"The Question of Salvation" (Luke 13:22-30)

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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] went on His way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door’” (Luke 13:23-24a).

 

The question of salvation. Will those who are saved be few? That is a question that is often asked today. Who will be saved? Am I saved? Is everyone going to be saved?

 

So, Jesus gives this answer: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). What kind of an answer is that?!

 

As Jesus gave this answer, He was on His way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. But His journey to Jerusalem was not a straight line. He wasn’t taking the expressway. But He took every detour route along the way. 

 

Instead of taking the short cut, Jesus took the longest way possible as He was on a spiritual pilgrimage. Surely, Jerusalem was His ultimate goal, but He knows Jerusalem will finally be reached. The city where the salvation of the world will be accomplished.

 

We, too, are also on a pilgrimage. And along this pilgrimage, we have a choice of two paths. There is a wide path and a narrow path. The wide path looks easy. It’s paved. It’s flat. It’s giving into the culture around us. It’s the way of the world. The narrow path looks difficult. It’s bumpy. It’s letting God lead. It’s the way of God. The wide path is the way to hell. The narrow path is the way to heaven.

 

Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24a). Right now, as I am preaching to you, the narrow door is open, and many will try to enter it through their own means, on their own terms, but they will be unable to do so. They will think they have lived a good enough life. They will think they have given enough to good causes. They will think that they have just enough faith. 

 

But your life is never good enough for God. He doesn’t want “C” students of the faith. He wants perfection. You see, your belief – when it’s not completely true to Jesus – can never be good enough.

 

The narrow door is currently standing open, but the time is coming when that narrow door will be closed forever. When Jesus returns, bodily descending from the clouds, at that moment, the narrow door will be closed.

 

The current time of grace will end on that Day. The time of grace will end when the narrow door that has stood open all this time is finally closed. And everyone who did not enter through the narrow door will be left outside in desperation banging on that narrow door screaming, “Lord, open to us!”(Luke 13:25a). Then Jesus will answer from behind the door, saying: “I do not know where you come from” (Luke 13:25b).

 

Then those on the outside will scream, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets!” (Luke 13:26). This is like us saying, “We came to church when we felt like it! We sang hymns! Isn’t that good enough?” These are the words that will come out of your mouth as if what you have done can save you. As if just going through the motions of the Divine Service can save your soul. So, just a mere acquaintance with Jesus and His teachings will not save you. 

 

So, how can anyone possibly pass through the narrow door? To that Jesus says, “strive.” Now, a better word for “strive” is “struggle.” Now, this command to “strive” or “struggle” does not mean that it takes a moral effort to pass through the narrow door, nor does it mean that entrance is gained by a human responsibility. Rather, the struggle through which one enters is repentance, which is a work of God in the human heart.

 

You see, this struggle is produced when the Word of God calls one to repent and trust in Jesus Christ, but at the same time, the sinful human nature is warring against God’s Word. This is the struggle.

 

St. Paul told of his inner struggle in Romans 7. He wrote, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me”(Romans 7:15-20).

 

So, those who follow their fleshly desires cannot please God. But if you are in the Spirit, you will live.

 

St. Paul’s inner struggle is our inner struggle. But the good news is that by having this struggle, you know that the Holy Spirit is in you. It is because of the Holy Spirit that you notice this struggle. It is the Holy Spirit leading you to repentance.

 

And entrance through the narrow door is gained by those who repent and see in Jesus the Lord of the banquet.

 

Right now, many will seek to enter through the narrow door and will not be able. These many are seeking to get through by their own merits, by their own deeds. These many refuse to repent of their sins. And so, they will not be able to enter.

 

So, getting back to the question of salvation: “Will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23). And Jesus does actually answer that question. Yes. Very few, indeed. But Jesus doesn’t want to leave us in despair. You see, no single person can pass through that narrow door by his or her own efforts. The only way to enter through that narrow door is by grace.

 

So, how do we enter by grace? First, there must be atonement between God and man. The Son of Man must die. The Son of God must die. Jesus must shed His blood. He must continue His journeying to Jerusalem. He must reach Jerusalem, the city where the salvation of the world will be accomplished. He must atone for yours and my sins. He must die a shameful death on the cross. He must, because He is the Way through the Narrow Door. He is the Narrow Door. 

 

As the Narrow Door, Jesus doesn’t force us to labor on our pilgrimage or to labor upon reaching your destination. He calls us. He directs us. He leads us. 

 

Jesus, the Narrow Door, first called you to faith through a Baptism of repentance to the forgiveness of sins as He gifted you the Holy Spirit. But Jesus didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. He also gave us proper worship through His Means of Grace so that we would remain steadfast “to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

 

You see, by your regular reception of the Lord’s Supper, by remaining faithful to God’s teaching and to your fellowship with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus’ Word of Law and Gospel changes hearts and with your changed heart, He bestows upon you the honored place at the heavenly feast.

 

God is, indeed, gracious to us. Each time you repent of your sins against God and your neighbor, He smiles at you and says, “I forgive you all your sins.” As you partake of the Lord’s Supper, you have a foretaste of the eternal feast of heaven, the forgiveness of your sins, the very Body and Blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God. He uses these Means of Grace to keep you on the path to, and through, the Narrow Door. He uses these Means of Grace to guarantee your salvation. So, when you continually receive His grace and live according to His grace, there is no longer a question of salvation. You now have the answer. And God never lies (Titus 1:1-2).

 

So, repent of your sins. Receive the Lord’s forgiveness that He won for you on the cross and enter through Him, who is the Narrow Door! Come, receive His forgiveness, rest in His Word and recline at His table! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Reversal of Babel" (Genesis 11:1-9)

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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 people] said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4).

 

So, what do we make about this incident we heard about in our Old Testament reading from Genesis 11? Well, have you ever thought, “Why is it that there are so many languages?” You know, it would be so much easier to communicate if we all had a common language! It would also be cheaper! Then I wouldn’t have to pay to learn another language to properly experience life in another country. Well, if you have ever pondered things like that, well, here, you would have your answer.

 

Our reading speaks of a time when all of humanity had a common language. And this is understandable as all of humanity then came from the family of Noah, so the vocabulary they used would have been the same, and the way they spoke would have been the same.

 

But something did change. Their attitudes changed – and not for the better.

 

In our reading, we see a development similar to the one observed in the family of Adam and Eve after the Fall into sin when we saw the faithful descendants of Seth gradually patten their lives after the unfaithful descendants of Cain. And this ultimately brought down God’s judgement of the Flood upon the whole world. 

 

So, what pattern are we seeing at Babel? Well, here we see the Shemites, the line that had received Noah’s special blessing rebelling against God’s expressed will for them. And what was God’s will for them? “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1), which was the same will God had for Adam and Eve before the Fall (Genesis 1:28). So, this was a “sort-of” re-start for humanity.

 

So, it was God’s will that in time the whole earth would be filled with people who would live for His glory, so that from east to west His reputation as Savior would be magnified. But what happened?

 

Well, to start, it began well, as Noah’s descendants spread. But then, didn’t. They found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. At first, they wandered, but then, they settled. The land of Shinar was a well-watered plain that naturally looked good to farmers. The land was fertile. It looked good. So, they decided to settle down. They chose to stay in direct disobedience to God. For Noah’s descendants, it didn’t matter what God said. To God’s will and command, they proclaim: “Why would we ever want to leave? It doesn’t get any better than this!”

 

Now, God wanted any settlement to be temporary. So, what did they do? “They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar’” (Genesis 11:3). Instead of living in tents, they built a fortified settlement. Everything they used was for their permanence. Instead of sun-dried clay or stone, they chose fire-hardened brick for their building project, with bitumen for mortar instead of the customary mud. And what was the purpose of this building project: to make a name for themselves.

 

Instead of giving God all the glory, they are glorifying themselves. “Glory to man in the highest,” they proclaim!

 

But it wasn’t just sinful pride that led them to undertake this extensive and difficult construction effort. It was actually the belief in that pride in their accomplishment that would be a unifying force that would hold them together as one people. Their ultimate sin was their cultural identity. They were putting themselves equal or even greater than God Himself. They were in charge now. They no longer obeyed God’s will. 

 

So, by building this city and tower, God’s people are rejecting His goal for life and creating a new goal of their own. They have forgotten that everything they have – food, shelter, and security – are all gifts from God. They are now claiming they have accomplished everything for themselves without any assistance from God, which is not true. For these people, Satan doesn’t even have to work hard upon them, since they have knelt down to the idol of self, which is exactly what Satan wants for them.

 

So, what does God do? He doesn’t leave them to their own demise, He comes down saying, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do” (Genesis 11:6).

 

God is bringing judgment in order to save us from ourselves. For if the human race remained united in self-interested pride, there would be no limit to their rebellion against God.

But unlike at the time of the Great Flood, God’s judgment isn’t even visible. God simply made changes inside the minds of the builders. Through these changes, God’s people could no longer understand one another’s language. So, this meant that everything came to an abrupt stop. They were confused. They were puzzled. They became suspicious of each other.

 

The spirit of friendliness and confidence they once had was now replaced by confusion and suspicion as they just “left off building the city” (Genesis 11:8). They had hoped to make a name for themselves and bring fame to themselves, but all they accomplished was moving away from their dream home.

 

God would not let His will be neglected. He would not be overlooked. He would not be mocked. So, He is unwilling to let people wipe their feet on His great plan for this world. He will have them “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1).

 

For Martin Luther, he called God’s action at Babel a much more horrible judgment than the Great Flood. Yes, the Great Flood was devastating, but it only wiped out a single generation of humanity. But the confusion of languages at Babel has had a greater consequence. It has bred confusion, suspicion, and hatred in every generation since then, and all the way to today’s broken and disordered world. So, why are so many nations pitted against each other? Why are we so often at war with one another? 

 

Now, we can easily point back to Adam’s sin in the Garden, but with Noah and his family, we had a “sort-of” restart of humanity. And so, after God again created everything good, our sinful nature would rear its ugly head again at Babel. So, besides Adam’s Fall into sin, the answer to why there is so much confusion, suspicion, and hatred today is because of the events at Babel. You could say, Babel is like a second Fall of man. Although Noah and his descendants remained sinners during the Flood.

 

But for us here today, there is another practical result from the events at Babel. And this is what we are celebrating today. When the day of Pentecost arrived – fifty days after the Passover Sabbath, the people whom God scattered at Babel, He brought back.

 

“And divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”(Acts 2:3-4) … and “devout men from every nation” (Acts 2:5) heard Jesus’ apostles speak “in his own language” (Acts 2:6) … “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11).

Just days earlier, Jesus commissioned His apostles to “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” (Matthew 28:19-20), but on this day in Jerusalem, people from all over the world were gathering around them celebrating the Pentecost.

 

So, just like everything else, it is the Holy Spirit who equips them and us. So, the Holy Spirit equips the apostles to proclaim God’s saving work in many languages. The confusion of languages that resulted at Babel when humanity tried to glorify themselves was reversed at Pentecost. So, on this day nearly 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit moved these men to glorify God in languages that were understood by all who heard. 

 

Today, on this Day of Pentecost, is a great day to proclaim the work of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity: the Holy Spirit, aka: the Holy Ghost. 

 

Often, the Holy Spirit is the third wheel, the forgotten Person of the Trinity. In fact, we don’t always know what to call Him: Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost! But may we never forget about Him! You see, He is vital to yours and my faith. Without the Holy Spirit, you would not know what Jesus has accomplished for you. It is through the Means of Grace that the Holy Spirit reveals and preaches as He illumines and enkindles hearts, so that we come to right understanding the gifts of God. For where Christ is preached, the Holy Spirit creates, calls, and gathers the Christian Church.

 

And this reversal of Babel still occurs today with each time God’s Word is proclaimed to those who have not heard the mighty works of God as the Holy Spirit continues to create saving faith in the mighty works of God accomplished in Jesus.

 

So, as followers of Christ, our goal is not to make a name for ourselves, but to glorify the name of Jesus through our lives, since through repentance and faith in Him, He has given us pardon for yours and my sins through His atoning death and resurrection, and has taken His rightful place above all things by His ascension. Through Christ’s victory over sin and death, He forgives your pride, your self-centeredness. Today, Jesus intervenes in our lives as He comes offering you forgiveness through His Word and Sacraments. He comes to give you the gift of life and salvation! 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 13: "Hard Teachings" (John 6:51-69)

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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: “I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51).

 

Imagine yourself among this crowd in Capernaum. You have been a disciple of Jesus for some time and then, suddenly, the Man you have been following calls Himself bread and He calls on you to eat Him. What would be going through your mind? Would you be thinking: What a fool! This guy must have lost His mind! This Man is preposterous!

 

How could Jesus say such a thing? Now, for sure, this crowd had recently had their fill of the loaves. They had just eaten physical bread. But now Jesus is calling Himself bread! On top of that, Jesus is now saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:53-56). If the crowd was thinking Jesus was possibly crazy before, now most see Him as a nut! To most in the crowd, this teaching was too hard to accept. Jesus’ words make no sense to human reason. So, Jesus says, “Do you take offense at this?” (John 6:61) – “Do My Words offend you?”

 

By Jesus saying that His followers must feed on His flesh and drink His blood, He was teaching the importance of continuing to nurture faith in Him. He says this later in John 8: “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).

 

So, when faith is nourished by Jesus in His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, the believer remains in Jesus and Jesus in the believer. So, in our faith, we are united with Christ. Now, this is something that we cannot explain. We just know it because Jesus said so. So, when a person eats of, that is, clings to Jesus, that person lives because of Jesus. 

Jesus is bread. He is the bread, come down from heaven, sent from the Father. Whoever eats the bread, that is, trusts in Jesus, has eternal life. And He will raise that person up at the Last Day. This is what Jesus is saying. But what is the crowd hearing?

 

For most in the crowd, they took offense at Jesus’ words. They grumbled at Jesus’ words. “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (John 6:60).

 

For the worldly minded, they could not understand Jesus’ teaching. And this is not surprising, since they were depending on their flesh, trusting their own reasoning for understanding. They were looking for a “bread king” to give them more food to eat. They were not expecting Jesus to call Himself bread and that they must eat of Him to have eternal life. This teaching was just too hard for many of them to swallow, so many decided to just spit Jesus out and walk away and no longer walk with Him.

 

Jesus referring to Himself as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread come down from heaven, is just one of His many difficult teachings to swallow. Jesus never avoided hard teachings as to avoid upsetting His hearers. There are so many more Biblical teachings that upset people: from homosexuality, to abortion, to cohabitation, to divorce, to close (or closed) communion, to forgiveness, to suffering, and on and on.

 

As your pastor, it would be much easier if I avoided those difficult Biblical teachings, but if I avoid those hard teachings, I would not be doing my pastoral duty. Jesus calls upon all of His undershepherds to “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience in teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). As Christians, as disciples of Christ, we should not be ashamed of Christ and His teachings. 

 

For many new Christians, they have gotten the wrong idea that the Christian life is an easy life. This false teaching is quite popular with televangelists who say things like: “Suddenly things will change. Suddenly, God will bring your hopes and dreams.” But Jesus never said that. In fact, Jesus warns us that we fill face trials and tribulations throughout our life, especially since we are in Christ. He says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

Forgiveness, too, is a hard teaching. St. Peter came up to Jesus and asked Him, “‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21-22). Forgiveness can be a hard pill to swallow, but forgiveness is a continuous and essential part of being a follower of Christ.

Something as simple as worshiping together can be considered a hard teaching. I have heard it many times, “I can worship God in my own way. I don’t have to come to church.” Yes, it is possible to worship God in nature, but what is missing? Fellowshipping around the Means of Grace and community. We cannot face life’s challenges alone. We are meant to lean on each other, to build up each other, and encourage each other in the faith.

 

Another hard teaching is suffering. No one likes to suffer. It’s uncomfortable and painful. But God uses your sufferings to make you stronger in the faith. St. Paul writes, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

Now, quite possibly, one of the hardest teachings of all is close or closed communion. So, let’s dive into the deep end! You know it’s a hard teaching when it’s right there for all to see and read inside our service folders. Over the years, I have heard some say: “The LCMS acts like the Lord’s Table is an exclusive club!” “Holy Communion should only be between yourself and God.”

 

Today’s culture is all about individualism and autonomy, and the Lord’s Supper is no different. For many, the Sacrament of the Altar has become a matter of personal entitlement. But the issue of admission to the Lord’s Supper is not a matter of personal entitlement or of being a welcoming and affirming church. The issue is the nature of the Sacrament and the character of the church. The issue is if we take Christ seriously or not. 

 

As unloving as close, or closed, communion may sound to our sinful hearts, this is a loving practice. And practically every Christian church abided in this practice until the last century. God’s Word teaches that those who receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner eat and drink to their harm and not their blessing. Unworthy participation is not discerning our need for forgiveness in the Sacrament and the shared confession and faith of the Sacrament (Acts 2:44). 

 

So, we would be unloving to commune those who would receive the Lord’s Supper to their harm. Afterall, Jesus gives His Supper as a blessing, not a curse. So, abiding in Christ can cause pain among family and friends, but where we have differences, we pray for the day when those differences cease.

 

There are so many hard teachings. God’s Word says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, for those who remain in their sins, by not seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with God and with one another, they will reap what they sewed as Jesus says, “They will be thrown into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50).

 

For many people, these teachings are just too hard, too difficult, and to their sinful hearts, they sound so wrong, so they choose to just walk away from Jesus. 

 

On that day Jesus said He was the Living Bread come down from heaven, most walked away. But then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked them, “Do you want to go away as well?” Now, Jesus expected them to abide with Him, but He allowed them to answer for themselves whether they too would now leave. You see, Jesus does not coerce people to follow Him.

 

Simon Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Christ’s apostles could not imagine leaving Jesus. And the reason was simple: Jesus had the words that gave eternal life. The words of Jesus about the Bread of Life, His descending from heaven, His flesh and blood, conveyed the blessing He promised for them. The disciples believed and had eternal life from God. 

 

Yes, following Jesus is tough; abiding in His teachings is tough. But as Christians, we are to be like Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Yes, many of Christ’s teachings are not what our sinful nature would like to hear, but it’s what we need to hear, since He is the Living Bread come down from heaven who alone gives eternal life. So, where else can we go to receive eternal life? Where else can we go? Jesus alone is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life!

 

In many ways, this is the hardest teaching. For it is only Jesus who would suffer the wrath of God for us sinners. He suffered and died the punishment that we all deserve. He substituted Himself for you so that you may live forever! You are forgiven and may we always seek more forgiveness by abiding in Him as you grow closer to Him in His Means of Grace! For He who said it is trustworthy and true, 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 the Day of Pentecost: "What Does This Mean?" (Acts 2:1-21)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who together send the promised Holy Spirit! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

“And [the devout Jews from every nation under heaven] were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? … [They] all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:7-8, 12).

 

Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection and ten days after His ascension, the followers of Christ remain in Jerusalem. They wait. They are waiting under the command their Lord who said, “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). You see, Jesus was waiting for the perfect time. And that perfect time had come.

 

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, He had them observe the Passover the same night, and then He commanded them to celebrate the Passover the same time each year as a memorial of their deliverance and departure from Egypt (Exodus 12:14). From that day of the Passover, they traveled 50 days to Mount Sinai. There, upon Mount Sinai, God gave them the Law through Moses. This fiftieth day was also a day of importance. God, too, commanded them to observe a memorial day every year on the fiftieth day after Passover (Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). 

 

This fiftieth day after Passover became known as the Feast of the Harvest, or the Feast of Weeks, or simply “Pentecost,” since it took place 50 days after the Passover Sabbath. So, every pious Jew tried to be in Jerusalem for this festival to bring their harvest of grains to the temple. So, on this day, they gathered up their baskets, then processed up Mount Zion as they sang the Psalms of Ascents (Psalm 120-136), then processed into the temple courts where they would present their baskets to the priests.

 

Pentecost was a major festival as it brought in people from all throughout the world into Jerusalem. For us, we celebrate the Pentecost festival not because of the old history, but because of its new history, because of the sending of the Holy Spirit. This was the perfect time to send the Third Person of the Trinity upon the people.

 

For the festival pilgrims, Pentecost began just like other Pentecost festivals before them. But this particular Pentecost was going to be unlike any other before it. As the pilgrims are processing through Jerusalem, they begin to hear familiar voices. Their ears perked up! They recognized the dialect. Now, they weren’t hearing the Aramaic of Judea, which most of them understood. They weren’t hearing the common Greek of the Roman Empire. “Hey! I’m hearing my language!” They all heard and understood the apostles speaking the language of their homeland!

 

To this, they were all bewildered. They were all amazed. They were all perplexed as they said to one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12)

 

What they were hearing was indeed a miracle! Now, this miracle was not in the hearing, but in the speaking of the apostles. Just like that, the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in many languages! And just like that, the people heard. And they questioned what they heard. “What does this mean?”

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul writes, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Church is the people of God – the believers in Christ. But believers do not exist apart from the hearing of the Word of God. If people are not told about Jesus Christ and what Christ has done for them, they cannot believe it. So, while the Church is the people of God, it never exists apart from the Marks of the Church – Word and Sacrament. You see, without the message that Christ died on the cross for your sins, the Church does not exist. This crowd gathered because of the miracles that were taking place. They gathered as they said to one another, “What does this mean?”

 

But did you notice that these people, hearing their own language, did not come to faith until Peter had preached the Word of God to them? Yes, “faith comes by hearing,” but as St. Paul also says, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

 

So, Peter preaches to them the Word of God: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. … This is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh’” (Acts 2:14, 16-17). Peter starts with the Old Testament and applies it to what Jesus had done. Peter preaches Law and Gospel to them. And when they understood what God had done and that they – because of their sins – bore responsibility for the death of Jesus, their consciences were cut open.  

So, they asked Peter, “What shall we do?” and Peter gave them the Gospel: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Three thousand were baptized that very day.

 

So, what did the Holy Spirit do that day? He gave the apostles the power to reach these pious Jews through the pure Word of God. You see, it was the purity of the Law and Gospel that caused Christ’s Church to grow. And the Holy Spirit works through us in every language to spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ that is given to all by grace through faith in Christ alone.

 

Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the promised Helper, our salvation in Christ would have been lost. It would have been forgotten. But with the Holy Spirit, He gave the apostles the confidence to preach the Word of the Cross that Jesus died and rose again to give us forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, that Jesus ascended back into heaven as Lord of heaven and earth, who will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

But in order to fully understand the Gospel, one needs to see the importance of the Gospel. You see, if you believe you are not a sinner, then Jesus is of no importance to you. So, the Holy Spirit leads us to acknowledge our sins against God and our neighbor, so that we are ready to hear the message that through Christ’s atoning death, those sins are forgiven. The Holy Spirit is always pointing to Jesus. That is His job. So, He constantly reminds us that we have the Savior, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

 

There is also another thing to be noted by the pious Jews response this day: their question, “What does this mean?” which is a question that is very familiar to us Lutherans. It is Luther’s question he asks throughout his Small Catechism.

 

Now, how many of us have been perplexed by Luther’s question? How many of us remain perplexed by Luther’s question? It’s certainly good to know the wordage of the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism. But we should never be shallow when it comes to Christian doctrine. Jesus, St. Paul, and Luther all desire that we do not remain as Christians who eat only baby food, but that we mature at eat steak. It’s all well and good to know the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, but what do they mean? How do we fear, love, and trust in God? How do we truly love our neighbor? What does it really mean when we confess the Creed? How do we pray? 

How do these first three chief parts prepare us to understand the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Sacrament of the Altar? What does this all mean? Now, the Catechism does give us so many answers, but not every answer to our every question. So, we must all continue to grow as we are nourished by the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace. For if you are not nourished, your faith will wither and die. So, continue to chew on God’s Word and inwardly digest it, so that you grow in faith and bear fruits of faith.

 

Confirmation Sunday so often is equated with graduation. The reality is – it isn’t. If confirmation were a graduation, there would be no need for Bible Studies, Christian colleges, and seminaries. There would be no need to continue coming to the Divine Service. But confirmation is a commencement. Confirmation is a beginning. Joshua, in just mere moments, you will be confirming your faith in Jesus Christ. You will vow your allegiance to Him, who suffered and died for you, who rose from the dead for you, who is ascended into heaven for you. You will state your intention to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it. You will be hated by the fallen world for what you are about to do, but as your confirmation verse says: “Be faithful unto death, and [you will receive] the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10b).

 

Now, you will be tempted to abandon Jesus. Satan will tempt you even more than he already has after today. He will use tactics that promote doubt, and his fallen world will criticize and persecute you. So, I pray that you call upon the name of Jesus, receive His gifts in Word and Sacrament, recall the Catechism, for you have the spiritual weapons to fight off Satan’s lies and deceit. May you never forget that.

 

Today, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but do you all know that this outpouring continues today and everyday wherever the Gospel is preached? From the very beginning, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church has been about the Word. For Joshua, and all of us here today, may we never forget that Word and Sacrament is at the center of everything. It is the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God that clearly communicates all what the triune God has done for us, that we have the Savior Jesus Christ, that by Him becoming man, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, and His bodily ascension into heaven, we are called to repentance and faith in Him for in Him we receive forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation and all by grace through faith in Him, who is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit. 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 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 +