactly the picture Moses and the prophets drew of the Messiah. Philip was convinced by the Scriptures, and he had to share this good news.

 

But as Philip shared this good news, Nathanael responded, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

 

Nathanael was a cynic. But Nathanael was also a man of faith in the promised Messiah. He was serious in wanting to find the One, the One whom “Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote” (John 1:45). But Nathanael also remembers the past men who claimed to be the promised Messiah. He remembers how they all came and went. The Messiah “wanna-bes” of the past were liars. He was disappointed before, and he didn’t want to be disappointed again.

 

Plus, Nathanael knew the Scriptures. He knew that there was no word of prophesy connecting Nazareth with the Messiah. All throughout the Old Testament, Nazareth received no mention. So, how could the Messiah come from Nazareth? Nazareth wasn’t important enough to be mentioned before, so why would it be important now?

 

We all know cynics. You know, those people who are inclined to question the sincerity and goodness of people’s motives and actions. Or those who are always pessimistic, who question everything.

 

Now, it may be good to have some sense of cynicism. We should all be critical thinkers, after all. But if you live your life with the idea that nothing good could ever come, that isn’t living life. 

 

It’s easy to become cynical. When authorities have lied, deceived, or abused you in the past, it’s easy to not trust authorities in the future. We remember when we have been wronged. Or, if you consistently douse yourself in bad news – by watching cable news 24/7, it’s easy to become cynical. Or a person has had a bad experience in the Church in the past, they can become a cynic. Or a person may say, “Christians are judgmental.”

 

But how does Philip respond to Nathanael’s cynicism? Did Philip argue Nathanael into believing that Jesus is the Christ? No! He simply said, “Come and see” (John 1:46b). Philip used the exact words Christ said. So, the most effective answer to an earnest cynic is simply to invite him or her.

 

Simply arguing a person into faith through reason or experience seldom has positive results. But what works? The most effective way to answer the earnest doubter is simply to invite him or her to see Jesus as He presents Himself in His written Word, just as He made Himself known to Philip and Nathanael.

 

Often, we may think the most effective way to grow the Kingdom of God is to use programs. Many of these programs utilize canned questions to possibly scare the skeptic into faith, such as “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?” How often does that work? Or: a tactic of some churches is to yell at people through loudspeakers in hopes that the hearer would repent and follow Jesus. How often does that work?

 

Again, what did Philip do? He didn’t yell. He didn’t argue. He didn’t use fear. He simply said, “Come and see.” We can’t argue or force someone into faith in Jesus. We can only show Jesus as He has revealed Himself in His Word and Sacraments and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit. We can simply do no more and no less than Philip. We can invite all who will listen saying, “Come and see.”

 

In the case of Nathanael, the invitation to come and see was accepted. But that may not always be the case for us. Remember, it’s the working of the Holy Spirit that causes the skeptic to listen. It’s the working of the Holy Spirit that causes the skeptic to come and see.

 

As Lutherans, we don’t urge anyone to “accept Jesus” by their own reason or strength, since we know that’s impossible. You see, without knowing you are a sinner, you would see no need for any savior from sin because anyone who is spiritually dead can’t make themselves alive.

 

In this fallen world, our Old Adam – our old sinful nature – in us sees no need for Jesus, so we can’t by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or even come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts – His Word and Sacrament, sanctified and kept us in the one true Christian faith as Luther explains the Third Article of the Creed.

 

All we can do is to invite the cynic – whether they are a Christian or not – to “come and see,” so that Jesus Himself overcomes their pride and Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit, brings them to faith in Him.

 

Through the accepted invitation, Jesus reveals Himself to be the Christ through the preaching of His Word. And through His written and spoken Word, Christ leads everyone to repentance and faith in Him as He reveals Himself to be the Savior of the world who died for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Here, the Messiah is found – in His Word and His Sacraments. Through these Means of Grace, the Holy Spirit creates faith in Jesus as the Christ and faith that receives Christ’s forgiveness and new life.

 

Now, as you invite others, don’t forget to take your own advice. We, like Philip, need to keep coming and seeing Jesus, faithfully and trusting His promise to be present with His people in the Divine Service, in prayer, and in service to our neighbor. In this way, we also strengthen our congregation – Prince of Peace Lutheran Church – to be a place where people who come are not hindered from seeing, but see clearly, Jesus, who is the Messiah and Lord of all.

 

Salvation is only found in Jesus of Nazareth. And the single most important thing we can do for any cynic – including ourselves and others – is to issue the simple invitation: “Come and see.” 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 Baptism of Our Lord: "Drowned and Buried with Life" (Romans 6:1-11)

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:

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

 

Christmas is over, but the celebration of the Word made flesh continues throughout the Epiphany season. Today, we remember how Christ fulfilled all righteousness as He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. There in the water, Christ officially began His holy ministry. There in the water, Christ, who knew no sin, linked Himself to sinners, you and me, so that through His suffering and death, all who would trust in Him would become righteous.

 

For many people, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism has become a sort of “Get into heaven free card.” St. Mark promises, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16a). Likewise, St. Peter writes, “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21).

 

So, does the Sacrament of Holy Baptism guarantee a free trip to heaven? Well, yes and no. Jesus inseparably connects Baptism and teaching. For He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

 

So, it is the Christian practice ordained by Christ Jesus to baptize and teach. So, Baptism and Confirmation are inseparably linked. And our faith life isn’t complete when we are Confirmed. It has only just begun. 

 

As Christians, we ought not to remain at a surface level in our faith. And it is true that God’s promises in Holy Baptism stand even if we do not believe them. He is always faithful, even when we are faithless. However, all who reject God’s promises and die in unbelief have abandoned their Baptism and do not receive what God has promised. 

 

For the Christians in Rome, many of them acted as if Baptism was indeed a “get into heaven free card”, and many were perfectly satisfied in not growing in the faith. They were content knowing that Christ died for their sins, so they would receive grace upon grace. Enough grace that they could continue living in sin.

 

Now, Satan knows how to entice human beings. He’s rather good at it. He entices us with the “dangling carrot,” that the more we sin the more God will shower us with His grace. And the Roman Christians were falling for it. And we fall for it. That is the premise for our text. To the Romans and to us, Paul takes up this question: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1).

 

Satan whispers as he tickles our ears saying, “If it makes you feel good, then do it.”

 

Like the Romans, we, too, can fall into Satan’s trap by saying:

§  “I know marriage is supposed to be a one-flesh union between one man and one woman, but I guess God’s grace covers that. I don’t want to be insensitive to someone else’s feelings. God is merciful. He surely wouldn’t send someone to hell if he doesn’t repent, would He?”

§  “I know sex is supposed to be just in marriage, but what if I really love her? We’ll probably get married someday. God is gracious and merciful, isn’t He?”

§  “I know pornography is bad, but it makes me feel so good. Doesn’t God want me to be happy?”

§  “I know God created humans as male and female, but what if I don’t feel right in my own body. God wants me to be happy, right? And what makes me happy is not wearing pants, but a skirt.”

 

Now, what’s wrong with this picture? Well, this is Satan’s talking, not God. Satan doesn’t listen to Scripture, and he doesn’t like Scripture and he won’t honor the words of Scripture. He disdains it and tries to get us to question its authenticity and accuracy. When faced with the truth, Satan will try to use it against us. He will twist the Word of God into something unrecognizable to anyone but our old sinful nature – the “Old Adam” in us.

 

This broken logic is what the fallen, sinful world clings to. To the fallen world, it makes sense that we continue in sin, since grace abounds. Sin is so fun, so how could sinning be wrong? Afterall, is it still wrong if the government legalizes it? Now, I may be speaking to the choir, but I am sure that there are some among us who believe that it’s no longer sin, if the government declares it to be so. 

But what does Scripture say? What does God say? God hates sin. He hates sin, because it’s us separating ourselves from Him. We are all poor, miserable sinners, so does God hate us? That’s what some would say. But is that really the case? Is it in God’s nature to send people to hell? No. But there are many who choose to live in sin than to repent and be forgiven. So, for those people who continue in sin, they only receive what they chose: eternal suffering in hell.

 

St. Paul says that we can’t even think about continuing in sin. Since we have been baptized into Christ, we are dead to all of this nonsense! “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1b-4).

 

In our sinful state, mankind is satisfied to live and function in perverse thinking and doing. But Paul reminds the Roman church that this kind of perverse thinking has no power over us. In Baptism, our sin has been drowned. In Baptism, we have been set free from sin, not because they don’t matter, but because Jesus suffered and died for them. In Baptism, we are forgiven because Jesus took all these sins to the cross. Our sins of sexual immorality, our sins of silence when we know others are sinning, our failures to keep our marriage vows, every sin we commit by thought, word, and deed, were nailed to Jesus’ cross. Christ died as the eternal sacrifice for our sin.

 

Therefore, when we repent, that is, when we turn away from sin and to Jesus, we no longer bear the punishment we have earned and deserved. Christ takes those sins to the cross and exchanges them with His forgiveness and righteousness. We are delivered from hell’s power and given heaven. 

 

So, what now? How do we as the Church continue to live in this fallen, sinful world? How do we live in this world so that we don’t let Satan’s usurped authority and power take over our lives? How do we live now since we have “died to sin.” How do we live now that we have been drowned and buried in Holy Baptism?

 

Holy Baptism gives us a new life! “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

 

As Baptized Christians, our new life is quite different, because the power of God’s Word and His Sacraments take over our lives. So, through the Holy Spirit, He leads us to conduct our lives different than that of unbelievers. But this doesn’t mean that we will never sin again. You and I will sin, but we don’t use God’s grace as an excuse to sin. Instead, we receive God’s grace each time we repent of our sins as we confess our sins to Him.

 

So, each time Satan throws his darts at you, each time Satan whispers into your ear, just say this: 

“Satan, hear this proclamation:

 I am baptized into Christ! 

Drop your ugly accusation, 

I am not so soon enticed. 

Now that to the font I’ve traveled, 

All your might has come unraveled, 

And, against your tyranny, 

God, my Lord, unites with me!”

(God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It, LSB 594, stanza 3).

 

For us, who, through Holy Baptism, are alive to Christ Jesus, we cannot go back to sin, since you were drowned and buried in Christ, who alone gives you life. 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 Circumcision and Name of Jesus: "He Was Called Jesus" (Luke 2:21)

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:

Happy Eighth Day of Christmas! On the Eighth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eight maids a-milking. These eight maids a-milking represent the eight beatitudes that Christ spoke as part of His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

 

Now, tucked between the “Gloria in Excelsis” of Christmas Day and the “Nunc Dimittis” spoken by Simeon 40 days after Christ’s birth, we have a single verse. It looks insignificant, but that single verse is extremely significant for Jesus, and for us and our salvation.

 

 “And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21).

 

Nine months earlier, the angel Gabriel came to the virgin Mary and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

 

By God’s ceremonial Law command, every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day. And by circumcision, the child was incorporated into God’s covenant with Israel, dating back to Abraham. The circumcision and naming of a child on the eighth day would be equivalent to a Christian Baptism today. However, as important as Baptism’s are for Christians, the circumcision wasn’t a temple event. The circumcision was done locally, wherever the family lived and without any fanfare. It was like when a nurse comes to a mother’s hospital room and asks her to verify the information about her child to go on the birth certificate. The baby is being held by his mother as the faither smiles joyfully, but there is little to any fanfare.

 

On the eighth day, following the birth of their firstborn, Joseph and Mary did precisely what the angel Gabriel commanded. As faithful Jews, they did as the Lord had commanded them. So, on the eighth day of Jesus’ earthly life, they incorporated their Son into the Abrahamic covenant, which also included the official ceremony of the Child being given His name: “He was called Jesus” (Luke 2:21).

 

There are some names we like and some names that you and me may call “iffy.” Typically, children are named after a favorite uncle or aunt, grandfather, or grandmother. Children are typically named in honor of a special relationship we have or had with a person. In other words, the significance of a name can change depending on our experiences with a person or persons who bear that name.

 

Only God’s Name never changes its meaning. And God’s Name is Jesus. Literally, “Yahweh Saves.” Jesus is Lord of lords. Jesus is King of kings. Jesus is “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

 

As the angel Gabriel said to Joseph, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

 

The Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, is He who alone paid the redeeming price of His life for the sins of the world. Jesus, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

 

Because of what Christ alone has done for us and for our salvation, through inspiration, St. Paul tells us, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

 

And oddly enough, although Joseph and Mary named their Child Jesus, it wasn’t them who named their Son. It was God Himself, through the angel Gabriel. Jesus, who is fully God from eternity, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, He named Himself, since He came as the Savior from the powers of sin, eternal death, and Satan’s tyranny.

The Second Commandment teaches us: “You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God.” And we begin the Lord’s Prayer with: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” So, we ought to not misuse God’s Name, but hold His Name sacred. We ought to call upon God’s Name in times of trouble, whether it is doubt, despair, or sickness. When we call upon His name, He promises to deliver you.

 

We also ought to call upon God’s Name in praise and thanksgiving. This is what we do at each Divine Service. Here, we praise God’s Name when we say the Gloria Patri: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.”

 

Indeed, the Prophet Isaiah also gives God other names: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah also gives God another name: “Immanuel.” “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), which means God with us.

 

But the Name above all Names is Jesus. For in the Name Jesus, we are told of His purpose: Yahweh Saves. He will save His people from their sins.

 

We, too, have been given a name. We are called Christians, meaning followers of Christ. St. Paul writes, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

 

So, through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, we have been given Christ’s Name. And we have become heirs according to the promise. We have been re-created as children of God. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ alone. And so, we live in repentance and faith in Him, for He is our Savior. Our Savior, who is called Jesus. Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +