"Blessed are We" (Matthew 5:1-12)

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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:

 

“Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them” (Matthew 5:1-2).

 

Today, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church observes the Festival of All Saints. The joy of this feast day is in its celebration of the unity of the Church Triumphant – those saints gathered already into rest in Christ Jesus – and the Church Militant – the present and future Church that struggles still under daily crosses. Together, both the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant constitute but one communion, one fellowship divine.

 

On this observance of All Saints, a good question to ask is who are the saints? Typically, there are three common usages for that term “saint.” The most common usage of the word “saint” are for those exceptional Christians whom from tradition or a very formal process has granted the letters “St” be placed before their names. We can think of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Augustine.

 

The second-most common usage of “saint” is a sort of street usage of that word, like “She’s such a saint to put up with that!”

 

The third-most common usage of “saint” are those Christians who’ve died and have gone to heaven. There is certainly something to each of these definitions of “saint.”

 

But the Biblical definition of “saint” is a bit different. You see, this word “saint” comes from the Latin rendering the Greek hagios, or “holy ones.” A “saint” is a “holy one.” And who are these holy ones? Those who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”(Revelation 7:14b).

 

To be holy requires not just a lot of patience or the endorsement of the Church, it requires being without sin. And you know what, St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Augustine were sinners and were each incapable of cleansing away their own sin, just as we can’t wipe away our own sins. 

So, to be without sin requires having our sins taken away. And our sins can only be taken away through the perfect sacrifice: the blood of Jesus’ death on the cross, received by faith. So, a saint – a holy one – is one who believes Jesus has died to save him or her from their sins.

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus emphatically says that His saints are blessed. He says, “The One who is meek, merciful, a peacemaker. You are a saint. You who are poor in spirit. You are a saint. You who hunger and thirst for righteousness. You are a saint. You who are persecuted for His sake. You are a saint.” Jesus says His saints are blessed!

 

But this is the opposite of what the Jews then expected. You see, most Jews during Jesus’ earthly ministry expected the Messiah to be, first of all, a military and political leader who would deliver them from the yoke of Rome and establish a prosperous Jewish earthy kingdom that would lead the world. They expected the Messiah to be greater than any other king, leader, or prophet in their history. In fact, after Jesus fed the five thousand, the people tried to make Jesus their king by force. These Jews saw Jesus as their anticipated leader who would create a great welfare state as He would provide for all their routine physical needs. But Jesus would not let Himself be mistaken for that sort of a king.

 

Instead, they got this Jesus, who calls the poor, blessed; the meek, blessed; the peacemakers, blessed; the persecuted, blessed. The Sermon on the Mount and its Beatitudes are utterly contrary to those of human reason.

 

But in order to properly understand this sermon of Jesus, we must keep in mind the audience. The audience was, primarily, Jesus’ disciples, although a large crowd who had been following Jesus were evidently in the background listening in. The purpose of this sermon was to give Christ’s disciples a better understanding of the God-pleasing life. However, an unbeliever may interpret Jesus’ words today as a prescription for making oneself righteous and earning a place in the kingdom of God. But that is not what Jesus is teaching.

 

You see, Jesus’ Beatitudes do not tell us how to become blessed, but they rather describe the blessedness that already belongs in Christ. These Beatitudes do not describe eight kinds of believers, but they tell eight ways all Christians are blessed.

 

Again, all Christians are poor in spirit. Christians all mourn and all are meek. Christians all hunger and thirst for righteousness and are all merciful and pure in heart. Christians are all peacemakers and are persecuted for righteousness.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those who are poor in spirit recognize their spiritual poverty, their sinfulness and unworthiness in God’s sight. They realize that they sin daily and deserve nothing but present and eternal punishment from God. These “poor in spirit” admit that their efforts at living up to God’s standards as expressed in the Ten Commandments fall miserably short.

 

You see, God demands one hundred-percent performance, but we – you and me – are stuck at zero. So, how do we qualify to be numbered as heirs of the kingdom of heaven? Well, we are like empty vessels ready to be filled. As the “poor in spirit,” we know that we can only become rich before God though faith in Christ Jesus. 

 

You see, it is only by Christ’s perfect obedience to all of God’s commandments and His sacrificial death on the cross for all the sins of the world – and by His resurrection and ascension – that we are numbered in the kingdom of heaven. And oddly enough, God the Father gives us all the credit for Jesus’ perfect righteousness. It is only through Jesus’ blood and merit that the spiritually poor become rich by faith.

 

And so, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The meek are not boisterous and demanding and they do not insist on their own rights without consideration with others. The meek endure mistreatment without retaliating. Like Jesus, the meek place the matter of vengeance in God’s hands. And to the surprise of many, by faith, these meek will inherit the earth.

 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Our hearts are naturally sinful and unclean. Our hearts are filthy. Our hearts need constant cleansing. So, it is appropriate that after we hear God’s Word proclaimed, we so often join King David as we call upon the Holy Spirit to “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). By faith, Jesus makes us pure through His blood and merit.

 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Peacemakers actively strive to make peace when there is enmity or hostility. They offer their services as mediators between warring nations or quarreling relatives or hostile neighbors. 

Insofar as possible, the peacemakers strive to live in peace with all people (Hebrews 12:14), but they are to be always ready to contend for God’s truth and justice when circumstances require it. Although peace is always desirable, peace at any price is not acceptable. Even Jesus said that He – the Prince of Peace – would disrupt peace. So, His saving Gospel would divide families, but true peace is only given when we are at peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. 

 

And so, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). For sure, if we are persecuted or punished for wrongdoing, we have no right to complain. But we must also expect to suffer at times for saying and doing what is right. That is what happened to Jesus, so that we must expect the same from the fallen world. 

 

We can recall how all of God’s prophets suffered persecution at the hands of sinful men who should have welcomed and honored them. This has not changed, because sinful humanity does not change. Even to this day, Christians who publicly confess the Holy Scriptures as God’s inerrant Word persecute those who proclaim the whole counsel of God to them. So often, we are prone to compromise or overlook what God so clearly says in His Word. But all who remain faithful to God’s truth will be richly rewarded in heaven. And again, this reward is all by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not yours or my merit, but by Jesus’ blood and merit alone.

 

Each of these Beatitudes remind us of the blessedness that belongs to all who are in Christ. And if you are in Christ, you are truly blessed.

 

You and I are holy because He has washed us in His blood. By faith, you are among the blessed. So, blessed are we, for Jesus continually blesses us through His Word and His Sacraments. He blesses us through His Word so that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. He blesses us through His Sacrament as we receive the blessings of His cross: forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. By faith, He makes us who are poor in spirit, the richest in the kingdom of heaven and all through His blood and His merit. In Jesus, yours and my sins are forgiven, so rejoice and be glad for our reward is great in heaven! In Jesus, we are declared saints and we are blessed to be united with the Church Triumphant as we, with them, constitute one communion and one fellowship divine. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

                                                + SOLI DEO GLORIA + 

"Set Free" (John 8:31-36)

Listen to the Sounding the Scriptures POPcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

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 to the Jews who had believe in Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

 

Today, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church observes Reformation Day. We set today apart, or in particular October 31, as we remember how the triune God inspired an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther to bring His Church back to its roots, the source – the very Word of God in teaching the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ so that we would be set free from sin, death and the devil.

 

But prior to the Lutheran Reformation, most people had no clue that anything was wrong with the Church. The people just did as the Church told them. Normally, this kind of faith would be admired, but not when the Church is corrupt. You see, at this time, the Roman Church had become hopelessly corrupt. It was so corrupt spiritually as hardly anyone was being taught or could even recite the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer and yet, the Roman Church still called them Christians. They didn’t know the basics of the faith. On top of this, the Roman Church was fiscally corrupt as it funded the construction of the new Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome through indulgences, which through the pope’s authority would “supposedly” shorten temporal punishment in purgatory still due for sins.

