Sermon for Lent 1: "Now is the Time to Act!" (Mark 1:9-15)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Intro]

 

Satan is a schemer who uses all sorts of tricks to lure people into sin. As we heard in today’s Gospel lesson according to St. Mark, Satan even attempted to lure the Son of God. Satan knows no bounds. He believes he is all powerful.

 

One of Satan’s tricks is illustrated by a Chicago-area drug user who became a police informant. As an informant, this man’s job was to induce other drug dealers to sell drugs to him or an undercover policeman, and this informant was unusually successful.

 

One of his most successful strategies for duping drug dealers, according to Ted Gregory of the Chicago Tribune, was to give them a challenge.

 

The informant says, “I’d tell them, ‘Everybody says they can deliver, but you look a little young; or you look a little old; or you look like a nerd.’ Let the people think that they’re in control…”[1]

 

This informant succeeded in duping dealers because he understood their psychology. Satan also understands psychology, and he uses this same scheme. You see, Satan is not a figment of imagination. He is always lurking in the shadows to catch another victim to his kingdom away from God. He is not some cartoonish character with a pitchfork. He is real. Satan dupes people into thinking that they are in control. He challenges their egos. He challenges our egos.

 

[Temptation]

 

In today’s Gospel lesson, we heard how quickly Satan came into the picture. Right after God’s only Son Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan and we see and hear the Trinity – the Spirit descending and the voice from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” There he was – lurking, waiting.

 

Even though Satan knew Jesus was God in the flesh. He still tried. Satan believes in his warped mind that he is as powerful as God.

 

In the Koine Greek, verse 12 shows the violent activity of how this occurred. In English, we read: “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” But in Koine Greek, it reads like this: “The Spirit immediately throws him out into the wilderness.”

 

Did you catch that difference? This “throws out” highlights a key activity, both its Spirit-driven nature and the fact that Jesus’ ministry is now commencing. Now is the time to act!

 

So, right after Jesus is baptized, He finds Himself in the desert wilderness with the fallen angel Satan “and He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:13).

 

Here Jesus was tempted continuously. There were no breaks. Jesus emerged from His time of testing by Satan perfectly, without succumbing to temptation in any way. Satan loses again, but he keeps trying.

 

[Satan leads Culture away from God]

 

For all Christians who believe and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior all is lost for Satan, but he never quits. He is always there lurking and attempting to convince us by saying, “Did God actually say” this or that?

 

You see, Satan wants us to doubt the one true God. Satan isn’t satisfied with just the current count of unbelievers; he wants more in his dark kingdom apart from God.

 

Satan is thrilled at all of his successes when it comes to sin. Today, much of the wider culture no longer believes sin is a big deal. Sadly, many Christians agree with that.

 

The wider culture no longer sees sin as bad. They see sin as a choice, like picking what you want to eat, or what show you want to watch. We see this especially when talking about abortion. The culture does not want to say that murdering an unborn child is evil; instead they make it out to be a choice, so it takes some of the burden away from the parent.

 

The same goes with marriage. Today, the culture says it’s your choice on who you marry, instead of following God’s plan of the lifelong union of one man and one woman until death parts them.

 

Infidelity, stealing, greed, lying are all seen as choices, rather than sin. This is what Satan intended. Today, sin is a choice. Today, sin is praised. Today, sin is tolerated.

 

In reality, sin is betraying God. Sin is rejecting God’s will and God’s ways. Sin is any thought, word, or deed that departs from the will of God.

 

This past week, I came across a news article[2] [3] [4] about an ELCA pastor in New Jersey who announced that she was transgender. Sadly, her bishop approved and blessed her changing her name to a male name and her congregation celebrated her name change from Rose to Peter. Again, sin is being praised. Sin is being tolerated. Instead of seeking help for gender dysphoria and repenting, sin is tolerated and this is hurting Christ’s Church.

 

The Apostle Paul warns us to not be carried away by sin and Satan. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

 

Even among us here today, when you choose a church to worship at, do you choose based on programs? Do you choose on the friendliness of the pastor? Or do you choose on the true doctrine that comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable? Do you choose Law and Gospel? This is why we, the priesthood of all believers, need to know what God’s true inerrant Word says, so we don’t fall into Satan’s traps.

 

[Now is the Time to Act]

 

Now after John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel – the good news – of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:14-15).

 

Jesus is saying, “Now is the time to act!” There is no more waiting! God is on the scene and is staring at you right in the face!

 

So, repent and believe in the good news! This is the most basic statement concerning the Christian faith – “Repent and believe in the good news!”

 

Now, what does it mean to repent and believe in the good news? Jesus is calling on everyone – there is no person forgotten – He is calling on everyone to recognize sin truly and to be heartily sorrowful for it and to abstain from it.[5]

 

So believe in the gospel and go and sin no more! Now is the time to act!

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is saying that repentance and faith go together. You can’t have repentance without faith and faith without repentance.

 

[Sinners in Need of a Savior]

 

During this Penitential season of Lent, we look inwardly at ourselves and realize that we are poor, miserable sinners. We are in need of a savior.

 

That is what the Jews cried for many centuries before the advent of Jesus Christ – God with us, God in our flesh. They were calling for a savior.

 

Today, we live nearly 2,000 years after Jesus Christ’s first advent, but we know what He alone has done for us. Through His perfect life, death and resurrection, all who believe in Jesus have the sure hope of forgiveness of sins, life everlasting and salvation.

 

All Christians can now say, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand!” Stay away Satan, for you have no power over me! I trust in Jesus and He alone is My Lord!

 

We say this because of our repentance as we turn away from sin and the belief in the good news that Jesus alone accomplished for us. Amen.

 

Please pray with me:

Though devils all the world should fill,
    All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
    They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
    He can harm us none.
    He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him. Amen! (LSB 656 A Mighty Fortress, v. 3)

 

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

---

[1] Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations, 481.

[2] http://abc7ny.com/community-events/transgender-pastor-has-support-from-community/3059624/

[3] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/transgender-pastor-peter-beeson_us_5a833097e4b02b66c5129ebf

[4] http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/14/church-transgender-pastor-name/

[5] Kolb-Wengert, “The Book of Concord” – Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, 582.

Sermon for Epiphany 3: "Free From the Cares of the Word" (1 Corinthians 7:29-35)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Intro]

 

Millions of Americans walk into airports every day. They arrive at the airport to either board a plane to somewhere or to pick up a loved one.

 

While waiting for the plane to board or to pick up your loved one, it is hard not to notice the bank of television screens at our nation’s airports.

 

As we wait, we are inundated with the news, or what the news calls the news.

 

We see debate, arguing and name-calling, but not much of what is truly happening in our world. They focus on one topic of crisis and go over that same topic of crisis over and over again – from 4 a.m. until midnight. All the cable news cares about is their hope that we will be sucked in to what they are opining about. And many of us do. We get sucked in and we begin to worry about that single topic. But, eventually that topic takes the backburner for the next “breaking news topic of crisis” and we begin to worry about that issue.

 

You see, the news media wants its viewers to be consumed in the affairs that they care about.

 

Then we come to our homes, where we turn on our television sets. Are we inundating ourselves in our own homes with these topics of crisis?

 

Now, I’m not saying to turn off the news altogether, but instead to watch the news in moderation, so you do not begin to worry about things not worth worrying about.

As a former journalist, this is even hard for me, but I find myself happier when I don’t hear the constant bickering of opinions that is being masqueraded as news.

[Time is Short]

In this morning’s epistle lesson, the Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus Christ’s return is coming. And for this hope of return, we should live as if Christ is imminently going to make His return.

Paul writes, “The appointed time has grown very short” (1 Cor. 7:29).

Paul is saying that Christians should live as people who are always aware that they may have to leave this world at any moment. As Christian believers, we should focus on eternal essentials. We should not let our lives be dominated by the world and its values.

When we realize that our time is short, we often have a changed perspective. We begin to focus on sacred things, rather than worldly things.

So, feel free to turn off the news for a time to focus on what truly matters – Jesus Christ.

[Christ Matters Most]

As you heard the epistle being read earlier, did you wonder what Paul was writing about with his statement on marriage? So, what is Paul saying?

Paul writes, “From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it” (1 Cor. 7:29b-31a).

No husbands, no wives? No mourning? No rejoicing? Buy as though they had nothing?

Paul here is reminding us of what really matters most – the return of Jesus Christ. Every worldly thing will pass away. Everything in the world is temporary. Paul is saying to not be consumed with the affairs of this life – for there is a better life to come through Jesus.

Martin Luther even touches on this in his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in the final stanza:

“And take they our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife, Though these all be gone, Our victory has been won; The Kingdom ours remaineth.” (LSB 656)

No matter what, the Triune God is there with us. Through thick and thin, He is there. Rich or poor, He is there. Christ will never forsake us.

[First Priority]

For this, God wants us to be free from anxieties. He wants us to be unconcerned with the world. He wants us to be without care with the world. He wants us to be worry free with the world.

Instead, God wants us to be focused on the things of the Lord and how to please the Lord.

However in today’s fallen world, husbands and wives tend to focus upon each other, rather than God.

Now, it is good and God pleasing to love your spouse. We should devote ourselves to our spouse. The marriage of a man and woman is a relationship that is founded upon Jesus Christ and that the man and wife are always there for each other.

A healthy marriage thrives on attending the needs and wishes of one’s spouse, but Jesus also set down priorities in this regard saying, “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).

The priority has been set. God made note of His demands with the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods.” For which Luther writes, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

Paul again states the reason to devote yourselves to Jesus Christ saying, “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:35).

This is for our own benefit. Yes, we are to continue to love and respect our husband or wife. But, at the same time, we are to put God first. God is the first priority.

God created the heavens and the earth for Him. Not for us.

[Life is Very Good]

God created life for His benefit and He saw that it was very good. For every child is a gift from God.

Since the United States’ Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing abortion nationwide on January 22, 1973, the Church has cried out: “Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord have mercy!”

The Church has cried out to God to have mercy on those children and their mothers and/or fathers who have chosen to end the lives of their babies for worldly desires, or for pleasing the boyfriend or girlfriend, or for pleasing the husband or wife, instead of accepting this gift from God.

Even Norma McCorvey, the “Roe” in Roe v. Wade changed her views when she became a Christian in 1995. Since that time, she became active in the pro-life movement.

This past week, millions of people marched nationwide in support of life in hopes that one day the silent holocaust will come to an end. The good news is that Christ died for every sin and when we repent and ask God for forgiveness, He is there with open arms saying, “I forgive you, now go and sin no more.”

[Order of Creation]

God also created everything in good order. This good order is described by God in the first three chapters of Genesis.

Here is where God tells us of His order of creation. The Lord formed the man of dust from the ground (Genesis 2:7). Then God created a helper – Eve – for the man – Adam. God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18).

Here is where God creates and establishes marriage between one man and one woman. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

But in time, this marriage had its first argument, because of sin. The devil disguised as a serpent convinces Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and so she does. Eve then gives that fruit to Adam and he eats.

Then God shows up knowing what had just happened and confronts Adam and Eve. Immediately, Adam blames Eve, but God will have none of that.

Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12).

You see, Adam was attempting to pass the blame to Eve, but God gave Adam Eve to be his helper.

To put it simply, Adam is ultimately responsible, because he is the head of his household. According to God, the head and the helper are not interchangeable. To be the head means he is responsible and accountable to what his helper does.

This order of creation relates to everything. This relates to the wider culture.

Now, a woman may take the reins on many issues in the marriage, such as finances and child disciplining or to whatever she is better at accomplishing, but it is the man who is ultimately responsible. The man is responsible for every decision, but his wife can give her input. This is the order of creation.

For us today, we may think, this is pretty backwards. After all, today’s world is all about equality. But this is God’s design. This is God promoting good order. This is God promoting family.

[The Son of God Submitted To His Father]

After all, Jesus Christ submitted to the will of His Father through His life, death and resurrection that gave us forgiveness of sins, opened eternal life and gave us salvation by grace through faith in Him and His promises. In a similar way, the wife submits to her husband and their children submit to their parents, because it is the husband and the parents who will do anything for each other.

Through submitting your undivided devotion to the Lord, you are following the will of God. You are following the order of creation. You are becoming more holy in your sanctified life.

We live this way, because of what Christ had done for us once and for all time. He sacrificed Himself for us, because of His love for us. Jesus Christ died hanging on the cross for us. He died of asphyxiation as he hung crucified lifeless on the cross after being beaten and stabbed. But it was not over. Three days later Christ also rose to life for us to prove He is the Son of God.

Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, our faith is not in vain. In fact, our faith is strengthened each time we remember our baptism each Divine Service and partake of the Sacrament.

Through Christ alone, we are free from all anxieties. We are free from the cares of this world. For everything has been accomplished for us by our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

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

Sermon for Advent Midweek 2: "Saints of Advent - Nicholas" (Galatians 2:15-21)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Jesus and Santa]

 

Jolly old St. Nicholas, Lean your ear this way!
Don't you tell a single soul, What I'm going to say;
Christmas Eve is coming soon, Now, you dear old man,
Whisper what you'll bring to me: Tell me if you can. (Jolly Old St. Nicholas)

One of the complaints that many Christians voice at this time of the year is that Christmas has become too commercialized and too secularized.

 

When shopping or watching television, we are more likely to hear “Happy Holidays” than “Merry Christmas.”

 

Today, far too many people observe the holy day of Christ Mass without any acknowledgement of Christ at all.

 

For many, the day of Christmas is all about parties, presents, television specials and NBA basketball games – without any reference to the reason we celebrate Christmas – the incarnation of our Lord Jesus the Christ, who took on our flesh to save us.

 

Sadly, the persona of Santa Claus gets more attention than Jesus Christ.

 

Perhaps, this problem can begin to be corrected by understanding where the legend of Santa Claus comes from and who the actual St. Nicholas was.

 

Now, most of us have heard of Santa Claus referred to as St. Nick or St. Nicholas. In fact, that’s where the name comes from – Santa is another word for Saint, and Claus is a shortened form in Dutch of the name Nicholas.

 

Today, Santa Claus has become its own legend. But, St. Nicholas was a real person who lived during the third and fourth centuries. On this day, December 6th, the Christian Church celebrates Nicholas.

 

[Nicholas of Myra]

 

So, who was this St. Nicholas?

 

Nicholas was born into a wealthy family in Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. Having become a Christian, Nicholas chose not to pursue a life of riches, but he instead devoted himself to the Church. He eventually became a bishop of a city called Myra. Now, Myra was a decadent and corrupt city, and Nicholas became well-known for transforming it by his pious hard work and preaching the Word of Christ.

 

Nicholas was also known for his love for those in need, such as poor widows and orphaned children. As bishop, he saw to it that the Church worked to care for the needy. Perhaps his giving of gifts, especially to impoverished children, is part of what formed the Santa Claus tradition.

 

Now, there is also one famous story about Nicholas that stands out above the rest. There was a man in the city of Myra who had three daughters. But he did not have enough money to provide his daughters with suitable property necessary for marriage. At this time in history, it is likely that without marriage, these girls could have ended up as prostitutes.

 

Nicholas heard about this and he became deeply troubled. So, he decided to help, but help in a way where he would not draw attention to himself.

 

So, Nicholas took from his own resources and prepared three bags of gold. On three straight nights, Nicholas went to this man’s house and threw a bag of gold into an open window – one bag of gold each night for the three daughters, which provided to be enough property for marriage. Eventually, it is likely that this is the story that led to the creation of Santa Claus – instead of throwing bags through an open window; the bags were dropped down a chimney.

 

Nicholas believed he was justified – made right with God – through faith in Jesus Christ. And because of what Christ has done for him, he wanted to spread Christ’s message in helping his neighbor in need. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

 

Now, there are many more accounts of Nicholas helping others. For instance, once there were three men who were falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death and Nicholas worked to secure their freedom. It is also told that Nicholas helped three sailors from drowning.

 

Nicholas lived his life as a man who wanted to help his neighbor, because of what Christ has done to justify him.

 

In helping his neighbor, Nicholas was fulfilling what Christ said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

 

It is interesting that in these stories of Nicholas, the number three keeps coming up – three daughters, three falsely accused men, three sailors.

 

Nicholas was also a staunch defender of the three-in-one – the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which he proclaimed.

 

In fact, St. Nicholas was one of the bishops present at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, which was met to combat heresy or false teachings that were leading people away from Jesus. This council also met to confirm an essential truth about the Trinity – that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. It was from this council that we received the Nicene Creed, which the entire Christian Church accepted as a true witness of God’s Word.

 

You see, Nicholas was a defender of the true Christian faith – the faith that proclaims that Jesus Christ is the only Savior from sin, death and the devil.

 

Nicholas preached Jesus crucified and risen, baptized people into the one true faith, absolved people of their sins in Jesus’ name, and fed them with the life-giving body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

 

This is the real St. Nicholas. He wasn’t taking attention away from Jesus. He was a preacher drawing everyone’s attention to Jesus; for he knew that his people were both saints and sinners and in desperate need of Christ’s forgiveness and mercy.

 

[Jesus – the True Gift]

 

We give attention to the generosity of Nicholas because it was the love of Jesus Christ that was working through him in his life.

 

That love of Christ that was at work in Nicholas is at work also in you. For in your Baptism you were “crucified with Christ, and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you and through you.”

 

The Lord is working in you so that his boundless love, which has been shown to you, might spill over to others in the giving of yourself and in the giving of gifts – not that you can feel good about yourself or draw attention to yourself, but giving that is anonymous and entirely for the good of others, like a bag of gold through an open window at night.

 

That’s why Christians too, when giving an anonymous gift, might refer to gifts being given by Santa Claus – St. Nicholas.

 

For such a gift is given in a spirit that reflects the love of Christ as Nicholas did, and ultimately it seeks to give glory not to ourselves, but to God, who is the true giver of every good and perfect gift.

 

Indeed, every gift that we give is a sign of that greatest gift of all, the Christ Child in the manger – given to us almost anonymously. But hidden within the wrapping of his lowly humanity dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, full of grace and mercy. Jesus is love in the flesh for you.

 

You see, there is no greater gift than knowing we are forgiven of our sins and we will live forever with Christ through faith in Him. And, we say with Nicholas and all the saints in heaven, “Amen! Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly!” as we await His Second Advent.

 

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

Sermon for Advent Midweek 1: "Saints of Advent - Andrew" (John 1:35-42)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Peter’s Shadow]

 

Some of you may have grown up in families where you were not the one who always got the attention. A brother or a sister may have done better than you in sports or in school or in music and got most of the recognition and the approval. Perhaps you were sometimes introduced as “so-and-so’s brother or sister.” You always seemed to be a little bit more in the background.

 

It is likely to have been that way for Andrew, for he was the brother of Simon Peter.

 

It appears as if Andrew lived in his brother’s shadow. Out of the dozen or so times his name occurs in Scripture, only once does it appear without Peter’s name being mentioned too. In fact, Andrew is most often referred to as “Simon Peter’s brother,” as he is in verse 40 in today’s reading from John’s gospel. 

 

Although it was Andrew who was the first to follow Jesus, it was his brother who would become the first among the apostles and to be in Jesus’ inner circle — Peter, along with James and John, also known as the “Zebedee boys” as one of my seminary professors called them. In fact, the name, Peter or Cephas, was a special name given by Jesus, meaning “a rock.” Andrew, however, would simply be one of the Twelve.

 

But, that does not mean that we should feel bad for Andrew, as if he were being treated unfairly. For he had his own special, God-given place and role as an apostle.

 

This was the way of Andrew, even as it was the way of Andrew’s first teacher and rabbi, John the Baptizer. John’s task was to prepare the way of the Lord, to point to Jesus and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John’s purpose was not to gain permanent disciples for himself, but to lose his disciples to Jesus, to lead people to him who is the Christ.

 

[Andrew Points to Jesus]

 

John would say of Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

 

That is true not only for John or Andrew, but for all of us here as well, especially during this season of Advent.

 

You are to decrease, to die to yourself and your own desires, so that Jesus might come forth and be magnified in you with His abounding mercy and life. As Paul writes in Galatians 2: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”We are all made new through Christ.

 

Again, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This saying showed itself in Andrew’s life in the way he directed others — not to himself — but to Christ. He brought people to Jesus.

 

One of those many times that Andrew led people to Jesus was when he found a young boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Andrew did not know if what he did would help, but he brought the boy and his food anyway. And from that, Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus women and children — and they believed.

 

Then in today’s lesson, we learn that it was Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Jesus.

 

You see, Andrew believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and that faith immediately led him to seek out his brother and tell him. Andrew may not have become a famous apostle, but he was the man who brought Peter to Jesus.

 

Now, all of us here this evening can be a little like Andrew. You may not be the most prominent member of First Lutheran, but you can do things to help lead people to Jesus. 

 

When you lead someone to become baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you are being like Andrew. When you invite or give someone a ride to the Divine Service or Bible study, you are being like Andrew. 

 

For Jesus is the Word made flesh; He is living and active in the proclamation of His Word to save those who hear and believe. Just as Andrew led Peter to Jesus, you also get to welcome others to come and see where Jesus abides for us with His life-giving gifts. We decrease and Christ increases as we direct people away from ourselves to Him, the only Savior of the world.

 

[Jesus Humbled Himself for Us]

 

Fittingly, Jesus became our Savior by taking the least and the lowest place for Himself. Jesus humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He decreased to the point of death on a cross for us, so that you might increase with the riches of His forgiveness and grace. Through Jesus — the Lamb of God, we are covered with the pure fleece of Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus who humbled Himself is now risen and is exalted to the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

 

[St. Andrew’s Cross]

 

After Christ returned to heaven, tradition has it that Andrew became a fisher of men in Greece. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Andrew made converts of many in a town called Patras. This upset the pagans of the town and Andrew wound up in jail.

 

When the Christians heard about Andrew arrested, they became enraged and if it was not for Andrew urging the people to imitate Jesus — a riot could have broken out. 

 

Eventually, Andrew’s death was decreed and he was to be crucified on a saltire — a cross in the shape of an “X.”

 

Andrew preached Christ for two days on that cross, continuing to point people to Jesus, before his suffering finally ended and he died.

 

Today, Andrew is most known for the way he died.

 

In fact, the flag of Scotland is in the shape of the St. Andrew’s Cross.

 

The St. Andrew’s Cross is also represented on the British Union Jack flag as the “X” representing the union of Scotland within the United Kingdom.

 

In a way, Andrew’s life as a disciple came full circle. For when Andrew first met Jesus, our Lord said to him, “Come and you will see” the place where I am staying (v. 39). Now at last, Andrew again went to where the Lord was. Andrew was with Christ. For we know that Jesus will take us to be with Himself — in soul in our death and in body at the Resurrection on the Last Day.

 

Since we have this certain hope in Christ, let us learn from the example of Andrew’s humility. Let us “humble ourselves.” Amen.

 

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

Sermon for Pentecost 18: "Jesus Redeems the Vineyard" (Matthew 21:33-46)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Luther on Christianity]

“When people become secure, danger lies ahead. To be sure, they hear the Word but let it go into one ear and out of the other; they can talk a great deal about it, but no improvement in life and no fruits of faith follow, as we see now before our eyes.”[1]

Those are the words of Martin Luther. Even almost 500 years later, those words still ring true to this day.

Are you secure and confident in your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord? Are you improving in your faith life? Are you yielding fruits of faith?

It is so easy to be content in your life when things are going good. You may think, why should I attend the Divine Service weekly? Why should I attend a Bible study weekly? My life is perfect. But when things turn for the worse, what do you depend on? Yourself, or the true God? Now, we should depend on God when things are good and when things are bad.

Martin Luther was concerned for the salvation of everyone. He was no hypocrite. He meant what he said and said what he meant. He was never quiet when salvation was at stake.

As Christians, we should be yielding fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

You see, Luther was very concerned with those people who called themselves Christians and when asked basic questions about Christianity, they were dumbfounded. They didn’t know the answer. They didn’t know the basic theme of Holy Scripture, nor did they know basic Christian doctrine:

·        They didn’t know the Ten Commandments

·        They didn’t know the Lord’s Prayer

·        They didn’t know the Creed

·        Really, they didn’t know pure doctrine from heresy.

Yet, they consider themselves to be Christian, without knowing anything. That is the case with much of American Christianity today.

Now, without knowing what the one true Christian faith believes, you cannot yield any fruit. You are a vineyard that only produces wild grapes. You are a garden that can’t produce any fruit.

Luther would respond to them likely this way: If you do not know Christian doctrine or you refuse to follow Christian doctrine, you are not a Christian.

Luther is not saying that we should be perfect Christians, which we should strive to be, but he is saying that we should at all times and all places do our best in being faithful to God.

[Parable of the Tenants]

In this morning’s gospel, Jesus continues from last week’s gospel lesson as He speaks to the Jewish chief priests and elders. Last week, we heard Jesus tell them about the Parable of the Two Sons. Today, Jesus gets even more explicit and obvious with His Parable of the Tenants.

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells the Jewish chief priests and elders that it was God who planted the vineyard, which is Israel. He tells them that it was God who has done everything for that vineyard. But, then something changed. Something went wrong.

“There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country,” Jesus said.

But this vineyard’s tenants did not see themselves as sharecroppers, but instead as the owners of the vineyard. The tenants believed they were in control of the vineyard. They did not fear, respect or acknowledge their landlord, the owner of the vineyard.

So when it was harvest season, the owner of the vineyard sent his servants to the tenants to bring back his fruit. But the tenants did not respect the servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Instead of arriving in person in wrath for what was done, the owner shows patience and sends more servants, but to no avail as they too were beaten, stoned and killed.

Then one day, he sent his son to them to bring back his fruit and said, “They will respect my son.”

And how did the tenants react to seeing the owner’s son? They took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him in hopes of stealing his inheritance. You see, according to Jewish law, the tenants stood a good chance on inheriting the land when the owner died, if there was no heir.

So Jesus puts the ball back in the court of the chief priests and elders and asks them, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

They respond saying that the tenants will be put to a miserable death and the vineyard will be leased out to other tenants who will give him the fruits of their seasons.

Exactly. Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”

Later the chief priests and elders realized that the parable was about them. They are the tenants of the vineyard. The stiff-necked attitudes of the Jewish leaders led to the beatings and death of the servants – God’s prophets, who instead of being listened to were beaten and murdered.

[Historical Parallels]

Now, this parable has some possible parallels in the history of the Church, as well.

As centuries went by, the Roman Church became corrupted with tradition and the papacy seen as more important than God’s inerrant Word. In fact, very few people had actually seen a Bible. At this time, every Western Christian assumed that what the pope said must be true. This parable may have some parallels to those clerics who spoke out against corruption and errors in the Roman Church.

One of those clerics was a Bohemian named John Hus. He preached the word of God in the language of his people, he tried to restore true devotion among Christians, he fearlessly attacked church corruption and he gave his parishioners both the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. For all of this, he was condemned as a heretic and later burned at the stake in July of 1415 and his ashes were flung into the Rhine River. Do his reformation ideas sound familiar? Hus’s attempted reformation may have been forgotten except for one man who came on the scene 100 years later.

You see, Luther was accused as being a follower of Hus and a heretic himself by the Roman Church.

Now, Luther’s reformation did not end the same way as Hus’s attempt at reforming the Church, as we all know. Luther was protected and had many influential friends and allies.

[Good news]

Now, returning to the Parable of the Tenants.

You may wonder in the parable, where is the good news? It sounds like Jesus is only pronouncing God’s judgments. Well, there are a lot of judgments. We have beatings, death and a vineyard taken away.

Also, for those who disbelieve, Jesus is pronouncing the judgment of facing the true wrath of God’s Law.

But, there is good news, too.

First off, this parable shows God’s love and patience. You see, He keeps on sending prophets and eventually His own Son.

On top of this, Jesus is telling the chief priests and elders what He will do. He is telling them the plan. However, all that the chief priests and elders understood was that Jesus is threatening to take away their rule over the Jewish people.

Jesus is telling them about His future death and what His death will accomplish.

Jesus said of the tenants, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” And so they took him out of the vineyard and killed him.

This heir is Jesus and He was sent on our behalf for our salvation.

You see, Christ picks us up. What we regard as punishment actually turns out to be the first step in the healing process. God knows how to turn what’s bad into good.

Christ’s death on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, like the son’s outside the vineyard, appears to be a gruesome punishment, which it is. But it is the first step of God’s plan to heal mankind away from sin, death and the devil.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead to prove that His death destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil. Through believing in Him and His promises, we have been freely given forgiveness of sins, everlasting life and salvation by grace through faith.

You see, Jesus Christ has redeemed the vineyard – you and me – through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb to Himself.

The death of God’s Son on the cross was not just a plot of men – it was the plan of God. And since the salvation Jesus procured on the cross was for all people, even the people who planned and carried out His execution are included. The inheritance of salvation is for everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus Christ.

So, believe, trust and follow Jesus for only He is our redeemer of the vineyard.

Amen.

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

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[1] Martin Luther, “What Luther Says” (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), 532.