"To Government & Citizens" (Lent Midweek 2 - Luther's Table of Duties)

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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:

Lent is a season of repentance as we reflect on why our Lord died on the cross for us. But Lent is also about catechesis, because Lent is a catechetical season.

 

Tonight, we continue to make our way through the Christian “house rules” on how we deal with each other. These “house rules” serve as our groundwork on our Lutheran worldview of vocation. These vocations are the duties or responsibilities that we each owe to our neighbor.

 

As I said last week, first a word of warning: Luther’s intention in including the Table of Duties was to serve us as our guide – the Third Use of the Law – in how we ought to live in this world and what is our duty to one another. But as it always is, when the Law is at play, we often hear the Law as its Second Use – mirror, because the Law always accuses, but again, the primary use and focus of the Table of Duties is to encourage us as we live out our lives in the various vocations that God has placed you and I in.

 

Tonight, we will focus on the third of the Three Estates: government, as we consider the next two pairs in the Table of Duties: “Of Civil Government” and “Of Citizens.”

 

As we ponder this third estate, we are reminded that Christians are not anarchists. We believe that fallen man requires an earthly government. Luther, himself, has said that it is better to live under a tyrant than to live under an anarchy where there is no order, no predictability, and therefore no stability. So, the government has a claim on us. 

 

Today is March 4. Besides the news in the Middle East, if you turn on your television or listen to the radio or podcast, or wander through Walmart, you are quickly reminded that it is tax season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is if you like numbers and filing and stress and seeing your money vanish.

 

Paying taxes is one of the most direct ways that we experience the topic of these two pairings from the Table of Duties that we consider tonight. On one hand, these pairings are very straightforward. But they also confront us with challenging questions – questions that the Christian faith answers in ways that are different from the fallen world.

 

Luther provides only one Scripture text for the topic “Of Civil Government” and it’s likely that’s all that we will need. In Romans 13(:1-4), St. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul says in a straightforward manner that governing authorities have been instituted by God. God is the one who has provided them. And since God put them there, to resist the governing authority – the civil government – is to resist God Himself.

 

You see, the role of the civil government is simple. It is to restrain wrongdoing and is to maintain order. St. Paul adds, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger to carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Romans 13:3-4). Paul, here, is describing the civil government as “God’s servant.”

 

Civil government exists for one reason and one reason only. Civil government exists because of sin. Civil government exists because it is the means God has established to restrain and control evil. Because when given a chance, sinners will do terrible things. That is why God established civil government.

 

Again, the government is God’s servant. But what about when the government rejects what God has commanded? The government can be in the wrong when it overreaches the authority of its estate. An example of this is if the civil government would command things that are contrary to God’s will, such as commanding how the Church worships, and to that, we will say, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). And when that happens, we are called to suffer for the truth.

 

We must also remember that St. Paul wrote the Book of Romans during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. So, if Christians were to be subject to Nero, an unstable man who had Christians burned as torches to light up the night, we are to be subject to all who are given the civil authority over us. Even with all his flaws, at least Nero kept order in the Roman Empire.

 

So, there is good reason why Luther included “good government” among the blessings of daily bread, because life without government is a frightening thing. Again, it is better to live under a tyrant than under an anarchy where there is no order.

 

But no government is free. It may appear that government is able to grow money from trees, but that money is paid for by our tax dollars. So, every government costs money. “Therefore,” Paul writes, “one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, … Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:5-6a, 7). In saying this, St. Paul was only repeating what Jesus had taught in Mark 12:17: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

 

So, like it or not, government is a great blessing from God. And its main vocation is to restrain sin. And so, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2(:1-3): “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”

 

When you were baptized into Christ, you were made a part of the royal priesthood of God’s people. As part of this priestly service, our vocation is to pray. And this is what we do at each Divine Service as we pray for our civil authorities each week. But this vocation isn’t just limited to our time together in this space as we are to pray for God’s enlightening of our civil authorities as a part of our daily lives.

 

During this season of Lent, we follow our Lord as He makes His way to the cross and empty tomb. He goes to the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. By His death, He has won for us forgiveness. By His bodily resurrection, He has won for us eternal life.

 

Civil government is a great blessing from God. It restrains sin and allows us to live in peace. Our vocation is to obey the government, pay our taxes and pray for those who govern us. Yet, when the government acts unjustly, or when it commands things that violate God’s will, we are called to follow our Lord in entrusting ourselves to God in the midst of suffering. We do this knowing that all authorities have been instituted by God, who has given us forgiveness, life, and salvation through Jesus’ blood and merit. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Tenants of the Vineyard" (Luke 20:9-20)

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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:

“One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to Him, ‘Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it that gave you this authority.”

 

“And [Jesus] began to tell the people this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants.’ …” (Luke 20:1-2, 9a).

 

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. So, what led Jesus to tell this parable? Well, today we are marching forward to the Tuesday of Holy Week where we find Jesus teaching at the temple. And like always, Jesus’ teaching is challenged by the Jewish authorities. And knowing that His betrayal and death is near, Jesus directs the sharpest and sternest rebuke and warning against the Jewish authorities.

 

Though the Jewish authorities were the original target of today’s parable, we must not conclude that this parable has nothing for us to learn. You see, every parable of Jesus is timeless as they speak to people in every age. So, what are we to think about the Parable of the Wicked Tenants?

 

Jesus said, “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while” (Luke 20:9). Here, we hear that a man planted the vineyard. In Mark’s Gospel, he gives us a few more details on what this Owner did as he also “put a fence around it,” “dug a winepress,”and “built a tower” (Mark 12:1).

 

From this other information, we hear that the Owner of the vineyard did everything to make His vineyard a good productive one. He put a wall around it to protect it. He dug a winepress so His tenants could produce wine easily. He built a tower so His tenants could see from a distance if any intruders were coming. The Owner of the vineyard did literally everything to make the work of His tenants an easy one. The Owner of the vineyard left nothing undone that was necessary for the welfare of His tenants.

 

However, the Owner was away for very long while. Eventually, the tenants, the renters of the vineyard, began to truly believe that they were no longer renters, but owners. They were patting each other on the back saying, “Very well done!”

“When the time came, [the Owner] sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty handed” (Luke 20:10). Now, you’d think that the Owner would be a bit perturbed about this incident. You’d think, He would come back and evict the tenants. But He doesn’t. He sends a second servant. And the tenants treat him worse than the first. So, what does the Owner do? He sends a third servant. And he’s treated worse than the first and second. Now what? What does this Owner do? He sends His beloved Son, saying, “Perhaps they will respect Him” (Luke 20:13).

 

So, what happens next? The tenants saw the Son and they say to themselves, “This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours” (Luke 20:14). So, they threw the Son out of the vineyard and killed him. 

 

What will the Owner do now? Well, He had been patient before. So, will He continue to be patient in receiving his fruit? No, the Owner’s patience has ended. He will now destroy the wicked tenants and give the vineyard to others who would tend His vineyard.

 

To this, the chief priests, scribes and elders say, “Surely not!” (Luke 20:16).

 

In this parable, we have the Owner of the vineyard, who is God the Father. The wicked tenants are forefathers of the chief priests, scribes, and elders. And the servants are the prophets, who have been rejected time and again by the forefathers of the Jewish authorities.

 

For all intents and purposes, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants is historical. This is what has portrayed in Israel from one generation to the next. A few weeks ago, we heard Jesus’ lament over this very fact: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (Luke 13:34a).

 

But in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus gives His parable a prophetic turn: “This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours” (Luke 20:14). Here, Jesus is telling them and the crowd around them what exactly they would do to Him in just a few days. Here, Jesus is exposing their murderous intent. To put another way, He told them that they would show themselves as apt pupils of their forefathers. 

In fact, they would top the wickedness of their forefathers by killing, not just a human prophet commissioned by God, but Him, the Father’s Son, the fully divine and human Messiah.

 

So, just as their forefathers did, these Jewish authorities would ensure that the Jewish nation remained their people, under their control, under their sway. “So they threw [Jesus] out of the vineyard and killed Him” (Luke 20:15).

 

So, what about us? What is your response as you reflected on the Parable of the Wicked Tenants? Who are we to be in this parable? What is our role? 

 

For those of us who have rented or are currently renting a home or apartment, what would happen at the beginning of each month? Rent is due. Now, who really enjoys paying rent, or even a mortgage? But we have to! If not, you are evicted, or the bank takes your home. That is life in the fallen world. But what about our spiritual life?

 

When the beloved Son comes to pick up the rent owed to His Father, what will you do? Will you see yourself as the lord of the vineyard? Or as a caretaker of the vineyard? Will you be renters who will give the Owner His due?

 

And what fruit is the Owner looking to receive of His? Well, those fruits of faith, those fruits of repentance, those stewardship acts of time, talent, and treasure.

 

Now, it is certainly easy for us to shift from being tenants under the Lord to thinking and acting like we are the owners. And why is that? Well, we all have a problem with authority. And whether we would like to admit it or not, we all have a problem with God’s authority. As sinners, our natural perception is that God’s authority prevents us from getting what we want. 

 

Just think about it. How often do you withhold from God what is rightfully His? How often do you speak carelessly, or misuse God’s Name? How often do you neglect or despise God’s Word and Sacraments? How often are you not content with what God has given to you?

 

We certainly do have a problem with God’s authority. The wicked tenants desired the authority for themselves. Even the Owners’ servants weren’t respected and neither was His beloved Son.

 

Our sinful nature challenges God’s authority as we operate in cahoots with the fallen world. We are tricked by Satan, just like Adam and Eve were in the Garden, to falsely think that God is holding back what we want. And if we sit back and think how the world portrays freedom today, freedom is defined as crossing the boundary of what’s good and right. 

Our fallen sinful nature even leads us to think wrongly about the church. We may get to thinking, “This is my church. The church belongs to me.” We sometimes forget that the church belongs to the Lord. We, the Church, belong to the Lord.

 

Remember, God planted the vineyard. We didn’t. We did nothing to deserve the vineyard. We didn’t choose God. He chose us and set His love upon us. 

 

Today, you and I are both the tenants and servants. Upon His death and resurrection, Jesus gave us His vineyard as His stewards. The planting of His vineyard is entirely His doing, not our doing. For Jesus said, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) on the truth that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). It is in this way alone that we became God’s cherished children, the objects of His constant love and His constant care.

 

For us, we no longer rely on the promise of the Lord’s salvation, since salvation is fully accomplished in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

 

As His tenants, we are all certainly capable of committing the same wickedness of the chief priests, scribes, and elders and their forefathers. We say things like, “It’s my car. It’s my money. It’s my investment.” But the reality is: It’s God’s car. It’s God’s money. It’s God’s investment. The reality is that we get the privilege in managing those things for Him. 

 

So, if we are truly listening to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, you would notice that Jesus is also speaking about the proper giving back of what God has given to you. The good news is that the Owner of the vineyard is patient. He waits a long time before He goes out and sends His servants to collect His rent. He doesn’t evict the tenants. He keeps sending servants. He doesn’t quit. The Owner of this vineyard – Prince of Peace Lutheran Church – is a compassionate, loving and caring God who won’t quit.

 

Even as His beloved Son is beaten up, thrown out of the vineyard and killed. Even in that very action, God gets His way. For in the rejection of His beloved Son, God the Father is providing a new beginning. God the Father is providing forgiveness and restoration. He is providing the cornerstone upon which His people will be built.

 

So, when the Owner of this vineyard comes looking for fruit, will you produce His fruit, or will you challenge His authority by your sin by being crushed by the Cornerstone?

 

Thanks be God that He is patient! Always remember that Jesus died for all those times you challenge His authority. So may we always repent and receive His forgiveness. God holds nothing back from us! When you repent, He always forgives unconditionally! And He not only gives us the vineyard, but He gives us the kingdom! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Faith-filled Giving" (Mark 12:38-44)

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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: 

“And [Jesus] called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on’” (Mark 12:43-44).

Some weeks ago, a rich young man came up to Jesus and asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). After Jesus examined the heart issues of this rich young man, He said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21). That’s the last we hear of this rich young man as he left Jesus disgruntled since He could not part from his absolute dependence on his great possessions.

 

In today’s Gospel lesson, we find Jesus and His disciples sitting in the temple court of the women, where the temple offerings were deposited. As they sit, Jesus is examining the hearts of all the worshipers.

 

There, in the court of the women, are 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles. If you are a Millennial or older, like me, you may remember those highway toll baskets. Those offering receptacles would look similar to those toll baskets. Worshipers would walk up to those receptacles and drop in their coins of copper, silver, or gold.

 

There, with Jesus and His disciples, would be other onlookers watching what others had given to the temple treasury, in case they felt the urge to outdo their neighbor.

 

Then comes up a woman, a widow. She drops into the receptacle two small copper coins. In today’s money, this would be a fraction of a cent. But surprisingly, Jesus says to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44). 

 

Now, how did Jesus know this? Did He ask this widow? No! He knew because as the Son of God, He could look into her heart. You see, Jesus knows vastly more about us and all others than we even know about ourselves.

 

This past Tuesday was the general election. You may be thrilled with the results, or you may be down in the dumps. Today, you may be thinking you know your future. But do you really know? Psalm 146 teaches us: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”(Psalm 146:3-4).

 

Do you really know everything that is going to happen in this coming year? Do you really know what your income will be? Do you really know what your overall financial situation will be? As much as we think we know – we don’t. We live in uncertainty. So much of our life is uncertain. 

 

Today’s Gospel text teaches us many things. One of those things is proportional giving. Jesus said the rich had given out of their abundance. For the rich, it was a surplus, an overflow. They made a lot of money, and they gave a lot of money. 

 

But for that widow, she gave all that she had – 100 percent. Now, the amount cannot compare, but percentage wise, that widow gave more than anyone else.

 

Proportional, or percentage giving, has always been the way God prescribed. Old Testament Israel was required to give 10 percent of the income they received. The tithe was God’s system of percentage giving. 

 

One reason why God prescribed proportional giving is that it works at all income levels. Some have said, “If I had a larger income, I would give a tithe, but right now, I can’t afford it.” 

 

Well, the nice thing about proportional giving is that it grows or shrinks with every paycheck. It works for everyone.

 

Now, in today’s Gospel text, Jesus still speaks about proportional giving, but He doesn’t demand any particular percentage. So, we can give more or less than ten percent. But our offerings should still reflect the way God has blessed us.

 

If the Old Testament people had to give 10 percent, and all they had was the promise of the Savior, what about how much we have been blessed? We are blessed with the certainty that the promise of the Savior has been fulfilled! Jesus Christ has come! We know He died and rose from the dead for us. We know that He has taken away sins. So, what’s the proper proportional thanksgiving for salvation?

 

But oddly enough, today’s text isn’t primarily about proportional giving. Recall all those rich people dropping in their silver and gold into the receptacles. It is likely that many gave a hefty proportion. Remember, ten percent was commanded, but many exceeded that. And someone could give 70, or 80, or 90 percent and still not be commended by Jesus. And why is that? What makes this widow so easily commended by Jesus?

 

You see, if we think our tithes and offerings gets us in good with God, then no percentage is good. God doesn’t need our tithes and offerings. He is God. He is wealthier beyond what we can imagine. However, the Church requires it and our neighbor in need requires it.

 

What really matters here is faith. God desires that we fear, love and trust in Him above all things. Faith is recognizing what God has done for us in the past and believing what He will continue to do for us in the future. 

 

The widow had so little of everything, except faith. It may be no accident that Jesus speaks about the scribes taking advantage of widows in their poverty and then covering up their wickedness by saying long prayers so that everyone would think them to be holy. It could very well be that a scribe took advantage of this widow and has deposited her money as his money into the temple receptacle.

 

Even if that is the case, this widow still offers to God the last of her money. And she gave as a matter of faith. Her husband had died, which meant she lost her sole source of income. Yet, she believed that God had provided for her and that He would continue to provide for her into the future.

 

You see, Christian giving is always a matter of faith. As I said earlier, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But we know Who already knows. So, do you recognize what God has done for you in the past? Do you trust that He will provide for you in the future? Christian giving is a question of faith. It is a question of trust. Christian giving is trusting that God will take care of you.

 

The widow completely trusted God. She trusted Him sacrificially.

 

Now, I’m not saying to empty out your bank accounts. That would be stupid and unwise. That would be a wrong interpretation of our text. But Jesus is inviting us to give Him ourselves. He is inviting us to trust in Him. He is inviting us to cling to Him as the Giver of all things for body and soul. If we truly trusted in Jesus, then our tithes and offerings would also represent that. 

 

Like the rich young man in Mark 10, today’s text about the widow’s faith also leaves us with a cliffhanger. What happens next? We don’t know.

 

Maybe Jesus and His disciples cared for her? Maybe she starved?

 

It’s no accident that we don’t know. If we did, it may have ruined the meaning of today’s text.

 

We are left in uncertainty about the widow, because our Christian tithes and offerings are always to be given in the face of uncertainty, since our giving is always to be an exercise of faith. Again, we don’t know our financial future. We don’t know if we may face catastrophic bills. We don’t know if you will lose your job, or if social security will dry up. We just don’t know.

 

But we do have some things that are always certain. Christ is coming back. Eternal life is certain for everyone who trusts in Jesus. His death and resurrection has made forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation certain for everyone who clings to Jesus as their Lord.

 

Today’s event at the temple is particularly thrilling for another reason. This would be Jesus’ last visit to the temple. From there, He went forward to offer Himself – all that He is – on the cross to pay the price we could not pay, to make the contribution we could not make. On that Good Friday, He paid our entire debt of sin. In Christ alone, we are forgiven. Amen.

 

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

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

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

 

[Expectations]

 

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

 

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

 

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

Do the dishes, check. 

Take out the trash, check. 

Fold the laundry, check.

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

[We Are Sinners]

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

[Sinners Saved by Jesus]

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +