Sermon for Pentecost 13: "The Most-Important Riddle" (Matthew 16:13-20)

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

Why does Jesus speak so much in riddles? Have you ever thought that? I have. And of course, that’s why I am asking.

 

To the scribes, Jesus asked, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mark 3:23). To the chief priests and the elders, Jesus asked, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” (Matthew 21:25). And Jesus spoke many more riddles.

 

But today, Jesus asks His disciples the most-important riddle: “Who do the people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13).

 

Christ’s disciples respond, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). 

 

John the Baptist sounds like a good answer. He was a man of the people. He may have appeared rugged, and he had some odd eating habits, but he was a strong man of faith. He had the courage to call sinners to repentance.

 

Elijah appears like a good answer, too. In the first century, there was major speculation that Elijah would return. Since he was taken up into heaven alive in the fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-14), he could very well return.

 

Then comes an odd addition: Jeremiah. Well, maybe not too odd. Jeremiah, like John the Baptist and Elijah were prophets, but Jeremiah didn’t have the so-called “cult of personality” that John and Elijah owned. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. Jeremiah called on the religious leaders to repent. Jeremiah said that Jerusalem and the temple would soon be destroyed because of the peoples’ unrepentant sin.

 

But similarities are there between John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Despite their differences, they each spoke what God called them to speak. They each suffered for speaking the very Word of God. John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah sound like good answers. But none of those answers are correct.

 

So, there appears to be some confusion on this “Son of Man.” Who is this “Son of Man”? What does it mean to be the “Son of Man”? Riddle me this: “Who is the Son of Man”?

 

Then Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Ahh, now we are getting somewhere!

 

Then Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

 

Here, Jesus has asked the most-important question – or really questions – that His disciples would ever answer. First, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is.” Then, “Who do you say that I am?”

 

You see, Jesus wants to be known. And He wants to be known by this mysterious title “Son of Man.”

 

Jesus uses this title “Son of Man” a sum of 82 times. It’s a favorite of Jesus. It’s the favorite of Jesus. And so much ink has been spilled through history on trying to figure out what “Son of Man” actually means.

 

Well, instead of trying to figure out this riddle on our own, why don’t we actually find out if Jesus answers this riddle? And guess what, Jesus actually explains the meaning of the Son of Man.

 

As Jesus asks the question, the answer is soon revealed. In fact, I already gave it away. Did you catch it? First, of course, Jesus rejects the false definitions: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But He does give the correct definition. Did you catch it? Did you notice it? The “Son of Man” is “the Son of the living God.”

 

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

 

Peter’s reason did not reveal this fact to him. It was God the Father who revealed this fact to Peter.

 

The disciples have not always understood. Now, they had their moments of understanding, but somehow, they would always come back to doubts and misunderstandings on who Jesus truly is. 

The disciples were in awe of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and the children. Soon, they thought Jesus was a ghost walking upon the sea. They cried in fear! But when they realized the ghost was Jesus, they said of Jesus, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Then, they had a terrible moment as they urged Jesus to send away the Canaanite woman. They are an example of our roller coaster of faith. Some days, you may have faith that could seemingly move mountains, but then the next day, that faith couldn’t even move over an ant hill. So, we have our good days and our bad days. But through it all, we have faith. Ultimately, it’s not about our feelings. Our feelings are flighty. But what never changes is God’s love for you and me. We are faithful because He is always faithful.

 

Our reason and strength will fail us. So, when you are weak, He is strong. When you cry out for help, He answers you and rescues you. He answered the need for hunger by feeding the crowds with just five loaves and two fish. He rescued Peter who in doubt jumped out of the boat to see if the man walking on the sea was Jesus. He rescued the Canaanite woman and healed her daughter from demon possession.

 

Today, Jesus desires to be known on who He truly is. He may be a prophet, but He is more than just a prophet. He may be a miracle worker, but He is more than just a miracle worker. Jesus is the Son of Man.

 

So, Jesus didn’t just want His disciples to know the answer to “Who is the Son of Man” and “Who am I”? He wanted them to know Him. Jesus would not go on from that riddle until He received the answer. 

 

Back in seminary, I was involved in a group called “Apple of His Eye.” The whole idea of this group was to ask this simple and yet profound question to people, “What do you think about Jesus?” I, along with the others, passed out leaflets about Jesus one summer. We walked down the Delmar Loop, which is a business district north of Washington University and Concordia Seminary, which is a hot-spot for college-aged people. Sometimes we were ignored, but other times, we had great conversations on who Jesus is. On one other occasion, we even walked about the St. Louis Pride Festival. There, we received so many conflicting ideas on who Jesus is: an unconditional lover, a judge, a prophet, a great guy, a figment of man’s imagination.

 

So, like Jesus’ riddle to His disciples, there are still so many questions on who Jesus truly is. What do you think about Jesus? This is the same question that Jesus asks of us. What do you think of Him?

 

The question about who is the Son of Man was a mystery for centuries before Jesus. One of the most famous Old Testament accounts of this mysterious Son of Man was revealed to the prophet Daniel by the Holy Spirit: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

 

This Son of Man is One who is before time. This Son of Man is One who has been given dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages. This Son of Man is One who has everlasting dominion. This Son of Man is One whose reign lasts forever and not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it.

 

Who is the Son of Man? The Son of Man is none other than Jesus who is the miraculous Offspring of the human race in whom the Son of God became man. The Son of Man is like us. He has our flesh. He is fully and truly human. He is like you and me, except without sin. The Son of Man is poor as He has no place “to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). The Son of Man eats and drinks (Matthew 11:19). The Son of Man is reviled, suffers, and dies (Matthew 17:12, 22-23; 20:18-19). The Son of Man bodily rises from the dead. These all prove that the Son of Man is the Son of God, who has come in our flesh in order to save sinners, like you and me, from eternal death. The Son of Man came to justify us as righteous in God’s sight.

 

This same Son of Man sees the thoughts of our heart, forgives sins, is the Lord of the Sabbath, sits at the right hand of God the Father as the ruler of the universe, and He promises to return in divine glory to judge the living and the dead on the Last Day.

 

The mystery is clear. God wants to be known. He wants to be known to you and by you. Today, He comes to us in the mystery of forgiveness spoken through a sinful pastor, He comes to us through the mystery of His Word proclaimed, He comes to us in the mystery of the Lord’s Supper. He comes to us with the purpose on making Himself known as the Son of Man, who is the Redeemer from the powers of sin, death, and the devil. Again, this is the most-important riddle: who is the Son of Man? He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 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 11: "Keeping Focus" (Matthew 14:22-33)

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

When you hear the phrase “he walks on water” or “she walks on water,” what comes to mind? Are you really thinking that he or she can actually physically walk on water? Most likely not. These days, that phrase “walks on water” usually invokes the idea that he or she is near perfect, or godlike.

 

Well, in case of Jesus, He’s not near perfect, He is perfect. He’s not godlike, He is fully and completely God in human flesh.

 

This morning’s Gospel lesson isn’t primarily about you or me, or about Peter who also walked on water. It’s not about how we too can step out in faith and get out of the boat. It’s not about our walk of faith. It’s actually about Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus, the Creator who comes as the Redeemer of the world. It’s about walking in trust in the One who walked on the water.

 

Now, this reading may be all about Jesus, but we are not left out. We are indeed included. I’ll get to that later.

 

Just last week, we heard about the miracle feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and the children from just five loaves of bread and two fish, which after everyone ate their fill and were satisfied, they left behind 12 baskets full of the broken pieces. That was quite a miracle!

 

But before Jesus performed that miraculous feeding, do you recall what the disciples said to Jesus? They said, “Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matthew 14:15). So, today, Jesus returns the favor as He sends away His disciples into a boat to go before Him to the other side of the sea, while He dismisses the crowds so that He could pray by Himself.

 

Oddly enough, the disciples never asked any questions, like “How are you going to get to the other side, Jesus?” We only hear that they left and Jesus remained to pray up on the mountain.

 

As Christ was praying, the disciples were having a difficult time coping with a contrary wind. First thing to note here is that these disciples were not afraid of this storm. You see, some of them were expert fishermen and capable sailors who had previously made a living on the Sea of Galilee. Yes, this sailing was difficult, but it wasn’t imperiling. Sudden, violent storms were all too common on the Sea of Galilee.

 

But a storm is still a storm. It would have been much easier to cross the sea on calm waters than stormy waters. So, like the disciples, we too, would prefer calm waters. The same is the case in flying. If you had the choice between a shorter flight with extreme turbulence and the longer flight with calm air, which flight would you choose? I would choose the longer flight with calm air.

 

Storms do make a difference, but storms are nothing unexpected on the Sea of Galilee. Yes, the storm was unfavorable, but they were never in any danger of drowning.

 

As they were fighting the waves, during the fourth watch of the night, that is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., the disciples notice a shadowy figure off into the distance coming toward them. The storm didn’t scare them, but now they are afraid! 

 

The storm they can handle. That is known to them. What they can’t handle is the unknown. As the shadowy figure comes closer, suddenly, they cry out, “It is a ghost!” (Matthew 14:26)

 

For these men, they thought this was it. If you or I were on that boat, I’m sure we would have thought the same. They thought they were goners. Could it be the Leviathan? For the Twelve, they were terrified. They believed that only a watery grave was their fate.

 

You see, Scripture often portrays the sea as a realm of chaos that opposes God’s order. In Isaiah 27, the sea is said to be the dwelling place of the ancient serpent – the Leviathan – who is God’s enemy.

 

So, what does Jesus’ walking on water mean for us? Well, first there is fear. Yes, Jesus is shadowy until He is fully seen. That is scary. But there is even more to this fear. You see, whenever the Lord shows His glory, this invokes fear. Man is incapable of walking on water. Man is just too heavy. So, Jesus is more than just a man. This indicates that Jesus has mastery over nature. He is in fact, the Creator of heaven and earth. As the Creator, He is not subject to space and time. He is the Lord of creation, so He has to power to dominate His creation.

But there is even more. Remember the Leviathan? Well, Jesus’ walking on water may indicate something more. Though Him walking on water, He “treads the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8). Because of the association of the sea with the devil, this could also indicate that Jesus’ walking on water not only demonstrates His divinity, but also His conquest over the evil foe. So, Christ comes not only to still life’s tempests, but also to crush the power of the devil underfoot.

 

But this lesson doesn’t just end with Jesus’ walking on water. In their fear, He calms them saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). There, Christ used His divine name, “I am.”

 

As the disciples have been calmed by Jesus’ words, Peter appears as if he wasn’t sure this man is Jesus. So, in typical Peter fashion, he cries out to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). So, Jesus invites Peter saying, “Come.”

 

So, keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter begins walking on the water toward Jesus. Then Jesus who has control over the wind and the sea began to test Peter by showing him a strong wind. All of a sudden, Peter begins to focus on the wind rather than on Jesus. He was distracted. He had lost hold of that word of Christ that He had spoken – “Come.” Instead, Peter was focusing on the wind and the water. He was realizing that he was walking on water. Now, he was sinking.

 

How often do you get distracted away from Christ? We live in a constantly distracting world. Emails, texts, notifications, and phone calls were supposed to make life simpler, but so often it makes life more distracting. We get distracted by so many shiny objects. And it is so hard to get back to being focused on the task at hand. In fact, studies show it takes 23 minutes to get refocused.

 

So, the eye always impedes hearing. For Peter, as long as he was hearing “come” and he did not look at the water beneath him, he was fine. But all at once when he began to take notice of the wind, he was distracted and right then and there, he lost his hearing of the word “come.” At that point, he begins to sink and goes under. Faith certainly starts out with strength, but it is made weak by the opposition of the wind.

 

The opposition of the wind for you and me is the world we live in. Satan is the prince of this fallen world. He is out to distract us from Jesus, so we would join him. 

You see, Satan wants us to follow our wants and our desires, rather than to hear Christ’s unchanging and saving Word. But what Satan never expects is what Peter cries out as he sinks, “Lord, save me!”(Matthew 14:30)

 

You see, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13) and “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). So, what happens to Peter? Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and took hold of him.

 

Remember earlier when I said that we are also included in this lesson? It’s subtle, but Peter’s distraction serves us as an illustration of the struggles we all face daily as Christians. We are, by nature, of the world, and we live simultaneously as saints and sinners, trusting and doubting accordingly. In our lives, we face continual struggles with the devil, the world, and our flesh. We see the troublesome seeds of doubt in our various vocations of life, whether we are husband or wife, parent or child, employer or employee. 

 

But there is a solution to our fears, struggles, and doubts! We can join Peter by calling upon the name of the Lord! We may lose our focus, but Jesus always maintains His focus. Jesus was sent to save sinners. He was sent to save you and me! As the Creator and our Redeemer, He accomplished our salvation by enduring the cross and rising victorious. He defeated our evil foes and gave all who trust in Him His victory! 

 

To this day, Jesus continues to call us as He says “Come” through His Word and Sacraments, bringing the joyful message, “It is I.” This strengthens us in our weak faith, frees us from our fears and doubts, and moves us to joyful service in His kingdom.

 

We, too, confess with Christ’s disciples, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33), who delivers us from the devil and eternal death, as well as from the myriad of storms in this life. Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

O You of Little Faith, Why do you Doubt?

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26).

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown in to the oven, will he not much clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:25, 30).

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).

Over and over again, Jesus rebuked His holy apostles saying, “O you of little faith.” We are not much different from Christ’s holy apostles. We doubt. We doubt that God will provide. We worry about money and finances, especially during times of Inflation. Often, our worries are inward focused – on ourselves – instead of where they ought to be as outwardly focused on God.  

We often find ourselves playing the role of the rich fool, who would rather store up his goods, so we can say, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 20:19). After all, that is the American way, right? We store up goods, instead of giving back what rightfully belongs to God.

But what always happens, despite our doubting? God always provides for our needs. God is always faithful, even when we are “of little faith.”

Each Sunday, we confess our faith using the Creed (from Credo meaning, “I believe”). We confess, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible” at each communion Divine Service (First Article of the Nicene Creed) or, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth” at each non-communion Divine Service (First Article of the Apostles’ Creed). But what exactly are we confessing?

Martin Luther noticed that during his time, many parishioners were just going through the motions and never gave much thought on what they were actually confessing. In his Large Catechism, Luther wrote[1]:

“Here much could be said if we were to describe how few people believe this article. We pass over it; we hear it and recite it, but we neither see nor think about what the words command us to do. For if we believed it with our whole heart, we would also act accordingly, and not swagger about and boast and brag as if we had life, riches, power, honor, and such things of ourselves, as if we ourselves were to be feared and served. This is the way the wretched, perverse world acts, drowned in its blindness, misusing all the blessings and gifts of God solely for its own pride, greed, pleasure, and enjoyment, and never turning to God to thank Him or acknowledge Him as Lord or Creator.

“Therefore, if we believed it, this article should humble and terrify all of us. For we sin daily with our eyes, ears, hands, body and soul, money and property, and with all that we have, especially those who even fight against the Word of God. Yet Christians have this advantage, that they acknowledge that they owe it to God to serve and obey Him for all these things”

So, what are all these things? What exactly are we confessing in the First Article of the Creed?

Well, we confess that God is the giver of all things. He always provides. We only receive. We don’t earn anything by our own merit. God is the giver of all wealth. God is the giver because He is the Creator of heaven and earth.

Luther again writes in his Large Catechism[2]:

“What is meant by these words or what do you mean when you say, ‘I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator,’ etc.? Answer: I hold and believe that I am God’s creature, that is, that He has given me and constantly sustains my body, soul, and life, my members great and small, all my senses, my reason and understanding, and the like; my food and drink, clothing, nourishment, spouse and children, servants, house and farm, etc. Besides, He makes all creation help provide the benefits and necessities of life – sun, moon, and stars in the heavens; day and night; air, fire, water, the earth and all that it yields and brings forth; birds, fish, animals, grain, and all sorts of produce. Moreover, He gives all physical and temporal blessings – good government, peace, security. Thus we learn from this article that none of us has life – or anything else that has been mentioned here or can be mentioned – from ourselves, nor can we by ourselves preserve any of them, however small and unimportant. All this is comprehended in the word ‘Creator.’”

In the First Article of the Creed, we confess that God provides. God always provides! Great is His faithfulness to us! He provides our temporal needs (food, clothing, shelter, and the like) to all people, believer and unbeliever alike, and He provides our eternal needs (forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation) to all who trust in Jesus Christ alone!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
   his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
   “therefore I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

---

[1] Kolb, Robert and Wengert, Timothy. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000), 432-433.

[2] Ibid.

Sermon for the Holy Trinity: "Trinity in Unity" (Acts 2:14a, 22-36)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Holy Trinity – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – in undivided Unity!

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Happy Trinity Sunday and a blessed Memorial Day weekend as we remember our fallen military who risked everything – including their own lives – to preserve our temporal freedom.

On this Trinity Sunday, we confess the very complicated. We confess the triune nature of God. We confess that there is one true God and it is the Holy Trinity.

Over the years, many have taught the Trinity through earthly things, like apples and clovers. The apple is like the Trinity in that it has three parts and yet it is one apple with the peel, the flesh, and the seeds. Clovers are like the Trinity in that it has three leaves and is yet one clover. But even with all the analogies that we have thought of, we cannot fully comprehend the Trinity.

Although the Trinity is hard to understand, this is an essential article of the faith. This is why we confess the Trinity each and every Sunday throughout the Divine Service in the Invocation, in the Introit, in the prayers, in the Creeds, and in the hymns. God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All other gods are only a figment of human imagination. All other gods are fake and offer nothing. The Islamic false god known as Allah has no power. The Hindu false gods have no power. All earthly “gods” are completely worthless.

The one true God is beyond our human understanding. Unlike all fake gods, the one true God reaches out to us specifically in the Second Person of the Trinity, that is, the Son of God, as He became fully human, so that He could suffer and die for our sins and rise from the grave so that we could be with God in all eternity.

You see, although we may find it hard to understand the Holy Trinity, He is essential to our salvation. It is indeed comforting and reassuring knowing who the true God really is.

As we may give the Persons of the Trinity particular attributes – such as Creator for God the Father, Redeemer for God the Son, and Sanctifier for God the Holy Spirit – we must also remember that we cannot separate the Holy Trinity, since the three Persons of the Trinity work together as the one true God. In today’s Second Reading from Acts 2, we hear this perspective in Peter’s Pentecost sermon.

Surprisingly, Peter’s Pentecost sermon is not really about the Holy Spirit – although the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is certainly prominent on that Pentecost Day. Through his preaching, Peter shows us how the Holy Trinity works together to bring about our salvation.

[The Resurrection]

Although the term Holy Trinity is never mentioned in the Scriptures, the Persons of the Trinity are mentioned. Most prominently, Jesus’ Great Commission stands out the most as He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Peter also proclaims the Holy Trinity in his Pentecost sermon as he says, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:32-33).

Here, Peter is stating the resurrection of Jesus as a fact that can be confirmed by witnesses. Peter’s point is not to establish the fact of the resurrection, but to explain its significance. So, what is the significance of the resurrection?

Since Christ is indeed raised from the dead, we are certain of our salvation. In his Pentecost sermon, Peter said, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it” (Acts 2:23-24). You see, God the Father sent His Son to bear our sins and be our Savior and the Holy Spirit proclaims our salvation through proclaiming Jesus.

[The Athanasian Creed]

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, we dig deeper into the Triune nature of God. For centuries, humanity has attempted to understand who God is. As creatures created by God, we only know what God has revealed to us through His Scriptures and in nature. Through nature, we can only understand God the Creator.

But through His inspired Scriptures, He reveals so much more! He reveals how we are saved from the power of sin, death, and Satan.

This salvation – by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone – is confessed in the Athanasian Creed. Although this Creed does not fully explain the Trinity, it does give us boundary lines. We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Now, this Creed can be hard to fully understand in one reading as it does present complicated words and appears to go in circles with similar phrases throughout. The Athanasian Creed also does often brings up questions, especially with its anathemas. That is, the condemnations at the beginning and end of this Creed. Let’s begin with that as we see how this longest Creed proclaims our salvation.

“Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith. Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally” and “This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.” So, what does this mean?

To be short and sweet, it means just that. We must believe in the Holy Trinity in order to be saved. Now, we may not fully understand the Triune nature of God, but we are to trust in Him. This is what this means. This is faith. We are to trust. And in trusting in the Trinity, we are saved. For He is the one true God.

This is what we confess each and every Sunday, but the difference is that the confession of the Athanasian Creed says what we imply in the other Creeds. The point of the Athanasian Creed is that we confess the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity. Therefore, there are not three Gods, but one God who is coeternal with each other and coequal.

The doctrine of the Trinity is what Jesus constantly taught. On just a couple of those occasions, Jesus said, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9a) and “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). This is Jesus proclaiming the oneness He has with God the Father, just as was said in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

So, there is not three Gods, but one God. Through the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, we are saved. Salvation is only found in the Holy Trinity – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

[Trinity in Unity]

Again, Peter’s Pentecost sermon is not ultimately about the Holy Spirit, but rather about how the Holy Trinity works together for our salvation.

From Creation as recorded in Genesis through all the millennia, the Holy Trinity was working for our salvation as He inspired the Prophets to proclaim the coming Savior.

In fact, this is what Peter proclaimed from David:

“I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
Or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
You will make me full of gladness with your presence” (Acts 2:25-28; Psalm 16:8-11)

Here, David is not telling of himself, since his flesh saw corruption and died as Peter rightly speaks. Instead, David is writing as a prophet as he foresaw the Christ coming. So, in fact, it is Jesus who is speaking these words from Psalm 16. It is Jesus who is at the right hand of the Father. It is Jesus who will not be abandoned to death. It is Jesus who will not be corrupted by sin. It is Jesus, with the Father and the Holy Spirit who is always before us.

Because Jesus has suffered, died, and rose for our salvation, this makes Him both Lord and Christ. This means that we can recognize that the risen and ascended Jesus is with us. So, our faith is not shaken by all the hardships that we encounter in this life, for David says concerning Jesus: “I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken” (Acts 2:25).

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night (John 3:1-17), he thought he was only visiting a great prophet. But Jesus is more than just a prophet. He said to Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit will bring him to know that He is not just a great prophet, but He is the One who descended from the Father. Jesus taught Nicodemus and He continues to teach us that it is the Holy Spirit that brings us to faith in Him, since it is only through Jesus that we are able to enter the Kingdom of God.

So, whatever hardships we encounter – such as spiritual doubt, persecution, peer pressure – Jesus is with us as He offers us comfort as He says, “Take heart, do not be afraid for I have overcome the world” (Matthew 14:27, John 16:33).

This means that we can experience joy and hope because of the certainty that God will never abandon us. You see, Jesus’ death on the cross has reconciled us to God by forgiving the sin that separated us from Him. Now, since we have been joined to Jesus in Baptism and since God the Father did not abandon Him, we know He will never leave us in this life and the life to come.

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, Jesus enables us to see the Holy Trinity by Him coming in our flesh as He took away our sin through His death and resurrection. Through Christ alone, we know that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. He brought us to faith through the waters of Holy Baptism. He alone keeps us in the faith through the hearing and study of His Word and through the partaking of Christ’s very Body and Blood under the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, which forgives our sins and strengthens our faith. So, when we see Jesus, we see the Holy Trinity.

We may not fully comprehend the Holy Trinity, but we with the seraphim proclaim the salvation won on the cross through the Triune God proclaiming:

4    Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
    All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
    God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!    (Holy, Holy, Holy! Stanza 4)

Text: Public domain

Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Sermon for Pentecost 9: "In Christ Alone, We Are Satisfied"

To watch First Ev. Lutheran Church's Divine Service for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, click here.

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:

[Intro]

How are you being fed? The common proverb “You are what you eat” is very true.

We are constantly eating. We eat to satisfy our stomach. We also eat to satisfy our mind. How are you being fed?

One week is 168 hours. On average, we should be getting about eight hours of sleep each night, which is 56 hours per week. On average, we work 30-40 hours per week. On average, we watch 35 hours of television per week[1]. On average, we spend about three hours per day on social media, which is about 21 hours per week[2]. But, how much time are you studying God’s Word in Scripture and hymnody?

A typical Sunday Divine Service is between 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. A typical Sunday Bible class is an hour.

According to a study, fewer than 20 percent of churchgoers open their Bible daily[3].

And, sadly, according to a Barna survey, one-in-three practicing Christians has stopped attending or stopped watching services online during the COVID-19 Pandemic.[4] Again, one-in-three practicing Christians have just vanished, since the pandemic.

Today, more people are taught about Jesus from television and movies than from God’s Word. And, more often than not, what television and movies teach about Jesus is just pure wrong.

So, what are you eating to satisfy your body and soul? Remember, “You are what you eat.” So, how are you fed? How are you nourished?

[The Feeding of the 5,000]

Today on this Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, we hear how Jesus withdraws from the public eye to a remote place. Or rather, He attempts to do so. The crowds who followed Him as He spoke parables are searching for Him as they desire to be fed by His Words. When they find out where Jesus is – on the northern corner of the Sea of Galilee, they follow Him on foot.

Today’s Gospel lesson is all about God’s compassion and how He provides for us!

We begin today’s reading with Jesus responding to the news of John the Baptist’s execution. Upon hearing the news, He withdrew to a desolate place by boat as He prayed. In time, the crowds that heard His parables found Him upon a boat in the Sea of Galilee.

“When [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

Although, John the Baptist had died, the mission would continue. God’s compassion and providing would not cease.

Jesus sees a people that are in desperate need for someone to guide and nurture them. They are sick and hungry. They have spiritual needs and physical needs. They are starving for only the nourishment that He alone can deliver.

“Now when it was evening, the disciples came to [Jesus] and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves’ But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat’” (Matthew 14:15-16).

Now, let’s look at this from the point of view of the disciples: Whoa! Where did this come from? This is Jesus challenging the disciples to provide food for the crowd. Here, Jesus is testing them. Now, did the disciples pass the test?

The disciples respond to Jesus saying, “We have only five loaves here and two fish” (Matthew 14:17).

Instead of looking at the situation with a glass half full, the disciples are seeing this situation as a glass half empty. They see this situation as hopeless. They have little faith in seeing a resolution. All Jesus is looking for is for them to put their faith and trust in Him, their Master, who is God in the flesh, to provide.

You see, Jesus refuses to dismiss the crowds, because there is no need to do so. The disciples are seeing this situation from a human point of view by asking “Why not dismiss the crowds and let them provide for themselves?” But Jesus is seeing this situation from God’s point of view.

This Jesus is the same God who delivered quail to the Israelites. This Jesus is the same God who gave the Israelites bread from heaven in abundance. This Jesus is the same God who opened the rock and out sprung water. (Introit – Psalm 105:40-41)

This Jesus is the same God who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

As the disciples fade from view, they return after Jesus acts. With the command “bring them here to me” (Matthew 14:18), the Lord provides.

Just as He has done before, Jesus prepares nourishment for the crowds. He takes the five loaves of bread and two fish, pronounces a blessing, and gives the food to the disciples. Then, Jesus fulfills His word that the disciples thought they could never do as He said to them: “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16).

Through Jesus, the disciples were able to provide food to the crowds. They thought they couldn’t, but now they are! You see, Jesus wasn’t about to leave the crowds to fend for themselves. Jesus provides.

And Jesus didn’t just provide the crowds with enough food. He provided the crowd with an abundance of food! Everyone ate and no one was left hungry for more. Everyone was completely satisfied.

As everyone was satisfied, there was an abundance of food left over, enough for twelve full baskets! That is a lot of leftovers for people who have eaten their fill.

Now, how many were satisfied? Was it just a few? No, it was a crowd of 5,000 men, not including the women and children! So, this Feeding of the 5,000 could be actually more like the Feeding of the 10,000 or 20,000! God is constantly providing and He always gives in abundance!

[The Message of the Miracle]

Now, what was the result of the Feeding of the 5,000?

It may seem odd that Matthew offers no account of a response or faith from the disciples or from the crowds. There is no mention of astonishment or faith or praise. Instead, the crowd and the disciples are left to marvel on their own at the Christ, who acts the way God acts and miraculously feeds the people.

You see, the primary message of this miracle is about the compassionate power of Jesus!

This miracle tells us about who Jesus is and about how much God cares about the needs of His people – in this age and in the age to come!

As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, they needed God’s provision, and He graciously provided even when they didn’t think that He would or could. Here, Jesus reaches out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He heals their sicknesses, and He offers them truth, and He feeds them by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish into a feast!

Jesus not only provides for our needs of body – our daily bread – He also provides for our spiritual needs as He is also the Bread of eternal life! Jesus is always providing for you and me!

[We are Only Satisfied through Jesus]

Oftentimes, we may be like the disciples and see the situation in our life as hopeless. You may be in severe financial debt. You may not have enough money to put food on your table. You may be suffering the loss of a loved one who guided you, and now You are lost without them. You may think you have sinned so badly that you believe that even God would not forgive you. You may be worried about COVID-19, cancer, or other diseases. You see, on our own, we are limited. On our own, we are never satisfied. On our own, we may see only hopelessness.

But faith trusts in Jesus even when the situation is hopeless from a human perspective. So, put your sins, worries and griefs upon Jesus! He alone gives us the confidence to get through the roadblocks of our life. As the world arounds us changes, God’s love for you never changes – for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8)

If you are in debt or you would like to learn how to manage your money better, a great resource is Financial Peace University, which First Lutheran will host again this fall.

If you have sinned – and we all have – we have Jesus, who has died for that sin, so that by repentance and faith in Him, that sin is forgiven through His atoning death and bodily resurrection! And, know this, for everyone who dies in Christ will receive the crown of everlasting life!

You see, Jesus continuously shows His compassion upon us, His sheep! He did not leave us to suffer and die in our sin. Instead, Christ came to us with divine compassion as He saved us from sin and death as He feeds us with Himself through His Word and Sacrament! He rescues us and feeds us through His Means of Grace! In hearing His Word taught and rightly proclaimed, we are fed! In receiving His true body and true blood in the Sacrament, we are fed! Our brokenness is restored to health as Christ alone strengthens and preserves us in body and soul to everlasting life!

Just as Jesus once took bread, “said a blessing,” broke the loaves “and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds” (Matthew 14:18-19), He also now takes bread, blesses it by His Word to be His very body, and freely gives it to His Church by the hand of His called and ordained servants. And, just as “they took up twelve baskets of the broken pieces” (Matthew 14:20), there is more than enough for His whole Church to eat and to be satisfied!

So, every person who hears His Word, receives His Sacrament, and by faith believes His promise is completely satisfied for by grace through faith in Christ alone, we are “the children of the promise [and] are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:8) in His kingdom, as we are satisfied in this life and in the life to come!

In Christ alone, we are satisfied! Amen!

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

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[1] https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/average-american-watches-5-hours-tv-day-article-1.1711954

[2] https://techjury.net/blog/time-spent-on-social-media/#gref

[3] https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2012/september/new-research-less-than-20-of-churchgoers-read-bible-daily.html

[4] https://www.barna.com/research/new-sunday-morning-part-2/?utm_campaign=OS-Rep-200722-Back-To-Church&utm_content=Matthew%20Sisson&utm_source=OS-MATTHEWS&utm_medium=email