"Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good" (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

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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:

“Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thessalonians 3:12).

 

What is your view on work? Is work a pleasing thing or is work something that you’d rather not do? What is your opinion on work?

 

The people from the day of St. Paul to today often have a wrong view of work. For most people, they view work like this: “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.”

 

For most people, work is just seen as a necessary evil. Work is just a way to pay off debts or to fund your lifestyle. For most people, they would rather extoll the virtue of laziness. Or they would rather do anything else but work, such as fishing, hunting, golfing, sailing, traveling. You can think of all those signs that say, “I would rather be – just fill in the blank.” So, often, we would rather be doing anything else but work.

 

With this attitude, it is easy to see why so many people dislike their job. They see work as valueless – except for the paycheck. That they like. But with this attitude, instead of trying to be the best at your job, so often people just want to do only enough to avoid being fired, or to be constantly looking for a better and more lucrative opportunity. In general, so many of us just show utter indifference to the quality of your work. The one thing that makes the difference is getting that paycheck, so, again, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.”

 

Who really wants to work? Work is hard work! But this attitude is nothing new, for there is nothing new under the sun.

 

You see, throughout history, cultures have denigrated the value of work. Jews thought work was inferior to studying God’s Law. Greeks and Romans viewed manual labor as beneath their dignity. They viewed work as only fit for slaves or the lower class.

 

Even in the early to medieval Church, Christians had a negative view on work. They saw the first-class Christians serving God alone through church-work vocations, such as pastor, monk or nun. They saw second-class Christians as those who would engage in secular employment. 

 

This was the prevalent view until Martin Luther promoted the doctrine of vocation, which taught the Biblical truth that all Christians are equal in Christ. Luther promoted the idea that all honest work is a way to serve God and your neighbor. So, a shoemaker serves God by making durable and well-crafted shoes, and a baker by baking good bread, and a pastor by preaching and administering the Sacraments rightly. All are God-given vocations. Each vocation is a mask of God. For example, behind the baker is a gracious God faithfully providing for His creatures.

 

Through this doctrine of vocation, there is no such thing as just a “secular job” for a Christian, since all work is our spiritual duty as is done to give glory to God.

 

In the Garden, God gave us all the vocation of work. And originally, work was not a chore. Work used to be easy and enjoyable. Work was not a result of the Fall, since God commanded Adam to work in the Garden before the Fall (Genesis 2:15). The Fall did not initiate work, but the Fall certainly cursed it (Genesis 3:17-19).

 

So, because Adam did not listen to God and rather to Eve, work today is no longer easy and enjoyable, but laborious and painful.

 

Work was meant to be a gift from God. Work was meant to provide development of skill and productivity. Work was meant to provide contribution, value, meaning and fulfillment. Work was meant to prevent idleness. Afterall, as the saying goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” God’s gift of work served as a means of demonstrating the image of God in man, who by work provides for the needs of all in their care. God’s gift of work was meant to serve one’s neighbor.

 

So, what was the situation in our Epistle reading today? Well, the situation in Thessalonica was that some people, believing the resurrection had already occurred, were living as if nothing mattered, and among other things, had stopped working. They did nothing all day, but blabber and chat and upset their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ by yapping and running their mouth. They had no filter. They offered their opinion on every subject, and especially proclaiming false doctrine – in this case, that the resurrection had already happened, strange as that falsehood may seem. 

They were “not busy at work, but busybodies” (2 Thess. 3:11).

So, what was causing this strife? Certainly, there was disagreement about the coming of Christ, or if He had already come. But there was also an underlying cultural issue. You see, the Thessalonians may have been influenced by the prevailing Greek, Roman, and Jewish understandings of work, and felt that work was beneath their dignity. Or, it could have just been plain laziness. In this letter, St. Paul does not mention their motives for failing to work, because none of them are valid, since there is no excuse for someone who is physically able to work and thus chooses not to work.

 

The Holy Spirit inspires St. Paul to be quite clear: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”(2 Thess. 3:10). This may seem harsh, but freeloading does not come without consequences. Talking and not working is not a victimless crime. Nothing is free. Everything has a cost. And St. Paul’s point is simple: If people get hungry enough, they will work for food. Solomon was inspired to put it this way in Proverbs 16: “A laborer’s appetite labors for him, because the hunger of his mouth drives him on” (Proverbs 16:26). 

 

So, Christians who have the opportunity and the ability to work are to work so they can eat. And for those who have the ability to work and refuse to work, God’s Word says in 1 Timothy 5: “If anyone does not provide for his own family, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

 

The core issue of Paul here is on those not willing to work. He is not going after those physically unable to work. There is a difference. The difference is on responsibility. Able-bodied people are to work and care for their families and their neighbors in need who are physically unable to work. Paul, here, is saying don’t be too lazy to work. 

 

In modern America, we are so used to entitlements. This is the idea that those who will not work are entitled to be paid money from those who do work. And the results of this welfare culture are evident for all to see. Some use this system as a safety net; others abuse this system to their advantage. Certainly, financial needs must be met when you or I hit hard times. At those hard times, welfare is certainly a blessing, but as God’s Word says, if you are physically able to work, you must work. Again, idle hands are never good, since God created us to work, so that we would benefit our family and our neighbor.

 

For these Thessalonians, this idleness was not just a matter of mooching on their neighbor’s bread or sticking their noses into others’ business, this idleness exemplified living “not in accord with the tradition [that is, the teachings of the faith] that you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). 

 

You see, not only had they become lazy at work, but they had also become complacent spiritually. They were not imitating the teachings of their divine Master Jesus Christ. They were altering teachings they were not to alter. They were teaching laziness as a good thing across temporal and spiritual realms. They were weighed down with the cares of life. They were not awake spiritually. 

 

Like the Thessalonians then, if you had a choice to work or not to work, what would you choose? Knowing my sinful nature, I’d choose not to work. But laziness is a serious sin against God who created us with talents and abilities to work. It is also a sin against the Body of Christ, against our brothers and sisters in Christ, to whom we are connected as co-workers.

 

Even though St. Paul calls us to keep away from those who walk in idleness, his Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ did not. Jesus came into this fallen world filled with lazy, sinful people. Now, Jesus never encouraged idleness, but He did call the sinner to realize the seriousness of his sin, so he would repent and be saved through His blood and merit, rather than continuing on his sinful path to his soul’s destruction.

 

Jesus came into this fallen world to save us. He lived the life we were all called to live. He did the work. He completed our work. He suffered and died the penalty that we all deserve because of our sin: death. He died, so that He would be raised again, so that by faith in Him, we also receive the fruits of His cross and bodily resurrection: forgiveness of sins, life everlasting, and salvation. Jesus did the work. He didn’t ignore us. He died for us. He rose for us. He ascended for us. 

 

So, for everyone who is in Christ, everyone who has received His grace and mercy, let us not grow weary of doing good. Let us who are able to use our talents and responsibilities use them for the good of your neighbor. May the Lord help us to follow His example through our daily vocations. With the Holy Spirit’s help, let us never grow weary in doing good. 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 3: "The Stronger Man" (Mark 3:20-35)

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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, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Mark 3:27).

 

Everywhere Jesus went, crowds gathered. We see this in today’s Gospel reading. People just wanted to touch Him. They just wanted to see Him perform miracles. They wanted to hear His powerful preaching. To this, there were certainly questions. Who is Jesus? Is He a rabbi? Is He a prophet? Is He a sorcerer? Could He be the promised Messiah? Could He just be crazy, a misguided lunatic, a charlatan, a fraud? Could He be an agent of Satan?

 

Even those who were closest to Jesus – His earthly family – did not know Him. Certainly, they thought they knew Jesus, but they did not. For they were saying, “He is out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). His family was saying to Him: “Enough!” They wanted to talk some sense into Him, or even restrain Him. They thought it was insane and unhealthy the way He was going about Galilee preaching and teaching. They thought the work had gotten to Him, or He was burned out. So, they came to Capernaum to do an intervention: “Jesus, it’s time to end this and just come home!”

 

By their actions, His own family did not know Him. They did not believe in Him as the promised Messiah. Nor did they understand the necessity of Him using every opportunity in sharing His message. 

 

If His family had serious misgivings about Jesus, the Jewish religious leaders went all out in seeking to undermine His influence. Now, they could not deny that Jesus was performing miracles or driving out demons. But their minds were made up about Him: “He’s evil!” They cry out: “‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘by the prince of demons he casts out demons’” (Mark 3:22).

 

Now, “Beelzebul” was a wordplay on the Philistine false god known as “Baal.” Beelzebul had become to be known as “the ruler of demons,” or “the master of the spirits.”

 

As they name dropped “Baal”, Jesus gives the true name for “Baal.” For “Baal” was just another disguise or alias for Satan himself.

 

Jesus replies, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end” (Mark 3:23-26). 

 

In effect, Jesus is saying: “How is Satan able to cast himself out? Do you not know basic principles? A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If I am aligned with Satan, My ministry against him is divided. So, he is of no effect and is finished. But that is not true, since Satan is still living and active and is still a powerful force, a force that I am dealing with.”

 

You see, the last thing Satan would ever do is cast out his own demons. Satan would never cast out his own henchmen. Satan would never divide against himself.

 

As much as today’s society would like us to believe that Satan is a figment of our imagination, Jesus says here that Satan is very real. Satan likes working behind the scenes. Satan likes not taking the credit. That’s why he disguises himself as “Baal,” as “Molech,” as an “angel of light.”

 

Since the Fall of Man, by luring Adam and Eve to commit the original sin: pride. As Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride is the sin that is celebrated by the fallen world this month. Pride is the worship not of God, but a worship of the self and submission only to self. Pride should not be celebrated. No expression of pride – the excessive love of self – should ever be accepted or tolerated and certainly celebrated as pride has become its own false idol, a false idol that Satan used to convince angels to become demons, a false idol that Satan used to convince Adam and Eve to question God’s love for them.

 

As Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, Satan took possession of this fallen world and everyone in it. But now Jesus has come to bind up Satan. He has come to plunder Satan’s house. He has come to destroy Satan’s kingdom. Jesus has come to reclaim those who were possessed by Satan. Jesus has come to redeem all those who would trust in Him.

 

Jesus has come to set you free from your sins. He has come to claim you. He has come to make you His very own. 

But what do these Jewish religious leaders see in Jesus? They see Jesus as the incarnation of evil. 

 

The only unforgiveable sin is unbelief. For Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you … whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28, 29). Jesus is extremely serious here. He isn’t mincing His words. 

 

You see, the Holy Spirit’s main work is to point us to Jesus, so that He may be known in the Means of Grace: His Word and Sacraments. 

 

As fallen people, we are spiritually blind and dead (Ephesians 2:1), so that we are unable to come to faith in Jesus on our own, let alone choose to entrust our lives to Him. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we actively resist the Gospel’s call to faith in Jesus Christ, since “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17).

 

This unforgiveable sin is the stubborn, persistent refusal to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. Faith in Jesus is the gift of God. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). 

 

People can and often do resist the Holy Spirit’s power. They hear the Gospel invitation, but they resist. By their own stubbornness, they close their hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit. And without the Holy Spirit, there can be no repentance; there can be no forgiveness; there can be no faith; and there can be no salvation.

 

When people resist the Holy Spirit, they remain in their sins, their unbelief, their blasphemy. This was the sin of these Jewish religious leaders. They refused to hear His Gospel promise. They claimed they knew who Jesus was, but they stubbornly resisted what the Holy Spirit wanted to reveal to them. Their hearts and their minds were closed.

 

Has it ever occurred to you that you may be guilty of an unforgiveable eternal sin? Have you ever doubted Jesus’ promises? Have you ever neglected Jesus’ words of Law and Gospel? We would like to say, “Not me!”

 

Do you recall those words said by your Godparents at your Baptism? Do you recall those words you said on your Confirmation Day? 

“Do you renounce the devil? Do you renounce all his works? Do you renounce all his ways?” Have you ever given into Satan’s temptations to live according to the fallen world? 

 

You see, Satan is consistently tempting us to not “Know, Grow, and Go” in God’s Word in avoiding your Sabbath rest in God’s Word and His Sacraments, but instead Satan urges us to follow his ways of sexual immorality, idolatry, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, divisions, and envy (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

Now, if you are worried that you may have committed an unforgivable eternal sin, let me assure you that you are not guilty of sinning against the Holy Spirit. The fact that you are concerned means that the Holy Spirit is working on you and in you and is still seeking to bring you to repentance and to assure you of salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

For people who are guilty of this sin, they never even consider it. They don’t even think about it. They go on in their lives in stubborn indifference with their minds closed to the truth. Their hearts resist the Holy Spirit’s gracious invitation.

 

May we never forget Christ’s Gospel promise: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter” (Mark 3:28). So, if you are troubled by any particular sin, hear Christ’s words again: “All sins will be forgiven.” Remember, Jesus forgave those who spat in His face, who beat Him, who mocked Him, and who hung Him on the tree of the cross. He forgave and restored His disciples who had forsaken Him and denied Him. And He will even forgive you.

 

So, is Jesus crazy? Is He misguided? Is He of the devil? No, Jesus is the Strong One who came to bind up Satan. He came to rob Satan’s house by His dying on the cross. He has come to make you His own. He has come to forgive you. And He is here today as He comes to us in His very body and blood under the bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Altar to forgive your sins.

 

Thanks be to God that Satan’s power over us is broken. Yet, Satan still brings us troubles – as he is still living and active – in this fallen world, but he can never do more than Christ allows. Satan cannot hold us. For everyone in Christ, we no longer belong to Satan. We belong to the Stronger Man, who comes to you this day with the promise to forgive all your sins. 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 Easter 7: "Unified, Restored, and Sent" (Acts 1:12-26)

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

“You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). With those words, Jesus encouraged His apostles as He was bodily ascending triumphantly into heaven as Emmanuel – God with us.

 

Today on this Seventh Sunday of Easter, these witnesses are no longer hiding behind locked doors for the fear of the Jewish authorities. No, this joyous assurance of the Ascension of our Lord knowing that He will return again filled their hearts and drove out all fear. From the moment they left the Mount of Olives, they worshiped the Father and His Son, Jesus, in full public view.

 

But as how unified the Eleven were as they were with one accord devoting themselves to prayer, they were not complete. Jesus called Twelve men, not eleven. The outward appearance of unity and completeness might be maintained, but what was broken cannot make itself whole again. Sin cannot be undone, except if God Himself should do it. So, how shall the apostles be made one again?

 

During the days that followed the ascension of Jesus, the Eleven and the other disciples, about 120 in number, awaited the coming of the promised Holy Spirit by devoting themselves to prayer. Their prayer arose out of their study together of the prophets – who had pointed to the incarnation of Christ, His ministry, sufferings, death, and resurrection – and of the Psalms, the prayer book of the twelve tribes of Israel, of the whole people of God, of Christ Jesus, and of the Church in all ages.

 

In the course of their prayers from God’s Word, Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 came to Peter’s attention. Here, was the Word from the Lord to direct their action. As the de facto leader, Peter took the initiative in doing something. Since Jesus had chosen Twelve men, Peter and the others believed that a replacement for Judas should be selected. As Israel had been broken and scattered because of sin, so, too, the apostolic circle had been broken by the sin of Judas Iscariot. The Twelve were now only the Eleven. The full number of the Twelve must be restored.

 

After citing Scripture, Peter concludes that someone must be chosen to take Judas’ place. But who? Well, it would be a man who has the same qualifications as the other apostles. That is, he must have been with Jesus from the beginning of the Savior’s ministry – His righteous fulfilling Baptism by John – to the day of His ascension. Like the others, the man who is chosen must be one who had seen and heard and touched and eaten and been instructed by the risen Christ.

 

So, the group of believers nominated two men who met these qualifications: Joseph called Barsabbas who was also called Justus – and Matthias. But why one witness more? Why not both? Well, if this were simply a matter of adding witnesses, certainly 13 would be better than 12. And in the coming years, the number of those who proclaim the resurrection would swell, as Barnabas, Paul, and Apollos joined in.

 

But remember, at the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, He chose 12 men – the living picture of Israel made one in Him and in their call to follow Him faithfully. Their unity, too, was broken by unfaithfulness by Judas Iscariot. This time there is no possibility of maintaining the illusion of fullness. The fellowship has been broken. This is what sin does. It drives us away from God and away from one another.

 

The restoration of the Twelve is the very picture of the Lord’s saving work. His death breaks the power of sin and His resurrection proclaims healing for the broken and reconciliation of those driven apart by sin. You see, filling the place that Judas deserted and restoring the full number of the Twelve not only brought an additional witness to the resurrection, but it was also a witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection to reconcile the estranged and make His people, His new Israel, whole.

 

The man who would complete the number of the Twelve would be like the Eleven with respect to His faithful following of the Lord, a witness to all He said and did in the days of His earthly ministry. As with the Eleven, this man would have followed the Lord, not by chance, or by his own decision, or by his own act of commitment, but by the calling of His Lord.

 

Again, two men met these qualifications: Joseph called Barsabbas who was also called Justus – and Matthias. So, the group of about 120 prayed to Jesus saying: “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place” (Acts 1:24-25).

 

Through prayer, they were confident that Jesus had made His choice and that He would indicate His choice. They trusted that Jesus would name the new apostle through them. So, as it was custom when there was a tie, they cast lots, where they would write names on pebbles or pieces of broken pottery, shake the container with the lots, and the name that flew out first would be the choice. The lot fell on Matthias.

 

The Eleven and the nearly 120 disciples were confident that the Lord made His choice, since this was in accord with Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

 

Sometimes it still happens when two men are equally qualified for a position in leadership in the church. When an election results in a tie, it is proper to draw lots in some way to determine the Lord’s choice.

 

But you can’t help but feel bad for Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus. Every one of us is at times the “unchosen one.” Unchosen ones exist everywhere. The ones who didn’t make the team, get the promotion, get the job. Even though the lot did not fall upon him, he would still be a witness.

 

It is likely that this man continued his discipleship to His Lord Jesus, likewise to the nearly 120 that day.

 

Jesus said: “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus, here, is not commanding them to be His witnesses, but He promises that, as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit, they would just naturally be His witnesses. They would feel no outward compulsion to bring their testimony of the redemption won by their Lord through His death on the cross and sealed and ratified by His resurrection and His ascension. They would do it with great joy and zeal that would never tire. The Holy Spirit would make them witnesses who say: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

 

With the Apostles now unified as Twelve, plus the other disciples, the events of the Ascension and the upcoming events at Pentecost give them the encouragement to spread the good news of Christ to all nations. This they did through the exalted Lord who gave the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit continues to operate with power through His Word. The Word of the Lord proved its creative power: how it was preached, brought forth faith and sustained it in the hearts of many, was embattled, and went on from victory to victory.

 

Due to the Ascension, the Twelve were content to be witnesses. Gone were their dreams of power connected with personal prestige. No one would argue who would be the greatest (Luke 22:24) or sit at Christ’s right or left hand (Mark 10:37). No one again would speak about an earthly kingdom.

 

But how would they be able to proclaim the divine truth of salvation in Jesus Christ without making a mistake? Well, the Holy Spirit would empower them to bring testimony that would be in perfect accord. The promise Jesus had made would come true: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

 

And so, it would be. At Pentecost, the Apostles would be filled with the Holy Spirit so they would remember all that Jesus had taught them. Peter would preach nothing but the purest divine truth with no human additions, such as hopes and dreams that Jesus would bring in a glorious earthly kingdom, or promote social justice, or approval of sins. Paul and the other apostles would do the same. The apostles were plainly inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, to accomplish Jesus’ prophecy of “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8), Jesus gave His Holy Spirit to endow the apostles with the gift of divine inspiration. Through the inspired Gospels and the Epistles, the eternally true, infallible testimony their Lord entrusted them was spread to the very ends of the earth. Through the Scriptures, the apostles to this day bring the glorious gospel witness to the end of time.

 

But what was the response the apostles received when they witnessed to a hostile world? They were mocked and ridiculed. They suffered. They died a martyr’s death. But they were never intimidated by any opposition, by danger as the price for telling the truth. You see, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles with a great boldness and courage, so that under persecution they not only remained steadfast and unflinching, but considered the sufferings they often received from their witnessing to Christ to be badges of honor. They could not help but tell of the good news of Christ.

 

This Good News of salvation would be proclaimed for all nations and peoples as the Twelve and all disciples would go into all the world, inviting all to the Baptism that incorporates us into Christ and makes us members of His Body the Church, announcing forgiveness to the penitent and unbelieving, and calling us to oneness in Him and with all believers, through our eating His Body and drinking His Blood in His Supper. 

 

Since, we too, have seen, heard, tasted, and touched Jesus in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacrament – we are also His witnesses. By grace through faith in Christ alone, we are all unified and restored and sent to proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ alone! 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 Easter 7: "Unified, Restored, and Sent as Christ's Witnesses" (Acts 1:12-26)

 

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

[Intro]

“You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). With those words, Jesus encouraged His apostles as He was bodily ascending triumphantly into heaven as Emmanuel – God with us.

Today on this Seventh Sunday of Easter, these witnesses are no longer hiding behind locked doors for the fear of the Jewish authorities. No, this joyous assurance of the Ascension of our Lord knowing that He will return again filled their hearts and drove out all fear. From the moment they left the Mount of Olives, they worshiped the Father and His Son, Jesus, in full public view.

But as how unified the Eleven were as they were with one accord devoting themselves to prayer, they were not complete. Jesus called Twelve men, not eleven. The outward appearance of unity and completeness might be maintained, but what was broken cannot make itself whole again. Sin cannot be undone, except if God Himself should do it. So, how shall the apostles be made one again?

[The Calling of Matthias]

During the days that followed the ascension of Jesus, the Eleven and the other disciples, about 120 in number, awaited the coming of the promised Holy Spirit by devoting themselves to prayer. Their prayer arose out of their study together of the prophets – who had pointed to the incarnation of Christ, His ministry, sufferings, death, and resurrection – and of the Psalms, the prayer book of the twelve tribes of Israel, of the whole people of God, of Christ Jesus, and of the Church in all ages.

In the course of their prayers from God’s Word, Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 came to Peter’s attention. Here, was the Word from the Lord to direct their action. As the de facto leader, Peter took the initiative in doing something. Since Jesus had chosen Twelve men, Peter and the others believed that a replacement for Judas should be selected. As Israel had been broken and scattered because of sin, so, too, the apostolic circle had been broken by the sin of Judas Iscariot. The Twelve were now only the Eleven. The full number of the Twelve must be restored.

After citing Scripture, Peter concludes that someone must be chosen to take Judas’ place. But who? Well, it would be a man who has the same qualifications as the other apostles. That is, he must have been with Jesus from the beginning of the Savior’s ministry – His righteous fulfilling Baptism by John – to the day of His ascension. Like the others, the man who is chosen must be one who had seen and heard and touched and eaten and been instructed by the risen Christ.

So, the group of believers nominated two men who met these qualifications: Joseph called Barsabbas who was also called Justus and Matthias. But why one witness more? Why not both? Well, if this were simply a matter of adding witnesses, certainly 13 would be better than 12. And in the coming years, the number of those who proclaim the resurrection would swell, as Barnabas, Paul, and Apollos joined in.

But remember, at the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, He chose 12 men – the living picture of Israel made one in Him and in their call to follow Him faithfully. Their unity, too, was broken by unfaithfulness by Judas Iscariot. This time there is no possibility of maintaining the illusion of fullness. The fellowship has been broken. This is what sin does. It drives us away from God and away from one another.

The restoration of the Twelve is the very picture of the Lord’s saving work. His death breaks the power of sin and His resurrection proclaims healing for the broken and reconciliation of those driven apart by sin. You see, filling the place that Judas deserted and restoring the full number of the Twelve not only brought an additional witness to the resurrection, but it was also a witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection to reconcile the estranged and make His people, His new Israel, whole.

The man who would complete the number of the Twelve would be like the Eleven with respect to His faithful following of the Lord, a witness to all He said and did in the days of His earthly ministry. As with the Eleven, this man would have followed the Lord, not by chance, or by his own decision, or by his own act of commitment, but by the calling of His Lord.

Again, two men met these qualifications: Joseph called Barsabbas who was also called Justus and Matthias. So, the group of about 120 prayed to Jesus saying: “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place” (Acts 1:24-25).

Through prayer, they were confident that Jesus had made His choice and that He would indicate His choice. They trusted that Jesus would name the new apostle through them. So, as it was custom when there was a tie, they cast lots, where they would write names on pebbles or pieces of broken pottery, shake the container with the lots, and the name that flew out first would be the choice. The lot fell on Matthias.

The Eleven and the nearly 120 disciples were confident that the Lord made His choice, since this was in accord with Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

Sometimes it still happens when two men are equally qualified for a position in leadership in the church. When an election results in a tie, it is proper to draw lots in some way to determine the Lord’s choice.

But you can’t help but feel bad for Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus. Every one of us is at times the “unchosen one.” Unchosen ones exist everywhere. The ones who didn’t make the team, get the promotion, get the job. Even though the lot did not fall upon him, he would still be a witness.

It is likely that this man continued his discipleship to His Lord Jesus, likewise to the nearly 120 that day.

Jesus said: “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus, here, is not commanding them to be His witnesses, but He promises that, as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit, they would just naturally be His witnesses. They would feel no outward compulsion to bring their testimony of the redemption won by their Lord through His death on the cross and sealed and ratified by His resurrection and His ascension. They would do it with great joy and zeal that would never tire. The Holy Spirit would make them witnesses who say: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

[Sent as Christ’s Witnesses]

With the Apostles now unified as Twelve, plus the other disciples, the events of the Ascension and the upcoming events at Pentecost give them the encouragement to spread the good news of Christ to all nations. This they did through the exalted Lord who gave the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit continues to operate with power through His Word. The Word of the Lord proved its creative power: how it was preached, brought forth faith and sustained it in the hearts of many, was embattled, and went on from victory to victory.

Due to the Ascension, the Twelve were content to be witnesses. Gone were their dreams of power connected with personal prestige. No one would argue who would be the greatest (Luke 22:24) or sit at Christ’s right or left hand (Mark 10:37). No one again would speak about an earthly kingdom.

But how would they be able to proclaim the divine truth of salvation in Jesus Christ without making a mistake? Well, the Holy Spirit would empower them to bring testimony that would be in perfect accord. The promise Jesus had made would come true: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

And so, it would be. At Pentecost, the Apostles would be filled with the Holy Spirit so they would remember all that Jesus had taught them. Peter would preach nothing but the purest divine truth with no human additives, such as hopes and dreams that Jesus would bring in a glorious earthly kingdom, or promote social justice, or approval of sins. Paul and the other apostles would do the same. The apostles were plainly inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, to accomplish Jesus’ prophecy of “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8), Jesus gave His Holy Spirit to endow the apostles with the gift of divine inspiration. Through the inspired Gospels and the Epistles, the eternally true, infallible testimony their Lord entrusted them was spread to the very ends of the earth. Through the Scriptures, the apostles to this day bring the glorious gospel witness to the end of time.

But what was the response the apostles received when they witnessed to a hostile world? They were mocked and ridiculed. They suffered. They died a martyr’s death. But they were never intimidated by any opposition, by danger as the price for telling the truth. You see, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles with a great boldness and courage, so that under persecution they not only remained steadfast and unflinching, but considered the sufferings they often received from their witnessing to Christ to be badges of honor. They could not help but tell of the good news of Christ.

This Good News of salvation would be proclaimed for all nations and peoples as the Twelve and all disciples would go into all the world, inviting all to the Baptism that incorporates us into Christ and makes us members of His Body the Church, announcing forgiveness to the penitent and unbelieving and calling us to oneness in Him and with all believers, through our eating His Body and drinking His Blood in His Supper.

Since, we too, have seen, heard, tasted, and touched Jesus in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacrament – we are also His witnesses. By grace through faith in Christ alone, we are all unified and restored and sent to proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ alone! 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 Lent 3: "The Way of Escape" (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)

 

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]

It has been said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” History sure has a way in repeating itself. And if history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, it certainly mimics. As God reminds us: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Well, the whole point of learning the past is so we don’t make the same mistakes as those who lived before us.

Paul, too, through the Holy Spirit, proclaims the same: “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).

So, it is true that if we do not remember the past, we are condemned to repeat it. It is also good to keep in mind that God cannot tolerate sin. He cannot participate or be connected to any sin.

Today on this Third Sunday in Lent, the Holy Spirit leads Paul to proclaim the way of escape from sin, while he issues warnings from Israel’s history so that we do not fall from God’s grace.

[Five Illustrations for Our Instruction]

Everyone of us faces temptation. But the way we respond to temptation is the issue. If we delight at the temptation, we succumb to sin. Today, Paul gives us a clear warning against sin. He does this through five illustrations from the history of Israel. Now, these illustrations were likely chosen because of their relevance to the ongoing situation in Corinth. You see, these Corinthians were prone to these sins, just as Israel was before them.

Paul informs us saying: “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6). This first illustration refers to how Israel yielded to an intense craving for the meat and vegetables that were plentiful in Egypt, and their bitter complaining about the manna.

Now, these foods were not necessarily evil, but they were evil because of their association with the idolatrous land of Egypt, and because the people preferred them over what God graciously gave them in the wilderness. In craving these things – by longing for the past – these people were preferring slavery, idolatry, and impurity to the worship of the one true God.

Likewise, many within the Church in Corinth preferred the meat offered in idol temples. And such coveting amounted to sin against the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet,” and was in itself a form of idolatry, that is, a sin against the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.”

This coveting can also foster grosser forms of idolatry, which leads to the second illustration. Paul writes: “Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play’” (1 Corinthians 10:7).

Paul, here, is referring to the golden calf incident. Here, Paul is warning the Corinthians against falling into similar idolatry. So, just as the Israelites had fallen to the temptation of sitting down and eating in honor of a false idol, which brought the Lord’s wrath, so some of the Corinthians were reclining and drinking in an idol’s temple. And this can only end in disaster.

In the case of the golden calf, the people’s worship denigrated into sexual immorality as “they rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6). This is about sexual play. So, breaking the First Commandment led them to also break the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.”

The Corinthians, too, were guilty of sexual immorality, since they tolerated prostitution, incest, and homosexuality. And for the sexually immoral, Paul warns us all that those who practice such things “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Paul continues: “We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day” (1 Corinthians 10:8). Just as the golden calf incident led to idol worship and from there to fornication, so this pattern was repeated at Shittim in the plains of Moab with his third illustration. While there, the Moabites invited the Israelites to participate in their fertility rites in honor of their false god Baal of Peor, which led to many of the Israelite men into having intercourse with the Moabite women. Since the Israelites disobeyed God by having relations outside the Israelite people, God sent a plague that left 23,000 dead in the wilderness.

Here, Paul is warning us to not fall into the same trap of idolatry, which leads to immorality.

Paul concludes with his fourth and fifth illustration: “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:9-10). The Israelites certainly tested the Lord’s patience. Likewise, Christians ought not to follow Israel’s example in grumbling against the Lord. So, in response to their complaints against Moses and Aaron, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah” (Numbers 16:32).

Paul’s point is that if the Christians in Corinth persisted in their grumbling – against Paul and his fellow apostles – they ran the risk of suffering the same destruction. For the Church today, similar grumblings would be to question and even to rebel against the authority of the Scriptures, or even against pastors who faithfully proclaim and live by the Scriptures.

Paul sums it up this way: All these disasters happened to the Israelites as examples for us. These events were recorded not just for Israel’s sake, but for our instruction, so we would learn from their mistakes. Paul’s concern reflects that of Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Likewise, those Corinthians who prided themselves on their power and freedom in the Spirit should be careful not to fall from grace.

Now, we may not have all the same idols as Israel and the Corinthian church, but we all have idols that we won’t let go that need to be smashed. What is your idol or your idols? Could it be your need for temporal safety? Could it be self-centered living? Could it be love of money and finances? Could it be longing for the past? Could it be sexual lust or pornography? Could it be wanting to be told how to live from earthly princes?

We must all repent of our false idols, or else we will surely perish as those who did before us who failed to trust in God’s provisions. You see, the life of a Christian is a life of repentance. We are all naturally prone to sin. Still, that is no excuse to God. Sin is not something to take lightly. We cannot stand in sin. We cannot live in sin. So, we must all turn away from sin – repent – and turn to Christ to receive His unconditional forgiveness.

[The Way of Escape]

Thanks be to God that He is faithful even when we aren’t faithful. Even though we don’t deserve it – through His faithfulness – He always provides the Way of escape from sin.

God provided Baptism and spiritual food and drink to His Israelite people, just as He does for us today.

At the Red Sea, the covenant people “were baptized into Moses” (1 Corinthians 10:2). There, they submitted to Moses’ leadership as he guided them through the waters and when they saw what the Lord accomplished there, they “believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).

Just as they received a type of Baptism, so they also received a type of the Lord’s Supper. All of them were sustained by the manna, which is the “grain of heaven” and the “bread of angels,” which the Lord “rained … on them to eat” (Psalm 78:24). Likewise, they all received “the same spiritual drink,” which the Lord provided them with the miraculous water from the Rock. Jesus was the spiritual Rock who accompanied Israel.

We, too, experience the real presence of God in the Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament. Christ is present in the Scriptures and in His Sacraments. His presence provides the way out of sins that continue to tempt us and threaten us with death.

In the Lord’s Supper, Christ – the very Lamb of God who gave His life for the sins of the world – gives us His own Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. This forgiveness sets us free from our sinful past, in which eternal death was our only future. Each time we receive Christ’s Body and Blood, He gives us new life and a new future, for where sin is forgiven, there is life with God and salvation everlasting.

We have the way of escape from sin and death and don’t forget it! So, repent and trust in God and His Word. He alone is faithful, the Rock Jesus who feeds us with His “spiritual food” and pours out His “spiritual drink” for our forgiveness. Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T