 

There were so many problems. The Roman Church was certainly corrupt. And the people were enslaved to this corruption. 

 

The people back then likely did not hear much about today’s text but they surely knew of the Church’s traditions.

 

Now, in today’s text, Jesus is addressing those who believe, and yet, they do not believe. To be sure, Jesus is speaking today to people who were willing to listen to Him, but they did not quite trust Him. You could say, they had a belief in Jesus that was superficial.

 

We hear about this elsewhere in the Gospels, of those many who desired to crown Jesus as their king, but very shortly, they just walked away. We hear about this vividly in the Parable of the Sower. There, Jesus described those on the rocky soil as those who, “when they hear the Word, [they] receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13).

 

There is certainly some faith there, but it was superficial, so when any stress comes upon them from the world, they walk away. This was the fact of many who could confess Jesus as their Lord privately, but they wouldn’t dare confess Jesus as Lord publicly out of fear of being put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). 

 

So, why the fear? Well, it’s because they needed to be set free!

 

The problem is that the hearers don’t realize that they need to be set free. They think everything is just hunky dory. 

 

So, Jesus says to them: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). To this, the hearers respond: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33).

 

Apparently, these Jews needed a lesson in their own history as a people. They have been enslaved by so many civilizations: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Syria. Even at that present time, they were subjects of Rome. So, from all outward appearances, they were far from being free. In fact, one of the ideas for the promised Messiah was to be a mighty warrior so the Jews would have control of their land. So, this idea that the Jewish people were never enslaved was very far-fetched.

 

Plus, just a relationship to Abraham will not save anyone. Abraham was saved by His faith in the one true God. He wasn’t saved by his blood type or by who he knew. He was saved purely by God’s grace through His faith in Him.

 

But Jesus goes deeper than just outward appearances. Jesus is never just at surface level. Jesus is never satisfied with just talking about the symptoms. You see, Jesus always gets to the root causes. He gets to the problem.

 

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

All people need to be set free from slavery. And this slavery is the bondage to sin. Just before today’s text, Jesus said: “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Jesus followed this up with: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).

 

Like the Jews then, we too, often believe that we are not enslaved. And what does it mean to be enslaved? Well, to be a slave is to be totally under the control of another and is not able to free oneself. Sin is akin to an addiction. We sin and keep on sinning. Sin entices us. It’s that forbidden fruit that feels so good to bite, but it leaves us with nothing. Sin causes us to lust at others who are not your spouse, but ends up with committing adultery with them in your heart. Sin causes us to lose our tempers; to hold grudges; to harbor resentment. Sin causes us to gossip and listen to rumors; to take pleasure in talking about the faults of your neighbor.

 

Today’s world does not like to admit that it is enslaved. Even, we Christians, God’s own dear children, can find ourselves living and acting as though we were still in chains – not free to be for God or for others what He has set us free to be.

 

So, what is going on here? What is this slavery?

 

Well, it’s a slavery of the ears. It is caused by listening. But listening to the wrong voices and to the wrong message. The Jews back then were listening to anything, anything other than Jesus’ own words. Jesus said, “Abide in My Word,” but they would have none of that. They didn’t want to accept all of His teaching and remain faithful to His Word. No way!

 

But it is Christ’s Word that sets us free! He sets us free from the slavery to other voices, so that we can listen to Him! 

 

Earlier in John 8, the Pharisees asked Jesus: “Who are you?” (John 8:25). Who is this Jesus? “Before Abraham was, I am,” He says (John 8:58). Jesus is the perfect Son of the Father, from eternity, fully and completely God and man.

 

As the perfect Son, Jesus obeys the Father. He carries out the Father’s will as no one else ever had, and as no one ever could. He completes the work. He even puts the stamp on completion by saying: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

 

The only way for sinners to be released from our bondage to sin and its penalty, which is eternal death, is to be united by faith in Jesus Christ, who in His death and bodily resurrection provides deliverance. Christ died so that we would live and live forever by faith in Him! 

 

Having died to sin in Christ, sin is no longer our master. Instead, we become free to be servants of God and of His righteousness. So, listen to the voice of Jesus and be set free! 

 

Back then, the Jews just would not listen. They stopped their ears. For you and me, on this Reformation Day, listen to Jesus’ voice and be set free from slavery to sin.

 

Jesus, who is Truth incarnate, set us free as He willingly laid down His life for you and me. Upon His crucifixion on the cross, Jesus set us free from our slavery to sin, so that we could live forever by repentance and faith in Him!

 

Despite our filthy sin, Jesus is greater than all sin. He died for you. He rose for you. He ascended for you. He declares that you are His. He died, so that all who cling to Him would live forever!

 

Jesus died and rose, so that we can always turn to Him in our times of need: when we lust, lose our tempers, hold grudges, gossip, or any other kind of sin. So, when the fallen world, our sinful nature, and the devil tell us to pursue sin that flows from our desires, listen to Jesus. Turn from that sin and turn to Him.

 

Jesus says you belong to Him. And since you belong to Him, He promises to always protect you, so that you are free to serve Him.

 

Here in the Divine Service, Jesus declares us free as He releases us from slavery to sin. Here, we listen to Jesus’ liberating words of our absolution. Here is where yours and my faith is strengthened through Christ’s body and blood given to us which forgives our sins as He leads us to resist slavery to sin.

 

Jesus has set us free! Through His death, we are free from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. Through His death, He declared us sons and daughters of God! So, let us abide in His Word! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Preach the Word" (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5)

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2a).

 

Today’s text seems pretty simple. It explains itself. What more could I even say to this fantastic text? Afterall, there is a reason this text is always proclaimed at pastoral ordinations and installations. This text appears to have everything we need to hear when it comes to the importance of the Bible and for what the Bible is used for.

 

So, what is the importance of the Bible? Well, it is a unique collection of books, because each book contained in the Bible is “God-breathed.” What makes the Holy Scriptures so important is that they and they alone reveal the way of salvation, which is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. No other book on earth so articulately proclaims the truth of yours and my salvation.

 

The Bible is also unique in that it was written by men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So, when you read God’s Word, you are reading words that are divinely inspired. You are reading the very Word of God. So, if you ever wonder what God thinks, just open up your Bible and read.

 

You see, it is the Holy Spirit who brought about these writings. They were willed by God and determined by God. The Holy Spirit moved the writers to write in the way they did for these Scriptures are truly the very Word of God.

 

St. Peter wrote: “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was every produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

 

And since the Bible is the very Word of God, it contains not a single error. The words contained from Genesis to Revelation contain no errors, since God is incapable of ever making a single mistake.

Since God’s Word is true, it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that we would be complete and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

 

The Holy Spirit forms us through God’s written Word. He gives us knowledge. He calls us to repentance over sin. He corrects us through the Word. He trains us through discipline and instruction as we live out the Christian life in repentance and faith. 

 

Each written word in the Scriptures was inspired by the Holy Spirit for our benefit. So may we so hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life through our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

But there’s a problem. Now, there’s no problem with the Bible. The problem is with you and me. 

 

St. Paul writes to Timothy: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

 

“For the time is coming.” Here, Paul is looking to the future, a future for which Paul wants to prepare Timothy. Paul is preparing Timothy for the bad times to come. A future in which is our reality today. 

 

For the time is coming when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but will listen to their itching ears for what they want to hear. This time is today.

 

Here, Paul is distinguishing between what people need to hear and what people want to hear. What people need to hear is “sound doctrine.” It is sound because it is what God wants said. “Sound doctrine” comes from God, and it produces spiritual health. 

 

But ever since the Fall of Adam, humanity has tried to usurp control over God’s Word. Satan inferred that God was lying to Adam and Eve, so they tried to take control to be “like God” even though they were already made in His image. All they did was lose God’s likeness when they ate of the forbidden fruit. Likewise, the children of Israel also complained, criticized and condemned the Lord. 

 

We are not too different from our ancestors who nagged and nitpicked God’s grace. Yours and my sinful nature would rather not put up with sound doctrine, because it does not say what we want to hear. It’s because sound doctrine exposes our sin and proclaims condemnation. Sound doctrine does not flatter us with a recital of what great things we have done. So much of God’s sound doctrine does not make sense to our human reason.

 

So, what does sinful humanity do? It does what sinful humanity has always done. It will look for teachers who “suit their own passions” by turning “away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3, 4).

 

So, we look for teachers and preachers who will scratch our itching ears. We become cats or dogs looking for a good scratch. So, we look for teachers and preachers who flatter our egos, who gives credit to man, who satisfies our natural desires and lusts, who preaches to human reason, who reinterpret Scripture to correspond to human reason.

 

And whenever the Church blesses what God condemns, it stops being the voice of Christ. It becomes an echo chamber of the fallen world. You see, the Gospel calls sinners out of darkness, it does not hold the sinner’s hand in that darkness and encourage the sinner to remain in darkness.

 

But Jesus welcomed everyone, pastor! Yes, He did. But He never left anyone unchanged. And that’s the point. He welcomed an adulterous woman, but He said, “Go, and sin no more!” (John 8:11). He dined with tax collectors, but He called them to leave behind their thievery. You see, grace does not re-write sin. Grace redeems the sinner from sin. But sinful man cannot bear this tension. It wants acceptance without repentance; affirmation without transformation.

 

The message goes from take up your cross to drop the cross, because God wants you to be yourself because He made you that way. It goes from repent and believe to affirm and belong.

 

Actual compassion tells the sinner when he is sinning. Actual compassion admits the log in your own eye, because you want to remove the splinter in your neighbor’s eye.

 

Jesus did not die to validate all sinful desires. Jesus wasn’t crucified so that we could all remain in sin. Jesus died to crucify our sinful desires; those desires of the flesh. And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that we would not give in to the desires of the flesh.

Today, there are so many ear-scratching teachers and preachers at churches that once proclaimed sound doctrine, but are now teaching what God’s Word so plainly and repeatedly condemns, such as sexual immorality and women’s ordination.

 

God never gave His Church any authority to redefine sin. Christ is still the ruler of His Church. He doesn’t call on pastors to make new rules. His pastors are to simply be His servants as we go about doing what He has said. So, when you hear things like, “We must listen to the spirit of our age,” always remember that the Holy Spirit literally inspired men to write the very Word of God. The Bible was written by God. And He is not going to move in the spirit to our modern age, which is different from the way He wrote the Bible.

 

In short, these ear-scratching teachers and preachers preach anything except God’s revealed truth. So, they will never expose sin and never lead the sinner to any godly change.

 

Thanks be to God that you are here! So, you are like Timothy. Now, you are not a pastor, like me, but you are still like Timothy, because you have not given up. You are enduring. Paul writes to Timothy: “But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

 

Here, Paul is encouraging Timothy and us, so that we are able to continue in faith as we “continue in what [we] have learned and have firmly believed” – that is, “the sacred writings, which are able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Being encouraged, we do as Paul encouraged Timothy: we preach the Word.

 

You see, Jesus has commissioned all of us to make disciples of all nations by teaching all that He has commanded us. He has called us to speak of the hope we have in Christ Jesus to all who have ears to hear. 

 

Now, it is true that we have different emphases on this calling. For I have been given the authority to preach and teach through my calling as an ordained servant of the Word. But you, too, have a similar calling. Yes, I am to proclaim God’s Word publicly. But you have a role, too, as you proclaim your faith through your various God-given vocations in life as father or mother, brother or sister, educator or student, boss or employee, friend and neighbor.

 

But you may say? It’s not the right time. To that, God’s Word says: It’s always the right time. It’s always a good time to proclaim the Word. In season or out of season, because God’s Word is always in season.

 

We preach the Word, because His Word will not return to God empty. For He proclaims: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). 

 

This Word is Jesus Christ. He is the One who suffered, died, rose, and ascended to save us from our sinful self, the devil, and this fallen world. So, we preach Christ crucified. For the One who said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34) forgave us.

 

We preach the Word, because Jesus Christ is that very human divine Word of salvation. Jesus is our foundation, our focus and our source of forgiveness. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"In Christ, We Suffer ... and Endure" (2 Timothy 2:1-13)

Podcast Available on Spotify and Apple

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 wrote to Timothy: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

 

As I preached last week, it would be so easy to just feel sorry for yourself while chained in a damp room. It would be so easy to begin the blame game or just complain about circumstances. But St. Paul does not do that. Instead, he is strengthened through his suffering in Christ. He encourages Timothy to share in his suffering in Christ.

 

Contrary to popular belief, the Christian life is marked by suffering. Christians endure misfortune and persecution. Christians endure all kinds of trials. Christians must endure the evil from the devil, the fallen world, and our own sinful flesh.

 

Christians suffer because suffering is the pattern of the life of Jesus Christ. So, if your life is in Christ, you must share the same pattern. If the world hated Christ, so naturally, the world hates His followers – Christians. 

 

St. Paul suffered mightily for the Gospel. He wasn’t just ridiculed by society. Paul wasn’t just called insulting names; he was imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. And Paul believed this current imprisonment would likely end with his death. This is why he is writing to Timothy. He is writing to Timothy to give him courage in the faith for when he would face suffering.

 

Timothy would face suffering. He would be imprisoned as recorded in Hebrews 13:23. Later Timothy would be stoned to death in Ephesus for preaching the Gospel in opposition to the pagan false god Diana.

 

As a follower of Christ, we should not expect anything less than suffering for the sake of Christ. Just weeks ago, Jesus evangelized us in Luke 14 saying, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. … Anyone of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).

 

Jesus evangelized us by saying if you want to follow Him, then you must first count the cost. One of those costs is bearing your own cross, which means we must be ready to die for the sake of the truth. We must all be prepared to be a martyr for Christ in a fallen world that murdered its Maker and its Redeemer.

 

The prophets and apostles faced opposition from a world that wants nothing to do with God, so the fallen world killed them. We join them in this train.

 

You see, Christian suffering is our vocation. Suffering is our calling. Paul’s and Timothy’s sufferings were specifically because of their callings as apostle and pastor. But they didn’t suffer for themselves, for their own sake. No, Paul and Timothy suffered for the sake of the gospel. They endured everything for the sake of the elect – the Christians of all time, you, as well as your relatives of the past and your relatives of the future.

 

So, today, Paul writes to Timothy and to you and me of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. A Christian isn’t to have mixed allegiances. A Christian is to have a whole-hearted and single-minded faith in Jesus Christ.

 

So, Paul writes of three illustrations to encourage Timothy as well as us here today.

 

The first illustration is that of a soldier. And to be more precise, a combat soldier. A good soldier serves his commanding officer with a singleness of purpose. A good soldier doesn’t question his commanding officer. A good soldier follows orders. A good soldier makes it his intent to please his commanding officer.

 

As a good soldier, he cannot have divided loyalties. Paul writes, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:4). So, whether under an officer in the military or a boss in the office, we in the Lord’s service accept suffering by trusting that Jesus will not forsake us. Jesus is our commanding officer and so we are to be 100 percent loyal to Him by renouncing all our self-interests.

 

The second illustration is that of a competing athlete. Paul writes, “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). As it is in the Olympics, amateur or professional sports, the athlete must compete by the rules. Doctrine matters. The rules of the Christian faith is doctrine as it is bound in the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments. 

As Christians, we cannot change the rules. We cannot change doctrine. God’s Word says: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).

 

So, we can’t change the rules and say that salvation is through works. We can’t change the rules and say that all people are saved no matter what you believe. We can’t change the rules and say that same-sex and polyamorous marriage is not a sin. We can’t change the rules by saying evil is good. We can’t change the rules just so that we would be praised by the fallen world. You see, God’s Word does not change even if we change it, for we are all ultimately judged by Him.

 

Likewise, “an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). And what is this crown that Paul writes? It is the crown of everlasting life, the imperishable wreath (1 Corinthians 9:25). So, any pastor, teacher or layperson who fails to compete lawfully cannot receive the crown, the crown of everlasting life. Paul’s point is this: any Christian who fails faithfully to hand down those things “you have heard from me” (2 Timothy 2:2), the apostolic teaching, is disqualified from receiving the crown of everlasting life.

 

The third illustration is that of a hardworking farmer. Here, Paul is not telling us what we are to do, but rather the blessings we can expect from our hard and difficult work. St. Paul writes, “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:6). Here, Paul is giving additional assurance to Timothy in his faithful preaching and teaching, since it is not in vain for the one who toils is bound to receive his reward.

 

So, what is the reward? What is the share of the crops? Well, our fruits are always spiritual. For it is our work to sow the seed of God’s Word. For me, I receive spiritual fruits from faithful preaching. You and I grow in the one true Christian faith through preaching. As I prepare sermons, my faith is strengthened. I receive comfort and joy through Christ. In fact, the sermons I prepare for you, I first preach to myself.

 

The Holy Spirit grows spiritual fruits for you, too. He does this through inwardly digesting His Word through preaching, Bible Study and your devotional life. And when you confess your faith publicly – the sure hope you have in Christ, you may face suffering, but you will also reap God’s blessing.

Paul concludes his illustrations with these words: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:7). Here, Paul is calling on us to ponder, to reflect on what he has written. For when we do reflect on God’s Word, the Lord gives us proper understanding through the Holy Spirit. This “understanding” is the reward of being drenched in God’s Word by holding it sacred as we gladly hear and learn it (Luther’s Explanation to the Third Commandment).

So, always remember that suffering is our lot in Christ. And being chained as a criminal, Paul sees this as a blessed identification with Jesus. Afterall, Jesus was bound and led away to His execution to be nailed to a cross.

 

Paul calls on Timothy, as well as you and me, to remember what Jesus went through. To the world, Jesus looked pitiful; Jesus looked disgraced. The world saw a man chained, beaten, crucified, dead, and buried. The world wanted that to be the end.

 

But it wasn’t the end. Jesus rose from the dead! The Word of God is not bound! We preach Christ crucified and risen for sinners! God’s Word is not chained! His preaching continues through sound preaching!

 

Because Christ is raised from the dead, we are filled with hope! Yes, we will suffer for the sake of Christ. Suffering is our lot; our vocation; our calling. But just as the chains of death could not keep Jesus in the tomb, we, too, will be raised from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is our resurrection. 

 

So, we endure! We endure through Jesus. We endure through repentance and faith. We endure this cycle of repentance and faith. When you sin – when you aren’t loyal to your commanding officer Jesus and when we think you can change the rules – repent, turn to Jesus and receive His forgiveness that He won for you upon the cross! For this saying is true: “If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

 

Jesus endured everything for you and me. He faced every trial. He faced every evil. Through His innocent suffering and death, Jesus forgave all sins. Through repentance and faith in Him, your sins are forgiven through His blood and merit. He endured so that we can endure. And He gives us the tools for endurance: His Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament. So, let us endure through Him, as we share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, who always remains faithful to you and me! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +