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

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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:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

                                                + SOLI DEO GLORIA + 

"Why Must I Confess My Sins?" (Psalm 51)

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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:

“Have mercy on me, O God” (Psalm 51:1a).

 

God created you and me from the stuff of this earth – from dust and dirt. The “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” you heard earlier wasn’t just for effect. It is true. For you came from ash and dust and you will return to ash and dust. That black cross on your forehead is proclaiming, “God, have mercy on me!”

 

Tonight, we begin the penitential season of Lent, which is a time of self-examination as we prepare for the Resurrection of Our Lord. 

 

Now, have you ever thought: “If God is all-knowing, then He knows my sins already, so why do I need to confess my sins?”

 

Does God really need to hear me confess my sins? We begin each Divine Service with Confession and Absolution. Why do we do this? Is this just a ritual, or does it mean something?

 

It is true that God knows every single sin you and I have done in our lives. He knows everything you do in secret. Confession and Absolution isn’t about spilling the news to God, since clearly, He knows already. 

 

Confession and Absolution is for you, and it is for me, so that by confessing our sins, God can get rid of them. We begin with Confession and Absolution so God can take your sins upon Himself. This is what Psalm 51 is all about!

 

Now, next to the fall of Adam and Eve, the account of King David’s fall is perhaps the most-familiar account of a fall in the Old Testament. The fall of David has been glamorized by movie makers, and many people even see it as an exciting love story. But it isn’t. David’s fall is a frightening reminder of how vulnerable we all are. It has been said, “Every man is two drinks and a wink away from ruining his life.”

 

So, if you think that you are not vulnerable, then you are vulnerable. You see, the times when we are most vulnerable to trial and temptation are the times when everything seems to be going your way. When life is hard and we are struggling, God is never far from our thoughts. But when life is good, that is when we are most prone to fall.

 

For King David, life was good. Life was very good. Practically all his wars had been fought and won. Even the war with the Ammonites was virtually over. So, instead of going off to war with his troops, as was his custom, David decided to remain home in Jerusalem. 

 

While David’s men were at war, he was far removed from that scene. Instead of being active, David became bored. He was looking for something to excite him. In his boredom, David grew idle and complacent. He had too much free time on his hands. 

 

Then one late afternoon, the bored David arose from a nap on his couch and decided to go for a walk onto the rooftop terrace of the palace. As he looked down over his kingdom, he saw a beautiful woman bathing. He gazed at her. Satan began tugging at his heart as he used sexual lust.

 

David gave into his temptation and sent one of his servants to find out more about this woman. His servant returned to David and said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2 Samuel 11:3b). In other words, the servant is saying, “David, wake up! She’s married! She belongs to another!”

 

So, what does David do? Does he heed the warning? Nope! He insisted she be brought to him. A few weeks later, Bathsheba sent word to David, “I am pregnant” (2 Samuel 11:5).

 

So, what does David do now? Does he confess his sin? No. He compounds his sin by trying to cover it up and hide it from everyone. So, David comes up with a plan. 

 

David called Uriah home from the front and pretended he was interested in learning how the fighting was going. What a hypocrite! His only concern was that people conclude the baby was Uriah’s. But Uriah was a man of honor. He would not go home, but slept on David’s doorstep. For Uriah, it wouldn’t be right if he were home with his wife while his fellow soldiers were still fighting.

 

That next night, David tries another tactic. He would get Uriah drunk. But even a drunk Uriah displayed more integrity than a sober David.

 

David, thinking only of himself, begins to panic and decides that if Uriah won’t be with Bathsheba, then he would have to find a way to get rid of Uriah. So, David sent Uriah back to the front lines with his own death orders in hand. Problem solved. Everything worked out for David. David’s sin is covered. Or so it seems.

 

To all outward appearances, it appears that out of the goodness in his heart, David took in the widow of Uriah to be his wife. Outwardly, this all appears to be honorable and decent. In the eyes of the people, David is a great king who has taken care of this poor soldier’s widow. Although David had deceived most of the nation, God knew everything.

 

Not once had David sought God’s counsel and forgiveness. His integrity with the nation of Israel may have been maintained, but his fellowship with God was broken.

 

David kept this cover-up going for more than a year. He refused to confess his wrong. But David went into depression and his prayer life became nonexistent. He was emotionally drained. He was in remorse for what he had done. But he was not yet repentant. He did not desire to change. He refused to act differently. However, he had remorse, and his remorse led him to bitterness and regret and loss of peace of heart and mind. But he would not confess his sin to God. This greatly displeased the Lord.

 

This is where Nathan steps in. Nathan was an old friend of David, a personal advisor and minister to David. And now, God is using Nathan to an unenviable task. 

 

So, God used Nathan to tell David a story, a touching story about two men. One rich, the other poor. The rich man had everything he could ever want, the poor man had nothing but one ewe lamb, which was like a daughter to him. One day, a traveler came to the rich man, but he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest, but instead takes the poor man’s lamb and slaughters it and then feeds it to the traveler.

 

Now, David doesn’t know that he is being set up. David, not realizing this is just a story, is filled with anger and says, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die” (2 Samuel 12:5). Then Nathan says to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7).

 

In other words, this story was never about a rich and poor man, this story was about David and Bathsheba and Uriah. How could David have missed the point? But now David sees his sin. He understands what he had done. He is now contrite. He is penitent as he confesses, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).

 

God was waiting for this. God waits for each of us to confess and acknowledge our sins in the same way. So, why should we confess our sins? Well, look at David. He was a wreck. His remorse was eating at him. 

 

You see, all sin is ultimately a sin against God. This is why David says in Psalm 51: “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). God is always involved when it comes to our sinfulness, because it all goes against Him. And God is the One who ultimately has to forgive the sin if it is going to be forgiven.

 

It is easy to separate the two tables of the Law. Yes, the first table of the Law focuses on God and the second table focuses on our neighbor. But if you would break the Fifth Commandment, you are really saying, “I am God. I can kill and make alive. I decide who lives and dies.” And if you would break the Sixth Commandment by not being faithful to your spouse, what you are saying is “I am God. I get to decide how I am going to treat other people.”

 

This is what David was doing. He was doing what he wants, when he wants, and who cares about the consequences. That is what sin does. Sin turns us in on ourselves and makes us into little false gods. This is what sin does to you.

 

In Psalm 51, David is admitting this. He is asking God to have mercy on him. He is asking God to blot out his transgressions. David knows that he has a major sickness known as sin and that only God can cleanse him and cure him. He can’t do any program, no ten step process, to get rid of his sin. He can’t try harder to get rid of his sin.

 

When you have been discovered in a sin, sometimes there is pride in that sin. Even the most pious Christian can in a twisted way become proud of their sin. So often, we don’t see actual sins as something to be confessed and forgiven. But all sins divide us from God. In God’s sight, there is no difference between a “small” and a “large” sin. 

 

David says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12a). This joy of salvation is the joy of absolution, the joy of forgiveness. This is the joy of hearing and receiving and recognizing and rejoicing in what God gives us in His Son Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. 

 

So, why do we confess our sins to God? So that God would clean your conscience. 

Like David, we are all going to suffer in this life. We are all going to continue to have earthly consequences and trials because of sin, but through confession and absolution, we are found right with God. God alone declares us innocent. We have hope and joy because when we confess our sins to God our Father, He forgives our sins for Christ’s sake. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 14: "The Heart of Man" (Mark 7:14-23)

 

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: Follow Your Heart]

Follow your heart. Oftentimes when people ask questions when looking for advice, the response is “follow your heart.” You may hear:

• "You can’t live a lie. You have to follow your heart.”
• “Follow your heart. You must walk your own path.”
• “You’ll never find peace of mind unless you listen to your heart.”“Your own heart never lies.”
• “Trust your inner voice, your heart knows what is good for you.”
• “There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
• “Always follow your heart! When your heart feels at peace, rest assured, you are on the right track.”

But is trusting your heart the best advice? Are we to always follow our hearts? Are we to always trust our feelings?

Thanks be to God, we have the gift of logic and reason. But our logic and reason is often flawed, due to our sinful nature.

Today on this 14^th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus gives us the correct answer.

So, would Jesus tell us to follow our hearts? Let’s hear His answer, God’s answer: He says, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23).

Ouch! This is a pretty ugly list. This is what occurs when a person follows their heart. According to Jesus, following your heart is the worst advice a person could give to another, since it is all about trusting your emotions. Instead, we are to be disciplined by the Word of God.

Naturally, our heart is opposed to God. Our heart leads us to do what we want, rather than what we ought to do, as God commands and teaches. Our heart’s condition only leads us to condemnation, that is, eternal death apart from God.

[What Defiles a Person?]

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus is defining what the word “defile” actually means. For the Pharisees, they believed “defile” meant ceremonially unclean. The Pharisees were focused on the external, the public display of ritual washing, rather than on a decent lifestyle. Jesus turned this definition upside down and corrected this error. Jesus said “defile” means “to make not holy, not set apart.”

As the Pharisees were more concerned with outward appearances, Jesus said it’s not ultimately about that. This defilement has a source, and its source is the heart.

So, the real defilement is not just outward things – the words and deeds. The real issue is the source of these words and deeds. These actions – the words and deeds – are sinful and hideous because they come from an evil, ugly source – the heart, the source of your thoughts.

As the Pharisees were looking for only outward actions, Jesus ups the ante. For the Pharisees, this assessment of the Law is radical, unsettling, and offensive to any pious Jew.

So, Jesus rattles off a list that nobody wants to hear – the Jews then, and us today. Who would not feel guilty? Everyone on earth is included in this list of vices.

The first nine of the 12 vices deal essentially with the Second Table of the Ten Commandments, with sins against our neighbor: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, and envy. The final three deal with the First Table of the Law, with sins against God – essentially making oneself “god” and the focus of attention: slander, pride, and foolishness.

Our sinful nature certainly does not like this list of vices. Our sinful nature would like to run away from this list of vices and do just what we want. Our sinful nature says: “Follow your heart.”

Through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the Apostle Paul writes that those who do these such things “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10). We have all certainly thought, spoke of, and done many of the vices on Jesus’ list. So, are we doomed? No! God does not say that such people are ejected from the kingdom of God immediately. But God does say that those who continue in these sins are in grave danger of exclusion from God’s gracious reign and rule, because those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom, in the end.

This is even a struggle within the wider Christian Church on earth. This is what makes this list of vices even more difficult. Why do some denominations and churches say these vices do not matter? Why do some denominations encourage many of these vices? This often causes so much conflict and doubt – and frankly church hopping. Again, this all goes back to our heart. With the “follow your heart” mentality, many of us choose a church based on personal feelings rather than on God’s truth.

[The Clean Heart]

In our Old Testament lesson, God commanded Moses to teach the Israelites and said: “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2).

God’s commandments must be kept unaltered and untouched. Nothing must be added or removed. So, we should only lean solely on the Word of God, neither adding or subtracting anything. This still applies today – even if our sinful hearts do not like it. Moses said: “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

To this, Luther taught: “Watch yourself, therefore, as often as the Word of God is understood, so often it must be repeated. Scripture has two modes: the one, of teaching, by which we are wearied; the other, of exhorting, by which we are buoyed up. These two the Scriptures have everywhere.”[1]

So, how do we follow God’s commandments? We are only able to follow God’s commandments when we trust that only God is the source of all that is just, right, and good. Apart from God, our hearts are the source of only evil.

Today’s Introit gives us a big clue. After Nathan confronted King David with his sin, David recognized how thoroughly corrupt he was. He was corrupt because he followed his heart which led to adultery with Bathsheba. Even as he was thoroughly corrupt due to his sin, David trusted in His Lord for forgiveness. He wrote these familiar words:

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

(Psalm 51:7, 10-12; antiphon: v. 2)

Although David was corrupt due to his heart, he believed that only God could create a clean heart. We, too, can have a clean heart, but we cannot produce this clean heart by ourselves.

In order for us to receive clean hearts, God the Father sent His only begotten Son Jesus to take upon Himself our filthy hearts as He was declared guilty of all the sin and evil in this world. So, “for our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This, Christ accomplished for us through His suffering and death upon the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead, so that we – by faith in Him – would become clean.

Although His death and resurrection is where we become clean, God’s grace is always flowing over, so He gives us so many other means by which He cleans our hearts.

You see, at each Divine Service, God purifies our dirty hearts through His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacrament.

Ultimately, “[Christ] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Through our Baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, we were given Christ’s robe of righteousness that covers all of our sins. And when we do sin – in thought, word, and deed against God – recall your Baptism, confess your sin, and trust in Him for your forgiveness.

He also purifies us through His Word as Jesus proclaims to us: “Already you are clean because of the Word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). Even in today’s Gospel text, which is full of Law, Jesus is making us clean. He is making us clean through His very voice of warning. You see, God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Even in this Word of warning, God is showing His steadfast love.

We are also purified through Christ’s very Body and Blood in and under the bread and wine, which forgives our sins and strengthens our faith.

Remember, when the Lord washes us, we are clean, we are as white as snow. With the Lord, no dirt of sin remains.

Through repentance and faith in God, Christ alone has taken all of our sins upon Himself and replaces it with Himself dwelling in us. By grace through faith in Christ alone, we are clean!

With our New and Clean Heart, we follow His commandments as we are disciplined by the Word of God. And when we fail, we repent and receive God’s forgiveness. With our Clean Heart, we are set apart as holy people as we live in the world, but not of the world. With the Clean Heart, outsiders may want to know who and what the true God is all about, since we love one another, including those who do not yet know Christ. With the Clean Heart, we love in ways that the world does not do. This is living out the Clean Heart.

Today, Jesus certainly nails us with our sin. He certainly sees right through us. But He also creates in us Clean Hearts and all by grace through faith in Him alone!

6    By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;
    In Jesus’ promise I rejoice;
For though I know my heart’s condition,
    I also know my Savior’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown
Since I am saved by grace alone. (By Grace I’m Saved, LSB 566, stanza 6)

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] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Volume 9: Lectures on Deuteronomy (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1960), 57.